What is the status of Ephedra Diet Supplements in the United States?  In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that ephedra diet supplements are banned.  The FDA first published a rule on February 11, 2004 which declared dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury.  After a long fight with the supplements industry, the FDA was finally able to ban ephedra diet supplements.

The FDA acted after it received over 800 reports linking ephedra with dizziness, headaches, chest pain, psychosis, seizures and strokes. Some states banned the stimulant before the FDA acted. They claimed that when ephedra is taken regularly in weight loss supplements, your body stays in an unnaturally high gear and there is risk for heart palpitations and heart attacks.

The ephedra diet supplements manufacturers did not go down without a fight.  In fact, two manufacturers made a last ditch effort to have the US District Court in New Jersey enter a temporary injunction to prohibit the FDA from enforcing the rule.  But the court ruled that it would not stay the rule immediately and asked that the parties submit additional briefs.  So, the saga continues though the pills are not currently permitted.

Many dieters loved ephedra diet supplements because they could lose weight without diet or exercise.  Clinical studies showed that ephedra products worked on non-exercising people. There are very few supplements in the world that work without exercises. In one study subjects lost 10 pounds of fat in 6 weeks from taking 20mg of ephedrine, 200mg of caffeine and 325mg of aspirin 3 times a day without doing any exercises.

Ephedra occurs naturally in the central nervous system.  It is a stimulant obtained from the Ephedra equisetina plant, but is now made by chemical synthesis.  It is a white crystalline product soluble in water and very soluble in alcohol.  It is closely related to methamphetamines, although much less potent and longer acting.

Sometimes ephedra diet supplements are combined with caffeine and aspirin to help dieters reach their weight loss goals more quickly.

Now that ephedra diet supplements are banned, products made with “ephedra leaves” are being marketed.  But many dieters are finding that these products are no substitute for the real thing.  Ephedra leaves are legal, but many claim they are completely ineffective.

The battle over ephedra weight loss supplements is not over.  While it is currently illegal to sell the substance, the manufacturers and the dieters are fighting back to make ephedra weight loss supplements legal once more.

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False Mayo Clinic Diet #1
This weight loss diet revolves around eating a lot of grapefruit.  For instance, a typical day’s food would consist of:

Breakfast: ½ grapefruit, 2 eggs any style, 2 slices of bacon.

Lunch: ½ grapefruit, any style of meat (any amount), salad with any kind of dressing.

Dinner: ½ grapefruit, any style of meat or fish in any amount, any green, yellow, or red vegetables cooked in butter or any other kind of seasoning.

Snack: 1 cup of tomato juice or 1 cup of milk

Avoid: White onions, potatoes, celery

Eat until you are full and then stop.  Eat everything on the menu including the morning’s bacon.  Cut down on caffeine.  Don’t eat between meals.  Don’t eat any sugar or starch including deserts, bread, or potatoes.

The “key” to this false “Mayo Clinic Diet” is the grapefruit.  It supposedly acts as a catalyst that starts the fat burning process.

False Mayo Clinic Diet #2
They way to lose weight with this diet involves eating gallons and gallons of Cabbage Soup.  You can eat as much of the soup as you want throughout the diet.  You make the soup with the following ingredients:

• 6 large green onions
• 2 green peppers
• 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 3 Carrots
• 1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
• 1 bunch of celery
• half a head of cabbage
• 1 package Lipton soup mix
• 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
• 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional) (reduce water by appropriate amount if used)
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.
• 12 cups water

The Cabbage Soup version of the Mayo Clinic Diet follows a 7 day plan.  On the first day, you can have all of the soup you want plus any amount of fruit except bananas.  The second day, you can have the soup plus all of the vegetables you want including one big baked potato at dinner time.  The third day, you get all the soup, fruit, and vegetables you want except for potatoes.  Then on day four, you get the soup plus all the bananas and skim milk you want.  On day 5, you get up to 20 ounces of beef plus 6 tomatoes along with the soup.  On day 6, you can have up to 3 8 ounce steaks and all the vegetables you want (no potatoes).  The last day calls for brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice, and vegetables along with the soup.

