How Does Stress Affect Our Weight? By Sacha C Whitehead

Next to learn more about gaining better health and fitness, or how to get rid of mommy tummy click here to receive our free eBook How to Boost Your Metabolism for healthy weight loss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sacha_C_Whitehead

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7296141

Stress either physical, mental or emotional is ubiquitous in our lives. In fact, its impossible to avoid it. Stress is the natural response of the body to extreme situations that demand some action.

Good stress can improve the immune system. However, bad stress weakens the body's immune system and can cause intestinal disorders. It can also have a huge impact on our metabolism and weight. Fear, anxiety, anger and depression are some of the stressors that can be detrimental to health.

The Effects Of Stress To Our Weight

Stress stimulates the production of adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol. These hormones are produced by the adrenal glands as a response to tension. Increased heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism are the effects on the body.

When the hormones are released in the bloodstream, they stimulate conversion of a stored form of energy glycogen into glucose and increase production of free fatty acids. These occur within the liver and used as a source of energy in the body. The body is designed to produce these hormones to aid in response to stress.

During emergency situations, this response known as "fight or flight" is beneficial for the body to cope with short-term situations. Conversely, chronic stress is harmful to health as the body will continue to release these hormones which stimulates more production of glucose in the body.

The demand for insulin increases in order to metabolize the glucose to energy. When the body produces more insulin it will signal your body to feel hungry and you will crave more food. It has been observed that stress increases your weight because of this involuntary response in your body when it occurs.

Managing Stress

Though it is inevitable, finding ways to alleviate the pressure in life is vital to stay fit and healthy. It is common during these situations we seek food as our outlet to relieve our tension and yet it can add to your weight issues.

Physical activity, relaxation techniques, meditation and other diversion methods are good alternatives for coping. Exercise is the best outlet to combat stress because it will improve insulin sensitivity thus, increases your metabolism.

Take a break from work and have vacation with your family. Revitalize yourself from your busy bustling environment. Go to beach and enjoy a moment in peaceful and calm surroundings free from stressors.

Undeniably, these negative pressure can positively influence your weight, emotions and total being. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity are also results of stress. So the next time you feel you are under pressure, take a break, inhale deeply, relax and pause for a moment. Don't risk your health because of stress.

What To Eat Instead of Bread And Cereal by Fintan Corrigan

Replace Bread, Cereal, Wheat and Flour Products with Wholegrain Brown Rice

For many people what to eat instead of bread and cereal is a big question. It is tough to stop eating these foods without a substitute. Wholegrain Brown Rice is the easiest way to replace bread and cereal in your diet. Wholegrain Brown Rice has outstanding nutritional and fiber benefits.

Wholegrain Brown Rice Has Exceptional Nutritional Qualities

Brown rice is an excellent source of manganese (energy production plus antioxidant protection), a good source of the minerals selenium (a trace mineral that has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of colon cancer) and magnesium. Brown rice contains vitamins B1, B3, B6 and minerals such as manganese, phosphorus and iron. Brown rice is exceptional source for all your dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. And the oil in whole brown rice lowers cholesterol.

How To Incorporate Wholegrain Brown Rice Into Your Diet

Wholegrain Brown Rice takes approximately 40 to 45 minutes to cook. So you really don't want to be getting up an hour earlier than normal to cook rice for breakfast. Buy a very good rice cooker and make enough brown rice for 2 days. Each morning you heat up your brown rice. It's hard to cook great meals without great kitchen appliances.

Non-Traditional Breakfasts

Forget about cereal, pancakes, bread etc for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat breakfast like a dinner. Same with lunch time and evening meals.Start the day with a decent sized healthy breakfast. Try the following for breakfast. Brown rice, salad (rocket, spinach, mixed leaves) with eggs (Scrambled, Boiled or Omelet). On other days instead of eggs, cook some fish (sea-bass, trout or salmon etc) or meat with brown rice and salad for breakfast.

Most Supermarkets have fish and meat prepared with herbs in a foil tray which take only 15 to 20 minutes in the oven.When you start incorporating wholegrain brown rice into your diet you are leaving behind bread and cereals which leave you bloated, overweight and sluggish.

