Understanding your body| The best way to lose weight

Understanding your body| The best way to lose weight

By Azeez Shukurat

We eat in response to hunger signals generated in our brain.  Your body needs energy - pure "raw calories" and specific micro-nutrient, such as a vitamin or mineral. You experience an emotional trigger for "comfort food", which is usually a conditioned stress response

 It is crucial to know that all factors that triggers hunger pang are regulated by your body's autonomic nervous system - your subconscious mind. Subconscious mind are outside your conscious control Yet, most diet or weight loss programs specifically ignore this fact and want you to use brute force willpower -- through counting calories, exercise, or other means -- to overcome your body's subconscious control mechanisms. Eventual failure is virtually guaranteed.

   There are three types of fat, just as there are different types of nutritional fats we can eat, each of which has different effects on our bodies, once there are also different types of fats stored in our body, each with different functions. The type of fat you have will determine how easy it is for you to lose it, even whether or not you can lose it, and how long it will stay off or how fast you gain it back when your "diet program" is complete. We actually have three different types of fat in our bodies.

Your Three Types of Fat

One of the classic mistakes made by virtually every weight loss program on the market is that it treats all fat in your body the same. This is a huge mistake! Just as there are different types of nutritional fats we can eat, each of which has different effects on our bodies, once there are also different types of fats stored in our body, each with different functions. The type of fat you have will determine how easy it is for you to lose it, even whether or not you can lose it, and how long it will stay off or how fast you gain it back when your "diet program" is complete. We actually have three different types of fat in our bodies.

Normal Fat Reserves(superficial fat): These fat deposits exist mainly as a layer of fat under our skin and above the muscles. It provides a reserve of energy for short-term interruptions in the food supply, and also as insulation for helping keep warm.

Structural Fats/visceral fat these types of fat are deposited around internal organ like the kidney, the heart and the liver structural/visceral fat are a connective tissue that serves primarily as a shock absorber.

Long Term Fat deposits, also called Brown Fat. This fat differs in its chemical structure from normal fat. Once the body is signaled to create long term fat deposits through a complex system of hormones and neurotransmitters, they only are released during long-term extreme starvation, or during pregnancy.

How Does Body Produced And Store Fat

 The human body needs foods to function. For the body to function optimally, the level of food intake must be within a safety range depends on age, sex, level of mental and physical activities. Physical activities include all our day to day activities like sweeping, reading, walking, dancing, and cooking in fact all activities which involve the movement of body part. The brain cell utilizes 20% of the body glucose. So, engaging in mental activities like reading, thinking can help reduced great amount of fat.

 There are six classes of food that we must provide the body, these are: carbohydrate, proteins, fat and oil, mineral acids, vitamins, and water.

Carbohydrate are required by the body to produced energy,

  The carbohydrate, proteins, and fat and oil we take are metabolized by our body to produce the need calories/energy which the body need for our daily activities.  At any point in time when our intake of these food classes exceed the body requirements for them or their metabolism is reduce than necessary, the excess of it is converted into fat and stored in our body around internal organ and beneath the skin.

 Remember that it is not only fat foods that are stored as fat, the end excess carbohydrate and proteins are also stored as fat.

  The region/ areas of fat storage are controlled by genes and is different from person to person. The body fat storage also varies with age, sex, and race.

  The body need of calorie varies with age, sex, level physical activities and mental activities. Physical activities include all our day to day activities like sweeping, reading, walking, dancing, and cooking in fact all activities which involve the movement of body part. The brain cell utilizes 20% of the body glucose, so engaging in mental activities like reading, thinking can help reduced great amount of fat.

Your individual body chemistry must be taken into account in order for you to lose weight. Before on any diet or weight loss program, you first need to know  what foods are compatible with your body's chemistry and immune system.  Stress stimulates the production of a hormone called cortisol, The presence of cortisol causes an increase in your blood sugar. This is an important adaptation during life threatening situation. However, during daily activities, it causes insulin production and result in your body being more prone to storing fat, another long-term survival adaptation. If this stress response pattern becomes more frequent, you are more likely to store this fat as Long Term Brown Fat.

