Weight loss tip - Drop weight with Ice Water

Most everyone knows the importance of drinking water for effective weight loss. Todays tip is a simple twist to water consumption and weight loss. Drink your water or diet pop ice-cold. Let me explain how cold non-calorie drinks can help you lose weight. The body temperature of a health individual is approximately 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Chilled drinks are around 40 degrees. It is necessary for your body to maintain a temperature of approximately 98.6 degrees. In order to maintain homeostasis the cold drink you consumed has to reach body temperature. Doing so requires calories, thus more calories burned and you are on your way to drop weight. The number of calories you burn depends on how cold the water is and how much you drink. It takes one calorie to raise the temperature of one litre of water by approximately 2 degrees. That means that to raise the temperature of one litre of ice water by 60 degrees, to normal body temperature, your body would burn about 30 calories. If your daily 2 litre recommended intake of water was ice cold you would burn an extra 60 calories every day. Over a year you could lose an extra 6lbs without any effort. Jay T. Kearney, former director of the sports science and technology division at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and vice president of HealtheTech comments on the validity of this weight loss statement, "your body needs to warm up cold liquids because it needs to maintain a constant internal temperature," "Therefore, calories are burned to warm liquid up to your body temperature." Enjoy todays tip and best of luck with your weight loss. Lose weight healthy and naturally and you will drop weigh for life.

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Daily weight Loss Tips - Spice Up Your Day

Your daily weight loss tip.
Want to drop that weight and loose a few inches off the waistline? Today’s quick and easy weight reduction tip heats things up. In you next recipe try adding some hot sauce or spice.

Research shows consuming hot and spicy foods such as chillies and all varieties and mustards increase your metabolism. Research findings vary on the amount of extra calories burned. Some studies reported only marginal increases in calorie expenditure while other research showed increased metabolic rates as much as 40%.

How hot foods can lead to weight loss.
Hot spices such as Chile peppers trigger a thermodynamic burn speeding up your metabolism. This increased thermodynamic burn can last up to five hours after a meal.

Two other benefits to spicing up your meals.
To ad a little zip to your meals and replace high calorie condiments like butter or mayonnaise try adding mustard, salsa, or spice instead. Sauté vegetables and chicken in hot sauce as opposed to oil.

Hot food may inhibit your food consumption. This will reduce calories thus help with your weight loss. From experience it has been found that it is more difficult to overindulge in a meal or snack which causes the mouth to be slightly uncomfortable. Compare this to how easy it is to overeat a snack like potato chips, a snack that you just do not want to put down.

This quick and easy tip can help you burn more calories and drop that weight. Add some spice to your life and loose weight safely with this natural weight loss technique.

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What is the fat-burning zone?

The fat-burning zone is a myth! There is not a target heart rate that you need to be in to burn fat to lose weight and drop those pounds.

But you may say the cardio machines at the gym or health club have pre-programmed options for he fat-burning zone. These programs are designed for you to exercise at roughly 50 to 60% of your maximum heart rate. That is because the greater the intensity of an exercise the more your body will shift the fuel source from burning primarily fat to burning primarily carbohydrates.

Confused? Well it is like this. The body does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat when involved in lower intensity cardio exercise. BUT, at higher intensities, you burn a greater number of overall calories. The number of calories used is the main factor when concerned about losing weight.

Just remember these points when you want to lose weight and shed the fat:
1. The bottom line is, how many calories are you burning.
2. The greater the intensity of the exercise the more calories you will burn.
3. Moderate intensity exercise increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR) more than lower intensity exercise. This means that you'll burn more calories 24 hours-a-day.
4. Calories in have to be less than calories out, or you have to use more calories then you eat.

Keep these tips in mind and watch the weight drop.


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Weight Loss Surgery and the high Risks:

It has been reported that there higs risks to Weight Loss Surgery. It has been reported that as a result of weight loss surgery 1 out of 22 people die.

As reported by Chicago SunTimes, a study by Dr. David Flum from Washington University found that 4.6% of patients who’s had a weight loss surgery died within 12 months of surgery.

Here are the numbers:

*Operations in 1998: 13,365
*Projected in 2005: 130,000
*Projected in 2010: 218,000
*Female: 84 percent
*Average age: 41.7
*Younger than 18: 0.3 percent
*Older than 64: 1 percent
*Household income below $25,000: 2 percent
*Family income higher than $45,000: 59.7 percent
*Average hospital stay: 3.3 days
*Mortality rate 30 days after surgery: 2 percent
*After three months: 2.8 percent
*After one year: 4.6 percent

SOURCE: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

In addition, this study doesn’t account for those people who die after 1 year due from surgery-related causes. I know of a case where a lady died from the complications of weight loss surgery 2 years after the surgery. This lady was in her 50s, leading a very active life and had lost over 100 lbs after the surgery. The complications from surgery took 2 years surface and she still passed away because of them.

Some people view the weight loss surgery as a quick fix. Unfortunately, some money-hungry doctors won’t properly educate the prospective patients about the risks of this surgery. Going under the knife should be a last resort. I believe in health natural weight loss, not weight loss surgery.

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Thermodynamic Edge For Low Carbohydrate Diets

In a paper published in Nutrition Journal (Open Access, available without subscription at http://www.nutritionj.com/home), two researchers from SUNY Downstate Medical Center show that low carbohydrate, high protein diets can be expected to be more effective than low fat diets, going against long standing prejudice of the nutritional community, which has claimed that only calories count.

(PRWEB) July 31, 2004 -- There are numerous examples of low carbohydrate diets being more effective than low fat diets with the same number of calories. It doesn’t always happen but it can happen,” said Dr. Richard Feinman of the Department of Biochemistry. “The nutritional establishment has been reluctant to accept this, because they say it violates the law of thermodynamics. However, they never seriously look at the thermodynamics, which not only says its possible, but it is to be expected. he added.

