How to Break a Weight Loss Plateau

by | Apr 17, 2013 | Exercise, Fat Loss, Low carb diet, Weight Loss | 0 comments

Break a Weight Loss Plateau

So many weeks in to your diet and you’ve been doing really well. Pounds are coming off, the inches are going and you are probably feeling quite pleased with yourself.

Then all of a sudden your daily weight in session is the same for two days running, and then three, and then four. Even though you’re exercising and you’re eating as you know you should do, nothing is moving in the scale front. You have reached what is known in the trade as a plateau.

Here’s a short but sweet article that will give you a few tips and tricks on how to deal with it.

You’re doing everything right. Counting calories and lifting weights and doing massive amounts of cardio. One day, you realize that you’ve stopped burning fat. No longer can you fit into smaller and smaller clothes; the scale is unchanged for days, perhaps weeks. How frustrating. You’ve hit a weight-loss plateau that can easily be broken.

Steps

  1. Trick your body. Change up your routine. If you’re hitting the exercise bike or the elliptical, do something different. If you are doing the same exercises over and over again, your body “knows” what to expect. It’s called “specificity of training”. If you work out at a gym, change your cardio routine by jumping on a stair-climber, a treadmill, or a rowing machine. Try ten minutes of intense cardio work on a machine and jump on another and repeat. Mix up your routine so it’s not a routine.
  2. Join a sport. An active sport is a great to change up your routine. Sports like racquetball, tennis and basketball will work different muscle groups with lateral movement instead of the same boring forward movement on a treadmill or elliptical (that’s not to say that the treadmill or elliptical aren’t good machines, but mix it up!). If you don’t have a gym membership and instead get your cardio by jogging, try riding a bike or swimming or some other such exercise. The key is to try something new to “trick” your body into losing weight.
  3. Weight train. The more muscle mass you have the more calories your body will need to maintain it. This is very important and very effective. You may feel more hungry after a heavy lifting session; this is your body trying to supply the needed calories to increase the muscle mass (tips on how to deal with this later). Ladies, don’t be afraid to lift some heavy weight. There are plenty of girls at the gym who may look thin but are a bit soft in the flesh. This may make them want to do more cardio to burn the fat. This is a perfect reason to hit up some weights and tone up. Eat only the right type of carbohydrates. It’s important to have carbohydrates in your diet and life without them, as many of us experienced in the early 2000’s with the Atkin’s diet is a pain. What works is to eat “good carbohydrates.” Multi-grain bread is fine, but have no more than a couple of slices a day. The point is to stay away from refined sugars. These are found in pasta, white breads, cakes and other sweets and all the things we think we love. Even small amounts can kill your diet so it’s best to stay away from them in the first place. The good news is when you eliminate heavy sweets from your diet, it only takes a few days to not crave them anymore. They will appear unappealing because such a diet forces you to make healthy choices in the food you eat.
  4. Increase your protein intake. You have to supplement something for cutting your carbohydrates right? Protein is excellent. It promotes strong lean muscle tissue which is beneficial to fat burning. Protein fills you up better than a heavy carbohydrate meal. This is an added benefit to help cut your caloric intake.
  5. Eat six small meals a day. Eating small portions throughout the day will help keep your metabolism going. This is an extremely useful tactic in breaking your weight-loss plateau. Eat something when you wake up in the morning, perhaps a small omelet with cheese. And as you continue throughout the day, snack on  cheese or some other natural, unprocessed food. Pretty much keep your meal times as normal; breakfast, lunch and dinner with a meal in between each and something for the evening. It’s not that important to count your calories, but try to be a scientist and find out what works best for you. What can you eat that is small and will curb your hunger for the next 2 and a half hours before your next small meal? Keep it higher in protein, small in calories, and nutritious. 
    • If you must count calories then aim to eat a consistent amount of calories, and track your caloric intake regularly. Many diets fail from overindulging, which is brought on by an overly restrictive diet plan. Instead, aim for a consistent caloric intake that will allow you to fit in indulgences as needed. This way, you can enjoy eating while still achieving your weight loss goals.
  6. Change your long cardio session to shorter more intense interval training. Conventional myth states you have to participate in a certain “fat burning” zone in order to lose body fat. Stale, long, boring cardio is actually keeping people stuck in their plateaus. Instead, favor sprint interval training to set a new challenge to the body. Making this change will reinvigorate the adaption response. Initiate the intervals by incorporating one-minute bursts of intense activity then return to a normal pace for one to two minutes. Research has shown you will significantly raise your heart rate during and for up to 6-9 hours after the workout, thus burning more calories during and post exercise.

