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Diet Trends That Keep You Fat

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JUICING

It’s fine to drink juice when you’re watching your weight but as with any food or drink, you need to count the calories it provides as part of your daily total.

This is one reason health experts in the UK advise sticking to a 150ml serving size. This will give you around 65 calories in standard orange juice, roughly 70 in apple and about 80 in pineapple.

Vegetable juices tend to be lower as they contain only small amounts of the fruit sugar fructose (about 60 calories in green juices, 40 in carrot). The problem comes when intake shoots above this which is very likely once you get into juicing or have a lot of shop-bought juices. Most juices are sold in 250ml individual serving sizes, progressing to 1 liter cartons and bottles designed for sharing (but all too easy to gulp down over the course of a day). Therefore it’s hardly surprising that calorie intake can quickly creep up.

It’s important to realize eating whole fruits and vegetables will be more satisfying than drinking their juice. This is partly because chewing food begins the process of sending signals to the brain that help to tell us we’re feeling satisfied and it’s time to stop eating.

In addition, whole fruit and veg take up more space in the stomach. Because you’re eating the soluble and insoluble fiber along with water inside the cells, the sheer physical presence of food helps to trigger a sense of satiety.

REDUCED-FAT EVERYTHING 

Labelling on foods and drinks can be a minefield at the best of times and the labelling of reduced-fat products is one of the trickiest to navigate.

This is because legally the term “reduced” or “light”, whether it refers to fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar or calories, means that the reduced version has at least 30 per cent less of the nutrient mentioned when compared with its full-nutrient version. But reduced fat doesn’t automatically mean low calorie.

For example, a standard hummus has around 309 calories and 26g fat per 100g. The reduced-fat version has 216 calories and 15g fat. Even though the reduced-fat version is obviously a better choice than the full-fat version, the reduced-fat hummus still contains around the same number of calories as 100g of full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese (235 calories and 22g fat). So wherever you see reduced-fat pack claims, you still have to read the small print, especially searching out the fat and calories per serving. Different brands also vary in fat content and therefore in their final calorie content, depending on what the fat levels were in that particular brand’s regular product. Beware of products that remove fat to achieve a seductive low-fat or reduced-fat claim but add other ingredients, such as sugar, to maintain its overall appeal, physical structure and flavor. Take fruit yogurt: a 150g low-fat strawberry yogurt provides only 1.7g fat but 119 calories – 32 of which come from the 2tsp of added sugars.

RAW FOOD DIETS

This is a big health trend but while there is a lot to be said for eating a diet that contains more whole fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, don’t assume all raw foods, especially desserts, are low in calories, fat or sugar.

Many raw snack bars or balls and raw desserts such as vegan cheesecake, contain a lot of dried fruit, nuts, seeds and coconut oil which increase the calories. In addition, sweeteners such as rice malt syrup, maple syrup and raw honey are often used (frequently in large amounts), so they’re neither sugar-free nor low in calories.

If you’re buying a packaged raw snack, it’s as important to check out the nutritional information as it is with non-raw treats. And at cafes, you still need to exercise some restraint with raw cake, just as you would with any other.

EATING HEALTHY SUGARS 

We’ve all been advised by Public Health England (PHE) to dramatically reduce the free sugars in our diet. These are the ones we add to food or those found in the foods we buy.

They appear on the ingredients list as things such as cane sugar, brown sugar, sucrose, glucose, fructose or high-fructose corn syrup. PHE recommends we limit our consumption of free sugars to 7tsp (30g) a day – that’s about half of what the average Briton eats. In an effort to cut down, many people have switched to what they perceive to be “natural” sugars, such as honey, syrups and nectars, in the belief this means their diet is sugar free. Not so. Ingredients such as honey, agave nectar, date syrups, rice malt syrup, maple syrup and coconut sugar may have a healthier image but they all count as free sugar, so we need to limit them.

Products made with these ingredients, however natural they claim to be, are usually still high in sugar (and therefore calories), so they need to be limited just as you would any biscuits, cakes or sweets. If a food contains less than 5g sugar per 100g it means you’re choosing a product that’s low in sugar.

DITCHING DAIRY

It’s a common belief that milk makes you put on weight because it’s high in fat and therefore calories. In fact, studies reveal the opposite may be true: intake of dairy, particularly of low-fat versions as part of a lower-calorie diet, may help speed up weight loss, especially when it comes to burning the fat that sits around the waist.Other people skip it because they think dairy products are at the root of digestive problems such as bloating. An intolerance to lactose – the main sugar in milk – does cause bloating, along with other digestive problems such as wind, diarrhea and stomach pain. But according to the British Nutrition Foundation, only about one in 20 of us suffers with lactose intolerance.

Most experts agree that dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet as they provide a wide range of nutrients, particularly calcium for strong bones and teeth.National figures show eight per cent of women, 12 per cent of teenage boys and 19 per cent of teenage girls have very low intakes of calcium. The National Osteoporosis Society says that one in two women and one in every five men over the age of 50 fractures a bone due to osteoporosis, a condition where bones are so fragile they can easily break.

A low-calcium intake, especially in childhood and teenage years, is thought to be a key cause of this, as it means bones are unable to reach their full strength in adulthood.

[Source — Express]

The Best Breakfast For Your Daily Activities

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What you eat after rolling out of bed has the power to banish cravings, turbo-charge energy, and keep your waistline in check.

Breakfast munchers eat 12 percent healthier throughout the day, according to data from the app Eatery (by Massive Health), which tracks users’ daily chow-down habits. “Skipping breakfast makes you more likely to overindulge at your next meal or eat mid-morning snacks that are high in calories and sugar to ward off hunger until lunch,” says Amari Cheffer, R.D., owner of Eat Chic Chicago.

And if the a.m. is your time to exercise, you especially need to nosh. When you wake up, blood sugar levels and carb stores are way down, explains sports dietitian Michele Macedonio, R.D. Breakfast provides what your brain needs to feel alert and what your muscles need to perform at their best—so you feel zippy on the treadmill instead of fatigued and, well, just blah.

