Posted on May 25th, 2011
One of the most common tips for some to lose weight is to take a vegetarian day or go vegetarian all together. It’s not necessarily easy, but for most, it does generally cut calories, which would logically lead to positive weight loss results, gradual or more substantial depending on the person. There are some people who have gained weight on vegetarian diets or had serious nutritional issues, depending on the person of course and what they eat. The idea is to focus on more fruits and vegetables, but obviously not everybody does.
The Stats
Statistically speaking, people who gain weight on a vegetarian diet are fairly rare. Most get the basic idea behind it. The average vegetarian has a lower body mass than the average meat eater with lower rates of high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease, all of which are even lower in vegans or people who choose to eliminate other sources of animal fats and products. How far you go depends entirely on you, and there are some who also choose to keep eating fish, which can be extremely healthy if done correctly.
Possible Problems
When going vegetarian, you do have to watch your sources of protein and certain amino acids as well as good fatty acids. Yes, foods like avocados can provide a healthy source of good fats while peanuts and tofu among other vegetarian foods can provide plenty of protein. If you forget to eat it though, you are going to have more problems than not.
Lately, a lot of companies have been creating fake meats with plenty of protein from tofu and other vegetarian sources. However, it is still your responsibility to remember to use these to your advantage.
The Good News
The good news is that you are more likely to get more essential vitamins and minerals. You are more likely to get healthy antioxidants that can slow the aging process while eliminating harmful free radicals that might hurt the body. Vegetarians are by nature more likely to weigh less and while it may sound like a small thing to some or a big thing to others, vegetarians are more likely to be more regular in bowel movements. Overall, even if it’s just for health, being vegetarian even for 1 day a week can be beneficial for quite a few people.
Posted on May 3rd, 2011
One of the biggest factors of weight gain is sugar. Sugar is a two edged sword that people usually overlook while they’re focusing on counting calories, avoiding carbs, and trying odd diets. The truth is that sugar is the real two edged sword that is hampering your weight loss, or contributing to your weight gain.
The reason that sugar is a two edged sword is because of the way it effects your body. Simple sugars on a molecular level are high in energy because of the way they’re structured. Simple sugars are so easily broken down and processed by your body’s metabolism that it causes two negative effects, one, your body burns the sugar for energy, therefore not burning the fat you have stored in order to fuel your body, two, in mass quantities the sugar can contribute to the saturation of cholesterol and fat storage of the body.
When you think about sugar, all it really is, is a guilty pleasure. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that most of the things that contribute to health problems in our Society today are actually good things that simply are poorly moderated. Alcohol and other things of that nature can be healthy for you in very very slight moderation, including sugar. However, self control when we’re talking about people usually has a tendency to either be few and far between or just not show up at all. Sugar can be a great way to help you get energy for a workout, fuel a more intense workout plan, or a simple pick-me-up. However, the amount soda that our Society drinks and other high sugar content foods is just us giving too much power to the winning side of our losing battle against weight loss.
If you make a constant effort to try and avoid excess amounts of sugar, you will be surprised how much easier it is to lose weight.
Posted on April 14th, 2011
We all know that by decreasing calories in your diet, you are guaranteed to lose some weight. But new research shows that there are certain types of food designed to increase your metabolism and suppress your appetite. Research shows certain foods take more work to eat so the body burns more calories during digestion. Eating and chewing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat can increase your calorie burn by up to 30%.
Chewy Foods
These types of foods include lean meats, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Chewy foods make the body work to chew and digest. Foods in their most whole state, such as a whole apple instead of applesauce, can maximize the chewing factor. High-protein foods also take more energy to chew and take longer to leave the stomach. This means that more time is spend eating and the body can recognize how full it is really is, reducing overeating.
Hearty Foods
Brown rice, whole grains, cereal, fruits, and vegetables are considered hearty. These foods are chewy and packed with fiber, taking up more room in the stomach. Foods that take more work to chew make your mouth work harder and increase the thermic effect of the food. The thermic effect heats up your body, helping the metabolism also increase.