Tips

  • Keep hydrated. Water is good for you; it cleanses your body of toxins and will make you less hungry throughout the day. Stay away from sports drinks; they’re just empty calories.
  • Getting 8 hours of sleep and limiting stress is a sure fire way to reinitialize the weight loss process.
  • Keep your exercising consistent, meaning don’t skip out on workouts. Be committed to your weight-loss by lifting every other day and doing cardio at least 5 times a week, even more if you really want results.
  • Do your resistance training before your cardio. You’ll use up your glycogen stores doing the weight training and when you move on to cardio, your body will use your fat stores as a fuel source.

Warnings

  • Be careful to have a mixture of healthy foods. Change up your fruits and vegetables. Learn how to cook healthy meals that are higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. It’s important to get all the nutrients you need.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Break a Weight Loss Plateau. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Recognizing the Dangers of Artificial Sugars

by | Apr 16, 2013 | Fat Loss | 0 comments

You are likely the same as most people today in that you’re conscious of your weight and your health. You may be trying to find a way to reduce or eliminate the sugar in your diet. It is tempting to do what many others do and just replace sugar with artificial sweeteners. However, it is important for you to recognize the dangers of artificial sugars.

sweetener-artifical-sugar-5369702-hAlthough these artificial sugar substitutes have been in use for many years, it is vital that you take a close look at recent research to see if they are safe enough for you to use on a regular basis. Of course, you realize that consuming too much sugar is not good for you either. Therefore, it is important to weigh all the pros and cons in order to make informed and educated choices.

It has become a common trend to substitute unhealthy foods with alternative “light” versions. These are designed to deliver a similar taste and mouth feel as the food we are replacing without having the same harmful effects on our health. However, we need to exercise caution that these artificial substitutes – which are not real foods like the ones we are attempting to replace – do not cause us more harm than good.

Saccharin is a popular artificial sugar that has been around for over 100 years. This is the sweetener you are familiar with as Sweet’N’Low in the pink packet.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that became popular around 30 years ago, and it is usually in a blue packet. You will likely equate this with the brand name Equal.

Sucralose is the most recent addition to the artificial sugar list. It is often presented in a yellow packet and goes by the brand name Splenda.

All of these artificial sugars create a metabolic response in your body the same as if you had eaten regular sugar. You are eating something sweet, and so your brain gets confused and thinks you have actually eaten sugar.

When no actual calories come pouring into the blood stream, your brain tells your body to find some food because it was expecting it. Because of this reaction, you are more likely to increase your appetite and your desire for sweets by continuing to sweeten your food and drinks with artificial sugars.

Also, the very nature of the fact that these substances are artificial makes them difficult for your body to metabolize. You are essentially putting chemicals into your system, and your body has a hard time digesting and using these unnatural substances that you are consuming.

headache

Artificial sweeteners have been linked to various troubling medical conditions. There are some studies that show there could be a connection between the use of these artificial sugars and various illnesses, including headaches, joint pain, kidney or liver problems and possibly even the development of tumors.

You need to make responsible and informed decisions about what you put into your body. Learning about the effects of on your body and the potential health risks can aid you in recognizing the dangers of artificial sugars.

Low Carb Mag

by | Apr 5, 2013 | Fat Loss, Low carb, Low carb diet, Weight Loss | 0 comments

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This is something that is well overdue as the Low Carb community has been wanting a magazine for a very long time. A monthly health, diet and lifestyle magazine where you will be able to learn about low carb eating and living a low carb lifestyle.

