Friday, November 18, 2011

Smoking to Manage Your Weight

A very common phenomenon, which stops a smoker from quitting cigarettes and turning into a non smoker, is the fact that most smokers, tend to gain weight, when they quit smoking. Perhaps, this is the main reason, why a lot many people tend to stay away from becoming a quitter.

Indeed, this phenomenon is true to a large extent. Researches have proved that, smokers usually put on some weight, when they turn into non smokers. However, this is indeed a ridiculous reason, for turning into a smoker.

So, what is the reason, why smokers tend to put on weight, when they turn into non smoker? As it is, the following are some of the factors, which are responsible for this:

1. Appetite suppressant
Tobacco contains nicotine which is a great appetite suppressant. The more you smoke the lesser hungry you are likely to feel for a long period of time. As it is, most smokers are likely to light up a cigarette, right after a meal. This delays the digestion process, making you feel full for a longer period of time. As a result, you are saved from overeating. Hence, stops you from putting more weight.

2. Improves metabolism
Nicotine has been found to maintain the metabolism rate of the body. Now, as the metabolism rate of the body increases, the body consumes more calories. A rise in the metabolism rate, would mean, that, you are burning more calories, everyday, even while you are in a resting state i.e. even when you are doing nothing.

3. Stops you from eating
People, who smoke, usually do not eat anything, while they are smoking. This makes them cut their calorie intake. So, if you smoke twenty cigarettes a day and each cigarette last for ten minutes, then that would mean, three hours and twenty minutes without any calorie intake. Apart from that, the nicotine inside the cigarette would drastically reduce the hunger pangs.

Nicotine is great, as far as cutting down on the hunger pangs are concerned. As a result, you do not tend to put on weight while you remain a smoker. In fact, you may even lose some weight as well.

However, it has to be mentioned that, smoking is also extremely injurious to your health. It causes irreparable damage to your lungs, as well as your throat. As it is, long term smoking can cause cancer of the lungs, as well as the throat. Due to this, my advice to you, is to quit smoking; and if you are thinking of the flab, then I must tell you that, you can easily stop yourself from gaining weight, with the help of proper dieting schedule, as well as rigorous workouts.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

What Is Zone Diet Plan- Weight Loss Program

Ever since, people started getting conscious about their health, a number of weight loss therapies have evolved as well. A large number of these therapies revolve around the eating habits of the person.

Zone diet is one such therapy, which has been evolved in recent. As the name suggests, zone diet is a diet therapy, which focuses on our eating habits. Zone diet was brought to light, by Barry Sears. He said, the ideal diet chart should have, forty percent of carbohydrates, thirty percent of protein and thirty percent of fat.

Since then, zone diet has become very popular, especially amongst celebrities. Due to the endorsement of many celebrities, Zone diet has become a way of life for many. Although a large number of people, feel it has a flawed ratio and the protein content is too high for an individual.

The zone diet was founded on the basic principle that our forefathers were primarily meat eaters. Hence our metabolism has adapted itself according to a meat based diet. Till today, our body functions accordingly, although a large number of carbohydrate rich products have found their place in our plate, which caused an imbalance in our body metabolism.

In order to get our body metabolism back to its right place, the zone diet therapy was evolved, which laid its basics on the food habits of our forefathers. The zone diet therapy lays its emphasis on the fact that a person should make his focus on a high protein diet, which means, that you need to have more of protein rich food in your diet, such as lean meat, while keeping at bay foods with high starch content such as potatoes and bread.

It also states that your diet should contain more of good fat, such as olive oil and fish fat, which helps in keeping cholesterol under control. Zone diet therapy also lays emphasis on drinking lots of water. According to the zone therapy an average person should drink as many as eight glasses of water everyday, i.e. equal to half a gallon of water.

It also states, that a person should go for five small meals a day and that there should not be a gap of more than five hours, between two zone meals. According to it, this would be quite helpful in keeping the blood sugar levels under control. It suggests that a zone diet would be quite helpful in keeping the insulin level in the body, under control.

The zone diet is not based on a no fat, no carbohydrate diet. It simply is based on a proper balance between the proportion of protein, fat and carbohydrate.

Although, a number of organizations have criticized the zone diet concept, stating that the proportion of protein in the diet is too high; nevertheless, zone diet remains one of the most popular weight loss therapies, simply because it does not stop you from eating anything and it just asks you to do it in a particular proportion.

