Fat Loss 4 Idiots Opinion

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Time to Call Time On Diets - It's Goodbye to Diets!

By Henry John

There is a very interesting report in a recent edition of The New England Journal of Medicine has found that it really doesn't matter whether you go on a low carb diet, a high protein diet, a low fat diet an Atkins diet, a Zone diet or even an Ornish diet, it all boils down to the number of calories you take in and the number of calories you expend...so it's calories in and calories out. Goodbye to diets then?

This study took place over two years and involved over 800 people so it was a pretty broad study. What all the groups found in the study was that their weight came back again in varying degrees. This is a similar experience to a larger study by researchers at UCLA who found that over 95% of people who went on a diet never achieved permanent weight loss.

It's becoming more and more obvious that diets really don't work. They don't supply any form of structure for the dieter either. Structure and support are essential for a successful outcome.

Most diet books, Atkins included are over-complicated and difficult to follow. Not everybody who wants to lose weight has a university degree! Weight loss programs need to be clear and simple to follow.

If you're thinking of losing weight then you really don't want to go on a diet - certainly if you want to lose weight permanently - and who doesn't!

It is of course about calories in and calories out and this can be put into a very simple and structured format of habits, slim habits, habits that include what you eat and how much you eat. Habits about calories and about exercise. Only by learning new habits can you get rid of your old bad habits and achieve permanent weight loss. - 17269

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Are Liquid Vitamins Good For You?

By Marissa Plothrakinnue

There is more than one way to get the vitamins and minerals which are necessary to keep our bodies in good working order. We need these vitamins and other nutrients to stay in good health and while by far the most common method of taking in these nutrients is through the foods that we eat, it can be difficult to get enough of these important nutrients through diet alone.

There are different ways to take vitamin supplements and one of the more popular methods is to take liquid vitamins. But are there any disadvantages to taking vitamins in liquid form; and if so, are these outweighed by the advantages which liquid vitamins offer? In this article, we'll answer these questions.

Easier Vitamin Absorption for Kids

While liquid vitamins are not exactly delicious like the sweet, flavored chewable children's vitamins on the market, the nutrients which they contain are much more easily absorbed.

Liquid vitamins are a good option for adults who have lost their ability to control their jaws due to illness or have difficulty digesting other forms of vitamin supplements.

Liquid Vitamins are More Effective

Unlike vitamin tablets or pills, the nutrients in liquid vitamins are almost instantly taken up into the bloodstream and used by the body. The rate of absorption with liquid vitamins is between 90% and 98%. The concentration of liquid vitamins is as much as three times higher than that found in other types of vitamin supplements, so there are more of the essential nutrients to begin with.

Antioxidants and Liquid Vitamins

One question which many have about liquid vitamins is if they contain antioxidants, such as the vitamins A, C and E which are common ingredients in vitamin supplements.

As it happens, liquid vitamins contain all three of these essential antioxidant vitamins. These are incredibly important antioxidants to our health and our bodies cannot produce them on their own, making these an essential part of any liquid vitamins.

Liquid Vitamins and Digestive Acids

Some have said that liquid vitamins cannot be effective because they are destroyed by digestive acids and that the body cannot take up these nutrients as part of the digestive process. Of course, if it were true that digestive acids destroyed vitamins, we'd all be suffering from vitamin deficiencies! As it happens, vitamins are actually much easier to absorb in liquid form than from tablets and pills.

Before your body can derive any benefit from vitamin supplements in pill or tablet form, the tablet or pill must first be broken down by the digestive system. The result is that often as little as 30% of the nutrients in these supplements are available to the body. However, liquid vitamins are easily absorbed with 90% and up being taken up almost immediately.

Liquid vitamins are not destroyed by the digestive process; the function of your digestion is to break down food and allow your body to use the nutrients contained.

Liquid Vitamins: Toxic or Not?

You may have also heard it stated that liquid vitamins contain toxic amounts of colloidal minerals - is there any truth to this claim?

The fact is that there is no food which does not contain some trace amount of minerals. In fact, many minerals are also essential nutrients. Even those which are not essential are in small quantities which are not toxic. Let's take an apple for example. An average apple contains about 21 micrograms of aluminum (which shouldn't surprise you - aluminum is one of the most common elements). However, have you heard anyone warning you away from eating apples? Quite the opposite is the case.

Liquid vitamins do contain trace minerals, which does not mean that they are bad for your health. A lot of the trace minerals found in liquid vitamins are actually important nutrients.

