Flat Abs Diet
First of all, make sure that you are getting enough fiber in your system. Fiber comes only from plant sources. You cannot get fiber from meat or fat. The best form of fiber for your flat abs diet comes directly from fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Processing takes much of the fiber out of foods. For instance, a medium baked potato with skin has 3.8 grams of fiber. But, if you make scalloped potatoes from a box, you will get less than 1 gram. So, always go for the freshest, least processed alternative. You need at least 25 grams of fiber on a flat abs diet.
Next, you want to balance your carbs. You need carbohydrates for energy, so you don’t want to eliminate them as you would in diets like Atkins. However, you also do not want to have too much carb intake because that breaks down into glucose which further breaks down into fat. The ideal range of carbs is 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories.
Protein should make up between 15 and 20 percent of your calories. You need protein to build lean muscle mass. Also make sure that fats from all sources make up no more than 25 percent of your daily diet.
You should also drink plenty of water. Some people believe that if they drink a lot of water they will bloat. This is a mistake. You will lose all of the water you drink through perspiration and urination. However, the water will take with it the sodium in your body. The sodium is what actually causes you to bloat.
Speaking of which, if you want a good diet for abs, you have to limit the sodium. Most people need around 500 mg. of sodium a day for their bodies to function. The American Heart Association recommends that people place an absolute cap on sodium at 2400 mg. Yet, the majority of Americans get between 3000 and 6000 mg. a day. That’s just way too much. Part of the problem stems from shaking salt onto food. But, much of the problem comes from processed foods. Processed foods use salt for both taste and shelf stability. So again, be wary of processed foods.
Another thing to consider when doing a flat abs diet is reducing or eliminating “fizzy” drinks like soda. Pop and spritzers increase bloating because the carbon dioxide trapped in the bubbles creates gas. This slows your stomach down from emptying.
Limit or eliminate your consumption of alcohol and caffeine as well. These are natural diuretics which increase fluid loss. They do not replace your body fluids as effectively as water or juice which are the preferred beverages on the flat abs diet.
The last tip I have for you is to try to reduce the stress in your life. Stress causes the hormone cortisol to act up. Cortisol causes fat deposits around the organs in your abdomen. Exercise is a great stress reliever, which has the added benefit of helping you to lose weight and tone muscles.
If you are trying to lose belly fat the best approach is to use the flat abs diet while engaging in regular exercise.
LA Weight Loss Recipes
May 27, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Menus, Diets, Foods, Healthy Recipes, Nutrition
LA Weight Loss recipes are part of one of the fastest growing weight loss programs currently being used by millions of people to lose weight - the safe and healthy way. The prescribed recipes are based around typical everyday foods.
The program itself has some food products that are easily combined with these everyday foods. Simply put, it claims to be an all round complete and successful way to lose weight… the yummy way.
Anyone on a diet or weight loss program has been conditioned to believe that diets are restrictive, and for want of a better word, boring. We all know that as well as being hungry, being bored is one of the classic reasons why many people fail their diet programs. They find it difficult to sustain for the long term the required eating habits that they are supposed to follow. And really, when you look closely at many of the diets out there, who can blame them? The LA Weight Loss recipes are nothing like that.
Unlike many other diet programs, LA Weight Loss recipes are interesting, not at all bland or one dimensional. Believe it or not, you get to eat strawberry shortcake on this program. Yes, it might consist of some slightly different ingredients to what you would normally use, but strawberry shortcake it is nonetheless.
So here’s how you would go about making this lovely little dessert that’s also low calorie and healthy. Get a handful of small strawberries , a rice cake, a tablespoon of lemon juice and one of the LA Weight Loss drink mixes. The preparation to make this shortcake is pretty simple and straight forward. Drop the rice cake in a bowl, wash and prepare the strawberries before placing them on the top of your rice cake and all you then do is pour the LA Drink over the strawberries and leave it to set.
