Blog on weight, How to Lose Fat on the Cheap

Breakfast may be known as the most important meal of the day, but it’s also one that millions of Americans do without. The biggest culprit? Time -- or the lack thereof. Our lives get more hectic by the day, and it’s just so easy to bolt out the door without eating. But when you do that, you risk worse cravings, sagging energy levels, and trouble thinking clearly. You might even up your chances of getting heart disease. Plus, you’ll miss a chance to load up on more of the nutrients you need for good health. Clearly, convenience and the need for speed is the key for many people when it comes to eating their morning meal. So here’s a workweek's worth of portable food pairings that make it easy to rise and dine, at home or away. Dynamic Duo: Whole-grain Frozen Waffle + Peanut Butter Waffles aren’t just for maple syrup. You can slather nut butter on toaster-ready frozen waffles to help fuel your commute. “Whole grains provide fiber, which slows down digestion and p...

There are a number of conflicting reports out there that claim bananas make you gain weight or that bananas are beneficial for weight-loss. Let's dissect this: Those who warn against eating bananas for fear of weight gain are basing the advice on carb content, particularly sugar. Bananas are fairly high in sugar which can turn to body fat more quickly than other nutrients. Another reason bananas get a bad rap is that their calorie count is higher than other fruits. A cup of apple slices has about 60 calories while a cup of banana slices has around 135 calories. Experts in the pro-banana camp say the neatly packaged fruit has the perfect amount of carbs and calories for a satisfying and healthy snack choice. The amount of sugar isn't high compared to most sugary snacks - like cookies and candy - and bananas have the added benefit of fiber. Some people even say you can eat an unlimited amount of bananas (or any fruit) and not gain weight since the fruit itself is so good ...

Our body fat is indeed different depending on its location. Subcutaneous fat is the layer of fat just under the skin, all over the body. Visceral fat is located deep in the abdominal cavity around the organs. We have a limited amount of control over the distribution of our body fat. Body fat distribution varies by age, gender, ethnicity, and genetics. You may have a normal BMI – thinking your weight is not putting your health at risk – but have a waist circumference that indicates abdominal obesity. By waist circumference, abdominal obesity is defined as 35 inches for women, 40 for men. Abdominal obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and later life dementia. A large waist circumference has been linked to negative outcomes even among people with normal BMI numbers. Additionally, some studies have compared two groups of obese patients with the same total body fat, but low or high levels of visceral fat. The high visceral fat groups were found to...

If you turn to red meat as your main source of protein, you could be shortening your life, a new study suggests. Yes, that's possible, we all digest food differently. The genes you were born with and your DNA have a lot to do with the way you process food. We are all different in that respect.  The foods your ancestors  ate helped to develop their digestive system to process their food. That's the reason you see a big difference in the east Asian people versus the European people. Europeans had more of a meat-based diet versus the Asians that had a fish based diet. The exception to that are those people who lived along the water, like the Mediterranean people and others that lived in the Baltics and along the Atlantic.  These differences in our digestive systems can account for some of the overweight problems around the globe. It takes several generations to  alter your digestive system, so for example, when an Asian comes to the U.S.  an...

You're not as young as you once were, and you're still looking for an  exercise  routine that works. Or maybe you think you're too old to bother. Not so. It's never too late in life to get started, according to Joan Pagano, author of  8 Weeks to a Younger Body.  The key may be to start small and work yourself up. No-Gym Strength Exercises Pagano recommends these four moves. You can do the whole routine in about 5 minutes.  Squat . Stand in front of a chair, arms forward at shoulder level. Inhale as you bend at the knees and lower yourself as if you were going to sit down -- just enough to touch the chair. Exhale and return to standing. Only go part of the way down if your knees are uncomfortable. Aim to do this move 10-15 times. "This is the No. 1 exercise for life," Pagano says. It's practical because "you have to get up from a seated position all the time, from a chair or the toilet. It works the three m...

I like this post and wanted to reblog it because some people are still under the impression that there's an easy, quick way to lose weight and it stays off forever. Wow, that really sounds great.  A recent feature article in the  New York Times  chronicles the unfortunate fate of participants in  The Biggest Loser  after the spotlights dim, the TV cameras stop speeding, and some time goes by. They regain the weight. Some of it, most of it, all of it, or even all of it plus some. What the  New York Times  tells us is no surprise to those of us who have worked directly with severely obese patients over the years  that though challenging, weight loss is rarely the rate-limiting problem. Sustaining the weight loss is where most efforts fall down. The article cites the work of Kevin Hall, a researcher at NIH and leading expert in the dynamics of energy balance. Dr. Hall’s work on energy balance has shed light on this before, and the ne...