Last year I had a number of clients who started stubbornly on the Atkins diet despite my warnings. Immediately I saw almost profound results in their weight loss. I reminded them it was the loss of water weight, and warned of the strain on the kidneys and the high cholesterol risk.

During this time I was mastering my yoga practice as a complete vegan but found that my immune system had been profoundly compromised and I was currently on my third cold for the fall season.

Atkins was in the media again because of new study results indicating lowered cholesterol. I went to the Atkins book yet again with a more open mind, and decided to try the diet. I liked the contrarian view point to the current AMA position of the low fat diet, which seemed to be producing a society of increasing obesity. Atkins view of sugar as the culprit making you fat, not fat, made sense and the extra work from all the protein for the kidneys? it?s benign. I wanted to use his diet as a tool to get myself entirely off of any sugar.

I started out on the high protein, low carb aspect of the diet. As I reintroduced the animal proteins into my diet I could feel myself get stronger and the colds, finally stopped. I also saw my muscle bellies start to open and swell again. The cold of winter was not as painful as it had been while on my vegan diet.

I then summoned up the courage to start bringing fats into my diet, including bacon, egg yolks, cream cheese, heavy cream, whipped cream, even bacon rinds. On a daily basis I would marvel at having eaten these ?forbidden foods? only to awaken the next day thin, svelte. I couldn?t believe this, result! I was loving eating all these foods so familiar yet banished since ?childhood

I was in full swing eating the high fat, high protein, low carb diet at the time when the pictures on my website were taken. www.vitalsignsfitness.com I felt strong, but I had no energy!!! My walks on the beach were lethargic, I had to force myself to go that extra mile. I was thin but I felt like a beached whale. My love affair with Atkins continued a few more months. I followed his prescriptions religiously.

Eventually I had to add more carbs, I needed more energy. By carbs I mean vegetables, salads and whole grains. At this point I gained back the total of two pounds I had lost on Atkins. Body fat went from 16% to 18%, my energy was better. After 7 months I decided it was time to get the blood checked out and to my horror discovered that my cholesterol which had always been around 150 had rocketed up to 300!! Luckily my HDL to LDL ratio was still at a healthy level. Thanks to my forcing myself to exercise, I kept my HDLs high.

I immediately started drinking hot lemon juice with cayenne pepper every morning to clean my blood. I have now thrown away all the high fat foods and have once again, come back full circle to moderation and balance. A balanced diet. It takes a little more discipline but my energy is back and I can now eat the same meals as my husband so dinner preparation is simpler. My weight has not changed since I gradually introduced the carbs. I avoid at all costs the ?white foods? flour, sugar, milk. I drink unsweetened soy milk I avoid foods in packages, boxes and bags. I feel a fine layer of fat but that?s okay its winter, I need it, and in the summer, heat always melts it off. I am completely off sugar and alcohol to keep blood sugar low.

Log into www.vitalsignsfitness in the Chat page where a discussion has already begun re: Atkins and other diet plans, add your comments or just read and muse. Or go to the Nutrition Program page and find out how many calories (protein, carbs, fats) you should eat to sustain your current or ideal weight.

Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE, www.vitalsignsfitness.com email deb@vitalsignsfitness.com

DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success. Her credentials include...

Currently licensed Registered Nurse specializing in Rehabilitative Nursing Medical Exercise Therapist: certified by AAHFRP, an internationally recognized physical rehabilitation certification Maternity Specialist Pre & Post Natal certified by Maternal Fitness Personal Fitness Specialist: certified by NASM, an internationally recognized certification Yoga Teacher Professional Health Member, National Organization of Fitness Instructors (IDEA), a leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE, http://www.vitalsignsfitness.com email deb@vitalsignsfitness.com ...for all your fitness needs including personal training, books, vitamins and supplements, and information resource.

