Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Find Out If Protein Guilt Is Sabotaging your Weight Loss

Carbohydrates and Fats have both taken their turn as the evil food that you should never eat, but protein is always the golden child that can do no wrong.

Or can it?

I think protein has been put so high on a pedestal for both weight loss and muscle gaining that you can begin to suffer from something I like to call “protein guilt”.

So what is protein guilt? Well I’ll tell you.

If you eat any food and especially EXTRA food simply because you think you need it for protein, then you have protein guilt.

I realized I had protein guilt a few years ago when I used to analyze every meal I ate for the protein content. If the meal I was eating didn’t have at least 30 grams of protein I went out of my way to eat something else to make sure I got my 30 grams.

This is a perfect example of protein guilt – I felt guilty if I didn’t eat a precise amount of protein at every meal. I couldn’t just enjoy food anymore, I could only think about the protein content because I believed protein was so important for burning fat and gaining muscle.

Now I realize that I was actually OVEREATING because I felt the need to get more protein into my body. I would drink an extra glass of milk or make sure I ordered double chicken breast when I ate salads, anything to make sure I was eating MORE protein. I was denying the fact that I was overeating just to get more protein.

And it showed around my waistline.

This is how protein guilt can sabotage your weight loss efforts, namely justifying overeating just to get more protein in your diet.

To this day I still struggle with protein guilt (I use it to justify my chocolate milk cravings) but now at least I can eat an apple without forcing myself to have some milk or chicken to bring up the protein content of that meal. Doesn’t this sound crazy?

I’m getting better for sure, but I still feel twinges of protein guilt almost every time I eat. If you’re anything like me you know exactly what I am talking about.

If you live in any modern industrialized society you most likely already eat enough protein without even thinking about it. Even though I now know better, this protein guilt still bothered me enough that I researched and wrote an entire book about protein just to ease my mind about how much protein I really needed to build muscle while losing body fat.

I know this sounds a bit extreme but this was the only way for me to get over my protein guilt. Fortunately for you I’m done writing the book and you can get the final answer about protein without having to do all the research and write your own book.

So if you want to find out how much protein you really need to build and maintain lean muscle and your fat burning metabolism, and if you want to know the TRUTH about protein supplements, post workout protein, and protein guilt, then you need to check out my new book “HOW MUCH PROTEIN”

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Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Top 10 Diet Rule Experiment: How To Tell If a Diet Will Work For You

If you and I went to the local magazine stand and scanned the covers of the fitness magazines we would find dozens of ‘weight loss’ rules.

In fact we could spend the rest of the week reading magazines about the latest greatest weight loss tricks many of which may actually work for someone. But realistically there’s just no way you could actually follow ALL of them. So how do you know which ones are right for you?

The easy answer is you have to decide which rules fit best for YOUR life and then try to stick to just one or two that will make the most sense for you and have the most benefit.

This may be the first time in your life you become a scientist, and your experiment is you. Here’s what you do…

Browse any of the popular magazines, blogs, websites or anywhere you like to get fitness information. Read up on the diet and weight loss tips and tricks, these could be simple changes like not drinking calories, or a bigger philosophy like limiting the amount of carbs that you eat.

Make a top 10 list of diet strategies you’d like to try, and that sound doable to you. At this point add one new diet strategy to your life for two weeks. Record your bodyweight at the beginning of the two weeks and again at the end. If you haven’t lost any weight this strategy doesn’t work (for you). Discard it and move on to the next one.

This is the simplest way to tell if something will work for YOU. If the strategy you picked sounds like a good idea but seems too difficult for you to manage then it’s simply not a good fit for you in this stage of your life. If it worked for your friend but not for you that’s ok, there will be one that works just for you, this is why you make a top 10 list and try each of them, one at a time.

Let’s suppose you find one that works over a two week period and you don’t want to stop. That’s fine, just add the next one in the list, if you can handle more than one strategy at once more power to you and you’ll probably lose fat even faster. My guess is that sticking to more than one or two rules will be almost impossible, so it will be pretty easy to tell which strategy is really working.

For me the simpler the diet is the better, (which is the main premise behind Eat Stop Eat).

Even when you are following the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle you can still use the top 10-diet rule as a way to guide how you eat on your ‘eat days’.

The top 10 diet rule experiment is the fastest way to find dietary habits that work for you - after all you’ll never know until you try.

****
Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com

Sunday, October 11, 2009

10 Signs that your Diet Promotes Obsessive Compulsive Eating

In this ground breaking study, 311 overweight women were recruited to follow one of the following popular diet programs: The Atkins Diet, The Zone Diet, the LEARN diet or the Ornish Diet.

To start the study, each woman was given a copy of the popular diet book that she was randomly assigned to follow.

Then, to make sure she was an “expert” on her program before she started dieting, each woman attended a series of 8 classes (each lasting an hour) explaining exactly how to follow her assigned diet.

(Side note- This just shows how OCE these diets are considering that it takes EIGHT classes for these women to know how to properly follow each diet!)

After the courses were completed the women then set off to follow their assigned diet plan for a total of 1 year.

The results were pretty much exactly what I expected – everybody lost a lot of weight in the first two months, after that the diets tended to even out and by the end of the trial the weight loss was far from impressive – none of the groups averaged more than 10 pounds of weight loss after an entire year of dieting.

And while many people used this study to ‘prove’ that diets simply didn’t work, or that the body somehow adapted to dieting, my take was much simpler – Firstly, this trial is in agreement with most research that shows it is very hard to accurately measure how many calories a person eats in a day, and secondly I thought that these results showed that the number one reason diets fail is compliance.

