How Many Calories To Lose Weight
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss, Weight Loss Articles and News
Many people think that not eating a lot is a quick way to lose weight. However, the fact of the matter is that calories are needed to lose weight in the long term. Without eating food, the body will go into starvation mode and weight loss will actually stop instead of move forward.
Although some people realize that starvation is actually a counterproductive way to lose weight, they don’t know how many calories that they need to eat to lose weight.
The best way to do this is for an individual to track how many calories they eat on a daily basis. Many people say that 2000 calories are a typical day’s worth of calories. In actuality, though, that really depends on the weight and size of each individual. Women usually eat around 2000 and men around 2700. Most people are shocked when they find out how much (or how little, but usually the former) they eat once they actually write everything down.
Common practice is to figure out how many calories one eats per day, and then subtract a certain amount of calories during the “diet period”. As a general rule, if one reduces 500 calories per day, at the end of 7 days, they will lose one pound (3500 calories).
While the body does respond to eating the same amount of lower-calories every day for the short-term, it plateaus after a while. A good tactic to fight back is to calorie cycle. By calorie cycling, you might eat 2000 calories one day, 2500 the next, and 1500 the next. This constantly keeps your body “on its toes”.
The general rule of calorie cycling is to figure out how many calories that you were going to eat if you were going to go on a traditional diet, multiply it by 7, and divvy the calories out for the week. For example, if one was going to eat 1800 calories a day, that would be 12,600 calories for the week. Calorie cycling would be eating, for example, 1600, 1800, 1600, 2000, 2200, 1600, and 1800.
Rachel has lost 100 pounds herself, and is passionate about helping other people do it too. She has been featured in Woman’s World, among others.
You can check out more about calorie cycling on her website at YAY Food.
Truth About Abs – Lose Belly Fat
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Truth About Abs, Weight Loss
We’re putting together a series of posts from best-selling author, Mike Geary owner of Truth About Abs. Mike has helped thousands of people lose their belly fat (men AND women) and given them abs that they can show off.
His book, The Truth about Six Pack Abs is the #1 ranked Abdominals ebook in the world (as ranked by clickbank.com) with over 276,000 readers in 163 countries to date.
If you thought 6 pack abs were only for men, think again - women can also have 6 pack abs.
He has written several excellent articles that we will showcase here – truth about abs.
- 4 Proven Tricks to Eat Less Food
- Good Trans Fats vs Bad Trans Fats
- Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better For You?
- Simple Trick To Flatten Your Stomach, Even While Driving!
- Three Ab Exercises That Don’t Feel Like Ab Exercises
- Does Diet Soda Make You Fat?
- Do Artificial Sweeteners Make You Fat?
- How To Avoid Food Marketing Deception
- The Truth About Cooking Oils
If you would like to purchase his book or visit his site, click on the links in this post.
5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat and Get Six Pack Abs – the TRUTH ABOUT ABS
1. Many so-called “health foods” are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat… yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.
2. Ab exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We’ll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.
3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I’ll tell you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.
4. You DON’T need to waste your money on expensive “extreme fat burner” pills or other bogus supplements. I’ll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below.
5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks… they’re all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that “ab contraption”… they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you’ll learn some of their secrets and what really works.
Good Trans Fats vs Bad Trans Fats
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Truth About Abs, Weight Loss
Good Trans Fats vs. Bad Trans Fats
Artificial trans fats are one of the most prevalent poisons in our food supply; but most don’t know that healthy natural trans fats DO exist.
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
I’m going to talk about something today that most of you have probably never heard… that there is a distinction between good trans fats and bad trans fats. There is some evidence that the good trans fats can help you with fat loss, muscle building, and even cancer prevention, while the bad trans fats have been shown to cause heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and the general “blubbering” of your body.
I’m sure most of you have heard all of the ruckus in the news over the last few years about just how bad man-made trans fats are for your health. If you’ve been a reader of my newsletter and my Truth about Six Pack Abs e-book program, then you definitely know my opinion that these substances are some of the most evil food additives of all and are found in the vast majority of all processed foods and fast foods on the market today.
In my opinion, man-made trans fats are right up there with smoking in terms of their degree of danger to your health. After all, they are one of THE MAIN factors for the explosion of heart disease since approximately the 1950’s.
With all of the talk about trans fats in the news these days, I wanted to clarify some things, particularly regarding bad trans fats vs. good trans fats. If you’ve never heard of good trans fats before, let me explain in a bit.
The Bad Trans Fats
First, the bad trans fats I’m referring to are the man-made kind. These are represented by any artificially hydrogenated oils. The main culprits are margarine, shortening, and partially hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods, junk foods, and deep fried foods.