Want to know more? Follow this link: Low Carb Mag

or go direct to the App Store.

 

How to Start Walking for Exercise

by | Apr 5, 2013 | Exercise, Fat Loss | 0 comments

Walking is a basic movement we use every day, but it can require discipline to walk enough to gain health benefits. It’s recommended that individuals take at least 10,000 steps each day for exercise, which can be easily measured by a pedometer. Read on for other tips on starting a walking regimen.

Steps

 Preparing for your walks

  1. Find a good place to walk. Generally, the locations have a flat terrain, straight path, smooth surface and minimal traffic. The convenient choice would be the neighborhood around your block, but if the road is too steep, curvy or just not what you’re looking for, you might want to consider other areas around your town.
  • Ensure you are wearing appropriate footwear as walking puts a bit of pressure on your feet which can cause pain. Also, be sure you are wearing the correct footwear for the weather.
  • Take your car to a park if it’s too far away to walk; parks are often flat and very peaceful.
  • Some cities have bike boulevards or walking paths that are relatively flat and well-maintained. They also generally have less traffic from cars. These are good areas to pick for walking as well.
  • If you won’t be tempted by the stores, shopping malls are also good locations for walking around. They are flat, large, and probably contain many different paths so you won’t become bored.
  • If you live near a large body of water, the shoreline can be a nice, relaxing place to get some fresh air and to work in an early morning hike.
  • If indoor exercise is your thing, use a treadmill set to a slow speed for walking.
  • Make an exercise playlist. It may help to have music playing as you take your walk, especially if you are easily bored from low-key activities. Consider listening to music that also gives your mind room to wander and think about other parts of your life. You can also listen to music that is upbeat that you know that will keep your motivation your walk. Walks are an excellent opportunity to reflect and plan for the future, although take care to avoid stressful topics. Your walk should definitely be a chance to unwind!
  • Set reasonable expectations for your progress. If you have been sedentary for a long period of time, you will want to start out slower and aim for shorter distances. Write these tangible goals down in a notebook or calendar so that you can keep yourself on track and monitor small successes.
    • Note, however, that walking is a fairly mild exercise that does not require vigorous physical exertion. Therefore, with the right equipment, you will likely be physically capable of walking for hours. You won’t meet the same fatigue that a more vigorous exercise, such as running or weightlifting, could lead to.
  • Develop a strong mental attitude for “slow but steady” exercise. This will be easier for some than for others. To borrow from a popular phrase, walking is definitely a marathon, not a sprint, so get your mental endurance ready before you begin this trek.
    • Don’t expect to see fast results. Incorporating walking into your daily schedule is about making healthier choices towards a better lifestyle, and it’s a change that you should maintain indefinitely. Don’t use walking as a get-fit-quick scheme or as a quick, one-shot weight loss tool.
  • Hydrate well before you begin walking. Make sure you have consumed at least 8-16 ounces of water an hour before you are about to walk. Drink more water if you plan to walk for a longer time. You don’t want to become dehydrated while you are exercising, especially under a hot sun.
    • You may find it convenient to carry a metal water bottle with you as you walk, so you can stay hydrated throughout your trek.
    • Some people develop stomach cramps if they drink water right before or while they exercise, so be careful of that. Give your body time to process the water before diving into exercise.
    • Don’t drink so much water, however, that you’ll need a bathroom while on a long walk.

 Setting out on your walk

  1. Pick an easy first walk. Make sure that no matter how far you get from your starting point, you are able to get back there. Walking on an oval track no more than a quarter mile around should be perfect.
    • If you feel comfortable in extending the walk past what you initially set, go for it! As aforementioned, walking is less physically taxing than most activities, so don’t be afraid to exceed your goals.
  2. Set a time. When you first start walking, decide how many minutes you will walk. Choose a length of time you know you can make. Do not worry about how short that period is. Just keep moving until you reach it. 2-5 minutes each day is a good start. That time will increase from week to week.
    • Pay no attention to how far you walk. It matters more that you walk for a longer period of time. Faster and farther walks will come with experience.