In other words, the more complicated and the more rigid the diet is (or the more OCE it is), the more likely it is going to fail in the long term. – People just can’t stick to these types of diets for long periods of time.

Apparently I wasn’t alone with my analysis.

In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity titled “Dietary adherence and weight loss success among overweight women: results from the A to Z weight loss study” researchers re-examined the A to Z weight loss trial to see if there was an association between the level of compliance and the amount of weight that was lost.

Guess what they found?

Astonishingly only ONE subject in the ENTIRE study followed the diet as directed for the whole 12 months. This means that every other subject was not following her assigned diet properly at some point during the research trial!

The researchers also found that adherence was significantly correlated with 12-month weight change for all three-diet groups. So the better a woman was at following her diet, the more weight she lost.

The fact that adherence was so low is very interesting considering that these women spent eight class sessions reviewing their assigned diets with a registered dietitian before they even started the diet…you can imagine what adherence must be like for someone who simply bought one of those books, read it cover to cover and then gave it a try!

The findings from this follow-up analysis also suggest that the difference in dietary macronutrients had only negligible effects on the participants weight loss success.

The bottom line is that you can generally figure out how successful a diet will be by looking at how complicated it is.

More rules = more complicated = low chance of success

Less rules = less complicated = high chance of success

In my opinion weight loss can be incredibly simple if you let it.

Find the easiest, most comfortable way to reduce the total amount of calories that you eat. The less intrusive a diet is on your lifestyle the greater chance you have of sticking to it long term.

For me, this is flexible intermittent fasting. After all if you can fast for 24 hours once, you know you will always be able to do it. Some fasts maybe harder or easier than others, but you know you can do it!

Obsessive Compulsive Eating habits that make diets complicated and difficult spell doom for long term weight loss.

10 Signs a diet suffers from OCE:

1. It contains a list of foods you can and cannot eat

2. It lists specific times of every day that you are allowed or not allowed to eat

3. It contains specific diet plans that do not take into consideration your own personal food preferences

4. It lacks flexibility

5. It focuses on macronutrients and micronutrients excessively

6. If fails to point out the importance of long term compliance

7. It requires you to pre-pack and carry certain foods with you while you travel

8. It promotes certain foods because they PROMOTE weight loss

9. Over reliance of food Journal

10. Metabolic Typing

Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

7 Ways Fasting Can Rev Up Your Fat Burning Furnace

Flexible intermittent fasting is becoming a very popular way to use your body’s natural ability to burn lots of fat in a short period of time.

Here is a list of the ways that flexible intermittent fasting will turbo charge your fat loss.

1.
Increases Fat Burning Hormones

Hormones are usually at the root of most of your metabolic functioning, and fat burning is no different. Growth Hormone is the most important fat burning hormone in your body. Fasting pushes growth hormone production into high gear and this makes your fat burning furnace start to work overtime. Fasting also decrease your insulin levels, which ensures that you burn body fat instead of storing it.

2.
Increased Fat Burning Enzymes

Fat burning hormones need the help of fat burning enzymes to get their job done. Fasting will sky rocket the activity of two of the most important fat burning enzymes in your body. Adipose tissue HSL (Hormone Sensitive Lipase) is the enzyme responsible for allowing your fat cells to release fat so it can be burned as energy in your muscles. Muscle tissue LPL (Lipoprotein Lipase) is the enzyme responsible for allowing your muscle cells to take up fat so it can be burnt as a fuel. Fasting increases both of these enzymes to optimize fat burning - A perfect combination.

3.
Burn More Calories

Short term fasting (12-72hrs) actually increases your metabolism and adrenaline levels. This causes you to increase calorie burning during the fast period. The more calories you burn the faster you can lose weight. The extra energy you get from the fast might actually help you through a workout or get more work done at work or around the house. When I did my first fast I was shocked at how awake and energetic I was. My fasting days are now my most productive days of the week.

4.
Burn Fat Instead of Sugar

Fasting shifts your metabolism from burning blood sugar to burning mostly body fat. When you eat a meal your body likes to burn carbs first, then the fat from your food. Any extra fat that your body can’t burn in the few hours after you eat get stored as body fat. When you fast your body has no choice but to burn stored body fat. By the end of a 24 hour fast your body is burning way more fat than it would during a regular day of eating.

5.
You’ll Find Out Why You Eat

The most surprising benefit people report back when they start fasting is a new found awareness of what causes them to eat. When you make a conscious decision to fast for a day your less than flattering eating motivations become painfully obvious. This is the first and most effective step to getting rid of bat habits for good. Knowing what your motivations are for poor eating choices is essential before you can change them and build better habits.

6.
Builds Positive Attitudes Towards Yourself and Food

Each short fast is an accomplishment that can build self confidence and gratitude. At the end of a 24 hour fast you can feel good about your accomplishment and start feeling good about your relationship with food again. The positive empowerment from each fast builds on the last until you feel completely in control of your food choices.

7.
Eat All The Foods You Love Guilt Free

Short term fasting allows you to lose weight and burn fat without restricting any of the foods you love to eat. With this style of eating you can consume any and all of the foods you like whenever you choose without feeling guilty about it and still lose weight. You will never again have to be sitting in a restaurant picking at a salad while everyone else at the tables indulges in their favorite entrée and dessert.

Eating for fat loss doesn’t need to be complicated and food should never be a source of anxiety or guilt. Mixing in a few 24 hours fasts to your week can liberate you from the dieting prison and allow you to enjoy food again.