In their paper, Dr. Feinman and Dr. Eugene J. Fine explain that thermodynamics is as much about efficiency as it is about energy conservation. Carbohydrate is an efficient fuel, whereas protein is not. On a low carbohydrate/high protein diet, even though total energy is conserved, more energy is wasted as heat, a process known as thermogenesis. This energy comes from burning fat.

The researchers stress that the human body is not a storage locker. It is a machine and the efficiency of the machine is controlled by hormones and enzymes. Carbohydrates increase insulin and other hormones that regulate enzymes, leading to storage rather than burning of fat.

Of course, people are different said the authors, but many people are sensitive to the effects of carbohydrates and for them, a low carb diet is going to work well.

The practical point is that getting rid of the idea that a calorie is a calorie opens the door for serious research into what kind of diets will be most effective and which people will benefit most. This is important, they explain because millions of people are seriously trying to lose weight on low carbohydrate diets, and instead of being given directions on the best way to do this, they have been largely discouraged by health professionals and self-appointed expert groups. The obesity epidemic is too important to allow this to happen.

Note to editors/reporters: You can read the entire scientific paper by going to http://www.nutritionj.com/home and clicking on “Provisional PDF at the bottom of the headline.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/7/prweb145415.htm

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5 Effective Weight Loss Tips that work!

Trying to lose weight? Chances are you doing it all wrong. Here are 5 Effective Weight Loss Tips that work!
by: Fitness Chad

So you want to lose some weight? Here are 5 tips that will help you melt some body fat and lose some unwanted weight.

1. Throw away your scale

First off throw away your scale (okay don’t literally do that). You naturally gain and lose weight throughout the day due to slight changes in your metabolism and how well hydrated you are. Body weight is not always an accurate measure of a healthy body composition. Instead you should focus on your body fat percentage.

There are many inexpensive tools available to measure your body fat. Many electronic scales now come with electronic body fat measurements. These can be fairly accurate although they can have up to have 25% margin of error depending on your hydration levels (and if your taking supplements). If possible visit your local gym to get a body fat test. The caliper test (pinch test) can be very accurate. Also ask about getting your basal metabolism measured. Your basal metabolism is how many calories your body burns a day at rest. There are now many devices such as bodygem that accurately measure this.

2. Get off the treadmill and hit the weights

Unless you train cardio like Lance Armstrong you must do weight resistance exercise if you want effectively lose weight (i.e. bodyfat). The obvious goal of resistance exercise is to gain more lean muscle mass. One pound of lean muscle burns up to 50 calories a day in comparison to one pound of fat which burns around 9 calories a day. If you are able to gain 10lbs of lean muscle mass you will be burning an additional 500 calories a day. At this rate you will lose 4 lbs of bodyfat a month.

Don’t get me wrong about cardio I think it is also extremely important for your weight loss program. It also has a benefit list about a mile long from decreasing your chances of heart disease to lowering depression. However you must put your weight training program before cardio if you really want to lose body fat.

If you are unfamiliar with weight training exercises it may be a good idea to hire a personal trainer to get you acquainted with the gym. Also try subscribing to magazines such as Men’s Health and Shape which often write beginner programs for people looking to start weight training programs.

If you are woman and are afraid of “bulking up” please repeat after me, “I will not become bulky from weight training”. This is perhaps the single biggest misconception that women have about weight training. Too “bulk up” your body requires the presence of anabolic hormones which naturally exists in much higher levels in men. Unless you are a female body builder taking steroids your chances of bulking up are slim to none. Weight training will only leave you with a toner, slimmer much better figured physique. Interesting fact: Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe lifted weights.

3. Mix it up

Fitness professionals use the fancy term “periodization” for adding variety in workouts. Periodization is a strategy to keep your body from hitting plateaus in training. A suggested cycle would look like this.

-Phase 1: 4-6 weeks of heavy resistance exercise (6-12 reps per set). Please limit cardio to 1-2 days week. Yes I do mean only 1 to 2 days a week of light cardio. Intense cardio can inhibit your weight training efforts to put on more lean muscle mass for the end goal of a higher metabolism.

-Phase 2: 4-6 weeks of moderate weight training/cardio. This phase is when you already built up some muscle. Now is the time to add some cardio on top of your elevated metabolism to reduce fat stores. Your week should have 3 days of cardio workouts and 3 days of resistance exercise.

-Phase 3: 1-3 weeks of mostly cardio and some weight training. You should be doing 5 days of cardio and 2 days of full body weight training.

After this cycle is complete repeat back to Phase 1.

3. Your Diet

This is probably the most confusing and misrepresented component of healthy weight loss. I’ve decided to break it down to a few key points

-Eat 5-6 small meals a day. Eating the traditional diet of 3 meals a day will inhibit your weight loss goals for several reasons. When you go past 4 hours without a meal your blood sugar levels begin to drop. When you finally do eat your insulin levels spike which encourages your body to store more calories as fat. You are also much more likely to binge which pushes your stomach out further and leaves only more hungry for the next meal

-Eat whole grains, fiber and veggies. Okay I know you’ve probably heard that million times. But complex carbs (not sugars), fiber and good fats (peanut butter) are crucial for your weight loss regimen. If you really miss your tasty fatty foods allow yourself one day a week where you can eat whatever you want. If you break this rule you will end up just cheating yourself.

-Drink up! Not only does water help your body recover quicker and keeps your skin looking healthy but it can help you burn more calories too. How? Try drinking ice cold water. It requires more energy from your body to warm up and will help you burn some additional calories.

4. Get to bed!

I know sleep is becoming a more of a luxury in modern day America. But not getting a full night of sleep (6-8 hours for adults) can make you fat! Here are a few reasons why:

First is lack of sleep interferes with your body’s natural mechanisms from recovering from a workout. Remember that when you exercise you are only creating an opportunity to get in shape. The final hours of a good night’s sleep is when your body releases growth hormones to rebuild you’re broken down muscle tissue. If you cut out a couple hours of rest you are cheating yourself out of gains from the hard workout earlier.

