Get Fit, Great Health & Wellness

Hi Everyone,

I shared this great article by Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS with some great friends of mine & I thought I’d like to share it with you too. Thanks for being part of my quest. Do leave me comments on your quest and journey.

Enjoy!

Best Ways to Burn Belly Fat

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

I often get asked, “What’s the best way to burn fat and lose my belly?” People want to know if aerobics is better than strength training, or if traditional cardio exercise is better than intervals.

Well, to say I’ve done them all would be an understatement.

With over 15 years experience helping others, training myself, training for sports, spending countless hours in the gym, AND actually conducting laboratory research studies on different exercise methods, I’m pretty confident in knowing what works and what does not.

But first of all, I want to frame my responses. I’m going to talk about what works for people that have a limited amount of time to exercise, mostly because I expect your readers don’t have 90 minutes per day to devote to a workout, unlike the typical audience of a fitness magazine.

That’s why there is a huge disconnect between some of the information found in magazines and the ability of the reader to apply it to their lives.

We just don’t have 6-8 hours per week for exercise, nor do we need it. If you’re a triathlete, you might need that, but not someone that just wants to lose fat and gain muscle.

Having said all that, the bottom line for getting a better body is…

Use bodyweight exercises to warm-up, strength training supersets to build muscle, and then finish your workout with interval training to burn fat in a short amount of time. I’ve structured my system so that you are in and out of the gym in 45 minutes, three times per week.

You’ll do 5 minutes of bodyweight exercises to warm-up. This is a much more efficient approach than spending 5 minutes walking on a treadmill, which really doesn’t prepare you for anything except more walking on a treadmill.

Then we move into the strength training supersets, where we use two exercises performed back to back with minimum rest between each. This cuts our workout time, while still giving us maximum results. We only need 20 minutes for this, and we’ll use basic exercises, and sometimes even more bodyweight exercises, depending on the client’s goal for muscle building.

And finally, we’ll do 18 minutes of interval training. A warm-up, followed by six short intervals at the appropriate fitness level for the client, interspersed with short periods of low-intensity recovery. Finish with a cool-down. And that’s the workout. Again, about 45 minutes total.

Compare that to what most people do, which is run, jog, cycle or use the cardio machines for 45 minutes straight. Sure, that will burn calories, but it doesn’t build a better body.

In fact, there are a few “dark sides” to long slow cardio, including less-than-optimal results, the potential for overuse injuries, and it is an inefficient form of exercise. If you only have 30-45 minutes for your workout and you spend it all on a cardio machine, when are you going to train the rest of your muscles and sculpt a better body?

So the best way to burn belly fat is with a combination of strength training and interval training. It’s fast, it works, and it’s fun!

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

Hi Everyone,

Here’s the skinny on how food can turn into fat. Knowledge accumulated along the way goes a long way in one’s quest for a healthier and leaner body.

The sequence goes like this -

1. Food is consumed.
2. Food consumed is broken down into glucose.
3. Nutrients in the form of glucose is transported to every cell in the body via the bloodstream to provide as fuel.
4. If the levels of glucose created is in surplus to the body’s requirements, it will be stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen.
5. If the glycogen stores are full, the excess will then be stored away as fat.

So, to avoid this excess in glucose and glycogen stores, eat smaller and frequent meals. This will ensure that the glucose converted is made available just based on what the body requires. Nothing in excess. It’s a great way to avoid accumulating fat and will even help in your quest for a better body transformation.

Towards a leaner you,
Cheng

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

The great thing about strength training and intervals for fat burning is “efficiency”. Because you are working harder, the signal to your body to change is stronger. You cut time when you increase intensity and you burn fat faster.

Now don’t worry, I won’t be asking you to do hill sprints tomorrow if you aren’t exercising today. For a beginner, we just do some slightly faster than normal walking intervals. For intermediate fitness levels, we’ll pick up the pace about 20% compared to their normal cardio levels, but again, the work periods are much shorter.

The key is, you must shift to a slightly higher intensity in order to cut time from your workout. But the workout also goes faster, and much more importantly, you will get more results and better fitness from these methods.

