on 7/14/2009
| filed in: Dieting
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Whether you refer to it as a diet plan or prefer to think of it as just living a healthy lifestyle, achieving your goals usually requires you to make changes... And those changes are usually called sacrifices.
When choosing your diet plan, choose it wisely. Avoid stress! I've seen many dieters and healthy eaters crafting a perfect science as to how they were going to eat X amount of carbs and Y amount of Protein, but they forget the simple things, such as - how am I not going to go crazy following this diet plan???
I found some good tips for avoiding stress in your diet plan at the Weight Ladder, which are pretty helpful.
To summarize, weight ladder recommends these tips for avoiding stress in your diet plan:
(1) reminding yourself that calories are needed for energy which is needed for exercises. Don't cut calories too much or you'll end up cutting your exercise.
(2) Snacking is sometimes necessary, and will help you along ... read more
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on 2/23/2009
| filed in: Dieting
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Metbolism is the bodily process of breaking down food and either turning it into energy or storing it as fat. The faster you can metabolize, the less fat you will store. Therefore, many looking to lose weight should have an interest in having a healthy metabolic rate.
What determines our Metabolic rate?
1. Age - Sadly, as we age, our calorie needs become lower and lower. Hence, the reason we used to be able to stuff our faces when we were kids and now we're on a constant search for low calorie food.
2. Genes - People are born with naturally slow or fast metabolic rates. You can't control this - you were either blessed or screwed.
3. Muscle - Unlike fat cells, muscle cells are very metabolically demanding. Building muscle will use up calories/energy as your body works to maintain your muscle mass.
4. Frequency of Eating - Although this is up for debate, it is said that if we go too long without eating, our body will store... read more
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on 2/17/2009
| filed in: Dieting
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Ask any orthodox dieter whether you should incorporate fasting into your diet and they will think you're crazy. Depending on how much fasting you do - you may actually 'be' crazy. But there are actually many experts out there who insist that moderate fasting can be beneficial for your diet and health.
Fasting, for those who don't know, is the action of choosing not to eat or drink (or both) for a given period of time. The popular belief is that while fasting may result in weight loss, it is not a healthy long term habit. Not only can fasting leave you malnurished, but it can also cause mental stress and cause you to give up your healthy eating habits completely.
Fasting may actually be good for you
When done right, fasting is now said to be good for you. Experts are saying that fasting promotes weight loss and reduces disease risk. But there's more - fasting is said to even extend life. Sounds crazy, but many are saying that eating less will cause you to... read more
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fasting
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on 2/2/2009
| filed in: Dieting
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You can't just diet. I'm sorry to break it to some of you who hate physical activity, but it's rare that you will achieve your goal-weight and shape by dieting alone.
Physical activity is almost always needed (genetic makeup allows some to get by without it).
Personally, I tend to struggle with dieting more than working out - so this isn't a big deal for me. Recently, however, I came across a time where I just could not pull myself to the gym on a continual basis. Gym visits were random, as well as in-home workouts - due to brief moments of energy and motivation.
During this time I was semi out of shape. These random workouts helped to avoid getting any worse, but I found myself getting no where. I still had some chub on my stomach and the abs were not showing the way they had in the past. Abs are usually one of my easier muscles to shape up, but they weren't doing so well with this regimen.
So I tried to make up for lost gym time b... read more
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on 1/19/2009
| filed in: Dieting
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Starting out on a goal of losing weight is hard. Often times people are left clueless as to what they should do to lose weight the healthy and safe way. I hear some people say it involves nutrition, while others insist on resistance.
Here’s a good Guide to Losing Weight:
Nutrition:
Drink lots of water, eat a lot of fiber (~35g/day), and eat lots of veggies. Should eat about 1g per lb bodyweight of protein per day. Eat some fruit, some whole-grain carbs, and some healthy (unsaturated, Omega-3) fats.
Things to avoid when losing weight:
Avoid the following or eat sparingly: Trans-fats, fruit juices, sodas, starches, sugar, and processed grains. Avoie all low-glycemic foods in general.
Try to eat about 6 – 7 times a day and total calories should be about 400 short of what you burn throughout the day.
You’ll also need Resistance Training to Lose Weight:
Resistance weight training helps to break down the m... read more
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