Don’t reach for just any cereal or oatmeal, though. Different morning routines call for different morning meals. Whether you’re trying to drop 10 pounds or rip through an a.m. BodyPump class, one of these eight yummy, satisfying breakfasts will start your day on a high note.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…
STRENGTH TRAIN IN THE A.M.

Make muscle-building protein a priority, Macedonio says. Combine 1/4 cup each granola, rolled oats, chopped almonds, raisins or dried cranberries with low-fat milk. (Feel free to eat half and save the rest for tomorrow, depending on your calorie needs.)

After you leave the gym, aim for another 20 grams of protein, as studies show this is ideal for kick-starting the muscle-repair process. Try 6 ounces of fat-free or low-fat ricotta cheese, a cup of fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, or 3 ounces of sliced roast beef or roasted chicken.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT

Repeat after us: A grande skinny caramel macchiato is not a breakfast. For the same wake-you-up buzz of caffeine and healthful antioxidants and no calories, have green tea. Then make one or two eggs—the whole thing, not just the whites since more than half of the fill-you-up protein is in the yolk—with a piece of fruit such as an apple or a cup of raspberries. This all clocks in between 135 to 240 calories and has 7 to 14 grams of protein and 4.5 to 8 grams of fiber to provide staying power until lunch, Cheffer says.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…STILL FEEL FULL FROM DINNER

First things first: Eat! “That will keep your metabolism going,” Cheffer says. Nibble on something light within an hour of waking up such as a piece of fruit. And next time push back dinnertime. Eating two to three hours before going to sleep—including snacks—will give your body ample time to digest everything before the a.m.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…DO CARDIO IN THE A.M.

Your muscles run on carbs as their main source of fuel when your heart’s pumping while you run, spin, or sweat on an elliptical, so eat an hour before your exercise to boost energy and allow your body time to break down your meal. Swirl fat-free or low-fat yogurt into oatmeal and top with fresh fruit or raisins. (if you have less time, a fruit and milk or yogurt smoothie wins points for easy digestibility.)

Post-workout, enjoy a mix of carbs to replenish glycogen stores and protein to maximize muscle repair, ideally within 30 minutes of your cooldown—this is the prime time when muscles are like a sponge, absorbing all those powerhouse nutrients. A 100-calorie whole-wheat sandwich, spread with a thin layer of peanut butter and topped with a bit of honey or jelly is an easy choice, Macedonio says.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…WILL HAVE A LATE LUNCH

Slow-digesting fiber and protein are your best friends when you want to quash stomach rumblings. Shoot for 7 to 10 grams of fiber and 15 to 20 grams of protein, which can deliciously be reached with a pseudo-parfait of a cup of fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt, a serving of high-fiber cereal (look for those that pack at least five grams per serving), and fresh or frozen blueberries.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…CAN’T STOMACH A LOT OF FOOD

The last thing you want is something that sits like a rock in your gut, so an easy-to-digest smoothie is the way to go. Keep it healthy by blending frozen fruit and milk or a non-dairy alternative. Or buy a bottled one that contains less than 30 grams of sugar per serving and protein to slow the rate at which your body absorbs that sugar and keep you fuller longer, Cheffer says. Either way, sip slowly through the morning for a dose of important vitamins and minerals.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…ARE ON THE GO

On Sunday, prep Macedonio’s favorite eat-on-the-run option for the week: Mix a whole-grain, high-fiber, low-sugar cereal (she likes Mini Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, or Chex); nuts (soy nuts, peanuts, or almonds); and dried fruit (raisins or cranberries), and portion out one-cup servings into sandwich bags. On your way out the door in the morning, grab a bag and a single-serve carton of low-fat milk. Or bake up a half-dozen fiber-rich breakfast muffins and freeze. Take one out the night before to thaw, or defrost it in the toaster oven when you wake up. Both options offer that perfect combo of carbs and protein that helps kick your brain into gear and satisfies your hunger.

THE BEST BREAKFAST IF YOU…PRACTICE YOGA IN THE A.M.

Breakfast isn’t one-size-fits-all for yogis. Intense, athletic-style classes call for any of the options listed previously for cardio or strength workouts. Since milder versions of yoga typically don’t burn as many calories, Macedonio recommends a piece of fruit or container of applesauce before heading to the studio to pump up energy without weighing you down during an inversion.

Following any type of downward dog session, chopped fruit stirred into a container of fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt is a good bet, as it delivers (say it with us) carbs and protein to recharge your body.

Source: eatthis.com

See What 1 Tablespoon Of ACV Does To Your Weight

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Apple cider vinegar can be used as a natural remedy for a long list of things including lowering cholesterol, reducing blood sugar, and helping a person lose weight.

What type of ACV should I use?

Organic apple cider vinegar should always be chosen because it is unpasteurized and unprocessed. It is different than that you will find in most stores. In order to tell if you’re getting a good AVC, you can look for the cloudy matter that is supposed to float or sink to the bottom of the bottle. This matter is full of nutrients this is part of why the ACV is so good for you. If you wanted to take the time, you could even make your own Apple Cider vinegar.

How does ACV lower my cholesterol?

Cholesterol is not an altogether bad thing as we have been led to believe, this wax-like substance helps our bodies produce cells in a healthy manner. When we allow our cholesterol to build up is when it becomes a problem. ACV can help control cholesterol levels and ensure they stay at a healthy level. This relies on the ACV’s concentration of pectin, it attracts bad cholesterol and gets rid of it making one more healthy.

How does ACV lower my blood sugar levels?

The vinegar enters one ‘s system and slows down the digestion of starches. It also helps people with diabetes control their glucose and insulin responses.

Apple cider vinegar slows down the digestion of starches making the breakdown of calories in the blood less of a burden on your body. Pectin can also help one to feel fuller for longer amounts of time. Ingesting ACV can help allow your body to digest protein more efficiently and establishes hormones that break down fat cells. While this isn’t going to make you a size smaller overnight, it will help you lose weight a whole lot easier.