These hydrogenated oils are highly processed using harsh chemical solvents like hexane (a component of gasoline), high heat, pressure, have a metal catalyst added, and are then deodorized and bleached. A small % of the solvent is allowed to remain in the finished oil. This has now become more of an industrial oil rather than a food oil, but somehow the FDA still allows the food manufacturers to put this crap in our food at huge quantities, even with the well documented health dangers.
These hydrogenated oils cause inflammation inside of your body, which signals the deposition of cholesterol as a healing agent on artery walls. Hence, hydrogenated oil = inflammation = clogged arteries. You can see why heart disease has exploded since this crap has been loaded into our food supply over the last 5 to 6 decades.
As time goes on, and science continues to unveil how deadly these oils really are, I feel that eventually they will be illegal and banned from use. The labeling laws were just the first step. In fact, certain countries around the world have already banned the use of hydrogenated oils in food manufacturing or at least set dates to phase them out for good.
However, keep in mind that as companies are starting to phase out the use of hydrogenated oils in processed foods, they are replacing them, in most instances, with highly refined polyunsaturated oils such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, etc, etc. These are still heavily processed oils using high heat, solvents, deodorizers, and bleaching agents. Even refined oils are known to produce inflammation in your body…a far cry from natural sources of healthy fats.
Don’t be fooled by the new onslaught of foods claiming “trans fat free”… if they use heavily refined oils (even if they’re non-hydrogenated), it’s still pure evil for your body!
Once again, for the best results, your best bet is avoiding highly processed foods altogether and choose whole, natural, minimally processed foods. Your body will thank you!
The Good Trans Fats
Ok, after having trash talked the man-made trans fats, let me clearly state that there is such a thing as healthy natural trans fats. Natural trans fats are created in the stomachs of ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, etc. and make their way into the fat stores of the animals.
Therefore, the milk fat and the fat within the meat of these animals can provide natural healthy trans fats (best in grass-fed organic versions only).
Natural trans fats in your diet have been thought to have some potential benefit to aid in both muscle building and fat loss efforts. However, keep in mind that the quantity of healthy trans fats in the meat and dairy of ruminant animals is greatly reduced by mass-production methods of farming and their grain and soy heavy diets. Meat and dairy from grass-fed, free-range animals always have much higher quantities of these beneficial fats.
One such natural trans fat that you may have heard of is called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and has been marketed by many weight loss companies. Keep in mind that these man-made CLA pills you see in the stores may not be the best way to get CLA in your diet. They are artificially made from plant oils, instead of the natural process that happens in ruminant animals. Once again, man-made just doesn’t compare to the benefits of natural sources.
Here’s a great site I found that I use to order all of my healthy grass-fed beef and other free range meats. The service is impeccable and they deliver right to your doorstep in a sealed cooler. It’s worth it to know that you and your family are actually eating meat that’s good for you instead of the normal grocery store junk.
Now that all of your labels should be listing grams of trans fat, keep in mind that if a quantity of trans fat is listed on a meat or dairy product, it is most likely the natural good trans fats that we’ve discussed here (*I only recommend grass-fed meat or dairy). Otherwise, if the quantity of trans fat is listed on any processed foods, it is most likely the dangerous unhealthy crap from artificially hydrogenated oils, so stay away!
One more important note about food labels and trans fat listings… keep in mind that food manufacturers are allowed to label a food “trans fat free” if 1 serving size contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat. So you may see some products with hydrogenated oils as one of their main ingredients, but if they make the serving size small enough so that it contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, they can label it as trans fat free… now that’s BS! just another example of our broken system!
Here’s some more great reading material about eating a truly natural and healthy diet for you and your family:
Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats
I hope you’ve enjoyed this interesting look at good trans vs. bad trans fats and use the info to arm yourself with more healthful food choices for a better body.
If you have yet to check out my internationally best-selling program, The Truth about Six Pack Abs, clickety-click on over and see how this program will burn fat off of your entire body, leaving you with abs that your friends will envy!
4 Proven Tricks To Eat Less Food
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Truth About Abs, Weight Loss
I found these 4 tricks (that are proven to help people eat less food and overall calories) while reading a fascinating book recently called 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman. I think you’ll find these very helpful if you’re looking to control your caloric intake and reduce your body fat.
These tricks were tested in scientific studies and are quick and easy to implement. I thought these were VERY interesting…
Trick #1 to Eat Less — Several studies prove that the size of the bowl, plate, or spoon that you use can directly influence how much food and calories you consume.
