Health Specialist » fat

How Can I lose Stomach Fat

Health Specialist — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:27:30 +0000

As a personal trainer, one of the most common questions Im asked is how do I lose stomach fat?

Well to put it as simple as possible, you cant.

No matter how may crunches you do, or leg raiser, you will not be able to target the fat in your abdominal region. The reason being, you can NOT localize fat removal. Doing sit ups and crunches only work the abdominal muscles and have absolutely no effect on the fat burned in that area.

When your body burns fat, it uses fat stores from where it can find fat. Your body does not know that it should be concerned with your love handles. The fat on your body is distributed differently on each of use. For many males, the majority or most noticeable is the fat on the stomach areas. When you lose fat, your body will do so in its own natural balance.

The best way to lose that ugly fat is through diet. Once your diet is in tune, you will slowly se the fat melt away. There is no hidden secret, magic pill, or piece of equipment that will quickly remove any fat. You have to work for it, and depending on your genetics, it may take awhile.

Stay Away From Fat

Health Specialist — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:26:39 +0000

I am sure that most people have heard a fair number of warnings about their health and about the importance of watching what they eat. If you haven’t been hearing these warnings in the past few years, then you probably haven’t been reading any news or talking with anyone! News about health is everywhere. One of the biggest things that we are warned about is not overconsuming fat.

Fat is something that is necessary to any diet and yet potentially really harmful. You see, balance is key. Having too little or too much fat is one of the most unhealthy things that can happen to your health. Don’t let yourself get into a trap of false thinking that all fat is bad and that you should not be consuming any of it in your daily diet. That is absolutely not true.

The important thing for health conscious people is to stay away from bad fat and to get just the right amount of good fat. If you are unsure of what kinds of fat are good and what kinds are bad, you should take time to grab a few health books from a local bookstore or library. Your health should be one of the biggest things that you study. Life is far too short and health is far too fragile for you to take it lightly.

Learn all you can about fat and about other elements of proper eating plans. Meeting with a dietician can be one of the most proactive and effective steps to take in fighting for your health. Find a great dietician by talking with friends or even by talking with your doctor. A dietician will help you make an individualized eating plan for your needs and will help you understand all there is to know about fat and other important food elements.

If you are like me, then there are certain foods, no matter what you learn about them, that you just cannot give up. If this is the case, and actually even if it isn’t, you need to be exercising regularly. Exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself and it is one of the best ways to combat against the excess fat that you’ve built up over the years.

You can win the battle against fat in your food and on your body. Do what it takes to make wise choices and to be proactive about your health. Your life is worth it.

The best tips to lose your weight and burn your fat!!

Health Specialist — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:08:09 +0000

The effective way to burn your fat and lose you weight is exercise. Its a vital part of any weight loss program. Several people try to reduce their weight by increasing their level of their activity. You can combine a reduced calorie diet with an increased level of physical activity. If you have enough time, it is the good way to go to fitness club. Next, try to eat fresh and vegetables. In order to lose you weight, you have to eat the low calorie food. And everyone knows fresh fruit and vegetables are the best answer. The modern Western diet is one of fatty processed foods with fresh fruit and vegetables pretty much sidelined. The fruit and vegetable that you eat not only help you look young and help you to lose your weight but also boots you energy, reduce your calorie, and provide you with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. The next tip is to eat a lot but eat smaller amount. Rather than eating the big meals during the day and felling link a sloth afterwards, try to eat more meals in the day but smaller portions. This tip can help you feel good all the day and can also help you lose your weight. You can have six or seven small meals it can be fruit and vegetable at two or three hour intervals.4. If you want to skip the breakfast, you are wrong. I know it’s tempting, you are busy, and you want an extra five minutes in bed, but do not skip breakfast. A good healthy breakfast stops you from overeating and studies show it controls your appetite and blood sugar levels throughout the day. The last tip is to try to drink lots of water. It will be good if you can have around 8-10 glasses of water a day. It can help you to diet and have less amount of food during the day. So many people t eat their meal late at night because of a hectic lifestyle. You cannot digest the meal that you have eaten before 8pm and it will increase your weight. Try eating a light meal in the evening and your main meal earlier in the day. If you want more information about weight issue, please visit my blog.