 Improving your performance

  1. Increase your time. Each walk, increase your walking time by 30 seconds to 1 minute until you are able to sustain a 10-minute walk. Again, do not fret if you can’t go longer than the day before. Set the goal and keep at it and you will reach it faster than you think. After reaching 10 minutes, your rate of increasing may slow, but continue trying to increase your walking time by 5 minutes each week.
  2. Work on speed and difficulty after you are able to walk for 45 minutes each day. Try moving off of the oval and onto the city streets; you will encounter hills and declines, and that will increase the difficulty of your walk.
    • Continue to find more difficult terrain to work with, eventually working up to hiking up hills and cliffs for the ultimate challenge.
  3. Determine your target and maximum heart rate. You can also purchase a heart rate monitor and wear it during your exercise for increased accuracy and precision. If you are under your target heart rate (THR), you need to increase walking speed for it to be beneficial for your health.
    • Your body won’t burn fat unless you reach you THR for a sustained period of time.
    • When it comes to walking, weight loss and aerobic health will come through sustained effort, not through increased speed or distance.
  4. After you’ve worked into a general routine, try switching things up with interval training. Walk at an increased rate for one to two minutes, then slow back to your normal rate for two minutes. Every day or two add an interval until you reach your desired total time, including rest periods. As you become more physically fit, reduce your rest periods until they are down to a minute or less.

Video

Great way to start an exercise regimen. Start with walking a few times a week. Vary the speed you walk and incline. Be consistent with your activity.

Tips

  • Swing your arms as you walk.
  • Walking may cause cramps. If a cramp occurs, place your hands on your head and begin breathing through your nose and out your mouth at a slow steady rate. Be sure to bring a water bottle with you.
  • Try using an iPod or other MP3 player to add entertainment to the walk. Books on tape make the walk go by faster and you may want to walk longer. When doing this, however, be extra careful to look out for cars if you are walking on a street, since you may not be able to hear approaching vehicles over your audio device.
  • If you drive, park your car a block or two away from where you live, that way you have to walk to get to it.
  • Walking is a very good stress management technique in addition to being good exercise. If you practice active abdominal breathing during each step, you will benefit even more.
  • Wear comfortable clothing and sturdy, supportive athletic shoes.
  • Walk with a good posture. Stand completely straight, put your shoulders back, and take long strides.
  • Learn how to race walk. It burns more calories, works more muscles and has better cardiovascular benefits.
  • In the beginning it is not necessary to warm up, however once you really start to put stress on your legs, you should participate in some light stretching.
  • You might find ways to incorporate walking into your daily routine if you can’t find the time to go walking for the sake of it: take the stairs instead of the escalator or the lift; walk to the shops if they’re close by; if you visit a friend who doesn’t live too far away, leave the car at home. It’s surprising how much difference it can make when you regularly climb a few flights of stairs and take frequent short walks.
  • Many people recognize the local mall as an excellent place to walk for exercise — safe, fun and climate-controlled.
  • When you are able to get, and stay, on your target heart rate, you will want to cool down a bit at the end of your walk. If you have been able to stay in the target rate for 20 minutes or so, spend about 5 minutes at the end of the walk trying to bring your heart rate back to where it was pre-walk. Slowing your pace down and doing some more light stretching can accomplish this. Do not stop walking to slow your heart rate in a cool down. It defeats the purpose of a cool down.
  • If you can live in a city centre where walking is a default activity and you hardly need a car, then you may find you don’t even need to think about deliberately choosing walking as an exercise, as you’ll just do it naturally.

Warnings

  • Although using an mp3 player or radio can make your walk more interesting, it also makes it difficult to hear things around you, including potential hazards such as oncoming traffic, would-be attackers, and animals. If you like to listen to music or books while you walk, keep the volume moderate and be aware of your surroundings.
  • Wear white clothing and reflective fabrics if you will be walking at night. Don’t assume that drivers are paying attention or that they can see you after dark.
  • If you are walking and become short of breath, slow down or stop. Ask for help if you need it.
  • Be prepared for your walk. Take water with you. Also take along a whistle in case you get into trouble with dogs or unsavory people. Carrying a cell phone is also a good idea.
  • Before undertaking this or any other exercise program, be sure to check with your doctor, especially if you haven’t been physically active in more than 6 months.