Energizing Foods
Caffeine in coffee, black tea, green tea, and dark chocolate can give the metabolism a small boost. But loading them with milk, sugar, or cream can be problematic. Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant that can boost the metabolism up to 8%. Dark chocolate and green tea also contain catechins, an antioxidant that raises resting metabolisms. But limit chocolate intake one ounce per day to limit fat and calories.
Warming Foods
Adding heat–such as peppers, cinnamon, ginger, garlic gloves, mustard, and vinegar–to your meals can help activate the calories. Even mild peppers contain compounds that help burn up to 100 calories a day by binding to nerve receptors and sending fat burning signals to the brain.
Posted on March 30th, 2011
You have exercised and improved your diet habits, and you have seen the pounds come off. But then all of a sudden for no reason at all, the scale will not budge. This means you have hit a weight-loss plateau. But don’t get discouraged! It is normal for weight loss to slow or even stall.
A weight-loss plateau happens when you no longer lose weight even though you are continuing to exercise and diet. Once you hit this, it makes it more difficult to lose weight. This happens to everyone. It can become very frustrating, but don’t fall back into your old habits.
So why does this happen? During the first few weeks of losing weight, a rapid drop in pounds is normal. When calories from food are reduced, it causes the body to look for energy somewhere else. It take its energy from glycogen, a type of carbohydrate found in the muscles and liver. Glycogen holds on to water, so when it is burned for energy it releases the water. So most of your substantial weight loss is water weight.
In order too start losing weight again, you will either need to reduce your calories, or increase your activity. First ask yourself if you are satisfied with your current weight or if you want to lost more, which in that case there a few tips to get past the plateau:
• Reassess your habits. Look back at your food and activity. Make sure you haven’t become too lenient on the rules and let yourself get larger portions or less exercise.
• Cut more calories. Reduce your daily calorie intake by 200 calories, as long as it doesn’t put you below 1,200 calories. Less than 1,200 calories puts you at risk of being hungry all day and then overeating.
• Rev up your workout. Increase the amount of time your exercise by adding 15 to 30 minutes to your workout.
• Pack more activity into you day. You don’t have to go to the gym to workout. Increase your general physical activity throughout the day.
Posted on March 15th, 2011
We are all capable of losing weight through diet and exercise but what about that little extra we have around the middle that never seems to go away? I’m talking about love handles. What is there to love about them?
Here a couple tips that will help to lose those love handles:
- You need to exercise. You need to be doing some form of physical activity at least 3 times a week. Pick something you enjoy. It can be as simple as playing basketball.
- Get rid of the processed food. You can still have chips and beverages, but in moderation! But make sure you start buying quality foods. Try chips without hydrogenated oils. Overall just eat less fatty foods.
- Portion control. Most people gain weight simply by overeating. Try eating the suggested serving size.
- Drink water! It can flush out toxins and impurities that can accumulate in your body over time.
- Keep your stress level low. When you are stressed out, your body releases Cortisol. This chemical encourages your body to store fat around your stomach. Try to listen to relaxing music or just take a few minutes of quiet time to decrease your stress levels.
You can do it will these simple tips. You will be losing that extra “love” around your tummy in no time!
Posted on March 12th, 2011
Golfing is great, I’ve always enjoyed it and it’s a great way to get some extra exercise in if you don’t like the traditional ways of exercising like running. This story reminds me that exercise doesn’t have to be boring or hard, but can be fun.
By Joshua Anderson for USA TODAY
For years, Will Council, 49, had a very good reason for not trying to lose weight: “I didn’t want to face a lifetime of making what I perceived to be difficult food choices.” But when the opportunity for a golf trip in Scotland came along Council decided to shed the pounds.
Then one day he and some friends started talking about going to Scotland to play golf. They planned to walk the courses because golf carts weren’t available most places.
It dawned on him that he wasn’t in good enough shape to move that much.
“There was no way I was going to spend that kind of money and not enjoy myself,” he says, “but I was so out of shape that I couldn’t even imagine walking a round of golf.”
So one Monday in August 2008, at 360 pounds, he started a diet on his own. B the end of the day, he realized he needed help. On Tuesday, he went to a Weight Watchers meeting. He lost 181 pounds in 18 months.