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Have you tried every possible diet plan, even the fads when you've been really desperate, exercised until you have fainted and still not lost weight, worse still put weight on? Then ask yourself this question is it the sort of food you are eating that is stopping you from losing weight or is it when you eat? The answer is probably yes on both counts, not because you are greedy and eating to much but because you are eating the wrong things at the wrong times on the wrong days. Your body is an engine it requires the correct type of fuel at the right time of day to perform the tasks that need doing. You may end up not using the calories you are consuming and they will then be stored for future use as fat tissue.

The bodies metabolism regulates the amount of calories being burned and adjusts if the intake of calories is reduced, that means that you may initially lose weight quickly on a calorie controlled diet but it will not last as your metabolism adjusts to the new levels and you quickly find yourself on a starvation diet. The body is naturally designed to store fat for the leaner times and because you are lucky enough to live in a world where you can eat pretty much what you like when you like it is all to easy to find yourself piling on the pounds even when you think you are eating sensibly.

It has been discovered that the body takes a few days to adjust the metabolism to a change in eating patterns. It may be possible therefore to exploit this delay to force the body to burn fat by rotating not only the overall calorie intake but also the type of calories consumed. This can also help to prevent boredom setting in as often happens when you have been on the same diet for several weeks.

Since the body cannot know what you are going to eat tomorrow or the next day it can only assume that you will be following the same general pattern it is used to. By doing what the body is not expecting and changing the pattern of what you eat and when you eat it every few days the body can be fooled into burning body fat. By eating foods that contain calories that are easily metabolized, such as in raw foods for example, the calories are burned quicker and the body seeks out more calories and they are those stored in the body as fat tissue. Food that is easily metabolized include certain types of fats, and yet fats are one of the first things you are told to cut out when you start a diet.

So if nothing seems to be happening with your diet and your weight loss has ground to a halt start putting your own plan together, don't let your metabolism get the better of you, keep your body on its toes, look out different diet plans and change your food intake every few days, keep you eyes peeled for those foods that metabolize easily and never starve yourself.

The author has a number of hobby sites and likes to share useful articles with like minded folk.

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These are not the reasons we do Lactate Threshold Training.

What is it?
When muscles contract vigorously for long periods, the circulatory system begins to lose ground in delivery of oxygen (necessary for energy production). In these conditions the breakdown of glucose is converted to lactic acid. As the lactate is produced in the muscles, it leaks out into the blood and is carried around the body. If this condition continues, the functioning of the body will become impaired and the muscles fatigue very quickly. This point is often measured as the lactate threshold.

Why Do We Do It?
The aim of the training system is to saturate the muscles in lactic acid, which will educate the body's buffering mechanism to deal with lactic acid more effectively. Thus raising the anaerobic (lactate) threshold. It's not the lactic acid that causes the burn in the muscles as you exercise, but the hydrogen ions released as the lactic acid leaks out. An elevation in blood lactic acid levels is a major trigger of growth hormone (HGH) release. Increasing HGH, is beneficial for gaining muscle / lean tissue and reducing fat.

Aging: Many of the physical and personal changes that are associated with the aging process are directly related to the age related decline in Human Growth Hormone, HGH. Many of the 'acknowledged symptoms' associated with 'maturing' are directly related to hormonal demise. In 1996 the US FDA approved HGH for treating symptoms associated with adult hormonal demise. The FDA approved that medical signs and symptoms of HGH demise are parallel with the conditions associated with the progression of aging: Fat gain, muscle loss, loss of energy, poor sleep, skin changes, bone density loss, libido issues .. all HGH related. Increasing HGH has a on our skin, body composition, muscle tone, mood, energy, sleep quality, and bone density.

Metabolism: Fat utilization requires HGH! Low blood sugar triggers the secretion of HGH to utilize fat for energy. The best time for HGH stimulating exercise is in the morning after the all night fast. If you cannot exercise first thing in the morning, time meals so that you have several hours ( 2 - 3 ) to burn off the blood glucose from the meal, before you workout. A relatively hard, planned and synergistic workout will result in up to a 250% increase in HGH secretion.

