Weight Loss — Page 14

Why You Should Be Cautious With Fast Weight Lost

December 14, 2010 by admin

If you are hoping to lose weight for an upcoming event, it can be tempting to try and do so as quickly as possible. However, there are things that you need to know about weight loss tips and why it may not be the best solution for your needs. Finding out what the dangers are, what a safe rate of weight loss is and how to accomplish it are all valuable tools that you can use to take pounds off and keep them off without hurting your health in the process.

Our body weight is influenced by many different factors. One of the main factors is our metabolism. At its most basic level, our metabolism is the rate at which we burn energy. A slow metabolism means that we burn energy more slowly and a fast metabolism means that we burn energy at a very high rate. That energy comes from our diet in the form of calories from food. When we have a lot of excess energy, our body stores it in the form of fat. This adds weight to our body and too much stored fat means that we become overweight.

To anyone who is aware of this relationship between calorie consumption and losing weight it seems very straightforward to lose weight by cutting back on their calories. They think that by cutting back and drastically reducing the amount that they eat , the rate at which they shed body weight will speed up. However, they may not realize that there can be a number of dangerous and completely unwanted side effects of doing this.

The first reason why it is a bad idea is that a sudden and drastic reduction in caloric intake makes our bodies think we are in danger of starving. Our metabolism is capable of slowing down substantially when our body thinks that there is no food available. Every calorie we take in is hoarded and much of it is stored in our fat cells. This can end up causing us to stop losing weight and retain more of it when we begin to eat normally again.

We also tend to shed water weight first when we go on a speed diet. This effect is enhanced when we take many of the fat burning pills that are on the market today. As we dry out, we lose pounds and inches but it is not a real result because we are not losing fat. We can become quite weak if we become dehydrated and the situation can become dangerous if it is allowed to go on too long.

Other affects you may experience are a drop in your energy level and health problems due to restricted vitamin and mineral intake. You can lower your energy levels and if you stay on a severe diet for too long, you may end up lowering your metabolic rate permanently and causing significant, long term health problems.

To avoid the dangers of quick weight loss, you should try and lose no more than two pounds a week. This will preserve your metabolism. If you watch portion sizes and eat more fruits and vegetables, your caloric intake will be reduced. By increasing your activity level, you can burn more calories and finally begin shedding pounds and inches in as healthy a way as possible.

In order to stay healthy, fast weight loss may simply not be possible. We are all better off setting longer term goals and working toward a gradual and sustainable fat loss that will have us looking and feeling great. You will often find that if you do, the weight has a better chance of staying off longer than it would if you simply drop weight by starving yourself.

– Ben Pate

Several Ways To Lower The Amount And Appearance Of Stomach Fat

December 13, 2010 by admin

Belly fat is a growing concern not only among women but men. It’s stubborn flab that is often the hardest to work out. Well, don’t despair. There are lots of things you can do to specifically target that extra bit around your waist. Here are a few quick tips on how to lose belly fat that will help you cut down the look and feel of your stomach.

Oatmeal is high in fiber and can help stave off your morning cravings. It stays in your stomach longer and then it encourages your body to release the waste products of your food faster (thank you, fiber!). Stay away from the kinds that are loaded down with sugar, though! Try the plain stuff, regular or crunchy (just read the back first) and then add what you like. It’s a meal that’s easy to customize with fruit (dried or fresh).

Now, we touched a little bit on it in the last paragraph but we really need to talk about bathroom breaks. We know women don’t talk about it often but it’s an important bodily function. The faster and more often you go the better… Within a safe amount, we mean. When you’re sick you’re sick. But seriously: you should set out some time in each day for movements. Don’t force it or rush. Just relax and your body will too.

Eating right and making sure you take care of yourself will doubtlessly help you in the long run but you probably want something that’s going to make you look slimmer now. Improving your posture will help engage the muscles of your stomach. In addition, it will give you a more stretched out appearance, which can help with the distribution of your stomach.

How you dress is another immediate change you can make to make yourself look slimmer. You may not have the funds or time to go out and buy a new wardrobe but you can be conscious of what you wear until you are at your desired weight. Don’t force yourself into clothes that are too small thinking that will make you look smaller. Instead work with your curves. Dress in lines that help. Shove a Christmas ham into a sock and it still looks like a Christmas ham… You just end up feeling sorry for the sock.

Empty calories are the worst thing you can do to yourself while you’re trying to get rid of your stomach. Soft drinks are just that: empty calories. Be wary of juices as well, some of them are more sugar than anything else. You should try to stick with water!

The gym is a great place to go if you have the time and money. But if not there’s no need to despair. If you’re not interested in a full work out at the very least you should try to fit a thirty minute walk into your daily routine. That small amount of time can get your metabolism going and help your body experience fat loss on its own.

It’s easy to give up hope when you try diet after diet and nothing works for you, and you still can’t seem to figure out how to lose belly fat. Belly fat is a growing problem and it seems like every day there’s a new system to try or a new product to buy in order to help us with fat loss. The fact of the matter is: your body isn’t going to change until your habits do. You can change for the better!

– Ben Pate