Healthy Balanced Diet For Weight lose

As we know that proper balance is necessary for every activity. Even in day to day life, we see the importance of proper balance. A balanced diet is very necessary for the proper functioning of your body. Ideally, your diet should have proper quantities of nutrition from all of the six major groups, i.e. proteins, vitamins, Carbohydrates, fats, minerals as well as water. Unlike what is popularly perceived, a balanced diet differs from person to person. It is therefore advisable to consult a nutrition expert to find out about your body needs and figure out your balanced diet.

Although the body needs of different people are different, there are some universal diet tips. As in most cases, the nutrition expert would advise you to stay away from foods which are rich in fatty acids, whereas have ample quantities of protein.

The following are the basic nutrition groups, which need to be present in your diet in proper quantities.

Protein
Protein is an important ingredient, which should always form a part of your daily diet. Protein is necessary for producing amino acids as well as burning up the extra calories, stored inside the body. Eggs, milk, sausages, beef, fish, mutton and chicken are some important sourcesof protein. However, it has to be remembered, that although protein is such an important ingredient for the body, having excess protein rich foods can cause serious consequences.

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate is another important nutrition. It is broken down into glucose, with the help of insulin present inside the body. Rice, potatoes, lentils, wheat, beans etc. are some of the rich sources of carbohydrates. Carbohydrate provides the energy to the body to function properly.

Vitamins
Vitamins are an essential nutrition for the body. Essentially, vitamins are needed, to produce enzymes, which are needed for the proper functioning of the body. Vitamin C, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), Niacin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid (Folacin), Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Biotin and Pantothenic Acid form part of the nutrition group called Vitamin.

Minerals
Minerals form an important nutrition group and perform various functions, ranging from, maintaining strong bones, to controlling the blood pressure and even helping the body repair itself. Phosphorus, potassium, calcium zinc, magnesium, copper and iron are some of
the important minerals, which your body needs.

Fats
Unlike what most people believe, fats are also an important nutrition for our body and are needed for the proper functioning of the body. Eggs, vegetable oils and milk are some of the important sources of fat.

Water
Water is in deed the most important component for our body. As it is seventy percent of our body consists of water. It is an important tool for improving the body metabolism and the proper functioning of the body.

As it is a balanced diet is necessary for everyone, especially if you are trying to lose weight.

Weight Lose- Rice Diet

With waistline of the average American increasing day by day, we also come across a number of fad diets on a regular basis. An important name in this ever increasing list of fad diets is the Rice diet. As it is, rice is a cereal, which is enjoyed by a large number of people, particularly among Asians, for whom, rice forms the staple diet.

Rice is a good source of insoluble fiber, which is excellent in keeping away constipation, as well as other bowel disorders. It is also a rich source of carbohydrates, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, as well as Niacin. Along with them, rice also provides you with fat, protein, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium.

The Rice diet came into light in the late 1930’s, when a German physician, Dr. Walter Kempner, came up with his findings on the rice diet. The diet was originally composed of cooked rice, fruit, sugar, and tea. It was originally formulated for patients, with severe kidney disease; and later, was used to treat patients with diabetic retinopathy, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

During this period, Kempner found that the Rice Diet also helped people in losing weight. This theory was based on the study of a number of his patients. The most famous in this list was the case of the wife of Martha Williams, a diabetic who weighed 219 pounds when she came to Dr.Kempner. After about nineteen weeks, she was reported to having lost 80 pounds. Not just that, her blood sugar too dropped to normal levels.

Along with that, there were, a number of other famous cases, where patients were reported to have lost several pounds over a very short period of time. With these revelations, the rice diet became extremely popular, since it was based on a diet, which had ample rice in it and rice is a food, which most people enjoy.

However, it was soon realized that, the main reason for weight loss in a rice diet was the fact, that, it was rather low in sodium. As a result, patients would often go in a state of Diuresis, which resulted in the increased secretion of urine. So, you do not actually lose fat, you only lose water; and even if this weight loss may count up to twenty pounds in the first few days, you will soon regain this weight, as soon as you go back to your old eating habits.

It was also stated that, the rice diet was also low in iron, calcium, zinc,vitamins B12 and D, and protein. More than that, you cannot totally stay away from dairy products and eliminate them from your diet, simply because, they are a rich source of calcium.