Posture and Alignment: The constant total body movement (infinite & constant movement variations ) results in a constantly changing center of gravity. You instinctively assume a personally optimum posture and naturally fine tune the muscles of grace, balance, alignment and posture.

Taking a week off from training every 8 to 10 weeks is very important for overall recuperation. Many people have a psychological barrier to taking time off from training. They feel like they are going to shrink. Not so. In fact after your week off for complete recovery you will usually come back stronger and energized.

This program is based on the research published by the recognized leaders of HGH and AntiAging Research: Dr. Donald Rudman, Dr. Ronald Klatz, Dr. Mario DiPasquali, Sandy Shaw and Dirk Pearson. Renowned doctors, authors and scientists with findings published worldwide. New England Journal of Medicine, several best selling scientific / technical medical books and a multitude of magazine articles. Dietary Recommendations

Eat a high protein / lowish carb and fat meal 15 - 45 minutes after exercise. Five to Six small meals per day spaced 3 1/2 hrs apart.

Protein
No potential problem with consuming 1 gm of protein per pound of body weight per day. Whey protein is inexpensive, low fat, low carb and convenient for a high protein shake.

Animal Protein, Lean Beef, Skinless Chicken , Turkey Eggs. A wonderful, nutritious food!

Fish
Good Oils. More good OIL not just more fat. 20% - 30% of total calories. Specific Essential Fatty Acids are needed for most of the bodies hormonal functions. Olive, Sunflower or Canola oil for salads & cooking.

Trim the fat out of the beef & pull the skin off the chicken and turkey.

Lower Carbohydrates.

Raw fruits & Vegetables are nutrient dense & fiber rich.

Processed grains are mostly useless, non nutritious calories with minimal fiber.

More Raw Fruit & Vegetables.

Way Less Sugar.

Less bread & pasta. Use whole grains when you do enjoy the grain products.

Eating five or more servings a day of fruit and vegetables lowers your chances of getting cancer. Persons with extreme weight loss requirements ( more than 50 pounds ) obviously have different needs than the average weight conscious person. Persons striving for a 5% body fat and rippled abs probably also have different goals than simply enjoying a healthy life. Recognizing that food is a sensual thing and to enjoy eating is certainly a simple pleasure. However being intelligent in sensual pleasures is certainly not an unheard of concept today. Fast food is a luxury. I eat fast food. I enjoy ice cream. Thank God I don't particularly like doughnuts.

Dr. DiPasquali's diet allows you to low carb for 5 or 6 days per week and binge on what ever you want for one or two days. This will make sticking to a diet easier and will eliminate the over whelming cravings that can dominate your sub conscious hunger center.

This 'breaking' of the 'low carb' diet will also serve to 'reset or raise' your basal metabolism. Cooking for Good Nutrition and Weight Control

Choose methods of cooking that will retain flavor, color and nutrients. Steam instead of boiling vegetables. Avoid cooking at high temperatures (except for quick stir-frying) and long cooking times. Both extended heat and liquid can destroy or leach out valuable nutrients.

Add vegetables whenever possible to ensure your five-a-day intake. Experiment with more veggie variety in salads, try new vegetable mixes, include some shredded vegetables in casseroles, and add different vegetables to soups and stews. Use chopped red or yellow peppers to pep up the flavor. Try vegetable salsas and fruit chutneys as accompaniments to meat or poultry in place of heavy gravies or sauces. When you use oil, select olive, sunflower or canola oil. Drain off visible fat while cooking, blot pan-fried foods on paper towels to absorb extra grease.

Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE
email: deb@vitalsignsfitness.com
web: www.vitalsignsfitness.com

DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success. Her credentials include...

