Obesity is an epidemic in most western countries. It is a critical issue as it affects children as young as 5 years old. People who are overweight are not likely to be free from disease, pain and suffering until they normalize their weight. At the worst times, they feel weak, tired, depressed, and constantly craving food which is usually anything that has sugar. Most of them want to lose weight but it requires constant self-discipline to make better food choices which is hard for them. Eating the right food does not need to be hard, yet you can still eat all you want without going hungry. You don't have to eat less food, just better food.
Research concludes that fad diets merely lose fat temporarily. Most people start to put weight back as soon as they finish the program. They just can't keep going on with the fad diet for many good reasons. Additionally, fat-loss drugs are able to provide the greatest temporary weight loss, however they do put the body at risk to other health issues.
Science indicates the best way to lose fat and gain more muscle is by adopting 'better choice" eating habits and doing moderate exercise to help control the body hormone called 'insulin' from spiking. Your body uses insulin to escort blood sugar and other nutrients into the muscle cells to be used for fuel. This keeps us alive and energized. However, too much insulin can be detrimental. It can tell the body to store fat instead of using the glucose for fuel. Thus the body can't burn off the fat stored.
In addition, many hormonal systems that regulate our appetite, mood, muscle growth and others are disrupted by excessive insulin. This state of imbalance leads to many illnesses and an addiction to sugar which is present in most processed foods. Thus overcoming obesity becomes even more important.
Most people have learned to pay attention to how many calories or grams of fat they put into their body. Although this is inconvenient, it is a good thing to be conscious of it. Nevertheless we forget that sugar spiking plays havoc on our body fuel system. This is a deadly mistake. Low-calorie and low fat foods tend to be loaded with sugar or "sugar-mimics". Sugar comes in many forms including sucrose, glucose, fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed proteins, trans-fat and milk sugars such as lactose and maltose. Modern living makes us consume some type of sugar just about every time we put something into our mouth. Whether it is drinking "sports drinks", sodas, juices, beers or eating cereals, 'health food' bars and processed food, we are most probably consuming some sugar.
High sugar consumption long term is detrimental. It affects your metabolic rate. The high insulin accumulated in the body is not only toxic; it can lead to a medical condition known as insulin resistance. Thus glucose remains in the bloodstream. Blood sugar levels skyrocket. Recognizing the rise in blood glucose levels, the pancreas produces even more insulin which overloads the body system. This can lead to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Aging accelerates in people who suffer from insulin resistance and it can also cut some years from their lives!
Fasting is a powerful way to give your body a rest to allow the natural healing to work and toxins to be expelled. Try to do fasting regularly by simply skipping breakfast and or lunch on a given day and drink lots of water.
It is important to take nutritional supplements. They complement a healthy diet to provide optimal nutrition. Our bodies are made up of multiple complex systems in order for us to perform daily functions. Stressful lifestyles, poor eating habits, and environmental toxins all put greater stress on our body. A healthy diet combined with exercise and quality nutritional supplements offers you the best chance for optimal health.
For more information on healthy safe losing weight and keeping it off, check out my website at http://www.vitaminprotection.com/?/Safe_Weight_Loss
Feel free to have a look around other useful health information on http://www.besttruehealth.com
About the Author
Jackie Khor is a home business consultant and internet / network marketer. Her passion is to help people from all walks of life to have an optimum health and freedom.
She and her family have been consuming these quality products for a few years and they are amazed at the health benefits they have noticed in themselves and in their customers.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sugar - The Cause of Insulin Resistance in Our Body
Labels: disease
Sunday, April 6, 2008
6 Easy Weight-Loss Tips For Men
In the television program, The Biggest Loser, you will find that men lose more weight faster than women do. It seems that even after 30, men's metabolism is more active than that of the members of the female gender. Despite this, however, you will see that there are quite a number of men, both young and old, who are overweight and have big potbellies.
One of the reasons why there are many fat and big-bellied men is that majority of them are unaware of their problem. A lot are clueless that they are already suffering from fat problems. Most men only realize that they indeed are fat and need to reduce their waistlines when their weight reaches 300 and when their partners complain of suffocation while making love. Before you get big as a whale, you better start losing weight now. Here's how:
Accept You Have A Problem
If you do not acknowledge that you have a weight problem, then losing weight will just be a temporary past time for you. If you really want to get rid of your love handles and you want to boost your libido, then you need to be committed to becoming fit.
Be Prepared
Much like other things in life, being committed to trim down fat needs a lot of preparation and planning. First, you need to prepare yourself mentally for the challenge of evading your favorite unhealthy food and starting to eat vegetables. Second, you also need to be prepared on what you are going to do when faced with temptations in parties and poker matches. Lastly, you need to plan your weight-loss routine so that it would be easier for you to make dieting and exercising regular parts of your everyday activities.
Keep A Food Journal
Several studies have shown that a food journal is a crucial part of losing weight, whether you are a man or woman. Writing down all the food that you eat and even beverages that you drink and the emotions that you feel will help determine your cravings and triggers for binging. Furthermore, keeping a food journal will make you realize the direct relationship between your food choices and the size of your gut.