Weight Loss Discipline

Health Specialist — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:01:42 +0000

Why is it so hard to lose weight and keep it off? We have all heard that weight loss is just a matter of taking in less calories than we expend. That certainly sounds very logical, but is it really that simple?

For example, I had an intention of only eating fruits and vegetables for a day or two, to counteract the recent ‘junk’ food I had been enjoying. This was a solid plan that practically guaranteed a decrease in caloric intake. However, a solid plan doesn’t always mean an easy execution.

I figured I would be relatively safe making a trip to the health food store. So my guard against high fat foods was down. When I got to the store, my sensibilities were assailed by a well meaning clerk hawking some freshly made corned beef and cabbage. I could hardly resist the temptation. And that wasn’t the end of it. Once my armour was breached, the temptation of tasty, ‘health oriented’ cookie samples fought for my attention.

Once again, I capitulated. My normally strong will power seemed to crumble. And once weakened, it seemed reasonable to just continue. It’s like that first drink for the recovering alcoholic.

I am by no means overweight, but once in a while my diet gets out of hand and the fat around my midsection gets a little more sizable than I am comfortable with. Usually, times like these are a great opportunity to get a little detoxification in, so I like to focus on fruits and vegetables for a day or two.

This has the dual effect of decreasing my caloric intake. I was also sticking with the simple plan mentioned above. So where did things go wrong? Did I not have enough discipline? Did I lack willpower, or was it something else?

In retrospect, the problem appears to be a lack of preparation. I failed to use the power of why. Let me explain. When the chips were down, I didn’t seem to have enough reason to maintain discipline. Maybe you have had a similar experience? I rationalized with, “oh, a little won’t hurt me”. The truth is, once you start down that road, it can be hard to turn back.

What would the right preparation be in that case? What is this power of why that I am talking about? A great way to fortify will power with any strategy is to actually write out the reasons why sticking to your plan or achieving your goal is important. It is kind of like stockpiling ammunition. The weaponry, in this case, appears in the form of a list.

With a long list of reasons supporting the plan or the goal, I would have had a lot more reserves to draw on when my front line defenses were being stressed. When the well meaning clerk was pouncing, I should have had a ready list of whys to fall back on. As the clerk was just being nice and sounding really sensible, plus it was a free sample after all, my mind should have responded with my ready made list of why I should not vary from my plan.

That didn’t happen because I never made such a list. Whatever you are trying to accomplish in life, there are bound to be obstacles and obstructions that just leap into your path to stop or block you. These are the times that you need your list. The list is your power. No list, no power.

When anyone sits down to plan something or set a goal, they need a list to support them during weak times. The longer the list, the better. Even if one has to carry the list along in one’s pocket, it is worth it. A list of about 50 reasons, while hard to create, can pay off in a major way.

Imagine the clerk’s surprise, had I pulled out my handy list and read it off for him. My armour would not have been pierced and the clerk would have had to move on to more ready prey or risk having the spear of temptation blunted! No list, no power.

So, how long is your list?

This article is for information purposes only. It is not meant to advise on diet or weight loss or on any health matters. If you have or think you have a health issue, including weight or diet issues, consult your primary care physician for proper diagnoses and treatment.

Lose Weight Quickly With This Easy To Maintain Diet

Health Specialist — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:51:36 +0000

There are a lot of people in the world who are trying to find ways to lose weight quickly. In this article I write about a simple diet that worked for me.

I have always had an ongoing battle with my own weight, however a few years ago I managed to lose those excess pounds.

I have always liked the wrong types of food and drinks and as a result have have always been on the large side. I have to be very careful what I eat as I seem to gain weight very easily. In my life I have tried many weight loss programs or diets, however I have always looked for a way of losing weight without having to resort to starving myself or by having to do huge amounts of exercise.

I am not sure if you are like me, but I have always been annoyed and frustrated with people who seem to be able to eat seemingly huge amounts of food, without getting fat. I am sure I eat half as much as these people but am still twice their size, it is not fair! That was until a couple of years ago.

I decided I needed to find my own weight loss program. I had to be realistic, I was aware that I did very little exercise and that I liked all of the wrong types of food. I loved the taste of fast food, this was only because of my busy lifestyle though. One of my biggest problems though was that I liked snack food, such as peanuts, chocolate and crisps. I also liked alcohol as this helped me to gain confidence.

