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Easy Ways To Lose Weight Fast - Are They Really Effective?

June 30th, 2009

More and more people these days want easy ways to lose weight - and FAST. We want bodies that are sexy, slim, well-defined, and muscular but are we willing to give the effort, time, or hard work needed to achieve it? No.

And this strong desire for easy ways to lose weight fast is exactly what the diet and weight loss industries are fully exploiting.

Ever heard these:

“Simply peel and stick to burn fat and lose weight!” (ad selling diet patches)

“Lose weight in just 4 minutes a day!” (ad selling a “revolutionary” - and way overpriced - exercise machine)

“Forget about long, difficult exercises! We have a range of treatments and surgeries to make you lose weight…”

“Take this pill, go to bed… wake up skinny! It’s magic!”

If you really think about it - can you honestly believe their promises are true?

The sad thing is that most more us - in our desperation and helplessness - have fallen for these tricks.

Marketers and salespeople may regard it as just business, but surely you deserve to be told what you’re buying can really do and cannot do.

Don’t get conned again. Behind all the sales hype are truths being kept away from you. Here are just some of them:

1. “Losing weight” is not necessarily a good thing.

Many of these quick-fix weight loss “solutions” like slimming teas, cellulite creams, body wraps, etc. only make you lose bodily fluids.

Losing water changes nothing about how much body fat you have. Remember that your body is 75% water. It’s sick that their strategy for making you lose weight is by dehydrating you.

Technically they aren’t lying to you when they say their methods are easy ways to lose weight fast. But you have to be clever enough to figure out that weight loss is not the goal to aim for.

Losing weight by dehydrating yourself is obviously ineffective, and the weight loss effect hardly lasts. Buying these miracle cures is just like patching up a hole on your shirt - it may patch up the hole, but it doesn’t make you look good nor solve the problem.

2. When You Starve Yourself, You Lose Muscle Mass and Keep the fat!

Another “easy ways to lose weight fast” solutions are pills and potions designed to make you lose appetite. An extremely low-calorie diet can work in the short term, but over a prolonged period of time, our body’s starvation response mechanism kicks in, ultimately causing our bodies to hoard fat.

Effectively, our body’s response to starvation are to slow down our metabolisms and use lean muscle mass as fuel instead of burning off our body fat - 2 of the last things you want to happen when you’re looking for ways to look lean and sculpted without much effort or time.

Is that what you really want?

3. Many quick fix solutions don’t work for the long-term.

Perhaps the most disturbing truth is that the benefits you get from buying all these “miraculous” products (if they work at all) are at best, temporary. That’s why you need to keep spending on them to “keep getting” the promised effects.

Doesn’t sound too good now, does it?

Conclusion

A more worthy objective to aim for (instead of weight loss) is fat loss. Measure your body fat percentage and aim to decrease it using healthy methods that will give you lasting results.

When it comes to fat loss, there are only 3 things that work effectively, inexpensively and healthily: proper nutrition, regular exercise, and a positive attitude or mindset.

Using natural methods, you may need to pay a higher price with your sweat and resilience to see results, but the benefits are worth it.

The truth is that there are no magical and miraculous solutions that can instantly give us the body we want. If there are, then why is obesity a continuously growing problem?

Recommendation

The best way to ensure you don’t fall for such shenanigans is to educate yourself about how to eat well and exercise properly to achieve your own fat loss goals.

Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program is the best one I’ve found about fat-burning and muscle building.

Burn the Fat showed me something i never thought possible: for me to change permanently and find the way to go after the goals I really aspire to achieve; to work out religiously, but to genuinely enjoy it; To have a strict diet, but to realize that the endless benefits I reap (self-confidence, satisfying sex life, higher energy and productivity, etc) far outweigh the price I have to pay to have my most amazing body.

About the Author:

Chloe Bishop Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Head Lice - Lousy Little Parasites!