Richard Wiseman, in the book 59 Seconds, talks about one study conducted where party guests were randomly given either 17 or 34-ounce bowls and 2 or 3 ounce spoons, and allowed to help themselves to ice cream. It was found that the party guests given the large spoons and large bowls had eaten 14% and 31% more ice cream respectively, than the people using the smaller spoons or smaller bowls. Interesting huh!
Another study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania used a bowl of M&Ms that were left in the hallway of an apartment building. A sign next to the bowl told people to help themselves to the M&Ms. Some days a tablespoon sized scoop was used in the M&Ms and on other days, a larger scoop was used in the bowl. The researchers found that the larger scoop caused people to take TWICE the amount of M&Ms on average compared to the people that had used the smaller scoop.
I’ve also seen studies referenced in the past that showed that people who used larger plates consumed more calories than those using smaller plates.
The lesson — Use smaller plates, bowls, and silverware and you may inadvertently reduce your calorie intake. This also means saying NO to seconds and thirds!
Trick #2 to Eat Less — You’ve probably heard before that eating slower can help you to eat less because it gives time for the fullness signal to reach your brain and thereby shut off your appetite before you’ve eaten too much.
However, this study below found a twist on this!
According to Mr. Wiseman in the book 59 Seconds, a study at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center had overweight participants eat a meal at 3 different speeds:
a) their normal rate
b) half their normal rate
c) their normal rate at first, followed by half their normal rate (normal-slow combo)
The results were interesting… Eating at the slower rate caused the men to eat less, but not the women (that’s weird!). However, the 3rd group that combined the normal pace at first with the slower rate after that caused both the men and women to have a large reduction in their appetite and eat less. The normal-slow combo was found to be more effective than just the slow-only group. Why? I have no idea, but those are interesting results!
Mr Wiseman stated that the lesson here to eat less is “to start at your normal speed but then savor each and every mouthful”.
Trick #3 to Eat Less — According to the book 59 Seconds, a series of experiments conducted in offices compared putting chocolates right on people’s desks vs placing the chocolates six feet away. In another experiment, the chocolates were put inside either transparent or opaque jars. When the chocolates were placed on the person’s desk instead of 6 feet away, people ate on average 6 more chocolates per day per person. Also, the chocolates in the transparent jars were eaten 46% more quickly than the opaque jars.
Just shows… out of sight, out of mind! As you may already know, I recommend never even having junk food around your house at all…that way, you’re never tempted by it and you’re forced to only eat healthy foods… but then you can use your weekly cheat meals to eat junk food out at a restaurant. That way the junk food is never in your house to begin with!
Trick #4 to Eat Less — Studies have found that people eat significantly more when they are distracted by TV, movies, games, or other distractions. In one experiment mentioned in the book 59 Seconds, people who were more absorbed by a movie ate significantly larger amounts of popcorn compared to those that were paying less attention to the movie.
In another experiment, people who actively listened to a detective story during lunch (being distracted by the story), ate 15% more food than those who sat in silence during their lunch.
The lesson — ditch the TV and other distractions and focus on your food! Enjoy every bite of your food and you will naturally consume less calories while enjoying your food more.
Interesting stuff in these 4 tricks huh! Feel free to share this webpage with your Facebook friends or on your blogs/forums… or email the link to this page to your friends and family.
Best regards,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author – The Truth About Six Pack Abs
Great Summertime BBQ Recipes
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Daily Recipes
Aaaaah, summer is here and if you’re one of those that loves to make the most of summer and barbecue season then these recipes are just for you. We’re searching the web for the best meat and vegetarian BBQ recipes and will post them here.
You can simply click on DAILY RECIPES to search for them, or visit this FEATURED CONTENT post that will contain links to all the recipes we’ve found.
- Chili Barbecued Shrimp
- Glazed Grilled Salmon with Onions and Garlic
- Spicy Grilled Salmon Steaks with Black Butter
- Spicy Grilled Chicken
- Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad
- Baked Dijon Salmon
- 11 Great Coleslaw Recipes
- Canadian Cedar Plank Salmon
- How To Grill Salmon, Perfectly – EVERY TIME!
- Part two – How To Grill Salmon, Perfectly!
- Recipe – Grilled Salmon Sandwich With Dill Sauce
- Recipe – Chicken Mushroom Burger
- Teriyaki Grilling Marinade
More to come!
Essential Vitamins Your Body Needs
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Our bodies need vitamins, and the best source of vitamins is food – there are many vitamin rich foods that should be eaten as part of a balance daily meal that will provide the nutrition your body needs.