I knew that most people would advise me to stop eating all of these fatty type foods, especially the pizzas and chips. They would also no doubt, advise me to join a gym and to go jogging every morning. Get real! Those gyms are full of thin people, if I go jogging I might get mugged, and I am sorry but life would not be worth living without my weekly pizza!

I decided that what I would do is to basically eat a healthy type breakfast, which would be cerial or toast. I would have a fairly light lunch, such as a sandwich, however for my evening meal I could eat whatever I wanted. The main thing and most difficult to implement would be the fact that I would be no longer eating between meals. The snacks had to go!. I am not trying to say that this was easy to do, however I had a need and was determined to lose weight.

For exercise I decided to leave the car at home, wherever possible, and walk to more places. I also started taking my children to the park more often. At the park we would play games such as football, cricket and baseball. It is amazing how much weight you can lose by having fun.

These things were what helped me to lose all of my weight and to reach a size I was happy with.

Does Hoodia Work? 3 Ways Hoodia Helps You Lose Weight

Health Specialist — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:56:06 +0000

You’ve seen the name everywhere. Hoodia Gordonii has taken the weight loss world by storm. Being touted as the next miracle weight loss pill, Hoodia is now being put into everything from multivitamins to Trimspa.

But does Hoodia work?

Considering the debacle that was Ephedra, consumers are right to be cautious about this new weight loss pill. Does Hoodia actually work to help you lose weight? Does it really do what the pill manufacturers say?

Well, Hoodia has been shown to have some specific effects in the area of weight loss. But there are certain things you should know before running out to buy the latest Hoodia pill from your drug store.

Here are 3 ways Hoodia helps you lose weight and 3 other things you should know to make Hoodia work best for you.

1 Hoodia Makes You Physically Less Hungry

Pure Hoodia contains a molecule scientists called “P57″ which, they believe, is responsible for making you feel full.

Normally, when you eat food, this food turns to glucose. When the glucose in your body rises it eventually signals to your brain the hypothalamus that you are full.

It is believed that “P57″ molecule in Hoodia mimics the effect that glucose has on your brain, telling part of your brain the Hypothalamus that you feel full. Consequently, you are physically less hungry.

One of the first studies of Hoodia Gordonii was done in the UK on obese patients. Half of the volunteers were given Hoodia Gordonii, the other half were given a placebo.

The subjects were allowed to do nothing but read, watch television and eat. After 15 days it was found that those taking Hoodia had reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories a day. Despite having unlimited access to food, the Hoodia subjects lost weight without feeling hungry.

2 Hoodia Turns Off The Desire To Overeat

Some people have reported that not only does Hoodia make them feel full, but it also shuts off their desire to eat.

As many of us know, we can feel physically satisfied but still eat for a variety of reasons like emotions, timing and social influence. In fact emotional eating is actually responsible for more overeating than physical hunger.

Hoodia can help some people lose weight by quenching this desire to eat and breaking the emotional attachment to food.

By quenching this emotional attachment to food, Hoodia can help the individual to develop new emotional coping skills that don’t include using food for comfort.

Note Hoodia may not have this effect on everyone, however many people have reported having less of a desire to eat after taking Hoodia.

3 By Turning Off Your Appetite Hoodia Allows You To Start Making Positive, Healthy Food Choices

How many times have we planned to eat healthy and then that old, ugly hunger rears it’s ugly head and demands food NOW. We end up reaching for anything that’s fast, easy and usually unhealthy.

By turning off your appetite, Hoodia allows you to start to make positive, healthy food choices. It takes the pain out of building new healthier eating choices. Since you probably don’t want to be on Hoodia forever, this is a great way to lose weight and transition your eating to a healthier, lighter diet – with less pain and deprivation.

So those are 3 ways Hoodia Gordonii can help you lose weight. Does that mean that it will? Not necessarily. In order for Hoodia to help you achieve your weight loss goals there are several factors you must consider

1 Make Sure You Buy From A Pure Source.

Unfortunately, there are scam artists who are taking advantage of the current demand for Hoodia by packaging fake Hoodia, fillers or even sawdust – and then selling it as Hoodia.

Look for genuine South African Hoodia from a seller who displays both a C.I.T.E.S certificate on their website along with Lab Assays and testing of their Hoodia pills. If you’re not sure about which Hoodia brand to buy, do more research until you feel comfortable with your decision.

