Diet Tips and Fitness Advice

It seems like most fat loss programs focus on one main thing: To burn fat, you have to expend more energy than you take in. Such a focus makes sense of course, because if there is a universal truth to fat loss, that’s it.

 

This is what we call “energy balance”. In order to lose fat, you have to create what we call “energy debt” or “energy deficit” – that is, eliminate the balance and instead be on the negative side of the balance scales.

 

Of course, that works very well for “beginning” fat. However, success doesn’t last forever.

 

As anyone who’s ever been on a diet and exercise program of any kind can tell you, at first it’s pretty smooth sailing. Eat less, do more, lose fat. And then it stops! And as those same people can also tell you, it usually stops suddenly.

 

Of course, the first instinct people have is a very natural one… To simply do more of what was bringing them success in the first place.

 

So they eat even less and do even more.

 

And… have no results.

 

You see, what these people fail to realize (and what most fat loss programs fail to address) is after a certain point, simple energy deficit

 

no longer covers the tab. It becomes more about what type of deficit.

 

Speaking generally, you actually have to eat closer to maintenance calorie levels (instead of far below) and expend more Calories through exercise. Even then, things don’t always happen as quickly as you want.

 

You see, once you’ve hit a fat loss plateau or when you’re trying to lose the last few pounds (like I was when I was dieting for the beach house), fat loss becomes less about energy balance a lot more about hormones.

 

You see, some hormones, such as leptin, actually control the majority of your general fat loss efforts and all of the factors thereof: Appetite, satiety, “starvation mode”. However, assuming you’re eating enough and trying to create an energy deficit through training, leptin isn’t the issue.

 

In Final Phase Fat Loss, you’re never on a severe diet, so you don’t have to worry about Leptin.

 

There are other hormones which are a bit more insidious in their effects on your physique. They don’t just determine IF you gain fat-they determine where you gain it, and whether you’re able to lose it from those areas.

 

Those “problem” areas on your body are there for a reason.

 

 

“Problem areas” are created by your hormonal environment, and it’s your hormones that force your body to have particular fat storage patterns.

 

 

In this article, we’re going to talk about the three most common types of regional fat storage, and the hormones that cause them.

 

Back Got Back: Low Body Fat Storage

 

One of the most common types of fat storage that we see in women is the “pear shape” -fairly thin on top but heavy on the bottom (and IN the bottom, if you know what I mean).

 

 

 

This is so common that we often refer to a “pear shape” as a body type. This is true to an extent, but this type of fat storage is also heavily dependent on the female sex hormone estrogen. This is one reason why you see this type of fat storage primarily in women.

 

 

High levels of estrogen are awesome for enjoying Grey’s Anatomy and makin’ babies, but terrible for fat loss, which makes it obvious that women usually have more trouble losing fat than men.

 

 

 

However, anyone -male or female- with high estrogen levels will have trouble losing fat, especially from the lower body. In essence, the higher your estrogen levels, the greater the likelihood you’ll store fat in your lower body; mainly in the hips and thighs.

 

And yes, it IS possible for men to have high estrogen levels.

 

 

Unfortunately, outside of having to deal with a declined rate of fat loss and lower body fat, these guys ALSO have to deal with the ignominy of man-boobs.

 

 

On the whole, estrogen related fat storage is a pain in the ass (get it!?) but it is not completely unmanageable. You see, you can offset this phenomenon with certain types of training.

 

 

In addition to helping you lose fat stored in the lower body, these specifically designed workouts will also be great for fat loss in general. Essentially, they’re great for burning calories and for shedding lower body fat through estrogen management-combine the two and the result is rapid fat loss, with a heavy concentration on lower body fat stores.

 

No worries, ladies (and gents!), I’m here to help.

 

 

Muffin Tops: No Love for the Love Handles

 

Probably my least favorite incarnation of regional fat storage is love handle and lower back fat. This is, of course, because I personally suffer from such.

 

 

Even when I am in lean condition -I’m talking shredded pretty much everywhere else- I store some fat in my love handles and lower back. It used to take me an extra 3 weeks to get rid of it.

 

 

The reason I tend to store fat this way is because of how my body reacts to certain hormones, and because of the effect those hormones have on fat storage.

