Losing weight fast is actually easy. The problem is with all those crazy diet programs out here that make it much more harder than what is has to! If you want to finally get the body of your dreams... easily, then read on for 3 tips that helped me along my journey to lose weight, burn fat, and improve my overall health!
1. Focus On DOING... Instead of LOSING - What I mean by that is you should pay more attention to achieving an action goal (such as an exercising achievement, avoiding a strong temptation food for a week, etc.) instead of focusing on trying to lower the number on the scale. When you focus more on achieving an "action goal", it actually will make your program much more simpler... and this will of course increase your motivational levels as well.
2. Eat More Raw And Organic Foods - Raw and organic foods are the only foods that the body positively responds to more than anything else. This is why you feel so vibrant after eating fruits, veggies, or some other type of raw or organic food.
Now, it's not important to eat these foods just because they make you feel good, it's important to eat these foods because they will do wonders for you with losing weight, burning fat, and enhancing your overall health. You can even fight off diseases by eating more of these foods!
Speaking of which, I strongly recommend that you find a diet that is based around eating these types of foods and also eating them in a way that will increase your metabolism and fat burning hormones.
3. Make Your Diet Easy To Stick To - First off, please avoid fad dieting (reducing calories and nutrients, prepackaged meal programs, Hollywood diets, etc.) since they are not just ineffective (and in some cases dangerous), they are also pretty difficult to stick to... especially if you have a busy lifestyle. Second, I recommend you do things that can make it much more easier for you to live healthier.
For example, since you have to drink more water everyday, I recommend that you keep a larger water jug with you at all times so that you have no excuse not to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Some other things you can do is to prep your meals in advance, keep sandwich baggies of vegetables or fruit slices for a quick snack (which works perfect for when those annoying sugar cravings pop up), and more!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Is Gluten Making Us Fat?
Turkey and tomato on wheat. Whole-grain pasta. Healthy, right? Maybe. But more and more people believe these foods are parts of a potentially disastrous trap. They claim that sluggishness and weight gain can be blamed on an insidious substance hiding in wheat and many other common grains: gluten.
Avoiding gluten has become big business. Sales of gluten-free products grew about 30 percent a year from 2006 to 2010, and will hit $3.9 billion by next year, according to the market research company Packaged Facts. Supermarket shelves are filled with gluten-free breads, soups, and cake mixes—even gluten-free ketchup and soy sauce. According to market research firm Mintel, 10 percent of new foods launched in 2010 featured a "gluten-free" claim, up from only 2 percent 5 years earlier.
NFL quarterback Drew Brees won a Super Bowl while on a gluten-free diet. Cyclist Tom Danielson, a record-breaking member of the Garmin-Transitions team, says his training and racing have improved since he and his teammates went gluten-free over a year ago.
Have most common whole grains been acting as insidious nutritional double agents all these years? Or are they essential components of a healthy diet? Let's separate the wheat from the chaff.
(And for more easy weight-loss strategies, pick up a copy of The Men's Health Diet today! It can help you lose up to 15 pounds of belly fat in just 6 weeks!)
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, as well as in many common food additives. It's what gives dough its elasticity and baked goods their satisfying chewiness. But for people with celiac disease—a type of autoimmune disorder—eating foods that contain gluten can lead to a cascade of nasty reactions, including damage to the small intestine, poor nutrient absorption, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, anemia, and fatigue. Celiac disease is surprisingly common, affecting about one in every 133 people, according to an often-cited 2003 study from the University of Maryland center for celiac research. There is no cure for celiac disease and no drugs that can treat it; you can only manage the condition, by sticking to a gluten-free diet for the rest of your life.
Even if you don't have celiac disease, gluten may still be bad for you, says Lara Field, M.S., R.D., a dietitian at the University of Chicago's celiac disease center. A rising percentage of people in the United States consider themselves "gluten-sensitive." "These people may have a food intolerance or experience many celiac-type symptoms after consuming foods that contain gluten," says Field. Some may have a form of wheat allergy. If you think you may have symptoms of a gluten intolerance, ask your doctor about scheduling a blood test to find out for sure.
Avoiding gluten has become big business. Sales of gluten-free products grew about 30 percent a year from 2006 to 2010, and will hit $3.9 billion by next year, according to the market research company Packaged Facts. Supermarket shelves are filled with gluten-free breads, soups, and cake mixes—even gluten-free ketchup and soy sauce. According to market research firm Mintel, 10 percent of new foods launched in 2010 featured a "gluten-free" claim, up from only 2 percent 5 years earlier.
NFL quarterback Drew Brees won a Super Bowl while on a gluten-free diet. Cyclist Tom Danielson, a record-breaking member of the Garmin-Transitions team, says his training and racing have improved since he and his teammates went gluten-free over a year ago.
Have most common whole grains been acting as insidious nutritional double agents all these years? Or are they essential components of a healthy diet? Let's separate the wheat from the chaff.
