Scientific Guidelines for Effective Weight Loss

If you have been dieting and haven't lost weight, stop! Don't even think about trying another diet, because it will produce the same results you have already seen.

Below you will find "Scientific Guidelines" for weight loss that have always been around, but are not followed by the majority of weight loss programs these days.

Now let’s have a look at a few basic principles.

1. Increasing Your Metabolism

In order to produce Sustained, Permanent and Long-Term Weight Loss, it's imperative that you boost your metabolism. And the most effective way to raise your metabolism is to have a greater proportion of functional muscle on your body.

The only way to build this lean muscle so you can raise your metabolism is through "Strength Training". There's no other method that works wonders on the Metabolism like Strength Training.

By performing Strength Training, you'll effectively increase the amount of functional lean muscle on your body so that your metabolism will elevate. 

After a Strength Training session your body will undergo a significant increase or "Spike" in Metabolism, which will allow you to burn much more fat then you were able to before.

2. It's All About Lean Muscle

"The amount of fat the body can burn is directly related to the more lean muscle your body can hold."

If your muscle system can sustain more energy and use this energy significantly when performing strength training, then it will be able to burn off the calories you eat and the excess fat on your body.

In other words, if your muscles become stronger and can hold more energy then you should be able to release this energy more efficiently to increase your metabolism, and to burn off excess calories that you have eaten.

Once we can build more lean muscle through our own strength, then our bodies will become more efficient at burning fat.

It's also the amount of lean muscle on your body that makes you LOOK GOOD. Once you burn off the excess fat from your body, the lean muscle underneath your skin will be exposed making you look healthy, energetic, and well toned.


3.  Decrease Your Daily Calories

For years now, we have been told to use dieting to rid the excess fat from our bodies.

The trouble with this concept is that the low calorie restricted diet would throw the body into starvation mode, with the body holding onto the fat and using precious muscle tissue for energy.

This would then lower the metabolism causing greater muscle loss and when the diet is broken the unwanted fat would not only return but actually increase because to the lowered metabolism.

The way around this is to cut your daily calorie intake by a small amount of calories only. This will stop any starvation mechanisms from clicking in. You can do this by making up a seven day eating plan and writing down every thing you eat for the week, and then work out the calories you have eaten with a calorie counter. Divide this figure by seven and you have your daily calorie value.

Decrease daily calorie value by a couple of hundred calories per day and no more. This will generate slow weight loss and the majority will be fat loss only. The daily calories should be consumed during the day with small frequent meals.

4. Fast Walking Burns Fat

All you need to do now is incorporate "Fast Walking" into your weight loss program to hasten the burning of excess fat. 

Not only is fast walking better much easier on the hips, but it also produces a greater percentage of fat loss as opposed to jogging or running.

Here are some of the benefits of Fast Walking.

 Easy to Perform
Most Conventional
All Natural Body Movement
Doesn't Cause Injuries
Can Be Done Anywhere
The Best Minimal Effort Exercise for Fat Loss

"I can't stress enough how Fast Walking is necessary in every weight loss program."


How to lose weight fast

Simple tips for a long term Weight loss Goal

How to lose weight fast 

Simple tips for a long term Weight loss Goal 

Weight loss plan is not a one day effort to perfect health. With weight loss methods like Atkins diet or South beach, the process of losing weight can be gradual. With diet pills like Phentermine or Adipex, the rate of weight loss can be rapid. Where as with bariatric surgeries, the patient recovers quickly from the hands of obesity. Whether you are obese or overweight, for a patient undergoing obesity treatment or taking up a diet pill plan, it’s so vital that you follow certain tips to attain the best results in curbing obesity.