It’s easy to do these workouts first thing in the AM, at lunch, or after the kids go to bed. Plus, you can get a great workout at home with only a bench, dumbells, and an exercise ball. You don’t need fancy machines or an expensive gym membership.

And another bonus, you only need three hard fat burning workouts per week. You don’t have to be in the gym six days per week.

On your off days, it’s important to stay active for at least 30 minutes, but these days should be unstructured and revolve around being active with your family or hobbies. Don’t think of them as workout days, think of them as fat burning, stress reducing activity days.

About the Author
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

Greetings,

In my quest to maintain a healthy lifestyle, rid of stubborn fats, share on great information to fat/weight loss management and to better health & wellness, it really saddens me to know that there are ailments which can be better managed by a better choice of nutrition, exercise & stress management and yet most times it falls on deaf ears.

One such ailment is High Blood Pressure or Hypertension. 

Blood pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats (systolic pressure) and when the heart is at rest (diastolic pressure). It’s measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). High blood pressure (or hypertension) is defined in an adult as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure. 

High blood pressure directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke, especially when it’s present with other risk factors.

When a person is diagnosed with high blood pressure, treatment of some sort needs to be started as soon as possible. There are many ways to treat high blood pressure and one or more methods will be a potentially life saving measure. The most common treatment for high blood pressure is with prescription medications. 

My preferred treatment is with Diet And Exercise. Of course, if it had been just the early diagnosis and a borderline case, this will be my personal preferred choice, unless the doctors determines that it’s too much of a risk to even start with management with one’s diet and exercise.

It has been found that diet and exercise have a great impact on treating high blood pressure.  People who are overweight have an increased incidence of high blood pressure and losing weight has been shown to have a significant effect in lowering the blood pressure.  There are also specific things a person may consume that such as a high fat, high salt diet that will increase the chance of high blood pressure.  People who reduce these substances can also reduce their blood pressure.  People wanting to treat high blood pressure may find that reducing their alcohol intake is very effective.  Another effective treatment for high blood pressure may be increasing potassium rich foods in the diet such as oranges, bananas, and melons. 

Studies have proven that exercise can have a very positive effect on high blood pressure.  People can use a regular exercise program as an effective treatment for high blood pressure.  By increasing exercise, decreasing weight, and changing specific things in the diet a person may find that they no longer have a problem with high blood pressure.

There you have it… in my opinion a much better way of managing High Blood Pressure. Of course, if you help it, prevent it first

Cheers,
Cheng 

Losing weight is all about total calories in and total calories out. You can try all of the fancy diets you want. but, if you are taking in more calories than you burn, you are definitely going to gain weight. Watch what you eat and try to get increased activities (or exercise) is the best way to take the pounds off.

A good sensible diet will include a healthy breakfast. Don’t even think about skipping this important meal of the day. Always include healthy fruits and low fat items in your breakfast.

With the demands from work, family and socially, it’s hard to squeeze in the time for a proper and complete workout regime. Sure! We all know how important it is to exercise regularly, but doing it may be another matter altogether. Making time for a 30 or 60 minute exercise routine takes real discipline. So, let’s take baby steps and try taking 10 minutes of exercise, 3 or 4 times a day, and give it your all. Your body won’t know if you’d exercised within a 30-minute session or had taken 3 10-minute sessions.

Most forms of exercise will help you lower your blood pressure. You will usually lose some weight after commencing your exercise regime and help lower your blood pressure for sure. Eating a balanced diet or meal will definitely help maintain your health and keep your weight from getting out-of-control. Put each one of these suggestions to use and you will see improvement.

Remember! Always consult your doctor before commencing on any exercise regime.

Here’s to your journey to getting fit, losing excess weight and wellness!

Cheers,
Cheng

By Nick Nilsson

So you want to lose fat but don’t know where to start? This program
will get you moving in the right direction…weight training, cardio,
nutrition and supplementation…and get you results NOW!

So you want to drop some fat but you’re not sure of what the best way is to get started?

