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Friday, 28 August 2015
Thursday, 27 August 2015
4 (Insanely) Simple Weight Loss Tricks Anyone Can Start Doing Today
4 (Insanely) Simple Weight Loss Tricks Anyone Can Start Doing Today
Those who thrive in their lives have internalized a deep inner drive that keeps them glued to taking actions that always move them closer to their goals. That doesn’t mean they don’t encounter Read
Choosing to make a lifestyle change is the simple part. It's actually doing it that's difficult. We swear to cut sugar from our diets, refrain from eating bread, eliminate alcohol and jump right into a rigorous workout regimen. The plan works for a week or two until the daily rigors of life intervene.
Just like training for a marathon or advancing levels in a video game, we need to approach a weight loss goal in the same way: taking our time and making sure all aspects are working for us. Your goal should be to aim for habits that will provide the lowest barrier to entry and provide positive feelings about fitness in the shortest amount of time. The quicker you net "victories," the likelier you'll succeed with your ultimate weight loss goals.
So in honor of starting small, here are four totally doable, simple tips that will serve as an excellent introduction to a healthier, maintainable lifestyle.
1. Drink more water.
Believe it or not, most of your afternoon hunger pangs and cravings are nothing more than signs of dehydration. Before you run out for a sugary snack or dip into the communal fridge at work, try drinking a glass or two of water first. You'll be amazed at how something as simple as hydrating properly can cure a headache, dry mouth, stomach pangs and pastry cravings.
Drinking water provides numerous benefits besides fat loss. It lubricates your joints so you don't ache and wince every time you move, protects your skin, aids in digestion and helps your body run properly. Get to drinking!
2. Get plenty of shut eye.
In an orchestra, there are many different instruments, each producing a unique sound and playing a different part ... literally. When they all come together, harmony is created and the act of blending all of them creates beautiful music. Much like an orchestra, our bodies host several different hormones that must work together harmoniously to aide in fat loss.
Each one has a specific role to play, and when combined with the proper amount of sleep, can produce the beautiful bodies we desire. Because sleep deprivation can have a seriously negative effect on your metabolism, it's crucial to get enough every night to make sure your hormones (like insulin, leptin, ghrelin, cortisol, adrenaline, and human growth hormone) are all functioning at optimal capacity. Think of hormones as the conductor of your body orchestra, and recognize that all stages of fat loss take cues from your hormones.
3. Move your body and quit sitting so much.
Many of us are stuck at a desk every day, sitting for hours. Living in the sedentary workforce-based culture we do, it's clear movement isn't a priority. But it should be. According to juststand.org, "the average American will spend 7.7 hours of their waking time in a sedentary position." This "sitting diseases" will increase the likelihood for type 2 diabetes, muscle atrophy, heart disease and shorten life expectancy.
However, eradicating this problem starts with being conscious of including movement into your daily lives. Here are some simple things you can do every day to start reversing the effects of sitting:
4. Eat more.
Sounds counterintuitive, I know. But weight loss isn't usually an issue of eating less for most people. Rather, it's an issue of eating better.
When someone goes on a diet, they usually start by immediately deciding what foods to eliminate. This approach usually means someone is depriving him or herself of what are often their favorite foods, and deprivation is not the way to lose weight in a healthy way. What they should be doing is deciding what real, whole foods they should be eating more of.
It's easier to add something new into our lives than to subtract something built into our routine. Anytime someone is trying to start a healthier lifestyle, the focus should to be on adding value to their life, not subtracting joy.
At the beginning, it's about accumulating as many small victories as possible to build momentum to continue along. Start with an easy goal such as eating one healthy, complete meal a day and build up from there.
A healthy lifestyle starts with eating an abundance of quality foods that are both pleasing to your palate and complies with your goals.
Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17946/4-insanely-simple-weight-loss-tricks-anyone-can-start-doing-today.html
Just like training for a marathon or advancing levels in a video game, we need to approach a weight loss goal in the same way: taking our time and making sure all aspects are working for us. Your goal should be to aim for habits that will provide the lowest barrier to entry and provide positive feelings about fitness in the shortest amount of time. The quicker you net "victories," the likelier you'll succeed with your ultimate weight loss goals.
So in honor of starting small, here are four totally doable, simple tips that will serve as an excellent introduction to a healthier, maintainable lifestyle.
1. Drink more water.
Believe it or not, most of your afternoon hunger pangs and cravings are nothing more than signs of dehydration. Before you run out for a sugary snack or dip into the communal fridge at work, try drinking a glass or two of water first. You'll be amazed at how something as simple as hydrating properly can cure a headache, dry mouth, stomach pangs and pastry cravings.
Drinking water provides numerous benefits besides fat loss. It lubricates your joints so you don't ache and wince every time you move, protects your skin, aids in digestion and helps your body run properly. Get to drinking!
2. Get plenty of shut eye.
In an orchestra, there are many different instruments, each producing a unique sound and playing a different part ... literally. When they all come together, harmony is created and the act of blending all of them creates beautiful music. Much like an orchestra, our bodies host several different hormones that must work together harmoniously to aide in fat loss.