The Real Mayo Clinic Diet
The Mayo Clinic does not recommend that dieters follow either the grapefruit or the cabbage soup plans.  Instead, the Official Mayo Clinic Diet is based on four healthy eating principles that look more like the advice a dietitian would recommend you follow:

1. Eat well using the food pyramid as a guide.
2. Increase your physical activity
3. Set action goals to guide your diet.
4. Get started and stay motivated.

Stop eating lots of grapefruit or drowning yourself in cabbage soup! You’re not following the official Mayo Clinic Diet, which is the real way to lose fat and lower your body weight.

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“How is that possible?” you ask.

Let’s take a quick look at just what is metabolism and how does it works. This explanation might help you to better understand the process and how it can affect your body.

When you eat a meal, your body begins the process of digesting the food, drawing out the nutrients and processing them to create energy that keeps your body functioning properly and effectively. It takes approximately 4 hours just to absorb the nutrients. This is repeated with every meal you eat. In a day, that amounts to 12 hours that your body is busy absorbing each meal’s nutrients.

In short, during the digestion process, our bodies burn calories. This is especially true of foods containing carbohydrates and protein which take longer than other foods to digest. Simply by eating, digesting and absorbing nutrients from the food, you speed your metabolism.

Does this mean you should eat more to constantly stimulate calorie burning?

Here’s another answer that might surprise you. Yes. But hold on before you park yourself in front of the refrigerator, bib in place, knife and fork at the ready.

While it’s true that eating more food will help speed metabolism, you can’t eat constantly. It’s better to eat smaller meals more often throughout the day. Your metabolism will then be working all day so your body is constantly burning calories.

As mentioned, there are some foods that require more of your body’s energy to burn. The degree to which they affect your body’s metabolism depends on the particular food choice. Caffeine, coffee, tea, chocolate and a chemical found in chillies are some foods that speed metabolism, but only minimally.

Carbohydrates and protein trigger the highest rate of metabolism. In fact, a protein meal can burn as much as 25% of that meal’s calories through digestion and absorption.

While a high protein meal might sound appealing, it wili not provide your body with the required amount of nutrients. Adding vitamin and mineral supplements is not the answer either, because they do not provide the same quality of nutrients that are found naturally in foods.

Your best choice is to eat well-balanced meals regularly that contain protein, non-starchy vegetables, fats and carbohydrates. This can minimize fat production while keeping your blood sugar at a level that helps to burn fat and build muscle.

Focus on these 10 specific foods that help speed metabolism and burn fat.

• Whole grain bread
• Chicken
• Salmon
• Eggs
• Fresh Cheese
• Green Beans
• Summer Squash
• Cabbage
• Asparagus and other non-starchy vegetables
• And, of course, protein rich meats

To temporarily boost your metabolism by as much as 30%, drink cold water. Your body will burn extra calories heating the water to normal body temperature.

Remember, there are other factors beyond your control that can affect your body’s speed of metabolism, including your age, sex and any medical conditions.

While these foods can speed metabolism, the best way to lose weight is with a healthy combination of regular meals and physical exercise, especially those that build muscle because  muscle burns calories too (even while you sleep).

Exercise regularly, stick with a diet of protein, non-starchy vegetables, fats and carbohydrates, and be sure to add some of those foods that speed metabolism, and you’ll soon see the weight loss results you want.

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How do you respond to your excess weight? Do you deprive yourself of food? Have you tried various fad diets or diet pills that claim to help you lose weight? Was exercise part of your weight loss plan?

If you have tried all these methods and you still haven’t lost weight, there is a good reason. There’s more to it than that.

