People are more concerned about their fitness in this present era. They should also be conscious about their health. Staying in shape and being fit are as important as following a healthy way to keep themselves fit. The fitness can bring you confidence and if one is fit, it helps him in a long run. Weight loss must be achieved in a systematic and healthy way. A person should not follow a starving diet regime to reduce the weight as it will affect one’s health badly. One must maintain the weight proportional to their height and age. If a person is overweight it will affect his health in many ways. Now, it’s clear that people must be careful in reducing their weight to be fit and must follow a healthy way to do it. So if a person has decided to reduce his weight, he must follow two things. One is he must follow a high protein diet and the other one is a daily exercise plan.

Weight will be reduced if the calories in the fat stores are burnt. So a person must follow a regular exercise plan. One should work out daily to burn the consumed calories so that they don’t get stored in fats. There are two types of exercises, they are cardiovascular exercises and resistance exercises. Initially when the person is overweight he must do the cardiovascular exercises which increases the blood flow and burns the calories stored as fat. The aerobic exercises are considered to be cardiovascular exercises. Once the person loses some weight and nearing the ideal weight he can slow down the process and do resistance exercises such as push ups, weight lifting, walking etc. This will be the healthy procedure for exercising. Regular exercise is mandatory in human’s life to stay healthy.

Second important factor is having high protein diets. Proteins are essential minerals for humans. It helps in cell growth and also helps in maintaining tone and musculature. Protein gives energy for human body as well as it helps in reducing weight. The physiological process makes our body to lose more cells and some activities results in death of cells. Cell regeneration is essential for the maintenance of normal body function and requires amino acids that are derived from proteins. Since people continue to do their normal daily activities, they will surely become tired if they don’t have protein rich diets in their regimen. People must keep their body well hydrated when they are in a diet plan. Diets which include proteins, skimmed milk and two litres of water daily forms a perfect diet plan which always keeps u fresh and active. Toxins are produced when the fat breakdown takes place in the system and this will be washed out if one follows a perfect diet plan. Dairy products are rich in proteins and calcium and it also contains easily digestible carbohydrates. The diet should have fewer carbohydrates. Protein rich diets are meat, soya, whey, cheese and seafood.

Are you confused about the different types of fat? Join the club! Many of my clients have pondered this subject and asked me for advice, so I thought it would be a good idea to clear up the confusion. Here are 10 lessons in selecting the right types and amounts of dietary fat for optimum health:

1. Include Some Fat in Your Diet. Consuming too much fat is not good for you. Experts recommend limiting your fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories. However, don’t be afraid to eat fat; it is essential to your health. IT provides concentrated energy, helps transport critical nutrients, defends the body against heat loss, protects tissues and organs, helps produce hormones and may effect the very structure and function of your cells.

2. Notice Which Types of Fat You Consume. The type of fat you eat can have very important health consequences. Fats are classified as either saturated or unsaturated. The degree of saturation determines whether the fat is solid or liquid. (The more saturated a fat is, the more solid its form is.) Saturated fats are derived chiefly from animal sources and are generally solid. Unsaturated fats are derived from plants and are generally liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are further classified as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Some polyunsaturated fats are called essential because the human body – being unable to produce them – needs to obtain them from food. Unsaturated fats can be hydrogenated, or heated, to form margarine; they are called trans fat.

3. Eat As Little Saturated Fat As Possible. Saturated fats are present in red meat, lard, whole-milk dairy products (such as butter) and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Saturated fats increase your risk of heart disease and some cancers.

4. Choose Olive and Canola Oils Over Other Oils. These monounsaturated oils can improve your cholesterol level and lower your risk of heart disease. Olive oil is particularly beneficial, because it reduces “bad” LDL cholesterol while maintaining “good” HDL cholesterol. Almond, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan and peanut oils are also healthful choices.

5. Limit Consumption of Corn, Cottonseed, Safflower, Sunflower, Soybean and Sesame Oils. These polyunsaturated fats and omega-6 essential fatty acids can have unpredictable effects on your health. Their structure makes them unlikely to oxidize, which can damage DNA, increase risk for some cancers, narrow the arteries and cause other health problems.