Each one has a specific role to play, and when combined with the proper amount of sleep, can produce the beautiful bodies we desire. Because sleep deprivation can have a seriously negative effect on your metabolism, it's crucial to get enough every night to make sure your hormones (like insulin, leptin, ghrelin, cortisol, adrenaline, and human growth hormone) are all functioning at optimal capacity. Think of hormones as the conductor of your body orchestra, and recognize that all stages of fat loss take cues from your hormones.
3. Move your body and quit sitting so much.
Many of us are stuck at a desk every day, sitting for hours. Living in the sedentary workforce-based culture we do, it's clear movement isn't a priority. But it should be. According to juststand.org, "the average American will spend 7.7 hours of their waking time in a sedentary position." This "sitting diseases" will increase the likelihood for type 2 diabetes, muscle atrophy, heart disease and shorten life expectancy.
However, eradicating this problem starts with being conscious of including movement into your daily lives. Here are some simple things you can do every day to start reversing the effects of sitting:
- Take a break every 25-30 minutes and move around for five minutes to get the blood flowing
- Stand while you're working
- Stand up and move around during commercials while watching your favorite show
- Have walking meetings
- Go on active dates
- Dance whenever the mood strikes
4. Eat more.
Sounds counterintuitive, I know. But weight loss isn't usually an issue of eating less for most people. Rather, it's an issue of eating better.
When someone goes on a diet, they usually start by immediately deciding what foods to eliminate. This approach usually means someone is depriving him or herself of what are often their favorite foods, and deprivation is not the way to lose weight in a healthy way. What they should be doing is deciding what real, whole foods they should be eating more of.
It's easier to add something new into our lives than to subtract something built into our routine. Anytime someone is trying to start a healthier lifestyle, the focus should to be on adding value to their life, not subtracting joy.
At the beginning, it's about accumulating as many small victories as possible to build momentum to continue along. Start with an easy goal such as eating one healthy, complete meal a day and build up from there.
A healthy lifestyle starts with eating an abundance of quality foods that are both pleasing to your palate and complies with your goals.
Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17946/4-insanely-simple-weight-loss-tricks-anyone-can-start-doing-today.html
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Free Copy This Idea book
Free Copy This Idea book
I'm going off topic for a change and instead of blogging about weight loss/health tips I'm writing this quick note to tell you about this GREAT offer for you to get a copy of Andrew Reynolds best selling book Free (well it will cost you £1 towards the Postage & packaging).This was me, meeting with Andrew himself.
For anyone who has ever thought about getting out of the rat race and becoming their own boss - This is the book for you.
Andrew started his business on a shoestring and has become a Multi Millionaire
This book is very insightful and could get you on the road to becoming your own self made man/woman....
To get your free copy now, just select the FREE BOOK Click Here link on the top of this page
Empowering Questions That Helped Me Lose 125 Pounds & Keep It Off
Empowering Questions That Helped Me Lose 125 Pounds & Keep It Off
When I started my weight loss journey six years ago, I topped the scales at 300 pounds. I spent the first 25 years of my life overweight, miserably bouncing from one fancy fad diet to the next in an attempt to drop the unwanted fat. All of them seemed to work for a few weeks, but then I gave up on the diet and myself.
But when I embarked on the last weight loss trip — the one that worked, and stuck — I started asking myself important questions. I can almost guarantee I would not have sustained my 125+ pound weight loss these last six years if I hadn't asked myself these five questions.
1. Could I love myself even if I were overweight?
Over the last six years, my weight has fluctuated. On any given day, I tend to weigh anywhere between 154-185 pounds. At 184 pounds, I'm classified as overweight even if I exercise regularly, eat healthfully and feel great physically.
Being someone who was morbidly obese for many years of my life, I was naturally left with some saggy, loose skin after I lost a lot of fat. The extra skin often keeps me in the overweight category on BMI charts. But "overweight" is just a term, it doesn’t define who I am. So, even though I lost well over 100 pounds, I go through seasons when I dip into the “overweight” category and I’m OK with that because I still feel healthy and take care of myself.
2. Am I a bad person if I eat unhealthy foods?
While the majority of the foods I eat these days are truly nourishing, that isn’t always the case. Because unhealthy foods get demonized as "bad," many of us feel like we're bad people if we do something that goes against society's values. We identify too much with our food and habits. Just because I choose to eat cake every once in awhile or something full of chemicals doesn’t mean I'm a bad person.
A simple saying like, “You are what you eat” reinforces this rotten idea for many people. Feeling like an immoral person because I decided to eat nachos for dinner only led me to feel ashamed of myself and guilty. These emotions always lead a person down a dark road of self-hate and undeserving punishment.
3. Why do I honestly want to stay this smaller size?
While it’s nice to fit into smaller clothing, that’s not my primary reason for sustaining my weight loss. I want to stay my healthier self because I appreciate not having all of the painful, physical ailments that came with being obese: acid reflux, water retention on both of my kneecaps, rashes between my legs and fat rolls, heavy menstrual cycles, and so much more.
I also enjoy being physically active. I like to be able to ride my bicycle, run races and doing something as simple as yard work without feeling like I’m going to die from exhaustion.