Here are the elements you need to achieve weight loss:

- nutrition in sufficient quantities that do not include any fattening foods, junk food, sweet foods, and the like
- exercise to increase your body’s demands for energy
- breathing exercises to encourage weight loss
- consistency and persistence

You can’t expect to achieve weight loss if nutrition is not adequate. Junk food and other empty foods do nothing for you but add weight. While the energy they provide might make you feel good and help you to perform, they are short term solutions.

Let’s take a look at each aspect of weight loss.

Nutrition: You want to choose non-fattening foods that maintain the nutrient levels your body requires. If your body doesn’t get them, it will hold on to whatever food it gets as a survival tactic. Look for low and no-fat foods. Make sure you eat fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat (preferably chicken or salmon rather than red meat), and calcium rich foods like cheese and skim milk.

Exercise: Develop a suitable workout for you and practice it at a minimum of 30 minutes per day. Make sure it’s an exercise you enjoy. Walking, swimming, cycling are all excellent exercises for weight loss. Nutritious snacks will provide you with appropriate energy that will quickly burn off during exercise.

Deep Breathing: Several times throughout the day, practice deep breathing for about 15 minutes each session. This will help your body to burn energy.

Consistency & Persistence: No weight loss, nutrition plan or exercise will help you to lose weight if you don’t follow through consistently and with persistence. You might lose weight after your first week or two, but if you start wavering or skimping on your plan, or worse, cheating on your meals, you’ll stop losing. In fact, you’ll probably gain weight.

One final tip, eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 big meals, and avoid eating within four hours of your bedtime. You might already know that eating before going to bed can disrupt your sleep. In some people, it causes indigestion because the body slows at night.

Eating at this late hour can cause you to get improper sleep and it can cause you to gain weight.

Follow these tips for weight loss: nutrition and exercise according to your weight loss plan, and you’ll soon see results.

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Most people fix their calorie intake to a given number and expect to lose weight at the same constant rate over a period of weeks. Hence, dieters look for 1000 calorie or 1800 calorie diet plans on the internet. The fixed calorie diet plans don’t work. If you burn 3000 calories a day at the start of a diet, after a week or two of losing some weight, you are no longer burning 3000 calories. Now you might be burning 2800 calories. If you fix your calorie intake in the face of a decreasing calorie expenditure, your weight loss will slow down more and more as you lose weight.

If you want to lose weight at a constant rate, you must repeatedly:

decrease your calorie intake to accommodate the calorie expenditure drop

increase your calorie output by exercising more

do both

I would like to note that you must set realistic slow weight loss goals. If you go for fast weight loss you would not be able to sustain it for a long period unless you go extreme in the calorie reduction and exercise a lot. For people who have to lose more than 20 pounds (10kgs), the goal should be a loss of no more than 2 pounds or 1 kg per week. People who need to lose just a bit of weight should go for weight loss of 1 pound or half a kilogram per week.

Why does my calorie expenditure drop as I lose weight? The most important factors are:

You weight less. A smaller body burns less calories both at rest and while active

You may involuntarily burn fewer calories. Dieters often lack energy and move less

Calorie restriction suppresses the metabolic rate

You have less body fat, which may further suppress your metabolic rate

These major factors contribute to an ever-decreasing energy expenditure as one loses weight. The more a dieter cuts calories, the bigger the calorie expenditure drop. The leaner the dieter, the greater the calorie expenditure drop.

Now you must understand that if you want to succeed in losing weight, you have to make changes in your nutrition plan. I recommend burning more calories, because being more active facilitates smaller calorie restriction and milder calorie expenditure drop.

It is very difficult to estimate the rate of the metabolic drop. Here is the general rule: the bigger you are, the smaller the rate of the metabolic drop. The more weight you lose, the more you have to cut calories or increase exercise. If you are overweight you might need to cut just 10 more calories for every lost pound, while if you are lean you might have to cut 60 calories for every pound lost. I picked these numbers just as an example.