June 24th, 2009

INTRODUCTION: Head lice (Pediculus capitis) are small parasitic insects well adapted to living mainly on the scalp and neck hairs of human host. These are mainly acquired by direct head-to-head contact with an infested person’s hair, but may infrequently be transferred with shared combs, hats and other hair accessories.

They get their nutrients by blood-feeding once or twice a day, and cannot live for more than a day or so at room temperature without free access to human blood. These parasites can survive up to thirty days on a human holding on to hair with hook-like claws found at the end of each of their six legs. They are rarely found on the body, eyelashes, or eyebrows and rarely (if ever) create direct harm, or transmit infectious agents from person-to-person. Head lice are equal opportunity parasites that do not respect socio-economic class distinctions and can infest people at any age, but children are more apt to infestations because of their habit of playing in near contact, sharing hats, headphones, combs and brushes, sleeping bags, stuffed animals, and clothing.

NITS: Head lice eggs are called nits and are laid by the adult female at the base of the hair shaft nearest the scalp and look sort of like dandruff, only they can’t be removed by brushing or shaking them off. The eggs hatch about 7 to 11 days after being laid. Those further than 1/4 inch away from the scalp have probably already hatched. Nits are most effectively removed by combing the hair with a specially designed nit comb. The eggs can be distinguished from dandruff flakes as they are extremely adherent to the hair shaft, whereas dandruff can be easily moved along the hair shaft.

INFESTATION: Contact with an already infested person is the most frequent way to become infected with head lice. Less commonly, Wearing clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair ribbons, recently worn by an infested person. There are 4 critical steps to managing an infestation: the use of an effective head louse treatment; nit removal from the scalp (combing); removal of lice and nits from the household environment by vacuuming, washing, or freezing objects suspected of being infested; and daily head checks and nit removal until infestation is gone, followed by weekly head inspections to detect re-infestation. The MD should be able to tell you if your child is infested with lice and requires treatment.

TREATMENT: Treatment should be considered ONLY when active lice or viable eggs are observed. A treatment can cause significant side effects in children younger than 6 months old, the elderly, and anyone weighing less than 110 lbs (50 kg), especially when it is used repeatedly over a short period of time. If your child is 2 years old or under, you should not use medicated treatments. Your child’s doctor may recommend repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to make sure all the nits have been killed and to avoid any risk of reinfestation. Treatments may be over-the-counter or prescription medications, depending on what has already been tried. It isn’t uncommon for treatments to be unsuccessful because of incorrect use or because the lice may be resistant to the chemical in the shampoo. Following the directions on the product label is also important to ensure that the it works properly.

Medicated shampoos can usually kill the lice and nits, but it may take a few days for the itching to cease. Some do nots include: Don’t use a hair dryer on your child’s hair after applying any of the currently available hair shampoos, because some contain flammable components. Don’t wash your child’s hair for 1 to 2 days after using a medicated shampoo. Be patient and follow the protocol and preventative tips as directed by your child’s MD for keeping the creatures at bay, and you’ll be well on your way to keeping your family free of lice.

If you feel like you’re following all the recommendations and your child still has lice, it may be because of one or more of the following: there are still some nits remaining behind, your child is still being exposed to someone else with lice, the shampoo you’re using isn’t working. If your child still has lice for 2 weeks after you began treatment or if your child’s scalp looks infected (with pus or sores), contact your child’s MD. Vacuuming the carpets, upholstery, and car seats will take care of any lice that fell off before treatment began.

CONCLUSION: Head lice infect hair on the scalp and are more common in close, overcrowded living conditions. Infestation produces intense itching, but does not lead to a serious medical condition. They can be spread when infested hair brushes or combs are shared or when infested bedding, towels or shower caps are shared. Head lice is a growing problem because lice-killing medicines are becoming less effective. Every year, between 6 and 12 million people worldwide become infested. Children ages 3-11 and their families become infested most frequently. Pets are of no significance in transmitting human lice, and should not be treated.