Currently licensed Registered Nurse specializing in Rehabilitative Nursing

Medical Exercise Therapist: certified by AAHFRP, an internationally recognized physical rehabilitation certification

Maternity Specialist Pre & Post Natal certified by Maternal Fitness

Personal Fitness Specialist: certified by NASM, an internationally recognized certification

Yoga Teacher

Professional Health Member, National Organization of Fitness Instructors (IDEA), a leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals

Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE
email: deb@vitalsignsfitness.com
http://www.vitalsignsfitness.com for fitness needs including personal training, books, vitamins and supplements, and information resources.

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Low Carb, Low Fat, More protein, Eat all the fat you want..... These are the many things we hear as we are bombarded with the latest and NOT always the greatest diet and eating tips when trying to find the Silver Bullet for permanent weight loss.

Well I thought that we would talk about common sense proven tips that will ensure that along with a solid fitness program, will help support your fitness and health goals for life.

Eating Tip 1

Eat Slow- If you read about the French Paradox, which discusses why the French eat a lot of fatty foods, but are a leaner society than that of the United States. They take their meals very seriously and it is one of the most important times of the day. You will get multiple benefits from this tip. Eating Slow will help your body absorb the food at the right level allowing you to fill up much quicker as it will not provide a tendency for you to OVEREAT!!! The other awesome benefit is that you can spend more time with your family so that you can share the important things in life with each other!!!

Eating Tip 2

Eat 5-6 times per day. Do not allow your blood sugar levels to drop, in between meals. By eating more often and eating the right types of foods that are on the low end of the glycemic index, you can keep your blood sugar levels more even throughout the day, and ensure that you are not getting those mid-afternoon yawns and also help keep the excess weight off. Remember that when you spike your blood sugar by eating simple sugars and refined carbohydrates, this will potentially cause your body to store fat!!!

Eating Tip 3

Eat Your Breakfast... I was bad at this many years ago, but I learned to fuel up early in the day. Eating a good solid breakfast to start your day helps supply you with the fuel you need to get started, especially if you are incorporating a early morning fitness program in to your day. You need the fuel to get your engine going in the morning. Do not starve your body early, because you may have the tendency to binge eat later, because your body gets into the craving mode. Feed your body early!!

Eating Tip 4

Slow down as the sun goes down. What do I mean by this? Well just as important as it is to eat a great breakfast to start the day, it is also as equally important to reduce your food consumption as the day goes on. So plan to eat a good solid breakfast, a good lunch, and reduce your meal portions at dinner time. Remember as you get closer to bedtime your body starts to wind down and you will not have the same opportunity at night to burn those consumed meal calories as you did earlier in the day. So eat more early and back down as you reach sun down.

Eating Tip 5

Give yourself 3 hours!!! Yes 3 hours before going to bed. Do not consume anymore calories. As I mentioned before, your body starts to slow down as the day goes on and gets ready for sleep. You do not want to consume a lot of calories right before you go to bed, because you will end of potentially storing those calories as FAT!!!

Your body sometimes give you a false sense of being hungry as you bedtime nears. You get those 9pm cravings... And a lot of people end up hitting the Refrigerator and over-consuming right before bed time... Not good for managing your weight and body fat %. If you just can't resist the munchies, then what I do is eat a few high good fat nuts. Like unsalted Almonds skin-on (good for fiber) or a couple spoonfuls of no sugar added all natural peanut butter. Eating a good quality fat food will satisfy your craving and will keep you from binging on something with lots of bad carbohydrates or simple sugars, like ice cream, cake or cookies.

Eating Tip 6

Stay focused on eating green in every meal. Always incorporate a good high quality low glycemic index dark green vegetable with each meal. I suggest things like spinach or romaine lettuce in your lunch time salads. Eating broccoli, asparagus, or steamed spinach as your vegetable at dinner time. All of these dark green vegetables supply your body with great vitamins and nutrients as well as being great sources of fiber and are naturally low on the glycemic index scale and will keep your blood sugar levels from spiking after eating. So think Dark green at meal time and challenge yourself to keep it as part of each and every eating event.

