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If you want to lose weight fast, and if you are anything like the rest of the people in the world who are packing on a few extra pounds, you invariably do, nothing will melt away that fat faster than a healthy nutrition plan.

Many people think that exercising alone will help you lose weight. The fact remains that exercise, although very important to being healthy, is practically useless unless you give your body the nutrients it needs to function.

One way of doing this is to eat a proper diet of the right proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables. Yes I said carbohydrates in there. We all need them and they aren’t bad, you just need to eat the right ones in the right amounts.

The first thing that you need to know when it comes to weight loss and eating healthy is knowing exactly how much to eat. The general rule of thumb is to eat six times everyday or one meal every two and half to three hours. This gives your body a constant supply of nutrients. This constant supply helps fuel your body and keeps your metabolism running at a high rate to help burn the fat.

Even if you eat six times a day not eating the right things won’t do you any good either. Each meal should consist of a serving of protein, a serving of carbohydrates and a serving of green vegetables. These servings should be equal in size and should all be about the size of your clenched fist. Using this method removes the need for scales and measuring. The process of eating healthy can be challenging enough without adding the extra work of weighing and everything out.

Now that you know how often to eat and how much to eat, you need to know what it is you will be eating to help lose weight. This is actually simpler than you might think. Your proteins should be lean meats, fish, egg whites or egg substitutes, low or no fat cottage cheese to name a few. Always bake or grill your food whenever possible, and if you must fry something use a non stick cooking spray such Pam to reduce the amount of bad fats that you incorporate into your nutrition plan.

Your carbohydrates work the same. Instead of eating anything that is white enriched switch to the healthier alternative. For example, instead of white bread, eat multi-grain, instead of white potatoes eat a Yam, replace your white rice with brown rice, and replace those sugary “soft” drinks with water or Crystal Light.

Polish it off with a serving size of a green vegetable and you will be well on your way to a healthier meal and a successful weight loss campaign.

Author: Bruce A. Tucker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Do you live to eat, or do you eat to live?

Too many calories will make you overweight…and shorten your life. Retain more calories than you burn off each day and you will gain weight. Burn off more calories than you take in each day and you will lose weight. That sounds short and sweet, doesn’t it? But what you eat and how much you exercise and sleep, have a major impact, not just on your weight, but most importantly, on your health!

As I approach what to share with you in this article, I want you to know that recently I’ve completed reading two of the best books on nutrition that I’ve ever seen. The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Eat To Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Both reveal simple, but astonishing facts that your doctor probably has not shared with you and probably isn’t even aware of. The facts could show you how to achieve vast improvements in your health and weight. Not hard things to do, but it does take knowledge and willingness to make changes.

The China Study gives findings from the most comprehensive large study ever undertaken, about the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease. Eat To Live describes a revolutionary and safe formula for fast and sustained weight loss.

The China Study provided researchers the rare opportunity to study the dietary effect of a mostly plant-based diet. There are major nutritional differences in the Chinese and American diets. Here’s a comparison of the nutrients consumed in China and the United States.

Nutrient 			China		United States Calories per day		2641		1989 Total fat (% of calories)	14.5		34-38 Dietary fiber	(g/day)		33		12	 Total protein 	(g/day)		64		91 Animal protein	(% of calories)	0.8		10-11 Total iron 	(mg/day)	34		18 

As you can see, there are huge differences between the Chinese and American diets. The Chinese have a higher overall calorie intake, less fat, more fiber, less protein, much less animal foods, and much more iron.

So, what different results do we see in the health of the Chinese and American peoples? Here are a few facts that may be surprising. In China the blood cholesterol level generally ranges from 90 to 170. In the USA, 170-290. As animal protein intake goes up, LDL (”bad”) cholesterol goes up. As plant protein intake goes up, LDL (”bad”) cholesterol goes down.

Regarding cancer, here’s a quote from Dr. Campbell in The China Study, “nutrients from animal-based foods increased tumor development while nutrients from plant-based foods decreased tumor development.” Overall, cancer is less common in China than in the U.S.

