Use Green Tea as Part of Your Weight Loss Efforts

Many of us are on a quest to lose weight. According to polls, approximately 40% of all women are on a diet at any given time. Yet, overweight and obesity continue to be one of our nation’s leading health problems. Consider these statistics:

• 58 Million Americans are Overweight; 40 Million are Obese; 3 Million are morbidly Obese
• Eight out of 10 people over the age of 25 are overweight
• 78% of Americans don’t meet basic activity level recommendations
• 25% are completely sedentary

Being overweight is more than just a vanity issue, too. There are serious health risks related to being overweight. And, the higher your weight climbs, the more health complications you’re at risk for. Some of the most serious weight related health risks include:

• Type II Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Cancer

To maintain your health, it’s critical to get your weight under control. We all know that diet and exercise are the key components of weight loss and maintenance, but many of us have become discouraged because we have tried and failed many times. So, rather than following the same diet steps that failed you before, why not try a new approach this time? There are many things we know today about dieting that we didn’t know years ago. Here are some ways you can make weight loss and maintenance come more automatically, so that you can keep the weight off for good.

Exercise Right

We all know that exercise is important to weight loss. However, many of us think of exercise in terms of simply burning calories. And, while aerobic exercise is important for burning fat and calories and for helping maintain a healthy heart; we now know that weight training is just as important.

In addition to spending 30 minutes doing aerobic exercise most days of the week, you should also add weight training to your exercise plan. It doesn’t take hours; 3 20 minute sessions a week is enough for most people. Weight training helps build muscle. This is important because muscle burns more calories, even at rest, than fat. So, if you can increase the amount of lean muscle in your body, you’ll speed up your metabolism, burning more calories every day- even when you’re not exercising.

This is a critical part of weight loss and weight maintenance. Many of us work hard to reduce the amount of calories we ingest when we really should be working harder to increase the number of calories we burn. Significant calorie restriction doesn’t work well over the long term, so we shouldn’t make it the core of our weight management program.

Watch What You Eat

For years we’ve been programmed to watch how much we eat. However, it’s more important to concentrate on eating the right foods than it is to simply cut calories. Here are some substitutes you can make that will help you lose weight without feeling hungry

Cut out white flour and replace with whole grains – White flour is processed by the body just like sugar, so for many of us it packs on the pounds. Eating 100% whole grain breads and pasta instead of those made with white flour will help you lose weight. In addition, you’ll be adding fiber to your diet, which is good for your overall health.

Cut out processed foods – You can speed weight loss by eating unprocessed foods. In particular, foods containing anything “hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated” are enemies of weight loss and heart disease. Another villain to watch out for is “high fructose corn syrup”. This is a sort of artificial “super sugar” that really puts on pounds. These ingredients are used by food manufacturers to increase shelf life, but they are very bad for our bodies. By buying natural unprocessed foods like fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh meats, you can eat in a way that’s more healthy overall as well as helpful to weight loss.

Watch the Sugar – Sugar also makes it easy to gain weight. Many people have no idea how many calories they consume through sweetened beverages like sodas. Even juice has a lot of calories from sugar. And, while juice is healthy and contains vitamins, you’d be far better off getting those vitamins from a piece of fresh fruit instead of a glass of juice. You get more fiber and less sugar. Add foods that help burn calories

It’s just as important to eat foods that speed calorie burning as it is to cut out foods that put on weight. Here are some things to add to your diet to help speed weight loss.

Green tea – Replace those sodas (even if they’re diet) with green tea. Green tea is full of anti-oxidants, which can help you stay healthy overall. Green tea has been shown to prevent serious illnesses like heart disease and cancer when it’s part of your regular diet. In addition, green tea’s combination of anti-oxidants and caffeine speed up the metabolism in a way that other caffeinated beverages cannot. Research has shown that people who drink green tea burn more calories in a day than those who do not consume it.

Green tea is available in many forms, including bottled varieties for convenience.

Raw vegetables - Most raw vegetables require more calories to digest than they actually contain. So, munching on celery, carrots and broccoli will actually burn calories.

Cinnamon and hot peppers – Both of these spices are known to speed up the metabolism. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your coffee or tea, and add hot pepper to meals.

Making simple changes in your lifestyle and diet that you can maintain for the long run are important steps to weight management. This time around, spend less time worrying about how much you eat and more time consuming the foods that can help you lose weight automatically.

Should You Consume Caffeine to Lose Weight?

People seeking to lose weight are typically anxious to hear about any trick to make weight loss easier. One way to help speed weight loss is to find ways to speed up the metabolism, so that more calories are burned in a day.

Research has shown that caffeine is effective at speeding up the metabolism, so that you burn more calories. According to the Mayo Clinic, caffeine stimulates many body functions, including the heart rate, central nervous system function and metabolism. In addition, caffeine may decrease the appetite short term. So, adding caffeine may be an effective way to jump start weight loss. There are some things to consider, however:

You may see no effect if you’re already a caffeine consumer. If caffeine is already a part of your daily diet, you would likely need very high doses of caffeine to increase your metabolism above the level at which it already functions. However, those who don’t regularly consume caffeine may see some benefit.

You must be careful where the caffeine comes from. If you start getting your caffeine from sugary sodas, you’ll likely gain weight rather than lose it. However, if you get your caffeine from coffee, tea and sodas without sugar, you may see some results.

You must consider your other health issues. If you already suffer from an irregular heart rate or high blood pressure, your doctor may have warned you to stay away from caffeine. If this is the case, caffeine may not be safe for you. Be sure to talk to your doctor before adding caffeine.

What if I’m Caffeine Sensitive?

Many people stay away from caffeine because they find that too much caffeine causes sleeplessness or jitters. For these people, supplementing with caffeine for weight loss might seem unreasonable. However, there’s one form of caffeine that seems to be tolerated well by those who are normally caffeine sensitive.

Green Tea May Be the Answer

Green tea may well be the best way to get your caffeine for weight loss. Though green tea does contain caffeine, it is in smaller amounts than many other beverages. In addition, the caffeine in green tea seems to be better tolerated by the caffeine sensitive than other caffeinated beverages. This is thought to be because of the anti-oxidants in green tea.

These anti-oxidants, in addition to making the caffeine less of a problem, also offer a myriad of health benefits. Green tea’s anti-oxidants have been shown to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease and some forms of cancer. So, even if you don’t lose weight from drinking green tea, it’s a healthy habit to add to your diet.

But, the best news is that in addition to being healthy and well tolerated by the caffeine sensitive, it may just be that green tea is the best way to get your caffeine for weight loss. This is because studies have shown that green tea is more effective in promoting weight loss than other caffeinated beverages. The combination of caffeine and green tea’s anti-oxidants appears to be more effective in promoting weight loss than caffeine alone.

One important study on this subject was reported by the Obesity Research Group. In this study, ninety overweight men and women were studied. First, the group was put on a low calorie diet for four weeks. The subjects were divided between low caffeine consumers and high caffeine consumers. At the end of the four week diet period, the subjects were placed on a weight maintenance program.

During this weight maintenance period, subjects either received a green tea/caffeine supplement or a placebo. Within the groups, both high caffeine consumers and low caffeine consumers were given the green tea/caffeine supplement. The weight maintenance period lasted for 3 months.

At the end of the study, the results were as follows:

• Caffeine consumers overall seemed to have higher satiety levels and lower leptin levels, which helped speed weight loss.

• During the weight loss period, caffeine consumers lost more weight than non-caffeine consumers.

• During the weight maintenance period, the low caffeine consumers who received the green tea/caffeine supplement kept off more weight than the low caffeine consumers who received the placebo. In fact, many of them continued to lose weight.

• During the weight maintenance period, the high caffeine consumers who received the green tea/caffeine supplement did not report a significantly higher success rate in keeping the weight off than those high caffeine consumers receiving the placebo.

While more research is needed to truly determine how green tea and caffeine can help with weight loss and maintenance, it does appear that consuming green tea and other forms of caffeine can help you lose weight. In particular, caffeine and green tea may be especially effective for those who don’t consume a great deal of caffeine on a regular basis. And, since green tea is a form of caffeine that is well tolerated by most caffeine sensitive people, green tea may be the best way to use caffeine as a weight loss aid.

You have nothing to lose by adding green tea to your diet. It’s healthy, refreshing and has no side effects. And even those who are sensitive to other forms of caffeine can usually drink green tea without experiencing unpleasant side effects. So, see if green tea can help you in your efforts to lose weight!

Long Term Green Tea Consumption and Body Fat

Many people find that they gain weight as they get older. It seems to be a fact of life for many of us; as we age we put on a few pounds. It’s no secret that our metabolism starts to slow down as we age; even as early as age 30. However, there does seem to be a simple secret weapon that can prevent the pounds from creeping on as we get older.

It’s no secret that Asian countries have far lower incidences of overweight and obesity than most other parts of the world. And, even as they age, Asians don’t seem to put on the age related pounds that plague many cultures. And, of course, it’s no secret that Asians drink large amounts of green tea.

And, there seems to be a connection between these two facts. Green tea has been reported to have many health benefits, including preventing disease and weight gain. Green tea consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of many forms of cancer, lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. Green tea has also been shown to help regulate insulin, which may help prevent or control diabetes.

Other studies have shown that green tea can help with weight loss, as it seems to speed the metabolism and promote fat loss. Green tea seems to have a unique ability to promote thermogenesis, or fat burning.

For these reasons, it seems that being a lifelong green tea drinker may mean that you have less chance of putting on a few pounds each year as you get older. In addition to the abundant anecdotal evidence available by comparing the statistics on obesity in Asian countries to that of European and North American countries, there is also quite a bit of research to back up the theory that drinking green tea regularly over a period of years may lead to lower weight and less body fat.