6. Eat More Salmon, Mackerel, Herring, Halibut, Tuna, Sardines, Flaxweed, Walnuts, and Dark Green, Leafy Vegetables. These foods provide omega-3 essential fatty acids, which can inhibit blood clots, lower risk of heart disease, increase immune function, promote eye and brain development and provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Try to eat fish one to three times a week or a handful of walnuts daily.

7. Avoid Trans Fats As Much As Possible. Trans fats may be even more harmful than saturated fats. Trans fats may increase the risk of heart disease and breast cancer and alter cell membranes and metabolism. Carefully check food labels. Watch for trans fats (“hydrogenated oils”) in margarine, shortening, fried foods, breads, crackers, cereals, baked goods, snack foods, spreads and processed or prepared foods. Remember that the farther down the list of ingredients an item appears, the less of it there is.

8. Opt for Trans-Free Alternatives. Trans-free spreads are now available. If you can’t find one, your next best choice is a soft tub margarine whose label lists water or liquid oil as the first ingredient, with hydrogenated oil as far down on the list as possible. Also consider using a canola oil-based mayonnaise and sprinkling freshly ground flaxseed on cereals, salads, yogurt or other foods.

9. Choose Cold-Pressed, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This type of oil has optimum nutrient value and a distinctive, nutty flavor.

10. Buy Oils in Dark Bottles or Steel Containers and Store These in the Refrigerator. Oils best retain their freshness if exposure to oxygen and light is minimized. Oils should sit no longer than three months at room temperature.

Before you start, check with your doctor:
It’s an important precaution and we can’t emphasis it enough – Go see your doctor before starting a new health routine. Each of us are individuals with our own particular health and diet needs. So talk to your physician about how you would like to incorporate the Portion Doctor Plan into your new healthy lifestyle and get their approval before starting.
Set Reachable Goals
Set small goals, they’re easier to reach and will encourage you to keep going towards your larger goals. If weight loss is your objective we recommend setting a goal to lose 5-10% of your body weight.
For example if you weigh 200 pounds you can set a 5% goal of losing 10 pounds or a 10% goal to lose 20 pounds.
Once this goal is reached you can determine, (with the help of your physician) if additional weight loss is required. Often if we make a statement like, “I have to lose 40 pounds” the task can seem overwhelming and we don’t know where to start. By setting smaller, achievable goals you are more motivated to keep to your plan.

Most people think they are overweight because of what they eat but sometimes that isn’t the problem at all. Their real downfall may actually be what they drink. It is a fact that the average American consumes approximately 130,000 calories a year in recreational beverages and those beverages have the potential to create and maintain over 17 pounds of fat! Drinking sodas is like drinking pure fat! Just think about that next time you reach for one.

Most people think they are overweight because of what they eat but sometimes that isn’t the problem at all. Their real downfall may actually be what they drink. It is a fact that the average American consumes approximately 130,000 calories a year in recreational beverages and those beverages have the potential to create and maintain over 17 pounds of fat! Drinking sodas is like drinking pure fat! Just think about that next time you reach for one.

Water makes up about 70% of the world’s surface and it makes up almost 65% of your body’s total weight. It’s pretty much everywhere except our glasses! Given a choice between a plain glass of water, soda or juice, most of us will choose soda or juice. If you want to drop a few pounds, water can be your new bet friend. It’s far too easy to consume a lot of calories from other beverages. So your choice of beverages can sometimes pack on as many pounds as your favorite ice cream.

Water is, without a doubt, the very best beverage choice for losing weight. It’s not only fat and calorie free but also may help you eat less and here’s why.

You feel full. If you drink water before a meal, it takes up the space in your stomach that you would otherwise fill with food.

You’ll burn more calories. Drinking enough water helps your body operate under optimal conditions and may help you perform at peak metabolism. This in turn means that you may be better able to burn more fat.