Right now, I’m going to give you a short guide that will get you moving in the right direction…an exact training program (done 3 times per week) covering weights and cardio, as well as what to eat, how much to eat, and what supplements you need and don’t need.Let’s get right to it!
STEP 1 - FOOD QUALITY

For fat loss, WHAT you’re eating is just as important as HOW MUCH you’re eating. Think of it it way…you can lose weight eating ONLY 1000 calories worth of chocolate pudding every day…but how do you think you’re going to feel eating nothing but chocolate pudding!

It’s VERY important to eat good quality, nutritious food when you’re trying to lose fat. Your body needs nutrients to function. Without good nutrition, your body will react in two ways: first, it will shut down your metabolism to try and conserve nutrients. Second, it will set off RAGING cravings to try and get you to eat more nutrients!

Focus on unprocessed foods, as close to their natural state as possible. Unprocessed foods are more nutritious and easier for your body to digest and work with. This simple change can make a big difference to your fat-loss efforts.

Here’s the deal…contrary to popular thought, a calorie is NOT a calorie. The popular scientific consensus used to be (and still is according to some people) that all calories are created equal. That it didn’t matter what you ate in terms of nutrients (fat, carbs and protein), as long as the total calorie intake was below a certain point, you would lose fat.

Unfortunately, that is NOT the case and it’s common sense - what do you think would help you lose fat better…that 1000 calories of chocolate pudding or 1000 calories of lean chicken breast, vegetables and brown rice? Quality of food DOES matter and it can mean the difference between success and failure.

My advice: for 1 week, take a small notepad wherever you go and write down EVERYTHING you eat. And I do mean EVERYTHING - even if it’s just a snack or a little nibble of a cracker, write it down, as well as how much of it you ate. Remember, this is just for one week - you don’t have to do this for the rest of your life so be honest about everything you eat!

At the end of the week, look at what you’ve eaten and put a checkmark beside everything that is unprocessed (a good rule of thumb is anything that can be found on the outside aisles of the grocery store, lean meats, fish, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts, potatoes, whole grains, legumes, etc.). This is a good visual cue to see exactly how you’re doing with your food quality.

If you see that more than half of the foods have checkmarks beside them, you’re doing much better than average already! Ideally, you want to get that number of checkmarks as high as possible.

For more information about nutrition and eating, check out the following article:

BASIC Nutrition - A Quick, Common-Sense Guide To What You Should Be Eating to Stay Healthy and Get Results Right Now
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1109

STEP 2 - FOOD QUANTITY

Now that you’ve looked at WHAT you’re eating, it’s time to turn your attention to HOW MUCH you’re eating. Even the highest quality, nutritious food can make you fat if you eat too much of it. So to lose fat effectively, you basically have to eat less food.

There are many, MANY methods and formulas for figuring this out but, bottom line, ALL of them are really just “best-guesses” - even the scientific formulas that work out your requirements to the single calorie are just guesses. These guesses are based on plenty of data, mind you, and they can be very helpful in determining a good starting point. But if a formula says you need X number of calories and you eat that and you still aren’t losing fat, obviously that number isn’t the number for you.

Here’s a very simple rule of thumb for estimating a STARTING POINT for determining your caloric intake to lose fat: take your weight in pounds and multiply it by 10. For example, if you weigh 175 pounds, that would give you a starting point of 1750 calories per day.

Go back to that week-long list of foods that you wrote down (from the previous point) and plug those foods into the database on this site (it has a HUGE number of foods that you can track):

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/

Add up your calories for the whole week, divide that by 7 (to get your average caloric intake per day) and see how it compares to number you get from the simple formula I described above.

If it’s higher, you need to eat less food. If it’s lower and you find you’re STILL not losing fat, you may need to eat even less than that.

I would NOT recommend going below 1000 calories per day for food intake at the VERY lowest. When you start getting that low, you run into problems because your body isn’t getting enough energy and nutrients from the small amount of food you’re eating. This is doubly true when you’re exercising as well. Your body will react by slowing your metabolism and burning up lean tissue (like your muscle mass). This will put a stop to fat loss and can be dangerous!