4. What makes me happy about being healthy?
The biggest reason I'm happy about being healthier is that I can physically do things I never thought I'd be able to do! I’ve run marathons, climbed a mountain, went skydiving, rafted, etc. Now, when someone asks me if I want to participate in a physical activity, I don’t have to say no because of my size or lack of endurance.
Health isn’t just a physical thing; it’s mental and emotional as well. After I had started working on my physical health, I recognized that my mental and emotional health needed a tune-up also. Self-growth in all areas was (and still is) a difficult and often painful experience to endure. But nothing is as painful as living with an extra 100+ pounds strapped to my body every day of your life.
Self-growth and discovery makes me happy because I am learning more about myself, and how my thoughts and interactions in life shape my life's path and the relationships with others.
5. What kind of life would I want my future children to have?
I'd like my children to follow the good example I lay out for them. Do I want them to be full of shame and self-doubt because they witness their mother constantly seeking comfort in food, spending hours on a treadmill “burning off” a binge or speaking negatively about having junk in the trunk? No.
I want my influence to be healthy — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I want them to know that their mom makes mistakes, but she doesn’t beat herself up over them. I want to teach them how to sit with and acknowledge their emotions instead of judging them, avoiding them or numbing them with distracting activities like eating, shopping, or drinking. That's the healthy life I want for them and myself.
Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18268/empowering-questions-that-helped-me-lose-125-pounds-keep-it-off.html
But when I embarked on the last weight loss trip — the one that worked, and stuck — I started asking myself important questions. I can almost guarantee I would not have sustained my 125+ pound weight loss these last six years if I hadn't asked myself these five questions.
1. Could I love myself even if I were overweight?
Over the last six years, my weight has fluctuated. On any given day, I tend to weigh anywhere between 154-185 pounds. At 184 pounds, I'm classified as overweight even if I exercise regularly, eat healthfully and feel great physically.
Being someone who was morbidly obese for many years of my life, I was naturally left with some saggy, loose skin after I lost a lot of fat. The extra skin often keeps me in the overweight category on BMI charts. But "overweight" is just a term, it doesn’t define who I am. So, even though I lost well over 100 pounds, I go through seasons when I dip into the “overweight” category and I’m OK with that because I still feel healthy and take care of myself.
2. Am I a bad person if I eat unhealthy foods?
While the majority of the foods I eat these days are truly nourishing, that isn’t always the case. Because unhealthy foods get demonized as "bad," many of us feel like we're bad people if we do something that goes against society's values. We identify too much with our food and habits. Just because I choose to eat cake every once in awhile or something full of chemicals doesn’t mean I'm a bad person.
A simple saying like, “You are what you eat” reinforces this rotten idea for many people. Feeling like an immoral person because I decided to eat nachos for dinner only led me to feel ashamed of myself and guilty. These emotions always lead a person down a dark road of self-hate and undeserving punishment.
3. Why do I honestly want to stay this smaller size?
While it’s nice to fit into smaller clothing, that’s not my primary reason for sustaining my weight loss. I want to stay my healthier self because I appreciate not having all of the painful, physical ailments that came with being obese: acid reflux, water retention on both of my kneecaps, rashes between my legs and fat rolls, heavy menstrual cycles, and so much more.
I also enjoy being physically active. I like to be able to ride my bicycle, run races and doing something as simple as yard work without feeling like I’m going to die from exhaustion.
4. What makes me happy about being healthy?
The biggest reason I'm happy about being healthier is that I can physically do things I never thought I'd be able to do! I’ve run marathons, climbed a mountain, went skydiving, rafted, etc. Now, when someone asks me if I want to participate in a physical activity, I don’t have to say no because of my size or lack of endurance.
Health isn’t just a physical thing; it’s mental and emotional as well. After I had started working on my physical health, I recognized that my mental and emotional health needed a tune-up also. Self-growth in all areas was (and still is) a difficult and often painful experience to endure. But nothing is as painful as living with an extra 100+ pounds strapped to my body every day of your life.
Self-growth and discovery makes me happy because I am learning more about myself, and how my thoughts and interactions in life shape my life's path and the relationships with others.
5. What kind of life would I want my future children to have?
I'd like my children to follow the good example I lay out for them. Do I want them to be full of shame and self-doubt because they witness their mother constantly seeking comfort in food, spending hours on a treadmill “burning off” a binge or speaking negatively about having junk in the trunk? No.
I want my influence to be healthy — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I want them to know that their mom makes mistakes, but she doesn’t beat herself up over them. I want to teach them how to sit with and acknowledge their emotions instead of judging them, avoiding them or numbing them with distracting activities like eating, shopping, or drinking. That's the healthy life I want for them and myself.
Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18268/empowering-questions-that-helped-me-lose-125-pounds-keep-it-off.html
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
Saturday, 8 August 2015
Do diet soft drinks actually make you gain weight?
"Is Diet Coke making you fat? People who drink at least one can a day have larger waist measurements," the Mail Online reports. A US study found an association between the daily consumption of diet fizzy drinks and expanded waist size.