Eating Tip 7

Blend your foods.. Blending your foods means making sure that if you are eating a food item that does contain carbohydrates make sure that you incorporate a good low fat protein along with it. Eating a low carb tortilla wrap where the first ingredient is whole wheat flour that is unrefined. Add lean chicken breast as part of your filling in the wrap, maybe with some thinly shredded romaine lettuce and other veggies.

Eating Tip 8

Use splenda as your sweetener of choice, when looking for a simple sugar replacement. I have tried many sugar subs over the years an no other product has the taste of sugar like splenda does. Not equal and surely not sweet and low. Splenda is outstanding for sprinkling on low glycemic fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, and I also use it to sweeten my drink of choice. Caffeine Free Green Tea that I infuse with cinnamon stick and whole cloves. What a refreshing cold beverage that keeps the caffeine out of your diet, provides you a great antioxidant and does not spike your blood sugar levels by using the no calorie sweetner in splenda.

So I hope you enjoy my GREAT 8!!!

These eating tips will help keep you on the right track, when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle.. All of these tips are the tools that I live by every day....

Stay tuned next month for more healthy eating tips @ Body Perfect Fit!!!

Robert Adams, Coach for Weight Loss, Certified Personal Trainer with NESTA, Fitness Enthusiast, and Executive Chef, will provide you one-on-one DAILY SUPPORT, as you pursue your life long dream of permanent weight loss and getting back to a healthy lifestyle. There is NO silver bullet, NO quick fix, NO magic pill, NO tricks, NO unrealistic claims, just a sound and proven method that will provide you a weight loss program that Works!!

Your weight loss coach will help you each and every step of the way providing you support, motivation, and will teach you the secrets that all slim people know, so that you can lose weight in a healthy way and allow you to maintain your weight and get back to your Body Perfect Fitness and Health for life.

http://www.Body-Perfect-Fitness.com Body Perfect Fitness- Your Customized Online Fitness Training Resource- The most comprehensive Online Fitness and Health Resource, dedicated to helping improve everyone?s overall Body Perfect Fitness and Health

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What are you eating? High fattening foods (even only once a day) can destroy any weight loss that may have occurred during your low fat eating. Fast foods, fried foods, foods and sodas high in sugar are detrimental to weight loss- Avoid them! Even if you only eat these kinds of foods once a day, they can really hinder weight loss efforts. Try to eat well-balanced meals with protein, carbohydrates and a small amount of fats. One good example would be: 1) Protein- a chicken breast or fillet of fish, 2) Carbohydrates/Fat- a small salad with vinegar and olive oil (the oil will be your fat for the meal) 3) Carbohydrates- a small baked potato or a serving of rice (either should be plain- no butter!).Meal Replacement Powders (MRP) such as Met-Rx, MyoPlex, Atkins Shakes, Balance 40-30-30, Ultramet or Complete Protein Diet are excellent fast meals, or snacks, that are effective when added to your eating plan. (All of which are carried by MaxLabs). MRP?s are an excellent way to get a high protein, low calorie meal into your diet once or twice a day. This will keep you from eating fattening foods that hinder weight loss. (Plus these products yield many vitamins and minerals).

I eat low fat foods at the restaurants I visit. Why is this bad? An example of how normal food is bad, bad, bad!

You proceed to your favorite restaurant for: a salad with dressing, no fat pasta with sauce, a cola, and some bread! First, the dressing from the salad is usually 100% fat so there is 15 grams of fat. Second, the pasta is easily stored as fat because it is a starchy carbohydrate. (Starchy carbohydrates are easily stored as fat unless you are on a serious exercise program). Should we mention the sauce that was on the pasta (mostly fat as well- lets store that on the hips!)? The bread well, you guessed it, high-glycemic foods such as this are hard to burn off too! That cola you drank (depending on the size) had anywhere from 40 grams to 100 grams of sugar (which almost always turns to fat if not burned off with exercise). Did you have refills? CONCLUSION: You can see how what most people view as eating low fat, can be detrimental to a diet!