One particularly interesting study on this subject was conducted by the Department of Family Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Taiwan. This study looked at over 1200 subjects, both male and female. They compared the tea drinking habits of the participants and evaluated their percentage of body fat and body fat distribution based on waist to hip ratios. Waist to hip ratios are important because we know that fat carried around the hips and waist are more likely to lead to heart disease than fat carried on other places on the body.

The study concluded that tea drinkers were less likely to have an unhealthy percentage of body fat, and were more likely to have positive waist to hip ratios. In fact, those participants who had been tea drinkers for more than 10 years showed an average of 19% less body fat and a waist to hip ratio of 2.1% less than that of non-habitual tea drinkers. But even those participants who had been habitual tea drinkers for just six months showed improved statistics over those participants who were not habitual tea drinkers.

This study denoted several factors that appeared to have either positive or negative effect on a person’s body fat percentage and body fat distribution. The factors they rated were as follows:

Smoking – Smoking was associated with higher body fat and higher waist to hip ratio.

Age – Older Age was associated with higher body fat and higher waist to hip ratio.

Body Mass Index – Higher body mass index was associated with higher body fat and a higher hip to waist ratio.

Pre/post menopausal – Pre-menopausal women were more likely to have a lower percentage of body fat and a lower waist to hip ratio than post menopausal women.

Habitual Tea Drinking – Habitual tea drinkers had lower waist to hip ratios and lower percentages of body fat.

Physical Exercise – Those who exercised regularly had lower percentages of body fat and lower waist to hip ratios.

So, as you can see, there are several lifestyle factors that affect whether or not your weight creeps up as you age. Of course, age itself is a factor we can’t control, as is going through menopause. However, what we can learn from this study is that getting regular exercise, refraining from smoking and drinking tea regularly throughout your life can help you avoid gaining weight as you get older.

Adding green tea to your diet is a simple way to help protect your health and prevent weight gain. As more and more research has revealed green tea’s health benefits, it has become easier to find. Today, green tea can be found in loose or bag form for brewing at home and bottled form for those who want convenient chilled green tea. Even those trendy coffee houses now offer a green tea selection on your menu.

And, if you can’t get enough of a dose of green tea by drinking it, there are green tea supplements on the market that carry the anti-oxidants of green tea in pill form. But, no matter how you choose to get your dose of green tea, just be sure you get it!

Improve Your Diet With Tea and Strength Training

It seems that many of us are dieting today. And, we’re always looking for ways to make dieting easier and more effective. Of course, we know that diet and exercise are critical components of any weight loss or weight maintenance program, but there are some other tricks you can use to help make your dieting more productive and less restrictive.

Build muscle

When we think of exercise to lose weight, many of us think of aerobic exercise for burning calories and fat. And, it’s true that aerobic exercise is very important to weight loss and to having a healthy heart. However, building muscle is also critical to losing weight and keeping it off. Muscle, even when at rest burns more calories than fat. So, a person who has a lot of muscle needs more calories just to get through the day than a person whose body composition is more fat than muscle. By building muscle, you make your body a calorie burning machine, so you can eat more without putting on weight.

We’re not talking about becoming a body builder. Just 20 minutes of strength training 3 times each week will help you tone up and build muscle. Not only will you burn more calories each day, but you’ll also change the way your body looks (for the better) and make your body stronger.

Drink Tea

There has been an abundance of evidence showing that drinking tea has many health benefits. Tea, particularly green tea, has been shown to prevent some forms of cancer, help lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. It may also help regulate insulin levels, and may even prevent debilitating illnesses like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. The trick is the anti-oxidants.

Green tea is different from black tea in the way that it’s processed. Black tea is fermented, while green tea is left unfermented, in its more natural state. This lack of fermentation protects the healthful anti-oxidants in the tea. Anti-oxidants are critical for preventing disease and premature aging.

As our body converts the food we eat into energy, free radicals are created. If these free radicals are left unchecked, they damage our cells and DNA, which eventually leads to disease. Anti-oxidants combat the free radicals to prevent the damage they can cause. Green tea contains EGCG, one of the most potent anti-oxidants you can find.

Green tea also seems to have the ability to boost your metabolism. All caffeinated beverages raise the metabolism somewhat, but green tea seems to raise the metabolism even more than other caffeinated beverages, though its actual caffeine content is lower than black tea, coffee or soda. Green tea also seems to promote thermogenesis in the body, which helps burn fat.

And, the best news is that green tea is well tolerated by most people who have trouble with caffeine. Its caffeine does not seem to cause the jitters that many people experience from caffeine in other forms. Green tea appears to have no side effects, even if you drink large quantities.

One interesting study on the effects of green tea on weight loss was conducted by the Shizuoka University in Japan. In this study, female mice received supplements of different combinations of green tea powder with caffeine, green tea catechins and theanine (another green tea component) in their diets or they received the same diet with no supplements for a period of 16 weeks. Their weight was measured monthly.

Over this four month period, the mice who received supplements of green tea powder, caffeine and theanine showed reduced body weights when compared with the mice who received only green tea catechins and when compared with mice who did not receive supplements. In addition, the mice that received green tea with caffeine and theanine had significantly less fatty body organs, by as much 50%. In addition, the mice who received green tea powder with theanine had significantly lower serum cholesterol levels.

So, what does this mean for us?

Well, the reason that laboratory mice are so often used in medical experiments is because their body composition and their responses to medicines often closely mimics that of human responses. So, it’s reasonable to assume that if green tea components can impede weight gain in lab mice, it can do the same for us.

And, the best news is that even if you don’t see significant weight loss from drinking green tea, you’re doing something healthy for your body. Green tea is far healthier to consume than coffee or sodas and provides the healthful anti-oxidants that your body needs.

Successful weight loss and maintenance requires a combination of efforts including exercise and a healthy diet. However, learning the little tricks, like drinking green tea can help make dieting easier and more successful. Plus, by adding green tea to your diet you may be preventing serious illnesses and reducing the effects of aging.

Can Oolong Tea Help Men Lose Weight?

It seems that we’re all fighting the battle of the bulge. Especially as we get older, it seems to get harder to keep the pounds at bay. We often think of women as being the dieters, but in fact, men are just as subject to weight problems as women.

As you’re looking for ways to make weight loss easier, consider the research that has been performed on the health benefits of tea. Tea has long been used in Asian cultures to prevent illness and protect health, and it seems that science is proving what Asians have believed all along: tea is good for you.

Lifelong tea drinkers have lower incidences of heart disease, high cholesterol and some forms of cancer. They are also less likely to suffer from diabetes or be overweight. Tea protects your teeth and may even have potential to prevent diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. We are beginning to learn a lot about the benefits of tea, but clearly there is much more to learn, so that we can pinpoint exactly how we can best use tea to help with medical needs.

One of the most promising areas of tea research centers on tea as a weight loss aid. Much research has shown that tea seems to speed up the metabolism and promote fat oxidation. Other studies have shown that lifelong tea drinkers are less likely to be overweight, have a lower percentage of body fat and have a lower waist to hip ratio. In addition, studies have shown that when tea was part of a sensible diet and exercise plan, subjects lose more weight than those subjects who used a diet and exercise plan without tea as a supplement.

One study that is particularly interesting was conducted by the Beltsville Human Nutrition Center in Maryland in conjunction with the University of Tokushima in Japan. In this study, twelve men between the ages of 25 and 60 were evaluated. All participants were in good health, and the study was conducted over a period of one month. The target participants were those who consumed the caffeine equivalent of 2-4 cups of coffee each day.

Prior to the beginning of the study, each participant was evaluated with regard to their calorie expenditure per day without caffeine or tea. During the study, each participant was placed into one of four study groups. One group received a supplement of water, one group received water with caffeine, one group received half strength oolong tea and one group received full strength oolong tea. For three days, the participants were fed the exact same diet. The diet was low calorie and free of caffeine, other than the caffeine in the beverage supplements. The beverage supplements were given to the participants five times per day.

This study found that the participants who drank full strength oolong tea and caffeinated water burned more calories in a day than the subjects who drank water or half strength tea. Drinking caffeinated water increased energy expenditure by 3.4% over those participants who drank water alone. Drinking full strength tea increased energy expenditure by 2.9% over drinking water alone. Drinking half strength tea did not significantly increase energy expenditure over drinking water alone.

So, why not just drink water with caffeine?

You might ask why we wouldn’t just drink water with caffeine to help increase our metabolic rate. Well, according to this study, you could do just that. However, when you consider the many other studies that have touted the many other benefits of tea consumption, it’s clear that getting your metabolic boost from tea is far healthier than adding caffeine to your water.

Tea is full of anti-oxidants, which is believed to be why it prevents illnesses and protects health. Anti-oxidants are powerful fighters of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules that are created as a by-product of our digestion process. These free radicals damage our cells and DNA if left unchecked. However, consuming anti-oxidants combats these free radicals before they can harm our bodies. Scientists have shown that consuming a diet high in anti-oxidants helps us to avoid serious illnesses and slows down the aging process.

In addition, there have been other studies that have suggested that tea promotes more weight loss through fat oxidation than other caffeinated beverages. It is believed that this too is the result of anti-oxidants. It appears that the combination of caffeine with the anti-oxidants in tea is a more powerful weight loss supplement than caffeine in other beverages.

Finally, research has shown that the caffeine in tea seems to be better tolerated than other forms of caffeine. Many people who are caffeine sensitive find that they can drink tea without the usual side effects of caffeine. The caffeine in tea often does not produce the irregular heart rate and nervous jitters that caffeine sensitive people experience from other caffeinated beverages.