Love sweet and sour chicken? Well as LA Weight Loss Recipes go, the sweet and sour chicken is up there in taste with the most indulgent and exotic. Consisting of one protein, two vegetables and a fruit group, this recipe is a pretty simple one to follow and prepare. Simply get together about 8oz of boneless and skinned, pre-cooked chicken breast, a green or red pepper, 3 green onions, some red wine vinegar, cornstarch and some tomato ketchup. Cube some fresh pineapple, add some chopped tomato and some chicken broth and some nonfat cooking spray.
The preparation is now all about making the food quick to cook using a wok and that means cutting the chicken and the vegetables into thin strips or pieces. Using the cooking spray first the vegetables are stir-fried and then the chicken. The next step is to add the other ingredients to the wok and to add the taste to this meal.
So as you can see, the recipes on this program are based on classics that we all know and love… and really that’s why this program is a hit.
PX 90 Workout - The Complete Lifestyle Program
The P90X Workout is a home fitness and nutrition system. It took more than a year to develop by a group of leading fitness experts. No part of a comprehensive health program was overlooked as the PX system combines workout videos with a nutritional plan. Fast food is out, eating right is in and of course… exercise!
The PX 90 videos are quite long. You may not be able to complete a whole workout the first few times, if you are not already in good shape.
The Lean Phase workout, for instance, has three cardio routines, two strength workouts, and a yoga session. It is more than just running or dancing. You will also incorporate techniques from kickboxing and pylometrics.
The flexible PX 90 workout plan is designed for both men and women. It allows you to progress through the 90 days at your own pace, but you should be prepared to work hard. There are 12 heart-pumping, muscle-moving, sweat-inducing workouts. P90X is simply the most comprehensive home workout system available on the market today. From intense weight training and advanced Plyometrics to Core Synergistics and Extreme Yoga, you are sure to see results if you stick to the plan.
The PX 90 workout is so effective because it uses the training science of Muscle Confusion. As your body changes over the 90 day period, so do the workouts. New moves and routines are constantly introduced so every stage of P90X becomes as effective as the first. You also won’t get bored of repeating the same routine.
In addition to the exercise program, the PX 90 Workout has a Nutritional component. The PX90 Nutrition Guide was developed by nutritionist Carrie Wiatt. The eating plan compliments the exercise program. It takes the guess work out of knowing what to eat and when. You will also be eating very healthy.
If you are not sure what carbs or fats are good for you or what snacks, dairy products and even what condiments you should be eating, you’ll find the answers here. The P90X Nutrition Guide gives you a list of recommended foods, and also outlines daily meals and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. This is not a starvation diet either.
When you first start the program you may even have a hard time eating everything on your plate. But the idea is that you want to have the energy - through food calories - to complete the intensive PX 90 workouts.
Lose 7 Pounds in 7 Days With The Cabbage Soup Diet
May 25, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Menus, Diets
If you want to lose from 5 to 7 pounds in a week, I recommend the Cabbage Soup diet. However, you should check with your doctor or health professional first to make sure you have no pre-existing medical condition that won’t allow you to undergo this particular weight loss plan.
So here’s the plan. This is a program where you can have unlimited bowls of cabbage soup, so you should never be hungry. Each day also brings a specific combination of foods to add variety in the diet. Stick to the prescribed meals and you should be able to shed a significant 5 to 7 pounds with the Cabbage Soup diet.
The Cabbage Soup Recipe
Saute 6 large green onions and then add them to the broth. Cut up 2 green peppers and add them. You will need one to two cans of tomatoes depending on your taste. Then chop and add 3 medium sized carrots. 10 ounces of mushrooms is about the right amount. 1 bunch of celery chopped should be added. You will need to slice and put in at least half a head of cabbage. Then you can season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc. Very simple!
Lose pounds in a week by adding the following foods each day:
Day 1: Eat any fruit you want except bananas. Do not substitute fruit juice.
Day 2: Eat vegetables until you are stuffed. These can be raw or cooked. For dinner, you can add a big baked potato with butter. But don?t eat fruit on this day.
