Friday, January 27th, 2012

Metabolism, Hormones, and your Waist Line

No matter how faithfully you follow your diet, you may have noticed that the scale keeps creeping upward or seems to be stuck at the same number. New research from Australia has shown that dieters are often gaining back the weight they lost due to hormonal imbalances, and not simply due to failed efforts. Various hormones are responsible for signaling the brain with messages, such as when it is time to eat and when it is time to stop eating. One minor glitch in the messaging system and the dieter is completely thrown off track and reaching for another helping of ...

Health Benefits of Broccoli

Broccoli belongs to the unique classification of vegetables from the Brassica genus, also known as the cruciferous vegetables. This category of vegetables is special for a host of reasons, most notably, as rich sources of sulfur compounds that play a role in protecting the body from oxidative stress, or abnormal cell proliferation and damage. Interestingly, the health benefits of broccoli are also part of what makes this vegetable a prime candidate to aid in weight loss. As a healthy veggie and overall aid in weight loss, broccoli is low in calories, fat-free and plentiful in micronutrients essential for protecting your digestive ...

The Mental Side of Weight Loss

Losing weight is an uphill battle. As almost anyone who has lost weight will explain, the fight to shed pounds and attain a healthy weight level requires physical difficulty. In order to lose weight one must cut their calorie intake by eating healthier foods and work out on a regular basis, but for many people this is incredibly difficult to do. That is because you must be mentally ready to lose weight in order to make the lifestyle changes that are necessary to lose weight and keep it off long term. Making the mental decision to lose weight is often ...

Cancer Treatment Beneficial for Weight Loss

There may be a new form of obesity treatment emerging out of the medical field, according to recent research. A form of cancer treatment called adipotide may be able to help enhance weight loss in ways that previous diet medications have been unable to. This is reported by researchers at the Anderson Cancer Center in Houston who have been conducting weight loss trials with the drug on primates. Unlike other forms of weight loss medications, adipotide works by physically killing fat cells in the body. It does this by eliminating the blood supply to the fat cells, thereby robbing them of ...

Can You Lose Weight with Hormone Treatments?

There has been a lot of interest in hormone-based weight loss programs since the hCG diet was released. Those that use this hormone treatment for weight loss take injections of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), which is also used to treat fertility issues in combination with a restricted calorie diet. Proponents of hCG diets say that the hormone acts as an appetite suppressant, and also affects the way that your body utilizes fat. But, does hCG work? Experts say that any weight that you lose on an hCG diet is likely to be because of the restricted very low calorie diet that you ...

Fight Obesity with a Plant Based Diet

Plant-based diets have gotten a great deal of attention lately. This is because following a plant based diet does so much more than just help you to lose weight! Following a diet rich in nutrients and fiber-dense foods can improve your health overall, in addition to helping you to shed excess weight. Losing weight improves your chances of preventing and overcoming serious health conditions such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease and even certain cancers. A plant based diet shares all of these benefits, and more. The focus of a plant based diet is not entirely around losing weight. Instead, the main ...

Obesity in the United States

According to a recent report released by the British Medical Journal, the Lancet, half of all Americans are expected to be obese by the year 2030. This projection is based upon current trends, and puts the health of our society at severe risk. Currently, over 30% of all men and women in the United States are obese, with the percentage of women being slightly higher than that of men. While participating in a medical weight loss program or pursuing bariatric surgery will help you to lose weight, constant pressure from the food industry makes that weight loss difficult to sustain. ...

Drinks That Could Be Destroying Your Diet

When you're trying to lose weight, everyone tells you to focus on a combination of diet and exercise to meet your weight loss goals. But when most of us think of "diet", the first thing that comes to mind is the food we're eating. The truth is, what you're drinking can affect your weight loss just as much as the chewable calories. 4 Drinks That Could Be Damaging Your Diet 1. Alcohol Most cocktails are loaded with empty calories. They also can be sneaking fat and carbohydrates into your diet, depending on what you're mixing your alcohol with. If you're working hard to lose ...

Eat Out for Weight Loss

The easiest way to eat right when you're trying to manage your weight is to eat at home. But it's estimated that nearly 24% of American meals are eaten in restaurants, so maintaining a healthy diet for most people probably means learning to eat healthy while dining out. The good news is, eating healthy in a restaurant doesn't have to limit you to always ordering a salad. Get specific tips on making healthy eating choices when you eat out at some of your favorite types of restaurants. Healthy Foods at the Deli A deli is a great restaurant option for people who ...

Focus on Flexibility

In addition to aerobic exercise and strength training, a well-rounded fitness routine will include stretching. Stretching regularly helps increase flexibility, improve your range of motion, and relieve stress. Find out how to get the most from your stretches while avoiding injuries. Six Tips for Proper Stretching Target major muscle groups. It's important to give your whole body a good stretch on a regular basis. Include stretches for your calves, thighs, hips, lower back, neck, and shoulders, as well as the muscles and joints that you use most often (for example, stretch your arms and wrists regularly if you type at a computer ...

Emotional Eating and Weight Gain

For many people, emotional eating is at the root of their inability to lose weight. Emotional eaters, or people who turn to food to deal with emotions, tend to take in far more calories than they need because they're using their emotions, rather than their body's natural hunger, as their guide. Emotional eaters also tend to reach for foods that are high in fat, sugars and calories instead of healthier alternatives. How can you stop emotional eating and the resulting weight gain? Identify Why You Eat The first step to solving a problem is to clearly identify it. Keep a food journal ...

Balancing Your Exercise Routine

Getting regular exercise is an important part of any weight loss plan. As you begin to ease into a new fitness regimen, there are five different types of exercise that you'll want to include in a balanced routine: aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching, core exercise, and balance training. Aerobic Exercise Aerobic exercise is often referred to as a cardio workout or endurance activity. The goal of aerobic activity is to get you breathing faster and more deeply, which boosts the oxygen levels in your blood. A good cardio routine will get your heart, lungs, and blood vessels pumping more efficiently. Over the ...

Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet

A diet that is rich in fiber will promote digestive health, prevent heart disease, and boost weight loss. Men should be getting at least 30 grams of fiber per day, and women need at least 21 grams of fiber. How can you boost your fiber intake for optimal health? Seven Tips for Getting More Fiber Into Your Diet 1. Start the day right. Choose a breakfast cereal with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Look for cereal varieties with "bran" or "fiber" in the name. You can also add a few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your cereal for a ...

Vitamins, What Are They and What Do They Do?

Decades of aggressive advertising have convinced many Americans that they need to take a daily vitamin pill to remain in good health. Yet, few people can accurately describe the role vitamins play in a healthy diet. Vitamins are essential biochemicals needed in very tiny quantities to catalyze metabolic reactions. For example, Vitamin K starts the process that allows blood to clot, thus preventing a person from bleeding to death if they are cut or severely injured. Many of the B vitamins are needed to synthesize body proteins and burn calories. Key functions vitamins perform can be divided into three main areas. Energy ...