STEP 3 - WEIGHT TRAINING

One of the first things people ask me when they want to lose fat is “how much cardio should I do.” When I respond by telling them how much weight training they should do, they always look at me like I’m crazy.

But here’s the bottom line: if you go into an aerobics class and take a snapshot of the people in there then come back 6 months later and take another shapshot, chances are VERY good that most of the people in the class haven’t made any significant changes to their bodies.

Sure, cardio training burns calories, but it doesn’t reshape your body and it doesn’t build muscle mass to same degree as weight training. This is true for both men and women.

** And a note specifically to the ladies, when I talk about muscle mass for you, I’m NOT talking about big, bulky bodybuilder muscles…I’m talking about the sleek, toned muscles that give your body the curves and shape you’re looking for! Without THAT kind of muscle mass, you may get smaller but you still won’t have the shape you’re looking for.

For a more detailed explanation of this, check out the following article:

Follow the Path of MOST Resistance! Learn why weight training is the fast track to sculpting your body.
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1110

If you want to lose fat, you should weight train at least three times per week (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). I like to recommend total body workouts each session for beginning trainers as it helps the body to learn the exercises faster and build strength and muscle faster.

Here’s what a typical resistance training session would look like:

3 sets of back
3 sets of chest
3 sets of thighs
2 sets of shoulders
2 sets of hamstrings
2 sets of biceps
2 sets of triceps
2 sets of calves
2 sets of abs

Take about a minute rest in between each set and aim for about 8 to 10 reps per set.

The MOST important thing to note here with rep ranges is that those 8 to 10 reps are a GUIDE NOT A TARGET. The idea is to choose a weight that makes it tough to complete those 10 reps. The idea is NOT to take a weight that you can easily do 10 reps with, do 10 reps then stop regardless of whether the muscle was really worked or not. To make progress, you need to push yourself.

I cannot TELL you how many times I’ve seen people diligently counting their reps as they whip through an exercise then stop before they even put a dent in their strength levels. When I ask them why they stopped so soon, they always tell me “that’s how many reps it says to do on my program.”

Don’t be afraid to push yourself! THAT is where the real results are!

If you would like more information on how to perform exercises, check out these links:

Road Warrior Training - Keep in Shape While Traveling!
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1111

http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1025

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

STEP 4 - CARDIO TRAINING

Even though you may think I’m opposed to cardio training judging by what I wrote above, that is NOT the case! Cardio definitely has a place in a fat-loss program.

I have three main issues with cardio training for fat loss:

1. It shouldn’t be the main focus of a fat-loss exercise program when it so often is.

This is a point I mentioned above - I believe weight training should be the focus of an exercise program for fat loss. Not only is it more effective for fat loss, there is actually LESS chance of injury than with the typical repetitive-movement cardio activities (anyone who has tried to take up jogging when they’re 20+ pounds overweight can attest to that!).

2. It’s normally done with low intensity and for long periods of time, which does NOT boost the metabolism.

The REAL key to losing fat is ramping up your metabolism to burn calories ALL THE TIME rather than just when you’re exercising. By keeping intensity low, you only burn calories DURING exercise, not so much after. But when you boost intensity, your metabolism gets cranked up and you burn more calories ALL DAY.

For a more detailed explanation of higher-intensity cardio training and its benefits, read these articles:

What Do You Mean Low-Intensity Training Isn’t The Best For Fat Burning?
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1046

The Insider Secrets of Interval Training - Learn How Now!
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1105

3. It’s typically done WAY too much.

In order to get results with typical long-duration cardio, many people do it upwards of 5 or 6 and even 7 days a week! This is fine if you’re an athlete training for an endurance competition but if you’re a busy person (as many people are), you just don’t have TIME to sit on a stationary bike for an hour a day.

Couple that long duration and high frequency with a repetitive movement and you not only have greater chance of injury, you also have greater chance of boredom (which sometimes means giving up on exercise altogether because “it just doesn’t work for me”).