In one study, the estimated annual cost of infestations in the US was nearly one billion dollars. Girls contract head lice more frequently than boys; women more often than men. Anyone can become infested and the presence of head lice is not the result of unclean conditions. Even though it can be challenging to eliminate, you must be patient and persistent when dealing with an infestation.

About the Author:

Richard H Ealom Fitness , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Would You Need To Bring On Board A Hydroxycut Legal Adviser?

May 27th, 2009

Lawsuits are being filed against the pharmaceutical company Iovate Medical Sciences due to a number of cases of liver damage and one death that are to be linked to the application of the diet aid Hydroxycut. The drug was recalled by the FDA in May, 2009 and is no longer recommended to be used. Since the FDA doesn’t officially regulate diet products like Hydroxycut, it’s unknown how many people may be suffering serious complications from using the drug. With as many as 9 million doses of the drug having been sold yearly over the decade, there could potentially be plenty of victims who have never reported their problems. If you believe you could be one of them, see your GP, and then hire a Hydroxycut lawyer.

Being sick is dear. Some of the people that have suffered liver damage from taking Hydroxycut have been made to have expensive liver transplants and may be taking medications for life. They may not be in a position to work. For those who don’t have medical insurance, this should be a financially-devastating situation. Liver damage can also lead to liver failure and even death.

There’s no way that the unsuspecting public should have to foot the bills on their lonesome without help from the company who manufactures the pills and reaps the enormous profits. That is the fact that countless product litigation lawyers have analyzed the issues to be ready to represent the victims. You’ll be capable of finding a Hydroxycut barrister in your area or you can look online for directories that will help you find one.

The bottom line of this entire debacle is tested the pharmaceutical company should have tested the product entirely safety issues prior to the general public. That is the moral requirement who market diet products. The fact that the company used the statement the products were made of all natural ingredients in their advertising strategy may also be interpreted as misleading. We’ve all been conditioned to believe that natural is safe and good, and the words lull people into a feeling of complacency.

Have you taken Hydroxycut in the past to help lose pounds or build muscles? If you have, you want to watch for the symptoms. Though the percentage of folks with problems compared to the number of pills that have been sold is little, there is no way to know who will develop problems from taking the drug. Anyone who has taken the product might have sustained damage, not only to their liver, but also to their heart. You must be aware of the possibility so that you can protect yourself more from serious problems.

In the early stages liver damage shows itself with fatigue, weakness, nausea, intestinal discomfort, blurry vision, dark urine, and loss of appetite. As the illness moves on, the patient may develop jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin. If you have noticed any of these problems, see your GP straight away. If the doctor confirms a link between your health problems and Hydroxycut use, you’ll be wanting to hire a Hydroxycut barrister who will represent your interests against the company who makes the product.

About the Author:

Tracy Cervantes Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Acai Berry From the Amazons

April 9th, 2009

Cosmetic products are constantly being produced and it is difficult to find out which ones work best. Thankfully, a new product has hit the cosmetic industry by storm. The acai oil is has been shipped from the amazons and manufacturers have created a product that is healthy for the skin and also has nutritional value.

The acai oil, which is rich in Vitamin C, the vitamin group B1, B2, B3, and Vitamin E, is extracted from the acai palm. It is highly abundant in dietary minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and potassium. Commingled to make medicinal products that are mixed with various herbs, they are particularly helpful in maintaining skin health and prevent problems like eczema and psoriasis.

However, the acai oil is really valuable because of its high abundance of Vitamin E, which is very much important to the body’s tissue regeneration. The acai oil also contains Phytosterols, which is essential for the skin’s superficial layers. It maintains the overall skin health and prevents it from wearing away. Acai oil’s richness in Omega 9, Omega 6, linoleic acids, and other important fatty acids helps to nourish the skin’s health condition.

You won’t have anymore bad hair days when you apply acai oil to your hair. It provides a deep cleaning and moisturizing effect to your hair which leaves it silky smooth.