I have pointed out only a couple instances in this article concerning the relationship of diet to health. Its definitely worth noting that both “bad” cholesterol and cancer rates are more common in the U.S. than in China. As the China study progressed it became quite clear that people who consumed diets high in animal protein had more heart disease, cancer, and other diseases than those who consumed diets high in plant protein.

So, you may ask, “What does all this have to do with losing weight?” I’m sure you’ve heard of the “food pyramid.” Dr. Fuhrman, in his book, Eat To Live, recommends a different food pyramid. In it at the top of the pyramid, where the foods are listed that you should “rarely” consume are beef, sweets, cheese, milk, processed food and hydrogenated oil. Poultry, eggs, and oils are allowed only once weekly or less. Fish and fat-free dairy foods can be eaten twice weekly or less. Whole grains, raw nuts and seeds should be 5-20% of calories. Fruits, 20-50% of calories. Beans/legumes should be 10-30% of calories. Vegetables, eaten half raw, half cooked should be 30-70% of calories.

The food pyramid described above is part of Dr. Fuhrman’s plan for substantial weight reduction. The reader might note that it certainly has a similarity to what Dr. Campbell discovered while doing The China study as being best for health, too!

Some of the tips that Dr. Fuhrman lists for losing weight, and keeping it off include:

1. Remember, the salad is the main dish: eat it first at lunch and dinner.
2. Eat as much fruit as you want, but at least four fresh fruits daily.
3. Variety is the spice of life, particularly when it comes to greens. You can include the following: lettuce (including Romaine, bib, Boston, red leaf, green ice, celery, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers, onions, radishes, carrots, beets, cabbage, all kinds of sprouts, etc.
4. Beware of the starchy vegetable. Limit cooked high-starched grains and vegetables to one cup a day. For the most part, consider vegetables that are not green to be a high-starch vegetable. Exceptions would be eggplant, peppers, onions and mushrooms.
5. Eat beans or legumes everyday.
6. Eliminate animal and dairy products.
7. Have a tablespoon of ground flaxseed everyday.
8. Consume nuts and seeds in limited amounts, not more than one ounce per day.

So far we have touched only on what you should and should not eat to be healthy and to achieve or maintain your optimum weight. It is extremely important to your health and optimum weight to get regular exercise, adequate sleep and you might want to consider including a good multi-vitamin mineral supplement, too.

Depending on your interests and physical ability there are many ways to exercise your way to better health. To list a few: walking, swimming, bicycling, jogging, running, playing sports, weight training. Choose one or more ways to get exercise that will be aerobic , build strength and burn calories. This will not only help your metabolism, but will actually help you gain energy and lose weight.

Last, but certainly not least, is the importance of getting enough rest and sleep. No matter how healthy a diet you are on, and how much exercise you get, if you are not getting adequate sleep, it will be harmful to your health.

Author: Judy Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Most people will agree that there is more weight loss and fitness information today but there is also more and more people that are getting even more confused about proper nutrition. Each diet contradicts with one another. I know it can get very confusing.

I am not a nutritionist and I do NOT claim to know everything. However, I spent over 8 years of my life studying how the body functions. These are just the general guidelines that I use for myself.

I can never stress it enough how crucial proper eating is. It is one of my biggest reasons why I was able to lose weight and keep it off. Without proper eating, you are wasting your time at the gym. All the cardiovascular in the world is not going to help, without good nutrition choices.

Here are my eating tips and I’ll try to keep it simple and easy to follow. If you want to lose weight and gain lean muscle, you will want you’re eating to consist of high protein and high fiber food. You will understand why after reading this article.

We know that dieting is a lost cause and counting calories, is too complicated and time consuming. You see, diets often look at food with a negative association.They look at talking food away, both in your choices and in amount, in order to reduce your calories to help you lose weight.

I look at food a bit differently. By choosing the right foods and eating them the right way, you can actually make food a powerful fat-burning ally in your war on stubborn body fat.