ACV and one’s diet.

Ingesting two tablespoons a day mixed in a glass of water is a great place to start. You could even drink it with your meals or add a little ACV to your salad dressing. Consuming this in normal amounts is most likely very safe but try not to over use this, enormous amounts is not recommended. Consuming too much might lead to something like a potassium deficiency. This will have you healthier in no time at all, why not give it a try?

Source: complete-health-and-happiness.com

Diuretic Foods to Detox, Lose Weight, and Lower Your Blood Pressure

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Source: theheartysoul.com

Diuretic foods can be helpful if you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, or if you’re retaining water. Some dieters also use it to help them lose weight, and purging the body of excess fluid is good for your overall health and wellbeing. One option is to take water pills in order to get your body to release extra water and salt, but before going that route it may be a better idea to make a few dietary changes and see if that helps. Here are our picks for the best diuretic foods available to keep things natural.

1. Lemon

Adding lemon to your water doesn’t just make it taste better, it can help you if you have high blood pressure, and is often one of the first foods recommended to those suffering from certain medical conditions. It’s easy enough to start getting more lemon into your life, because it’s the juice that does the trick, so you don’t actually have to eat lemon slices or wedges, just add the juice to water or other foods and you’ll get the benefits. It is also used to help treat cases of urinary tract infection.

2. Oats

Oats consistently rank as one of the best foods to eat when losing weight, and surprisingly enough they have a diuretic effect on the body. Most of the time it’s hydrating fruits and vegetables that are diuretics, and oats seem to be a food that soaks things up, the way it soaks cholesterol up. But oats can also give you relief if you’re retaining water. This is just one more reason why a bowl of oatmeal makes a great start to your day, regardless if you’re dieting or worrying about your cholesterol levels.

3. Celery

Celery contains plenty of water, and will therefore get you to go more often. It’s great for hydrating the body, and recent research has shown that it’s not just the water we drink that hydrates us, but the water we take in from foods as well. If you don’t care for the taste of celery, or don’t like having to chew it up, try adding it to a diuretic smoothie with other fruits and vegetables found on this page. You’ll be giving your body a big boost of nutrition and also make it easier to digest and process.

4. Brussels Sprouts

Perhaps you don’t enjoy the taste of Brussels sprouts, but they’re so good for you that you may just have to learn to like them, or at least tolerate them. They are just one of several cruciferous vegetables to make our list, and this is a low calorie food that has plenty of antioxidants and is great for your overall health. If you can’t stand the thought of a pile of Brussels sprouts as your side dish, try mixing them with other vegetables or incorporate them into your main dish so you’re not just eating them straight up.

5. Ginger

It’s not easy to eat a lot of ginger, and luckily you don’t have to. Using it to zest up your meal, or adding a bit of ginger root to a glass of water will give you the benefits you need from it. It has a nice cleansing effect on the body, and is often used in detox programs to help flush out toxins. It also serves as a diuretic, and will help your body get rid of any built up fluid it may have. Next time you’re grocery shopping, buy some ginger root. You’ll be surprised how often you use it when you have it handy.

6. Beets

In addition to being a diuretic, beets are also a rich source of antioxidants and have a specific antioxidant, betalain, which is only found in a few select foods. When choosing what style of beet to eat, go for fresh beets that you can either grill, boil, or steam. These are better for you than the pickled variety, and will yield more antioxidants for better overall well-being for the body. Unfortunately most beets you’ll find for sale in supermarkets and grocery stores are the pickled kind, so you may have to check out a farmer’s market or other vegetable stand to find fresh beets.

7. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has a number of uses, and one of those is that it’s a natural diuretic that can encourage your body to purge itself of unneeded fluids, leading to better urinary function and overall health. You can use apple cider vinegar to help purify water, and to help stir up a sluggish digestive system. You’ll also find it used in plenty of recipes, but if you’re trying to use it as a diuretic it’s best just to add it to water and drink it down. You don’t need to use very much of it in order to benefit from it.

8. Cabbage

Cabbage is a healthy food no matter how you cut it, and part of the benefits it provides is being a diuretic food. It’s also been shown to be helpful in preventing cancer, and is a vegetable that can help reduce the risk of heart disease. One great way to eat cabbage is in soup form. This entails chopping or shredding the cabbage so it’s easier to eat, and also cooking it until it’s very tender. The key is not to use too much salt when you make your cabbage soup, as that will reduce the diuretic effect of helping the body release stored up sodium.

9. Cranberry Juice

Perhaps you’ve heard that cranberry juice can be good for a urinary tract infection, and that’s partly because it acts as a diuretic. The nice feature of cranberry juice is that it leaves your potassium levels intact, and also provides extra antioxidants to help your body battle free radicals. Be sure to opt for organic cranberry juice for the most benefit, since you’ll be avoiding the use of conventional berries which most likely have been treated with chemicals during the growing and preservation process.

10. Eggplant

Eggplant acts as a natural diuretic, and there are some weight loss enthusiasts that will make a special “eggplant water” by boiling eggplants and drinking the leftover water in an effort to lose water weight. That’s a bit excessive, but you can still consume these a side dish to just about any meal and experience the side effects a diuretic provides.

11. Parsley

Not just a pretty adornment to your plate, parsley has several benefits to it, including being a natural diuretic. Parsley contains several types of antioxidants in one tiny package. You can add parsley to your water for a fresh taste, or you can use it more in your cooking if you don’t want to eat it directly. The tart taste can act to freshen your breath in the process, but it might be too strong for some palates.

12. Caffeinated Beverages

Any caffeinated beverage will serve as a diuretic, including coffee and tea. It’s best to weigh the pros and cons of the foods that you’re thinking of consuming for their diuretic effect. The caffeine in these beverages might be disadvantageous enough to the body to choose other foods and drinks that provide a similar function without the use of a chemical like caffeine.