The acai lotion is a product applied to wrinkles and creases. Many have reported their wrinkles to disappear and their skin becomes much healthier looking and some have reported it gives there skin a glow that makes them look younger. The acai oil is a great moisturizer for the skin and hair.

Acai berry can protect against harmful free radicals which cause the cells to mutate and age on your skin. The powerful antioxidants in acai berry can protect your skin and help to keep your body’s youthful appearance. It works best in conjunction with a lot of water because dehydration can hinder its effects.

Acai berry has been proven to surpass wild blueberries in their count for antioxidants. Remember though even though acai and other fruits can contain high levels of antioxidants you still need to treat your body with respect and try to cut the number of destructive things you do to it. If you apply the acai oil or take the acai supplement you can see some extreme effects an almost fountain of youth type results.

About the Author:

Walt Sanberg Nutrition , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Acai Berry Tales and Truths

March 24th, 2009

Do you want to look younger? Improve your overall health? Stop looking in the cosmetic department and start looking toward the Brazilian rainforest. No worries! You do not have to travel to this remote region to benefit from the latest scientific discovery: The Amazing Acai Berry!

To the natives in the region, acai (pronounced Ah-SIGH-ee) berries are nothing new. They have known about the amazing benefits of this beautiful purple berry that grows on a palm tree for centuries.

According to folklore, the daughter of an Amazon Indian tribal chief is responsible for acai berries. Tragically, the chief had to order that all newborn babies be killed because there was not enough food to feed his growing tribe. His daughter, Iaca, was not spared this decree and her baby was the first to be killed.

She mourned her child to the point of hearing the cries of a baby outside her hut. She desperately searched for what she thought was her newborn baby crying for her. Instead, she found a new palm tree growing in the midst of the Amazon rainforest. Terribly heartbroken, she lay beneath the palm tree and died.

When the tribe found her, they also found the berries. The berries were so nutritious and plentiful, that the tribe never had to worry about food again. The chief banned the law and all newborns were now safe. He named the berries Acai after his daughter (acai is Iaca spelled backward).

Interesting story, but the real miracle of the amazing acai berry is what we now know about it through scientific study. The acai berry contains essential amino acids, omega 3 fatty acids and super antioxidants.

Anthocyanin is the super antioxidant that gives the acai berry its gorgeous royal purple color. It is also known for its ability to slow or stop tumor growth in laboratory studies. Though all antioxidants are capable of fighting free radicals and the damage they incur thus preventing cancer, anthocyanin is more powerful than most.

Because free radicals are also responsible for the aging process, acai berries are also great for preventing premature aging and slowing the biological clock.

Animal protein contains a complete balance of essential amino acids, but plants do not. Acai berries, however, contain a nearly complete blend of essential amino acids making them a potent protein source without the saturated fat contained in animal protein.

Acai berries do not contain saturated fat, but they do contain the good fat, omega 3 fatty acids which can lower LDL (bad cholesterol)and raise HDL (good cholesterol) making them excellent (just like fish) in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Acai berries are simply the most remarkable fruit that we know about at this time. Acai berries can slow the aging process, prevent disease and simply improve your overall health! They are delicious and fantastic for smoothies. They are also available in other forms such as supplements and powder.

Read labels carefully and make sure that you are not purchasing an acai berry that is not pure or a juice that is mostly corn syrup with very little acai berries.

About the Author:

Caitin Ryan Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Does the marvellous Anti Aging wrinkle lotions Truly Perform?

March 21st, 2009

Odds are, you recognize all too miraculous about antiaging Ruckle Cream. You realize that there are supplements on the market place that have claimed that title — and, you are in all probability aware of the fact that those very products are complete and utter crap when it comes to moving out crinkles. So, therein lies the question; do authentic anti-aging Crinkle ointments Truly Survive? Well, distinct to what you may reckon, they actually do.

A pleasant and bright skin shining with natural health is definitely a wanted and most prized asset anyone can have. Just guess how much your standard of life can get better and how much you can profit by such a pretty and fresh skin!