 

 

When I was a fat kid and ate lots and lots of goodies, I screwed by my endocrine system a wee bit. Nothing too serious, but a decade of eating rapidly digesting carbs followed by… well, followed by more rapidly digesting carbs made my insulin spike and crash and spike and crash all over the place.

 

 

On top of making me fat in that immediacy, it also completely had a pretty negative effect on the way my body processes and handles insulin period.

 

 

The degree to which you are able to process and respond to glucose (sugar) in your body is called insulin sensitivity. The higher this is, the easier and more efficiently your body utilizes carbohydrates for energy, and the less like you are to store carbs as fat.

 

 

On the other hand, insulin resistance is the opposite: You don’t deal well with carbs, and anything other than a low carb diet pretty much means you’re gonna hang on to some fat.

 

 

And, to make matters worse, as I mentioned previously, there are regional effects. It’s been shown that people who store fat in the love handles are generally very insulin resistant -and therefore it can be reasoned that insulin resistance leads to love handle and lower back fat storage.

 

 

Which means, of course, that insulin resistance makes it very hard to lose fat from that area as well.

 

 

 

 

I’m sure many of you out there who have been heavy before are experiencing much the same problems that I used to have.

 

 

The good news is that insulin resistance (and the resulting regional fatness) can be mitigated with certain types of training. For example, with careful planning and selection of exercises, you can start to whittle away at love handle and lower back fat while you increase insulin sensitivity.

 

 

The better news is that I’ve figured out a specific series of training sessions that will do just that.

 

The One, The Only: Belly Fat

 

Without question, the most common type of regional fat storage is belly fat. If this isn’t you, it’s someone you know.

 

Abdominal fat storage obviously has a lot to do with your diet and overall body fat level; that should be obvious but it never hurts to touch on it.

 

Outside of that, it’s hormones baby, hormones.

 

The one we’re talking about here is cortisol. This hormone has been in the media a lot the past few years, and I’ve talked about it a bit, so by now you know that cortisol is sometimes called a “stress” hormone.

 

That moniker is more appropriate than you know.

Basically, that means your body will produce cortisol (and encourage belly fat storage) under conditions of nearly any type of stress -both emotional and physical. So to combat cortisol, it’s not enough to just get more sleep or stop drunk dialing your ex-girlfriend. (Although that helps, I’ve heard.)

 

Instead, it is of far greater effect to combat cortisol through resistance training.

 

Now, if you’re observant, you may have noticed what seems to be a contradiction.

 

As I said, cortisol is also produced through physical stress. In fact, training is actually one of the primary means through which your body will produce this sneaky little hormone. Additionally, because cortisol has been linked to overtraining and has a catabolic (muscle wasting) effect, producing too much of it through training is certainly counterproductive.

 

It’s important to note, however, that long duration cardio and extended lifting sessions are what produce the most cortisol, and I always recommend against those.

 

Instead, short, intense training sessions using a particular type of training modality will help to counteract the effects of cortisol; both the muscle wasting effect, and the cortisol related belly fat storage.

 

Are you ready to fight these hormones?

 

Click here to learn more and find out about using specific types of training to combat the nefarious three hormonal nemeses by producing hormones that offset the effects of estrogen, insulin, and cortisol.

 

Cross the finish line, and get to the Final Phase!

 

John Romaniello

 

Final Phase Fat Loss

Do you really need weight loss motivation? How important is diet motivation before you start?

When you made the decision to lose weight, you probably felt a buzz of excitement. Unfortunately, the first rush of enthusiasm doesn’t take long to wear off. That vision you had of yourself as a fit, hot, sexy, thin, vibrant, healthy person begins to fade into the background.

 

 

Exercising becomes a tedious chore.

 

A juicy hamburger with biggie-sized fries starts to sound a whole lot more appealing than a salad garnished with a few pitiful strips of chicken.

 

The road to weight loss stretches further and further ahead, until following it to the end seems like a hopeless task. So how do you stay on track?

 

What you need is some good weight loss motivation.

 

It is considered very wise and intelligent that you get your mind in right fame before you begin any diet. Not feeling good about whom you are may not let you choose healthy and nutritional food for yourself. Dieting will improve your self-esteem. Having a positive self-image is a key to choosing health foods to eat for any diet.