Don't Forget To Exercise
Tipping the scale to the left should not be your only goal in losing weight. Being fit and active should also be included in your list of reasons to start shedding pounds. Although exercising may not dramatically affect the weight, it would definitely have a big impact on your cardiovascular health and it helps lower risk of certain illnesses.
Instead of just watching sports on television, why don't you try them yourself? A few laps in the swimming pool, a friendly game of basketball, and some Frisbee tossing with your dog or kids are all fun ways to exercise and keep your body fit.
Chug Down Some Water
Instead guzzling down sodas and beer, why don't you drink water instead? Water is essential in getting rid of toxins and wastes inside the body. Furthermore, it also helps moisturize your skin from the inside. Sodas, beer and other sugar-filled beverages should be taken in moderately because these are just adding to your daily caloric intake. It is important to note that these drinks are loaded with calories. In fact a can of soda has about 139 calories, while a bottle of beer has about 100 calories.
Be Reasonable Your expectations should be achievable and reasonable. Do not aspire for a 20-pound weight loss in a week. Aim for long-term results. A two-pound per week weight loss is actually ideal.
If you are struggling to start a diet or you have reached a plateau in your weight-loss regimen, you can always use supplements and products that can jumpstart your plan of shedding pounds. One system for busting fat and cutting down pounds that is specifically designed for men is Dermacut. Learn more about this system by visiting http://www.dermacut.com/.
About the Author
Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine. http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.
Walking For Weight Loss And Optimum Health
If you've moved mountains to lose weight and it's just a war that you feel you can't win don't lose heart.The thing to remember is that all of us have failed at it,but that's not what matters.Failure is just God's way of letting you know that, that particular method is not for you.As Winston Churchill once told a group of students."The secret to my success is never give up,never give up,never give up." Don't give up begin walking!
I personally discovered walking for weight loss by accident after trying every program in the arsenal. At first I just took a cd player and did a short twenty minute walk (an hour a day is what's reccomended) then worked up to an hour, no big deal.What I noticed is a steady change in my health,fat loss and physical strength.I didn't go on much of a diet regimine, I didn't get on the scale every morning and stress, I just DID IT...Believe me this will work for you when nothing else will.
So what if we want to lose a serious amount of weight?Let's get started with a cleanse and a good nutrition program (preferably organic).If you follow the outline of what I've given you here you have every chance of losing 15 lbs. or more per month.Walking for weight loss is your ticket out of the pain and social stigma that overweight can be.I've provided some tips below to help you along.
TIPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS: 1.The first and foremost thing you should do is go through your pantry and/or refrigerator and do a label check.Toss the junk(this is the reality face it).Get rid of trans fats completely these are deadly and you should never consume them. Keep minimizing unhealthy saturates until these are non-existant as well.Concentrate instead on saturates that promote your well being.Walnuts,salmon, flaxseed oil. These are allowances which if used in moderation will get you where you're going.Once the bad fats are eliminated you will find that the weight comes off more easily and naturally.
2.Try walking on an incline whenever possible, this isn't just good strength training as some people think. It will actually decrease your blood sugar and is a good cardio exercise.It will increase the circulation over time and your mental focus will be sharper, your libido will stop by for a visit...
3.There are some obvious points to remember that some won't take into account.Always stay hydrated. Your muscles will talk back to if you don't give them what they want, namely water.
4.Diabetics should always snack on something before walking for weight loss as blood sugar can lower quickly during any excercise.
5.What my personal big gun is for health is a juicer.You can purchase this little miracle at any wal-mart store and you will be rewarded. Your skin, hair and nails will glow and you will take on a radiance you haven't seen in years.Try the wide mouth kind as it keeps you from having to slog through the chopping process. the vegetables/fruit can just be put in whole.I stay with the green vegetables, cucumber and apple as a sweetner.
6.Finally,walking for weight loss is not something you have to do alone.This can be a romance booster.It's a great way to find intimate time with your spouse,lover, family and friends.It's simple and something anyone can do together as it lends itself to open conversation...
And one more tip, never eat past the point of being full.This will expand the stomach and just cause more hunger later which is a vicious cycle in your eating habits.
So what's it going to be? Are you going to procrastinate and put this off for another year and watch your life pass you by? Don't! Take your favorite music, your dog or your iguana, I don't care but TAKE ACTION NOW! Whatever you need as a motivational tool get it and just do it.You'll find that walking for weight loss is the only cheap and simple resource that will help you get it off and keep it off. To your success in all endeavors...
If you find that this article helped you in any way and would like to explore more about the health reasons behind stubborn weight. I'd like to invite you to the following link. http://kodiak12.fatsecret.hop.clickbank.net/
About the Author
Holly Johansen is a published poet and songwriter and an advocate of indigenous native herbalism,nutrition and holistic healing.... If this article has helped you and you would like to learn more facts about weight loss check out this amazing site on the link provided. http://kodiak12.fatsecret.hop.clickbank.net/