Useful weight loss tips for a lifetime

•    Your day should begin with water. drink lots of it, there is no such efficient purifier like water
•    Don’t skip any of your meals especially your breakfast. People often ignore breakfasts as part of their dieting habits. It’s stupid and is a weight gaining phenomenon

•    Snack your day with lovely salads and nutrient rich fruits. If you don’t like apples, try oranges or melons
•    No sodas, coffees and such beverages on a daily basis as they can encourage obesity
•    Take your meals on time. Discipline regularizes your digestive system and help you to be more health friendly

•    Eat all that you like in limited quantities. ‘In Moderation’ is the key word in a patient’s dictionary
•    Keep one day for eating what you like in order to bring down the craving in you

•    Keep walking, don’t stop that habit for it’s so good for health
•    Learn more about health concepts, obesity and health related diseases so that you are aware of the obesity syndrome and get keen to look after yourself better
           

Hoodia For Appetite Suppression And Weight Loss

Occasionally you hear so much about something that you have to get more information. Hoodia is one of the substances that I just keep hearing about over and over so I wanted to do some research and pass it on.

Hoodia is a cactus like plant that is found in parts of Africa. Of all the various forms of Hoodia available, Hoodia Gordonii is the one that seems to be touting the appetite suppression benefits. Some people may like the fact that hoodia is not a stimulant but rather it is believed that hoodia causes the brain to send very strong signals that the stomach is full even when it is not. The signals sent are reported to be much stronger than the signals sent by sugar.

Hoodia is relatively new on the market so for those of you who are not into experimenting with themselves; you may want to wait for more studies to come out on hoodia. I have not been able to find any studies done on hoodia and weight loss – but I have found tons of anecdotal evidence.

Anecdotal evidence sometimes precludes valid scientific findings and sometimes it turns out to be hype.

If hoodia proves to be a non-stimulating appetite suppressant, then I could see it benefiting those trying to cut down on evening eating, those who have trouble eating several smaller portions throughout the day, and those who just tend to be overcome by cravings.

Remember supplements are only a tool in your weight loss/healthy lifestyle arsenal.

If you do decide to purchase hoodia, make sure you purchase from a company that is known to be trusted and reputable.

The jury is still out on hoodia and weight loss and appetite suppression but it looks as if the anecdotal evidence is mounting up in a promising way.

Sometimes anecdotal evidence leads to scientific studies. (like with creatine and weight lifting) So if you are willing to experiment and your doctor has approved, hoodia may be worth trying.

Chosing The Right Diet For You

How to lose weight fast

There are so many different and varied diets floating around today that it can be quite difficult to make a decision regarding which one is right for you when you feel it’s time to lose weight. Some diets emphasize low fat while others insist low calories are the way to go. Still yet, other diet gurus are adamant that in order to meet your weight loss goals you must cut out all forms of carbohydrates. One diet seems to combine factors from at least two other well known diets with claims to produce an optimum fat burning weight loss program. Then there are the various other diets that have circulated around the world for years with numerous success stories such as the cabbage soup diet and the cider vinegar diet. Which diets really work and more importantly; which diet is right for you?

One of the most important factors you must consider when contemplating any diet plan is whether you will learn how to eat healthy and nutritionally sound through the plan. Unfortunately, a number of different diets that boast incredible results do so through nutritionally bankrupt methods. Often referred to as fad diets, these weight loss programs encourage you to indulge in eating habits that can do more harm than good.

Many weight loss programs promise almost instantaneous results and for awhile at least; it seems as though your weight loss dreams may have finally come true through the presence of this type of diet. Then the sad reality sets in. You realize there is no possible way you can stay on this diet for the rest of your life. This is an important factor to consider; because ideally you should be looking for a healthy weight loss and maintenance program not a diet. Although a very low-calorie, high or liquid diet or even a diet that only lasts for a few days may allow you to initially lose some weight, you will inevitably find that your weight loss problems recur when a vengeance at a later point. Instead of looking for a miracle cure, look for a weight loss program that can help you to achieve your goals on a permanent basis.

For those of us who would prefer to avoid exercise like the plague, any weight loss program that promises we can reach our goals without that dreaded E word is a lifesaver. Unfortunately, long term weight loss simply isn’t possible without taking part in a sensible exercise routine. Sad, but true.

When considering engaging in any weight loss program or diet, always ask yourself the following questions 1. Will I learn to take part in a healthy, nutritionally sound eating plan through this diet? 2. Is this a diet I can stick with long term? and 3. Does this diet combine sensible eating with moderate exercise?

When you find a diet or weight loss program that meets all of these conditions, you know that you have found the right diet for you. As with any diet, it’s always a good idea to check with your physician before engaging in any weight loss program.