 

You are sabotaging your own weight loss efforts!

 

You set unreasonable goals, and if you do not meet them, you give up. Instead of having the all or nothing frame of mind with dieting, you should think of it as making little choices that are going to help you improve your overall health and get you on your way to meeting your goals. This approach is going to give you better results.

 

To begin with, set a definite goal. Saying “I want to lose weight” isn’t enough. How much weight do you want to lose, and when? “I want to lose 80 pounds in 12 months” is much more concrete and gives you something tangible to work for.

 

It helps if you write down your goal and make a contract with yourself. Tell other people, too: Your friends, your family, your co-workers.

 

Next, track your progress by keeping a weight loss journal. Whenever you gain or lose weight, write it down. Did you exercise? Write down what you did and for how long. What did you eat? Write it down. These little things have a big impact in the long run, yet they’re so easy to forget about once you actually do them. Going back and reading previous diary entries will give you an accurate picture of how far you’ve come and what’s holding you back.

 

 

Take before and after pictures. While watching the number on the scale go down is exciting, it’s even more rewarding to see visible results as your figure shrinks. Take a picture of yourself the way you look now. As you make progress, you’ll clearly see the difference.

 

 

Diets are not supposed to treat food as the enemy. Food can never be our enemy.

 

 

Remember that, when you are on a diet you’ll feel and do better if you can eat the foods you love. There are many foods that you eat every day that are terrific fat burners, you just have to know how to combine them with other foods for maximum results.

 

 

Thanks to the internet, now you can easily find an online plan that teaches you how to do that, and when to eat for the fastest weight loss: Fat Loss 4 Idiots. You can eat your favorite food and still lose weight, click here and discover how. No counting calories, no portion limits – hard to believe, right?

 

 

What about fitness? Find ways to make the process fun. Going to the gym and working with the same old exercise equipment can get boring, so why not try yoga instead? Sign up with a dance class, or play badminton. If you vary your routine and try new things, you’re more likely to stay active.

 

 

You might also consider investing in home fitness exercise videos and DVDs. This one is one of the most popular ideas for those who want to get fit and stay fit. These home workout DVDs allow you the convenience of exercising in the privacy of your own home. They can also give you an electronic “exercise buddy” who can help keep you inspired even on rainy days or “hot like hell” days when you don’t feel like exercising at all.

 

 

If you’d like to give this very popular idea a try and buy a home fitness workout program, we highly recommend you the best selling workout system, P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program. This one will cover everything you need if you want to have an electronic “exercise buddy” and a virtual “personal trainer” at the comfort of your home.

 

 

To get P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout at a special discount, click this link to order

 

 

By doing so, you will get P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program at a great bargain, plus free shipping via Super Saver Shipping promo program. If you buy via the link above, in addition to the 12 DVD workouts, the P90X comes with a comprehensive three-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide packed with valuable information on how to get the most from your program, a How to Bring It DVD that provides a quick overview of the system, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more.

 

 

Do you realize that you are very likely sabotaging your own fat loss process?

You’re actually supposed to be healthy and happy in life. Accept this truth and it’s simply a case of changing your mindset.

 

Do not let that vision you had of yourself as a fit, hot, healthy person fade into the background.

 

And finally, don’t forget to reward yourself. One of the reasons people fall off the weight loss wagon is that they fail to celebrate their victories.

 

 

We tend to think that accomplishing our goals should be its own reward, but sometimes we need to give ourselves a pat on the back. Whenever you lose 5 or 10 pounds, reward yourself by buying something you’ve been wanting, like a new book or a CD. Don’t forget to reward yourself for staying on track with your exercise regimen, too!

 

Now it’s time to… party!

 

While we’re on the topic of celebration, seriously consider throwing a party once you’ve reached an exercise milestone. You can serve nutritious snacks and beverages and even encourage your guests to come in their athletic wear in order to build upon the party’s theme. Sharing your joy can help to motivate you to continue your physical activities.

 

When you start associating these small victories with good things, you’ll enjoy the process even more.