Get Your Fill Of Water!

Buy bottled. If tap water doesn’t much appeal to your taste buds.

Add a twist. If plain water doesn’t float your boat, try adding a twist of lemon or lime.

Dilute it. For even more flavor, dilute a quarter glass of fruit juice with water.

Drink all day. Keep a glass of water near you all day and take a sip every 15 minutes. You’ll be surprised how you can end up drinking a quart of water throughout the day without even realizing it.

Drink before you eat. Drinking a glass or two before meals helps take the edge off hunger so you actually eat less.

Alcoholic beverages are another waste of calories.
There is about 105 calories in one drink of liquor, while one beer equals about 150 calories.

Drinking water is like giving the inside of your body a shower. Water cleans out your system. Our bodies need water for absorption, digestion, circulation, and the elimination of wastes. When our bodies don’t get enough water then our bodies retain water. So the more water we drink the less water we retain. Drinking water also helps to decrease our appetites because sometimes when we think we are hungry, we really are not. If you deprive your body of water, you become slightly dehydrated and your body will crave food because most foods contain some water. With all this in mind try to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Once you start this wonderful habit, you will probably find that you want it more and more! Not only will you be doing your body a big favor by drinking water to clean it out but you will feel healthier!

So as you can see, it really isn’t always you are what you eat but you are also what you drink. Think of the calories you can save by thinking about what you are drinking and why you are drinking it the next time you reach for one of these beverages.

Gaining back the hard-lost weight after dieting is perhaps the most painful of all factors influencing weight loss.

Why bother losing weight if all the body fat comes back within a few short months after you’ve reached your ideal weight?

This yo-yo phenomenon of weight loss is well known to everyone who has lost weight only to find it coming back almost instantly. And not only that but the weight tends to go up a bit HIGHER than what it was when you started dieting.

Eventually, you try again. Again, the weight goes down… only to come up again within a short period of time. Up and down the weight goes, just like a yo-yo.

It’s the most discouraging side of dieting.

You put in all that hard work to LOSE weight… and end up being HEAVIER a year later. Needless to say, the next attempt to lose weight is harder to start and there’s more to lose.

It’s fair to say that the yo-yo phenomenon is the biggest enemy to weight loss there is.

But what causes it?

Well, the yo-yo phenomenon is caused by a whole SET of factors but here are some of the most important ones:

Regaining lost weight -factor 1:Nutritionally deficient diets

It makes perfect sense: If the body is starved for its building materials DURING the diet it will take its own back once you relax the strict discipline on food when you’ve reached your ideal weight.

Again, the increased nutritional deficiencies create that “coiling-up effect” within the body during the diet. The body craves those nutritional elements more and more… and your disciplined diet rebuts its desire. So it bides its time… and lashes back once you slacken the discipline.

And then, it will get its way… and you’ll have more cravings than ever before… and the weight starts coming back.

It’s not a question of giving the body less calories than it needs on daily basis. It can easily take those missing calories by converting body fat into energy which, of course, is the whole idea of dieting.

The question is whether or not you give the body the nutritional elements it needs, such as enough complete proteins, vitamins, minerals, water, and natural food in sufficient quantities.

If you do that and give the body ENOUGH NUTRIENTS while keeping the calories around 1,000 per day — a diet which will keep you satisfied and feeling full most of the time — you will greatly diminish the chances of the weight coming back immediately.

Regaining lost weight -factor 2:Starvation diets (diet contains too little to eat)

Starvation diets are certain to cause a very strong yo-yo phenomenon once you ease off on the enormous self-discipline it takes to lose weight in this fashion.

These are called starvation diets because they contain less than 700 calories per day and consist of very limited foodstuffs. People have all kinds of ideas about dieting.

For instance, I know a person who lost 70 lbs. by eating two yogurts a day. That’s ALL he ate for several months!

No disrespect intended but that’s a diet that can KILL you. While definitely low on calories, this diet gives your digestive system NOTHING to work on and it certainly does not contain enough proteins, vitamins or minerals.