Lack of sleep can also throw off other hormones that regulate your metabolism and fat storage. Studies have shown that sleeping less than 5 hours a night can reduce bloodstream leptin levels by 15% (slowing down metabolism) and increases ghrelin by 15% (increase appetite).

Lack of sleep will inevitably make you less motivated to hit the gym because you are already fatigued! You want to be as well rested as possible before any workout. Get some sleep!


5. Supplements can help

I’m not telling you to go out and down a bottle of ephedrine every day. Supplements are intended to exactly what their name entails…they supplement your weight loss program. If you are on a weight loss program you should be taking a multivitamin everyday. There are some excellent weight loss supplements that can aid your weight loss efforts. If you can use these supplements responsibly I would recommend the following:

V/M Multivitamin complete by ISS - This is complete multivitamin supplement that is fortified with antioxidants.

Hot-Rox by Biotest – This non-ephedrine weight loss supplement can help increase your basal metabolism rate.

Lipo 6 by Nutrex – This supplement works to reduce your appetite. It can be very effective.

Lean System 7 by iSatori – This is a very potent weight loss product.

Myoplex Whey Protein by EAS - It is crucial to up your protein intake to gain more lean during resistance training.

I have experimented (and been ripped off a few times) with several supplement stores. I found GNC was the most accessible but way too expensive. So far the company I have been most pleased with is Rocky Mountain Sports Nutrition. They offer the best selection of bodybuilding supplements and weight loss products. When it came to prices and customer service their business was second to nobody. http://www.discountanabolics.com.

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Weight-Loss Products Not Always Safe

Those products that contain Seville orange herb ineffective and potentially dangerous

FRIDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDayNews) -- Ephedra-free weight-loss products that contain the herb citrus aurantium (Seville orange) aren't effective and may even be dangerous, says a review by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center.

They found no reliable scientific evidence that supports the use of c. aurantium for losing weight. They also found that high doses of c. aurantium , which contains synephrine, may be dangerous.

Synephrine can cause hypertension and c. aurantium interacts with drugs in a way similar to grapefruit juice, the researchers said.

" C. aurantium has many of the same potential deleterious cardiovascular effects as ephedra, and it also potentially affects the metabolism of other drugs," review co-author Adam Myers, a professor of physiology, said in a prepared statement.

"The public and the medical community should be concerned about the growing use of c. aurantium without adequate data on safety and efficacy," he said.

The review appears in the September issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine .

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned products with ephedra, a number of new ephedra-free herbal weight-loss products have appeared on store shelves. Many of these new products contain c. aurantium , which is also used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat digestive problems.

More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about weight control .
SOURCE: Georgetown University Medical Center, news release, August 2004

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100 Painless Ways to Cut 100 or More Calories

Weight loss can be done in simple steps. Take a lookk at these weight loss tips and start to drop weight today.

REACHING YOUR FAT-LOSS GOALS may be easier than you think. To lose a pound of fat a month, all you need to do is cut 100 calories a day from your diet, assuming the intake and expenditure of all other calories remains the same. That's because a pound of body fat is equivalent to about 3,500 calories. So if you cut 100 calories a day for 31 days, you're cutting 3,100 calories--or about a pound.

Wait...a pound a month? Isn't that a little slow? Well, mounds of research indicate that you're more likely to keep weight off if you lose it slowly. Besides, losing a pound a month doesn't require drastic changes in your eating habits. It can be as simple as eating two egg rolls with your Chinese stir-fry instead of three. Here are 100 painless ways to cut 100 or more calories a day. As a bonus, they all reduce fat or sugar, which means, calorie for calorie, you're getting more vitamins and minerals.

1. Spread 1 tablespoon of all-fruit jam on your toast rather than 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter.

2. Replace 1 cup of whole milk with 1/2 cup of nonfat milk.

3. Eat 2 poached eggs instead of 2 fried eggs.

4. Replace 1/2 cup of granola with 2 cups of Cheerios.

5. Instead of using whole milk and eggs to prepare 2 slices of French toast, use nonfat milk and egg whites.

6. Snack on an orange and a banana instead of a Snickers candy bar.

7. Munch on 35 pretzel sticks instead of 1 ounce of dry-roasted peanuts.

8. Replace 1 cup of sweetened applesauce with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce.

9. On your lamb-and-vegetable kabob, replace 2 of the 4 chunks of meat with fresh whole mushrooms.

10. Dip an artichoke in 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons of regular mayonnaise.

11. Steam your asparagus rather than sauté it in 1 tablespoon of butter or oil.

12. Instead of a 5-ounce glass of wine, opt for cherry-flavored sparkling water.

13. For a chewy snack, have 1/2 cup of dried fruit rather than 9 caramels.

14. Replace 3 slices of bacon with 3 slices of Light & Lean Canadian bacon.

15. Eat a Lender's egg bagel instead of a Sara Lee egg bagel.

16. Select 1 cup of home-style baked beans instead of an equal serving of baked beans with franks.

17. Replace 2 biscuits with 2 dinner rolls.

18. When making a sandwich, use 2 slices of Roman Light 7-grain bread instead of Pepperidge Farm wheat bread.

19. Eat 1/2 cup of steamed fresh broccoli instead of 1/2 cup of frozen broccoli in cheese sauce.

20. Make a burrito with 1/2 cup of fat-free refried beans and 1 ounce of nonfat cheese instead of the same amount of traditional refried beans and cheese.