You Have a Choice

It all comes down to a matter of personal choice - you can opt for liquid vitamins or take vitamin supplements in pill or tablet form; it depends on which is best for you in particular. - 17269

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First Acai Berry Research is Inconclusive

By Terry Halford

Acai berry research is just starting to get into gear now. For such an obscure plant, found only deep in the amazon, this is actually quite an achievement! Of course, having hundreds of celebrities and thousands of people of high standing in North America all insist that the acai berry has helped boost their metabolism and/or helped them lose weight may have something to do with this success. No matter where you look on TV, in magazines and on the internet, there are multiple ads making these claims. There are innumerable reports available on research of the acai berry. The acai berry is harvested in Brazil, and a few other countries in South America, from the acai palm, which grows on the banks of the amazon river. Naturally, Brazil is the head runner in the farming and production of this berry and its products.

There are so many different reports, almost all claiming something different on what the antioxidant value of the acai berry is. One report states that it is lower in antioxidants than the list of fruits already on the high-antioxidant value list. Another report denies this fact and says it is equivalent or higher in value than the fruits on this list. Actual product marketing naturally shows it to be much higher still.

Naturally, all fruits and vegetables are more nutritious if you can get them fresh. However getting the acai berry fresh in the United States, or really anywhere outside of Brazil, is a big problem. This is because it cannot last long enough to ship it in the fresh form, so they have found a way to condense it to powder as a freeze dried form. The problem with this is that the manufacturers are not making the pure form. They are adding bulk ingredients to make the product stretch further and up their profits. They are adding preservatives to give it a longer shelf life. Like with any other product, it has become all about the money.

Since the acai berry cannot be grown in the United States and has to be exported, it is questionable if the US FDA will approve it deny it. Why should they, when it can't even be grown here? Right now distribution and approval of exporting the berry is under the jurisdiction of the Brazilian government. Since the FDA is not getting involved in the production of this berry at this time, there will not likely be any forth coming official reports from them on the real nutritional value of this fruit.

A professor at the University of Florida has recently done a study on the effects of acai on leukemia. His results show that it caused 81% of the leukemia cells to self destruct in his test tubes. Some researchers are even claiming that their studies are showing that acai may very well be a super drug that will cure almost any ailment or disease... Repeating their results in other labs is the hard part, of course.

The FDA has gully authorized the use of labeling claims that plant sterols reduce the risk of heart disease. Several of the acai berry research reports claim that acai is very high in plant sterols, and would be very effective in stopping coronary heart disease. This seems to be the one fact that has no opposition in the whole world of acai berry research. - 17269

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If you want to build muscle, you have to have a plan

By Jon Cardozo

When you first decide to begin a weight gaining program, the first things that you think about are probably the workout routines, the supplements, and your nutrition plan. However, before you get too involved in the details of gaining weight and building lean muscle mass, you should take some time to identify your motivation and set some goals for yourself. Obviously, you're going to need a lot of knowledge to succeed in this new endeavor, and that knowledge will focus around what to eat, what supplements to take, and what kind of workout program you should follow.

Before you begin to obtain this new knowledge, understanding the motivation behind your goals could actually be quite helpful. Lack of knowledge can make you fail, but a lack of planning and not really knowing why you're doing something can ultimately lead to failure as well.

So, why not start off by defining exactly what it is that you want? Now, obviously we're referring to a weight training program, but this can apply to any area of your life. With regards to building muscle, decide what you want in terms of your future weight and body fat percentage.

You may need some professional help from a physician and/or personal trainer in order to set your realistic goal based on your current circumstances. Be sure to break the school into smaller goals to make it easier to achieve.

Like we said before, knowing why you want something is pretty important. Knowing your motivation should not be underestimated if you want to succeed in building muscle.

When you start a new project you'll probably be pretty excited to get going. However, you'll almost certainly reach a point when things get tougher and you start to doubt your goal.

When this happens, you must return to the original reason that you wanted to gain muscle. Did you want to look more attractive? Do you want to be more physically fit so you could participate in sports? This is where you have to decide for yourself what exactly your motivation is. By the way, intrinsic motivation is far superior to extrinsic motivation. What does this mean?