Day 3: All the fruits (except bananas) and vegetables (except potatoes) you want.
Day 4: Up to 8 bananas and all the skim milk you want. This day is intended to reduce your desire for sweets.
Day 5: This is an odd day for a diet. You must eat 6 tomatoes. Also, you can have 10 to 20 ounces of beef.
Day 6: All the beef you want plus vegetables excluding potatoes.
Day 7: (The final day). Stuff yourself with brown rice, fruit juices and vegetables. You should eat the soup at least once on this day, even if you are quite tired of it.
The food combinations may seem odd, but stick to it. Many can attest to how the pounds were shed off with this diet. The real trick may not be so much in the combination of foods but in the fact that you are unlikely to eat more than 1000 calories a day.
Also, you should know that it is impossible to be hungry on this diet so long as you eat the cabbage soup. No need to starve to shed pounds!
Ketosis Diet - Low Carb Programs Activate Metabolism
The Ketosis Diet is the basic principle behind all the popular low-carbohydrate meal plans. Two examples are the Atkins and South Beach diets. Both examples restrict carbs and espouse mostly high-protein foods for a specified amount of time.
Normally, the carbohydrates in food are converted into glucose. The glucose is then transported through the body and is particularly important in fuelling the brain. However, if there are very little carbs in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. So, the body produces ketone bodies - a state known as ketosis.
Low Carb diets take advantage of this state of ketosis. Since cells in the body can use ketones for energy instead of glucose - and since ketones are easier to produce - only a small amount of glucose is created. In other words, ketosis is the more significant process in this case. Diets low in starches and sugars do not directly affect blood sugar levels significantly, meals tend to have little direct effect on insulin levels. These diets tend to discourage insulin production in general.
Additionally, many experts argue that a ketosis diet is more like the diet our bodies were used to prior to evolution. Before the advent of agriculture, the human body had millions of years of evolution which selected for a hunter gatherer lifestyle. Hunter gatherers had very few carbs in their diets. They may have had the original ketosis diet.
Dr. Robert Atkins first published the Atkins Diet Revolution in 1972 which set off the modern day advent of low carb dieting. At the time, its appeal was limited because so many scientists and doctors condemned it. Over time, though, it gained credibility and when he republished the book as Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, it set off a frenzy.
Soon other ketosis diet books appeared. These included the popular South Beach diet, The Zone diet, and Protein Power.
While the scientific community still has not acknowledged the value of the ketosis diet, they have started to make recommendations that people reduce the amount of carbohydrates in their diets. The medical community has also stressed the importance of fiber in our regular diets.
While the popularity of ketosis diets has waned since the height of it’s popularity in 2004, there are still many adherents. That’s because, for many people it simply works. Sometimes there’s just no arguing with anecdotal evidence. But while effective for weight loss, the jury is still out on the ketosis diet’s long term effects on the body when used too often.
There has already been much scientific research on low carb diets. There are many studies which show it works and many studies which show that it can be dangerous. In the middle ground are those who prescribe these diets on a once-in-a-while basis. They believe the diet can be used safely, provided that it is done in a limited prescribed period and in addition - not to be used on and off again regularly like yoyo dieting.
So yes, the ketosis based diet can help you. But do your research before you proceed.
Gastric Bypass Surgery for the Obese
May 21, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diets, Exercise, Gastric Bypass
Many people need to lose a few pounds. But more and more Americans are in the categories known as obese and morbidly obese. These people need to lose more than just a few pounds. They need major weight loss pounds.
Some people have been able to lose major weight through diet and exercise. You have probably seen this happen on the popular television show The Biggest Loser. But there is a big commitment and lifestyle change involved.
To succeed in achieving their weight loss goals, these people must change their attitude and lifestyle for life. They realize that they are not on a temporary diet. To gain weight loss pounds, they must change how they view their body and the food they eat.
This means they change the types and quantity of food they buy. They change the types of meals they eat. They change the size of the meals they eat. They change the frequency of their meals.