21. Replace an apple muffin with a high-fiber English muffin.

22. Reduce a typical serving of chocolate cake (1/8 of a two-layer cake) by one-third.

23. Switch from 1 cup of whole-milk hot chocolate to 1 cup of steamed 1% milk flavored with a dash of almond extract.

24. Replace 1 cup of caramel-coated popcorn with 2 1/2 cups of air-popped popcorn.

25. Switch from 1/2 cup of yogurt-covered raisins to 1/2 cup of plain raisins.

26. Snack on 1 cup of nonfat plain yogurt instead of 1 cup of custard-style yogurt.

27. Top your celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of fat-free cream cheese instead of 3 tablespoons of regular cream cheese.

28. Replace 2 fried-chicken drumsticks with 2 roasted drumsticks and a cup of peas and carrots.

29. Instead of eating 5 chocolate-chip cookies, savor the taste of 2.

30. Lighten your 2 cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons of evaporated nonfat milk instead of 2 tablespoons of half-and-half.

31. Replace a 12-ounce can of cola with a 12-ounce can of diet cola.

32. Thicken your cream sauce with 1 percent milk and corn starch instead of a roux of butter and flour.

33. At the appetizer tray, choose 4 fresh raw mushrooms instead of 4 batter-fried mushrooms.

34. Use 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream instead of regular sour cream (on baked potatoes or in stroganoff). If done twice in the day, 100 calories will be cut.

35. Reduce the size of your steak from 4 1/2 ounces to 3 ounces.

36. Grill a cheese sandwich with nonstick cooking spray instead of margarine.

37. Replace 1 cup of chocolate ice cream with 2/3 cup of nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt.

38. Snack on 2 ounces of oven-baked potato chips instead of regular potato chips.

39. Instead of topping your salad with an ounce of croutons, get your crunch from 1/4 cup of chopped celery.

40. Instead of 1 cup of macaroni salad, eat 3 1/2 cups of spinach salad with 2 tablespoons of low-calorie dressing.

41. Cut the peanut butter on your sandwich from 2 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon.

42. Serve your turkey with 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce instead of 1/2 cup.

43. Order a sandwich on cracked wheat bread instead of a croissant.

44. Complement your hamburger with 1 1/4 ounces of oven-baked tortilla chips instead of a side of fries.

45. Split an apple Danish with a friend rather than eat the entire thing.

46. Order 2 slices of cheese pizza instead of 2 slices of pepperoni pizza.

47. Grab a Dole Fresh Lites Cherry frozen fruit bar instead of a Sunkist Coconut frozen fruit bar.

48. Snack on 1/2 cup of fruit cocktail canned in water instead of 1 cup of fruit cocktail canned in heavy syrup.

49. Switch from 1 cup of fruit punch to 1 cup of sparkling water flavored with 2 teaspoons of concentrated orange juice.

50. Instead of eating garlic bread made with butter, spread baked garlic cloves on French bread.

51. Rather than snack on 1 cup of grapefruit canned in syrup, peel and section 1 small grapefruit.

52. Dip your chips in 1/2 cup of salsa instead of 1/2 cup of guacamole.

53. Switch from 1/2 cup of Frusen Gladje butter pecan ice cream to Breyers butter pecan ice cream.

54. Use 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise in your tuna salad instead of 2 tablespoons.

55. Hold the tartar sauce on your fish sandwich, and squeeze lemon on it instead.

56. Replace 3 fish sticks with 3 ounces of grilled halibut.

57. In sandwich spreads or salads, use 3 teaspoons of dijonnaise instead of 4 teaspoons of mayonnaise.

58. Use 2 tablespoons of light pancake syrup instead of 2 tablespoons of regular syrup.

59. Top your pasta with 1 cup of marinara sauce instead of 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce.

60. For each serving of pasta salad you make, reduce the oil or mayonnaise by 1 tablespoon.

61. Replace 1/2 cup of peaches canned in extra-heavy syrup with 1/2 cup of peaches canned in water.

62. Prepare 1/2 cup of steamed peas and cauliflower instead of frozen peas and cauliflower in cream sauce.

63. Cut back on sampling during cooking. The following "tastes" have 100 calories: 4 tablespoons of beef stroganoff, 3 tablespoons of homemade chocolate pudding, 2 tablespoons of chocolate-chip cookie dough.

64. At an Italian restaurant, snack on a large breadstick instead of a slice of garlic bread.

65. Eat a 3/4-cup serving of pudding made with skim milk rather than a 1-cup serving of pudding made with whole milk.

66. Choose 1/2 cup of brown rice instead of 1 serving of frozen rice pilaf with green beans or 1 serving of frozen Oriental rice and vegetables.

67. Compliment your sandwich with 3/4 cup of split-pea soup instead of 1 cup of chunky bean and ham soup.

68. Replace 3 tablespoons of strawberry topping on your ice cream with 3/4 pint of fresh strawberries.

69. Pass on the second helping of mashed potatoes.

70. Eat 3 grilled prawns with cocktail sauce instead of 3 breaded and fried prawns.

71. Make a pie crust with 1 cup of Grape-Nuts cereal, 1/4 cup of concentrated apple juice and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, instead of using a traditional graham-cracker crust. You'll save 100 calories per slice.

72. Replace 8 sticks of regular chewing gum with sugar-free chewing gum.

73. Snack on a papaya instead of a bag of M&Ms.

74. Substitute 3 ounces of scallops for 3 ounce of lean beef in your stir-fry.

75. Rather than spread 4 tablespoons of cream cheese on two slices of raisin bread, dip the bread in 1/2 cup nonfat apple-cinnamon yogurt.

76. Munch on 1 cup of frozen grapes instead of an ice cream sandwich.

77. Rather than drink a strawberry milkshake, make a smoothie of 2/3 cup of low-fat milk, 1/2 cup of strawberries and 1/2 a banana.