Obstacles are inevitable when you set a big goal, and building more muscular physique is probably going to be a pretty big goal for you. Starting off on the right path by knowing exactly what you want and why will go a long way toward helping you achieve success. - 17269

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What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

By Katie A. Price

A common disorder of the colon is known as irritable bowel syndrome. Men and women are often both affected by this disorder, yet little is known about the reason for its occurrence. A patient with irritable bowel syndrome manifests signs and symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramping, bloatedness, and even episodes of diarrhea and constipation. Some would associate its occurrence to taking in milk and milk products.

Patients with this type of disorder shouldn't be alarmed of their overall health condition because it is not as serious as it seems. However, when speaking in terms of comfort, these patients would likely feel a lot of discomfort. A good example of these discomforts is an uncontrollable diarrhea that can happen anytime the colon is triggered.

Diarrhea experienced by patients with irritable bowel syndrome is the same as the diarrhea experienced by others. Stools are often soft, loose and watery. Once a person feels the need to defecate, it can't be controlled no matter how much effort you put in controlling it. Another symptom that causes disturbance in the normal living is the alternating episodes of diarrhea and constipation.

A hypersensitive gut is often the reason that experts say irritable bowel syndrome occurs. However, the exact reason for this hypersensitivity is still unknown. Whether, it is bacterial or structural, experts have not yet found it out. Hypersensitivity occurs when foods that trigger it are ingested by the patient. The colon reacts by moving undesirably causing a disturbance in the normal gastric motility.

For a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome to be made, a physician has to rely on the patient's manifestations of signs and symptoms. The disorder, being called a syndrome, is described as a group of signs and symptoms occurring altogether creating a medical condition. Diagnostic procedures are no longer needed because there is nothing to look at in the colon.

Because irritable bowel syndrome is often linked to sensitivity to dairy products, specialists have formulated that people with irritable bowel syndrome are usually those who have lactose intolerance as well. Because of this, physicians would recommend a lactose free diet to avoid triggering the spastic colon reaction. Experts have also found out that there is an increased sensitivity to fat in patients with irritable bowel syndrome; therefore, fat is also eliminated in their diet.

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are often told to eat vegetables because these are high in fiber. Fiber aids in the process of digestion and it also gives a cleansing effect in the colon. Fiber causes bulk in the stool that helps in relieving loose diarrhea. With adequate water intake, fiber can also prevent the occurrence of constipation.

Upon the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, you need to know that you have to change a lot of things in your lifestyle. If you're the type of person who would rather eat fast food than eat healthy foods, then you better start eating nutritious foods now because this will be very helpful to you to avoid experiencing the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. - 17269

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Research Finds Acai Fruit Berry Compunds are Effective in Cancer Study

By Dr. Jerimiah Crossderd

A science study set up by researchers identifies mechanisms of acai fruit berry provide chemo preventive potential that may possibly help out in the potential removal of cancer.

Researchers acknowledged that anthocyanins which are a collection of flavonoids originating in acai berry fruit, prohibited development and encouraged apoptosis in the throats of rats treated with an esophageal carcinogen. The finding provides robust verification that anthocyanins are fundamental for cancer prevention.

The researchers fed rats an anthocyanin-rich extract of acai fruit and documented that the compound was right away efficient in relation to as successful in hindering esophageal cancer in rats and as a sum total acai fruit berry contained the same absorption of anthocyanins.

This lesson shows the overall value of anthocyanins as protecting agents in acai fruit and confirming the same results. This study was amid the foremost studies to take a look at the relationship involving anthocyanins as a cancer hindrance.

The researchers created a series of scientific trials by using the entire acai fruit berry powder, which has shown some promising results however required patients to obtain up to 60 grams of powder a day.

Now that it is understood anthocyanins in acai fruit berries are roughly as vigorous as whole acai fruit berry themselves, it is the anticipation of the researchers to be able to thwart cancer in humans using a standardized creation of anthocyanin.

The aspiration is to potentially substitute whole acai berry fruit powder by way of its active compounds and consequently create enhanced ways to allocate these components to tissues, to supplement their uptake and effectiveness.

In the end, it is the expectation of the researchers to test the anthocyanins for helpfulness in several organ sites in humans.

Acai fruit is about the breadth of a robust blueberry on the other hand only the outermost layers of the fruit, the pulp bordering a large internal seed, are fit to be eaten. Similar to vitamin C, the body can only soak up so much at a occasion - 17269

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How to Get a Flat Stomach and Burn Belly Fat

By Ricardo d Argence

The secret to burning belly fat and getting a flat stomach is a combination of three things, mindset, diet, and exercise. I have read many articles that emphasize diet and exercise, but if someone tries to induce these two things without having the proper mindset, they will always fail.

