Blog on weight, How to Lose Fat on the Cheap

  The government spends a lot of time looking at the behavior of Americans, especially our eating habits. Maybe more so than ever since President Obama is in office. When the government is paying for or paying part of your healthcare believe me eventually you’ll be eating what the government wants you to eat. Last month they outlawed “trans fats”, which wasn’t a bad thing but it will increase the cost of pre-made foods. After the band on trans fats, I believe they’ll find a way to cut animal fats in your diet. I’m not sure how, but the obvious way will be to put more restrictions on the industry to drive up the prices. I remember my grandparents to be healthier then my parents. During the 1920’s and 30’s Americans were spending 25% or more of their paycheck on groceries. Average working Americans today will spend 10% or less. My grandparents ate more home-grown fruits and vegetables because meat was very expensive. During both the World Wars meat was rationed. Of course what the go...

  The idea that being overweight isn’t unhealthy got a turbo-charge in 2013. That’s when a study in  The Journal of the American Medical Association  reported that people who were up to 30 pounds overweight were less likely to die early than people at an average weight.  A close investigation revealed major flaws in the study's methods, though. Turns out, our happy weight isn't so healthy after all. What's more, decades of research show that obesity leads to many serious health problems. These extra pounds make you more likely to get a wide range of diseases, from  diabetes  and  high blood pressure  to  dementia  and  cancer . Going up just a single skirt size over any decade between your mid 20s and mid 50s, for example, makes you a third more likely to have  breast cancer  after  menopause . The health problems tied to obesity, especially chronic diseases like  diabetes , can have a long-term impact.  "Th...

 I've written several articles about losing body fat and now want to explain why. For years I tried to lose weight, but I always gained it back. I would make small gains of 10 or 15 pounds but always gained it back. My goal was to lose 50 pounds but I could never reach my goal. I read plenty of articles from experts like WebMD, and Mayo Clinic and finally decided I was going about this all wrong. I should be trying to lose fat, not weight. Then I learned that I have to change what I'm eating to lose fat. When I was dieting before I was losing a few pounds but I was losing mostly muscle mass, and only a small amount of fat. I increased my protein intake to 60 gm a day and started to lose fat instead. My waist started getting smaller, and I could wear a smaller pants size. Soon I was buying size 34 jeans instead of 38s. I knew I was going in the right direction. Losing fat instead of muscle mass is the key to keeping the weight off. The food I was eating just added fat to my body...

 Hang Out With Friends Life expectancy can be increased by hanging out with your friends and family. Studies have shown that the more connected someone is to loved ones, the better their overall health. Scientists are not exactly sure why relationships play a role in health and longevity. It could be that people in positive relationships are less likely to take risks and are more likely to take care of themselves. It could also be that having people around you reduces stress in your life. On top of this, people who engage in "meaningful" relationships tend to have better life expectancies. This means having conversations about each other's beliefs, interests, or history or engaging in activities that both parties enjoy. Relationships and Longevity A study in the journal PLoS Medicine concluded that, based on 148 studies involving 308,849 participants, people who reported strong social relationships had a 50% lower risk of premature death than those who didn't. Instead...

 I know I drink too much coffee and I decided to do something about it. I looked up "benefits of coffee" and it does have antioxidants that are good for the body. I want to cut back on coffee not cut out coffee. But I might evenually. I like coffee and I have been drinking coffee since college, but now I feel that Tea might have more benefits and less caffeine.  So, which is better for me green tea or black tea? Good question, I used Bing to help me choose. It turns out that both are good for the body, they come from the same plant. Black tea goes through a process of Oxidation which is letting the plant dry in the sun. That's it, no additives. Drying will change some of the properties in the leaves and also turn the leaves a dark brown which gives black tea its color. Green tea is the same tea leaves without the drying process. In several studies, there has been no real difference in the health effects except that in green tea there is a mineral that isn't present i...

 Get Daily Exercise Improvements in life expectancy are strongly linked to daily exercise. A comprehensive review of studies in the Journal of Aging Research showed that people who exercise regularly—even for as little as three hours a week—lived up to 6.9 years longer than those who didn't. Habit-building is key to success. The easiest way to build a habit is to commit to daily workouts even if it's just for 20 minutes. If you do, you may skip a day but are more likely to get back on track immediately. If you exercise three days a week and miss one workout, you may go four to five days without exercising and eventually give up. For life expectancy, it is more important to exercise consistently year after year than have fits and starts of intense exercise followed by periods of no exercise. Remember that daily exercise doesn't have to mean going to the gym every day. Home exercises such as yoga, stretching, free weights, swimming, or brisk walking can be incredibly benefici...

 Hang Out With Friends Life expectancy can be increased by hanging out with your friends and family. Studies have shown that the more connected someone is to loved ones, the better their overall health. Scientists are not exactly sure why relationships play a role in health and longevity. It could be that people in positive relationships are less likely to take risks and are more likely to take care of themselves. It could also be that having people around you reduces stress in your life. On top of this, people who engage in "meaningful" relationships tend to have better life expectancies. This means having conversations about each other's beliefs, interests, or history or engaging in activities that both parties enjoy. Relationships and Longevity A study in the journal PLoS Medicine concluded that, based on 148 studies involving 308,849 participants, people who reported strong social relationships had a 50% lower risk of premature death than those who didn't. A meani...

Go outside and get more sun Life expectancy can be increased simply by going outside and getting some sun. Exposure to sunlight triggers cells in your skin to produce vitamin D. Our bodies need Vitamin D. Yes, I take the pill form of D, but that's not a replacement for sunlight. Sunlight is great for your skin but Vitamin D is good for other parts of the body too.  The following article was published on WebMD Vitamin D is essential for many vital functions: Bone growth Bone remodeling (in which bones constantly rebuild themselves) Involuntary muscle contractions (such as for heartbeat and digestion) The conversion of blood glucose (sugar) into energy Vitamin D deficiency can impair all of these functions and lead to an increased risk of fractures, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis (porous bones). Research suggests that 50% of adults with low vitamin D levels simply don't get out into the sun enough. Getting sun for just 15 minutes a day is enough to maintain vita...