Changes Have To Be Made:

Make no mistake I had to make some changes in my lifestyle and I am going to be asking you to make some changes also!

We’ve all developed some nasty habits along the way, I include myself here, that have to be dealt with in order to see the kind of results we are capable of.

You have the body you see in the mirror right now because of your current diet, and you have to look at the mirror and say…

“I’m FAT because of the way I EAT” Hard words to say, but they’re the TRUTH!

Basic Nutrition Understanding:

Now you don’t need to be a microbiologist to succeed, But you do need to have a basic understanding of the major nutrients that you’ll get from your foods so that you can speak intelligently about what you’re doing because people will ask you what you’ve been up to that made you look so great.

The food you consume can be broken down into 3-main categories of nutrients:
1. Protein
2. Carbohydrates
3. Fats

Each of these nutrients performs a separate and very important role in the body.

Protein - Protein is essential to repair and growth in muscles. It is composed of amino acids, tiny building blocks in the human body. Amino acids are critical to your health. Protein is also a natural appetite suppressant. The majority of people get protein from foods such as egg whites, chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, and soy.

Carbohydrates - Provide energy to the body. They also help protect muscle, fuel the brain, and assist in digestion. Carbohydrates are critical in the utilization of fat as an energy source. Most of your carbohydrates should come from complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Fats - Is used as an energy source during long periods of consistent low-heart-rate exercise. Fat is also beneficial for nerve conduction, healthy skin and hair, and hormone regulation. Fats from plants, such as canola, avocado, safflower and almond, tend to be better for your health.

As you can see by the function of these three, you need them ALL, working together to be in your best physical shape and well-being. You can not leave one of them out, like some Fad diets state.

Protein / Carbohydrates / Fats - need to be part of your daily intake!

The ultimate ratio for blood sugar stabilization and the release of body fat is: 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, 30%
fats.

Vitamins - Are essential to life. They assist the body in regulating metabolic process and assisting the body in releasing energy from food. The majority of foods lack sufficient vitamins due to over-farming of depleted land.

Minerals - Are needed for maintenance of blood, muscles, nerve conduction and much more. Minerals come from the earth and if the earth lacks minerals then the food lacks minerals as well.

Weight Loss has to do with eating the right foods at the right times. You cab succeed with your weight loss goals if you stick to this basic principle.

Author: Juan Montalvo
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Most people don’t realize that without a proper diet, their weight loss goals are doomed to fail. This is because diet takes the cake for 70% of your weight loss results. In other words, don’t think that working out alone will get you to your weight loss goals.

Unfortunately, for those who hate to diet and workout, it takes a combination of Diet, Strength Training, and Cardiovascular exercises to lose weight the right way. Any combination other than the three will not work.

Invest in a Nutrition plan. The definition of eating to lose weight is consuming less calories than you take in. Personal Trainers such as myself are able to create custom Meal Plans which eliminate the guess work and cater to your dietary requirements and preferences. After you invest in the plan, follow it.

It may take a while to get used to, but the results will be well worth it. In most cases you will find that you are eating 5 to 6 mini meals a day…more than you are accustomed to eating. You will feel better about yourself too!

Here are a few diet tips that I give to my Nutrition clients;

* Don’t skip breakfast. It revs-up your metabolism for the day.

* Drink lots of water.

* Avoid eating out.

* Enjoy salads for at least 1 meal per day

So do yourself and your trainer a favor and invest in a proper nutrition plan to go along with your Weight Loss program. The results will be tremendous!

Author: Nikol Klein
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Literally there are thousands, if not millions of articles out there on the Internet which offer quick weight loss tips and to be completely honest with you - majority of the people who are writing about weight loss don’t know nothing about the subject at all. I want to be completely transparent with you and share some tips that could help you to lose up to 20 pounds of body fat per month.