So, adding tea to your diet plan may be a great way to speed up your weight loss. Tea is healthy, refreshing, inexpensive and readily available. So, why not add tea to your diet routine?

Weight Loss Tip: Should You Blame Your "Fat Genes" For Your Current Body?

Okay, I heard you. Your parents are Big, you siblings are the same, and you don’t think that there is a way out for you, from your currently overweight state.

Let me hold out a flag of hope for you, dear Big Person, because you are going to get the single best weight-loss tip of your life.

Look: There definitely are differences in body-types: the Meso-, Endo-, and Ectomorphic types and all of them respond differently to exercise and nutrition. Very quickly: the Ectomorph has it easy – she seems to be able to eat anything and everything and never put on weight. At the other end of the scale is the Mesomorph, who puts on weight (and muscle) easily, and has to constantly watch out for the amount of calories she consumes.

Granted, our body types do dictate, generally, what we are going to look like.

On the other hand, think of this: there are hardly any overweight people on the continent of Africa. And the same genes that many of the blacks in the Americas have, can be found there – after all Africa is where the American blacks have come from! So we should have found the same kind of distribution of “Big” people in Africa.

The differentiating factor then comes down to the availability of calories in the two places: i.e., who has easy access to calorie-filled meals? The answer then, to the reason we are overweight, is simple. We are very often overweight because of our (family) habits.

Somewhere in your family history, your family members may have decided to buy and eat more, much more than you need for your body. And these habits have eventually replaced your family’s original healthy food habits, with the result that today you have habits that have dictated the shape of an entire generation in your family.

Yes, someone is to “blame”. Someone in your family tree has started habits that have shaped your family. The good news is that your body shape is not “indelible”. The results that you see in your family’s weight (and yourself) can be changed, turned around, indeed, erased forever.

And you start changing your body shape and weight right now with this single simple weight loss tip: Stop Blaming "someone out there".

Stop looking for something to point at, someone to lay the blame on for your being overweight. Stop, because when you blame, you lose your own incredible personal power: your power to choose what you want for yourself and to take action to achieve it.

If you are reading this article and just looking for ammunition to help you in blaming your family, you are wasting your time. However, if you have been searching for a solution to your being overweight, you have come to the right place. The place where you can start getting new results for yourself by changing one thing: your Mind.

Remember this one sentence: Once you have stopped blaming and have started making conscious, well-thought-out choices, you are ready to take control of your life. Now you are ready to lose weight permanently and change your shape.

Having had an environment where most of the family is overweight, you most likely have internal programming that will keep you overweight, unless you fix it. That is something that many overweight people have in common. For some reason or the other, their minds had learnt that being overweight is "good and desirable", or the actions that led to them being overweight (like eating the amounts or types of food that make one overweight) are "good and desirable".

My Weight-Loss Tip is this: You must fix your mind. You need to become aware of your programming. You need to use mind-tools (and use them systematically) to help you turn your life around.

Does this sound like Work? Of course, it’s work! But if you want to lose weight, to change your body (and your entire Life), you can.

Remember this: Awareness is the key to changing your Life. Become Aware of how you make your decisions about food and exercise. It is very likely that your decision-mechanism has been pre-programmed towards actions that make you fat.
Start questioning your “normal” choices in food, exercise, and life-style.
Question everything you do out of habit.
Start examining your life.
Ask yourself “Why do I do this?”
Ask yourself “What if I were to …..?” Think about different ways of eating, of spending your leisure time, of entertaining yourself and your children.

And find a System that will help you do this, consistently, until new habits, new ways of behaving and living are formed within you.

And then, you will be really free of the burden of being overweight.

In this article I have helped you by raising your awareness about a possible culprit in your life: Your personal Awareness level, your programmed mind and whether your minute-to-minute power to choose has been hijacked.

Think about it. Then take Action to Fix your Mind.
Melroy d’Rego is the author of the book “Why Your Mind Keeps You Fat and How You can Fix It!” as well as the “Fix the Mind that Keeps You Fat” Workbook and dozens of articles (both audio and text) on getting the Mental Attitude + Action mix that can make anyone’s body permanently lean and strong.

Melroy is an award-winning public speaker and a bodybuilder.

Weight Loss Tip: How You Can Use Your Powerful Unconscious Mind To Create A Beautiful Body For You

If I asked you to draw a picture of yourself (assuming that you were a fantastic artist) what would you draw. Can you "see" that picture of yourself ? What do you look like?

If you want a truly powerful Weight Loss Tip, you must learn how the Creation process works in this Universe of ours.

So sit back and relax while you understand and digest this Weight Loss Tip.

Remember this: Creation is a 2-step process. Your Weight Loss Journey is the same.

Have you ever thought about how an artist works at creating, say, a sculpture from a block of marble? She will first study her block of marble from many different angles, turning it this way and that, looking at it intently. If you observe her even more closely, you may notice that she is thinking.

In fact, this thinking is actually the process of making a set of pictures. She is creating pictures in her mind, and "trying them for size" against the block of marble, checking whether this new picture will fit into the block that she has. That is Step 1 of the Creation Process: Creating Pictures that Fit the Raw Material she has.

Once she has a good picture of what she wants to create out of the marble in her head, she may start sketching the picture from different angles. This helps your artist to record the fruit of her imagination for later on. And then, the artist starts chiseling away at the raw block of marble. She is at Step 2 of the Creation Process. She manifesting her dreams into the Real World by taking action. Thus, everyone around her can really see what she was working at, in her mind.

If you want to really lose weight and get a great shape for yourself, you must go through more-or-less the same process. But only if you want to achieve Permanent Weight Loss.

Firstly, why do we need this 2-step process? Why can't we just start working away at the gym, and banging away at a reasonable-looking diet?

Because the most powerful guiding force in your life is your unconscious mind. And if you have not communicated your goal to your unconscious mind, you are heading for frustration and failure.

By having a clear picture in your mind of the weight loss (and the new body) you wish to achieve, you will communicate your end-goal to your unconscious mind.

And if you do that often, consistently, you will be able to literally harness your unconscious mind to work for you, thus gaining the body that you want quite easily.

With the powerhouse of your Unconscious Mind driving your weight-loss efforts, You Will Not Fail to achieve your new body, and lose the extra weight that keeps you down today.

So let's run through this Weight Loss Tip once more, pointing out what you must do, what actions you must take:

You must have a clear picture of what you want to become. Relax, close your eyes each day, morning and evening, and see yourself as you wish to be.

See yourself as if you have, right now, the body that you want for yourself.

And do this exercise daily. You speak to your unconscious mind most powerfully through these pictures. Your message will only really get through if you are consistent, if you emphasize to your mind, through constant repetition: "This is What I Want."

And then watch your subconscious drive your body, your actions, and, seemingly, your entire destiny towards the weight loss goal that you have set for yourself. Your actions, driven by your subconscious mind, will start creating the fantastic new body that you've dreamed up for yourself.

And that Dream "You" will emerge from the chrysalis of your present Body.
Melroy d’Rego is the author of the book “Why Your Mind Keeps You Fat and How You can Fix It!” as well as the “Fix the Mind that Keeps You Fat” Workbook and dozens of articles (both audio and text) on getting the Mental Attitude + Action mix that can make anyone’s body permanently lean and strong.

Melroy is an award-winning public speaker and a bodybuilder. He loves to teach people to use their mind to Lose Weight and get the beautiful body that they really deserve.

A Successful Weight Loss Diet For Seniors

Most weight loss programs seem to be geared towards younger people with their added emphasis on physical exercise such as workouts. But the older generation may also need to lose weight too. As old age approaches, flexibility in the joints suffers and there is less energy and stamina. This can make it more difficult to move around, so losing weight for seniors is important because the less surplus weight being carried the better, not only for the older person, but also for anyone having to care for them. That is why the Nigel Lawson Diet is valuable for seniors.

Nigel Lawson was a leading UK politician in the early 1990s, accustomed to business lunches, dinners, fine wines and whiskey. On leaving office he weighed 238 lbs. He relates how embarrassed he was during a skiing holiday with the family; when he fell over he was unable to get up without help. Around this time he also discovered he had arthritis in his knee, so with the aid of his wife, he went on a diet and lost 70 lbs in 10 months. This is inspiring for seniors because Nigel Lawson was around 60 years old when he achieved this weight loss and the loss has been maintained.

Having set a target weight he wanted to achieve, and being strongly motivated to reach it, Nigel Lawson put together a simple diet. Initially he cut out all alcohol and when he felt the urge to drink, he substituted black coffee or diet cola for the alcohol.

He had a regime of three meals a day with no eating between meals. Fats, dairy produce, butter-based sauces, sugar, fried and starchy food (such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes), were eliminated. What was recommended was fish (but not fried) and other seafoods, meat minus the fat, poultry minus the fat and skin, eggs (not fried) salads, green vegetables and other vegetables except the really starchy ones.

Though the diet seems quite restrictive, following the weight loss, the next step was to move to a maintenance diet which meant he was able to include some red wine and a greater variety in the meals, though after ten months he found that his eating habits had changed, such that he no longer wanted to eat many of the foods he had enjoyed previously.

Some flexibility was built into the diet like using a small amount of olive oil in cooking and as a salad dressing, and including one slice of unbuttered toast with the allowed breakfast eggs. No diet should be too rigid as Nigel Lawson remarked, "What we are talking about here is a diet, not a religion."