An Working Anti Wrinkle Anti Aging Skin lotion makes all the difference. It establishes the dream of young skin a reality. I will give you some superb guidelines so that you can equate anti aging Wrinkle Cream efficaciously.

“So, I’m just hypothetical to keep trying Wrinkle Line lotions till I come up with the exact one. Is that it?” No, not inevitably — as it would take you years to see every anti-aging Ointment in the desires of discovering an “Capable” one for your skin. Not to mention, if you’re identical to most individuals, you plainly don’t have that form of time or money. In simple terms: you’d like to remove your crinkles & fine lines speedily, and you’d like to do so without expending a smaller chance. If that’s the example, you are getting to need to practice your homework on the odd types of Wrinkle Line ointments that are out there — learn how they work, what common/Capable constituents are discovered in them, how speedy they can furnish results, and whether or not others have had good / bad experiences with them.

If you bear more than $250 for Wrinkle Line serum or application, then time has come to stop it. If you are been pushed to Utilisation specific companies - then it is the time to look somewhere else! Merely because anti Wrinkle Line Cream is high-priced does not mean that it will function. There are lots of anti Wrinkle lotions accessible that have the corresponding constituents, kindred standard fixings, which are invented by the same company.

Parabens are Efficient preservatives and are used to gain the shelf life of anti Wrinkle Line skincare products. They are scientifically evidenced to cause cancer. Scents are applied to give a nice flavor to the anti Wrinkle lotions. These are constructed from hurtful chemical substances. The price on skin wellness from using aromas is large. These are renowned to cause natural depression, hyperactivity, mood fluctuations, irritability and adversely affect the central nervous system.

Conceive it or not, umpteen fellowships will offer free trials on their anti maturing anti Wrinkle Cream products. If you check such an offering, do not exactly jump on it. Read Inspections which are fundamental for such conclusions.

About the Author:

Sarah Joseph Fitness , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How To Stay Motivated For Weight Loss

March 21st, 2009

When I got to New York, it was covered in snow. I had been fantasizing about 50 degree weather, but no such luck.

I like how the neighborhood looks when it’s covered in show — it’s really quite lovely. This appreciation for all the loveliness is usually short-lived and I tend to want to leave when the feeling fades. This time was no different, but I have no choice — I must stay.

One of the problems many people have with weight loss is motivation. People often start with great expectations, and then, when they hit a roadblock, their plan or program comes undone, and they fall back into old habits.

I’ve discovered several strategies that seem to work for most people.

1. Changing your mental pictures

2. Measuring

3. Keeping a diary.

4. Accepting the fact you aren’t perfect.

Many people who are overweight think of themselves as losers in some way, shape, or form. Eating for them is a sort of comfort therapy. They’re thinking, “As long as I have my potato chips and soda, I’m okay.”

This is delusional, but it’s true, and it needs to change. You need to start looking in the mirror and imagining yourself as healthy and fit all the time. This doesn’t happen overnight, but it is easily accomplished by practice. Changing the picture pays you huge dividends in the long run.

Practice is the way to become what you imagine yourself to be.

You can use a tape measure to get numbers if you want to, but I prefer pictures. When you start on a weight loss program, take pictures of yourself. Then imagine the new you, and get started.

A journal is such a good way to keep a record of your progress. You can hand-write it, or you can use the computer. Each day, keep a record of what you are eating and how much you are exercising. At the end of each week, take a photo. You will really start seeing results after about 3 or 4 weeks — your body will look different, better. And you’ll hardly believe you eyes after looking at photos from weeks 10 through 12.

Slip-ups happen to everyone who is in the midst of a weight loss routine. Don’t beat yourself up about it. The best thing to do is log it into your diary and pay attention to when and how the slip-ups happen — this will show you where your weak spots are. If you feel guilty, get in an extra workout. Don’t let you slip-ups get in the way of your progress — just take note of them, get back to your routine, and stay positive.

Your body will be grateful to you.