 Long term, frequent stress can cause your body to lower your metabolism and produces a phenomenon called Functional Hypothyroidism. Your body behaves as if it is hypothyroid, even though your thyroid is fine. Long term stress can also burn out your Adrenal glands and reduce your ability to respond to stress.

How to Boost your metabolic rate

There are a number of ways you can boost your metabolic rate. Exercise, diet and lifestyle are all important areas in which you can make changes and increase your metabolism. Exercise is a great way to boost your metabolism because it burns calories both immediately and also keeps burning them in the long term. The actual act of exercising will burn calories and over time your body will adapt to your exercise regime and burn an increased number of calories overall. Regular, moderate physical exercise is good for the body, mind, and spirit. For those with MS, exercise is an important tool to help maintain function, mobility, and help manage symptoms such as depression, fatigue, and anger. Regular exercise can improve a loss of fitness caused by a sedentary lifestyle and be therapeutic for such MS-related problems as spasticity and poor balance.Exercise also builds a reserve of muscle strength and cardiovascular function. Then, if an attack or exacerbation of MS calls for a time-out from physical activity, the reserve is available. When the symptoms subside and the person is able to go back to a more normal life, there is a better foundation on which to rebuild. Addressing the symptoms of MS with regular exercise may help to slow the progression of the disease as one maintains or even gains more mobility.

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What Exactly is the Mediterranean Diet?

By its name alone, the Mediterranean diet attracts a lot of current and would be dieters due to its exotic name. But what is it exactly? One concern of the Mediterranean diet is that it allows 40% fat consumption compared to the 30% of the American Heart Association. Let's go into more detail as it seems a waste to just let it go without giving it a fair reading.

The Mediterranean diet evolved from the respective diets of countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin. Among the countries surrounding the basin are the south of France, southern Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus. Originally introduced by American doctor Ancel Keys, the diet failed to gain popular recognition until the 1990's. Based on scientific data, people around the Mediterranean basin had lower rates of cardiovascular disease compared to Americans who, for all intents and purposes, consumed the same relative amount of fat. One possible explanation is the presence of olive oil and red wine. Olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood while red wine contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are anti-oxidants that also help the body when dealing with allergenic material, viruses and cancer causing agents.

Another contributing factor to a European's better health could be the fact that they tend to walk more than Americans do. Questions have also been raised as to whether the Mediterranean diet contributes enough iron and calcium to the diet. Green vegetables and goat cheese have been found to contribute these nutrients respectively.
The thing about the Mediterranean diet is that its foods are often rich and tasty thanks to olive oil. Normally, margarine and hydrogenated oils lack the flavor that olive oil gives out. Another part of the diet is regular but moderate consumption of red wine. Saturated fat consumption is low as opposed to high amounts of monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber. This is due to the fact that the diet includes big servings of fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, olive oil and fish.

In comparing the food pyramid of the United States against the Mediterranean diet, people of the Mediterranean consumed fruits, vegetables and grain just as Americans do. The main difference lies in the fact that Americans consume more red meat. Consumption of cold water fish is also prominent in the Mediterranean diet. This results in reduced risks of heart disease, cancer and improved immune system functions. Compared to the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) pyramid, the Mediterranean diet contains little saturated and trans fat that raise cholesterol in the blood. The USDA's pyramid does not differentiate from healthy and unhealthy fats.

Characteristically speaking, the Mediterranean diet has high consumption of olive oil. Breads, cereals, fruits and vegetables likewise have a high rate of consumption in the diet. Fish and poultry as well as wine are moderately consumed while eggs and red meat are rated as very low in consumption.
The problem with most diets is that they tend to be extreme. Some diets, like the vegetarian diet, limit a person to just eating fruits, tofu, yogurt and vegetables. Other diets would require high protein intake while severely limiting intake of the other food groups. Like a user friendly computer, the Mediterranean diet does not go to extremes to achieve a desired result. The diet allows for consumption of tasty foods. This allows the dieter to actually enjoy the gastronomic delights normally prohibited by other diets. A solid testament to this fact rests on the presence of wine in the diet.