My recommendation is always to use interval training instead of the long-duration cardio training. It can be done MUCH faster (10 to 20 minutes), boosts your metabolism for long periods AFTER training, and finally, it actually helps your body hang onto muscle tissue while burning fat.

There are two ways to include cardio in with the weight training program I described above.

1. Do your cardio training immediately AFTER your weights.

When you do it this way, don’t eat anything after you do weights - just go directly into your cardio after a few minutes rest. You only need about 10 minutes of training to really make a dent in your fat stores. This has the advantage of allowing you to get all your training done all at once (in the gym 3 times a week and that’s it).

2. Do your cardio training on separate days or separate sessions

This is a good way to go in that you won’t be tired from the weight training when you do the interval training. You may need go a bit longer in your sessions (e.g. 15 to 20 minutes) when done on its own. This method does have the advantage of giving your metabolism a separate boost in addition to the weights. When doing it this way, you can do cardio on its own on Tuesday and Thursday, for example.

Either method is very effective! The real key is working hard at the training.

NOTE: DO NOT do interval training every day! It may work well for a little while but you will very quickly overwork the body, which will stop your results.

STEP 5 - SUPPLEMENTS

When I refer to supplements here, I’m NOT talking about fat-loss pills. These pills are not the answer for losing fat. Your own natural metabolism IS and it’s WAY more powerful than any pill.

Check out this article on fat-loss pills:

How Fat Loss Pills Can Make You Fatter
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1112

When I refer to supplements, I’m talking about supplements that help SUPPORT your body nutritionally, not send it into a hyper-alert state that fries your nervous system.

When training to lose fat, here are the supplements I highly recommend:

- Protein Powder - to help with rebuilding and repairing muscle tissue and keeping the immune system functioning well

(Here is a 3 part article on protein and fat loss)
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1045

- Glutamine - helps speed recovery and boost the immune system
http://www.fitstep.com/goto/glutamine.htm

- Multivitamins - to help you cover all your nutritional bases
- Vitamin C - helps repair joints, is a strong antioxidant and boosts the immune system
- Calcium/Magnesium - for your bones and also for muscle contractions…it’s hard to get enough of these nutrients when reducing caloric intake

These are the basics, as far as I’m concerned. It’s critical to give your body ample nutritional support when trying to lose fat.

For more information on supplementation, check out:

A Quick, “No B.S.” Guide To Muscle-Building and Fat-Loss Supplementation
http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1113

—

CONCLUSION:

These 5 simple steps should get you started on your way to losing the extra fat. Here are they are in review:

Step 1 - improve the quality of the food you eat
Step 2 - eat less food
Step 3 - start weight training
Step 4 - include some cardio training
Step 5 - use supplements to support your body

Go through the list step-by-step and you will on your way to fat-loss success!

For more articles and information on fat loss, check out:

http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=1039

And if you’re interested in a more detailed fat-loss exercise and nutritional program, be sure to read about my book “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss“:

http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru&l=400

It’s a program that lays out (in great detail!) 36 days of training, eating and supplementation to maximize fat-loss. It’s a powerful, very comprehensive program!

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at (http://hop.clickbank.net/?clickcheng/betteru). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

Now, more than ever, people are quite conscious over weight issues because it affects not only a person’s physical appearance but his or her overall outlook in life as well. Seeing how obesity alters health and their social lives, obese or morbidly obese people are now becoming more determined to find the perfect weight loss strategies for them and are equally-determined enough to keep their ideal weight for good once they have achieved it.

MYTHS AND FACTS ON WEIGHT LOSS

Today, more and more remedies are being offered in the market for those people who would want to lose weight. Among these are weight loss remedies come in the form of products, supplements, and programs.

But, before you engage in any weight loss diet, product, or program, make sure that you have full comprehension of its effects and possible side effects to avoid going back to your form after you lose weight. Being knowledgeable about these products and the possible risks associated with it can give you an idea what are the products you can take in, diets you can engage in or programs you can enroll with.