And, they begin to exercise regularly. Because they may be unable to do vigorous activity, they may have to start slowly. Morbidly obese people should exercise at least 30 minutes a day in whatever form is possible. As they develop strength and endurance, they should kick this up to 60 to 90 minutes a day.
But some people feel they can not change their habits on their own. This is why Bariatric Surgery has become so popular in the last few years. With this procedure, also know as Gastric Bypass, the stomach is made significantly smaller and the food bypasses part of the small intestine. People who have undergone this surgery find that they feel full with very small portions of food.
The most common kind of gastric bypass procedure is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. In this procedure, the stomach is made smaller by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine.
The surgery can definitely help obese people lose significant weight. But it also comes with some caveats. Gastric bypass surgeries may cause what is known as the “dumping syndrome”. This happens when food moves too rapidly through the stomach and intestines. Symptoms include nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and sometimes diarrhea shortly after eating. These symptoms are much more severe after eating highly refined, high-calorie foods, especially sweets. So again, food choices have to be changed.
There are a number of conditions that have to be met before a doctor can perform gastric bypass. For instance, the person has to have been obese for at least 5 years. He or she cannot have an ongoing problem with alcohol or have untreated depression. Most candidates are between 18 and 65 years old.
People who have had gastric bypass surgery quickly begin to lose weight. They tend to continue to lose weight for up to 12 months. One study showed that most patients will lose about one-third of their original body weight in 1 to 4 years. However, if the recommended diet is not followed properly, the patient can begin to stretch their stomach and weight may be regained.
So yes, Gastric Bypass Surgery can jump start major weight loss for the obese. But strict lifestyle changes still have to be made to make sure the weight stays off.
Burn 500 Calories A Day - Lose A Pound A Week
Do you know how to balance your calories? Weight loss begins with knowing what foods to eat and in what amounts, depending on your specific calorie requirements.
The most important thing you need to know about calories and weight loss is that you need to burn an additional 500 calories per day to lose a pound in one week. This is based on how many calories you burn while doing your daily activities. You can do this by exercising or dieting, but ideally you should do a combination of both.
First, a little explanation. An inactive or lightly active man weighing 150 pounds, will burn roughly 2000 calories each day. If he weighed 200 pounds, he would burn around 2300 calories each day. On the other hand, a 150-pound woman will burn about 1700 calories a day.
Why do men and women of the same weight burn different calories? Most of it has to do with the fact that men have more muscle mass which allows them to burn more calories at rest. Another reason to encourage you to put on muscle, whether you are a man or a woman.
So, going back to calories and weight loss… if you are a 150-pound woman and you don’t want to do any exercise, you need to eat no more than 1200 calories a day.
However, if you are willing to put in some work, you can eat a little bit more, provided you engage in more calorie-burning activities. For instance, housework can make you burn calories. Heavy cleaning burns 432 calories an hour. Do that for 70 minutes a day and you will have 500 calories burnt. Mowing the lawn for an hour with a push mower burns 324 calories. But there are fun ways to burn calories too. An hour of singles tennis burns 549 calories an hour. And, an hour of skiing burns a whopping 740 calories.
If you are serious about controlling calories, weight loss will follow. One way to do this is to control your portion sizes. Meals, both at home and at restaurants have been growing in size for decades. For instance, in the 1930s, the average dinner plate size had an 8 or 9 inch diameter. Now, the average diameter is 10 to 12 inches. Switch to salad plates for dinner and watch the pounds disappear.
It is no secret that restaurant portions have grown. For instance at Romano?s Macaroni Grill, a seemingly good for you Teriyaki Salmon dinner has a whopping 1240 calories. If you are eating out, either split the meal with someone else or ask for a take home box at the start of the meal. Then, place half of the food in the take home box before you start eating. That way you can still clean your plate without taking on the additional calories.
The calories weight loss formula is simply balancing calories-in and calories-out. The magic number is 500 calories burned off or reduced from your food intake. To lose a pound a week, all you need to do is get rid of those extra 500 calories per day.