2 Make Sure You Are Taking Enough Hoodia.

The correct dosage varies depending on whom you talk to but most people start with about 400 mg three times a day before meals. They then increase the dosage up as high as 1000 mg three times daily until they find the dose that works for them.

Also, give it several days for the Hoodia to take effect before you increase your current dose.

3 Make Sure You Consult Your Doctor Before Taking Hoodia or Making Any Change To Your Diet or Exercise Routine.

This one is a given but surprisingly many people don’t do it and it can result in you wasting your time and effort for no good reason. If, for example, you have a medical condition that makes it hard to lose weight, Hoodia may not work for you as you’d hoped. Talk to your doctor before trying anything new.

So those are 3 ways Hoodia works to help you lose weight and reach your goals. Hoodia does work. Make sure you follow these suggestions and you’ll be well on your way to weight loss success with Hoodia.

Restaurant Survival 4 Kids

Health Specialist — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:52:27 +0000

Weight loss can still be achieved even when dining out and busy schedules. With a little planning ahead you and your child can make healthy choices and lose weight.

Follow these tips when dining out to ensure you are on track with your weight loss goals

&61623; Avoid restaurants that give huge portions, like buffets. Huge portions mean huge calories and weight gain. Ask yourself ahead of time is it really worth it? And will I really be able to resist the extra food once I am there?

&61623; To decrease portion size, choose an appetizer as your main meal, or split an entre with another family member. This is a great way to save money too!

&61623; Ask how the food is prepared, and whether substitutions can be made. Many restaurants offer a vegetable of the day, which can be substituted in place of extra bread or potatoes. Just make sure the vegetable is not french fries!

&61623; Request that sauces and dressings be served on the side. A standard serving ladle of regular salad dressing can contain up to 250 calories and 30 grams of fat!

&61623; If you are hungry, choose a lower-fat appetizer, side salad or soup to prevent over-eating the bread or your meal. You can even request that the bread or crackers not be brought to your table at all.

&61623; Once you are full, request that the leftover food be removed from the table to prevent ongoing nibbling. Or even ask for the box as soon as your meal arrives and portion it right away.

Select items that are

&61623; Steamed
&61623; Broiled
&61623; Roasted
&61623; Poached
&61623; Cooked in tomato sauce
&61623; Served au jus

Avoid items that are cooked in or contain large amounts of

&61623; Butter or cream sauces
&61623; Gravy
&61623; Au gratin or scalloped mixtures
&61623; Cheese sauce
&61623; Fried foods

7 Top Foods to Include in your Kids Diet

Health Specialist — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:23:51 +0000

Here is a list of the top 7 healthiest foods to feed your kid and why its so healthy

1. Oatmeal A fabulous breakfast food, full of B vitamins, iron, zinc and calcium. Old-fashioned oatmeal offers plenty of carbohydrate for quick energy and high fiber. Add berries and honey to make it a delicious perfect food for those fast-paced school day mornings!

2. Yogurt Kick your child’s dairy consumption up a notch and include yogurt on the menu. A great source of calcium, yogurt is easier to digest than regular milk, and the cultures check the label to make sure they’re in there! are very beneficial to good colon health. Watch it on the sugar content though. A great idea is to buy plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with fresh fruit!

3. Broccoli it is one of the best vegetables for anyone, especially growing kids. It has loads of calcium, potassium, beta-carotene and a wide variety of the B vitamins. If your child is not a fan of plain vegetables include broccoli in a casserole or put a little shredded cheese on top to add flavor.

4. Protein One size does not fit all when it comes to protein. The fact is that growing kids need protein to keep growing. How you’re going to give it to them can vary widely, according to your preferences. Good choices include legumes, beans combined with a grain to make a complete protein, soy products like tofu, eggs or lean meat, fish or poultry.

5. Whole Grains The best nutrition is found in whole grains. Brown rice and whole wheat bread are a quantum leap over their white counterparts and offer necessary fiber, minerals and vitamins. Choose grain products with the words whole, unbleached and intact or ground.