When I interviewed this man, he confessed to having severe dizzy spells several times a day during his dieting. In fact, he lost his consciousness several times a week for brief moments.

Of course, he also regained his weight in LESS time than it took to lose all those excess pounds of body fat!

Can you IMAGINE how starved his body must have been for NUTRITION?

Right. And after all that torture, he regained the weight back within less than six months!

Starvation diets, diets with strange and “un-food-like” foodstuffs and other crazy ideas like that will GUARANTEE that the body takes back the lost weight in a flash.

These diets are not only the most excruciatingly painful way of losing weight but also the most POINTLESS and DANGEROUS exercise in futility!

Regaining lost weight -factor 3: The diet contains no stabilization phase

You can have the perfect diet with just the right nutritional elements giving you a smooth ride to slimness and still put the weight back on in a year or two.

That’s UNLESS your diet includes a specific part that STABILIZES the nutrition for your body so that your weight is maintained at the level you want.

It takes a bit of time to stabilize the weight. And it is a very specific part of a successful diet as you’re really only looking to find an input-output ratio of energy that’s LEVEL.

It’s easier to LOSE weight simply because you don’t have to have such careful calculations but only need to ensure that you take in less energy / calories than what your body uses up.

But when you stabilize the situation, you have to find the exact level on which the body stays that same weight.

It’s not hard once you know how to do it. It only takes a few short weeks.

And the results are made PERMANENT.

Regaining lost weight -factor 4: The diet has no maintenance phase

A good diet also includes a set time of MAINTAINING the ideal weight.

Here, basically, you need only to weigh yourself daily and have a quick remedy whenever the weight goes up (or too much down) so that it is stabilized back to the ideal.

A good maintenance phase lasts for six to twelve months. The idea is to learn to keep your weight at the ideal “automatically” so that you do it without putting any attention on it.

Similarly, you teach the body its new ideal weight so that it, too, will start maintaining that weight.

The maintenance phase is very easy. Basically you only weigh yourself daily and react to any change in weight. But for that you need the last and most important of tools in weight loss — knowledge.

The most important “Regaining lost weight -factor” of all: Lack of knowledge

Let’s face it:

No matter how you lose weight, the only way to STAY SLIM is by KNOWING the basics of what your body needs to feel well, lose fat (and not muscle), stay level at your ideal weight… and what makes it gain weight.

This knowledge has to be learned in a way making it easy to use. Nobody can carry along scales and calorie tables with him or her. Very few people want to study the equivalent of a university degree just to control their weight.

Instead, the knowledge has to be translated into simple and easy-to-use methods, such as knowing the basic foodstuffs which you need, being able to determine by one LOOK how much you should buy and eat of each product, learning to FEEL when your body needs something and knowing when you’re gaining or losing weight… and so on.

That’s knowledge in its most useful form:

It can be used instantly and you’ll never have to second guess anything.

Beat the yo-yo phenomenon and you’ve won the prize of IDEAL WEIGHT FOR LIFE

Aim your diet for permanent results. Know your enemy — the yo-yo phenomenon — and be prepared to fight it when it comes to play after you’ve reached the ideal weight.

Plan your diet so that the strength of the yo-yo phenomenon is minimal at the end of weight loss phase.

If you do, this weight loss will be the easiest one you’ve ever had, regardless of whether or not you’ve lost and regained weight once or a dozen times before.

Definition of Obesity
Obesity is an excess of body fat that frequently results in a significant damage of health. Obesity results when the size or number of fat cells in a person’s body increases. A normal-sized person has between 30 and 35 billion fat cells. When a person gains weight, these fat cells first increase in size and later in number. One pound of body fat represents about 3500 calories.

When a person starts losing weight, the cells decrease in size but not in number. This is part of the reason that once you gain a significant amount of weight, it is more difficult to lose it.Studies that have been published in 1998 seem to found out that fat cells can be destroyed. A decrease in fat cell number may occur if a lower body weight is maintained for a prolonged period of time and in combination with some medications.