 

There are no easy solutions for losing weight. It takes persistence and hard work. But if you set small goals for yourself, keep track of your progress, and celebrate your victories with little rewards, you’ll have an easier time sticking with your goal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re trying to lose weight, tracking weight loss is a must. Starting a weight loss journal is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It’s an eye-opening experience. You’ll become intimately familiar with your eating habits, and you’ll learn exactly how many calories you are consuming each day. Because it makes you to pay attention to what you are eating, you’ll automatically cut back on mindless snacking.

 

 

Keeping a weight loss journal is not only for those people who love to scrapbook. You can use different methods to start and keep your own food diary. For those who love to scrapbook, it may be easier because it’s like documenting trips, family events in daily life. Scrapbooking is not just for fun. People do it to keep records of their lives and share a piece of themselves with families, friends, others. Think it like that… Losing weight is a great challenge, and in the end it will be a great success that you would like to share with your family and friends.

 

You don’t need anything fancy to start a food journal. A simple spiral-bound notebook will do. However, you may find it easier to buy and use a journal designed especially for this purpose. A readymade food or diet journal will have a list of things for you to fill out (what you ate, when, whether you exercised, etc.), so the information is neatly organized for future reference. You’ll also be less likely to forget to write down something important.

 

If you want to buy a pre-designed readymade food journal (or food diary), I highly recommend you purchase online through Amazon at this link

 

 

Alternatively, you could record these details on the computer using Excel spreadsheets or with dieting software. Some people may tell you that how you do it doesn’t really matter. But I always like the easier and proven way (no need to reinvent the wheel). Of course, what’s important is finding the medium that’s comfortable and works for you. As long as you use it consistently, you’re doing fine. I like readymade weight loss journals (alternatively named as diet and fitness journal, diet and exercise journal, food diary etc.) better than spreadsheets, notebooks, software print-outs. Because they are small enough that I can carry them in my purse, and they have all the details I can’t think of by myself.

 

So, is there a right method of keeping a weight loss journal? After you eat something, write it down immediately. This is probably the most important thing if you success with your journal. Make note of the portion or serving size so that you can look up the calorie information in a nutrition book.

 

It’s also a good idea to note the time of day, how you were feeling, what you were doing, and who you were with. Over time you’ll start seeing a pattern: Maybe you eat more when you’re bored or when you hang around certain people! Once you know what your triggers are, you can plan ahead and make better eating choices.

 

 

Don’t cheat. Be sure to write down everything you consume, even if it’s just a couple of mints or a handful of raisins. The best way to stay on track and avoid “food amnesia” is to write it down what you ate immediately after the fact, even if it’s just on a napkin. You can always record it in your actual journal later. If you don’t write it down immediately, you’ll almost certainly forget to later, and you won’t get an accurate picture of your diet.

 

If you start a food diary and stick with it, you’ll be even more focused on your goal of losing weight. You’ll be armed with the knowledge you need to make better eating choices, and you’ll be able to avoid situations that lead to temptation.

 

 

Super veggies that aid weight loss

 

 

You’ve already heard that greens can really help you lose weight but you are a bit confused about this one, because you don’t see how they can help you burn the fat. Greens are great natural diuretics. What this means is that they help to accelerate the flow of water out of your body preventing your body from retaining water and creating that bloated look.

 

 

Greens including spinach, kale, lettuce, parsley, beet greens and water sprouts are all rich in the mineral potassium which prevents water retention by your body and encourages it to flush fluids and impurities from within.

 

 

Cucumber and asparagus are among the best greens for weight loss. Cucumbers are nearly 90% water and this will keep the body flushing fluids and feeling full. Try to consume them whenever you can. You may use them in your salads or on their own as a great snack. Asparagus is by far one of the best natural diuretic foods out there, it is recommended that you eat lots of it. Just a serving or two a day minimum will do your body wonders.

 

 

Greens are not only great weight loss agents but they are also better known for their many health promoting benefits. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre.

 

 

Even though people do not like to eat their greens, they are an important part of an effective, safe and healthy weight loss program and to good health.

 

 

How Can Salads Make You Fat?

 

 

We have been told that eating salads is good for us. However if you go to fast food places, you maybe better off getting a burger than a salad. On the surface of it a salad looks great, but if it suddenly has crumpled bacon, grated cheese and then you take all that salad dressing and pour on top of it. You can actually get more calories and more fat from the salad, than from just an ordinary burger.