The Problem With Wheat and Your Weight

The biggest problem with bread, cereals and wheat based products is the effect on your blood sugar levels. Cravings or succumbing to overeating is a blood sugar imbalance. Blood sugar imbalance cannot be fixed by any of the wheat based products today because of the food processing of wheat and flour.

The solution is to remove all or as much wheat based flour products from your diet. You will experience many many benefits.

In the book called Lose Wheat / Lose Weight by Antoinette Savill & Dawn Hamilton, they have a Self-test Wheat-Intolerance Questionnaire. The questionnaire is on our website at http://cananyonegetasixpack.tkash.com/?p=390. Read and see if you have any of the following. The vast majority of people have food intolerance towards flour and wheat.

Click here for Self-test Wheat-Intolerance Questionnaire

Wheat Intolerance And Allergies

Many people have allergy and intolerance's to wheat and flour. The main reason is the wheat which we eat nowadays bears little resemblance to the grains of our grandparents times. Modern wheat undergoes a bewildering array of processes before it is used in the products of today such as breads, cereals, sweets, biscuits, bagels.

The wheat germ which is the healthy part of wheat is removed because it goes rancid very quickly and would spoil the flour. Bran which is the fibre part of the grain is also removed during most milling processes as the majority of the wheat products we consume are made with white flour.

Food processing oxidizing agents such as potassium bromate are added to flour to age the wheat within 48 hours. After oxidizing agents, the naturally occurring yellow pigmentation of flour is bleached with chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide to turn it white to be more appealing to the consumer. The bleaching agent needs to be neutralized by the addition of yet another chemical such as calcium carbonate. Finally preservatives and conditioners are added to the flour to help improve the texture.

In the book called Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis (link to book on my website), he discusses the side effects and illness caused by excessive wheat consumption: As followsAcne Heart disease Accelerated aging Visceral fat in the abdomen Type 2 diabetes Acidifies the body, leading to weak bones Joint problems, including arthritis Addictive properties High blood sugar

Make the change today. Cut bread, cereals and as much wheat out of your diet as possible. You will lose a lot of weight and feel like a new person. For more nutritional knowledge, exercise information, motivation and inspiration please visit my website and sign up to our free email list.

About the Author

Free diet, health and nutritional information on our website. Take the Self-test Wheat-Intolerance Questionnaire and sign-up to our free email list for well written and researched information on our website at http://cananyonegetasixpack.tkash.com

Weight Loss Tips for Men By Husin Abdullah Thalib

Getting Fit and Losing Weight: Some Smart Tips

A lot of people know that losing weight is tough. You can make it easier for yourself if you just take an opportunity to get fit and live a healthy lifestyle. Here are some effective steps to take if you are carrying extra pounds and are ready to let them go.

1. Don't drink your calories. Many people focus on soda and juice, but those drinks contain so much sugar that they can increase your cravings. This means you will be hungrier and want more soda and juice, not to mention other foods that are not good for you to eat if you want to lose weight.

2. Avoid too much alcohol. Not only is alcohol high in sugars, it contains empty calories. What does that mean? It means that alcohol does not have a lot to offer you in the way of nutrition that keeps your body going. It adds directly to your fat stores and doesn't help you lose it.

3. Eat a lot of green leafy veggies. These vegetables are fantastic because they are packed with so many good minerals and vitamins, but they also do not contain a lot of calories. You can literally eat as many as you want without worrying that they are going to cause you to retain water or cause you to gain weight.

4. Monitor your nutrition intake. You can check with your doctor to make sure that supplements are right for you and will not interfere with other medications you may already be on.

You must also beware of eating too few calories. When you want to lose weight, it is tempting to stop eating as much, but you have to remember that your body needs some calories to keep functioning. Use a free online calorie calculator to find out what a good minimum number of calories should be for you. Keep in mind that when you don't eat enough calories, you don't have the energy to do what you need to do. That means you won't be able to exercise as much, which is important to weight loss.