Each fat cell weighs a very small amount (about 0.4 to 0.6 micrograms). However, the weight of billions and billions of fat cells adds up significantly. Obviously, it is not very practical to count and measure the number of fat cells in a person’s body, so science has come up with easier methods to determine if a person is obese.
The most commonly used method involves tables of desirable weights by height. Life insurance companies have developed these over the years by determining people’s average heights and weights.

However, a better method that more closely correlates with body fat and the metabolic complications of obesity is the Body Mass Index (“BMI”).

Causes of Obesity
Obesity results when there is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. In other words, you consume more calories than you expend in your daily activities. Weight gained during certain critical periods, that is difficult to treat and to reduce, are the following:

1) between 12 and 18 months of age
2) between 12 and 16 years of age
3) adulthood (when a person gains in excess of 60% of the ideal body weight)
4) for women during pregnancy

During these periods, an excessive amount of weight gain causes an increased number of fat cells. Once a fat cell is formed, you generally cannot get rid of it.

4 Pure Proteins

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 99% fat free ground turkey (no skin)
• Egg whites or egg substitute
• Water-packed tuna

3 Fine Fruits

• Peach
• Banana
• My favorite Mangos

2 Delicious Dairies

• Skim milk
• Low fat (fat free) low sugar yogurt

2 Fantastic Fats

• Omega 3: walnuts or flaxseed oil
• Omega 6: olive oil (in moderation)

4 Virtual Veggies

• Broccoli
• Red pepper
• Spinach
• Cabbage

3 Complex Carbohydrates

• Rice
• Baked potato
• Oatmeal

Note: The less you weigh, the more minutes required, no matter what the activity. A lighter body requires fewer calories to move itself about.

Some of the activities and what they provide from a caloric expenditure standpoint may surprise you. Notice the relatively high caloric expenditure provided by digging in the garden and lawn mowing. You will also note differences in those activities that use only part of the body’s musculature versus those that are whole body activities.
Take the time to look at your weekly activities as a whole and see where you can fit in more “exercise”. Use the steps instead of the elevator. Park at the far end of parking lots and walk instead of driving around for 10 minutes looking for that spot up front.
Use the few minutes of your lunch break not used for eating and go for a quick walk outside or around the hallways. Even better, walk up and down a few flights of stairs.
Use your imagination and you will find ways to fit in more active time. You will feel tons better and over the course of 365 days, and if your caloric intake stays the same, you will lose fat weight. Simple but effective.

8 Minutes in the Morning is a weight loss program written by Jorge Cruise. The program explains why building muscle is an invaluable tool to increasing metabolism, and why dieting to lose weight is ineffective. The 8 minutes’ worth of moves actually work the whole body (which Cruise points out is necessary for overall health and fitness), but focus on the hips ad thighs three days out of five. The exercises are all simple to do, and require little equipment – just a chair, a mat and, in the more advanced versions, some ankle weights. There are three levels of progression. As for the eating system, it’s even easier. Cruise’s recommendations involve sensible portions, a balance of vegetables, protein and carbs, a touch of fat and no calorie counting. In addition to the exercises and eating system, Cruise also offers “power thoughts” and visualizations.

For beginning exercisers who want to target their hips and thighs, Cruise’s book is one of the easiest to follow. The exercises are non-intimidating and anyone can find the 8 minutes in which to do them. The food recommendations make sensible eating attainable. Those who are already fit and have been exercising for a while will probably find Cruise’s system a bit too easy for them. But those who only wish they were fit will find that Cruise offers an excellent way to start on the road to accomplishing their goals.

Although we found that most of Cruise’s ideas were correct, we can see absolutely no evidence of this program transforming your body. 8 minutes a day of exercise is simply not enough. This program makes money from countless overweight people that are looking for that easy way to lose weight. Cruise knows how to really hit the emotional aspects of these people and make them believe they can re-invent themselves in only 8 minutes a day.