****
Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com

Monday, September 14, 2009

7 Lasting Myths About Fasting

When people come to the subject of fasting, there's a lot of misinformation and myths surrounding this topic and it can sometimes make it difficult to get to the heart of the matter. Here we're going to take a look at seven of the more long-standing myths that accompany the issue of fasting.

Fasting has been around since time immemorial, and many of the first references to it come from the Bible. They knew even back then the many and varied benefits one can derive from fasting, whether it be for short or longer periods of time. There are many examples from all religions that detail the benefits of fasting from a spiritual perspective, but there are also many other benefits to be realized from a health and wellness standpoint as well. First, let's debunk some myths!

1. Fasting is a religious activity. Not necessarily. Many devoted holistic health practitioners employ some form of fasting into their health regimen, whether it is for cleansing or for weight loss help.

2. You can fast in many ways. Partially true, but the spirit of this gets us thinking in the wrong direction. The purpose of a fast isn't to necessarily “fast from chocolate for a day”, but to be part of a well-thought out health plan that emphasizes a total health solution. Many people decide to fast from whatever their latest obsession is, in the hopes that this will somehow help.

3. Juice fasting is a great way to go. I would take issue with this. To me this isn't really a fast, just another fad diet trick. The increased amounts of natural sugars can cause spikes in insulin, which in the absence of other foods being ingested can bring on other unwanted side effects.

4. Long-term fasting can rid the body of toxins. Not true. Long term fasting can deplete the body of many, many necessary and vital nutrients, and bring on a host of associated problems due to the body's inability to fight off anything. There is a reason people die from long term fasts.

5. Political fasting is a viable way to make a point. Doing a prolonged fast for a political cause is one of the worst ways to make a point. Short, one or two day fasts are sufficient, but probably don't have the sensational aspect political believers seek.

6. Fasting is only for medical purposes. Not true. While there are valid medical reasons when a fast is recommended, such as before surgery or blood tests, there are other useful benefits of fasting.

7. Fasting is way too hard. Again, not true! A one or two day fast can be accomplished with no problem by almost anyone.

Fasting can be a useful tool to aid in a total health plan. Done correctly there are virtually none of the popular “side effects” such as light-headedness or weakness. Make sure to not be derailed by fears and myths and you'll find that fasting can in fact be a great help!


Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com

Sunday, September 6, 2009

15 Rules for Fat Loss

1. Eat 4-6 small meals day a day instead of the usual 2-3 large meals. Eating frequently will help regulate and boost your metabolism to burn more calories.

2. Consume whole foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar such as lean protein (lean beef, chicken, fish, and whey protein), fruits & vegetables (oranges, apples, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, peppers, asparagus, carrots, nuts (almonds, cashews, & walnuts), and whole grains.

3. Eat low-glycemic carbohydrates such as vegetables, whole-wheat products and oatmeal instead of refined processed carbohydrates which usually come in a box or a bag.

4. Recommend consuming 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Since the average diet contains only 14 grams we could all use more fiber. Fiber will help satisfy hunger pangs as well as control insulin and blood sugar levels which tend to promote fat storage when they are elevated.

5. Eat some type of lean protein at each meal. Protein helps to satisfy hunger and provide the necessary building blocks to maintain lean body mass while losing body fat.

6. Consume adequate amounts of healthy fat foods such as olive oil, walnuts, almonds, Omega-3 fortified eggs or other Omega-3 products. Healthy fats are great antioxidants as well as help with brain function and many other essentials processes that take place in the body on a daily basis. Essential Fatty acids also help prevent certain diseases.

7. Recommend eating 5-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day to meet your micronutrient needs. Vegetables also contain a good amount of fiber and help to control appetites and curb hunger.

8. Consume Green Tea or Water instead of calorie filled drinks such as soft drinks. Green Tea has many health benefits and should be drinking 1ml of non-caffeinated fluid for every calorie that you consume. This works out between (8-12) 8oz glasses of Green Tea or Water a day.

9. Balance your fat intake for the day. 1/3 should come from saturated fats, 1/3 from monounsaturated fats, and 1/3 from polyunsaturated fats.

10. If you want to start building habits then you need to follow a plan. Habits are formed by repetitively following a prescribed plan. Therefore map out your meals every day and follow them. If you follow your plan everyday for 2-3 weeks you will form habits that become part of your daily routine and you won’t even notice it. How do you think bad habits are formed? By repetitively doing something over and over again.

11. Include what I call “Superfoods” into your meal plan on a daily basis. These include but not entirely lean meat, salmon, low fat plain yogurt, tomatoes, spinach, mixed berries, whole oats, mixed nuts, olive oil, flax seeds(or flax meal), green tea, and various beans. These are just some of the “Superfoods” who should be incorporating into your daily meal plans.

12. Keep total fat intake under 30% for the day. This can be accomplished by not adding too many extra fats such as butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, etc. This doesn’t mean you have to completely eliminate these items, but do not eat them as a regular food item every day.

13. EXERCISE!! You can lose weight by just following a nutrition plan on its own but very few succeed at it and it takes much longer than when you eat properly as well as exercise. I am not talking about just getting on a treadmill for 30 minutes every other day. Though you can lose weight this way it is not the most efficient use of your time nor maximizing the ability to burn calories. The most effective way to lose fat is by strength training or some type of interval training utilizing strength training and cardiovascular exercises. A properly designed program can burn more overall calories in 20 minutes than 20 minutes on a treadmill. Also, the X factor in all this is that you will burn more calories per minute hours after you finished strength training because of the EPOC effect. Static exercise on a treadmill doesn’t produce this X factor.