This study included a group of older adults aged 65 or over from San Antonio, Texas. Researchers asked participants about their consumption of diet soft drinks and measured their body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. They then looked at whether this was associated with changes in body measures over the next nine years.
The study found people who drank diet soft drinks every day had a greater increase in waist circumference at later assessments compared with those who never drank them (3.04cm gain versus 0.77cm). Daily drinkers also had a slight gain in BMI (+0.05kg/m2) compared with a minimal loss in non-drinkers (-0.41kg/m2).
The hypothesis that diet drinks can actually make you fatter is not a new one – we covered a similar study back in January 2014. The problem with this field of research is it is very difficult to prove cause and effect. As with this study, people who regularly drink diet drinks may be overweight to start with and they could be drinking diet drinks in an effort to lose weight.
This study will add to the variety of research examining the potential harms or benefits of artificial sweeteners or diet drinks. But it does not prove that drinking diet drinks will make you fat.
If you are trying to lose weight, good old-fashioned tap water is a cheaper, calorie-free alternative to diet drinks.
It was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The Mail Online's coverage of this study seems overly conclusive, suggesting it provides evidence that drinking diet fizzy drinks causes people to become overweight. But this has not been proven, and the Mail did not consider this study's many limitations in their reporting.
It also includes an error in its story, describing the study of 749 people "in which 466 participants survived". This is the number of people who had data on body measurements available for at least one of the follow-up assessments. It is the retention of people in the study, not the survival rate.
Furthermore, in saying that, "Large waistlines linked to diabetes, stroke, heart attack and cancer", it is suggested that this study found a higher waist circumference was linked to the development of these diseases. However, health outcomes were not assessed in this study.
And, somewhat unfairly, Diet Coke was singled out as the main culprit. The study actually included any kind and brand of diet fizzy drink.
The researchers discuss how concerns about high sugar intake over the past few decades have led to an increase in the consumption of artificial sweeteners. But the potential detrimental health effects of sweeteners have often been debated.
Some studies found no evidence for either the benefits or harms of sweeteners and diet drinks, while others found an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, such as causing weight gain, leading to obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
This study aimed to examine the effect artificially sweetened diet drinks have on weight changes over time by looking at people taking part in an ongoing cohort study.
The main limitation with this type of study, however, is that it is not able to prove cause and effect, as the relationship is likely to be influenced by various other factors (confounders).
The first follow-up assessments were conducted an average of seven years later (2000-01), with two further follow-ups at 1.5-year intervals (2001-03, then 2003-04). The study included 749 people, with an average follow-up time of 9.4 years.
Assessments included measurements of participants' height, weight, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose levels, physical activity, and presence of diabetes. Dietary questionnaires were given at baseline and included the consumption of diet soft drinks.
People were asked the number of cans or bottles of diet soft drinks they consumed a day, week, month or year, and were categorised into three intake groups: non-users, occasional users (more than zero but less than one a day), and daily users (more than one a day) of diet soft drinks.
The researchers looked at the relationship between diet fizzy drink intake at the start of the study, and changes in BMI and waist circumference from when the study started to each follow-up point. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, socio-demographics, diabetes, smoking status, and leisure activity.
Despite the large initial cohort size, only 384 people (51%) had data available on soft drink intake at baseline and body measurements at the first and second follow-ups, reducing to 291 (39%) by the third follow-up.
The proportion of daily users who were overweight or obese at the start of the study was 88%, compared with 81% of occasional users and 72% of non-users.
Overall, the researchers found that for people who returned for one or more follow-ups, changes in BMI varied according to diet soft drink intake. Non-users experienced a minimal decrease in BMI (average 0.41kg/m2 decrease), as did occasional users (0.11kg/m2 decrease), while daily users had a slight increase (0.05kg/m2 gain).
Changes in waist circumference, meanwhile, were much more notable, with daily diet soft drink users experiencing a gain four times that of non-users. Average waist circumference gains at each interval were 0.77cm for non-users, 1.76cm for occasional users, and 3.04cm for daily users.
They also experienced a minimal gain in BMI (+0.05kg/m2) over follow-up, compared with a minimal loss in non-users of diet drinks (-0.41kg/m2).
However, this study certainly does not prove that diet drinks, and diet drinks alone, are responsible for these small increases in waist circumference and BMI.
People who drank diet drinks tended to have higher BMIs and waist circumferences than non-users to start with. At the start of the study, when diet soft drink consumption was assessed, 88% of those drinking them daily were overweight or obese, compared with 72% who weren't drinking soft drinks.
Though these people experienced slightly greater gains in BMI and waist circumference, these people tended to have generally higher body measurements to start with. It is possible that people with weight concerns may consume diet drinks in an effort to try to manage their weight.
There may be a variety of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours that contributed to the gain in body measures during the study. For example, the researchers adjusted their analyses for leisure-time physical activity, but did not consider food intake, apart from diet drinks, or look at total energy intake.
Overall, it is not possible to say from this analysis that the diet drinks are the cause of the changes in body measures, as various other unmeasured health and lifestyle factors could be having an influence.
Other points to bear in mind with this study are:
The researchers' statement that there is a "striking dose-response relationship" between soda consumption and obesity seems overly bold given this study's limitations.