Mistake #2: Overreporting the “extra” calorie expenditure of exercise

Most people count the calories they spend exercising as “extra” calories. There is a difference between calories burned while exercising and “extra” calories burned exercising. Here is an example: you burn 300 calories on the treadmill instead of your usual activity (watching TV at home); in reality, you have to subtract the calories you would have spent watching TV from these 300 calories to calculate how many additional calories you burned. Let’s say that watching TV, you would have burned 80 calories. In this specific case, you have expended 300 calories while exercising, and 220 “extra” calories.

Calorie counters mindlessly add the calories burned exercising as “extra” and in some cases, this practice can significantly influence the calorie calculations. Hence, calorie software counts the part of your usual activities that overlaps with the extra activities twice.

How to estimate the “extra” calories burned exercising?

In order to make the calculations more accurate, I shall first introduce the concept of MET values. MET values are a convenient way to calculate the calorie cost of activities. MET values are multiples of the resting energy expenditure per time. In plain English, a MET = 3 means burning 3 times more calories than resting. A MET = 1 signifies how many calories you burn at rest (your Resting Metabolic Rate or Basal Metabolic Rate). Whatever you do, you burn calories at a rate of at least MET = 1 with the only exception being sleeping which has MET = 0.9. During the day, most activities include sitting and walking which have MET values between 1.2 and 3. Your total daily energy expenditure is calculated by multiplying your Resting Metabolic Rate by the average MET of all your activities. Is your head spinning?

Let’s use a real world example. Consider a female person with a Resting Metabolic Rate of 1200 calories a day. One day has 1440 minutes. Our example lady is burning 1200/1440 = 0.84 calories per minute at rest, which signifies a MET = 1. Let’s say our example woman just returned from an aerobics class, where she exercised for 30 minutes. General aerobic class training has a MET = 6. Our example lady has just burned 30 (minutes) x 6 (MET) * 0.84 (calories per minute) = 151 calories while exercising. Suppose our lady would have chatted on the internet instead of exercising (MET = 1.5). In this example, the woman substituted chatting on the internet with aerobic exercising. Remember, that every time you do something you substitute one activity for another. In order to get the extra calories, we have to subtract 1.5 (chatting) from 6 (exercising). Now let’s calculate the extra calories: 30 (minutes) * (6 – 1.5) (MET value) * 0.84 = 113 calories.

Let’s consider what a standard calorie counter would have done. First, it will assume an average calorie burn rate of 1 calorie per minute. Then the counter will find that exercising for 30 minutes will yield 30 (minutes) * 6 (MET) * 1 (calories per minute) = 180 calories. The calorie counter will add these 180 calories to your daily expenditure without considering that a part of these 180 calories is already accounted by your usual activities.

Do you now see the difference between 113 calories and 180 calories? If that woman spends 5 hours a week in that aerobics class, the standard calorie counters will overreport her calorie output by: (180-113) * 10 = 670 calories a week. The woman will be fooled that her metabolic rate has dropped while she just overestimated her calorie expenditure. Enter weight loss plateau, wasted time and efforts. Do you have the time for trial and error calorie estimations?

Remember these two rules:

Report only extra activities to your calorie counter. If your walk to your office every day, do not log “walking to office for 30 minutes” as an extra activity. Consider only unusual activities that contribute to extra expended calories!

Always subtract the calories you would have burned instead of exercising. A general rule is to subtract from 1.2 to 1.5 from the MET values. In some cases, you need to subtract a greater MET. If you substitute 30 minutes of bodybuilding (MET = 6) for 30 minutes of slow jump rope (MET = then the additional MET would be 8 – 6 = 2.

How to find the MET values of activities based on standard tables?

In order to make the above calculations, you need to know the MET values of activities. Standard tables give: name of activity, duration and calories. Standard tables assume an average calorie expenditure of one calorie per minute. To find the MET you just need to divide the calories by the duration.

Example: “Bicycling, stationary, general”, “20 minutes”, “140 calories”

MET of “Bicycling, stationary, general” = 140 / 20 = 7

I know these calculations are somewhat tedious and in many cases the standard calorie calculations are close to correct. However, in some cases they can significantly over or under-calculate the calorie expenditure of activities and compromise your weight loss plan with daily miscalculations.

