WEIGHTLOSSHINTS.COM

INRODUCTION TO HOW DIETING WORKS

2009-07-17T05:44:00.001-07:00

Dieting is one of those things that is completely integrated into American culture. On any given day, a huge portion of the U.S. population is "on a diet" and "counting calories" in one way or another. And look at how many of the diet names in the following list you recognize:
The Atkins Diet
The Cabbage Soup Diet
The Grapefruit Diet
The Hollywood Miracle Diet
The Rice Diet
The Scarsdale Diet
The South Beach Diet
The Zone Diet
You probably recognize many of these names because you hear them all the time!
In this article, we will look first at weight gain and why gaining weight is so easy. Then we will look at what you can do about weight gain -- in the form of diet and exercise -- to maintain a consistent weight.

Healthy tossed salads are common diet fare.
Dieting is one of those things that is completely integrated into the diet above

Why Diets Tend Not to Work
The reason why most diets tend not to work for very long is because they are not sustainable. A person gains weight because he or she consumes more calories per day than needed. The diet creates a temporary deficit. When the diet ends, the person goes back to normal eating and the weight comes back.
Let's look at an example. Say that you weigh 150 pounds. That means that you burn 1,800 calories per day in a resting state. Let's also imagine that in the course of a day you burn 200 more calories living your life -- walking up and down steps, carrying in the groceries and so on. Your calorie needs then are, on average, 2,000 calories per day. Now let's further imagine that, on average, you consume 2,050 calories per day. On a daily basis your body is taking in, and therefore storing, 50 calories more than it needs. So every 70 days (3,500 calories in a pound / 50 calories each day = 70 days) you gain 1 pound (0.45 kg). If that "50 extra calories per day" trend continues, then over the course of a year you would gain 5 pounds. This, by the way, is the pattern for a big portion of the U.S. population. If you over-consume by just a few calories per day, over time you will gain weight. Keep in mind that just one Oreo-type cookie contains 50 calories, so over-consuming is incredibly easy.
Now, you go on a diet -- the amazing "Get Slim Miracle Diet." On this diet, you consume nothing but 2 cups of brown rice and a can of Vienna sausages, along with all the onions you care to eat, every day. You start this diet and you are consuming only 1,000 calories per day.
You also start jogging 2 miles a day. That means that, on a typical day, you are consuming 1,200 calories less than you need. Over the course of three days (3,500 calories in a pound / 1,200 calories each day = approximately 3 days), you will lose 1 pound of weight. You keep on this diet for two months and lose 20 pounds.
The day you go off this diet, what is going to happen? First, you are probably going to eat a lot more than normal because you have been eating nothing but rice and Vienna sausages for two months! Then you will settle into your "normal eating pattern" that you had before the diet. And eventually all of the weight comes back.
This is why diets don't work for most people. You do lose weight, but then go off the diet and gain it back. What is needed instead is a sustainable diet -- a food consumption and exercise plan -- that lets you live a normal life and eat normal foods in a normal way.

How to Lose Weight as a Senior

2009-07-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

It's time for some straight talk: You weigh more than you did ten years ago, or even five years ago. The extra pounds didn't arrive all at once but accumulated gradually before you even realized they were climbing on board. Now you're looking at some serious extra poundage. But that's to be expected as you get older, right? Wrong.

Putting on excess weight is very common for a number of reasons that we'll explain. But it's not an inevitable part of the aging process, and it could put your health at risk. If you understand why you tend to gain weight more easily as you get older, you can do something about it. And doing something about it is what this book is all about.
You can blame a lot of your weight gain on your metabolism. Beginning as early as your mid-twenties, body fat begins to increase while muscle mass decreases. And less muscle mass translates into a slower metabolic rate.
Muscle mass decreases from about 45 percent of your total body weight in your youth to about 27 percent by the time you reach age 70. And the drop in hormones that accompanies menopause also precipitates a decrease in muscle mass, triggering even more weight gain for women. Your body fat, meanwhile, can double, even if your weight remains the same.
The bottom line is that you burn fewer calories in your 50s, 60s, or 70s doing the same activities, and the same number of them, that you did in your 20s, 30s, or 40s. The key to preventing weight gain is to compensate by adjusting your food intake, exercising, and generally becoming more physically active.
Now that you have made the decision to lose weight, it's time to figure how much weight you need to lose. Continue to the next page to assess your weight as a senior.