Listening to your body will help you immensely. The more fit you get, the more your body will tell you what it needs, and if you don’t heed what it’s saying, you may get another signal, one that isn’t pleasant.

There are other things, in addition to healthy food and regular exercise, that your body needs to function at its highest level. One of those things is pharmaceutical-grade fish oil with enteric coating.

You should be taking enteric coated pharmaceutical grade fish oil every day for any number of reasons, including optimal joint function, healthy brain and nervous system function, along with the cardiovascular benefits.

I’ve been taking pharmaceutical grade fish oil for quite some time, and I can tell you, for instance, that if I miss taking it for a day or two, my joints start talking to me.

(Hi Bill…it’s your joints here. We noticed that you did not give us any fish oil for the last few days. Here comes a message for your right knee…yes, I know it hurts…so don’t forget next time!)

Traveling, which I do a great deal of, seems to be the time when I most often forget to take my fish oil. I came up with the great idea to bring some extra with me, in those “travel only” bottles. The bottles are with me at all times and are a great reminder.

About the Author:

Dr. Bill Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How a Secret Software Tool Helps You Burn Fat!

March 21st, 2009

Anyone would tell you that weight loss could be attained through dieting, but what they won’t say is that a lot of mathematical calculations go into the dieting method. In fact, even before you get on to dieting, you need to know your BMI (or body mass index), minimum daily calorie requirements, etc.

Now once you start dieting, you need to count calories of every meal you partake of, since most of the conventional diet programs are based on the principle of calorie counting! Now if you have to make those calculations without a software, you would probably lose your sanity before fat!

Fortunately most of the software tools which help you with those mathematical calculations are available for free download online. Tools such as BMI calculator, calorie calculator, etc. are indispensable tools for anyone who is serious about weight loss!

There is another type of software tool available called diet generator. As the name implies, this tool would generate custom diet plans for you based on your food preferences. That way you are spared all the guesswork and you could focus more on following the diet rather than preparing and planning it! Let me give you an example of such a diet program.

Have you ever heard of FatLoss4Idiots? It is a diet program based on the calorie shifting method of dieting. Calorie shifting is a different kind of dieting method than what you might be familiar with! Instead of forcing you to focus on just ‘low-calorie’ or ‘low-fat’ foods, it makes you eat a variety of foods.

The calorie contents of those foods range from high to low. With calorie shifting technique, you have to plan your meals in a way that your average daily calorie intake level varies greatly! As you can understand, it can be quite difficult to prepare such a complicated meal plan, and this is where the diet generator software helps you!

The software merely asks for your food preferences. Once you input your preferences, it generates custom meal plans for you! All you need to do is to prepare those meals exactly as stated and eat them. Yep, that is all you need to do to get rid of that fat belly. Fortunately the diet generator software comes for free once you join Fatloss4idiots. Heck, if you don’t want to cook, there are diet delivery programs out there which would deliver readymade foods at your doorstep based on your dietary requirements!

Weight loss would have been surely tough without the aid of these software tools, isn’t it?

About the Author:

Frances Norah Smith Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Can You Really Lose That Fat Belly with Resveratrol?

March 21st, 2009

Recent studies have showed that drinking a little red wine keeps your heart healthy and fit. Over time, experts have also discovered that a certain substance called Resveratrol which is found in red wine could help one lose weight.

While Resveratrol indeed helps you burn fat by targeting a special protein which is responsible for maintaining the normal blood sugar levels in our body, it too cannot be denied that increasing your wine intake in the hope of quick weight loss could lead to major health complications!

Alcohol shouldnt be used as a weight loss answer for a number of reasons. Firstly, a high alcohol intake could damage your liver badly. Secondly, it is well known that people who drink alcohol regularly end up adding a lot more extra pounds to their body; so you can see, with this weight loss method you would gain more fat than lose! So is there any other way out?

While you cannot take Resveratrol in the form of red wine, you can certainly consume it in the form of supplements. Believe it or not, majority of the weight loss supplements contain Resveratrol is some form or other, along with other fat burning ingredients!