The nutritional aspect of this program is farely good, however, after reviewing this program it seems there are missing pieces. Almost like he wanted to take the easy way out and simply tell customers what they want to hear in order to make the sale. I would suggest finding a weight loss program that is a well rounded combination of nutrition and exercise. Sometimes hearing what you don’t want to hear is actually what will help you lose weight.

Nutrition information is a hot topic these days. We are surrounded by messages on healthy eating and diet plans. Magazine and book covers are displaying messages like “lose 20 pounds in 10 days” or “eat you way thin”.
With the abundance of information available, it is ver difficult to know what healthy eating really means and which information is truly legitimate. In order to help you sort your way through the maze of mixed messages, I have prepared a review of some of the current diets that are popular today.

THE ATKIN’S DIET
The Claim: Eating carbohydrates causes hunger, causing you to overeat and thus gain weight. By eliminating carbohydrates and increasing your intake of proteins and fats you can satisfy the hunger and lose weight.
What is actually happening: When your body doesn’t get the carbohydrates it needs for energy, it has to use some other form of energy. Proteins (from lean muscle) and fat are used for that energy source. When your body starts to use fat as energy, it creates a by-product that can be toxic to the system (called ketones). Ketones can build up the bloodstream and need to be processed through the kidneys to be eliminated. Using protein for energy requires a lot of water to be released.
What to be aware of: Too many ketoses in the body can cause some negative side effects (dizziness, fatigue, headaches, confusion, nausea, and bad breath). Eating all that protein also increases your risk of developing high cholesterol levels. Also, high protein intakes can lead to weakened bones as this causes your body to lose calcium that is stored in the bones. Going into ketosis is a signal that your body is in starvation state, which in turn causes your metabolism to slow down (not what you want if you want to lose weight). When you quit the diet, your body will start to store fat very easily in order to avoid another starvation incident and you end up gaining more fat than you had before you started the diet. If you are planning to
stay on the diet long-term, then you need to be concerned about your kidneys. The stress of processing ketones over time can damage your kidneys.

THE ZONE DIET
The Claim: Excess levels of the hormone insulin are what make us fat. The diet is a ratio of 40:30:30 (carbohydrate:protein:fat). The lower carbohydrate, higher protein and fat are used to keep you in line in the “zone of optimal performance”. The concept is to control the ratio of protein carbohydrate in order to lower the insulin levels and lose weight.
What is actually happening: It is just a low-calorie diet that is also low in fibre and carbohydrates. The Zone Diet ranges from 1000 – 1600 calories a day. Most people will lose weight even on 1700 calories a day.

PROTEIN POWER
The Claim: By reducing carbohydrates an increasing protein, your body will be fooled into burning fat without you feeling hungry.
What is actually happening: Similar to the Atkin’s Diet, this diet relies on ketosis for weight loss. In order for the body to burn protein for energy, a lot of water must be released so the weight loss comes mainly form water loss not fat loss. Also similar to the Atkin’s Diet, once you go off it, you gain the weight right back again.
What to be aware of: Some of the side effects of ketosis: diarrhea, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, kidney damage, weakened bones from high levels of protein leeching calcium from them, risk of kidney stones from too much protein or oxalate.

SUGAR BUSTERS
The Claim: Sugar is toxic and foods containing refined sugar cause a sugar spike in the blood which makes you crave more crave sugar. This inturn causes insulin resistance, which then causes weight gain. By eliminating as much sugar as possible, you won’t overeat sugary foods and become insulin resistant. They also claim that you will somehow lose fat in the process.
What is actually happening: Your diet doesn’t cause insulin resistance, it only affects people who have a predisposition to insulin resistance. Also, you can’t just decide you have insulin resistance from reading a book. It had to be medically diagnosed with a blood test. The diet works though because it is again another low-calorie one with an average of 1200 calories a day.

GENERAL GUIDELINES TO THINK ABOUT
Be cautious about diets that:
1. Limit or restrict foods or whole food groups.
2. Claim to provide rapid weight loss.
3. Have “magic” or “miracle” foods.
4. Don’t recommend any physical activity.
5. Emphasize specific food combinations.