78. Replace 2 brownies with 2 fig bars.

79. Eat 2 meatballs instead of 4 with your spaghetti.

80. On a hot day, quench your thirst with a glass of ice water with lemon or mint instead of a can of light beer.

81. Eat 1/2 cup of black beans instead of 3 ounces of roast beef.

82. Replace 1 1/2 tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread with 1 1/2 tablespoons of Nucoa Smart Beat margarine.

83. Choose 1 serving of vegetarian lasagna instead of lasagna with meat.

84. Eat 2 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bars instead of 2 Kellogg's Pop-Tarts.

85. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of low-calorie French dressing on your salad instead of 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing.

86. Replace 1 large flour tortilla with 1 six-inch corn tortilla.

87. Eat a turkey sandwich instead of a chicken salad sandwich.

88. Choose 4 1/2 ounces of tuna packed in water instead of 4 1/2 ounces of tuna packed in oil.

89. At Burger King, have a Whopper Jr. Sandwich with regular fries instead of a Whopper With Cheese Sandwich.

90. Order your Quarter Pounder without cheese.

91. At Jack in the Box, eat a regular taco instead of a super taco.

92. Fix 1 cup of turkey chili with beans rather than regular chili with no beans.

93. Use 1 cup of fat-free cottage cheese instead of regular cottage cheese.

94. Order a sandwich with barbecued chicken instead of barbecued pork.

95. Replace 1 cup of corn with 1 cup of carrots.

96. Reduce your helping of turkey stuffing from 1 cup to 2/3 cup.

97. Have a single scoop of ice cream instead of a double scoop.

98. Replace 2 ounces of corn chips with 2 ounces of SnackWell's wheat crackers.

99. Eat 1 hot dog at the baseball game instead of 2.

100. Shred 2 ounces of fat-free cheddar cheese on nachos instead of regular cheddar.

Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., is a nutritionist in private practice and editor of the Nutrition Report. Her latest book is Nutrition for Women: The Complete Guide (New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1993).

Determining Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

You probably have heard of body mass index, or BMI. Thant is ok if you have not, it is a new term for most people. However, it is the measurement of choice for many physicians and researchers studying obesity. BMI uses a mathematical formula that takes into account both a person's height and weight. BMI equals a person's weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. (BMI=kg/m²).

Your BMI gives an indication if you are at considered to be at risk or are considered to be at a healthy weight. If you have a hight BMI it may be a good idea to begin a weight loss program.

The table below has already done the math and metric conversions. To use the table, find the appropriate height in the left-hand column. Move across the row to the given weight. The number at the top of the column is the BMI for that height and weight.

BMI (kg/m2)	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	35	40
Height (in.)	Weight (lb.)
58	91	96	100	105	110	115	119	124	129	134	138	143	167	191
59	94	99	104	109	114	119	124	128	133	138	143	148	173	198
60	97	102	107	112	118	123	128	133	138	143	148	153	179	204
61	100	106	111	116	122	127	132	137	143	148	153	158	185	211
62	104	109	115	120	126	131	136	142	147	153	158	164	191	218
63	107	113	118	124	130	135	141	146	152	158	163	169	197	225
64	110	116	122	128	134	140	145	151	157	163	169	174	204	232
65	114	120	126	132	138	144	150	156	162	168	174	180	210	240
66	118	124	130	136	142	148	155	161	167	173	179	186	216	247
67	121	127	134	140	146	153	159	166	172	178	185	191	223	255
68	125	131	138	144	151	158	164	171	177	184	190	197	230	262
69	128	135	142	149	155	162	169	176	182	189	196	203	236	270
70	132	139	146	153	160	167	174	181	188	195	202	207	243	278
71	136	143	150	157	165	172	179	186	193	200	208	215	250	286
72	140	147	154	162	169	177	184	191	199	206	213	221	258	294
73	144	151	159	166	174	182	189	197	204	212	219	227	265	302
74	148	155	163	171	179	186	194	202	210	218	225	233	272	311
75	152	160	168	176	184	192	200	208	216	224	232	240	279	319
76	156	164	172	180	189	197	205	213	221	230	238	246	287	328

Adapted with permission from Bray, G.A., Gray, D.S.,
Obesity, Part I, Pathogenesis, West J. Med. 1988: 149: 429-41.

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7 Easy Habits To Weight Loss

Want to lose weight? Listed are seven tips that you can do to help you reach your weight loss goal. Implement these tips into your daily routine and shed those unwanted pounds.

1. Drink More Water

Start your day with a glass of water in the morning. Drink a glass of water before any meal. Take a bottle of water with you when you go to work. At the very least drink 8 classes a day, but the more the better. If you exercise you will need to drink even more. Water removes waste from our organs and carries various nutrients into all our organs and cells.

2. Eat Fruits and Drink Fruit Juices
Eating fruits and juices helps you get enough fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. That’s why you should eat fresh fruits and drink natural fruit juices as often as possible.

Fruit juices from stores are often sweetened watch for this and drink juices with labels that say “100% fruit juice”.

3. Eat Lots of Vegetables and Vegetable Salads

When it comes to losing extra pounds, vegetables are a great choice. They are natural and contain different vitamins, minerals and tons of other useful chemicals known to provide benefits for your body. Vegetables are low in fat and calories, they help control blood glucose levels, reduce blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of colon and other cancers. All these features also help control your weight effectively.

If you feel that eating vegetables alone isn’t great choice for you, then make some salads. Mixing vegetables together gives you even more different vitamins and health benefits. There are tons of tasty, healthy salad recipes on the internet. You can also use you imagination to make some great salads.

4. Eat Only When You Are Hungry

How many times you’ve been to a party where you saw lots of different and tasty looking meals, which you were offered to try.

Far too often we eat because it is offered.

Many people also like snacking in between meals or when have nothing to do. STOP! Most snack foods are high in calories. Replace your usual snacks with vegetables or fruits.