Things You’ll Need

  • A water bottle
  • A cellphone for emergencies
  • A whistle to call for help should you run into trouble of the criminal type
  • A hat and sunblock on sunny days
  • An mp3 or cd player so you can listen to music while walking
  • A small, clip-on pocket light or flashing armband, especially where there is no proper sidewalk or where cyclists use the sidewalk and may not see you in the dark

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start Walking for Exercise. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Keep Fresh Vegetables Fresher Longer

by | Apr 4, 2013 | Digestive system, Fat Loss, Fats, Reviews, Sugars | 0 comments

Here’s a great article about how to keep your salad and fresh veg fresher for longer…

Steps

  1. Wrap dry veggies in paper towel and place back into plastic wrap. This works well with lettuce and celery.
  2. Keep bagged lettuce mix crisp and fresh by slightly dampening a piece of paper towel, tucking it over the top of the leaves, and then clip the bag closed. The lettuce will remain crisp for at least a week or more.
  3. Make sure that the paper towel is not too wet. If it is, just replace with a fresh paper towel.

  4. After slicing a tomato or onion, place a folded paper towel over the cut edge and either wrap in plastic or place in zippered sandwich bag.
  5. Fresh clean carrots can stay crisp if closely wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent evaporation or stored in an airtight container. They can last up to a week longer rather than go rubbery.
  6. Potato, onions, ginger, garlic and sweet potato (kumara) should be stored in the dark (or an opaque bag) as sunlight makes them sprout and inedible. Ironically they are always displayed in bright light in the stores, but its not good for them.
  7. Most vegetables last longer if left whole as they lose less moisture.

Tips

  • If you use bags of pre-washed lettuce, simply place a paper towel inside the bag and seal.
  • This idea will work with cheese. After the cheese wrapper is opened, place cheese (with or without wrapper) in zipper sandwich bag and put a paper towel between cheese wrapper and baggie.
  • This idea also works with ice cream to keep off the “frost”. Simply wad up a paper towel and place inside of ice cream container.

Warnings

  • Use care with paper towels, especially if your brand leaves “lint” behind. Rinse veggies before using. (Of course if lint gets into ice cream, scoop off lint and discard.) Scott brand is exceptional for these uses.
  • Make sure any storage containers are washed & cleaned often because it’s easy to contaminate fresh food with old storage containers.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Keep Fresh Vegetables Fresher Longer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Study looks at relationship between weight and exercise

by | Apr 4, 2013 | Diet, Exercise, Fat Loss, Weight gain | 0 comments

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Professor Larry Tucker

Professor Larry Tucker

This is a fascinating study in which Professor Larry Tucker took 254 ladies of whom about half are considered obese. For a whole week they wore accelerometers which measure actual movement as well as the intensity of activity that the people are going through and all the results were carefully recorded.

Some 20 months later the same participants wore accelerometers for yet another week and the results of their activity were recorded and then the two results were compared.

Briefly what the study found was that over those intervening 20 weeks the physical activity of the obese participants dropped by 8% whereas the non-obese ladies had essentially no change in the amount of physical activity they undertook putting it simply Dr. Tucker ahs now measured proof of what many of us have already understood – that in activity least the weight gain and that weight gain means that you’re less inclined to be active which results in a gradual downward spiral of inactivity which leads to further weight gain which leads to further inactivity and so on down.

But Dr. Tucker now has measured proof that it’s possible to break that cycle and indeed reverse it simply by becoming more active and deliberately so because the more active you become the less likely you are to put on weight, in fact you are more likely to start losing weight which then enables you to be more active making both your health and activity levels move in the right direction.

Link to the Brigham Young University News Release