5. Do something aerobic. Speaking of exercise, aerobic exercise, or cardiovascular exercise is something that can help weight fall off. These are any exercises that gets your heart rate going up and pumping more. There are so many aerobic exercises that you will find something that feels good to you.

6. Lift weights. Muscle increases your metabolism, which means that you are more likely to burn many more calories all day. Not only that, but as you age you lose muscle mass, so it is a good idea to lift as you get older. Aim for weight lifting three to four times a week.

After reading this article, you now have some smart tips about losing weight. If you get yourself started on a plan and stay committed, you will find out that these tips work. You will be able to move forward in your life as a happier, leaner person.

Want to know more about diet and nutrition just visit www.my-lossweight.com there you might find what you are looking for.

Husin Abdullah has been writing a lot of articles about diet programs and losing weight for much different purpose. If you really interesting in losing weight and want to know more about just visit www.my-lossweight.com there you might find what you are looking for.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Husin_Abdullah_Thalib

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7311155

5 Keys to Glycemic Weight Loss Success By Harry Kyin

Get lots more info there on Low Glycemic Index Foods.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_Kyin

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7293636

When it comes to weight loss, do you find yourself eating less and less, but end up gaining more and more? While it's true that some of this has to do with the biology of aging, it also has to do with the damage we've caused to our metabolism from cycling between fad diets that promise quick weight loss, but just as quickly, can cause us to gain back the weight, putting us back to square one.

Instead of approaching food with a deprivation mindset, consider small changes you can make for long term success to losing weight and keeping it off.

Discover these simple tips to help kick start your glycemic weight loss!

1. Set Yourself Up for Success!

Clean out the junk food in your kitchen and cupboards so you won't be tempted to binge eat and set yourself back. Ask for encouragement and support from family and friends or ask them to join you in your glycemic weight loss. Start a journal.

Statistics show when journaling, you're more successful at weight loss and even more so when you share it. Journaling isn't just about tracking your food intake; it's about reducing stress and keeping track of your life so you see your improvements mentally and physically. This way you can look back and say "today is a good day" or "tomorrow will be better."

2. Maximize Your Results

If you took your car for an oil change, the mechanic takes all the dirty oil out of your engine and replaces the old oil filter before they put the new oil in.

Do the same for your body. Help jump start and repair your metabolism! Clear your palate of sweets and fats and give your digestive system a much needed rest with a vegetable and fruit detox. Just as you wouldn't go to your mechanic for an oil change to add new oil to your existing one, the same goes for your metabolism.

A detox rids your overtaxed body of toxins you've accumulated from the environment and most of all, from improperly digested and unhealthy foods. Once you have repaired and increased your metabolism, the occasional cheat will not hurt your waistline.

3. Don't Skip Breakfast!

Fact is skipping breakfast leads your body to food cravings. When you skip breakfast, you go full out at lunch, which unfortunately is the leading cause of most weight gain. Skipping a meal also causes your metabolism to slow down as your body's natural defense to food scarcity. When your metabolism is slow, your body will go into a fat storage mode to hold onto fat for protection. If your mornings are packed, consider nutrient bars or shakes with blended fresh fruits, but don't skip breakfast!

4. Portion Sizes

Foods you use for your glycemic weight loss are about quality and not quantity. There is no need to worry about measuring cups. But if you are concerned, mark your portions by hand. One palm size of protein along with vegetables is a good way to mark a healthy portion of food and chew slowly. And trust me, no one has ever gained weight from eating too many vegetables and lean protein.

5. Cut out Breads, Cereals & Pastas

A big suggestion for optimal glycemic weight loss results is to cut these foods out for at least six weeks. This includes high fiber, whole grain and low glycemic breads. What I found is bread, cereal and pasta with many individuals impair their weight loss due to the gluten found in those items.

Some individuals even have increased food cravings as a reaction to consuming gluten, but are unaware to the reason why they have the desire to eat continuously or out of control. After six weeks, slowly incorporate high fiber, whole grains back into your diet and journal how you feel after 48 hours.

If you feel any bloating, discomfort, or allergies, then you can determine if you're a person who will have to limit or watch your grain intake.

Harry is the main contributor and creator of the Glycemic Index benefits info based web-site: http://low-glycemic-benefits.com.