How Diet Pills Work

2009-06-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

OTC Diet Pills

Some over-the-counter pills (such as Xenedrine, Dexatrim and Zantrex-3) once used a powerful combination of the stimulant ephedra and caffeine to help users shed pounds. They reportedly worked in combination by increasing energy expenditure -- or thermogenesis (it is thought that caffeine increases metabolism by increasing the breakdown of fatty acids) -- and reducing appetite (ephedrine acts on the satiety center in the hypothalamus). But since late 2003, when the FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing drugs due to evidence of increased risk of heart attack, these formulations have replaced ephedra with a mixture of vitamins (such as thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folic acid), an ephedra-like substance called synephrine that is found in certain citrus fruits, and caffeine. The combination reportedly increases energy while boosting metabolism.

There are many herbal weight-loss supplements on the market today, and they utilize different mechanisms to reportedly aid in dieting. Here are some of the more common ingredients and their reported weight-loss mechanisms:

Herbal ephedra, caffeine, guarana and country mallow - Increase metabolism
Guar gum, glucomannan and psyllium - Cause a "full" feeling
Hydrocitric acid, green tea, conjugated linoleic acid and pyruvate - Slow fat production
Chitosan (or chitin - substance found in the exoskeleton of shrimp and other shellfish) - Block fat from being absorbed
So as you can see, there are a lot of diet pills out there, all claiming to help you lose weight in one way or another. But do they really work? And what kinds of side effects can you expect?

How Healthy Weight Loss Works -- Following USDA Guidelines

2009-06-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

Exercising While Away
Traveling is great once you get to your destination -- but getting there can mean an extensive amount of sitting, no matter what your mode of transportation. Once you put your mind to moving more, you can fit in bits of activity in all sorts of places -- both on the way and once you arrive.

If you decide that taking a vacation or a business trip is a good excuse to take a break from your physical activity plan, think again. You lose aerobic capacity and muscle strength much more easily than you gain it. Your aerobic capacity declines after just a few days of not exercising, and it's possible to lose up to 25 percent of your aerobic capacity within three weeks.

Planning ahead is key to staying active while you're away from home. A change in routine or surroundings can be a challenge -- or an opportunity. Sometimes being in a different location gives you a chance to do different things. If you live in northern climates and are cold and snowed-in during winter months, a trip to a warmer climate will give you the opportunity to actively enjoy the outdoors.

The following are some things to think about and plan around before your next venture away from home:

What will the weather be like where you are?
What days and times will you be able to be active?
Who will you be with and are they fidgeters or sloths?
What type of places are nearby where you can be active?
What clothing or special gear do you need to bring along for your anticipated activities?
How can you make staying active fun?
Once you've thought these things over, write an effective goal or two. You might consider setting goals such as:

While I'm at the conference, I will walk for 30 minutes in the morning on three of the four days.
During vacation, I will use the stretch bands every other morning and take the hotel stairs at least twice a day.
Having a plan before you leave puts you in the driver's seat. Now you just need some strategies to take along.

Getting There

Traveling to your destination is primarily a sedentary activity. But you can build physical activity into your travels to help expend calories and to keep your blood flowing.

When you're driving, stop at rest stops, scenic places, or parks, and get a move on. Walk briskly for 10 minutes every two or three hours, even if it's quick laps around a parking lot.
Turn waiting time into activity time. Whenever you're waiting for transportation, take a walk! Check your luggage or put it in a locker, and walk around the station or airport. Doing laps through several airport concourses can really add activity to your day. Or pace back and forth at the bus or train stop. Instead of dreading wait time, look forward to it as a chance to fit in activity.
On the airplane or train, get up and walk the length of the plane or train every 30 minutes or so. Do some stretches while in your seat. This at least gets your blood moving.
Keep walking instead of getting on the moving walkways at airports.
At the Hotel

Hotels and motels, even the budget kind, offer plenty of opportunities to be active. So take advantage of them!

If there's a fitness room, make time to use it. Set your alarm and get up early or finish off a day of meetings by working out. If there isn't a fitness room, ask if your hotel has an agreement with a nearby gym that you can use for free or a small fee.
Swim laps or walk in the shallow end of the pool. Or ask front desk staff if there are safe routes to walk in the area, or even walking trails. Some hotels have maps of nearby neighborhood trails.
Once your luggage is installed in your room, take the stairs often instead of the elevator. If you're in a tall building, walk up the first several flights of stairs, then exit the staircase and take the elevator the rest of the way.
Toss resistance bands into your suitcase, and do your regular routine with them morning and night. Full water bottles can stand in for small weights.
Put a jump rope into your suitcase, too. Jumping rope burns calories fast; just be sure to warm up first. And try to jump rope outside or on the ground floor to avoid disturbing others.
Do your regular stretching and strength-training exercises -- at least a little bit. Walk in place for a few minutes to warm up your muscles. Do at least one set of each exercise and enough reps to feel the muscles burn. To get the most out of your routine, do each activity slowly. Slow movements make your muscles work harder.
During Your Days Away