13. Water

Even though it might sound counterintuitive, drinking water actually helps your body rid itself of excess fluid. Conversely, not drinking enough water can lead to your body retaining the water it has in order to try to keep its water levels where they need to be. If you want to increase its diuretic effect try squeezing the juice of a lemon into it, or drinking hot water with slices of ginger in it for a sort of ginger tea. These methods will amplify the diuretic effect because these add-ins are also on our list of diuretic foods.

14. Tomatoes

For the diuretic effect you’ll want to eat tomatoes raw. The best way to do this is on a salad, or blending them up for fresh tomato juice. If you don’t like the taste of plain tomato juice consider adding carrots or watermelon to it to increase the effect and improve the flavor. Tomatoes are also one of the healthiest foods you can eat, with their large amounts of the antioxidant lycopene they’ve been shown to help battle cancer and prevent heart disease of all types.

15. Cucumber

Cucumbers are made up mostly of water and are a very hydrating vegetable. This is why you’ll typically see them being used in detox recipes. They’ll get your urinary system going as well, and they are a food that can be used to help with diabetes, weight loss, and even cancer. That’s because cucumbers contain antioxidants as well as minerals the body needs daily to keep functioning at its best.

16. Watermelon

Watermelon is aptly named and contains a lot of water, and also gets you to go more, so you’ll be helping to flush your body of excessive water and salt. You’ll want to be careful not to each too much watermelon in one sitting, as it can be hard to stop eating this sweet fruit, but its sweetness can cause your blood glucose levels to spike and can negate the healthy benefits of this antioxidant-laden fruit.

17. Carrots

Carrots are often thought of for their benefit to eyesight, but they do have a host of other benefits, and being a natural diuretic is one of them. Carrots are great because they come in a few different varieties depending on how you want to use them. Baby carrots are great for having as a snack or going on top of salads. Regular sized carrots can get sliced and chopped for use in recipes or cooked up as a side dish to a meal. No matter how you go about eating them, you’ll still get all of the nutrients as well as the diuretic effect they provide.

18. Garlic

Garlic provides a cleansing effect, and also acts as a diuretic, which is all the more reason to use it in more of your cooking. It has yet to be shown that garlic pills are a diuretic as well, and it appears that eating garlic in it’s natural form, or in powder form, is the way to go if this is your goal. You don’t have to eat clove after clove of garlic to reap the benefits, and just using it as part of the cooking process should be enough to see results.

19. Artichokes

Artichokes can have a powerful diuretic effect, and can rival the effects of prescription medication in some instances. The good news is that artichokes are also good for the digestive system, so if you’re looking to lose weight it can help you on two levels. They’re also packed with vitamins and minerals, so you’re replenishing the body at the same time you’re helping it to rid itself of excess fluid.

20. Asparagus

Asparagus is one of the healthier vegetables around, so you’ll be getting plenty of nutrients in addition to the diuretic properties it has. Many have noted that eating asparagus makes their urine smell, and this is one way to see the connection between this veggie and your urinary system. The odor is caused by an acid found within the asparagus that reacts in a certain way. It’s not harmful to the body, and in fact the antioxidants found in asparagus is going to benefit you in countless ways.

The 8 Best Bedtime Snacks for Weight Loss

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Source: womenshealthmag.com

When it comes to snacking within an hour or two of your bedtime, there’s a few things to consider: First, research does link late-night calories to the potential for weight gain. One study found that eating right before turning in can make your snooze time more restless, and that sets you up for fatigue and bingeing the next day. Also, late-night noshing tends to be associated with stress eating, which leads to overindulging in high-fat comfort calories.

On the other hand, trying to catch shuteye when your stomach is making scary growling sounds isn’t a smart idea, either. Your sleep quality will suffer, and you’ll feel tired and famished in the morning—both of which can lead you to overdo it and mess up your healthy-eating plans. The solution: Reach for one of these low-calorie, sleep-inducing snacks that won’t have you wake up feeling bloated, suggests Philadelphia-based nutritionist Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D., author of Blood Pressure Down.

STRING CHEESE


Sure, it’s processed, but hear us out: One serving of this snack contains filling protein and fat, so you feel satiated—and it only packs about 80 calories. Cheese also packs the amino acid tryptophan, which may help make you drowsy, says Brill.

A BOWL OF CEREAL


Put down the Count Chocula—all that sugar might leave you too wired to sleep (and also give you a stomach ache). We’re talking about the whole-grain, complex carb kind (think oatmeal or corn or bran flakes) that’s easy to digest and gives you 200 calories or less per bowl, says Brill. Pour in a little milk for extra tryptophan and protein.

NONFAT GREEK YOGURT


For about 100 to 150 calories, you get the relaxing powers of tryptophan from the dairy, as well as satisfying protein, says Brill. Plus, yogurt can help calm your stomach, so you’re less likely to wake up with heartburn or indigestion and instead can score a good night’s rest.

TWO SLICES OF WHITE-MEAT TURKEY

Turkey is loaded with sleep-inducing tryptophan (no wonder you’re so sleepy after those massive holiday dinners, right?) and low-fat, high-quality protein, says Brill. A few slices won’t run you more than 100 calories.

AN APPLE WITH A SPOONFUL OF PEANUT BUTTER

Apples have lots of fiber and a satisfying crunch. “The protein in the peanut or almond butter also fills you up without feeling heavy in your stomach,” says Brill.

NONFAT CHOCOLATE PUDDING CUP


We’re totally loving this one—the creamy chocolate pudding goes down easy, but it doesn’t contain the fat that can sit in your belly like a rock all night. One single-serve pack racks up about 90 calories.

BABY CARROTS

Super-nutritious with lots of crunch, these little orange guys will fill you up long enough so you doze off, says Brill. And all for four fat-free calories per carrot.

A BANANA

Not only are bananas loaded with satiating fiber and relaxing tryptophan (for only about 100 calories each), but they’re the perfect late-night nosh if you’ve already cleaned up your kitchen. You won’t leave behind any dishes or utensils to wash!