14. Record what you eat and drink. You will be amazed at what you consume and not even realize you did it until you right it down and reflect back on the day. Keeping a food log is critical to your success because if modifications need to be made you need something to be able to evaluate and analyze. If changes aren’t happening like you had hoped the answer can usually be found in the food and or exercise journal.


15. Follow the 90% rule. If you can follow your plan 90% of the time then that is enough to have success with weight loss. If you find yourself breaking the rules more than 90% of the time then the chance of being successful with weight loss is not as likely. Your chances of failing increase significantly. Lose the all or nothing attitude and just take one day at a time. Reflect on your day before you go to bed at night and instead of getting down on yourself because you weren’t perfect just set goals to accomplish next day that would eliminate those errors.

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS is the author of The Carb Rotation Diet. To discover the 5 absolute truths Every Serial Dieter Who Seeks Rapid-Weight loss MUST come to grips with visit The Carb Rotation Diet.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

10 Changes To To Your Diet That Will Instantly Make it 90% Better

Most individuals do not eat like they are supposed to. Out of those individuals 95% of them don’t realize that by making 10 simple changes to their eating lifestyle they can improve their diet by 90% along with improving their health and overall well-being.

Apply these changes to your diet today and you too will be experiencing an increased benefit to your health, probable weight loss, a leaner body, and likely improvements to your blood profile. This all equals a longer healthier life.

Now let’s get started so you can benefit from these 10 simple changes that everyone can make immediately.

1. Hydration: Is there a difference
Consume Green Tea or Water instead of calorie filled drinks such as soft drinks. Green Tea has many health benefits and is a powerful antioxidant. You should be drinking 1ml of non-caffeinated fluid for every calorie that you consume. This works out between (8-12) 8oz glasses of Green Tea or Water a day.

2. Benefits of Fiber
Recommend consuming 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Since the average diet contains only 14 grams we could all use more fiber. Fiber will help satisfy hunger pangs as well as control insulin and blood sugar levels which tend to promote fat storage when they are elevated. By simply eating at least 1 serving of fruit and vegetables at every meal should get you to the goal of 25-35 grams of fiber per day.

3. The Importance of Protein
Eat lean protein sources which include; lean beef, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, salmon, low-fat cottage cheese and other low-fat dairy products, and whey protein powders, at every meal. This will also help control insulin levels and satisfy hunger pangs which tend to promote fat storage. You will find yourself naturally eating less food throughout the day if you eat some type of lean protein at every meal.

4. Frequent Meals: Why?
Eat 4-6 small meals day a day instead of the usual 2-3 large meals. Eating frequently will help regulate and boost your metabolism to burn more calories. By also including your protein and vegetables at these meals you will tend to eat less overall thereby reducing your calorie intake.

5. What are Whole Foods?
Consume whole foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar such as lean protein (lean beef, chicken, fish, and whey protein), fruits & vegetables (oranges, apples, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, peppers, asparagus, carrots, nuts (almonds, cashews, & walnuts), and whole grains.
Try to minimize processed foods that come in a box or a bag. Instead choose whole grain choices such as whole wheat foods, oatmeals, and vegetables.

6. Healthy Fats: Yes, there are healthy fats
Consume adequate amounts of healthy fat foods such as olive oil, walnuts, almonds, or other Omega-3 products. Healthy fats are great antioxidants as well as help with brain function and many other essentials processes that take place in the body on a daily basis. Essential Fatty acids also help prevent certain diseases.

7. Superfoods
Include what I call “Superfoods” into your meal plan on a daily basis. These include but not entirely lean meat, salmon, low fat plain yogurt, tomatoes, spinach, mixed berries, whole oats, mixed nuts, olive oil, flax seeds(or flax meal), green tea, and various beans. These are just some of the “Superfoods” you should be incorporating into your daily meal plans.

8. Fat
Keep total fat intake under 30% for the day. This can be accomplished by not adding too many extra fats such as butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, etc. This doesn’t mean you have to completely eliminate these items, but do not eat them as a regular food item every day.

9. Food Log: Yes, this is the most important step
Record what you eat and drink. You will be amazed at what you consume and not even realize you did it until you right it down and reflect back on the day. Keeping a food log is critical to your success because if modifications need to be made you need something to be able to evaluate and analyze. If changes aren’t happening like you had hoped the answer can usually be found in your food and or exercise journal.

10. Food Labels
Review food labels. Avoid foods packed with excess sugar, calories, or foods that contain any trans-fats. You should be looking for more natural foods and not overly-processed foods. Ingredients to look for and avoid or minimize if they are one of the top ingredients listed in the ingredients list: Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup and Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.

If you see these ingredients listed at the top then that means the product is made up of that ingredient as it’s largest source.

Now I don’t expect you to make every change in one day. What I do expect is that if you are serious about living a better life and a healthier life then you need to make these changes over the next 4 weeks. The best way to accomplish this task is to map out your plan. Create meal plans and have a plan of attack in place in regards to what you are eating and when.

You will start to see just how easy it is to live a healthier life and achieve the goals that you desire.

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS is the author of The Carb Rotation Diet. To discover the 5 absolute truths Every Serial Dieter Who Seeks Rapid-Weight loss MUST come to grips with visit The Carb Rotation Diet.