Make activity the focal point of your vacation. Perhaps a walking tour or a kayak paddling trip would interest you.
If your vacation takes you to sunny places, walk the beach instead of sunbathing -- at least some of the time.
On vacation, plan at least one physical activity per day. Take a hike or a walking tour around a historic district, or go shopping on foot. If you don't plan an activity, get up in time to have a good walk before starting the day's adventures.
Include vacation-type activities that automatically include activity, such as snow or water skiing, snorkeling, golfing, bike riding, playing tennis, or beach volleyball. It doesn't matter if you're not a pro at these things, just try them out and have fun. Get moving and take advantage of all your resort or hotel has to offer.
Most people understand the fundamentals of losing weight -- burning more calories than you eat -- but who couldn't use a little help now and then? These USDA weight-loss tips don't exactly help you cut corners. They simply help you stick to the healthy plan that's right for you.for more health success tips

WEIGHT LOSS.

2009-02-18T04:42:00.000-08:00

DEFINITION
Weight loss is a reduction in body mass characterized by a loss of adipose tissue (body fat) and skeletal muscle.
DESCRIPTION
Unintentional weight loss is the most common symptom of cancer and often a side effect of cancer treatments. A poor response to cancer treatments, reduced quality of life, and shorter survival time may result from substantial weight loss. The body may become weaker and less able to tolerate cancer therapies. As body weight decreases, body functionality declines and may lead to malnutrition, illness, infection, and perhaps death.
Most cancer patients in the United States expect to suffer weight loss during treatment for their disease; a study of 938 patients from 17 communities in upstate New York reported in 2004 that weight loss was the fourth most commonly expected side effect of cancer therapy, after fatigue, nausea, and sleep disturbances.
Severe malnutrition is typically defined in two ways: functionally (increased risk of morbidity and/or mortality) and by degree of weight loss (greater than 2% per week, 5% per month, 7.5% per 3 months, and 10% per 6 months). Without considering a specific time course, grading is as follows:
1. Grade 0 = less than 5.0% weight loss
2. Grade 1 = 5.0% to 9.9%
3. Grade 2 = 10.0% to 19.9%
4. Grade 3 = greater than 20.0%
5. Grade 4 (life-threatening) is not specifically defined. Paying attention to weight loss at an early stage is necessary to prevent detraction of weight, body composition, and performance status.
CAUSES
There are many reasons for weight loss in cancer patients, including appetite loss because of the effect of cancer treatments (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biological therapy) or psychological factors such as depression. Patients may suffer from anorexia and lose desire to eat, and thus consume less energy. When inadequate calories are consumed, it can lead to "wasting" of body stores (muscle and adipose tissue). Weight loss may be temporary or may continue at a life-threatening pace.
Weight loss may be also be a consequence of an increased requirement for calories (energy) due to infection, fever, or the effects of the tumor or cancer treatments. If infection or fever is present, it is necessary to consider that there is an increased caloric need of approximately 10% to 13% per degree above 98.6°F (37°C). Therefore, energy intake has to be increased to account for this rise in body temperature.
Weight loss may be a result of a common problem in cancer called cachexia. Approximately half of all cancer patients experience cachexia, a wasting syndrome that induces metabolic changes leading to a loss of muscle and fat. It has been proposed that cachexia may be due to the effects of the tumor, but this is debatable considering some patients with very large tumors do not experience cachexia, while others do even though tumors are less than 0.01% of body mass. Cachexia is most common in patients with pancreatic and gastric cancer. Approximately 83% to 87% of these patients experience weight loss. Cachexia is characterized by such symptoms as decreased appetite, fatigue, and poor performance status. It can occur in individuals who consume enough food, but due to disease complications, cannot absorb enough nutrients (i.e. fat malabsorption). Although energy expenditure is sometimes increased, cachexia can occur even with normal energy expenditure. Cachexia is multifactorial in nature and associated with mechanical factors, psychological factors, changes in taste, and cytokines. It should be distinguished from anorexia, in which there is a loss of desire to eat, resulting in weight loss. Cachexia is a serious complication in cancer patients, thought to be responsible for as many as 20% of all deaths from cancer.
SPECIAL CONCERNS
In order to allow normal tissue repair following aggressive cancer therapies, patients require adequate calories and macronutrients in the form of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Inadequate consumption of food and/or poor nutrition may impair the ability of a patient to tolerate a specific therapy. If a low tolerance to therapy necessitates a decrease in dose, the therapy's effectiveness could be compromised. Wound healing may also be impaired with poor nutrition and inadequate energy intake.
Research has demonstrated that men often experience significantly more weight loss than women over the course of the disease and lose weight much faster. On average, survival time for men is shorter than for women. Significant predictors of patient survival are stage of disease, initial weight-loss rate, and gender.
TREATMENTS
Nutritional problems related to side effects should be addressed to ensure adequate nutrition and prevent weight loss. In particular, cancer patients should maintain an adequate intake of calories and protein to prevent protein-calorie malnutrition. The patient's caloric requirements can be calculated by a dietitian or doctor since nutrient requirements vary considerably from patient to patient. Moreover, patient education about nutrition is vitally important; several recent studies have shown that almost half of all cancer patients in the United States receive no nutritional information from health care professionals, including the 18% who experience significant weight loss.
THE FOLLOWING DIETARY TIPS MAY HELP PATIENTS TO REDUCE WEIGHT LOSS:
1. Eat more when feeling the hungriest.
2. Eat foods that are enjoyed the most.
3. Eat several small meals and snacks instead of three large meals. A regular meal schedule should be kept so meals are not missed.
4. Have ready-to-eat snacks on hand such as cheese and crackers, granola bars, muffins, nuts and seeds, canned puddings, ice cream, yogurt, and hard boiled eggs.
5. Eat high-calorie foods and high-protein foods.
6. Take a small meal as to enjoy the satisfaction of finishing a meal. Have seconds if still hungry.
7. Eat in a pleasant atmosphere with family and friends if desired.
8. Make sure to consume at least eight to 10 glasses of water per day to maintain fluid balance.
9. Consider commercial liquid meal replacements such as Ensure, Boost, Carnation, and Sustacal.
An appetite stimulant may be given in order to prevent further weight loss such as megestrol acetate or dexamethasone.In clinical trials, both these medications appear to have similar and effective appetite stimulating effects with megestrol acetate having a slightly better toxicity profile. Fluoxymesterone has shown inferior efficacy and an unfavorable toxicity profile.
As of 2005, researchers at the Medical College of Virginia are studying a group of compounds known as cannabinoids for the treatment of cachexia and vomiting associated with cancer treatment. The best-known natural cannabinoids are derived from marijuana.
Further research is needed in order to devise an effective treatment for the loss of muscle tissue in cachexia. As of 2004, there are no medications, nutritional supplements, or other treatments that are even moderately successful in reversing the wasting of muscle tissue in cachexia.
ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES
Depression may affect approximately 15%–25% of cancer patients, particularly if the prognosis for recovery is poor. If anorexia is due to depression, there are antidepressant choices available through a physician. Counseling may be also be sought through a psychologist or psychiatrist to cope with depression.
It is important to check with a dietitian or doctor before taking nutritional supplements or alternative therapies because they may interfere with cancer medications or treatments. St. John's Wort has been used as a herbal remedy for treatment of depression, but it and prescription antidepressants is a dangerous combination that may cause symptoms such as nausea, weakness, and may cause one to become incoherent.