Cutting These 8 Habits Will Help You Lose Weight

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Source: fhfn.org

Here’s the truth. If you are unsatisfied with the way you look there could be other reasons why you haven’t been able to maintain the perfect physique. Now that is not to say that some people can eat like garbage their entire lives and still look and feel great.

However, there are people out there who have to fight a constant battle between being overweight and being in shape. This could be a result of the bad habits you have developed over the years.

Here is a list of the 5 worst habits you may or may not have, however, take them into consideration and see if they apply to you directly.

1. YOU’RE TOO STRESSED

Stress affects your metabolism. This then provokes your body and your mind to crave more food, which leads to you eating more. You try and deal with your problems in other ways, one happens to be eating. This can be very bad for certain people. Relieve stress and you will see that your cravings will stop.

2. YOU’RE SKIPPING MEALS!

People tend to believe that if they eat less during the day they will lose weight. However, if you are eating one major meal a day your body will try to salvage all the nutrients and fats from that one meal. This could be bad for your health. Many people also skip breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day, and this causes you to eat more throughout the rest of the day. For the best results you should be eating 5 smaller portion meals a day, and be sure to never eat after 8 o’clock. That could be another reason why you haven’t been able to get shredded.

3. YOU EAT TOO FAST

Eating too fast can cause problems for many people for a long time. You’ve heard the old saying that you must chew your food 30 to 40 times before swallowing. Many people have questioned this process for many years, but it is in fact the best way to eat your food. It takes roughly 30 minutes for your body to digest food so that you know you are full. So, take your time eating, this will result in you consuming less food, which in turn would result in weight loss.

4. YOU STAY UP TOO LATE

Staying up late causes a hormone imbalance in your body, in specific leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is responsible for sending signals to the brain to remind your body that you are full, and ghrelin stimulates hunger. When you sleep you deprive these hormones of what they need to keep you healthy. This could be the reason why you eat so late, so avoid this by getting at least 7 hours of sleep each day.

5. TOO MUCH CAFFEINE

Consuming too much caffeine could increase the stress hormone in your body, otherwise known as cortisol. This hormone can make you crave foods that are high in sugar and fat. Can you guess what this might cause? If you were thinking that this might cause you to gain weight then you were right. Be careful when consuming caffeine, it does more than keep you up.

Kick these bad habits and you will be sure to see excellent results. If you throw some exercise in the mix you could be looking as good as you imagined in less time.

6. YOU EAT TOO MANY PROCESSED FOODS

Those extra pounds could be a result of you eating too many processed foods. These foods have high contents of fat and sugar, which do not help weight loss. Things like cookies, chips, frozen foods, and cakes are all contributing to your increase in weight. Ditch the processed foods and I guarantee you’ll see a difference on the scale and in the mirror.

7. YOU’RE IGNORING YOUR NEED FOR WATER

The bottom line is you may not be getting enough water. Many people do not pay attention to their bodies most basic needs. They tend to fill themselves up with beverages that are not healthy for them, or beverages that will help them put the pounds on. Drinking 2 liters of water a day will not only speed up your metabolism, but also leaves less room in your stomach. Water also reduces the risk of heart attack, headaches, and helps detoxify your body. Keep this is mind.

8. SHOPPING IN THE CENTRE ISLE OF THE GROCERY STORE

The center aisle of your grocery store most likely contains all the processed foods and drinks you have come to enjoy over the years. Here’s a tip for weight loss; don’t shop in the center isles anymore. By simply avoiding the fatty isles at the grocery store you will notice the pounds fall off. This happens because you are simply not eating the bad foods or drinking the bad drinks.

How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss

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Source: healthyandnaturalworld.com

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a cherished natural remedy, used by many as a preventative and curative measure. It also holds an important place in the dieting world – scientific studies, as well as practical experiences, show that ACV can help you lose weight. Vinegar is one of those substances that target the problem holistically, and it provides you with long-term solutions. This article will help you understand how ACV works and how to use ACV as part of your daily diet to get the best results.

What Does ACV Do To Make You Lose Weight?

ACV taps into several physiological mechanisms that support healthy weight loss:

1. ACV acts as an appetite suppressor

ACV makes you eat less by producing a feeling of satiety sooner. One research that proved that empirically was a 2005 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Subjects who ate bread with vinegar felt significantly fuller than their counterparts who were fed only bread. The more acetic acid (the primary constituent of vinegar) the participants ingested, the fuller they were.

2. ACV controls blood sugar levels

ACV prevents uncontrollable sugar spikes and crashes that make you want to nibble between meals. When your blood sugar is stable, it’s much easier to stick to your diet and eat only when your body needs it.

The previously mentioned study also measured blood sugar levels in the vinegar-fed and control group. Participants who were given ACV had significantly lower post-meal blood glucose levels (there was no spike that usually follows a meal high in carbohydrates). Furthermore, those who consumed a higher dose of vinegar, benefited from the effect even 90 minutes after eating.

You can get more information on how to naturally control blood sugar in my articles about the best foods to control diabetes, and 7 effective steps to prevent diabetes.

3. ACV prevents fat accumulation

ACV stimulates your metabolism and makes you burn fat faster. It contains a lot of organic acids and enzymes that speed up your metabolism and increase the rate at which body fat is burnt.

There aren’t many human studies that would support this explanation. A Japanese study published in 2009 was observing the effects of acetic acid on rats that were fed a diet high in fats. The scientist concluded that the consumption of acetic acid suppressed fat accumulation. ACV can also help you toreduce cholesterol.

4. ACV has an impact on insulin secretion

Insulin affects fat storage. This hormone is closely linked to blood sugar levels and its secretion is disturbed in people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Scientist suggested that ACV might work in a similar way to some diabetic drugs and could have a potential in controlling diabetes. If you suffer from type 2 diabetes, make sure to consume these foods and these spices.