Prior to deciding about a new life pattern, you ought to consider a complete examination of the body and mind. Think seriously about why you want to be thinner and what's stopped you in the past, then come to terms with the fact that you need to change your habits in order to get a flatter stomach.

It is essential to have a proper diet. If you drink coffee, try drinking it black instead of with sugar. Start with a good, healthy breakfast, and make sure your lunch and dinner are reasonable and healthy. Try to stay away from fast foods for lunch. Quick, junk food items are loaded with preservative ingredients and calories, and overconsumption of them is bad for health.

Don't drink soda pop or anything that has a high sugar content. Instead, try drinks that have a natural sugar content, like fruit juices. Instead of eating potato chips with your lunch, try eating raw vegetables. You will have more energy, and you might just find them delicious.

For dinner, it's still okay to eat some of your favorite foods a couple of days a week, so long as you cut down on your portions. Don't go back for seconds. Calories store up in your fat cells while you are sleeping, so never under any circumstances snack after dinner.

You should exercise every day, but don't do the same exercises every day. Don't try to do too much at first, take a short walk, do a few sit-ups, etc.

When I mention daily workouts, I'm not referring to strenuous daily workouts. The hard exercises should be limited to at least every other day. When you have a day 'off' the routine, make tiny efforts like using a staircase rather than an escalator on the job, or try mowing the lawn.

Working your abdominal muscles is the only way to get better abs. Sit-ups can help with this, but if you don't perform them correctly, you can damage your back. To avoid this, ensure to do at least ten minutes of stretching before going into the hard stuff. There are lots of equipment you can buy to work on your abs without hurting your back.

You should stay with an exercise program that you enjoy. Don't fool yourself into believing that if you skip a workout, you can make it up next time. You will be comming up with all sorts of reasons why you don't need or can not work out.

Make sure you have a scale and are keeping track of how you are doing. When you see yourself losing weight you will be encouraged to keep going. If you're not getting the outcome you want change your dining habits and the routine of your workouts. Remember, you're not the first person in the world that made the commitment to burn off that fat and enjoy a new, flat stomach. - 17269

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Healthy Dieting Tips, How to Lose Body Fat

By Ricardo d Argence

Skipping meals is a classic example of an ineffective weight loss tactic. It is a natural thought to think that "the less you eat the more you lose." Actually, the opposite is true. If we don't consume sufficient amounts of food in the course of the day, our systems turn into minimal-energy, appetite-crazed, fat-storage machinery.

Sometimes referred to it as famine response, is the reason for this phenomenon. The body itself does not know when you will have your food next, and adjusts appropriately if you go without eating for a lengthy duration.

You body does not want to starve so it clings to evey bit of fat. You are drained of all strength when your fat-exhausting mechanism becomes very sluggish.

You can solve this issue by eating a small meal every three hours. Many people worry that eating this amount of food will cause them to pack on the pounds, and it certainly would if they were eating the wrong kinds of food. You energy will be increased and this will help you burn more fat and calories every day.

You eat a lot more frequent so it is OK if your meals are small you won't feel hungry. Make sure that the foods you choose are healthy and boost your metabolism to encourage your weight loss. Some great foods for raising your metabolism are grapefruit, apples, pears, oatmeal, lean turkey, low-fat yogurt, and hot peppers.

Drinking lots of water helps in losing weight by increasing your metabolism. When you drink a lot of water (at least 9 8-oz glasses) it suppresses your diet and keeps you from being really hungry at meal time. It is actually our body trying to tell us that it needs fluids,often when we think we are hungry.

Water also acts to flush the bad toxins out of your body and reduce bloating. If you are unable to drink all of that water, try drinking green tea in place of some of the water. It also does wonders for increasing your metabolism rate.

Unbelievably, eating more food is able to help you with losing weight. In fact, if you just can't get past that plateau try taking a few more calories for a few days in order to get your metabolism back up to speed.

After your body adjusts you will start burning up the fuel to create extra energy. You need to put that energy into workout and exercise. Don't be surprised if you lose weight sooner than you expected to. - 17269

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The Noni Tree's Many Uses

By Will Qualls

Grown in hot, humid tropical climates, usually in black lava soil beds, along sandy, rocky, or lava-ash covered beaches, in the rich soils of shade forests, and in limestone outcrops is where we can find the noni tree. It averages a height of around 30 feet. It is native mostly to the Hawaiian Islands but can also be found in Polynesia, the Dominican Republic, Asia, Tahiti and the Pacific Islands. This plant comes from the Rubiaceae Family, the coffee tree family.