Lose Weight Pills - Effects Of Various Supplements
May 20, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Pills, Diets, Green Tea
There are many lose weight pills on the market. They claim numerous benefits and list a variety of ingredients that supposedly trigger weight loss. But are all these claims medically sound? We turned to the respected Mayo Medical Clinic to get the low-down behind all the hype.
One hot product right now among lose weight pills is Bitter Orange. It is marketed as a very effective weight loss supplement, but critics say it can cause some serious side effects similar to ephedra.
If you recall, ephedra-containing weight loss pills were pulled off the market for causing heart attacks and strokes. In the case of Bitter Orange - which is now being used as an ephedra substitute - the verdict is still out on its long term effects. Research is still lacking, so the experts say: be wary.
Chitosan is described as a relatively safe ingredient in supplements. The manufacturers often tout this as having the ability to block the absorption of fat into the body. Mayo says this is highly unlikely. Also, they caution that it may cause constipation and bloating. Again, the long term effects are unknown.
Chromium sellers claim this ingredient reduces body fat and builds muscle. Chromium is relatively safe, yes. But according to the experts at The Mayo Clinic, there is still no pill that exists to build muscle so it is unlikely to work.
Another ingredient, CLA can cause diarrhea and indigestion. Mayo says this one is also unlikely to reduce overall body weight.
Country Mallow is supposed to decrease appetite and increase the number of calories burned. But Country Mallow contains ephedra and has all of the associated risks.
Ephedra has been banned for medical or supplement use, but is still allowed to be sold as a tea. Despite this, many other supplements still contain ephedra. It can cause high blood pressure, heart rate irregularities, sleeplessness, seizures, heart attacks, strokes and even death. Obviously, products containing ephedra must be avoided at all costs.
Green tea extract is included in many lose weight pills sold in health stores. It is supposed to increase metabolism while decreasing appetite. There is limited evidence to support this claim, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can cause vomiting, bloating, indigestion and diarrhea. Also, it contains a high amount of caffeine, so if you are watching that, you may want to restrict supplements containing Green tea.
Guar Gum is another supplement that is harmless but unlikely to cause any real weight loss. Makers claim that it blocks the absorption of dietary fat and increases the feeling of fullness, which leads to decreased calorie intake. However, it is more likely to cause diarrhea, flatulence and other gastrointestinal problems
Finally, Hoodia is another ingredient found in many lose weight pills. It is supposed to decrease appetite. However, the Mayo Clinic says there is no conclusive evidence to support this claim.
Still some people have found success using these type of supplements. But they are expensive and there are no legitimate scientific studies that back up their claims. Your safer, surer and more cost-effective bet is the good-old healthy diet combined with exercise.
Body Colon Cleanse - Clear Your Intestines, Lose Weight
May 19, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Aids, Diets, colon cleanse
The body colon cleanse is all the rage these days. What is it and why is it so important to clean out part of your intestines? Basically, you build up a lot of excess junk in your system. This is not only unhealthy, it also keeps you from losing weight. The body colon cleanse helps you lose weight by cleaning your system out.
One example of a body colon cleanse regimen is called the lemonade diet. It was created by the late naturopath Stanley Burroughs. It involves fasting to rid the body of toxins which build up due to poor diet, lack of exercise - even negative thoughts and stress.
The body colon cleanse will dissolve and eliminate toxins and body congestion. It will clean up the kidneys and digestive system. It even can supposedly purify glands and eliminate waste and deposits in the joints and muscles. Clean this all up and you can start to build a healthy bloodstream which in turn leads to developing optimal blood pressure.
The big bonus here is that the body colon cleanse will help you lose weight. Most people lose about 2 pounds a day with no harmful side effects.
The lemonade diet should be followed for exactly 10 days. During this period, you will not eat anything and you will only drink a specially formulated lemonade. You need to drink at least 10 servings of the lemonade a day. This can be difficult to manage without discipline and will power, but the rewards could be worth it.