The rice diet soon faded into oblivion, with the passage of time, although you may still find many people, who would vouch for its success.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Weight Loss Psychology: Easier Dieting Tips

Weight loss is a slow and gradual process; and it does not happen in one day. Therefore, you must remember that your steps should be slow and steady. The most common mistake, which most people make, is to have too high expectations from themselves. They prepare unrealistic diet charts which soon reduce into a worthless piece of paper.

Another important aspect, of a diet regime, which does not find place in almost any diet chart, is self motivation. It has to be remembered that you have the chance of losing weight, only as long as you are motivated.

The following are a few diet tips that can help you lose weight:

1. Instead of a large meal, it is better to go for smaller meals. Smaller meals keep you full and lower your chances of overeating. They also have a psychological effect, which saves you from overeating.

2. Drinking a glass of water, before your meal, would increase the metabolism rate of your body. However, more than that, it also has a psychological effect. When you drink a glass of water, it tricks your body into curbing the hunger pangs, making you feel full and save you from overeating. Also, a glass of chilled water would lower your body temperature and your body will have to burn a few extra calories, to get it back to the normal level.

3. Avoiding fatty foods in your diet would be an important step in posting a psychological win. By opting for a balanced diet, with lots of fruits and green leafy vegetables, you feel healthier. However, you should see to it that under no circumstances, should you ever feel that you are punishing yourself. Nowadays, you have a lot many fat free options, such as sugar free chocolate cakes and so on.

4. Soda drinks should be the last thing on earth, which you should ever have, especially, if you are actually interested in weight loss. The fact, that soda drinks have high sugar content; makes it an important cause for weight gain. Apart from that, soda drinks also have high content of carbon dioxide, which is a major factor in lowering down the metabolism rate of your body. So, the next time you feel like going for one, you should remember the fact that, it is so much harmful for you. And every time you stop yourself from having one, your motivation level too would rise to an absolutely new level.

5. Another important diet tip is to have a high content of citrus fruits, in your diet. Citrus fruits play a very important role in cutting down your fat. Oranges, lemon, grapefruit, mandarins and tangerine are some of the examples of citrus fruits, which should be part of your diet. Apart from their fat loss properties, citrus fruits have high antioxidant levels, which help in lowering fatigue. As you stay more energetic, it would also show on your motivation level as well.

As explained earlier, dieting has more to do with your mind than your body. That is why, you need to be realistic in your approach, as well as follow a strict reward and punishment policy for yourself.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Disadvantages of Weight Loss Pills

In the current times, a dream, which most people share, is that of the perfect body. With stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, showing up their perfectly chiseled body, along with the likes of Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez, oozing with the oomph factor; a lot many girls and boys, along with their parents have started looking for ways, to get that perfect body.

Now, the biggest problem in this situation is the fact, that, not many people are actually interested in the hard way; and therefore they go for an easier way of losing weight. Weight loss pills are the most common method that these people usually go for.

However, these weight loss pills usually have a number of disadvantages. Some of these disadvantages are as follows:

1. A major drawback of these weight loss pills is the lack of monitoring by the Food and Drug Administration department, which makes the manufacturers of these pills, to overlook the normal standards setup for the usual drugs and other medications.

Lack of proper administration in this regard, may be mainly attributed to the fact that a majority of these pills claim to de herbal in nature. This means that, they do not fall in the normal drug and medication category.

2. Another major drawback in case of weight loss pills is that, you may eventually get addicted, to the weight loss pills and may find it hard to quit them. As it is, in most of the cases, people get addicted to these pills and usually find themselves, physically and emotionally dependant on these pills. Long term usage of such pills may aggravate the situation; and since, weight loss is a continuous process, these pills may spell doom for you.

3. Another major disadvantage of these pills is that, they may not actually cure your problem and ultimately, all you lose is money; whereas you intended on losing weight. Now, you can not even sue the manufacturing company, as it has already written it in a very fine print on the pack- RESULTS MAY VARY. So, you do not have any legal course of action left with you.

4. Apart from all these demerits, these weight loss pills may trigger a number of side effects in those, who use these pills. As in many cases, people have reported of cramping and diarrhea, along with abnormal blood pressure. Prolonged usage of these pills, may cause, further side effects, which may be much graver.

Despite the number of disadvantages, these pills pose, the number of users for such pills is increasing day by day. A major reason for this may be the lack of time, to follow a rigorous exercise routine. However, before, you actually go for a weight loss pill, you must always make sure, that these pills have been manufactured, by a reputed firm.