Now sadly out of print, the Nigel Lawson Diet Book published in 1996, can still be found occasionally at ebay.co.uk. In addition, Nigel Lawson's wife Therese, published the Nigel Lawson Diet Cookbook in 1998.

The Secrets To Pilates Supreme

Pilates supreme is a revolutionary exercise routine that combines the body’s own resistance with stretches and balancing exercises. The name Pilates comes from the name of the man who invented it.

Pilates was working as a doctor during the war and discovered that many of his patients were losing muscle tone and energy because of being bed ridden. He developed specific exercise to target the different muscle group that could be done in the patient’s beds.

These exercises are now combined with mat work, studio work, and machines to form a new and even better Winsor Pilates workout program. Pilates supreme will make sure that the participants achieve a leaner, longer, and stronger body, without placing any pressure on the joints and ligaments.

Pilate’s supreme is used very often by professional dancers and athletes as their fitness program. It will make sure that you work your core muscles which is very important is developing correct posture, as well as by using very specific breathing techniques.

Together with machines that are derived from the old ones based on the World War hospital beds that Pilates developed, Pilates supreme will ensure you lose weight, get fit, and become stronger and healthier. The Pilates supreme program also comes with a special eating plan, which will show you how to eat correctly to become healthier, and which types of foods should be eaten before and after your Pilates exercises.

Pilate supreme includes a fitness tracker so that you can monitor exactly how well you are doing and when you need to step up your Pilates supreme exercise routine. Many people make the mistake of sticking to one type of exercise or intensity of workout, but this is wrong.

As your body changes and becomes fitter due to the Pilates supreme program, you will need to adapt and make your routine harder, more challenging and also adjust your eating plan. If you want to start a Pilates supreme exercise program, you can find out from your local fitness center, or gym if they offer Pilates supreme.

Otherwise you can find many programs online where you can downloads the exercise to do at home, which is perfect for those stay at home mom’s. Pilates supreme is great for doing at home because you do not have to have a big area to perform the exercises which is the reason behind the concept.

Anyone can start Winsor Pilates supreme, as the routines will begin at the beginner level and get more difficult as you progress through the program. Once you have reached the highest stages you can find more step by step exercises to do online or find new routines to challenge you even further.

You can always come back to the other Pilates supreme exercise after a while to refresh your muscles and make sure there is variety in your program.

Weight Loss Tips: If You've Ever Asked Yourself "Why Am I So Fat?"

If you have ever asked yourself the question above, and don’t really know the answer or where to look for the answer, you may have stumbled upon a solution to changing your body shape.

However, if you have simply wondered “Why am I so Fat?” and have come up with an answer like: “Because of my parents / my environment/ my neighborhood / my family /my race /my husband/ my childhood…..”, then, think about this: You have found, not the answer to your problem, but an excuse. And sadly, this excuse that will continue to keep you overweight for the rest of your life.

Now if that’s what you want (to continue to be overweight or out-of-shape or definitely not the best you can be, both physically and mentally), then the excuse you have found will serve you well.

If, on the other hand, you really want to change your shape and lose weight, you will need to find the Real Reason that you are overweight and why you simply cannot make a move to change your body shape. And then, you will need to tackle the deep-down reason you are getting bigger, and eliminate it.

So, the Short Answer to your question: “Why am I so Fat?” is this: your internal programming, the way you think and react, is making you fat.

The Longer Answer to your Question (“Why am I so Fat?”) is this: You may have heard that the human mind is made up of the conscious and subconscious, “parts” of what we call our mind. (Most people know this; few really know how to work with or upon this knowledge.)

The major portion of the time, it is the unconscious or subconscious parts of your mind that runs the whole show that you call Your Life. Most of our decisions may be made for us by our unconscious minds, and the rest of our body simply acts upon those decisions.

A common example is that of driving a car: You get into the car, and after a long and boring journey, you arrive at your destination, and you remember hardly anything about what you really did on that journey. What really happened was that your unconscious mind worked everything out, and got you to your destination, and all you can consciously remember are one or two turns or lane-changes in the entire journey!

You may also have seen this happen with regard to food: The food may be laid out before you, and your unconscious mind (who’s on a “see-food” diet) simply gets at the food, consuming and absorbing all the calories it can lay hands on, in the shortest time possible. In the meantime, your conscious mind (the person you call “You”) has taken a short holiday, only to enter the scene when the food is gone. That’s when remorse sets in, when you feel bad about having eaten all that food. But it’s too late, at least with regard to that meal.

What does this mean to you with regard to your losing weight and more importantly, to keeping it off, is that you must take conscious control of your decisions, instead of letting your unconscious mind pre-decide what you do in everything.

And please remember that your unconscious mind is a powerful part of your mind, and does not change as easily as your conscious mind. For example, you may read an article that tells you why being overweight is bad for you, and you may fully agree. What is really happening here, is that your conscious mind is agreeing. However, the real driver, the one who does the long-term actions for you, your unconscious mind, is still convinced that the way you were going before reading the article (i.e., not worrying about your weight, or changing your diet or the amount of exercise you do) is still the way to go. So, if you want to change your shape, long-term, you need to get your unconscious mind working for you, instead of against you, as it is currently doing.

Have you come up against the case, where you want to do something, but you just cannot get yourself to do it? This is a clear example where your conscious mind and unconscious minds are working against each other. On the other hand, you may have found the case where you can really easily (and consistently, long-term) work at something. In this case, your unconscious mind is in line with what your conscious mind wants, and your unconscious mind is working to power you forward towards what you want.

To get your unconscious mind on your side with regard to changing your body-shape, start becoming Aware of what you think is "Normal", "Correct", "Right" or "Good" for you to do.

Grab a piece of paper, and write out a list of all the things you think are "Normal" for you.

Because, many of these things that seem "Normal" ("Correct", or "Right") to you, could be making (or keeping) you Fat.

Simple - Free - Healthy Diet - You'll Lose Weight And Be Healthier

History tells us that many diets have been popular for A while, then another, etc, but they all fade away after A while. They all have their theories, but ultimately, they fall short on the health issue. A very well proven fact; We ALL need the same ratio; 60% of our foods from , complex carbohydrates, [including whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables]; 20% from good protein sources. [not from meat, other than fish.] and 20% readily digestible fats. [not from sugar, burgers, etc.] The meat , dairy, food industry, and FDA have brain-washed us into believing that we need massive amounts of protein, especially if we're active. This simply is untrue. Many studies have proven that our body reproduces protein, even if we eat none.

Too much protein is like poison. No, you won't die today maybe, but the poor crippled, sickly people barely able to get to the waiting lines for clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. are people who ignored all the rules of nature. It makes me sad that most people who read this will refuse to believe, or simply ignore, and they think they do not need to worry today, etc. Most of all, I hate to hear people say they do only what their doctor says. Doctor training is funded by drug companies; Their main interest is drug sales, and keep you coming back to “fix” the damage, certainly not nutrition education! This has also been proven thru doctor surveys. Also, the doctor doesn't want to lose patients in the name of health. Actually, more and more doctors are becoming aware that treating the body with nutrition works better than the old "treat the symptom, not the cause" and people are seeking alternative medicines more and more.

Sorry, you who are on A low carbohydrates diet, that simply doesn't make since, health wise. Also, high protein diets are extremely dangerous. You may lose some weight, but your health will suffer. Tests and studies thru the years world wide have proven that we need little protein. Especially from meat. I have personally studied health and nutrition for 30 years, and I've experienced health miracles in my life and the lives of others. I have experienced people recovering from nearly every kind of disease. My step daughter recovered from diabetes, high blood pressure, and A serious weight problem, thru nutrition and exercise. I had severe arthritis and overall poor health 30 years ago, and my doctor very decidedly told me there’s no cure and that it wood get much worse. [condemned for life] I refused to accept that, and began reading books on arthritis and health. Don't get me wrong; I did not find A “cure for arthritis. What I did not know is that our bodies are designed to avoid all diseases; If we eat the proper NATURAL foods, the body will heal itself like A miracle, and it’s free!! I love that word, FREE. Health food stores and even supermarkets are carrying more organic produce and other foods. OR: grow your own! It’s easy. However, man has mutilated our nutrition with chemicals, processing, polluted air, soil, and water. Therefore, we must eat fresh, clean, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts grains, and legumes. [beans, rice, barley, etc.] Once my body was conditioned to natural healing, it healed itself. And we definitely need supplements. It is very important to use ALL NATURAL vitamins and minerals. Listing all the studies and proof of all these things here is not feasible, but I will list them in another article. One study that really convinced me was in Switzerland; Two groups of silver foxes were tested, one group were given natural vitamins and minerals, the other group were given synthetic; The ones with natural had healthy, shiny coats, well developed, and healthy. The others had blotchy hair, and they were smaller, and sickly. Other similar studies have shown quite similar results.

Your Weight Can Be Normal with Hoodia

Recently, in a big fashion show in the UK, too thin models were restricted from walking on the ramp. In the race of getting a slim and trim body, too many people have spoiled there health. Among them, a major chunk of these weight losers are girls. This is only one side of the coin, even after a blind race for slimness, obesity still exists. There are more than 300 million people in the world who are suffering from obesity. After judging the present conditions, our slogan should be—‘Too thin, too fat both are bad’. If you have too thin body, you can easily gain weight with the help of a proper diet. But getting a normal weight is a bit difficult task for an obese. Dietary habits are unidirectional, once stomach is settled for high amount of food you feel a lot of difficulty in compromising with low amount of food.