Living with Your Diet

Recently, I was reading about a diet plan where you throw everything out of your pantry.  Although this sounds like great news for the supermarkets, over the short-term, this leaves very few choices for you to actually eat.

Can you exist on salad, topped with Flax seed oil dressing, for the rest of your life?

People believe that they must pay penance for their eating sins.  Dietary and exercise torture seems to be good for the conscience and the prescription of the day.  How else can we explain “off the wall” diets and “extreme” exercise programs?

Whatever happened to eating in moderation and using common sense?  Even if you are eating a “diet cookie,” you can’t have all you want.

When you eat, you shouldn’t feel stuffed after a meal.  This slows down your digestive system, similar to the principle of a “log jam,” and you may not eat for six hours or more, depending upon the amount of food consumed.  This is a time when your body is crying to go for a walk. 

You should feel comfortably full every time you leave the table, and you should eat five or six times a day; three moderately-sized meals and at least two healthy snacks. 

Sorry to say, diet cookies are rarely healthy.  If they were of nutritional value, I would live on the Chocolate Chip Cookie Diet. 

If you travel, or eat in restaurants frequently, you have to eat in moderation, space your meals out, carry healthy snacks, or visit the salad bar at your local supermarket.  There are plenty of good choices, and it won’t cost you an “arm and a leg.”

Now back to reality, if you love dessert, you can’t give it up for life. 

Depending on the state your health, you may have to seriously cut back. 

Therefore, consult with your family doctor, get a diet that makes sense, and please walk, swim, or exercise regularly.

Eating Wisely and Weight Loss

Please bear in mind that I am not a dietician, or a physician, and my opinions are those of a Yoga teacher and life-long student of Ayurveda. Always consult your family physician before changing your diet.

It may be generally agreed that eating wisely and weight loss do not often agree. Just look back that the parade of “fad diets” that didn’t seem to work over the long term and, in retrospect, were not wise from the onset.

This article will be a “union” of ideas from Ayurvedic principles, modern fitness concepts, and overall strategies for better health.

It goes without saying that a vegetarian diet is healthy. Only a decade ago, there were many reservations, among local physicians in New England, in regard to this concept. How rapidly knowledge, insight, and opinions change.

Marie, my wife, exposed me to the vegetarian diet. Before that, I ate what is now called the “Mediterranean Diet.” The diet I eat, to this day, is a combination of the two. The combination of these two, “classic” diets, are easy for me to live with and it is not an effort, at all, for me.

That is the biggest hurdle for most people. Many of us take on a radical dieting change that we cannot live with. Most of us can afford to make a few small changes at a time, instead of changing everything at once - unless you are dieting under the guidance of your doctor or dietician.

Therefore, I propose a few small changes to your eating habits that will make sense. You do not have to change them all at one time.

Sit down and focus on eating your meal.

Avoid television, reading, heated conversations, etc.

Thoroughly chew your food at a slow pace and do not put more food in your mouth until you have swallowed the previous bite.

Be aware of how hungry you are before your meal.

Try to avoid too much time between meals, as this leads to over consumption and your stomach should never be more than three quarters full, after a meal.

Exercise tip: Some of you practice Yoga and understand the many benefits of Sun Salutations, but have you ever tried weight resistance?

Strength training increases energy expenditure during a weight resistance training session. The high intensity of strength training indicates a high utilization of carbohydrates during a training session.

During the post-exercise recovery period, energy expenditure is elevated for a period ranging from two to fifteen hours (1). The increased energy demands are obtained by burning more calories, and a good portion of the calories are coming from fat stores.

Reference (1) - Melby C, Scholl C, Edwards G, Bullough R. Effect of acute resistance exercise on post exercise energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate. Journal of Applied Physiology 75(4): 1847-1853, 1993.

Even if you work every body part just once a week, this method of cross training will effectively burn calories. When you combine this with any aerobic activity, you have a powerful combination. Rowing and bicycling are good substitute forms of resistance too.

Strategies for results: Get help from a qualified Personal Trainer, Dietician, or a Life Coach. You could do it all yourself, but how much time do you have to “spin your wheels.” without any progress? These services exist for those who don’t want to waste time and want solutions now.