This study does not prove that drinking diet drinks will cause you to become fat. If you are trying to lose weight, we recommend that you ditch the expensive diet drinks and stick to water.
Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum.
This study included a group of older adults aged 65 or over from San Antonio, Texas. Researchers asked participants about their consumption of diet soft drinks and measured their body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. They then looked at whether this was associated with changes in body measures over the next nine years.
The study found people who drank diet soft drinks every day had a greater increase in waist circumference at later assessments compared with those who never drank them (3.04cm gain versus 0.77cm). Daily drinkers also had a slight gain in BMI (+0.05kg/m2) compared with a minimal loss in non-drinkers (-0.41kg/m2).
The hypothesis that diet drinks can actually make you fatter is not a new one – we covered a similar study back in January 2014. The problem with this field of research is it is very difficult to prove cause and effect. As with this study, people who regularly drink diet drinks may be overweight to start with and they could be drinking diet drinks in an effort to lose weight.
This study will add to the variety of research examining the potential harms or benefits of artificial sweeteners or diet drinks. But it does not prove that drinking diet drinks will make you fat.
If you are trying to lose weight, good old-fashioned tap water is a cheaper, calorie-free alternative to diet drinks.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center in the US, and was funded by the US National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Center for Research Resources. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.It was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The Mail Online's coverage of this study seems overly conclusive, suggesting it provides evidence that drinking diet fizzy drinks causes people to become overweight. But this has not been proven, and the Mail did not consider this study's many limitations in their reporting.
It also includes an error in its story, describing the study of 749 people "in which 466 participants survived". This is the number of people who had data on body measurements available for at least one of the follow-up assessments. It is the retention of people in the study, not the survival rate.
Furthermore, in saying that, "Large waistlines linked to diabetes, stroke, heart attack and cancer", it is suggested that this study found a higher waist circumference was linked to the development of these diseases. However, health outcomes were not assessed in this study.
And, somewhat unfairly, Diet Coke was singled out as the main culprit. The study actually included any kind and brand of diet fizzy drink.
What kind of research was this?
This was a prospective cohort study that aimed to look at the link between diet soft drink intake and waist circumference.The researchers discuss how concerns about high sugar intake over the past few decades have led to an increase in the consumption of artificial sweeteners. But the potential detrimental health effects of sweeteners have often been debated.
Some studies found no evidence for either the benefits or harms of sweeteners and diet drinks, while others found an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, such as causing weight gain, leading to obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
This study aimed to examine the effect artificially sweetened diet drinks have on weight changes over time by looking at people taking part in an ongoing cohort study.
The main limitation with this type of study, however, is that it is not able to prove cause and effect, as the relationship is likely to be influenced by various other factors (confounders).
What did the research involve?
This research included a group of older Mexican and European American people taking part in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA). This community-based study aimed to look at cardiovascular risk factors in people who were aged 65 or over at the start of the study (1992-96).The first follow-up assessments were conducted an average of seven years later (2000-01), with two further follow-ups at 1.5-year intervals (2001-03, then 2003-04). The study included 749 people, with an average follow-up time of 9.4 years.
Assessments included measurements of participants' height, weight, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose levels, physical activity, and presence of diabetes. Dietary questionnaires were given at baseline and included the consumption of diet soft drinks.
People were asked the number of cans or bottles of diet soft drinks they consumed a day, week, month or year, and were categorised into three intake groups: non-users, occasional users (more than zero but less than one a day), and daily users (more than one a day) of diet soft drinks.
The researchers looked at the relationship between diet fizzy drink intake at the start of the study, and changes in BMI and waist circumference from when the study started to each follow-up point. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, socio-demographics, diabetes, smoking status, and leisure activity.
Despite the large initial cohort size, only 384 people (51%) had data available on soft drink intake at baseline and body measurements at the first and second follow-ups, reducing to 291 (39%) by the third follow-up.
What were the basic results?
The researchers found people who drank diet drinks at the start of the study also had significantly higher BMIs at the beginning of the study compared with non-users. They also tended to have higher waist circumference compared with non-users, though not significantly so.The proportion of daily users who were overweight or obese at the start of the study was 88%, compared with 81% of occasional users and 72% of non-users.
Overall, the researchers found that for people who returned for one or more follow-ups, changes in BMI varied according to diet soft drink intake. Non-users experienced a minimal decrease in BMI (average 0.41kg/m2 decrease), as did occasional users (0.11kg/m2 decrease), while daily users had a slight increase (0.05kg/m2 gain).
Changes in waist circumference, meanwhile, were much more notable, with daily diet soft drink users experiencing a gain four times that of non-users. Average waist circumference gains at each interval were 0.77cm for non-users, 1.76cm for occasional users, and 3.04cm for daily users.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers concluded that, "In a striking dose-response relationship, increasing diet soda intake was associated with escalating abdominal obesity, a potential pathway for cardiometabolic risk in this ageing population."Conclusion
This prospective study found that people who drank diet soft drinks every day experienced greater waist circumference gain over up to nine years of follow-up compared with those who never drank diet drinks (3.04cm gain versus 0.77cm).They also experienced a minimal gain in BMI (+0.05kg/m2) over follow-up, compared with a minimal loss in non-users of diet drinks (-0.41kg/m2).