Monday, August 24, 2009

7 Foods you can Eat to Lose Weight

The food industry is constantly creating new ‘functional foods’ that will help you lose weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, and help you keep your blood sugar and insulin levels in check and so on and so on. When did eating become so complicated, and since when could food do all of these magical things?

Foods designed to help you lose weight are a multi billion dollar industry. And think of how ironic of an industry that is, how could you possibly eat something to lose weight? That doesn’t make any sense at all. The act of eating always adds mass to your body, it couldn’t possibly take it away.

The only way you can lose weight ever, is to eat less calories than you burn off. Bottom line, there is no arguing this. This rule existed 1000 years ago, and will exist a 1000 years from now. There is no possible way you could gain weight if you ate less calories than you burned off.

No matter how easy you seem to put on weight, and how little food you think you eat, there is always a lesser amount that will cause you to lose weight.

The actual matter that makes up your fat cells has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is your diet. If you eat more food that you burn off then you will store fat and gain weight. If you eat less food than you burn off you will lose fat and lose weight. That’s it.

So the list of 7 foods you can eat to lose weight consists of any foods you would like to see on that list!

You could lose weight eating cheesecake everyday. As long as you ate less total calories that day than you burned off.

The only weight loss diets that have ever worked or proven to have any effect always make people eat less total calories. That’s it. Carbs, fat, protein and sugar don’t make any difference, as long as you eat less. If anyone tells you otherwise they just haven’t done their research. And I encourage you to challenge anyone who thinks that any ‘special’ food can actually help you lose weight. It’s baloney, eating less is the only way.

Think of it this way. If any of the popular diets like low carb, low fat, high protein actually worked, would you or anyone else still be looking for another way to lose weight?

I know of only one way to effectively eat less and still be able to eat the foods you like. At Eat Stop Eat I found the only nutrition program that makes any sense at all.

Author Brad Pilon basically threw me the biggest curveball ever with this new nutrition program and it makes the most sense out of anything I have ever read. There is no reason to stress over food any longer, there really is a way to lose weight and eat what you like.

****
Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit Eat Stop Eat.com

Monday, July 27, 2009

Life is all about balance

At least I think so. So does hormone expert Dr. Holly Lucille.

Holly's idea of balance goes beyond day-planners and schedules. She talks about "internal" balance: Balance between your natural hormones to help create energy, lower body fat, and jacking up your sex drive.

Good stuff. I wanted to give you this today. It's an excerpt from Dr. Lucille's fantastic book, "Creating and Maintaining Balance."

Pick it up here free: 26 pages of Holly's book Enjoy!

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OMG Fat Loss Review

OMG Fat Loss includes fool-proof diet and fitness strategies you can implement right away to get rid of all you unwanted fat, in addition to a lifestyle behavioral program that will the keep the fat off. It is by far the most value for the money, comprehensive and simple guide you’ll find both online and offline.

It uses the most clinically proven successful weight loss strategies of people who have on average permanently lost over 65 pounds of weight. Why do I know it will work for you? You’ll be interested to know this program has been clinically tested and refined by Dr Marc Lawrence, a board certified physician nutrition specialist and weight loss expert, with his own clients and patients. So, you can be assured that OMG Fat Loss is a practical guide to permanent weight loss for real-world, busy people whether they are eating out, cooking at home, or shopping at the grocery store.

The key to long term and permanent fat loss
Without a lifestyle change you’re highly susceptible to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. On OMG you’ll be making small changes to your lifestyle in just 21 days, that will produce big changes in the way your clothes fit, your outlook on life, and the way others perceive you. And remember these are the same lifestyle changes that helped these Biggest Fat Loss Losers lose over 65 pounds, so you know they work.

With OMG you’ll be putting your weight loss on auto-pilot and losing weight like its second nature, because it is!

As part of the OMG you’ll also discover:

  • A food ranking system that is 780% more effective for weight loss than low carb, low fat, high fiber and high protein.
  • My best fat burning recipes that come straight from my popular weight-loss cooking classes. You’ll also learn how to make your favorite recipes without sacrificing flavor.. Hint: It has nothing to do with cutting out the fat, or using artificial sweetners such as Splenda. This is real food!
  • How to shop for the foods that will help you lose weight. Most of these foods are not even marketed as weight loss foods, so you’ll be saving money as you lose weight.. while avoiding the expense and the ineffective “diet” foods that are probably making you fat in the first place.
  • Simple strategies that will have you losing weight even when you eat out. Over 20,000 restuarant menu items ranked by my OMG food ranking system
  • A prepared meal plan that will save you up to $368 per month off of Jenny Craig and NutriSystem.

Still not convinced?
When you go to OMG Fat Loss you’ll see a video of a client of Dr Marc who lost 67 pounds on OMG. Her name is Michael and she was a typical yo- yo dieter who tried and failed multiple diet programs including Atkins and Weight Watchers before finding lasting success with OMG. See the video and you’ll also get a valuable tip on a lifestyle change you can easily do right now that will help you lose the weight for good!

www.OMGFatLoss.com

How Does Calorie Cycling Help You Lose Weight?

A brand new way to lose weight has been hitting airwaves all over the United States.

This diet, called "calorie cycling", allows people to effectively lose large amounts of weight in short periods of time. But before you dismiss it as a fad diet, read on.

This way of eating teaches people to switch up the amount of calories that they eat day-to-day. By doing this, their body can never figure out how many calories are coming to it (as is often the case with low calorie or low carbohydrate diets), and therefore it can't adjust... or plateau.