Herbalife Weight Loss / Weight Management Programm...

2009-02-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

Herbalife protein-powered weight management program can help you manage your hunger while feeling energized.

There are many ways to lose fat, with more being announced in every new women''s magazine. One of the few popular weight loss programs that consistently have been doing well comes from a company called Herbalife. Herbalife has over the years released a number of effective types of nutritional supplement designed to aid in weight loss and overall general health and wellness. These Herbalife weight loss products are a great way to cut off extra lbs.

In this short article we''ll learn about the most popular Herbalife weight loss products. As difficult as it can be to keep your weight management on track, the Herbalife Program can help you reach your goals. It''s personalised to your own body type and satisfies your hunger with the power of protein. The program is based on Cellular Nutrition that nourishes your body at the cellular level, so you can achieve the best possible health. Many Studies show that losing even a small amount of weight can improve your health. And losing just five pounds can make a real difference when it comes to feeling good. So get your weight under control, get healthy and get started on Herbalife today.

The most sold Herbalife weight loss products is the Formula 1 Shake. Formula 1 is designed to assist in either weight loss, weight gain, or overall health, depending on how many meals per day are replaced by nutritious shakes. The shake mix provides just as many nutrients and vitamins, and just as much protein and energy as a full meal, without nearly as much as fat as one.

Another extremely popular Herbalife weight loss product is the cell activator, designed to keep cells healthy by increasing their metabolism and allowing them to more quickly and easily repair themselves and grow. This increased metabolism also helps in the digestion of food, production of energy, and many other processes needed to maintain overall body health. This increased metabolism also helps weight loss happen more easily, which when used together with the shakes, makes for an effective weight loss program.

All of these Herbalife supplements are available directly from the online distributor, at Health Clinic 4 U. Our website makes it easy to order large purchases, and orders over £ 60 receive free delivery. They can be ordered either for personal use or retail, and a huge variety of Herbalife weight loss products is available for a variety of uses. Eddie Maheady

To see our full range of products go to Health Clinic 4 U

To receive Free Health Tips e-mail us at healthclinic4u@gmail.com

You can allso call me on 07717155411

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