5. Carry Healthy Food with You

Many of us work busy office jobs and don’t have time to eat regularly. In this case, bring your own made food with you. Instead of bringing sandwiches with meat, take vegetable salads, carrots, chicken salads. Any low fat food will do. This way, you won’t have to wait for a break to fill your stomach. You’ll be able to have fixed times when eating food.

It’s also important to try to eat about 5 times a day, rather than 3 or 2. Eat in smaller quantities, but more often. This helps you to increase your metabolism.

6. Work Out When You Can

Working out in a gym is not only a great way to grow some muscles, but also to drop a few pounds. Exercising helps you burn your calories instead of storing them in your body as fat. Our bodies were made to be active, so exercising slowly and easily can actually help you get more energy and make you feel much better.

At the end of the week, try to lose all the stress and burn your calories in a gym or having some kind of physical activity at home. If you have time, then try to do easy exercises everyday.

7. Don’t Lie Down or Sit When You Can Move

Many of us like to watch TV lying on a couch or sitting in a comfortable chair. Of course, when you come home after hard working day, you’re tired, and all you can think of, is a couch and a remote in your hand. But such laziness won’t help you lose weight. Contrarily, it will make you grow some more pounds.

So don’t lie or sit, when you can walk and move. Instead of staring at TV, like a goofy, go ahead and work out in your garden for example, clean your garage, fix your car, go to walk in park or beach. Breathe fresh air and move more often. Not only does it help to reduce stress after work, but also ups your mood and makes you more energetic.




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Healthy weight loss free weight loss tips daily calorie needs for weirght loss

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

The amount of calories we should all eat each day to lose weight is not as easy as a magic number. To answer this question we will have to examine a few factors because caloric needs are based on several factors

Step one is to determine the amount of calories you can eat to stay at your current weight which is the amount of energy your body needs to function. To do this there is a simple formula called the Harris-Benedict principle. This formula will provide you with your base metabolic rate, also known as your BMR.

Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Step two is to incorporate your daily activity into your caloric needs.

If you are sedentary: BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active - exercise most days the week: BMR x 1.55
If you are very active - exercise daily: BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active - hard labour or are in athletic training: BMR x 1.9

Though not perfect this method will let you know how many calories you need to maintain your current weight at your present activity level. This is a good starting place with respect to your weight reduction plan.

This formula has provides a guide to a persons daily energy needs. It is just a guide and is used a starting point on your journey to a healthy slimmer body.

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Healthy Weight Loss – how to lose weight the healthy way

Weight loss is often about body image and not health. In western society it the ideal body is not possible for most therefore unrealistic. Even worse is the means by which people try to achieve the figures considered sex symbols in the media, it is not healthy. Today I would like to discusses healthy weight loss.

To maintain a stable weight is as simple as having your calorie intake equal the calories burned by your body. That is all there is to weight loss. It is easy for me to say and write but in reality it is a little more difficult. If you use more energy than you consume, you will lose weight. The opposite is true, if you eat more than you use, you will gain weight. The sensible healthy answer to losing excess body fat is to make a lifestyle change. I am sure everyone has heard this before when looking for diet and weight loss information, but it is necessary if you want to maintain a healthy weight. It does not have to be a big chance just small healthy changes to your eating and exercise habits and your body will change for the better. I believe this is the best way to lose weight and keep it off

Here are a few tips, a weight loss plan, to help you lose weight without diet pills and fad diets so you will have safe weight loss.

You are not on a diet, do not skip meals!
When you starve yourself you may eat more when you do eat. This can do two things. You eat more than you need because you are so hungry. It can also stretch you stomach, this may lead to a larger stomach capacity that is harder to fill. It has been show that a person’s stomach capacity can increase if large individual meals are eaten.

Diets will slow your metabolism.
Crash dieting is a short-term solution that will increase your body fat levels in the long term. Your body responds to these periods of semi-starvation by lowering its metabolic rate. Your body will try to conserve energy and try to store more food energy as body fat.

Exercise!
Exercise prevents muscle loss and burns more calories. This is so important to healthy weight loss. Do at least 30 minutes every second day.

Just these three tips will have dramatic results in your fight against weight loss. Follow these simple tips and you will be on your way to healthy weight loss, and your you will shed pounds for a long time to come.

How many calories in my food?

The amount of calories in a gram of food depend on what type of food you are eating. All food can be broken down to three forms:
1 - Fat
2 - Carbohydrates
3 – Protein

All food is made from one or a combination of these energy sources. Each energy source contains different amounts of calories and are as follows:

Food Source	Calories	Kilojoules
Protein	4	16.7
Fat	9	37.7
Carbohydrate	4	16.7

As you can see each gram of fat you consume provides more than twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate. That is part of the reason there has been a trend towards fat free products. But be careful, a fat free product is not always a good choice, it still has calories. Candy in now promoted as fat free. It is but the deception is that it contains sugar and lots of it. Sugar is a carbohydrate and contains calories. Calories are the main concern not the amount of fat.

Here is an example of how these numbers are used:
A large order of french fries - 6 oz or 171 g contains:
6 grams of protein
25 grams of fat
70 grams of carbohydrates

That would total 529 calories for one order of large fries at a popular fast food chain.

(6 g protein x 4) + (25 g fat x 9) + (70 g carbs x 4) = 529

In this order of fries 24 calories come from protein; 225 calories come from fat; and 280 calories come from carbohydrates.

The Number of Calories in a Pound of Body Fat

Dieters Guide to Calories in a Pound of Body Fat

It is important to talk about calories when we speak about weight loss and embark on a weight loss plan. The best weight loss programs take into account the number of calories taken in and used. Some of these plans just are not up front about it and talk about points and other measurements but all good weight loss programs have to count calories in some fashion.

One pound of human body fat is approximate 3,500 calories and 14,644 kilojoules. For the metric dieters that equals 7,716 calories for 1 kilogram of human body fat and 32,284 kilojoules.