Make sure that the supplement you are buying contains at least twenty milligrams of Resveratrol, as that is the minimum amount of Resveratrol you need to consume in order to enjoy its benefits from it.

In order to understand how Resveratrol helps us with weight loss, it is important to understand the role of blood sugar with regards to weight gain. If your blood sugar level is high, your insulin level would also go up in order to lower the blood sugar level. This in turn would make you hungrier. And if you eat fatty and sugary foods in order to fill your stomach, you would soon become hungry as before!

Resveratrol basically reduces our blood sugar level which in turn reduces the insulin level. When this happens, our appetite is also reduced and we eat less than before. With reduced food intake, weight loss is inevitable!

When you take Resveratrol in the form of supplements as I have suggested earlier, you not only keep the fat away but also protect yourself against harmful diseases such as cancer. Not many people know that there are special supplements which contain both Resveratrol and turmeric as ingredients, and turmeric’s job is to protect you from cancer and other harmful diseases!

About the Author:

Frances Norah Smith Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I Ate Healthy But Still Gained Weight - Find Out Why!

March 21st, 2009

Guess how you gained so many unwanted pounds? I am not sure whether you were eating fatty or healthy foods before your weight gain, and I won’t even ask you about that either, because the type of food you eat doesn’t always determine whether or not you would gain weight! Case in point: almost everyone would tell you that if you want to lose weight or avoid weight gain, you should steer clear of junk foods! But if that were true, I would have been overweight by several pounds by now, because I am a self-confessed junk food addict! If someone tells me to avoid junk foods, I won’t be able to follow his advice!

Hardly a week goes when I don’t have chocolates, cakes, white breads, etc. -all high-calorie junk foods supposed to make you overweight, but they haven’t affected my body weight over the years (yes, I have always been like this). I also find it hard to resist the temptation of going into a fast food restaurant and taking a bite!

Now, here is a second scenario: I know a friend who ate nothing except fruits and vegetables. He would eat the fruits raw and the vegetables roasted or fried in olive oil. You would think that he is thin and fit, right? Wrong!

Recently he was fired from a lucrative job, thanks to the economic downturn which is affecting the world like never before. As you know, he soon got depressed and began to eat more than before. Again, he was eating only ‘healthy’ foods, just more of them than before. A few months into this lifestyle and now he flaunts a very big, fat belly in place of his original flat belly!

Were you surprised? Don’t be. It is all about controlling your food portions. In my case, what I didn’t tell you is that I ‘control’ my junk food intake. I don’t visit fast food restaurants more than once or twice per week; as far as chocolates are concerned, I have a small bar every week but no more than that. I usually have white breads and cakes every two or three days, but both the bread and cake are half the size of what my brother has!

In essence, I have learnt to control my junk food intake in a way which lets me enjoy my favorite foods without the additional headache of weight gain.

My regular food habit is something I should tell you about too. Unlike most other people, I don’t have two or three large meals per day. Instead, I split those large meals into several smaller meals, usually no more than five or six. I eat each of those small meals every two or three hours.

Of course maintaining a healthy diet comes easy for me since I work from home. I also make sure that I snack between two consecutive meals, and contrary to what you might believe, my snacks are anything but junk foods! I usually have a carrot or an apple as snacks; sometimes I even cook popcorn at home using low-fat oil and then store them in my refrigerator to serve as snacks!

In case of my friend, he followed healthy eating habits all along, but he erred on one count: he increased his food intake drastically owing to depression. Hence, his body received more calories than required, and consequently deposited those extra calories as fat, thereby making him bulky!

There are people who believe that the source of calories DOES matter when it comes to maintaining a slim body; however, as you saw from the above article, weight maintenance is all about exercising portion control. Give your body exactly what it needs at a particular time; that way, it would never have any extra calorie left to deposit as fat and you would always be able to maintain your lean, slim figure!

About the Author:

Frances Norah Smith Fat Loss , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,