The diet actually enforces cheat days and says that it wouldn't be successful without it.

Rachel Rofe, calorie cycling expert, explains that our bodies are used to this way of eating. During the cavemen era, our ancestors would have to go hungry for days at a time. Whenever they got the opportunity to eat, they would binge in order to stay satisfied until the next time they had the opportunity to eat.

Cheat days are similar to the days that our ancestors fasted. Because the metabolism never expects these days, it can never adjust to a certain way of eating, and the body is literally forced to continue dropping unwanted pounds.

Because people get to have these cheat days where they can literally eat anything they want, psychologists heartily recommend this diet. They love that dieters don't need to feel deprived of malnourished. Doctors love it because it's a natural way to lose weight without people having to deprive themselves of nutrients, food groups, or even "bad" food.

Because calorie cycling is much easier to stick to than a typical weight loss plan, it has a much larger retention rate than many of the other diets.

Rachel has lost 100 pounds herself, and is passionate about helping other people do it too. She has been featured in Woman's World, among others.

You can check out more about calorie cycling on her website at www.yayFOOD.com

Why Eat a Raw Food Diet?

If you're reading this article, you may be wondering about the benefits of a raw food diet, right? Well, the benefits of eating more raw foods are numerous and once you understand them you'll probably wonder why you haven't eaten more raw in the past. You'll also think twice about eating dead cooked foods ever again.

Raw Foods Give You More Energy

I don't think I know of a single person who eats at least 80% raw foods who doesn't enjoy far more energy than the average person. I know that when I transitioned away from eating a diet made up of breads, dairy, and cooked foods, and adopted more of a raw foods diet, my energy went through the roof. And I'm not talking about the quick surge you would get from an espresso but rather long-lasting energy that enables you to do more with less.

For instance, eating raw will allow you to sleep less and have far more energy than you ever thought possible. When I'm eating at least 80% raw, I can easily function on just 4-5 hours of sleep. I literally bounce out of bed and don't require any naps throughout the day. Oh yeah, did I mention that I workout every single day as well? Sometimes, even twice!

Energizing Enzymes

There are several reasons why a raw food diet will give you more energy. First, raw foods are rich in food enzymes. Enzymes are required for every single reaction in the body. Unfortunately, our bodies only have a finite number of these enzymes, so when we run out, we run out of life! To add to this, when you heat foods above 118 degrees fahrenheit, you destroy the food enzymes that are naturally present in all raw foods. Therefore, if you eat a predominantly cooked foods diet, you're not getting enough food enzymes, which means that your body will have to produce and use more of its own to digest and metabolize your foods.

The more energy your body needs to divert towards digestion, the less energy you will have for other activities. You will feel more lethargic and tired as your body is trying to breakdown "dead" foods and figure out what to do with them.

So, the food enzymes inherent in raw foods are a big reason for boosting your body's energy. They are the spark plugs and are intricately related to the next property that make raw foods so energy-boosting.

Life Force

When raw foods are left intact, they are also known as living foods. They are called "living" because they carry an incredible amount of life force.

Now, since every living being has an aura or energy field illuminating from their body, which foods do you think would enhance yours? High energy raw foods or cooked foods that dead? I think we both know the answer.

As I like to say, "eat alive and you will thrive".

Weight Loss and Beautiful Skin

The other highly sought-after quality of a raw foods diet is its ability to help you lose weight and beautify your skin. Almost all raw foodists have reported losing weight they could never lose. At the same time, they notice an instant improvement in their skin. They look younger and have a natural glow that comes about because of the "living" nature of raw foods, their abundance of enzymes, and of course the plethora of nutrients that are ingested when eating more fruits and vegetables.

You will find it easier to lose weight on a raw food diet because your getting more nutrients and, therefore, your body won't crave "dead" foods. Second, the enzymes help to breakdown the foods you are eating and excess energy and fat stores in your body. Third, raw foods are water-rich, which helps you feel more satiated, as well as hydrated.

Many of these reasons also help us explain why living foods make you look younger and beautify your skin. Enzymes, life force, water, and high quality nutrients all play a role in natural skin care.

We could talk about the benefits of a raw food diet for hours but the only to truly understand them is to experience them for yourself. So why not take action today and enjoy the health, the body, and the vitality that you deserve!

About the Author

Yuri Elkaim is one of the world’s leading holistic nutrition and health experts. If you want to lose weight and live your healthiest and most energetic life ever, then you can learn more about his raw food diet book, Eating for Energy and get started with a FREE 6-part Energy Secrets e-course by visiting Eating for Energy today.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Gynaecomastia

3 quick questions:

1. Are you a guy or do you know one close to you over the age of 35?

2. Have you or he looked at your/his bare chest lately?

3. If so... did you see them?...The dreaded....

"Manboobs"?

Obviously if you are female this is not an issue. But for us men, "gynaecomastia", often jokingly referred to as manboobs (we can thank "Seinfeld" for that) is anything but funny.

From this point on, I'll refer to it as "MB" if that's okay by you.

MB is not an age thing. It can occur at almost any time in life. However, for those of us over 35, it is more common.

This is just one of the many symptoms of "andropause", or "male menopause."

When you age your testosterone levels decline...and more than that the testosterone gets "weaker" due to an imbalance between it and estrogen.

When you combine that with our modernized "estrogen-rich" environment that Dr. Holly Lucille frequently lectures on, you have a problem.

A big MB problem.

MB is associated with lack of drive (you know what I'm talking about guys) and excess bellyfat due to the estrogen.