Eat Vegetables to Lose Weight By R. Sharma

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=R._Sharma

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7266568

How much should one eat to lose weight? What is the best weight loss diet? According to the recently released "food plate" the average daily dietary allowance one requires at least 3 portions of seasonal vegetables to meet the daily dietary intake. Most of us find it difficult to successfully meet this dietary requirement resulting in poor health, weight gain and nutritional deficiencies. Besides, eating vegetables can actually help you lose weight.

Any weight loss plan that doesn't contain a generous helping of seasonal greens should not be considered balanced or healthy. Just as a quick reminder let's quickly take go through why anyone should be eating veggies everyday.

• The most natural and easily available food that contains different vitamins, minerals and thousands of other plant chemicals.

• Vegetables are low in fat and calories.

• Good source of dietary fiber and provide us with extra energy. Fiber keeps us fuller for long preventing us from overeating and frequently eating.

• Vegetables provide more energy to the body in return helping us be active and burn more calories.

Vegetables are not tasteless and in fact can have better flavour & texture than most meats if prepared well. Besides we know the health benefits of seasonal vegetables. If people are not usual of eating them there are easy ways of slowly introducing them to the diet and finally develop a taste for them. It will be a surprise to know that vegetables help you stay full longer and keep your binging at bay.

Did you know the best way to eat greens are raw. Here are some quick tips to include more greens in your system without adding too much fuss.

Vegetable Yogurt (Raita): Easiest and one of the most delicious way of adding raw vegetables to your diet without having to really taste them. Salt, mint and cumin powder is enough to camouflage the taste especially for those who can't stand the sight of them!

Salad: We are not talking about a boring garden salad on the side. Spice thing up by adding a healthy dressing to that boring salad. A dash of olive oil and some fresh lime juice is enough to get the taste buds excited. Besides, you can add all the health benefits of raw vegetables in your diet.

Grilled Vegetables on the Side: For all those non-vegetarians who enjoy the little grilled vegetable on the side of their meat dish can learn something from the restaurants. Try this simple recipe of grilled vegetable - Cut capsicum, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots into bite size pieces, put it in a foil, drizzle half a table spoon of oil, add salt and pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. These grilled delights can also be enjoyed by vegetarians.

Make sure with all the healthy food you are also packing in some exercise for best results. Exercise not only helps burn fat but also helps the body absorb the nutrition better. Look for a weight loss plan that also keeps your busy lifestyle in mind.

I am a nutrition and fitness enthusiast. I write about weight loss diet and fitness. I want people to have better and correct knowledge about efficient and effective weight loss methods.

Drinking Alcohol May Not Cause Weight Gain By Raymond Hinish

It's a common misconception that alcohol and weight loss are mortal enemies. The reality may be surprising... In fact, scientists have discovered that alcohol may not be a deal breaker as it pertains to burning fat.

Alcohol does contain calories, in fact, it has just 2 calories per gram less than fat, so it makes sense that avoiding alcohol would promote weight loss. The reality is not so neat and simple.

Alcohol may actually benefit your metabolism when you keep it to moderate levels. First, moderate alcohol intake can activate an enzyme called AMP kinase which improves insulin sensitivity, lowers triglycerides, lowers blood glucose, and lowers body weight.

Finally, moderate alcohol intake increase the activity of catecholamines, neurotransmitters that burn fat by keeping the metabolism burning.

Now the down side. As you know, there are a number of consequences to drinking alcoholic beverages. First, alcohol does come with calories, and, depending on the drink that you choose, often quite a few calories. If you choose low carb, low-calorie drinks then you can get by with relatively few calories.

Next, drinking is often associated with eating poor quality, high-fat, high-carb bar food. This can certainly place some strain on your metabolism and can, in and of itself, negate any positive benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption.

Scientists discovered that alcohol doesn't make you do stupid thing, it simply makes you not care about doing stupid things. This means that alcohol knocks out the mental breaks that prevent you from acting on impulses and thoughts. The result is you may find yourself eating a whole bag of Oreo cookies or chips when you get home from the bar. This is perhaps the biggest problem with drinking, it causes you to eat foods that are not so fat loss friendly.