Most studies show that diets that promote weight loss of more than two pounds weekly are not safe because it increases the possibility of serious health problems compared to gradual weight loss. Medical experts also agree that losing weight at a slower rate may reduce risks of health problems that are closely associated with rapid weight loss. Also, fad diets and quick weight loss products available today do not only ignore but totally violates the basic principles of good nutrition and various dietary guidelines. Do not be overwhelmed with the promise of quick weight loss because any claims that a person can lose weight almost effortlessly are fabricated.

KEEPING IT UP

Aside serious health risks and psychological impacts brought by futile dieting, improper weight loss through the use of non-prescribed weight loss products or diets that are not proven to be effective can bring depression plus a weakened immune system.

Losing weight can be frustrating but a rewarding feat once you have achieved your ideal weight and figure. Here are some weight loss and dieting myths tips that can help you avoid losing the weight loss you’ve worked so hard for:

Myth number 1. “Having a “Low Carb Diet” is the only way for you to lose weight.” This is probably one of the biggest lies being promoted by the people of weight loss industry today. In fact, experts even agree that by cutting out all carbo and starches will only result to lack of nutrition needed by the body especially by the muscle tissues.

Myth number 2: “A lot of time is needed to work a weight loss program into your schedule.” If you think that you cannot handle your weight loss all by yourself, then opt enrolling is a safe and responsible weight loss program. If you have chosen the right weight loss program that can fit into your schedule then you can even do other things for yourself.

Myth number 3: “An obese of morbidly obese person can never go back to his/her original size.” Do not listen to people if they told you that gaining weight at a certain age or weight gain due to pregnancy can hinder you to go back to your slimmer size. All you need is to adjust your eating patterns and resort to proper exercise or physical activity so your body will lose weight naturally.

Myth number 4: “Starve yourself until you lose weight.” Among the dieting and weight loss myths, this is the most damaging of all because it can lead to serious health risk like ruined metabolism, body’s depletion of vitamins and minerals and binge eating or food splurge.

Article Source: http://add-articles.com

Dr Nathalie Fiset is a family doctor and a certified hypnotherapist. For more information go to: www.sayyestolosingweight.com www.aperfectharmony.com or www.a-1hypnosis.com

Losing weight is a subject on the minds of many. Our eat on the run, tv watching lifestyle has led many of us to have bigger waistlines than we’d like; and bigger waistlines than are healthy for us. In fact, the US Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 60 million Americans, or 30% of the adult population, are obese.

Obesity related illnesses are going to lead the pack as causes of death in our country very soon if we don’t get ourselves back on track. Obesity leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes and increases your risk for some forms of cancer. As our weight increases, so do our risk levels.

So, how do we go about losing the weight? Well, most of us are aware that we need to eat less and exercise more. Putting more calories into our bodies than we burn off in a day leads to weight gain. Cutting calories and getting exercise can help you get your expenditure and intake in line. There’s certainly no getting around this basic weight loss principle.

But, research is showing that there are some foods that can help you lose weight, and other foods that will pack on the pounds faster than you can say “calorie”. I’m not talking strictly calories here – I’m talking about foods that help you burn fat or stay full longer versus foods that cannot be used by the body as energy, so they automatically turn to fat.

Let’s look at foods that can help you. You might be surprised at some of these – they’re not all low calorie. However, they’re known to help you feel full longer or burn fat.

Nuts – Nuts, especially almonds, have been found to be helpful at losing weight. Now, nuts are not exactly a low calorie food, and they must be eaten in moderation. However, they are very nutritious.

Nuts are high in fat, but it’s HDL fat, which is the kind that promotes good cholesterol in the blood. HDL cholesterol helps rid the body of LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol that clogs arteries and leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Nuts are thought to make us feel full longer. In addition, they contain protein that seems to burn a lot of calories during digestion. Doctors are somewhat unclear as to how nuts work, but they do seem to have an effect on weight loss.

Milk – Research has shown that those who drink 24 ounces of low fat milk every day tend to weigh less than those who do not drink milk. Again, the reasons are not clear, but low fat milk does seem to speed up the metabolism. One study showed that women who ate a reduced calorie diet that included 3-4 servings of low fat dairy products and exercised lost more weight than those who ate a reduced calorie diet with fewer servings of dairy and exercised.