Mistake #3: Training with light weights and lots of reps

I have seen countless number of ladies come to the gym, get the lightest possible dumbbells, crank out some hundreds of reps and go home. Most often, these women do not get the results they want. The problem with this type of training is that it does not burn many “extra” calories unless you spend a considerable amount of time in the gym. Hefting Ken and Barbie weights in the gym has a MET value of 3, which means that it burns 3 times more calories than resting in bed. Almost anything you do during the day has a MET value of 1.2 to 2. Browsing the internet on your computer has a MET value of 1.5. Realize that almost anything you do during the day (average MET = 1.5) has about 50% overlap in calorie expenditure with training with very light weights (MET = 3). If you pump super light dumbbells in the gym, only about half of the calories burned are “additional”.

Of course, you can burn a considerable amount of extra calories training with light weights but you have to really extend the duration of this type of training. Curling 5 pound dumbbells for 4 sets of 20 reps and chit-chatting for 20 minutes in the gym is not going to burn many extra calories.

Remember the rule: the less intensive the activity (smaller MET), the greater the calorie expenditure overlap with casual activities; the less intensive the activity, the more time you have to spend doing it to expend a good deal of extra calories. Always subtract a MET of 1 to 1.5 to arrive at the additional expended calories.

Mistake #4: Using “average person” calorie estimations

You can find all kinds of tables showing the calorie cost of different physical activities on the internet. These tables don’t show your calorie expenditure. They actually tell you the calorie expenditure of an “average person”. These tables assume you are an average person that burns one calorie per minute at rest. Yes, we covered this in the first part of the article and it needs repeating. Most men burn more than one calorie per minute and most smaller women burn less than one calorie per minute at rest. In reality, these standard tables overestimate the calorie expenditure of smaller people and underestimate the calorie expenditure of bigger than average people. Combine this with the common mistake of counting all burned calories as “additional calories” and you have a wide range of possible miscalculations.

Mistake #5: Going on very low calorie diets (VLCD)

Research has shown little to no difference in the weight loss rate of 1200 calorie diets and 800 calorie diets. The 1200 calorie threshold is the point where further calorie restriction does not yield faster results. Diets in the range of 800 to 1200 calories a day suppress the resting metabolic rate from the very first day and after some weeks on these diets, the metabolic rate has dropped by up to 20%. This metabolic drop is just a consequence of the calorie restriction factor; other factors such as the level of leanness may further depress the calorie expenditure.

A big percentage of the quick initial weight loss on a VLCD is water. VLCDs create an illusion of fast fat loss, while in reality most of the weight loss is water. It is hard to continue a very low calorie diet for a prolonged time because the harsh calorie restriction makes you hungrier than ever. People on VLCDs often lack energy and move very little. When you stop the diet, you are prone to instant overeating. Eating a very low calorie diet is the ticket to yo-yo dieting.

Instead of using very low calorie diets, I recommend diets with a mild calorie restriction and an emphasis on exercise. Overweight people who know what they are doing can employ VLCDs for a limited time. It is important to get enough vitamins and minerals from supplements, because such low calorie diets are woefully inadequate in nutrients. Water intake should be high.

Bodybuilders, powerlifters and athletes must stay away from very low calorie diets because the large calorie restriction causes a greater proportion of the weight loss to be muscle loss.

If you want to automate these complicated calorie calculations, try our training and nutrition software Fitness Assistant FREE for 30 days. Get your trial copy at www.x3msoftware.com

Hristo Hristov is the owner of X3MSoftware, a company specializing in developing training and nutrition software. Hristo has a degree in Computer Science and passion for powerlifting. In his spare time, Hristo gives training and nutrition consultations.
hristo@x3msoftware.com

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Carbohydrates aren’t all good or all bad. Some kinds promote health while others, when eaten often and in large quantities, may increase the risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates come from a wide array of foods – bread, fruit, vegetables, rice, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant ones are sugars, fibers, and starches. The basic building blocks of all carbohydrates are sugar molecules.