No matter how desperately you are looking for weight loss, you cannot put your body on the risk of dieting. Alternatives to dieting are appetite suppressants. The dichotomy is that the weight loss drug market is flooded with numerous appetite suppressants and which appetite suppressant would be better is difficult to decide. The appetite suppressants are divided in two categories, prescription medications and non prescription medication. In support of prescription medications the advocacy is that these medications bring quick weight loss. But prescription medications generally have side effects associated with them, which makes there use harmful for the body. Moreover, there is always a hassle in getting doctor’s prescription.

For all these reason an appetite suppressant which is made up of all natural ingredients should be used. But that medication should not have harmful ingredients like Ephedra and Ma-Huang. The search for such a medication ends at Hoodia diet pill , Hoodia capsules and Hoodia health drinks. Hoodia Gordonii is a cactus like plant which is produced in the great Kalahari Desert of Africa. There the plant has been in use for centuries as an appetite suppressant. Phytopharm in the year 1995, brought appetite suppressant made up of Hoodia’s extract P-57 to the outer world.

Hoodia appetite suppressant is completely side effect free and there is no need to get a doctor’s prescription for using Hoodia. However, a few precautions should be taken before using Hoodia which can be enlisted as:

•Hoodia should not be used with body mass index below 30

•It should not be used by nursing mothers and pregnant ladies

•It should not be used by women planning to conceive in the future

•It should not be used if you are already on some medication

•Doctor should be consulted before using Hoodia

Hoodia pills, capsule and health drink have similar efficacy. In which form you want to use it, is a matter of your choice. Every Hoodia diet pill comes in the volume of 1200mg which is the optimum amount for suppression of appetite, so never take overdoses of Hoodia.

Anne Collins Weight Reduction Program

I was doing some research lately on the Internet and stumbled upon a website managed by Anne Collins. Her website is jam-packed with tons of information about her weight loss program, tips, resources, information, testimonials, products and anything you need to find out about losing weight. I was very impressed and decided that I had to bookmark this site and come back from time to time.

I am not endorsing her program because I have not tried it myself. However, I must give her credit for providing lots of information for her clients and visitors to make it a friendly site instead of one that is more commercial than enlightening. She does have a host of knowledgeable stuff, so it can be overwhelming to browse all at one time.

Her weight loss reduction program has peeked my interest. Her claim is that she has been helping people to lose weight for the past twenty-four years so her record speaks for itself. She provides a diet without the hunger and helps you to stay motivated during your dieting experience. She uses a system that offers support, no forbidden foods, no drugs or pills, but a permanent weight loss structure.

Cabbage soup and low carb diets are only temporary according to Ms. Anne Collins. With her system she offers to teach you how to make realistic and sustainable changes to your eating habits forever. You will learn an easy plan on how to improve your lifestyle that you will be able to maintain permanently.

Ms. Collins also provides a number of success stories with before and after photos to show the reality of how others have had weight loss success. She provides a book with her program that lays out what kinds of food you need to include on your shopping list as well as an exclusive private member site for a whole year where you will get on-going support from her and other members.

In her private member site, she provides weight charts, foods to eat, dieting tips, diet issues, exercise, nutrition and information about eating out. She claims that her program is approved by a Dr. Tina Ambury is a Very Experienced and Highly Respected Physician, who gives a testimonial on her website. When I got down to the end of her sales page, I was shocked that all she charges for the entire year is only $19.97, which computes to $0.38 per week. There is also a 60-day money back guarantee.

Ms. Collins must be doing well because her Page Rank is high and I think it may have a lot to do more with the numerous pages that she has of articles, resources and information. The information may be worth more than the program, but the point is that most people that give weight loss advice and offer different weight loss products think of it as a business. Not many people will actually do this for free, but when someone offers free information along with their product, they are to be commended even if it is for other ulterior motives.

Weight Loss Comparative Diets and Cardiovascular Risk Factor Reduction

Many dietary methods can lead to weight loss, however; a recent study found that a high carbohydrate low glycemic index diet may be the ideal diet for weight loss and reduction of cardiovascular risk factors.

There was a recent study that compared the relative effects of several diets on weight loss and cardiovascular risk. A total of 129 obese or overweight young adults were assigned 1 of 4 reduced fat, high fiber diets for 12 weeks.

The first two groups, diets group 1 and diet group 2 was on a high carbohydrate (55% of total calories), diet. Diet group 1 carbohydrates being high-glycemic and diet group 2 was the low-glycemic diet. The next two groups, were high in protein (25% of total calories), with diet group 3 containing high glycemic index for carbohydrates and diet group 4 containing low glycemic index for carbohydrates. The glycemic load was the highest in diet group 1 and the lowest in diet group 4. Changes in body composition and blood chemistries were studied. The average weight loss from each group was similar, but those individuals on diets 2 and 3 lost approximately 80% more fat mass than those on diet 1. The LDL cholesterol levels declined significantly in diet group 2, but increased in diet group 3.

Therefore, both high protein and low glycemic index diets increased body fat loss, but cardiovascular risk reduction is enhanced by a high carbohydrate, low glycemic index diet (diet 2).

The Glycemic Index measures how quickly a food is likely to increase your blood sugar. This may be helpful to know, particularly for the Diabetic person. If your blood sugar is low and continue to drop during exercise, for example, you would need to eat a carbohydrate that will increase your blood sugar quickly. On the other hand, if you want to keep your blood sugar from dropping during a few hours of mild exercise or activity, you would need to eat a carbohydrate with a lower glycemic index and longer action time.

Some low glycemic index foods (less than 55) are Artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers and eggplants.

Some foods that are considered to have an intermediate glycemic index (55-70) are Brown rice, canned fruit cocktail, linguine, Oatmeal cookies, popcorn, sweet corn and Muesli.

Some foods with a high glycemic index (above 70) include Golden Grahams, Bagel, Corn Chips, Watermelon, Honey, Kaiser roll and Mashed potatoes.

Seven Essential Steps For Managing Your Weight Without Dieting

If your commitment to eat right, exercise and lose weight always seems to lose its steam, you're not alone! Weight problems are not just about what you're eating, but why you're eating in the first place.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you think about food and eating more than you think you should?
• Do you feel guilty when you eat certain foods?
• Do you have trouble passing up tempting food even if you aren't hungry?
• Do you often eat when you are bored, stressed, sad, lonely or angry?
• Do you often feel too full when you are finished eating?
• Do you eat differently in private than you do in public?
• Do you fluctuate between dieting and eating too much?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you've probably discovered that dieting hasn't really solved the problem. To help you understand why, lets take a look at three different eating styles: Over Eating, Restrictive Eating and Instinctive Eating.

In "Over Eating" people eat because it is mealtime or because something looks good - whether they're hungry or not. They may also eat to distract themselves or cope with stress and emotions. They may reward, comfort or entertain themselves with food. Their weight tends to go up and down depending on whether they are off or on their diet.

In "Restrictive Eating," a person controls his or her weight by dieting. They decide when, what and how much to eat based on the rules of the latest diet they are following. Since diet rules are always changing, they sometimes feel confused about what they should eat.

They think of food as either "good" or "bad"—and they think of themselves as good or bad, depending on what they ate.

Now think about someone who doesn't struggle with his or her weight. If you're having trouble thinking of someone like that, think of a baby or a young child. I call this "nstinctive Eating."

These people just seem to know when, what and how much food they need. When their body needs fuel, they get hungry, triggering an urge to eat. They simply stop eating when their hunger is satisfied. Most of them really like to eat and seem to be able to eat whatever they want. However they'll turn down even delicious food if they aren't hungry.

You might believe that a person who eats instinctively has been blessed with willpower and a great metabolism. But the truth is, we were all born to eat instinctively. It's just that many of us "unlearned" our natural ability to know how much to eat. The good news is that you can relearn those skills if you're willing.

Here are seven essential steps to get you started:

1. Let go of the idea that there is a perfect diet that will finally solve your problems. The answer lies within you.

2. Whenever you have an urge to eat, instead of focusing on the food, first ask yourself, "Am I hungry?" Remember that hunger is a physical feeling. It's not the same thing as appetite, cravings or the desire to eat.

3. If you are hungry, remember that there are no "good" or "bad" foods. You're less likely to overeat certain foods if you know that you can have them again when you really want them.

4. Stop eating when the hunger is gone but before you feel full, even if there's food left. Give up your membership to the Clean Plate Club.

5. If you're not hungry, ask yourself if something in your environment triggered your urge to eat and what you could do to reduce the trigger or distract yourself from it. For instance, could you put the candy dish out of sight or do something else for a while until you're actually hungry?

6. If there was an emotional trigger, ask yourself what you could do to better cope with that emotion. For instance, if stress triggered your urge to eat, could you try a relaxation exercise instead?

7. Don't expect yourself to be perfect—it's not possible or even necessary.

By relearning to eat instinctively, you'll see that eating to satisfy hunger is pleasurable and that it's good to eat foods that you enjoy. You'll find that meeting your other needs in appropriate ways will bring balance and joy to your life. By learning these important skills, you will reach a healthier weight and a healthier lifestyle—without dieting!

Is The Weight Loss Patch For You?

There is always a new invention and modern ways that are constantly implemented to assist with effectively losing weight. During my research, I found one such called The Weight Loss Patch. The Patch is claimed to be revolutionary, advanced appetite suppressant, metabolism booster, and energy enhancer...all in one. The Patch helps to prevent going on starvation diets because of its natural and easy use. It is safe and requires no grueling and dangerous exercises. It is said to work all day and all night long by placing it on any area of the body.

Placing a new adhesive skin patch on your body each day are the instructions for continuous, safe, and effective weight loss. It is much like a Nicotine Patch that takes away your craving for cigarettes or the Detox Foot Patch that removes the toxins from your body while you sleep.