5. ACV detoxifies the body

When our body gets rid of toxins, all the processes (including digestion and metabolism) become more efficient. ACV flushes the body and helps it use the nutrients from food in the best way possible. It is high in fiber that absorb toxins and improve bowel movement. You can find extremely detailed information on how to detox your body with ACV in my post on how to make ACV detox drinks.

How To Use ACV For Weight Loss

If you are not used to the taste and effects of ACV, you might want to include it into your diet gradually.

  • Start by adding 1 teaspoon of ACV to a cup of water and drink it once a day. Then, increase the amount of vinegar per serving, and the frequency of drinking.
  • Ideally, you should add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a cup of water and drink it one to three times a day.
  • To kick start the metabolism and influence the feeling of fullness, it’s best to drink it about an hour before your meal. As an addition to your pre-meal serving, some also suggest drinking it first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.

Where to buy!

ACV is very acidic, so you need to dilute it to protect your teeth, throat and the lining of your stomach. Don’t drink undiluted ACV.

Buy organic ACV with the ‘mother of vinegar’ to enjoy the full health benefits. You can also easily make your own ACV at home.

How To Increase Your Consumption Of ACV

Using ACV is one of the 70 habits featured in my e-book 70 Powerful Habits For A Great Health which will guide you how to take positive steps to improve your wellness and overall health. Some find the taste of vinegar difficult to stomach. To improve the flavor, you can add a bit of honey to your vinegar serving (ACV and honey has 10 amazing health benefits) Or, you can drink it with your tea. Wait for the tea to cool a bit before adding two tablespoons of ACV and drink.

You can also have vinegar with your meal. It goes very well with some soups or you can use it as a refreshing salad dressing.

Why Is ACV Better To Use Than Other Vinegars?

ACV is seen as a superior choice due to its all-encompassing health benefits. It cleanses the body and acts in an anti-microbial way. Not only does it help with weight loss, it also has a positive effect on some other conditions. ACV can help with diabetes, cancer, heart health, high cholesterol, free radical damage, digestion and acid reflux. You can find more detailed information on how to improve your health with ACV in my articles about the 11 ways ACV can revolutionize tour health and in my popular article on how to use ACV for great health.

What To Expect When Taking ACV For Weight Loss?

ACV will not provide you with a quick weight loss. The changes will be gradual, but permanent. Don’t be impatient and allow it some time. Sometimes losing just one pound a month and not re-gaining it afterwards, can be the real success.

 

How fast you’ll lose weight, depends on other factors as well, such as your exercise, nutrition, stressand genetic factors. For best and fastest effects, you need to combine this natural product with other techniques for losing weight, so the function of vinegar gets supported with lifestyle changes.

How To Speed Up Your Weight Loss

There are ways to make your ACV regimen work faster.

The following things will help you lose weight faster:

  • Get moving! If you do some moderate exercise, five times a week, you’ll be helping your metabolism and increase your metabolic rate. If you don’t have time for anything else, at least walk for 20 to 40 minutes every day.
  • Eat foods rich in potassium. This mineral reduces your stress levels and lowers blood pressure. Good sources are bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados and spinach.
  • Reduce your sugar intake, especially refined sugars.
  • You can finally have a slim, toned, sexy body – AND keep it – almost without effort!

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8 Things That Happen When You Finally Stop Drinking Diet Soda

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Ever think, “Why should I give up soda?” 

You’ve decided to give up diet soda—good idea! Maybe you weren’t hitting your weight-loss goals or couldn’t stomach that long list of ingredients anymore. Or perhaps you heard one too many times that it’s just not good for you.

Whatever the reason, eliminating diet soda from your diet will improve your health from head to toe. Research on diet soda is still in its infancy, but there’s enough out there to identify what you can look forward to when you put down the can and cool down with an unsweetened iced tea instead.

Migraines disappear and focus sharpens.

It turns out the headaches you expected from a diet soda withdrawal didn’t materialize. And now that you’ve quit the stuff, you probably find yourself thinking clearly for the first time in a while.

That’s because the chemicals that make up the artificial sweetener aspartame may have altered brain chemicals, nerve signals, and the brain’s reward system, which leads to headaches, anxiety, and insomnia, according to a review in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

And a 2013 animal study found that rats that drank diet soda had damaged cells and nerve endings in the cerebellum—the part of the brain responsible for motor skills.

Taste buds are more sensitive.

It’s not your imagination: Without your usual diet soda chaser, you may find that food has more flavor. It has subtlety. It’s more enjoyable. That’s because the artificial sweeteners in your diet soda overwhelmed your taste buds with an onslaught of sweetness. Aspartame ranks 200 hundreds times sweeter than table sugar. Splenda? 600 times.

In fact, brain scans show that diet soda alters sweet receptors in the brain and prolongs sugar cravings rather than satisfies them. “We often see patients change snack choices when they give up diet soda,” says Heather Bainbridge, RD, from Columbia University Medical Center Weight Control Center. “Rather than needing sugary treats or something really salty like pretzels and chips, they reach for an apple and a piece of cheese.

And, when they try diet soda again, they find it intolerably sweet.”

The scale finally goes the right way.

This Is Exactly What Happens When You Start Doing CrossFit Now

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What is CROSSFIT?

What is CrossFit? CrossFit is an effective way to get fit. Anyone can do it. It is a fitness program that combines a wide variety of functional movements into a timed or scored workout. We do pull-ups, squats, push-ups, weightlifting, gymnastics, running, rowing, and a host of other movements. Always varied, always changing, always producing results. Kids, cops, firefighters, soccer moms, Navy SEALS, and grandmas all do CrossFit. In fact, hundreds of thousands worldwide have followed our workouts and distinguished themselves in combat, the streets, the ring, stadiums, gyms and homes. Welcome.

You haven’t heard of CrossFit? Let me tell you about CrossFit.

CrossFit is a lifestyle in which you are prioritizing your health. The ability to do many different things at a high level of intensity.

