Friday, 14 June 2013

Best Way To Lose Weight

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The Very Best Way To Lose Weight


Best Way To Lose Weight - A positive attitude is very important for successful weight loss and weight management. To lose weight permanently, you must make a commitment to gradually adopt a healthier way of life.

You can control your weight. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories or burn up more calories than you need. The best way to lose weight is to do both.

Following a very low calorie diet can leave you feeling deprived and can increase the temptation to binge. Often, very low calorie diets make you lose muscle instead of fat. You are then left with a body that jiggles instead of one that is smooth and toned. Exercise helps you keep the muscles and lose the fat.

Very low calorie diets also lack many important nutrients, putting you at risk of becoming malnourished. Most importantly, research shows that people who follow these diets usually gain all their weight back. People who lose weight slowly by eating less and exercising more tend to keep the weight off.

Determine your BMI
There are several ways of measuring your ideal body weight. One of the most popular methods to gauge whether or not you are overweight is the body mass index (BMI). The BMI uses a mathematical formula that measures both a person's height and weight in determining obesity. To calculate your BMI, multiply your weight by 703, and divide the answer by your height in inches. Divide this figure by your height again.

(Weight in Pounds x 703) / (Height in Inches) = BMI

For example, a 250-pound person at 5’10" would have a BMI of 35.86. People with BMIs of 25 and above are considered to be overweight. Having a body mass index over 30 places you at risk for developing obesity-related medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. A BMI over 40 indicates that a person is morbidly obese.

How many calories do I need?
Everyone's energy needs are different, but there are ways to estimate how many calories you need. One easy method is based on your activity level. Decide whether your activity level is low, moderate or high. Pick one of these definitions:

  • Low -- You don't participate in any regular physical activity, or you are involved in recreational activity only on the weekends.
  • Moderate -- Your physical fitness program includes aerobic activity for 30 to 60 minutes at least three times a week.
  • High -- You exercise vigorously for 60 minutes or more at least four times a week.


Next, find your activity factor by using the chart on the right. Look for the number where your activity level matches your weight status. Multiply this activity factor by your weight to estimate how many calories are needed to maintain your current weight.

To lose weight: Subtract 250 calories to lose 1/2 pound per week. Subtract 500 calories to lose 1 pound per week.

 Low ActivityModerate ActivityHigh Activity
Adapted from Esvelt B and DeHoog S: Clinical Nutrition, Volume I. Enteral and Tube Feeding. W.B. Saunders, 1984
Underweight161822
Normal weight141618
Overweight111416

Making every calorie count
The Food Guide Pyramid is an excellent tool for making sure you are meeting your nutritional needs while trying to lose weight. With the proper balance of foods, you can lose weight and improve nutrition. For an online resource, go to www.mypyramid.gov.

Keeping track
One way to ensure that you are eating healthy is to keep an accurate food journal. Write down everything you eat and drink, including serving sizes/portions. Be honest and accurate, otherwise the journal is not helpful. Keeping a record will help you learn about your eating habits and help you assess the food choices you make.

Putting it all together
In addition to changing your diet, mildly restricting calories and keeping track of what you eat, it is very important to include exercise as part of your weight loss and weight maintenance efforts. Discuss with your physician what is the best exercise for you, but make a point to exercise.

Presidential Sports Award
The Presidential Sports Award program was developed by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1972 in conjunction with national sports organizations and associations. The purpose of the program is to motivate Americans to become more physically active throughout life. It emphasizes regular exercise rather than outstanding performance. It is important that participants over the age of 40 who have not been active on a regular basis undergo a thorough medical examination before undertaking any physical activity program.

The challenge
The challenge of the Presidential Sports Award program is for Americans to make a commitment to fitness through active and regular participation in sports and fitness activities. Earning the award means that an individual has put in time and effort to meet the challenge of personal fitness. The award recognizes this achievement and the fact that the individual is part of a nationwide effort toward a healthier, more vital America.

The award
Awards can be earned in any of numerous sports/fitness activities--such as roller skating, bicycling, dancing, swimming, walking, golf or t'ai chi--and individuals can earn as many awards in as many categories as they like. See www.presidentschallenge.org for more information.

Some things learned to date:
Those who have achieved successful weight loss report making substantial changes in eating and exercise habits in order to lose weight and maintain their losses. On average, registrants report consuming about 1400 kcal/day (24 percent calories from fat) and expending about 400 kcal/day in physical exercise. Walking is the most frequently cited physical activity.