The most surprising aspect of the Mediterranean diet is that fat is regarded as a healthy dietary component. Keep in mind that it is the fat that gives food most of its flavor. Two substances, omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats, are considered to be healthy and are not restricted in the diet. Olive oil, canola oil and nuts are good sources of monounsaturated fat while fish, vegetables and nuts contain the healthy omega-3 acids. Saturated fats and trans fat, on the other hand are considered to be unhealthy as they contribute to heart disease. Red meat, butter cheese and milk are sources of saturated fat while processed foods contain hydrogenated oils from which trans fat comes from.

From what has been written so far, and from all the sources and references where this article was taken from, the Mediterranean diet comes highly recommended by health professionals. The Mediterranean diet maintains a healthy but tasty, smorgasbord of delicious foods with which you can maintain a healthy diet without the need to sacrifice flavor and variety. While we appreciate the people who struggle and strive to come up with healthy diets, good food carries more weight in our stomachs.

What are the Best Fad Diets?

What are the best fad diets?
Your ideal weight loss solution should comprise a basket of cures, each chosen to suit your specific needs. A diet, fad or not, may be one ingredient of that basket. But one size does not fit all.
However, if you are going to choose a fad diet as part of your weightloss basket, you should at least be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
In this article, I'll outline some of the main categories of fad diets and some of the pros and cons of each.
High-Fat, Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Millions of Americans have joined the low-carb craze and started high-fat, low-carb diets such as the Atkins Diet and the Zone Diet. They are made up of about 60% fat, 10% carbohydrate, and 30% protein.
These fad diets say you can eat high amounts of fat and protein while getting very low amounts of carbohydrates in the form of vegetables.
The main premise of the low-carb diet is that a diet low in carbohydrates leads to a reduction in body's production of insulin.
The end result is that fat and protein stores will be used for energy. So you stuff yourself full of unlimited amounts of meat, cheese, and butter, and only eat a small portion of carbohydrates.
But here's the catch...
People who start the diet usually lose a great amount of weight, but it's not permanent weight loss. Instead of burning fat, they lose water and precious muscle tissue.
Furthermore, these diets are low in several nutrients and contain excess amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats, substances that increase the risk of heart disease.
Plus, regardless of what they claim, the enormous amounts of protein put a strain on your kidneys.
Not exactly a promising contender for the best fad diets title!
Moderate Fat Diets
Next, there are the moderate fat diets. Moderate fat diets include diets like Weight Watchers, the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, Herbalife and Jenny Craig.
These diets are made up of about 25% fat, 60% carbohydrate, and 15% protein. They encourage the intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and essential fatty acids found in foods like olive oil and salmon.
These diets are usually nutritionally balanced if the dieter eats a variety of foods from all categories. For example, Weight Watchers operates on a point system where foods get a number of points based on calorie, fiber, and fat content.
Dieters get a specific number of points they can use for the day. While it's not encouraged, they may choose to spend most of their points on carbohydrates instead of balancing it out. This could lead to deficiencies in nutrients such as calcium, iron, and zinc.
Herbalife counters this shortcoming with a range of nutritional shakes and vitamin products.
If followed properly (and backed by judicious supplementation), these diets are probably the most successful for losing weight and keeping it off... A possible contender for the best fad diets title.
Low and Very Low-Fat Diets
Finally, you have your low-fat and very low-fat diets. Fad diets in this category include the Dr. Dean Ornish's Diet and the Pritkin Plan, among others. They are made up of about 13% fat, 70% carbohydrates, and 16% protein.
These diets are mostly vegetarian diets and don't recommend eating a lot of meat. Like the low-carb diets, you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods. Because you can't eat a lot of meat, these diets are deficient in zinc, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids.
Also, it is so restrictive that people find a hard time staying on it for life and end up gaining their weight back.
So, that's a brief outline of some of the main fad diet categories. And, yes, you're right I haven't told you definitively what I think are the best fad diets. But read the above carefully and you'll see I've nudged you in a certain direction.
That's as far as I'm prepared to go without knowing more a
bout your specific circumstances.
This is really something you need to decide for yourself. Your needs will be different from others.
While rapid weightloss diets are generally inadvisible, perhaps you have valid reasons for needing to lose weight fast. In which case, maybe a low-carb diet, despite its many disadvantages, is what you need right now. You can always switch to a different program later.
The choice is yours...