I think it’s the absolute best way to help you reach your fitness goals.

For me, it’s making me happy. A fun way to get fit with a lot of people. The last person finishing is the just as important as the first one.

It’s this team atmosphere that ends up making you better as an individual. It’s camaraderie, that family that you end up building and the energy that you get back from it yourself, that’s CrossFit to me.

You come to a CrossFit gym everybody knows your name, everybody loves you and you’re a part of something bigger than just getting a workout.

CrossFit gave me that something extra that I kinda needed in life.

It’s my outlet, I love it. It’s my passion. It’s commitment. CrossFit is a sport now.

I like the challenge, I compete with myself, I’m healthier, I am stronger. Even though I was sore, I was, you know, getting a little discouraged, you know … I felt accountable because my community, or I felt accountable to my class because they were looking for me there.

Finding CrossFit and then having to work really dang hard for whatever your goal is … whether its to compete or just get a damn pull-up. I love it ’cause the workout’s different everyday, I can come in and I don’t know what I’m doing.

Everyone is welcoming, everyone is cheering you on. They don’t let you quit even if you wanna quit.

We all share this experience, which is emotional. It doesn’t look emotional, it looks like people working out … but it’s emotional. I mean it’s raw, it’s intense, it’s incredible, it’s freakin’ awesome. I’m gonna keep doing it for a long time, I hope.

CrossFit, to me, is a fitness program where the reward for doing well is the ability to express your fitness in everyday life in as many different planes or as many different activities that you can possibly imagine.

People walk through the door and say, ‘Hey, where’s all the machines?’ We’re the machines!

Beauty in Strength

CrossFit can change how a woman both defines beauty and feels about her body, as Rita Benavidez, Jackie Perez, Erin Cianciolo and Andrea Ager discuss in this video.

Once thinking beauty was a picture of a waify woman on a magazine, Benavidez feels differently now. “My perception of beauty has changed over the past few years,” Benavidez says. “True beauty … is strength and fitness, and confidence in yourself.”

Perez was originally motivated by trying to be skinny. “That wasn’t getting me anywhere,” she says. “With CrossFit, I set goals. I want to deadlift 225, I’m going to hit that faster than I’m going to look in the mirror and like what I see.”

Ager says putting in the work is key to getting what you want. “I think that hard work and the way that your body looks go so hand-in-hand,” she says. “Once you do get a body that you want, you’re very proud of it … you’re proud of what your body can do.”

Through CrossFit, these women are confident, stronger and fitter. They are mothers, tomboys, coaches. They are CrossFit athletes.

If you ask 100 people to define beauty, you’ll get 100 different answers. Most will falter and offer descriptions instead.

CrossFit athletes are now rejecting previous definitions of beauty and putting forth their own, a definition researched and confirmed in every workout and every rep.

“There are people who spend their entire lives allowing the reflection in the mirror to determine their self-esteem, submitting to a cultural judgment established decades ago. But in CrossFit gyms all over the world, mirrors are conspicuous by their absence. Fitness is gauged in reps, in speed, power, virtuosity. And beauty is measured in joy. And in pride,” says narrator Marty Cej.

CrossFit presents a new aesthetic based on function, performance and confidence.

“I love the way that CrossFitters look because it’s just so real,” says three-time CrossFit Games competitor Ruth Anderson Horrell, pointing to an aesthetic that’s born of a relentless pursuit of work capacity and the inner strength that comes from achieving it.

“It’s beautiful to be fit, but I think … anyone who carries themselves with confidence will be beautiful,” says Michele Letendre.

Four-time Games competitor Austin Malleolo agrees: “If you want to look good, do stuff well, and do what life demands of you, and everything else will fall into place.”

There is more to a CrossFit athlete than strength and endurance, rippling muscle and life inside the gym. There is beauty beyond strength.

Crossfit workouts

Crossfit challenge for four top UK athletes. Redman, Hugo, Matt and Leon are four guys with a passion for fitness whose usual training is based on lifting weights in the gym. Here, they take on one of the most exciting and challenging forms of training to emerge in the last few years. Crossfit is a tough workout for the whole body, heard and lungs, with a variety of exercises which are designed constantly to challenge the body.
The guys are Hugo, Redman Neale, Leon Williams and Matt Sallis.

CrossFit Athlete Andrea Ager performs an insane Tabata workout consisting of an array of staple CrossFit movements, and also takes a minute to chat about Tabata and CrossFit in general.

What is Tabata? 20 Seconds of sprint/work, 10 second rest, for 4 straight minutes. Tabata music lets you focus on your workout, rather than think about having to look at your watch or a timer.

Andrea Ager is listening to Tabata Songs (Tabata Timer Music) with JayBird BlueBuds X Wireless Headphones.

The Workout:
-Ring Muscle Ups
-Overhead Squats
-Box Jumps
-Toes to Bar
-Power Cleans
-Butterfly Pullups
-Kettle bell swings
-Dumbbell Thrusters

TabataSongs creates music that matches the exact timing of the Tabata Protocol
Tabata Training began in the mid 1990’s. Japanese fitness researcher Dr Izumi Tabata created a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout, using this very method. Dr Tabata proved the tabata method to draw heavily from both the aerobic and anaerobic systems, unlike most conventional workouts, which tend heavily favor one or the other.

The Tabata Interval has gained a lot of recognition throughout the Crossfit community, running community, and health clubs across the globe, for its versatility, adaptability, and positive results.

The Tabata Interval Method has proven to maximize VO2 max, while also building endurance, burning fat, and retaining muscle. Though the Tabata was not designed as a fat loss or weight loss program, it has gained a lot of recent attention in response to tabatas ability to speed up the metabolism and burn fat.

What is Crossfit? A workout program designed by Greg Glassman, which follows daily WOD (workout of the day) posts on the company’s official site. CrossFit often uses tabata in their w.o.d.