Even more serious: Excess estrogen has been positively linked to prostate cancer.

Yep. MBs are not so funny after all.

Check out Dr. Lucille's NaturaPause Audios. There is an entire audio dedicated to male menopause and natural solutions that really work.

Most do not work worth a darn.

Hers does.

naturapause.com

Friday, July 24, 2009

Free NaturaPause Video

If you have stubborn body fat that just does not want to budge, you will find this free video helpful.

It's only 16 minutes long and covers the connection between your "hormones" and body fat.

Not only body fat... Your sexual-drive, your energy, your mood, and of course issues like menopause, andropause (male menopause) and more.

Give it a look...

See Video Here

Just by taking some of Dr. Lucille's advice (natural, without harmful drugs) you can kick-start your hormonal system back into overdrive.

That's the best way to end stubborn body fat and reboot your drive at the same time.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Five Simple Steps for Losing Twenty Pounds Quickly and Safely

It’s unfortunate, but true: Many women feel the need to starve themselves when they have twenty pounds they want to lose so they can look great for a special occasion. Whether it is a wedding, class reunion or some other special event there is a tremendous amount of pressure on women to look great. And this pressure often leads to the yo-yo dieting and weight gain that is so prevalent in our society today.

You know the pattern: You starve yourself and seem to drop a ton of weight fast. But then when you go back to your normal eating patterns you gain not only the weight you lost back, but you gain even more!

And it’s all the result of one thing: Starving your body of the nutrients it needs.

As you’ve probably read somewhere by now, your body’s metabolism actually burns more fat when it’s fed more often. So if you want to lose dress sizes and inches fast you need to be good to your body. And that means eating the foods it craves to help it melt fat.

So here are 5 simple steps you can follow to help you lose twenty pounds of pure fat. And these steps will help you keep the weight off and end – once and for all – the yo-yo dieting dilemma.

Oh, but before I forget, at the end of the five tips I will tell you about a website for you to visit where you can even more great FREE info and even a 30 day meal plan to make your life even easier!

1. Increase Non-Starchy Vegetable Intake

You have probably seen this many times before, but I guarantee it is one of the most important steps to losing weight. Why you ask? One reason is because eating non-starchy vegetables increases your fiber intake which makes you feel fuller quicker.

Another reason is that vegetables are energy consumers. It takes more energy to digest a vegetable than a type of carbohydrate. You could actually be in a negative calorie balance if you compared one carrot’s calories to the amount of calories it took to digest and utilize that carrot.

There are studies that show on average for those that ate 4 or more servings of non-starchy vegetables a day were the biggest losers when it came to weight loss

2. Protein Should Be At Every Meal

To optimally preserve your lean body mass while losing weight it is extremely important to consume some type of lean protein at every meal.

Protein is a great nutrient to prevent you from overeating because it will fill you up quicker.

It is also another nutrient that is energy costly, which means it takes more calories to digest and utilize protein than it does a carbohydrate.

Your best sources of protein are beef, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy.

3. Eat Whole Grain Carbohydrates

Consuming whole-grain carbohydrates regulates your insulin levels and keeps your body from producing too much insulin. This, in turn, keeps you losing weight.

Large amounts of insulin promote fat storage and fast digesting or simple carbohydrates produce large amounts of insulin. You want to limit or avoid these fast digesting carbs.

By doing this you not only improve your health, but will speed up your fat loss.

Some studies believe that up to 70% of successful weight loss stems from keeping insulin levels in check and to do this means eating whole grains and avoiding simple carbs.

4. Eat More Healthy Fats

Consume adequate amounts of healthy fat foods such as olive oil, walnuts, almonds, or other Omega-3 products.

Healthy fats are great antioxidants. They also help with brain function and many other essential processes that take place in the body on a daily basis.

Essential Fatty acids also help prevent certain diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Some studies are starting to show that consuming Omega-3 products may boost your metabolism by as much as 400 calories a day.

5. Eat Frequent Meals

There is a direct correlation with eating patterns and volume of food consumed as well as insulin levels.

Eat 4-6 small meals day a day instead of the usual 2-3 large meals. Eating frequently will help regulate and boost your metabolism to burn more calories.

By eating smaller portions throughout the day, you tend to eat less food overall. You also control your blood sugars because, by ingesting a steady state of nutrients throughout the day, your body has no need to significantly elevate insulin levels to handle large amounts of food.

Now of course I do recommend you exercise while making these 5 changes to your diet because nutrition and exercise go hand in hand for fat loss. If you make these simple changes to your diet and take part in an exercise program that has you burning calories then you will drop dress sizes and inches quickly, safely and permanently.

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS is the author of the Carb Rotation Diet. To discover the 5 absolute truths Every Serial Dieter Who Seeks Rapid-Weight loss MUST come to grips with visit The Carb Rotation Diet.

Fit Over 40

What Modern Science Says About Reversing The Aging Process

There's an old proverb that rings with wit and reason: "Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die." So why do we want to live forever? According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, author of "Chasing Life" and CNN's Senior Medical Corespondent, we do not.

The real quest isn't eternal life on earth according to Gupta, but rather an exceptional life.

While interviewing the foremost authorities on anti-aging and life extension, Dr. Gupta discovered three "universals" -- three principles that each researcher deemed critical to extending our lives naturally and empowering us to live exceptionally. They are:

1. Weight training

2. Good nutrition

3. Positive thinking and having purpose

Jon Benson, author of "Fit Over 40", explores each of these in great detail, as well as asking 52 men and women how they have managed to slow the hands of time down to a crawl. Benson does not waste time with hype and hypothesis. He focuses on real-world examples and applications we can all use to slow down the aging process and help prevent and reverse the conditions that can lead to disease.