However, this study certainly does not prove that diet drinks, and diet drinks alone, are responsible for these small increases in waist circumference and BMI.
People who drank diet drinks tended to have higher BMIs and waist circumferences than non-users to start with. At the start of the study, when diet soft drink consumption was assessed, 88% of those drinking them daily were overweight or obese, compared with 72% who weren't drinking soft drinks.
Though these people experienced slightly greater gains in BMI and waist circumference, these people tended to have generally higher body measurements to start with. It is possible that people with weight concerns may consume diet drinks in an effort to try to manage their weight.
There may be a variety of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours that contributed to the gain in body measures during the study. For example, the researchers adjusted their analyses for leisure-time physical activity, but did not consider food intake, apart from diet drinks, or look at total energy intake.
Overall, it is not possible to say from this analysis that the diet drinks are the cause of the changes in body measures, as various other unmeasured health and lifestyle factors could be having an influence.
Other points to bear in mind with this study are:
- This was an older age cohort of people above 65, so we don't know how representative the results would be for younger groups.
- This was a specific sample of people from San Antonio in Texas, and we don't know whether their health, lifestyle and environmental influences may differ from other population groups.
- Despite the initial sample size being fairly large at 749, data on drink consumption and body measurements was only available for about half of these people. The results may have been different had data been available for the full cohort.
- We don't know the significance of the small changes in BMI and waist circumference observed.
- We don't know whether continued daily consumption of diet soft drinks in the longer term would be associated with continuously increasing body measures, or whether this would have direct health effects (such as in terms of cardiovascular disease).
- The effects observed in this study can't be attributed to specific artificial sweeteners or specific diet soft drink brands.
The researchers' statement that there is a "striking dose-response relationship" between soda consumption and obesity seems overly bold given this study's limitations.
This study does not prove that drinking diet drinks will cause you to become fat. If you are trying to lose weight, we recommend that you ditch the expensive diet drinks and stick to water.
Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum.
Analysis by 
Edited by NHS Choices
Source: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/04April/Pages/Do-diet-soft-drinks-actually-make-you-gain-weight.aspx
Edited by NHS Choices
Links to the headlines
Is Diet Coke making you fat? People who drink at least one can a day have larger waist measurements. Mail Online, April 7 2015Links to the science
Fowler SPG, Williams K, Hazuda HP. Diet Soda Intake Is Associated with Long-Term Increases in Waist Circumference in a Biethnic Cohort of Older Adults: The San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Published online March 17 2015Source: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/04April/Pages/Do-diet-soft-drinks-actually-make-you-gain-weight.aspx
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Fat Loss Tips: 5 Quick Tricks
Fat Loss Tips: 5 Quick Tricks
Fat Loss Tips: 5 Quick Tricks
Losing weight isn’t always an easy battle. But I’ve got 5 powerful yet quick tricks that will boost your fat-burning efforts into hyper gear.
Hitting a plateau is inevitable on any fat loss or fitness plan. Our bodies get used to routine, they stop responding to the same efforts, and our metabolism gets stuck once again.
This is why it’s important to educate yourself and remember that there is a science behind weight gain and weight loss. And that translates into a number of simple, quick tricks that will give you the results you’re looking for!
Let’s get right to it…
Fat Loss Tips: 5 Quick Tricks
1. Add Fiber to Your Diet – Not surprisingly, trouble with irregularity can add to the extra weight you carry in your midsection, but the solution is a simple one. By simply increasing your daily intake of soluble fiber, you can easily improve the health of your stomach and digestive tract.
Although you can get fiber from foods like vegetables, fruits, leafy greens, and many whole grains, getting your recommended daily dose of fiber can be challenging. You can easily solve the problem by adding a fiber supplement like Myogenix Pro Fiber to your diet. And the added bonus? Fiber will burn more calories during digestion and keep you feeling satisfied for longer which will help you fight the hardest of cravings.
2. Replace Carbs with Spinach – Cutting down on simple carbs is always a smart move when you’re trying to lose weight and burn fat. An easy solution is to go for spinach instead – not only will you reduce your carb intake, you’ll also give your metabolism a boost and provide your body with a number of health-promoting antioxidants.
Looking for an easy way to prepare your spinach as a side dish to your favorite protein? Simply sautee 1 cup of fresh spinach in 1 teaspoon of the fat-burning Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil with some minced garlic and chopped red pepper.
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3. Take Your Vitamins – A number of vitamins play very significant roles in burning fat and losing weight. Vitamin C, for example, is needed for the production of key amino acids that help your body use fat for energy. Vitamin D has been shown to increase weight loss efforts by up to 50% in recent clinical trials. And B Complex vitamins play important roles in maintaining energy and preventing stress.
If you’re looking for some good quality vitamin supplements, check out these by one of my favorite supplement providers:
- NOW Vitamin D
- NOW Vitamin B-100 Complex
- NOW Vitamin C-1000
4. Drink Green Tea – Green tea is not only packed full of healthy antioxidants, but it also boosts your metabolism and gets your body burning more fat and calories. This has been supported by a number of studies, which show significantly better weight loss results when drinking the green stuff.