CrossFit Female Fitness Motivation 2015

For time:
75 pound Thruster, 30 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 3 ascents
75 pound Thruster, 20 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 2 ascents
75 pound Thruster, 10 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 1 ascents

How To Completely Detox From Sugar In 10 Days

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1. Make a decision to detox.

In my book, there are three simple quizzes to help you learn if you need to detox. If you answer, “yes” to any of these questions, a sugar detox is your ticket to feeling great quickly and losing weight painlessly.

The first is the diabesity quiz.

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  • Do you have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes? (90 percent of Americans have not been diagnosed.)
  • Do you have belly fat?
  • Are you overweight?
  • Do you crave sugar and carbs?
  • Do you have trouble losing weight on low-fat diets?
  • Do you have high triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, or been told your blood sugar is “a little high?”

The second is a food addiction quiz.

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  • Do you eat when you’re not hungry?
  • Do you experience a food coma after eating?
  • Do you feel bad about your eating habits or avoid certain activities because of your eating?
  • Do you get withdrawal symptoms if you cut down or stop eating sugar or flour?
  • Do you need more and more of same bad foods just to feel good?

The third is the FLC Quiz (or the Toxicity Quiz). FLC stands for Feel Like Crap. FLC Syndrome has a list of symptoms including bloating, gas, reflux, irritable bowel, joint or muscle pain, brain fog, memory or mood problems, sinus or allergy symptoms, and more. Millions of us have FLC Syndrome and don’t realize that we are only a few days away from health and happiness.

2. Be a turkey (a cold one).

There is no way to handle a true physiological addiction except to stop it completely. Addicts can’t have just one line of cocaine or just one drink. Go cold turkey. But you won’t have to white-knuckle it because if you follow these 10 ideas, you will automatically reset your body’s neurotransmitters and hormones.

Stop consuming all forms of sugar, flour products, and artificial sweeteners, which cause increased cravings and slow metabolism, and lead to fat storage. Also get rid of anything with trans or hydrogenated fats and MSG (watch for hidden names). Ideally, for 10 days you avoid any foods that come in a box, package, or a can, or that have a label. Stick to real, whole, fresh food.

3. Don’t drink your calories.

Any form of liquid sugar calories is worse than solid food with sugar or flour. Think of it as mainlining sugar directly to your liver. It turns off a fat storage machine in your liver, leading to dreaded belly fat. You don’t feel full, so you eat more all day and you crave more sugar and carbs. It’s also the single biggest source of sugar calories in our diet.

That includes sodas, juices other than green vegetable juice, sports drinks, and sweetened teas or coffees.

One 20-ounce soda has 15 teaspoons of sugar; Gatorade contains 14 teaspoons of the stuff in one bottle. One can of soda a day increases a kid’s chance of being obese by 60 percent and a woman’s chance of type 2 diabetes by 80 percent. Stay away.

4. Power up the day with protein.

Protein, protein, protein at every meal—especially breakfast—is the key to balancing blood sugar and insulin and cutting cravings. Start the day with whole farm eggs or a protein shake.

Use nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, chicken or grass-fed meat for protein at every meal. A serving size is 4 to 6 ounces or the size of your palm.

5. Eat unlimited carbs (the right ones).

Yes, that’s right, unlimited carbs. Did you know that vegetables are carbs? And you get to eat as much as you want. There is one catch.

I only mean the non-starchy veggies such as greens, anything in the broccoli family (cauliflower, kale, collards),asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, fennel, eggplant, artichokes, and peppers, to name a few.

Avoid potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and beets—just for 10 days. Also skip grains and beans for 10 days. It supercharges the results so you lose weight and feel great.

6. Fight sugar with fat.

Fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar does. Fat makes you full, balances your blood sugar, and is necessary for fueling your cells. Along with protein, have good fats at every meal and snack including nuts and seeds (which also contain protein), extra virgin olive oil, coconut butter, avocados, and omega-3 fats from fish.

7. Be ready for emergencies.

You never want to be in a food emergency when your blood sugar is dropping and you find yourself in a food desert such as an airport, the office, or in a maze of convenience stores, fast food joints, and vending machines. You need an emergency food pack. I have one with me all the time and it’s filled with protein, good fats, and good snacks so I never have to make a bad choice. Here’s what’s in mine:

  • Packets of Artisana nut butters and coconut butter
  • Almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds
  • Salmon jerky or turkey jerky

 

  • A can of wild salmon or sardines
  • Unsweetened wild blueberries.

8. Swap distress for de-stress.

If you are stressed, your hormones go crazy. Cortisol goes up which makes you hungry, causes belly fat storage, and leads to type-2 diabetes. Studies show that taking deep breaths activates a special nerve, called the vagus nerve, that shifts your metabolism from fat storage to fat burning and quickly moves you out of the stress state. And all you have to do is take a deep breath.

Try my Take Five Breathing Break. It’s something you can do anywhere, anytime. Simply take five slow deep breaths—in to the count of five, out to the count of five. Five times. That’s it. Do this before every meal. Watch what happens.

9. Put out the fire (of inflammation).
Studies show that inflammation triggers blood sugar imbalances, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and type-2 diabetes. The most common source of inflammatory foods other than sugar, flour, and trans fats are hidden food sensitivities. The most common culprits are gluten and dairy. We often crave the foods we’re allergic to. Without them we feel lousy and want more.

Quit gluten and dairy for 10 days. Getting off them isn’t easy, but after just 2 or 3 days without them, you’ll have renewed energy, relief from cravings, and will see many of your common symptoms disappear.

10. Get your Zzz’s.

Getting less sleep drives sugar and carb cravings by affecting your appetite hormones. In human studies, depriving college students of just two hours of the recommended eight hours of sleep led to a rise in hunger hormones, a decrease in appetite-suppressing hormones, and big cravings for sugar and refined carbs.

You want more energy if you don’t sleep, so you go toward quickly absorbed sugars. Sleep is the best way to fight against the drive to overeat. You literally can sleep your cravings and your weight away.

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