The recipe for the lemonade is as follows: fill a one gallon water jug with the juice of five lemons, 1 and 1/2 cups of Organic Grade B maple syrup (no substitutes), 1/10 tsp. or more of cayenne pepper, and fill the rest of the jug with purified or spring water. It is important not to use fluoridated tap water.
When you get up each morning that you are on the body colon cleanse, you need to do a salt water flush. Mix two level teaspoons of unionized sea salt with a quart of lukewarm water and mix. Drink this all right away.
Then in the evening you will want to take an herbal laxative tea which you can find in most grocery stores.
You should be prepared to use the restroom a lot while on the body colon cleanse. Specifically, you should be prepared to go every 15 or 20 minutes. If you have a job or other activities that will not accommodate this need, you may want to consider putting the program off until you can fit this within your schedule.
You may think that drinking only lemonade, saltwater and tea with no food for 10 days is dangerous. Well, you are certainly not going to die on this diet, but you will be hungry. Surprisingly, you will probably find that you have more energy as the diet goes on, despite the lack of food.
At the end of the body colon cleanse, you can expect to have lost anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds. Do note that this is mostly water weight and will be quickly regained if you do not follow a sensible eating and exercise plan to maintain your target weight.
Many notice that after a round of cleansing they have increased energy, and an increased desire to eat healthy foods. Some go as far as saying they feel somewhat different about life in general.
Those who make it through a body colon cleanse are generally very glad that they did it.
Mayo Diet - Eat Grapefruit, Lose Weight
May 18, 2009 by Patsie
Filed under Diet Menus, Diets
It’s called the Mayo Clinic Diet, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with the famed Minnesota Hospital. Still, this eating plan has been around for years and some people say it is called that way as the diet was supposedly developed for overweight heart patients who need to lose pounds before their surgery.
It is also known as The Grapefruit Diet, because the fruit is an integral part of many meals. The Mayo Diet is based around eating grapefruit, salads, and lean protein. It strictly restricts carbohydrates. You should follow the diet for 12 days and then take a 2 day break before beginning again.
A sample breakfast is two eggs, two slices of bacon, a cup of coffee and half of a grapefruit. Lunch might be salad with dressing, any kind of lean meat, and another serving of half a grapefruit. Dinner is fish, any kind of non-starchy vegetable and again half a grapefruit. Right before you go to bed, you can have 8 ounces of skim milk or tomato juice.
As you can see, grapefruit is a key food item on the Mayo diet. The theory is that the grapefruit is some magical dieting tool. This is nonsense. The reason the diet works is that it is very low calorie (about 1000 calories a day) and it eliminates almost all carbohydrates. The grapefruit helps by providing fiber - a component of any healthy diet.
Some of the principles of the Mayo diet include eating until you are full, but not beyond that point. You can have all the lean protein and fish you want, just don’t over eat.
You also should not skip meals or eliminate any of the foods on the diet - including the bacon and the salads. It is said that the exact combination of foods is what helps you lose body fat.
Limit your caffeine intake to one cup of coffee in the morning. Caffeine affects the insulin balance that hinders the burning process. So that single cup is your limit. Definitely no caffeine from soda.
And while the Mayo Diet espouses not skipping meals, you also must not eat between meals. No snacking. The combination of food suggested should be sufficient so that you will not be hungry between breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The diet completely eliminates sugar and starches. These are lipids that will eventually form body fat. Ironically, eating fat does not form body fat. Instead, it helps burn it. You can even fry food in butter and use generously on vegetables but still lose weight on this diet.
Do not eat desserts, bread, and white vegetables or sweet potatoes when on the Mayo Diet. It is alright to eat double or triple helpings of meat, salad, or vegetables, but NO CARBS. Eat until you are satisfied. This is supposed to be a very precise combination of food that affects changes in the body chemistry for maximum weight loss.
It is typical to lose up to 10 pounds in 12 days on the first round of the Mayo Diet. On subsequent rounds, you may lose less, but you should still take off some significant weight.