The digestive system handles all carbohydrates in much the same way – it breaks them down (or tries to break them down) into single sugar molecules, since only these are small enough to absorb into the bloodstream. It also converts most digestible carbohydrates into glucose (also known as blood sugar), because cells are designed to use this as a universal energy source. This is why carbohydrates can make us feel energetic. Carbohydrates fuel our body. Your body stores glucose reserves in the muscles in the form of glycogen ready to be used when we exert ourselves.

Carbohydrates are the highest octane – the most desirable fuel source for your body’s energy requirements. If you don’t have an adequate source of carbohydrate your body may scavenge from dietary protein and fat to supply glucose. The problem is when you’ve depleted your stores of glycogen (stored glucose in muscle and lean tissue) your body turns to burning muscles or organs (lean muscle tissue) and dietary protein or fat to provide blood glucose to supply energy needs. When this happens, your basal metabolic rate drops because you have less lean muscle tissue burning calories and your body thinks its starving and cuts back on energy requirements.

So you should continue to eat carbohydrates discriminately selecting those which have the greatest health benefits.

The carbohydrates you consume should come from carbohydrate-rich foods that are close to the form that occurs in nature. The closer the carbohydrate food is as Mother Nature intended, the greater the density of other vital nutrients. If you are looking for health-enhancing sources of carbohydrates you should choose from:

Fruit: rich in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, potassium and often vitamin E.

Vegetables: fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, often vitamin E, potassium and a wider variety of minerals than fruit.

Whole grains and grain foods: rich in fiber, protein, and some B vitamins and are very rich in minerals.

Legumes: an excellent source of protein, fiber folate, potassium, iron and several minerals.

Dairy foods: protein, vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin B12.

You can also source carbohydrates from processed foods such as soda pop or soft drinks, snacks such as cookies and chips, and alcohol. These generally are considered to be a poor food choice and should be consumed rarely. The carbohydrate source (sugar and flour) in these food choices has been highly refined processed. A diet rich in refined carbohydrates and processed foods has been associated with heart disease and onset of type 2 diabetes.

Why are these sources of carbohydrates to be avoided?

1. They are calorie dense and contribute a large number of calories in a small amount of food. For example a 7oz bag of potato chips or corn chips have approximately 1000 calories. Most women on a weight management program will be aiming for 1200 daily calorific intake. So, this is what we mean by calorie dense and nutritionally scarce.

2. They offer little appetite-holding power because they have no fiber or protein. As a result you end up searching for food again soon after your first serve.

3. They contribute nothing to your nutritional profile except calories. This means you have fewer calories left for foods that your body requires for good health.

Whenever possible, replace highly processed grains, cereals, and sugars with minimally processed whole-grain products and ensure you have at least five serves of fruit and vegetables daily.

Rather than cut out carbs completely for a very short-term gain (usually weight loss), there are greater long-term health benefits in learning how to distinguish good carbs over bad carbs and incorporating healthy carbohydrates into your weight loss program.

(c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore

Kim is successful a weight loss coach who will help you find consistent results. You will learn how to stabilize at your goal weight and never ‘diet’ again. No public ‘weigh-ins’, meetings that cost you money or fads…simply long term results -  http://tinyurl.com/4oqfl

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It is pretty obvious to everyone that when you want to lose weight you watch your sugar intact, right? Well, there is a reason why fruits are called, “nature’s candy”. In fact, you need realize that a glass of orange juice is just about the same as a glass of soda.

Fruits are loaded with sugar, fructose to be exact. This why athletes use them during endurance for energy, and why people suffering from hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, use them to raise there blood sugar when needed.