6. Nut Butters Peanut butter and other nut butters are great fast and easy foods for kids. Kids need fat it’s a good fat if it doesn’t have hydrogenated oils mixed in it and they need the protein. Try spreading almond or sunflower seed butter on crackers, toast or celery sticks for a quick and nutritious snack.

7. Fresh Fruit My personal choice would be cantaloupe in the melon department. Vitamin C, beta-carotene, bits and pieces of B vitamins and trace minerals and calcium fill every juicy bite. Any in season fresh fruit is sure to be packed with healthy goodness!

Feeling Tired? No Pep? No Zing? Tap Into Breakfast Smoothies

Health Specialist — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:39:33 +0000

I’m 40-something years old, and for 40-something years breakfast has been a pain. Some of my earliest memories are getting ready for school with my mother insisting I eat a bowl of cereal. It just never interested me. Once high school started I was skipping breakfast and grabbing two apples on the run for lunch. All my life breakfast simply wasn’t something I got interested in or thought about until I made this discovery…

Someone introduced me to the most amazing concept for breakfast. By now I was well entrenched in not taking time over the first meal of the day and sometimes the second meal, so anything that captured my attention was going to have to be fast, no fuss and delicious to warrant any of my attention.

Instead of cardboard cereal and bland milk, it’s possible to start the day with power packed, nutritious, energizing and best of all, yummy smoothies. Smoothies have been around for ages, but I had never twigged they make a great start to the day. Imagine the delight of selecting from a range such as Chocolate Strawberry, Hazelnut Coffee, Peach Almond, Banana Bread & Apple Pie Surprise. Kid you not! You can make an endless variety to suit your own taste. Now this was interesting to me.

Not only did I start regularly eating breakfast, my energy shot through the roof! This changed my whole perspective on being 40-something. A period where I thought as a mother, wife, and corporate executive I was supposed to be tired all the time. Not true.

Here is one of my favorite recipes.

Strawberry Parfait

3 tablespoons vanilla flavored soywhey protein powder
250g 6oz strawberry flavoured fat free yoghurt
1 cup strawberries
4 ice cubes

Blend in hand-held or benchtop blender. Pour into your favorite glassware and enjoy.

A Simple To Follow Weight Loss Program

Health Specialist — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:45:09 +0000

This article gives free tips and advice about how to lose weight. Dieting does not need to be a choir, however many of the weight loss programs that are available make it this way. During the article, I describe an easy to follow diet or weight loss program which has helped me to reach a weight that I am now happy and feel comfortable with.

My background

My name is Steve Hill and I struggled to keep my weight under control for the first twenty-two years of my life. I was often teased at school and found it very hard to meet girls as I believed that there would be no way, that they would want to date somebody as fat as myself.

I was a very negative person and I frequently felt stressed and depressed. I often felt sorry for myself and would feel envious of other people who seemed fit, healthy and happy. During these periods of depression, I would often comfort eat to make myself feel better. I love food and this would temporarily help. The problem I found was that if I ate food for ten minutes, I would feel a sense of guilt for around two hours.

Like many people who are over-weight, I was not happy this way and often looked into different types of weight loss plan or diets. Maybe it is just me, but they seem so unrealistic and for somebody like myself impossible to follow. I needed a simple, easy to follow weight loss program.

The solution to my weight problem

The first thing I had to do was to be honest with myself. I asked myself a series of questions

Why are you over-weight?

I do not eat the right types of food and I rarely exercise.

How determined are you to lose weight?

Very determined.

Are you willing for this to be a long term project, or are you looking for a quick fix?

The quicker the better, however I realise that crash diets do not work and end up causing more harm than good.

Do you feel you have enough self-discipline to succeed?

I am not sure but I will have to have, to reach my target weight.

The weight loss plan

These are the things I must do

Eat three healthy meals a day.

Exercise more. This will be achieved by leaving the car at home more often and by walking to certain places, such as my children’s school. I will also take the children to play sports like football and tennis, as often as I can.

Fight the demons in my head who constantly tempt me into eating.

These are the things I must not do

Snack in between meals.

Eat too many take-aways, I will basically allow myself one a week.

Lie to other people or even myself about what I have eaten.

This sounds so simple and is very easy to follow. I have to admit that it is not that easy to carry off, especially not being able to snack between meals. With determination you can succeed and the sense of happiness and pride you will feel when you reach a weight you are happy with, will make it all worthwhile.