So, what do you do? Drink alcohol? Avoid it like the plague?

1. Avoid greasy bar food when drinking. Make sure that you eat something healthy before heading to the bar.

2. Order alcoholic drinks that are low-carb and low-calorie. Some great choices include: rum and diet cola, dry red wine, MGD 64, and Michelob Ultra. Avoid sugary drinks at all cost.

3. If you're looking to burn that spare tire, my recommendation is to avoid alcohol altogether. If your trying to maintain your weight, limit daily alcohol to no more than one glass or one "party night".

4. Remember that alcohol can interfere with healthy sleep, so plan on getting a few extra hours of sleep after your "party night"

5. If you have a particularly bad night, try using a meal replacement shake for weight loss support. Meal replacements can give your body the break it needs to burn some of the extra fat.

Although it may sound like alcohol promotes fat loss, it is no fat loss miracle. That being said, it may not be the evil fattening beverage that many believe it to be. So, for now, keep alcohol to a minimum and if you throw down a couple of glasses of red wine on the weekend, don't worry too much about it, go ahead and enjoy it.

Dr. Ray Hinish is a licensed pharmacist, a personal trainer & Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach. He blogs on Cut the Fat Podcast & hosts the Your Prescription for Health radio show. He has a nutrtion practice at The Expert Nutrition Center in Maryland

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raymond_Hinish

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7292155

Fat Burning: A Different Approach

Fat Burning: A Different Approach
http://tinyurl.com/96x4wyh

No more cardio? Well, not quite—but if you train with weights correctly, you won’t need to visit that boring treadmill quite as often to keep your abs sharp.

And I’m not talking about interval cardio, although the weight-training method I’ve been preaching has an HIIT feel to it. That’s the F4X method, (featured in Old School New Body) which is moderate-weight, high-fatigue training with short rests between sets. It burns more fat and pumps up your muscles like crazy too. Here’s the drill:

You take a weight with which you can get 15 reps, but you only do 10; rest 30 seconds, then do it again—and so on for four sets. On the fourth set, you go to failure, and if you get 10 reps, you increase the weight on the exercise at your next workout. Notice how those sets are like intervals with short breaks between—you can even pace between sets to burn extra calories, but there’s more.

Fat-burning pathway 1: While that training style does great things for muscle growth, via myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic expansion, you also get loads of muscle burn. That lactic acid pooling has a spiking effect on your growth hormone output—and GH is a potent fat burner. Fire up muscle burning to get your GH churning. (GH also amplifies other anabolic hormones, so it effects both muscle and rippedness.)

Fat-burning pathway 2: If you do the reps correctly on every set, you’ll also get myofibrillar trauma. The myofibrils are the force-generating strands in muscle fibers. By “damaging” them with slower, controlled negative strokes, you force the need for extra energy during recovery. In other words, your body runs hotter while you’re out of the gym as it revs to repair the microtears.

To attain that extra fat-burning trauma, use one-second positives and three-second negatives on all 10 reps of all four sets. On a bench press that’s one second up and three seconds down. It’s the slow lowering that will produce the metabolic momentum after your workout. (That rep speed will also give you 40 seconds of tension time on every set, an ideal hypertrophic TUT.)

Fat-burning pathway 3: Now if you really want to get some blubber-busting microtrauma, try your last set of a F4X sequence in X-centric style. That’s one-second positives and six-second negatives. You may have to reduce the weight, but it will be worth it. Try for eight of those, 56 seconds of tension time, and you should feel the results the next day. Your muscles will be aching, but it’s a good indication that fat is baking.

F4X for a GH surge, slower negatives for fat-burning micro trauma and X-centric for even more time under tension and fat extinction. It all adds up to faster leanness with less meanness—because you’ll need less cardio. Prepare for acid-etched abs!  Yes!!  Even as you age this system works, in fact it is the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth.

Stay tuned, train smart and be Built for Life.

Steve Holman

Editor in Chief Iron Man Magazine and co-creator of the Old School New Body program
http://tinyurl.com/96x4wyh