(And for more easy weight-loss strategies, pick up a copy of The Men's Health Diet today! It can help you lose up to 15 pounds of belly fat in just 6 weeks!)
What is gluten, anyway? How does it affect the body?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, as well as in many common food additives. It's what gives dough its elasticity and baked goods their satisfying chewiness. But for people with celiac disease—a type of autoimmune disorder—eating foods that contain gluten can lead to a cascade of nasty reactions, including damage to the small intestine, poor nutrient absorption, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, anemia, and fatigue. Celiac disease is surprisingly common, affecting about one in every 133 people, according to an often-cited 2003 study from the University of Maryland center for celiac research. There is no cure for celiac disease and no drugs that can treat it; you can only manage the condition, by sticking to a gluten-free diet for the rest of your life.Even if you don't have celiac disease, gluten may still be bad for you, says Lara Field, M.S., R.D., a dietitian at the University of Chicago's celiac disease center. A rising percentage of people in the United States consider themselves "gluten-sensitive." "These people may have a food intolerance or experience many celiac-type symptoms after consuming foods that contain gluten," says Field. Some may have a form of wheat allergy. If you think you may have symptoms of a gluten intolerance, ask your doctor about scheduling a blood test to find out for sure.
Should I avoid eating gluten even if I don't have problems with it?
Gluten is also shunned by another group: People who simply think gluten encourages weight gain and who claim to feel more energetic when they don't consume it. They say humans didn't evolve the ability to digest certain domesticated grains containing gluten, and that avoiding gluten leads to more energy, better absorption of nutrients, and loss of excess weight.
Allen Lim, Ph.D., a former exercise physiologist for Garmin-Transitions, believes that going gluten-free has helped his team perform at a higher level. So does Danielson, who, like any competitive cyclist, burns—and eats—an immense number of calories and pays close attention to what seems to work. "After I started the diet, I had better results. I didn't feel as fatigued, and my recovery period was quicker," says Danielson, who puts in 6-plus hours during a typical training session.
But this is anecdotal evidence; mainstream research still hasn't substantiated the claims of those who believe gluten is bad for everyone. "There is no strong scientific evidence to support the assertion that avoiding gluten leads to benefits for the general population," says Tricia Thompson, M.S., R.D., author of The Gluten-Free Nutrition Guide and the website glutenfreedietitian.com.
Still, cutting out gluten can lead to weight loss—but not for the reason gluten-free advocates think. A strict gluten-free diet forces you to stay away from some refined carbohydrates that can lead to weight gain, Field explains. And that, she says, is where the weight-loss secret lies.
Gluten is found in many of the familiar weight-gain culprits: pizza, beer, burgers, pancakes. "Gluten itself probably isn't the reason you've packed on pounds," says Field.
"Eating too many refined carbohydrates is what expands your waistline." Commit to staying gluten-free and your food choices can become a snapshot of healthy eating—fruits, vegetables, brown rice, seeds and nuts, along with meat, fish, eggs, and milk products.
Avoiding gluten also means you're likely to adopt other whole grains and flours that lack gluten, such as buckwheat, quinoa, millet, teff, sorghum, and wild rice (which is not related to white rice). These aren't necessarily healthier options than gluten-rich wheat, barley, or rye, but consuming a wider range of grains gives you even more nutritional variety in your diet.
Allen Lim, Ph.D., a former exercise physiologist for Garmin-Transitions, believes that going gluten-free has helped his team perform at a higher level. So does Danielson, who, like any competitive cyclist, burns—and eats—an immense number of calories and pays close attention to what seems to work. "After I started the diet, I had better results. I didn't feel as fatigued, and my recovery period was quicker," says Danielson, who puts in 6-plus hours during a typical training session.
But this is anecdotal evidence; mainstream research still hasn't substantiated the claims of those who believe gluten is bad for everyone. "There is no strong scientific evidence to support the assertion that avoiding gluten leads to benefits for the general population," says Tricia Thompson, M.S., R.D., author of The Gluten-Free Nutrition Guide and the website glutenfreedietitian.com.
Still, cutting out gluten can lead to weight loss—but not for the reason gluten-free advocates think. A strict gluten-free diet forces you to stay away from some refined carbohydrates that can lead to weight gain, Field explains. And that, she says, is where the weight-loss secret lies.
Gluten is found in many of the familiar weight-gain culprits: pizza, beer, burgers, pancakes. "Gluten itself probably isn't the reason you've packed on pounds," says Field.
"Eating too many refined carbohydrates is what expands your waistline." Commit to staying gluten-free and your food choices can become a snapshot of healthy eating—fruits, vegetables, brown rice, seeds and nuts, along with meat, fish, eggs, and milk products.
Avoiding gluten also means you're likely to adopt other whole grains and flours that lack gluten, such as buckwheat, quinoa, millet, teff, sorghum, and wild rice (which is not related to white rice). These aren't necessarily healthier options than gluten-rich wheat, barley, or rye, but consuming a wider range of grains gives you even more nutritional variety in your diet.
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