Weight	Approximate Calories	Approximate Kilojoules
Pound	3,500	14,644
Kilogram	7,716	32,284

Is Organic Food Better for You?

You're trying to eat healthy, and you know that means choosing plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. But as you wander the aisles of your local market, checking out the fresh produce, meats, and dairy products, you realize there's another choice to make: Should you buy organic?

Advocates say organic food is safer, possibly more nutritious, and often better tasting than non-organic food. They also say organic production is better for the environment and kinder to animals.

And more and more shoppers seem convinced. Even though organic food typically costs more --sometimes a lot more -- sales are steadily increasing.

"We've had a strong 20%-a-year growth rate since 1990," says Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association (OTA). She also says more land is going into organic production all the time -- up to 2.35 million acres in 48 states as of 2001.

But many experts say there's not enough evidence to prove any real advantage to eating organic foods.

"There's really very limited information in people on actual health outcomes with consumption of these products," says David Klurfeld, PhD, chairman of the department of Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University in Detroit. "We don't know enough to say that one is better than the other."

So before you decide whether organic food is worth the price of admission, let's take a look at the issues.

What Qualifies as Organic?

Before October 2002, states followed varying rules for certifying and labeling organic products. But now all organic foods are grown and processed according to strict national standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To meet these standards, organic crops must be produced without conventional pesticides (including herbicides), synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation. Organically raised animals must be given organic feed and kept free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Organic farm animals must have access to the outdoors, including pastureland for grazing.

If a food has a "USDA organic" label, it contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients, and a government-approved expert has inspected the farm where it was produced to make sure the farmer follows USDA requirements.

"Before the standards went into effect, you never knew what you were getting," says Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD, director of nutrition for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic. "My comment to people always used to be, 'Buyer beware,' so I'm thrilled that now we as consumers can be confident that when we buy something organic, it really does adhere to certain established standards."

Is Organic Food Safer?

"If you're talking about pesticides, the evidence is pretty conclusive. Your chances of getting pesticide residues are much less with organic food," says John Reganold, professor of soil science at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash.

Reganold points to a large-scale study done by the Consumers Union. Researchers looked at data from more than 94,000 food samples and 20 different crops. They found that organically grown crops consistently had about one-third as many pesticide residues as the conventionally grown versions. Organic foods also were far less likely to contain residues of more than one pesticide.

Even so, the amount of man-made pesticide residues found in conventional foods is still well below the level that the Environmental Protection Agency has deemed unsafe. The real issue is whether these small doses, over years and decades, might add up to an increased health risk down the line.

"Is it going to make a difference? I don't know," says Reganold. "But it's something to think about, and we're the guinea pigs."

Man-made pesticides aren't the only threats to food safety. There is also the question of natural toxins produced by the plants themselves. In this arena, conventional foods may actually have the advantage.

Because organic production steers clear of synthetic insecticides and herbicides, organic crops usually contend with more pests and weeds than conventional crops. This means the organic plants may produce more natural toxins.

"Plants can't get up and walk away. If they're being attacked, they've got to sit there and take it. So they may resort to their own chemical warfare," explains Carl Winter, director of the FoodSafe program and an extension food toxicologist at the University of California, Davis.

These natural pesticides could be just as harmful to people -- or even more so -- than the synthetic pesticides used in conventional agriculture. One familiar example is solanine, a substance produced by potatoes as they turn green, which can make you ill if you ingest too much of it.

Another safety concern that has been raised about organic food is the issue of manure fertilizers. Some critics fear that using manure to fertilize organic crops might increase the risk of contamination by dangerous microbes like E. coli.

"The organic farmers talk about the soil being more alive on organic farms than conventional farms. That life isn't just insects and worms; it's loaded with bacteria," says Klurfeld.

But organic production standards do include strict rules on the composting and application of manure. And there's little evidence that organic food has bacterial contamination more often than conventional food.

"The organic system is the only one with agricultural standards that prohibit the use of raw manure within a certain time frame between harvests of crops for human consumption," says the Organic Trade Association's DiMatteo. She adds that bacterial contamination usually happens because of improper handling after the food has left the farm, and conventional food is just as likely to be affected.

Whether the issue is bad bacteria or pesticide residues, experts agree that the best way to safeguard yourself is to thoroughly rinse all fruits and vegetables under running water. You should even wash items with inedible skins, like melons and citrus fruits, because cutting the rind with a knife can bring contaminants to the inside.

Is Organic Food More Nutritious?

Right now, no one can say for sure whether organic food is any more nutritious than conventional food. A few studies have reported that organic produce has higher levels of vitamin C, certain minerals, and antioxidants -- thought to protect the body against aging, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. But the differences are so small that they probably have no impact on overall nutrition.

"So far nothing is definitive, but there really hasn't been a lot of money expended on looking at the nutritional benefits of organic products," says DiMatteo. She points out that studies done before the USDA national standard went into effect are likely to be invalid, as there were then no reliable controls on organic production methods.

There is one nutritional certainty, though. If you want to get the most from your food, eat it while it's fresh.

"Nutrients like vitamin C do oxidize over time. So even though the nutrients might be higher in organic food to begin with, if it's sitting in your refrigerator, you could lose that benefit," says Zelman.

Plus, fresh food just tastes better. This may be one reason people sometimes report that organic foods have more flavor. Because organic farms tend to be smaller operations, they often sell their products closer to the point of harvest. So don't be surprised if the organic fruits and vegetables in your market taste more "farm fresh" than the comparable conventional produce.

Is It Worth the Cost?

Whether or not organic food really is safer or more nutritious, advocates say there is one more compelling reason to go organic: The health of the environment and society as a whole.

"Toxic and persistent pesticides do accumulate. They accumulate in the soil; they accumulate in the water; they accumulate in our bodies," says DiMatteo. "So by eliminating the use of these pesticides and fertilizers in the organic production system, we are not contributing any further to this pollution."