But what do you do when your body isn’t getting the essential vitamins? You need to take supplements.
This multi-part series of posts will look at the essential vitamins your body needs, including a detailed breakdown of the foods that can provide those nutrients in addition to providing overviews of the essential vitamins that your body needs.
The series of posts is kicked off with this second post, and this post will contain links to all the subsequent posts in the series.
- Essential Vitamins Your Body Needs (this post)
- Should You Take Vitamins?
- Vitamins Your Body Needs: Vitamin A
We hope you enjoy this series of posts, and welcome your feedback!
Should You Take Vitamins?
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. There are 13 vitamins your body needs. They are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate). You can usually get all your vitamins from the foods you eat. Your body can also make vitamins D and K. People who eat a vegetarian diet may need to take a vitamin B12 supplement.
Each vitamin has specific jobs. If you have low levels of certain vitamins, you may develop a deficiency disease. For example, if you don’t get enough vitamin D, you could develop rickets. Some vitamins may help prevent medical problems. Vitamin A prevents night blindness.
The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. In some cases, you may need to take a daily multivitamin for optimal health. However, high doses of some vitamins can make you sick.
The best way to get all the essential nutrients your body needs is by eating right, however if you are not eating the right foods then chances are you will need to supplement by taking vitamins.
Vitamins are essential nutrients that contribute to a healthy life. Although most people get all the vitamins they need from the foods they eat, millions of people worldwide take supplemental vitamins as part of their health regimen.
Why Buy Vitamins?
There are many good reasons to consider taking vitamin supplements, such as over-the-counter multivitamins. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), a doctor may recommend that you take them:
Your body uses vitamins for a variety of biological processes, including growth, digestion, and nerve function. There are 13 vitamins that the body absolutely needs: vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate). AAFP cites two categories of vitamins.
As is the case with all dietary supplements, the decision to use supplemental vitamins should not be taken lightly, says Vasilios Frankos, Ph.D., Director of FDA’s Division of Dietary Supplement Programs.
“Vitamins are not dangerous unless you get too much of them,” he says. “More is not necessarily better with supplements, especially if you take fat-soluble vitamins. For some vitamins and minerals, the National Academy of Sciences has established upper limits of intake (ULs) that it recommends not be exceeded during any given day.
Also, the AAFP lists the following side effects that are sometimes associated with taking too much of a vitamin.
Fat-soluble Vitamins
- A (retinol, retinal, retinoic acid): Nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, clumsiness, birth defects, liver problems, possible risk of osteoporosis. You may be at greater risk of these effects if you drink high amounts of alcohol or you have liver problems, high cholesterol levels or don’t get enough protein.
- D (calciferol): Nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, weight loss, confusion, heart rhythm problems, deposits of calcium and phosphate in soft tissues.
If you take blood thinners, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin E or vitamin K pills.
Water-soluble Vitamins
- B-3 (niacin): flushing, redness of the skin, upset stomach.
- B-6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine): Nerve damage to the limbs, which may cause numbness, trouble walking, and pain.
- C (ascorbic acid): Upset stomach, kidney stones, increased iron absorption.
- Folic Acid (folate): High levels may, especially in older adults, hide signs of B-12 deficiency, a condition that can cause nerve damage
Taking too much of a vitamin can also cause problems with some medical tests or interfere with how some drugs work.
Again always speak to your doctor or health practitioner before undertaking any changes in the medications you consume.
Recipe – Chili Barbecued Shrimp
May 31, 2010 by Mohamed
Filed under Daily Recipes
Summer is here, we’ve had fish on the BBQ, chicken and now lets have some shrimp. A favorite summer time BBQ dish, BBQ season isn’t complete until you’ve had shrimp. Here is a delicious barbecued shrimp recipe that is easy to prepare and very flavorful.
This recipe makes 8 servings, and big juicy shrimp are extra appealing when grilled with this spicy-sweet sauce. I’m sure you will love it.
Ingredients
2 lb (907 g) extra jumbo raw shrimp, (about 32 shrimp)
Chili Barbecue Sauce:
1/2 cup (125 mL) thick chili sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) cider vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) hot pepper sauce
3/4 tsp (4 mL) paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
Preparation
Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Thread lengthwise, 1 shrimp per skewer, onto soaked wooden or small metal skewers.
Chili Barbecue Sauce: In bowl, whisk together chili sauce, sugar, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, paprika and garlic. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate shrimp and sauce separately for up to 6 hours.)
Brush shrimp with half of the sauce. Place on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning once for 5 minutes.
Brush with remaining sauce; grill, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes or until pink and glazed.