But don't decide right now.
To help you make a better informed choice, I've devoted a page on my website to fad diets with links to summaries of the more popular ones.

The Green Bean Way of Losing Weight Without the Fear of Side-Effects

People that are overweight can find a number of advertisements, which will encourage them to try products that claim to be effective methods to getting back in shape. History proves that people generally fall for tactics that are accompanied by high-profile advertising and claims which are backed by several testimonials. Manufacturers of such products generally look forward to targeting gullible individuals who they feel could be looking out for quick-fix remedies. Unfortunately, it must also be mentioned that they have been successful in their leaving people doubting the veracity of the claims made even by reputed manufacturers.
Weight loss methods that are generally promoted by different manufacturers contain fillers or chemicals, which can prove harmful to the body. Some products do work effectively but leave behind side-effects which people will have to bear. One does not understand as to why the Food and Drug Administration of the country does not impose any kind of restrictions on the type of advertisements that can be seen in various publications. However, it cannot be denied that these companies have managed to garner a share on the market and are doing quite well.
Today it has been confirmed by numerous researchers that the only products which can assist people in losing weight without the fear of side-effects are those that have been manufactured by using natural ingredients. In the days when weight loss medications were not available, it is certain that there were a number of overweight people who could have used other methods to get back into shape. These people would have used natural ingredients along with their regular diet and gradually managed to lose weight without the fear of any side-effects being left behind. The same logic can be applied even today with the assurance that results will be guaranteed and individuals who use such methods will manage to feel lighter soon.
One method that is fast catching the eye of celebrities and individuals alike is a supplement made from green coffee beans. They are generally known as green bean coffee extracts and are available in the form of soft gel capsules. Research conducted has provided information that extracts from green coffee beans can inhibit the body from absorbing fat. It can also inhibit the release of glucose into the blood which researchers feel may help with weight reduction.
A discovery that has recently been published shows that green bean coffee extracts have the capacity to help the human body burn fat faster than any other components. It also has properties that are antioxidant and slow down the growth of new fat cells within the body. Most importantly since the supplements are made from natural ingredients, people can rest assured that they will face no side-effects whatsoever.
It is not easy for people who are overweight to find methods that will help them effectively. However, if they choose to go the green bean way, they will soon find to their amazement that their objective of losing weight can be achieved without the fear of side-effects haunting their mind.

Hoodia Gordonii|Does it Really Promote Weight Loss?

Hoodia Gordonii has quickly become one of the most popular and best-selling weight loss supplements of all time. Everyday, more and more people are discovering its potent appetite-suppressing and fat-burning abilities. Hoodia has also been shown to work well at suppressing thirst.
A Brief History
Found naturally in the wild, the cactus-like Hoodia Gordonii plant is indigenous to South Africa. Hoodia Gordonii has been grown and consumed by the local Bushman tribes of South Africa for hundreds of years. They were the first to discover the amazing benefits that the Hoodia plant could offer. These tribes would travel across the Kalahari Desert by foot on week long hunting expeditions. Lack of food and water became a major issue during these long, hot, and grueling trips. To help these hunters suppress their appetite and stave off hunger, they ate the stems of the Hoodia Gordonii plant that were growing wild across the desert. An anthropologist observing these local people noticed them eating the hoodia stems and became curious. He observed some more and started to take notes. Later scientists began studying this peculiar plant at labs all over South Africa. The research showed that there was definitely a link between hoodia gordonii and appetite suppression so they studied further. Studies confirmed that there was also a link between Hoodia Gordonii and weight loss. As news spread of its undeniable effects on hunger, Hoodia went on to be patented and marketed all over the world as a dietary supplement in both pill and liquid form.
Why are People so Excited About Hoodia?
When hoodia was mentioned by several celebrities and media members, a huge buzz was created and demand soared. There were many other reasons for hoodia's popularity as well. Hoodia has the ability to naturally suppress the human appetite. Supplementing with hoodia reduces your cravings for food and decreases appetite. A decreased appetite means you eat less. If you eat less, you lose weight. It's that simple. This does not, however, mean that you should starve yourself. The human body needs a certain number of calories a day for optimal performance and to function properly. Hoodia should be used to control overeating, not as a starvation aid.
Hoodia is not a diet stimulant, nor is it a drug .Taking Hoodia does not come with the same uncomfortable side effects as many of the popular ephedra diet pills of the past such as rapid heart beat, nausea, and even dizziness.
When choosing a hoodia product it is important to look for a high quality product from a reputable company. As with all supplements, the product manufacture should be a reputable one. Do your research. This will ensure you are getting what you are paying for. One of the more popular hoodia supplements is made by Olympian Labs. As with the majority of hoodia supplements, Olympian Labs Hoodia is priced below $20. Be wary of companies charging more as hoodia is relatively inexpensive to cultivate.
Remember, it is still important to eat healthy, exercise and take a multivitamin to ensure healthy weight loss and overall well being. Diabetic as well as children should not take Hoodia. Pregnant women should refrain from taking Hoodia and as well as any other medications or drugs that are not prescribed by their doctor. As always, it is best to consult your doctor if you have any health concerns before starting any weight loss program.