The Weight Loss Diet Patch as experienced by those who use it is supposed to drastically reduce your cravings for food, so you naturally do not want to over-eat. At the same time, the Patch boosts your energy level, and jump-starts your metabolism to burn maximum body fat.

It obliterates the need to take pills, diet plans or weight loss programs. Due to the fact that it does not have to be taken internally, most people would want to try it out of curiosity or desperation. People are motivated by different things and have different needs at certain times in their lives. No matter where you are in life or what mental state you find yourself, if you really want to lose weight without the hassle, you will be tempted to at least try the weight loss patch as a means to the end of your weight loss issues.

The primary positive fixation about this patch is that the ingredients are safe for anyone to use and according to the retailers that sell this product, it will work or you get your money back. I guess that is how confident they are about their product.

The results, though, have to be consistent with how you use the product and if you follow the guidelines of how to use it as with any other weight loss product on the market. The possibility of losing weight in a natural and safe manner has created a craze for this product in comparison to diets like Atkins diet, South Beach diet, Jenny Craig, Trimpsa diet and Nutrition System because those diets follow a more rigid plan.

After reading this article, can you honestly answer the question, “Is the weight loss patch for you?” This is your challenge and decision to make and I would think that it really depends on how serious you are about your weight loss success.

Why Diets Backfire

We are bombarded with information about eating right and exercising but millions still battle their weight. Diets often impose food rules that most people do not, cannot or should not follow for very long.

Diet "experts" recommend counting calories, servings or points. Some diets require you to eat pre-packaged meals or eliminate entire food groups. Face it; if dieting was truly effective, the problem would have been solved with the first one!

Diets are not just doomed to fail; they're doomed to backfire. Learn why so you can create the perfect weight management plan for yourself.

Your Body is Programmed to Survive

Your body has primitive, complex survival mechanisms that help keep you alive during limited periods of starvation. Now that food is abundant and readily available, most modern "famines" are the result of self-imposed diets. While it seems that diets backfire, this is really the result of your body adapting to being under-fueled.

When you follow a restrictive diet, you lose water, fat and muscle. The reason you lose muscle is that it burns calories so some of your muscle mass may be given up to lower your metabolism and "save you" from starvation.

If you return to your previous eating habits when the diet is over, your body quickly replaces its fat stores but not the muscle you lost. You’ll have a higher body fat percentage and a lower metabolism than before the diet. That is why you usually gain more than you lost in the first place.

Deprivation Can Lead to Cravings

But it is not just your body that rebels when you diet. Your mind rebels too. When certain foods are forbidden you feel deprived, leading to powerful cravings. Eventually, when you give in to the cravings for these "bad" foods, you’ll feel guilty and out of control. You may give up the diet and binge on the foods you've been missing. Of course, most dieters blame themselves when the diet fails, but in reality, dieting itself is to blame.

Diets Ignore the Rest of You

The biggest problem with diets is they focus on what and how much to eat without addressing why people eat in the first place.

Many people eat or overeat because of environmental triggers such as appealing food, automatic meal times and learned messages like "clean your plate." Many people eat due to emotional triggers like stress, boredom, loneliness, sadness or anger.

Since these triggers don't go away simply by imposing a strict set of diet rules, you may try to cope with them by eating the "allowed foods." In other words, you never really give up emotional eating or learn other coping skills, so when the diet is over, you go right back to eating the way you did before.

So What Does Work?

At this point you are probably thinking, "If diets don't work, what am I supposed to do?" To begin with, if the diet plan you're considering isn’t something you can imagine doing for the rest of your life, then don't bother doing it for a day!

It is time to face the fact that the key to solving your struggle with weight and food does not lie in a magical, or even a logical, combination of diet and exercise. The real solution lies in finally addressing your relationship with food and learning to recognize and effectively cope with your eating triggers.

Start by asking yourself "Am I hungry?" whenever you have and urge to eat. When you relearn to trust your innate ability to know when and how much to eat, you will begin to eat in a way that fuels your body, mind, and spirit.

Raising Your Metabolism - Secret To The Metabolism

The process of metabolism is important and converts food into energy or fuel. Then the body uses these for day to day activities. It also involves the process of storage of fat, which is later converted to energy.So what is the secret to the metabolism and raising your metabolism? There are basically two kinds of people. One is people who have a fast metabolism. These people have no problem in burning calories and store less fat. On the other hand there are people who have a slow metabolism. These people have a problem burning calories and store more fat than is necessary. For people who have a slow metabolism, raising your metabolism is important for weight loss. There are some who have been diagnosed with metabolic disorders and aging comes into play when we are raising your metabolism.Factors for Raising Your MetabolismIn raising your metabolism correctly and effectively, you must understand the body's metabolic needs and how many calories it uses. The metabolic needs are the amount of energy required for the body to function daily.

Calories on the other hand, are the amount of calories burned during these bodily functions, such as moving, running thinking and more.Raising your metabolism or increasing your metabolism has a lot to do with your metabolic rate. How well does your body do at performing your normal metabolic tasks. When increasing metabolism, you need to determine your "resting or basal metabolic rate." This will vary from one person to the next. This metabolic rate is the amount of calories you burn that your body needs to keep tissues and organs working properly. A good rule is the bigger you are the more calories you need to perform these processes.Raising your metabolism is not that easy. There are different factors that determine a person's metabolic rate, so you have to use different approaches to increase your metabolism.Genes have an important part in this equation. Some people are born with fast metabolisms and other have a slow metabolism. Age is another factor when trying to figure out how to speed up metabolism.

As people get older the amount of calories needed decreases.Another factor to raising your metabolism is what are your physical activity and your muscle development. An effective way in raising your metabolism is exercise. This will promote your body to metabolize faster. This faster metabolism even occurs after you have completed the exercise. People who have good muscle development will increase their metabolism faster than people who don’t'. The reason for this is more muscles burn more calories effectively.Nutrition is another great way of speeding up your metabolism. This involves the proper supply of different nutrients, regular exercise and possibly a lifestyle change.Raising your metabolism works like this. Lose some weight, you will want to treat metabolic disorders. Try to stop the signs of aging by keeping your metabolism at normal levels.

How To Remove Cellulite Naturally

Cellulite is a problem that can affect people of any body type. Cellulite largely shows up from the way our bodies naturally store fat. Women tend to experience cellulite more often than men and the only way most women know of to treat cellulite is to hide it under clothing. Thank fully, there are natural ways to reduce cellulite and eliminate it completely.

What is Cellulite?

Cellulite is a mysterious change in the structure and enlargement of fat cells that lie deep under the skin. Perhaps due to an underactive thyroid or low level of exercise, fat cells generally located in the legs or butt can become larger than normal and bulge up into the skin above.

This is what gives cellulite its appearance. Its cause is not fully understood but the effects of cellulite, while not life threatening, often are a major concern for the people who have it.

Who is Prone to Cellulite?

While menopausal women are more prone to cellulite, the problem can appear at any time due to its nature of development and the factors that tend to influence it such as weight gain, high-fat diet, a low level of exercise, and other factors.

How to Get Rid of Cellulite Naturally

First of all, losing weight can drastically reduce cellulite. The cellulite fat cells will still be larger than normal but will be less noticeable from the decrease in fat they can absorb (from the healthier diet and fat burned through increased exercise).

The real problem of cellulite comes from how to treat it, when its cause is not completely known. However, some safe effective herbal extracts have been seen to drastically reduce cellulite but one must be careful to understand how they work.

As for supplements and creams, anti cellulite pills do not work to reduce cellulite because the areas where cellulite develops are difficult to reach by normal blood circulation. That being the case, supplements taken orally will not reach the affected areas if blood cannot take them there.

The only non surgical method of cellulite reduction is probably a highly concentrated cellulite removal cream which includes several cellulite reducing ingredients such as Retinol A, green tea extracts, and algae extracts. The Japanese rarely experience cellulite due to the large amount of algea and green teas they consume in their diet.

If you do not like taking pills, try to eat more low fat foods, drink water all throughout the day, and try to rub in some aloe vera cream or one of the more complete topical cellulite creams on the market. Try to attack the cellulite from every angle you can and you should be able to dramatically reduce cellulite for good.

Burn Fat And Lose Weight - 2 Stellar Fat Burning Tips

For most people, trying to burn fat and lose weight is not an easy thing to do.

They try to burn fat and lose weight with fad diets, infomerical exercise gimmicks, fat burning pills, and a whole array of other "popular" tools that are constantly being advertised. Unfortunately, this only things that these things will make lighter is your wallet!

There are tried and true ways to burn fat and lose weight that are often overlooked because of all the media hype that has so many people on information overload.

This article will take a look at two ways that you can exercise that will help you to burn fat and lose weight. When you combine these tips with a great diet, your efforts to burn fat will be on the fast track to success.

2 Tips to Lose Weight and Burn Fat

BURN FAT AND LOSE WEIGHT TIP #1: Strength training can be your best friend.

So many people avoid strength training when trying to burn fat with exercise because they think it will make them get big bodybuilder muscles. I can assure you that this will not happen! If you are on a fat loss exercise diet and exercise program, your body simply will not be able to add large amounts of muscle that will equate to getting the big muscles you see on the magazines.

The reason strength training can be a great tool to lose weight is because it can add lean muscle mass which will contribute to helping increase your metabolism while being active and at rest!

Another thing that is important you understand about using strength training to lose weight is that fat cannot be converted to muscle. Fat tissue and muscle tissue are two very different things. Muscle mass uses stored fat for energy when your body is in the right state.