At 5-foot-11, Council now weighs 179 pounds—half of his starting weight.
Council is one of the readers who volunteered to share his story as part of this year’s eighth annual USA TODAY Weight-Loss Challenge. Stories about other readers who have slimmed down will be featured for the next few weeks.
Council gained much of his extra weight when he was high school. As a child and adolescent, he was a competitive swimmer, working out for two to four hours a day.
But when he was 16, he quit swimming and started working at a fast-food hamburger place. “I put on about 100 pounds in 18 months, and I carried that with me for years afterward,” he says.
He describes himself as someone who ate “too much of everything that was put in front of me.”
When he joined Weight Watchers, he was inspired by his energetic leader who helped him understand the plan and lose more than 100 pounds in a year.
Early on in his weight-loss journey, he started walking for 20 to 30 minutes several times a week, eventually graduating to doing the elliptical and strength training. He now exercises four to five times a week for 45 minutes to an hour each time.
When Council and his friends made the trip to Scotland in June 2009, he had already lost 130 pounds. The trip “was wonderful. One day we ended up playing 36 holes of golf, and I felt great.”
This past year, he has had plastic surgery to remove 9 pounds of excess skin from his abdominal area. “It was about $18,000,” he says. “It’s probably the best money I ever spent. It made a huge difference in how I feel and what I see when I look in the mirror.”
Council, who is the president of a company that operates nursing homes, says that since he has lost weight, friends, family and colleagues have joined Weight Watchers and trimmed down, too.
His mother has lost 50 pounds. A friend dropped 70. Several colleagues have attended Weight Watchers meetings that are offered at the office, and they have collectively lost 500 pounds.
Over time, Council has accepted that he has to “think and concentrate on my food and exercise choices every day, and I have discovered that it is not a burden at all.”
But when he was 16, he quit swimming and started working at a fast-food hamburger place. “I put on about 100 pounds in 18 months, and I carried that with me for years afterward,” he says.
He describes himself as someone who ate “too much of everything that was put in front of me.”
Will Council
Age: 49
Hometown: Brentwood, Tenn.
Occupation: President of a company that operates nursing homes
Height: 5-foot-11
Heaviest weight: (August 2008) 360 lbs.
Current weight: 179 lbs.
Loss: 181 lbs.
Goal weight: 175-180 lbs.
When he joined Weight Watchers, he was inspired by his energetic leader who helped him understand the plan and lose more than 100 pounds in a year.
Early on in his weight-loss journey, he started walking for 20 to 30 minutes several times a week, eventually graduating to doing the elliptical and strength training. He now exercises four to five times a week for 45 minutes to an hour each time.
When Council and his friends made the trip to Scotland in June 2009, he had already lost130 pounds. The trip “was wonderful. One day we ended up playing 36 holes of golf, and I felt great.”
This past year, he has had plastic surgery to remove 9 pounds of excess skin from his abdominal area. “It was about $18,000,” he says.”It’s probably the best money I ever spent. It made a huge difference in how I feel, and what I see when I look in the mirror.”
Council, who is the president of a company that operates nursing homes, says that since he has lost weight, friends, family and colleagues have joined Weight Watchers and trimmed down, too.
His mother has lost 50 pounds. A friend dropped 70. Several colleagues have attended Weight Watchers meetings that are offered at the office, and they have collectively lost 500 pounds.
Over time, Council has accepted that he has to “think and concentrate on my food and exercise choices every day, and I have discovered that it is not a burden at all.”
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/weight-loss-challenge/story/2011/02/Golf-trip-teed-off-dramatic-weight-loss/43217942/1
Most employment opportunities that are considered “good jobs” are based on experience and education. Talent and skills also play an important role in obtaining a “good job.” The base of any good job is education or training. Any higher paying or prestigious job is based around education. Doctors are educated between twenty and twenty-five years before they are even eligible to achieve the best positions. The same is true for other kinds of employment. A college degree helps you get your foot in the door, but experience will elevate you above the rest.