The average registrant has lost about 60 pounds and kept it off for about 5 years.
Two-thirds of these successful weight losers were overweight as children, and 60 percent report a family history of obesity.

About 50 percent of participants lost weight on their own without any type of formal program or help.
Successful weight losers appear similar to normal weight individuals in terms of resting metabolic rate.

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Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Cholesterol Diet

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A Low Cholesterol Diet


Cholesterol Diet - A low cholesterol diet is one of the surest ways to improve heart health. In fact, studies show you can slash your bad cholesterol by as much as 10% to 20% by giving your diet a makeover. The secret? Follow a diet rich in healthy fats like vegetable oils and fish. And avoid foods high in saturated fats and trans fats. How do you know which foods keep your cholesterol low? Here are nine tips to help you get started.


Look over the TLC diet and make a shopping list of your favorite cholesterol-lowering foods.

___Stock your pantry and your refrigerator with the right foods for a low-cholesteroldiet. Buy your favorite canned or dry beans, fresh fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and vegetable juice.


___For a low-cholesterol diet, toss the butter, trans fat margarines, and polyunsaturated oil. Replace them with canola oil, olive oil, or plant sterol spreads.

___Look for products specifically created for low-cholesterol diets, like Minute Maid HeartWise orange juice and Benecol, Promise, Smart Balance, and Take Control margarines. These foods have been fortified with plant stanols and sterols that help to block the absorption of cholesterol.

___Start your day with oatmeal. Experts agree this is one of the top cholesterol-lowering superfoods.

___Try a cholesterol-free egg substitute instead of whole eggs.

___For a tasty low-cholesterol dish, switch out the cream sauce on your fettuccine for lightly stir-fried vegetables.

___Instead of using butter to keep your pan moist while cooking, use white wine vinegar. It doesn't change the flavor of foods and doesn't add fat -- a key to low-cholesterol cooking!

___Don't lean on butter, sour cream, and other fatty additives for flavoring. Instead, reach for the spices -- either while cooking or at the table. Liven up your dishes with oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, coriander, or cumin.




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Saturday, 8 June 2013

Soup Diet

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The Cabbage Soup Die


Soup Diet - There is no single Cabbage Soup Diet. Many versions of this very limited diet have been around for years. A few books have documented different variations of this simple, anonymously written diet plan, which surprisingly has survived the test of time.

The Cabbage Soup Diet is a strict list of what to eat each day for a week. Of course, cabbage soup is the main item. A few other low-calorie foods are also on the list.

You're only supposed to do a week at a time. Still, because the menu is so limited, you may get bored. And because you won't make any lasting changes in your eating habits, you may go right back to your old habits afterward. 

The Cabbage Soup Diet: What You Can Eat

The seven-day Cabbage Soup Diet plan includes two daily bowls of fat-free cabbage soup and a short list of fruit, vegetables, skim milk, and meat. The plan encourages drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol.

The cabbage soup recipe varies slightly among different versions of the diet. But it basically includes cabbage and assorted low-calorie vegetables such as onions and tomatoes, and is flavored with onion soup mix, bouillon, and tomato juice.



The Cabbage Soup Diet: How It Works

The CabbageSoup Diet has so few calories that people will lose weight rapidly on the week-long plan. There is nothing magical about cabbage or cabbage soup that fosters weight loss. It's the low-calorie nature of the diet plan that does the trick.

The problem is that most of the weight lost comes from fluids, not fat, and you'll get it back when you start eating normally.

There are two other big issues: boredom and not enough nutrition.

First, boredom: Are you OK with eating virtually the same foods every day for a week?

More importantly, the calories on the plan are dangerously low (approximately 800-1,050) calories per day. Experts agree that any diet under 1,200 calories per day is unsafe unless you're under a doctor's care. It's almost impossible to get all the nutrients you need and satisfy hunger in so few calories. A bottomless bowl of cabbage soup, along with a restricted list of allowed foods, doesn't give your body the nourishment you need each day.

Expert Advice

"It is a monotonous, short-term fix, severely lacking in nutrients, which will result in a weight loss that is primarily water and not the essential fat loss that is so important to improving health," says Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis.

Diekman worries that diets like the Cabbage Soup Diet keep people in the "yoyo" cycle of losing and regaining weight.

As a registered dietitian, she urges dieters to find another plan that is balanced, varied, and includes regular physical activity. The only positive aspect of the Cabbage Soup Diet plan is that it may get people to eat more vegetables, Diekman says.

  
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD



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