Green Tea – In recent years, green tea has gained a lot of attention for its ability to protect health and prevent disease. Green tea has been shown to prevent heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and even Type II diabetes. But, more and more, we’re finding out that green tea may have lots of potential to help weight loss, too.

First, let’s talk about what’s so special about green tea. The magic is in the anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are important because they fight free radicals in our bodies.

Free radicals are damaging molecules that are created as we convert the food we eat into energy. Free radicals damage cells and DNA, leading to disease, if left unchecked. That’s why it’s so important to get anti-oxidants in our diets each day. Fruits and vegetables are also good sources of anti-oxidants.

But, some of the most potent anti-oxidants around are those found in green tea. Tea anti-oxidants are known as catechins, and they make up about 25% of the weight of a dry tea leaf. Tea contains four main catechin substances: epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin in tea.

Health professionals favor green tea over black tea because it retains more of these catechins in their natural form than black tea. Black tea goes through a fermentation process that changes some of these catechins from their original state into one that is less healthy. It’s these catechins that seem to have the ability to help us lose weight.

One particular study looked at Japanese men. All of the men were fed the same healthy diet for two weeks before the actual study began. Then, a 12 week study period began, in which some of the men drank one bottle of tea that contained 690 mg of tea catechins each day. The rest of the men were fed one bottle of tea that contained just 22 mg of catechins each day. All of the men continued on a healthy diet.

At the end of the study, the men who ingested 690 mg of tea catechins each day had significantly lowered their BMI, body weight, waist circumference and body fat mass, when compared to the men who consumed fewer tea catechins. The study concluded that the catechins in tea can help to reduce body fat when part of a healthy diet.

So, while we know that to lose weight we have to reduce our calories and get regular exercise, it’s nice to know that there are foods out there that can help us meet our goals more easily. So, add some nuts, milk and green tea to your healthy diet, and watch how your body changes!

Hmm… talk about healthy eating !

In Dec 2006, I decided to end the year with a BANG ! Or, you could say I wanted to start the year on a ”clean slate” - have a detoxed body ! That’s why I went ahead by doing a 10-day Daniel’s Diet. It was simply awesome ! No withdrawal symptoms, no cravings whatsoever.

It’s a real test of your personal conviction & what you really want in your personal quest towards a heathier you, the start of your journey to rid off the extra weight/fat and knowing the fact that you’re the one in control, doing it for yourself & no one else.

What’s Daniel’s Diet you might ask ?

I shall elaborate in my next post…

Anyway, I’m thinking… as I’m typing this that I’d like to go on the next Daniel’s Diet in Apr’07. Maybe, there’re some of you out there who’d like to join me ? It’s like forming a support group ! The group can motivate each other, share healthy recipes, share our thoughts as we progress etc.

Hmm… now, I’m all pumped up

Cheers !

Allow me to share with you what Mike Geary (Certified Personal Trainer;NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT, Certified Nutrition Specialist & Founder of Truth About Abs.com) said about Potatoes…

He said ’so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index(GI). Some even say such ridiculous things as “avoid any and all white carbohydrates” ‘.

It may be true that potato has a high GI, however, in contrast, I’d personally rather take potato (of course cooking it in the sensible way, with no extra fattening toppings), than consume white bread and refined white sugar, which are both,  ‘the worst things we can be feeding our bodies’.

Potatoes do contain many vitamins and minerals. By eating the skins, one gets a decent shot of fiber too.

Mike’s argument about white carbohydrates ? He totally disagreed! Making comparisons to onions and garlic - ”they are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren’t easy to find eslewhere in a normal diet… such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Another example of something white that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.”

There you have it, Potatoes can be your friend - for a lean body, as long as you drown them in fats or slab loads of cream and butter on them. Here’s Mike Geary’s Lean-Body Potato Side Dish …

• Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store… it is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 or 2 onions
• a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)

Cut the baby potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Stir it all together and serve. This is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.

Enjoy !