Discover more today at Fit Over 40

You too can live a longer, more exceptional life by simply adopting a smart, realistic and enjoyable lifestyle fitness plan. And if science just happens to catch up with Father Time, you'll be many steps ahead of the curve.

7 Minute Muscle

A way to eat your favorite foods and still shed body fat like crazy...

Did you see that article on MSNBC about living longer?

"While the quest for the proverbial Fountain of Youth is endless and typically fruitless, one method known to extend the human lifespan by up to five years has quietly become accepted among leading researchers. The formula is simple: Eat less. It could add years to your life, several experts now say. And done in moderation, it could at least help you live a more healthy life."

Really? Eat less. Live longer?

Who'd thunk?

But seriously, why is this the case? And more importantly, why do so many other health and fitness pros give the opposite advice, often asking you to eat 5-8 times a day? Is there some common ground?

Yes there is. But first let's look at why eating less can mean living longer.

That article went on to say:

"Calorie restriction, as it is called, is as close to a real Fountain of Youth as any known technique comes. Even scientists who are cautious about anti-aging hype say it works, both by cutting risks for some diseases and by allowing all body cells, somehow, to hang in there longer.

"This is just part of the story. As usual, the mainstream media doesn't always bother to give you the entire picture.

Eating less is a bit over-simplistic. Caloric restriction is based on "quantitative" reduction, not simply eating like a bird or starving yourself. That will never work. You won't stick to it and your body certainly won't bother to burn off its spare body fat when it thinks you're in a stone age famine.

The key is to avoid over-training in the gym like the plague. Too much training and you'll be forced to eat more food -- usually not a good thing.

Jon Benson's new system "7 Minute Muscle" is perfect for someone who is wanting to not spend their lives in the kitchen or in the gym. This is REQUIRED READING if you really want to see how great you can look in the least amount of time possible. Sure, you work hard. There's no pills or gadgets involved. But it's worth every minute... all 7 of them!

7 Minute Muscle

A way to eat your favorite foods and still shed bodyfat like crazy...

Let me get right to the point:

If you thought you had to give up your favorite foods in order to shed unwanted bodyfat, then this will be one of the most important letters you ever read.

Two "former fatties" developed a System of eating that allows you to eat whatever you like every other day and still lose all-the-weight you want.

No pills. No guilt. Just a diet plan for the REAL WORLD, developed by real people.

If you want to skip ahead, go here The Every Other Day Diet!

Most Dietplans Are Too Hard

Most of what you've read about how to shed bodyweight is a lie.

Some 'experts' expect you to believe they eat chicken and broccoli every night for dinner and rarely if ever cheat.

Right. And I'm the Dalai Lama!

Just as bad, these plans are too difficult for anyone to follow for more than a few weeks.

So when folks like you discover they can eat their favorite foods every single week and still shed the weight you should see the look on their faces.

They can't believe it.

Some think they have to take some "super pill" to succeed. Not true!

Others think they will have to spend hours a day in the gym killing themselves. No way!

Here's the truth:

Jon and Jan were both obese. Over the past four years, they perfected a System that shows you how they went from obese to "cover model" fit and still eat their favorite foods.

Not "once a week" either, they INSIST you eat yummy food frequently and without guilt or worry.

Even better, they never count a single calorie!

See for yourself The Every Other Day Diet!

Here's the facts: there is NO SUCH THING as a perfect dietplan.

But thousands of people make billions of bucks off of selling the idea that there is only ONE way to eat in order to get lean.

Even worse: these people create dietplans so ridiculously strict that even fitness pros like Jon and Jan can't follow them!

They had to create a plan anyone could follow. Women, men, and even kids.

You should see these pictures! They used Jan's six-year-old daughter Kari to prove a point

This is so simple a even CHILD can do it!

And you should see their clients...the few who know about this System...

They get to eat pizza, burgers, ice cream, and more...and still lose the weight!

This is not a pill or a scam...this is science applied to the real world.

The science: you take advantage of the fact your body prefers a change of pace and can respond by burning ugly fat.

The real world: no one is going to eat salad and tuna every day for the rest of their life in order to shed body fat and feel good again.

Simple, right? Common sense!

You absolutely MUST HAVE a diet plan you can live with for life.

And that's what this is.

Even better: through our special link-below, you get this new System at **HALF PRICE **
for a limited time only:

The Every Other Day Diet!

That's HALF PRICE just for being on my Preferred Subscriber List.

How great is that!

What is this new System called?

Announcing "The Every Other Day Diet!"

Great name, isn't it? Pretty much says it all.

But this isn't just a 'book'. You are supported for an entire year with audios, recipes, success
stories, and more.

All for less than the cost of a dinner for two at a cheap restaurant.

That's hard to beat.

Plus you get it at half price.

PLUS you get 10 killer bonuses worth over $500.

Call it a gift for being a loyal reader. Or call it a Holiday Special...whatever you like.

This is a simple plan that you will absolutely love.

It's a System that took years to perfect and is about to take the entire nation by storm.

And you get it first.

Go read more The Every Other Day Diet!

Jon and Jan received countless emails about The Every Other Day Diet..."When is it coming out?" "How can I get an advanced copy?"

"How the heck does it work??"

Go here and get your advanced copy...at half price...and discover the System for yourself

The Every Other Day Diet!