But it may be hard to drink enough green tea each and every day. This is why I recommend also checking a good green tea supplement like Irwin Naturals Green Tea Fat Metabolizer. It will give you better results without the effort!
5. Get Caffeine at the Right Time – Caffeine can significantly improve your fat loss efforts by revving up your metabolism and suppressing your hunger. When timed right, it can also help you burn more calories and fat during your workout. I recommend drinking caffeine about 30 minutes before your workout – it will also give you that added boost of energy to push yourself harder!
If you’re looking for a good pre-workout energy supplement with caffeine, check out USPLabs Jack3d or Gaspari Nutrition SuperPump MAX. These are 2 of the leading energy supplements on the market!
source :http://weightlossandtraining.com/fat-loss-tips-5-quick-tricks
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
A Workout For People Who Don't Want To Work Out
There's good news for people who want to watch their weight without giving up watching TV. Now there's a new workout for couch potatoes and people who think they're too busy to find time to stay fit.
With time at a premium, many Americans are turning to creative forms of exercise. In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive for the North American Spine Society, three out of four people said they used the stairs rather than the elevator at work, 58 percent said they started parking their cars far away in parking lots and almost half reported walking while on the phone.
At the same time, however, 46 percent of people described themselves as couch potatoes--a major contributing factor to being overweight. Many adults say they have procrastinated working out in order to do other activities, such as watching television, sleeping in, doing household chores or working.
Approximately three in four adults say they would exercise more if they could fit it into their daily routines, however, and a majority of adults say they would exercise more often if they could do it at home. Among noncouch potatoes, 80 percent would like to get more exercise, but say they don't have the time.
Meanwhile, more than 4 million Americans suffer disc problems. One out of four Americans over 30 will have recurring back pain, and one in 14 will seek medical care for back or neck pain this year, totalling almost 14 million visits per year. Back pain is the second most common reason that people visit a physician. Back and neck pain result in more lost workdays than any other condition. Due to absenteeism, medical and other related expenses, the cost of back injuries exceeds $80 billion each year in the United States. Exercise is one way to avoid back problems.
freedigitalphotos.net
That's why it's important to find time to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. In addition to things such as climbing stairs and parking farther away, there are a number of fun ways to make your daily tasks opportunities to exercise:
• Feet Alphabet. This exercise can be done anywhere you are sitting, except while driving. It should not be hard to find a place. Simply write the alphabet in the air with each of your feet and ankles. You can do the letters in capitals or small letters and, for that matter, in any language you would like. Doing this two or three times on each ankle will begin to strengthen the ankle and maintain or improve motion.
• Doing the Dishes Neck Circles. This exercise is easily done while doing the always fun task of washing the dishes. As you are standing there at the sink, slowly rotate your neck in a clockwise position, trying to extend the tip of your head out as far as possible. After three or four rotations, repeat the exercise in a counter-clockwise position. Remember, these rotations should be done slowly and in a pain-free range of motion. Besides increasing the flexibility of the neck, these exercises can pass the time of doing dishes.
• Overhead Laundry Toss. Put the laundry basket directly in front of you and have the washer or dryer directly behind you. Grab a piece or two of dirty clothes, reach over your head slowly and drop the laundry into the washer. Again, start with dry clothes, then progress to wet clothes from the washer into the dryer.
• Remote Wrist Lifts. This can be done on any Sunday afternoon watching multiple football games. Simply take the remote control (use the biggest one you have from the pile of remotes) and, while sitting watching your favorite team or movie and with your arm pointing toward the TV, aim the remote at the ceiling, moving your wrist only. Hold it there for 10 seconds, then aim it at the floor, again only moving the wrist. Repeat this three to four times during every commercial. Be careful not to accidentally change the channel when doing this exercise or it may irritate people who are watching TV with you.
freedigitalphotos.net
These are just some ideas from "The Couch Potato Workout: 101 Exercises You Can Do At Home!" by Joel M. Press, M.D., president of the North American Spine Society and medical director of the Spine and Sports Institute at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. "The Couch Potato Workout" describes numerous practical and functional exercises people can do to build strength, balance and flexibility as part of their normal daily routine.
Sunday, 2 August 2015
There are times on your weight loss journey when progress can come to a halt. Days or weeks can go by without you seeing movement on the scale, and it can get downright frustrating. After working with thousands of clients, I’ve noticed certain patterns that can cause this weight loss stoppage. Here are 3 of those patterns.
1) Eating more than you think you are.
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Zone Delivery Service, and other diet systems have one undeniable benefit to them – they define for the average person how large an actual “serving” is. Most of us underestimate the volume of food we eat (and consequently, underestimate the number of calories we consume in a day).
By fixing in your head what a serving size or “portion” of food looks like, we can better estimate (and consequently, evaluate and calibrate) the amount of food we eat at each meal. Keep in mind, when it comes to weight loss, you need to take in less calories than you burn each day.
Two good rules of thumb:
A portion of meat (3 oz.) is the size of a deck of cards.