Exercise Break|6 REASONS FOR EXERCISE BREAK

Either you have exercise for fun, for weight loss program or for toning your body, the exercise intensity should be adjusted to your own body. That's why there is no instant way to lose weight or to build muscles. High intensity exercise is not always correlated to better result.
Want a proof ?....
Have you ever got these symptoms during or after your workout session ?
Decreasing performance
You are in a good shape, and in a high mood to have an intense exercise today. But when it comes to muscle exercise, suddenly you face a difficulty to lift the same weight you usually have. Why?
Rapid pulse
At night after exercise...your heart is still pulsing rapidly that force you to stay awake for hours. What's wrong?
Lack of fitness motivation
You are a fitnessholic, and exercise has become your favorite activity. But today...you really don't feel like going to the gym neither to do exercise at home. Suddenly exercise becomes a responsibility. What happened?
Decreasing immune system
Up till now you are proud of your health, as one of sport's benefits is increasing body immune system. But lately you get sick so often even though you keep maintaining your exercise schedule. What's wrong?
Recovery Problem
In a healthy person, recovery after workout usually takes 1-2 days time, depends on the exercise intensity. However after your last exercise, you still got soreness and exhausted after 4 days. You feel weak and lose concentration at work. Is it normal?
Lose appetite
This has gone too far! When you lose your appetite, you won't regain your energy to do another exercise. And if you force yourself to continue your exercise, you will only torture your body!
So, what is going on here ?....
Within your routine exercise and obsession of weight loss or muscles toning, you have unconsciously come to a level of overtraining. Overtraining doesn't mean you lift a heavier weight or run faster than usual. Overtraining happens because you do not give your body enough time to recover. This is where you need an exercise break before having another exercise.
There are two types of exercise break :
Exercise Break Between Exercises
If you used to have intense daily exercise, then you can choose cardio-muscle exercises combination in every session. However, do not train the same muscles (back & chest or triceps & biceps) exercises on the same day. To avoid overtraining, have one week exercise break after every 8 weeks of exercise. You can have a swim or enjoy other sports that you like just for fun, remember...you're on an exercise break!
For men or women who don't need intense exercise, and only go to the gym 2-3 days a week, you can have your exercise break between your exercises to recover your muscles.
Exercise Break Between Sets
Either cardio exercise or muscle exercise should be performed with exercise break between sets or session.
Cardio exercise
20 minutes exercise break between 2 sets of 30 minutes of static bike, is believed to burn more fat than having 60 minutes nonstop exercise. It's because your body will use the exercise break period to get more energy from the fats. Use the exercise break period to do stretching or light treadmill.
Muscle exercise
Exercise break is very important in weight lifting exercise, to optimize your exercises. The rule of exercise break depends on your goal in having weight lifting exercise.
* For toning muscle: 30-60 seconds between sets, with minimum 10 repetition each set.
* For muscle resistance: 30 seconds between different muscles or 3 minutes between the same muscles, with 12 repetition for each muscle.
* For muscle strength: 3-5 minutes between sets, with 3-6 repetition each set.
Start a healthy exercise by inserting exercise break in your exercise schedule from today,....Happy exercising!