If you’re looking for quick weight loss tips, the first thing you’ve got to understand is that you’ve got to have a good eating plan. Did you know that majority of the results, about 63% will come from your diet and the rest will be come your workouts? Let me share with you some nutrition action steps that you could use right now:

• Sort out your current eating plan - “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” - Stop looking for complex quick weight loss tips, instead focus on simple things. The reason you’re overweight is because your body stores too much energy in the form of fat and one of the main reasons why this happened is because you’ve been providing your body with more energy than it actually needed. So the first step you should take is to take out the foods out of your eating plan that are packed with useless calories.

• Find out how many calories do you need - A lot of people who are looking for quick weight loss tips don’t know their current situation and you could be one of them… Probably the single, most important thing you should know about your nutrition is how many calories does your body actually needs. One of the easiest ways to find this out is to multiply your body weight by 12, so if your weight is 165lbs - 12 x 165lbs = 1980 kcal/day . Once you’ll know this number, you’ll get a clear picture of where you are - whether you’re consuming the right amounts of calories or whether you’re getting too much.

• Cut down your calorie intake - I’ve seen so many people saying that “calorie cutting diets don’t work…” You know what? They are full of sh**, because they have never tried them. By providing your body with less energy than it actually needs you’ll make him to use the fat that is stored within your body as a source of energy. The best way to cut down calorie intake is by reducing your daily amount of calories consumed every week. For example during week one I would consume 1980 calories per day, during week two I would reduce that number to 1880 calories per day, during week three I would try to consume only 1780 calories per day.

• The 40/40/20 Principle - Once you know how many calories do you actually need, you should be getting those calories from the right foods. 40/40/20 principle simply means that you should get 40% of your calories from protein rich foods, 40% from carbohydrates and 20% from fats. By following this principle you’ll make sure that you’re providing your body with the right amount of macronutrients.

Author: Robertas Domarkas
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Diets in general are wrong on one essential thing. Most fad diets insist that weight loss can be done via one way or the other. The raw food diet insists that you can lose weight eating uncooked foods. The Atkins diet insists that we stop eating carbohydrates. The slim fast diet insists that you should stop eating and start buying their shakes. All of these diets have one thing in common, the same thing that makes each and every one of them not effective at loosing weight.

All of these diets restrict the types of foods that we eat.

The reason that these diets do not work is because they restrict the types of food that you are allowed to eat. Weight loss can only be done when the body is getting the resources it needs to maintain itself in peak condition. By limiting the types of foods we consume we limit the resources out body gets. Simply put, our body cannot function properly and so weight loss becomes secondary to trying to stay healthy.

The simple truth behind this is easily seen. Most people who have been on a fad diet will usually experience some sickness, usually covered up by those who are selling the fad diet as a ‘cleansing period’. In reality this sickness, usually headaches or diarrhea, are just our bodies telling us that what we are eating is not correct for our bodies. The lack of specific nutrients and minerals or even basic things such as proteins and carbohydrates makes our bodies more and more ill as without them they cannot function properly.

There are risks involved with poor nutrition. In extreme cases of poor nutrition, such as in many fad diets all our major systems will stop functioning properly. The immune system will become weaker and we will get basic sicknesses such as colds and the flue more and more often. Our energy and motivation to do everyday things is reduced as our muscles start to atrophy, making us physically weaker and weaker. This in turn makes us more prone to physical injuries such as broken bones and the like. Our ability to learn things quickly can become impaired quite quickly with poor nutrition. Think of how easily people lose concentration due to skipping breakfast. Now think of what would happen when you skip the equivalent of breakfast and dinner as you do in a nutritional sense in many fad diets. Driving a car requires a lot of attention. When you have an balanced diet, driving is quite easy even though it requires awareness of the surroundings past that of what our normal vision can see. With a poor diet. concentration and awareness can lapse leading to dreadful things.

An effective diet should be based around one concept. The human body needs a balance of foods for optimal condition to be achieved and so a diet that works to keep you healthy and allow you the chance lose weight will be one which consists of all the foods in the food pyramid.

A proper diet should not be a chore but a way of life, something which we don’t really think about and is easy to do.

Author: Paul Daniel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com