CALORIES AND WEIGHT
May/090
Although exercising is great just being more active is also a good way to burn calories.A pound of fat equals 3500 calories. To lose 1 pound a week you will need to expend 3500 more calories than you eat that week, whether through increased activity or decreased eating or both. Losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week is a sensible goal, and so you will want to use the combination of increased activity and eating less that will total 3500 calories for 7 days. There are many small changing you can make to your daily routine that will burn calories for example:
• Take the stairs instead of the lift
• Keep walking whilst the escalator caries you up
• Walk or cycle instead of driving short distances
• Park your car further away than you need to or get off the bus one early
• Do some exercise on your lunch hour - swimming, yoga, etc.
by Jason
METABOLISM AND YOUR WEIGHT
May/090
You likely know your metabolism is linked to your weight. But do you know how?
Common belief holds that a slim person’s metabolism is high and an overweight person’s metabolism is low. But this isn’t always the case. Metabolism alone doesn’t determine your weight.
Weight is also dependent on the balance of calories consumed versus calories burned. Take in more calories than your body needs, and you gain weight. Take in less and you lose weight. Metabolism, then, is the engine that burns these calories and is the scale that regulates your energy needs. Stated simply, metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy. During this biochemical process, calories — from carbohydrates, fats and proteins — are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.
The number of calories your body burns each day is called your total energy expenditure. The following three factors make up your total energy expenditure:
• Basic needs. Even when your body is at rest, it requires energy for the basics, such as fuel for organs, breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, plus growing and repairing cells. Calories expended to cover these basic functions are your basal metabolic rate.
Typically, a person’s basal metabolic rate is the largest portion of energy use, representing two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories used each day. Energy needs for these basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren’t easily changed.
• Food processing. Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts for about 10 percent of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body’s energy requirement to process food stays relatively steady and isn’t easily changed.
• Physical activity. Physical activity — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement — accounts for the remainder of calories used. You control the number of calories burned depending on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities.
By Jon Rutledge
WHAT TO EAT
May/090
If you are trying to lose weight, choose food based on their weight-to-calorie ratio. You want to eat food that weighs a lot but has few calories and avoid food that is light in weight but hefty in calories.
Fruits and vegetables are the big winners in the heavy weight-low calorie department, according to Tufts University. They weigh a lot because of their fiber and water content and yet do not have many calories. For example, one cup of cantaloupe or ‘melon’ weighs 5.5 ounces but only has 56 calories. A cup of cooked spinach weighs six ounces but only has 42 calories.
Now, compare that to six cups of buttered popcorn that only weighs three ounces and contains 420 calories or, even worse, one ounce of potato chips that has 152 calories (if you ate four ounces, you would be inviting 608 calories to feel at home in your fat cells). That’s what I call “small but terrible”.
According to the New Zealand University study, food that is light in weight but high in calories is probably the worse kind of food to eat if you are trying to lose weight. It’s sort of like ‘double jeopardy’ - you are still hungry but you have already eaten many calories.
Choose lower-fat choices of the same weight food. There can be a world of difference between the caloric consumption of two people eating the same weight and type of food. How is this possible? Easy, if you consider the way the food is cooked or prepared.
By Jon Rutledge
FIBER AND WEIGHT LOSS
May/090
Of the many foods that help weight loss, fiber may be one of the best. Fiber in both insoluble and soluble forms can assist weight loss and help dieters reach their goals.
Two Types of Fiber
Fiber comes in two forms and they both work to help dieters lose weight. The two types of fiber are:
- Soluble- Found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oatmeal and beans, soluble fiber helps dieters by slowing digestion. This kind of fiber can dissolve in water and interacts with other components of food to help weight loss.
- Insoluble- Found in fruit and vegetable skins, whole wheat grains, nuts and seeds. This kind of fiber does not dissolve in water and passes completely through the digestive track unchanged, making dieters feel full.
How Fiber Works to Help Weight Loss
Fiber works in many ways to help dieters lose weight. One function of fiber is to cause feelings of fullness. This works because fiber displaces other foods and takes up more space in the digestive track than other types of foods, making dieters feel full even though they have eaten fewer calories.
Another way fiber works is by causing fat and sugar absorption to slow down. Soluble fiber, in particular, can slow the absorption of sugar and prevent the rapid changes in blood sugar and insulin levels that lead to dietary fat being stored as body fat.
by weightloss.suite101.com
START COOKING
May/090
One of the most important aspects of a diet is knowing what you put into your body. Apart from calories, you have to know the about the age of the ingredients you use, types of preservatives and chemicals that are also in food and the cleanliness of the kitchen. The only way to make certain that all of these are up to your standards is to cook your own meals. Your goal for this week is to start cooking your own food. If you’ve never cooked on a regular basis then this can be the most challenging step of this plan. Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore. You should try to have fun with it and enjoy all the new foods that you’ll soon be eating. If you have no idea where to start, check your local bookstore for cookbooks. There are also plenty of sites on the internet that teach you how to cook and provide free recipes. You won’t make culinary masterpieces overnight, but in time you and your family will begin to enjoy your creations. You don’t need to cook every night. You should make enough so that you’ll have leftovers. This will give you a chance to take a break from cooking since it can be time consuming. This week, start by cooking at least twice. Next week try for three times and keep going up one day until you have home made food everyday of the week. With time it’ll seem natural, like brushing your teeth or cleaning your room. Keep in mind that cooking doesn’t have to mean a huge meal with trimmings. It can be as easy as rice, sandwiches and salads.
by straighthealth.com