The Noni tree has many names including Morinda Citrifolia, great morinda, Indian mulberry, mengkudu, and beach mulberry. This tree produces flowers and fruits all year long. The fruit is known as Cheese fruit because of the smell it produces when it is ripening. The fruit is white with a tough skin that looks like a cross between a pineapple and a gourd. It really isn't a pretty fruit and if you didn't know what it was you would probably be very skeptical about eating it. The fruit has many seeds inside, and is nicknamed starvation fruit because it tastes pretty bad by itself too. Admittedly, Noni is more popular for its juice than for its fruit.

The whole fruit and powder has large levels of dietary fiber and carbohydrates. It also contains many Vitamins, such as Iron, Potassium, Vitamin A, and Calcium. Additionally, the fruit contains fatty acids, polysaccharides, flavanoids, phytoestrogens, and indoids.

Noni also has trace amounts of beta-sitosterol which is an anti-cholesterol agent. The fruit, leaves, and bark are all used in many health food manufacturers and countries for herbal and natural healing remedies. In China, Samoa, Japan and Tahiti, they use the flowers, fruit, bark, leaves, and roots for herbal remedies that treat or cure fever, eye problems, skin ailments, throat gum maladies, bowel and intestine problems and respiratory malfunctions.

The leaves of the noni tree are used in Malaysia as a poultice on the chest to relieve coughs, nausea and colic. The fruit is used in Indochina for lumbago, asthma, and dysentery. It is also made into a poultice an applied to broken bones to help relieve pain.

In Ancient times, tribes carried this fruit with them whenever they went on long voyages or journeys because of its healthful properties. It was given the name of the Queen Fruit because of its attributes. It was also called the 'canoe fruit,' because they carried it in their canoes everywhere they went. - 17269

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Advanced Wellness Research Information

By Linda Kemp

Ever since I first noticed signs of aging, I've been looking for a way to keep the progression of the aging process under control. Specifically, I've been looking for a natural dietary supplement that would be able to minimize the aches and pains that my body has been accumulating, renew my libido to the vigor that I enjoyed back in my twenties, help me to keep my weight under control, and stave off the kinds of chronic disease conditions that I'm more likely to have to deal with as I age. I've actually found something that can do all of those things. It's called the acai berry and it's available in the form of Pure Acai Berry which is a completely natural nutritional supplement.

When I first heard about the acai berry I did a little bit of research. It turns out that the acai berry isn't really a brand new discovery. Of course it's only recently been introduced to American society, but the natives of the Brazilian rain forest where the acai palm grows have been taking advantage of this fruit for thousands of years. The proof that the acai berry is so effective at maintaining human health can be seen in the fact that the natives of that rain forest are some of the healthiest people on the planet!

Of course acai palms won't grow very well in North America, but we can still enjoy the benefits of their fruit through the use of Pure Acai Berry. Pure Acai Berry concentrates all of the beneficial parts of the acai berry into a supplement that is easy to use and affordable. It basically contains all of the antioxidants, minerals, fiber, and omega three fatty acids of the acai berry in a form that stores well and is easy to add to any diet.

When I first incorporated the acai berry into my diet I started noticing measurable improvements to my health almost immediately! I began sleeping more soundly, my mind was sharper, I had more energy and my energy level was more consistent over the course of the day. It didn't take me much longer to notice that my joints ached less, my sex drive had improved, and that I could keep my weight more consistent with less effort!

The most profound effect that the acai berry has had on me is that it has given me a greater ability to control my own life. This comes from a variety of different properties of the acai berry. For example, the fact that it lets me sleep more soundly means that I don't need to spend as much time in bed in order to get the rest that I need. This in turn allows me to get up earlier in the morning so that I can take care of extra business, eat a healthier breakfast, and possibly even get some exercise before going to work. While I'm at work, I definitely notice the improved mental acuity that the acai berry has given me, and I feel less of a compulsion to get into the ubiquitous donuts in between meals! The fact that I have more energy has allowed me to cut back on the coffee at work, and after work I still have plenty of energy to get some more exercise and to take the time to prepare a healthy meal!

Everything has definitely been better for me since I started taking Pure Acai Berry! - 17269

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