Having an increased metabolism through strength training is a great way to burn fat because it will increase the amount of fat that your muscles will burn for energy!

BURN FAT AND LOSE WEIGHT TIP #2: Interval training is a great alternative to same speed cardio.

Interval training is a great way to burn fat because like strength training, it will increase your metabolism.

Interval training is different than same speed cardio because it uses both high and low intensities for a set amount of time. For example, you might get on an exercise bike and go slow for 2 minutes, then fast for 1 minute. You would repeat this interval 3-6 times, and you have a great workout what will help to burn fat and lose weight!

Another great thing about interval training to lose weight is that the time goes by so much faster. Instead of thinking "ok, 38 more minutes to go" you thinking "ok, 1 more minute until I change speed".

CONCLUSION

If you combine strength training and interval training the right way, you will have an excellent workout structure that will help you burn fat and lose weight much faster than before! Remember to see a doctor before you start any exercise program to burn fat and lose weight. Your safety should be the number one priority!

Work hard, train hard, and always keep learning.

Good luck =)

Burn Fat Quick - 2 Tips To Rev Up Your Metabolism

If you want to burn fat quick, then there are a few things that you should understand.

The first thing is that crash dieting is NOT a quick way to burn fat. What is crash dieting? It is going from your normal diet to eating a very small amount of calories per day. For a lot of people, they will try to all of a sudden to eat 500-1000 calories in 1 day by sheer willpower.

If you take this route, then you will lose weight but not a lot of fat. If you lose weight, you lose water weight, muscle mass, and maybe some fat as well. This is quick way to make the scale drop, but it is not a long term solution for fat loss.

If you want to burn fat quick, you need to do the right things with both diet and exercise. For diet, I recommend checking with a nutritionist to see what you need to be eating specifically. Each person is different, and it can be difficult to burn fat if your diet is not tailored to your specific needs.

Once your diet is taken care of, that is more than half the battle. But if you really want to burn fat quick, then you need to be doing the right type of exercise.

How to Burn Fat Quick with Strength Training

For most people, strength training to burn fat is almost an oxymoron. What you need to understand about burning fat is that the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn.

I am not talking about "big and bulky" muscles either. If you are on a program to burn fat, it is impossible to get big muscles. A fat loss program is catabolic, which means your body is getting smaller. If you wanted to do the opposite, everything with the way you train and eat would be different.

The key to burn fat quick with strength training is to increase your metabolism with multijoint exercises.

A multijoint exercise is one where you work a lot of different muscles such as a squat, lunge, DB chest press, lat pulldown, medicine ball squat curl and press, etc.

The more muscle you work, the more calories you will use, and the more fat you will burn. One great tip to keep in mind is to NOT use the strength training machines! Strength training machines are not a great way to burn fat quick because you are sitting down the whole time. This makes it easier to rest longer and not exert yourself the way you need to in order to burn fat and lots of calories.

If you want a quick way to burn fat that includes full dietary nutrition principles and fat loss exercise programs, check out the links below for more information.

You can burn fat once and for all if you have the right tools and take action!

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Stop Cardio! Stop Bulking Up! Train For Weight Loss The Right Way!

How many horror stories have you heard about someone starting a jogging program and ending up at the doctor's with an overuse injury? Maybe it has even happened to you. That is the dark side of long, slow cardio. Doing more of it will just make you even more injured. For weight loss, you need to decrease the volume and do interval training instead.

One client wrote to me...

"There's "MY STORY" staring me right in the face. I wish WISH I could yell at the top of my lungs to warn the people in my gym that they're doing it all wrong...stop with the long cardio! Stop with the worthless, 'low burn', low speed, low intensity workouts for a long time. Why do we do this? When you think about it, it makes NO sense. NONE.

It's what 'they' tell us to do. It's perpetuated by so called "experts".

I'm a former figure skater, so I have a strong habit of using correct form in everything and I knew I didn't hurt myself with bad form. I thought I was doing my workouts/cardio right, and now I find out that it's all wrong. Quite frankly, it makes me pretty mad.

Why isn't this information more prevalent? My Dr. knew about intervals, you guys know, and now I know (the hard way). Have I been living in a cave?

I'm healing up. And I'm feeling lots better with stretches and light and SHORT duration exercise. I'm totally committed to getting fit and healthy. I have already come really far to get to this point; so improving my diet and working out smarter is just the next step."

*****

It's a sad story that she had to go through an injury to learn about a better way to train for weight loss. In addition, long-slow cardio rarely works for female fat loss anyways.

But did you know that strength training is great way to sculpt your body?

Of course, you are too worried about getting big and bulky. But here are some female specific strength training tips.

1) If you are worried about adding mass to your legs, do only one set of each leg exercise, rather than 3 sets that most programs call for. That will help maximize a woman's metabolism but will not put size on her legs. The one set needs to be intense to increase the metabolism, but because the volume is low, her legs will not grow. (Guys on the other hand, if you want your muscles to grow, the volume can't be low - do at least 3 sets and eat A LOT!)

2 ) Females will also get a lean, defined, smaller physique with bodyweight training. You dont' need weights to sculpt a beautiful body. Bodyweight exercises will crank your fat burning through the roof, while keeping you lean and defined. There are no weights, but the workouts are really tough and effective.

3) And the intervals are the key to fat loss...most women have probably never done them before so your body will respond rapidly and the fat will melt off...also, nutrition, as always, is super important.

How To Deal With Childhood Obesity

In the United States today, it is estimated that one out of every five children is overweight. Since the 1960s, the rate of obesity in America has doubled. The problem with obesity is, while it is very easy to diagnose, it is incredibly difficult to treat. Among African Americans and Latino youth, the problem has more than doubled in recent years, while among white youth, it has risen fifty percent. This is cause for alarm. Not only is obesity unattractive and unhealthy, it can also be deadly. Nearly just as many die from obesity related illnesses as those who die from smoking. Obesity related deaths cost our society around $100 billion each year.

In order for children to combat the obesity problem, they must learn to become more physically active while also regulating how much food they eat. At least an hour of exercise each day is recommended to everyone; although an hour and a half is optimal. “Exercise” does not have to be physically demanding – it can entail such basic activities as cleaning, walking, dancing, and playing.

Prevention of obesity ultimately begins at home. For children and young adults dealing with obesity, it is best to evaluate the individual’s situation, taking in to consideration environmental, genetic, and metabolic concerns while treating the arising physical and psychological damage that has arisen. An obese child’s eating plan should also come with an exercise plan. Long term counseling is often needed to deal with self esteem issues relating to obesity that can effect the child’s performance in the real world.

One alternative to the obesity problem has been the rise of weight loss drugs. One new medication on the market, Meridia, has been popular among the teenage population, in that teens who take it tend to shed eighteen pounds more than those who take a placebo. Meridia is also credited with helping improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The drug works by decreasing one’s appetite directly through the brain. Another medication, Xenical, is also popular. It prevents fat from entering the intestines during the digestion process. Both of these medications, it should be noted, have side effects, stomach discomfort being the chief one for both.

But as for curbing the rates in the childhood obesity epidemic, a lot more than a quick medical fix will be needed. Our society needs to change. These societal changes will not occur over night; it will require much time and effort to educate the public as to the dangers of childhood obesity.

Parents should keep in mind that weight loss is not a healthy or proper method for young children to employ, as their bodies are still developing. Unless a doctor assigns your child to be put on a diet for specific medical reasons, dieting should not be encouraged in young children, as it could deprive them of the nutrients and energy they need to grow.

Perhaps a change will come about once more people are aware of this alarming statistic: The life span of an average American will decrease by up to five years should the obesity crisis continue over the next few decades.

Some Effects of Childhood Obesity

One of the more disturbing trends in today’s society is that of childhood obesity. It has become an epidemic around the United States in the last two decades. Since the 1970s, there has been an alarming growth in the statistics of children and young adults who are considered to be obese. It is estimated today that nearly fifteen percent of all children living in our society are at least overweight, if not obese. While it is easy to diagnose obesity, it is not a condition that is very easy to treat. If an overweight child is not able to curb her eating habits and adapt to regular cycles of exercise, it is likely that she will grow in to an obese adult. The fact is, thirty percent of obese adults were obese children. Deaths related to obesity causes number in six digit figures annually, and society is forced to spend nearly $100 billion each year in taxes related to obesity problems.

What causes obesity in children and young adults? The causes can be linked to a variety of factors, including nutrition, family, genetics, and physical activity. If one has an obese parent, the chances are 50-50 that the child will grow up to be obese. When both parents struggle with this problem, the percentage of risk is even greater – eighty percent. While genetics to do play a significant role in factoring obesity, it is important to keep in mind that bad eating habits, stress, and lack of exercise can also contribute to overweight and obesity.

The effects of childhood obesity are numerous. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and the development of diseases such as type 2 diabetes are all major health risks that result from obesity. Obese adults frequently struggle against heart disease. Children with a normal healthy rate rarely suffer from these conditions.

What’s more, obesity can have serious psychological effects on children. The biggest problem is with self-esteem issues that results from discrimination on a social level. One recent study had obese children rate their general quality of life; they scored as low as cancer patients in chemotherapy. The children were asked to fill out a questionnaire rating their abilities to perform every day activities such as get along with others in their peer group, keep up with the rest of the class in school, sleep well, play sports, and walk a distance of more than one city block. Obese children scored low in all these areas, indicating that their quality of life was very low. Parents who were asked to fill out a similar questionnaire about their children ranked even lower in their assessment of their children’s quality of life.