A portion of carbohydrates (1 cup) is the size of a tennis ball.
Please remember to fill up on non-starchy vegetables – they are full of nutrients, have very little impact on blood sugar, and contain little in the way of calories.
2) Not eating frequently enough.
It is a social custom to eat “three square meals” a day. While this may do for social purposes, for weight loss, you will want to aim for more frequent feedings. It is recommended that you consume a minimum of 5-6 small meals each day. By doing so, your body gets the signal that food is abundant, and there is no need to conserve energy.
Additionally, frequent feedings maximize your metabolism, as your body is constantly busy, burning calories by digesting your meals. By not letting too much time pass between meals, you stabilize blood sugar levels since they never really get the chance to drop. By keeping your blood sugar stable, your hunger levels are minimized, decreasing the chances that you will be tempted to overeat at your next meal.
3) Choosing to drink your calories instead of eating them.
This is a very common problem among those attempting weight loss, due to the abundance of “healthy” diet smoothies, protein concoctions, and weight loss shakes. There are 2 factors to keep in mind when relying on these liquid meal replacements.
First, many of the liquid diet shakes on the market and all fruit smoothies have an abundance of sugar in them. This causes an immediate surge in energy followed by a huge crash due to the release of insulin to control the blood sugar rise. This dramatic shift in blood hormone levels (particularly insulin levels) is something you want to avoid, both for health reasons and for weight loss.
Secondly, most weight loss shakes are devoid of fiber. Fiber is one of your most precious allies when you are dieting. It helps you feel full and blunts the rise in insulin levels when all that sugar hits your bloodstream. While fruit smoothies do contain some of the fiber from the pulp of the fruit, a better strategy would be to eat the actual fruits contained in the smoothie.
Lastly, the amount of calories that can be concentrated into a shake or smoothie is far greater than the equivalent volume of actual food. A 16 oz fruit smoothie may contain as many as 600 calories, and will not fill you up all that much! On the other hand, eating 600 calories of fruit will prove to be much more than the typical person can manage in a single sitting (at least, I personally don’t know anyone that can eat more than 2 pounds of bananas at a single sitting!).
Think about it- when making major dietary changes, you want to get the most out of your calories. Wouldn’t you rather fill up, rather than drink something and be hungry again soon after?
1) Eating more than you think you are.
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Zone Delivery Service, and other diet systems have one undeniable benefit to them – they define for the average person how large an actual “serving” is. Most of us underestimate the volume of food we eat (and consequently, underestimate the number of calories we consume in a day).
By fixing in your head what a serving size or “portion” of food looks like, we can better estimate (and consequently, evaluate and calibrate) the amount of food we eat at each meal. Keep in mind, when it comes to weight loss, you need to take in less calories than you burn each day.
Two good rules of thumb:
A portion of meat (3 oz.) is the size of a deck of cards.
A portion of carbohydrates (1 cup) is the size of a tennis ball.
Please remember to fill up on non-starchy vegetables – they are full of nutrients, have very little impact on blood sugar, and contain little in the way of calories.
freedigitalphotos.net
2) Not eating frequently enough.
It is a social custom to eat “three square meals” a day. While this may do for social purposes, for weight loss, you will want to aim for more frequent feedings. It is recommended that you consume a minimum of 5-6 small meals each day. By doing so, your body gets the signal that food is abundant, and there is no need to conserve energy.
Additionally, frequent feedings maximize your metabolism, as your body is constantly busy, burning calories by digesting your meals. By not letting too much time pass between meals, you stabilize blood sugar levels since they never really get the chance to drop. By keeping your blood sugar stable, your hunger levels are minimized, decreasing the chances that you will be tempted to overeat at your next meal.
3) Choosing to drink your calories instead of eating them.
This is a very common problem among those attempting weight loss, due to the abundance of “healthy” diet smoothies, protein concoctions, and weight loss shakes. There are 2 factors to keep in mind when relying on these liquid meal replacements.
First, many of the liquid diet shakes on the market and all fruit smoothies have an abundance of sugar in them. This causes an immediate surge in energy followed by a huge crash due to the release of insulin to control the blood sugar rise. This dramatic shift in blood hormone levels (particularly insulin levels) is something you want to avoid, both for health reasons and for weight loss.
Secondly, most weight loss shakes are devoid of fiber. Fiber is one of your most precious allies when you are dieting. It helps you feel full and blunts the rise in insulin levels when all that sugar hits your bloodstream. While fruit smoothies do contain some of the fiber from the pulp of the fruit, a better strategy would be to eat the actual fruits contained in the smoothie.
Lastly, the amount of calories that can be concentrated into a shake or smoothie is far greater than the equivalent volume of actual food. A 16 oz fruit smoothie may contain as many as 600 calories, and will not fill you up all that much! On the other hand, eating 600 calories of fruit will prove to be much more than the typical person can manage in a single sitting (at least, I personally don’t know anyone that can eat more than 2 pounds of bananas at a single sitting!).
Think about it- when making major dietary changes, you want to get the most out of your calories. Wouldn’t you rather fill up, rather than drink something and be hungry again soon after?
freedigitalphotos.net
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