But food experts caution that while the big picture is important, you must make the decision that makes the most sense for you. If you can manage the higher price, and you like the idea of fewer pesticides and a more environmentally friendly production system, organic food may be for you. But don't skimp on healthy conventional foods just because you think you need to save your pennies for the few organic items that you can afford.

"The best thing you can do for yourself is to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and grains. And eat variety. From my perspective, it doesn't matter whether they are organic or conventional," Winter says.

If you like the idea of organic foods but aren't ready to go completely organic, you can always pick and choose. Depending on your own needs and goals, here are a few items you might want to put on your list.

If you are most interested in reducing pesticides in your food, buy organic versions of foods whose conventional forms may carry high levels of pesticide residues. These include:

Spinach
Green peas
Green beans
Green onions (scallions)
Summer and winter squash
Apples
Peaches
Pears
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries

If you're most interested in promoting the growth of organic farming, buy organic foods that require large expanses of cropland and pasture, such as:

Wheat
Corn
Other grains
Dairy foods and beef

If you're interested in more natural conditions for farm animals and fewer antibiotics and hormones, buy products from organically raised livestock and poultry, such as:

Milk
Cheese
Yogurt
Eggs
Meat

Published Feb. 25, 2004.

SOURCES: Food Additives and Contaminants, May 2002. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2003; vol 51(5); 2002; vol 50(19). Agricultural Outlook, November 2002. Katherine DiMatteo, executive director, Organic Trade Association, Greenfield, Mass. David M. Klurfeld, PhD, professor and chairman, department of nutrition and food science, Wayne State University, Detroit. Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD, WebMD Weight Loss Clinic director of nutrition. John Reganold, PhD, professor, department of crop and soil sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash. Carl K. Winter, PhD, director, FoodSafe Program; extension food toxicologist, department of food science and technology, University of California, Davis. U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service. Council for Biotechnology Information. Howstuffworks.com. Organic Trade Association. Consumers Union. Environmental Working Group.

© 2004 WebMD Inc.

Dieting 101

Want to Start a Diet But Do not Know Where to Begin

After a few articles, books, and a some web sites you are ready to begin a diet and exercise program, but still not sure where to start.

Being lost in midst of all of these variables is not a hard thing at all. There is sooo much knowledge and guidelines out there that sometimes we don't know how to put it all together. Well today you are in luck!

You are doing the right thing! It is virtually impossible to know everything there is to know about diet and exercise. If everyone waited until they knew everything in order to get started no one would get started. What we first need to do is to construct a plan. Our plan will be simplified but will be enough to get you on the right track.

1. Set your goal(s).

If you don't know what you want or what you are doing you will be less likely to get where you want to go. You also will not have the same determination as you could have. If you don't have a picture of what you want in your mind you will be less motivated. Here are some sample questions you can ask yourself. How much weight do I want to lose? What exactly do I want to look like? Do I want a smaller waist? Do I want bigger arms? What measurements am I looking for? What sort of time frame am I looking at?

When you have done this it doesn't hurt to write your answers down to some of these questions as a reference for later. We as human beings can forget easily! Also, if you have to, record some of your current statistics that relate to your questions like measurements or your weight for example. Then you will have something to compare to and your results can be measured more effectively. Motivation aside, some will even take photographs of themselves. They are also great for motivation as well. In the future I will include articles on motivation.

2. Start to construct your menu along with the quantities.

For some this is the hard part since they don't know how much or how little food to take. I will help you and give you a few sample formulas. The most accurate guideline that I have found (and actually have used) over the years is to multiply your current bodyweight by 10. That's how many calories you should be taking in for the day. Also remember that your true weight is when you get up without any clothes on. So if you weigh 165 pounds for example you would be able to take in 1650 calories a day. Try it!

The second way to do it is to take a piece of paper and record everything you eat for three days. Then after you do that get a calorie counter and total it up for each day. Add them together and then divide that number by 3. This will give you an average of the number of calories you usually would take in. Now you then subtract this number by 500 and that would be your caloric allowance for one day. Neat huh?

3. Begin thinking of your exercise program.

While weight training is not a necessity it is highly recommeded for permanent lasting results. But if inconvenience or a lack of interest is an issue then cardiovascular activity will do just fine! Though what we explored in my other article about weight training is definitely true, it possible by all means to meet your goals with aerobic exercise. As with your goals, ask yourself these questions...Do I like to exercise at home? How much time do I have or am willing to put into it? What types of exercise do I enjoy (eg. walking, stationary bike etc.)? What days am I available?

I will now share with you some quick guidelines concerning your cardio. Incase you didn't know aerobic (meaning with air) exercise is the most beneficial for burning fat. Examples are swimming, jogging, brisk walking, running, stairclimber etc. The easiest to do by far is the exercise bike and walking. To be effective, aerobic exercise must last at least 20 minutes in duration. It doesn't have to be strenuous at all. If you can't hold a reasonable conversation while you train you are working too hard. Your heart rate does not have to be elevated that high. Also, the opposite of aerobic is anaerobic meaning your are using more muscle power. Therefore, if you are on the bike and your legs start to burn release the tension a little bit. Gradually as your muscles become more tired it still takes the same lung power to move the pedals while using lighter resistance. Either way you win!

To start off, 20-30 minutes of cardio three times a week should do wonders for you. As long as you are consistent you will see results. Remember that most of the time it is not the exercise that is at fault but the person doing them or not doing them! Again, exercise does not have to be hard but consistent. I have tried to make these guidelines as easy as possible for you because when it comes down to it, we tend not to do the things we don't like or feel is too strenuous.

There! This plan should be enough to get you started well on your way to meeting your fitness goals. Once you have the foundation laid down in this manner you can use other information you acquire to build upon it. Good luck and take it all the way!