When are you eating? Do you eat more at night or during the day? If you eat at night right before bed, you have a greater tendency to store that food as fat! Try to eat your biggest meal at breakfast, a medium meal at lunch and a light dinner. Drink MRP?s in between meals or as meals by themselves. Try not to eat within 3 hours of the time you go to bed. The metabolic process slows down drastically when we rest. If there is food in our stomach that has not been fully digested by the time we go to bed, there is a strong possibility that food will be stored as fat!This means that all the hard work you did during the day may be negated by storage of fat at night!

Are you skipping meals?If you skip any meals, you have a great chance of storing your next meal as fat. People who do not eat very often, train their bodies to believe it will not be eating for a while. Therefore, the body stores everything we give it for its future energy needs. In other words, the body stores much of what we eat as- .you guessed it, FAT! Do not put your body in a starvation mode; eat 3-5 very small (almost snacking) meals a day! This will boost your metabolism and allow your body to better burn off the things you eat.

Here is an example:

You get up in the morning get ready for work and rush out the door without eating breakfast. A hectic day leads to a late lunch at 12:30. You eat what you believe is a low fat, well-balanced meal. Now think about this, you have not eaten anything for around 18 hours (since dinner the night before). 18 hours, that?s huge! And, believe me, your body knows this! So when you do eat, even if you do eat low fat, your body is going to store everything you eat, because you have trained it to know that there is a strong possibility it will not be refueled again for another 18 hours.

Another thing to consider is that our bodies can only digest so much food at a time. Consider this: person A is eating 1500 calories a day and person B is also eating 1500 calories a day. Both person A and person B have the approximately the same body structures and chemical make-up. Person A eats 5 meals consisting of 300 calories per meal and person B eats 3 meals at 500 calories per meal. Person B puts a lot of stress on his body because his body has a hard time digesting 500 calories at a time while person A?s body has no problem digesting 300 calories at a time. For this reason, person B can?t lose weight while person A does lose weight by eating the exact same amount of calories. The reason for this is person B usually stores a little of each meal as fat because his body just can?t handle digesting 500 calories at a time.[500 & 300 calories were just examples used for simplicity

Are you exercising? This obviously has a great impact on weight loss. The more you exercise, the greater your metabolism is boosted! Also, what type of exercise are you doing? The best is to get 3 days of aerobic-type exercise (30-45 minutes per session) and then to get 3 days of weight lifting. Most women (and some men) do not want to lift weights because they don?t want to look big and bulky. But getting big is very, very tough to do. With exercise, most people will end up just looking lean (this is good). The bottom line is that weight lifting is one of the absolute best ways to boost your metabolism and get your body to burn calories. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE! Plus, the more muscle you add to your body, the more calories you burn just sitting still. This is because one pound of muscle burns more calories than one pound of fat.

Are you drinking lots of water? This aspect of weight loss is often under-looked. Drinking water is very, very important to weight loss. Many people are under the impressions that they retain water and this is the reason they are overweight. RUBBISH! Water is a major contributing factor in aiding the weight loss battle. Drinking plenty of water is a vital component for weight loss.

How much weight are you trying to lose? The less weight you are trying to lose, the harder it may be. For example, if you are only trying to lose 5-15 pounds, every little thing you do will matter more to you than to someone who is trying to lose 50-100 pounds. As we get closer and closer to our ?ideal? weight, our body tries very hard to hold on to those pounds. Now this doesn't mean we should take it easy if 50-100 pounds is your weight loss goal. It just means that usually the last pounds are harder to bring off than the first ones.