We live in a culture that sends out very strong messages about ideal beauty and body weight. Girls are encouraged to constantly diet and exercise until they attain a fit, thin body. Boys are told to constantly work out and do whatever is necessary to attain a buff, muscular façade. This puts both obese boys and obese girls at risk for developing psychological and eating disorders.

Fast Foods Increasing Child Obesity

It is difficult to calculate exact statistics behind childhood obesity as it relates to the consumption of fast food. What can be confirmed, however, is that changing trends in the way we eat have indeed contributed to the general obesity epidemic, particularly in children and young adults. In a recent study in the United States, it was found that children absorb more calories and less nutrition on those days that they consume fast food.

In the study, the dietary intake from over 6,000 children and young adults between the ages of four and nineteen was analyzed. The ones who ate fast food absorbed more calories total, as well as more calories per gram, more carbohydrates, more saturated and total fat, more sugar, and less fiber, fruit, milk, and non-starchy vegetables. It was also shown in the study how the children who ate fast food on one day only showed nutrient downfalls on that day. But on the other, non fast food day, they did not show these downfalls.

It is estimated that since the 1970s, young people’s consumption of fast food is five times greater today. By the mid-1990s, ten percent of all daily meals involved fast food consumption. Also, since the 1970s, there are more fast food restaurants than ever – the number is estimated to be at well over 250,000 establishments in the United States alone.

Why is this such a concern? Because childhood obesity is a bigger problem than ever before. The fact that fast food contains next to no fruits or vegetables is a real problem, in that it contributes to such diseases as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Consuming fruits and non-starchy vegetables can protect against weight gain, in that they contain a lot of fiber and contain low energy density.

In the mid-90s, it was recorded that young men and women only consumed 12-30% of the recommended intakes of dairy on a daily basis, and only 14-18% of the recommended intake for fruit.

The amount of carbonated soft drinks that are consumed by children and young adults increased dramatically throughout the course of the previous decade. Nearly half the adolescent population of the United States consumes more than three cans of soda pop a day. Kids as young as seven months old are now drinking cola products.

Indeed, whereas milk used to be the beverage of choice for young kids, now it’s those sweetened carbonated beverages. Milk consumption in the 1990s decreased nearly forty percent from the average for adolescents in the late 1970s. That means that children today drink twice as much soda pop as they do milk! Prevention of obesity ultimately begins at home. For children and young adults dealing with obesity, it is best to evaluate the individual’s situation, taking in to consideration environmental, genetic, and metabolic concerns while treating the arising physical and psychological damage that has arisen. An obese child’s eating plan should also come with an exercise plan. Long term counseling is often needed to deal with self esteem issues relating to obesity that can effect the child’s performance in the real world.

Hereditary Factors In Childhood Obesity

How do we define obesity? In simple terms, it can be viewed as the excessive accumulation of body fat. When boys possess more than 25% fat in their total body weight, and girls possess more than 32%, then they are considered to be obese. Adults have a variety of medications they can rely on to combat obesity. These include Apidex and Phentermine. It’s a different story, however, for children.

Obese children are at risk for developing a variety of illnesses and diseases. They are at risk for developing pediatric hypertension, for example. This disorder increases the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes, problems with the joints, as well as cardiac disease. What can be a worse – and more immediate – problem for children dealing with obesity is the social stigmatization they often become the victims of, which results in serious emotional and psychological problems associated with low self esteem. Obese children often grapple with depression – much more so than non obese children. But just because one is obese as a child does not necessarily mean they will grow in to an obese adult. There are all kinds of factors that determine obesity, including genetics and hereditary factors. If the problem is dealt with from an early age, adulthood obesity can be avoided.

But let’s focus on one of the less obvious aspects of childhood obesity for a minute. While the causes of obesity are well reported – namely lack of exercise and bad eating habits – there are also familial and hereditary instances of obesity that are less often analyzed. Children whose parents are obese have a much greater chance of becoming obese themselves. Perhaps this has to do with genetic factors, but more often than not, it has to do with the family’s sedentary lifestyle and eating habits. If parents do not take proper care of themselves, then their children can be born obese.

It is also true that not all children who lead the sedentary lifestyle so common of young people today – that is spending more time in front of the television and computer than outside playing sports and being active – wind up becoming obese. Researchers have been looking in to the reasons why this is so. It probably has more to do with heredity than anything else. Heredity can influence such factors as one’s response to overfeeding, one’s degree of fatness, as well as the way fat is distributed in one’s body. Recent studies have also established that babies born to overweight mothers tend to be less active and gain more weight in early infancy due to some apparently internal desire to conserve energy.

Children who are overweight and lead inactive lives, spending excessive amounts of time engaged in non physical activities such as playing video and computer games and watching television, certainly will not combat obesity in this fashion. Parents should do everything they can to discourage this “couch potato” lifestyle, while also monitoring their children’s eating habits. A healthy home life makes for healthy children, who are more likely to develop into healthy adults.

How Common Is Childhood Obesity?

In the United States today, it is estimated that one out of every five children is overweight. Since the 1960s, the rate of obesity in America has doubled. The problem with obesity is, while it is very easy to diagnose, it is incredibly difficult to treat. Among African Americans and Latino youth, the problem has more than doubled in recent years, while among white youth, it has risen fifty percent. This is cause for alarm. Not only is obesity unattractive and unhealthy, it can also be deadly. Nearly just as many die from obesity related illnesses as those who die from smoking. Obesity related deaths cost our society around $100 billion each year.

Childhood obesity afflicts denizens across the social sphere. It is a problem for individuals of all racial, ethnic, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds. It has been estimated that half the United States’ adult population is overweight. Recently, it was calculated that about twenty percent of all American children are overweight. Obesity causes the growth pattern to accelerate to an unnatural extent; one of the side effects of this can be abnormal sexual development in boys and the early onset of menses. What’s more, obese children are a lot more likely to grow in to obese adults. They risk contracting such health problems and diseases as diabetes 2, gout, cancer, gallbladder disease, arthritis, digestion problems, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure, among others.

What’s more, obese children suffer from the psychological and emotional consequences of being fat in a society that considers this image to be the opposite of ideal. Overweight children often have fewer friends, and more likely to be stigmatized in social situations. It has been found that children tend to associate obesity with negative characteristics such as laziness and greed. Obese children often suffer from depression and low self esteem.

While medical conditions and hormone imbalances are often blamed as causes for obesity, the fact remains that these conditions account for less than one percent of all childhood obesity cases. Nor can the problem be blamed completely on genetics, because oftentimes the problem has more to do with the family’s behavior when it comes to eating habits and exercise. Since obesity tends to be a disease that effects all members of the family – not just the child – the parents’ lifestyle must change also in order to instill healthy patterns in the child. A positive attitude towards overcoming obesity can lead to success.

Parents should keep in mind that weight loss is not a healthy or proper method for young children to employ, as their bodies are still developing. Unless a doctor assigns your child to be put on a diet for specific medical reasons, dieting should not be encouraged in young children, as it could deprive them of the nutrients and energy they need to grow.

Rather, the aim should be for the child to maintain their current weight while waiting to grow in to their normal height. By reducing fat and increasing physical activity, the vast majority of overweight children will eventually grow in to their normal weight.

Leading Causes Of Childhood Obesity

Increasingly, more and more people are dying each year from obesity related illnesses than from cigarette smoking. While tobacco still causes more avoidable deaths each year, the obesity statistics have been rising to a disturbing level. Officials claim that sedentary lifestyles combined with poor eating habits have been the cause of the nationwide obesity epidemic.

In response to this alarming problem, federal officials have taken steps in recent years to combat obesity through such projects as advertising campaigns, research in to the causes of obesity, and public education. The Food and Drug Administration has also become involved in combating Americans’ battle with obesity and overweight.

Others argue that what is really needed to be done is to encourage kids to eat better, healthier food. Some even feel that the food industry should cease advertising junk food to children. Then again, lobbyists for the food industry continue to bitterly oppose steps towards ceasing advertising sweets and soft drinks to the youth market. This is why the focus has been more on increasing physical activity in recent years than in changing our dietary patterns.

It was in the year 1990 that a landmark paper was published diagnosing America’s preventable causes of death. That paper concluded that cigarette smoking was the most dangerous activity that kills so many each year. But thanks to anti smoking campaigns throughout the nation, fewer and fewer people smoke each year. This has resulted in a lessening of smoking related death statistics.

Ten years later, a similar study was conducted. While cigarette smoking remained at the top of the list in the 2000 study, deaths related to physical inactivity and bad eating habits followed close behind. This marked a fourteen percent increase since the year 1990. While smoking and alcohol related deaths continue to decrease in the United States, obesity related deaths are on the rise.

While fat in American diets has decreased in recent years owing to the public’s response to this nationwide epidemic, obesity is still a growing concern. While removing fat from their diets, people will often increase their intake of sugar, high density carbohydrates, and starches. Low protein and fat meals often leave people feeling hungry, leading them to fill their stomachs as soon as possible.

In fact, more and more Americans are diagnosed as overweight or obese each year. It is predicted that, if the trend continues, by the year 2020 nearly one fifth of all money spent on health care in America will go towards obesity related treatment.

Obesity generally starts in childhood and continues in to adulthood. While medical conditions and hormone imbalances are often blamed as causes for obesity, the fact remains that these conditions account for less than one percent of all childhood obesity cases. Nor can the problem be blamed completely on genetics, because oftentimes the problem has more to do with the family’s behavior when it comes to eating habits and exercise. Since obesity tends to be a disease that effects all members of the family – not just the child – the parents’ lifestyle must change also in order to instill healthy patterns in the child. A positive attitude towards overcoming obesity can lead to success.