That is where one of the problems is. Fruits are carbohydrates. Never eat a carbohydrate by itself. This is basically all sugar. When you eat a carbohydrate by itself there is a sudden increase in sugar in the body. This causes the body to release insulin. However, the body releases too much insulin because it thinks more sugar is coming. The insulin basically grabs the sugar/carbohydrate and stores it to fat for use at some other time. Since your body released too much insulin there is not enough sugar to support the brain function. That is why you feel tired or sluggish. So you’re fatter and dumber. So, if you are going to eat a carbohydrate, eat some protein with it, it will slow the release of the sugar.

That glass of orange juice in the morning, the banana and apple for shakes, and the fruit salad for lunch, might actually be what is stopping you from losing the weight.

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician practicing in Mesa, AZ. If you would like to contact Dr. Banas, he can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com
drjeffbanas@yahoo.com

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I know how hard weight loss is and I want to share a few things with you I found along the way that helped me lose 70lbs in eleven months. I believe these weight loss tips can help you too, no matter what diet you chose to follow.

Tip #1 Eat Smaller Meals More Often

Eat breakfast, and then a couple of hours later have a snack. Eat lunch then a couple of hours later then have another snack. In another couple of hours you can eat dinner. Just make your choices are sensible. I buy the small peeled carrots in the bag that are ready to eat so I can eat healthy snacks.

Most diet plans leave you feeling deprived, but all of that chewing makes you feel more satisfied. Eating every few hours also raises your metabolic rate which means your body will burn fat and stop storing fat. Once you get used to this small change, you’ll discover this weight loss tip really works.

Tip #2 Eat Lots Of Vegetables

Eat raw vegetables and salads because they are low in calories, low in carbohydrates and are loaded with vitamins. But if you cover your salad or vegetables with dressing, you may as well forget about losing weight. Always get your salad dressing on the side because dressing is high in fat.

A good weight loss tip I discovered is dip your fork in the dressing before you fork the salad. This gives you a small taste but keeps the amount of salad dressing you eat to a minimum.

Tip #3 Drink Plenty Of Water

I fought this tip at first because it was just too hard to believe. But I changed my mind when I saw the benefits. Drinking water not only makes you less hungry but you will notice a big difference in the way you feel.

I drank a lot of diet sodas all of my life, but changing to water gave me a cleaner feeling and it actually helped me shed pounds once I switched. Any doctor will tell you to drink more water because it’s good for your overall health. If you change your mind about drinking more water, it could be the one tip that makes a big difference in your weight loss.

Tip #4 Walk

Oh no, the dreaded exercise word. That’s what I used to think, but just walking 20 minutes everyday helps burn fat and gives you more energy. Go out of the door and take a walk whether it’s before work, after work or even during your lunch.

I started by walking around my subdivision before work and was amazed at the difference it made in my weight loss.

Tip #5 Lose Weight Slowly

You should not lose any more than 1 to 2 lbs a week. If you lose weight too quickly your chances of gaining the weight right back dramatically increases. Losing weight too quickly can also cause health problems.

Look at losing weight as a long marathon and pace yourself so you can cross the finish line. Only concentrate on the next pound not the whole amount of weight you want to lose. In the end, you’ll not only complete the marathon but you will dramatically improve your health at the same time.

I am not a doctor and I would recommend you consult your doctor before you start any diet or exercise plan. This weight loss tips article was written only to share my personal experience with you with the hope that you will benefit from it.

Choose a healthy diet plan that you can live with the rest of your life because it is the only way you’ll keep the weight off. These weight loss tips will work for you if you keep an open mind and believe they will work.

Copyright © 2005 1StopShoppingOnline.com

This article may be re-published “as is” (unedited) as long as the author’s bio paragraph (resource box) and copyright information is included. Any editing will be considered copyright infringement. The URLs in the resource box should be set as hyperlinks if used on a web page.

Gary Gresham is the webmaster for http://www.1stopshoppingonline.com. He offers you sources to help you choose the healthy weight loss approach that fits you and your lifestyle best through this online link. http://www.1stopshoppingonline.com/health.html.

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