 

 

Try our easy-to-prepare, low calorie, filling, quick and healthy salad recipes with easy-to-find ingredients. Click here

 

 

You are encouraged to find ways to spice up your salads and vegetables when you serve them so you do not get bored of them. But you should be aware of all the goods and bads. You should know what to eat and where.

 

 

Eating the right food is important but so is…

 

 

• when

• where

• how often

 

To make your vegetables and salads rich you can sprinkle a little lemon and herbs spices or even some fresh lemon and lime juice. You can also try many other different healthy cooking methods such as steaming to lightly cooked vegetables like broccoli and kale.

 

There are several ‘right’ vegetables you can eat as many as you want how many times you want it and not gain a pound. Not all the salads and vegetables can help you lose weight and keep you slim. This is because there are vegetables that are high in calories while there are also those which are low in calories.

 

What are these low calorie vegetables? What vegetables are low in carbs? What types of vegetables should be included in your diet? Click here to learn

 

 

 

 

Some types of vegetables are considered to have low calories and these are great to eat if you are dieting or you want to lose weight. These include carrots, cucumbers, radishes, fresh green beans, celery, cauliflower, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and lettuce. It is clear that you don’t have to go all green when you’re on a vegetable diet. Look at all the choices you can gather for yourself! These are not only containing the least calories, they are also packed with essential nutrients as well.

 

 

 

 

Do I need to be more specific? You probably heard that for those who are on a low carb diet munching on vegetables is the way to go. However, just as there are vegetables that contain low and high calories, there are also vegetables that are low and high in carbohydrates. Do not generalize that just because they are vegetables they are immediately low in carbohydrates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetables that are low in carbohydrates include but are not limited to:

 

 

• Sprouts

• Leafy greens

• Hearty greens

• Herbs

• Sea vegetables

• Broccoli

• Mushrooms

• Avocado

• Peppers

• Summer squash

• Scallions

• Asparagus

• Bamboo shoots

• Leeks

• Eggplants

• Artichoke hearts

• Okra

…and more.

 

 

Of course, low calorie vegetables are also low in carbs so you can take your pick.

 

To be cautious, here’s some of the vegetables that are starchy and are high in carbohydrates. These include beets, corn, parsnips, peas, all types of potatoes, and winter squashes.

 

 

Other types of vegetables that should be included in your diet are the ones which are full of fiber. But hey don’t be confused by this statement. Though vegetables in general are good sources of fiber, there are certain types of vegetables that contain more fiber than others. Examples of these rich in fiber vegetables include brussel sprouts, carrots, cooked beans and peas, and spinach. Cruciferous vegetables are also good sources of fiber such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

 

 

These vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber, which helps keep you feeling full and therefore makes it easier for you to resist eating too much food.

 

 

Generally, vegetables are not harmful to your weight loss efforts if you are on a diet. Again, keeping a few tips in mind to be careful is always better. You might have lost weight but you got sick in the process so what’s good in that? Here are a few tips:

 

 

• When you pick out vegetables, try to go to the organic produce section.

• If you can’t get hold of organically grown products then wash your vegetables thoroughly.

• Remember that, vegetables that are not organically grown contain pesticides which are harmful to your health.

• When you are picking out vegetables, choose the freshest among the lot. You can tell when it’s fresh if it’s brightly colored and are blemish-free or has the least amount of blemishes.

• In-season vegetables are guaranteed to be fresh so buying vegetables growing in their season is a good idea.

• You shouldn’t plan on storing vegetables for too long. Buy only the vegetables you plan to be eating in a few days. Other than that you should discard vegetables that have been stored too long.

• When you eat vegetables, try to leave as much edible skin on them as possible. The skin on vegetables contains their own nutrients which can benefit your health.

• Eating vegetables raw is also a good idea as cooking them can take away some of the nutrients and add fat from the oil you used.

 

Vegetables are great, quick and cheap alternatives to fatty foods that bring on the ounces on your weighing scale. Veggies are low in fat, cholesterol, sodium and calories naturally, so they have been advocated to dieters since the beginning of time.