These are just a few of the topics you should look into, and obviously, these things vary from individual to individual. I also recommend for you to get a good multi-vitamin or antioxidant. The healthier your body is, the more efficiently it will get rid of those excess pounds. Also, educate yourself. There are about 10-15 very good health/fitness magazines out there to keep you well informed about fat loss, burning of calories, exercise programs and descriptions of what/when/why to eat.So learn, learn, learn, and as you build your knowledge base you will begin listening to your body and watching for signs that tell you This works or This does not work.

Many people have a hard time losing weight, and this too is natural. It is the natural tendency of your body to hold on to extra calories and fat for future energy use. You have to shock it into losing. Thermogenic products like Max Ten, Max Fifty or Max Sports Fuel help significantly, but sometimes it takes that extra effort (the extra mile, the extra workout, one less soda a day) to get yourself moving in the right direction.

Loren Bailey is the webmaster and content advisor for MaxLabs.com, HighFiberFoods.net and other health related web sites.

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Step 1? Read as much as you can about healthy eating. You will need to educate yourself on healthy food choices and the importance of consuming fresh food.

Step 2 ? Write down everything you eat in a week ? no cheating ? this is for your eyes only. Once this is done, start crossing out the ?bad? foods (fried food, margarine, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, sugar, fast foods, coffee) and leave the ?good? foods (meat, fish, chicken, eggs, fruit, vegetables, grain, and complex carbohydrates).

Step 3 ? Now empty your cupboards and fridge of all of these ?bad? foods ? soft drinks, margarine, refined flour and sugary foods like biscuits and cakes and replace with healthy alternatives ? fruit and vegetables, plenty of meat, eggs, soy milk, canned fish, dried fruit, nuts (not coked), high fiber foods such as oats. Whey protein powders are also a great idea and can be mixed with fruit, ice and either water or milk. The emphasis is on HEALTHY, not low fat. Concentrate on foods with natural ingredients. Throw out and don?t buy anything with the words ?hydrogenated oil/fat? on the label. Try not to include too much wheat and dairy ? these are the foods most likely to cause allergies.

Step 4 - Invest in a good quality water filter (ideally one that filters out fluoride) so you always have plenty of fresh, clean water available. Every time you go to open the fridge ? have a glass of water. Because most of our water comes from food, our trips to the fridge are often a search for water rather than food ? so make an effort to drink lots of water.

Step 5 ? Take a sheet of paper and divide it into five ? in the first fifth write ?breakfast?, in the next write ?morning meal?, then ?lunch?, followed by ?afternoon meal? and finally ?dinner?. Now you have a weight loss program outline.

Step 6 ? Start your weight loss program by writing out an eating plan for each of the five sections using the rules of eating ?breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper?. You can write in anything into each of the sections as long as you write in good, high protein, low carbohydrate foods.

?Useful tips for the main meals of breakfast and lunch: two eggs a day won?t change your cholesterol level, chicken with the skin is OK; eat your meat medium rare (turkey breast is an excellent low fat high protein meat); eat fish as much as possible - about 3 times per week; as many vegetables and salads as you like (avoid potatoes and starchy vegetables, and avoid salad dressings) ? preferably steamed; only three to four serves of fruit per day because of the sugar)

?Useful tips for the ?in-between meals?: soups, salads, eggs, smoked salmon and fish, cottage cheese, olives, pickled vegetables, fruit, protein shakes (especially those with extra fibre, a good source of protein such as whey, vitamins and minerals), meat, fish and chicken, butter is fine. If you can?t avoid a slice of bread, make sure you have brown bread, full of grain and fibre and keep the quantity down to one slice per day.

?Remember to take your supplements as part of your weight loss program - preferably all 90 essential nutrients and have an extra dose of liquid minerals ready if you get hunger pangs. For maximum effectiveness take your supplements with each meal and spread the dose over the whole day.

The addition of a supplement containing Chromium helps control blood sugar and reduces hunger, sweet cravings, and the carbohydrate ?highs and lows?.

?Special treats: Life is too short to go without all the ?naughty? things and everyone has their weakness?so allow yourself to have some 'favourite food' every now and then and look for more suitable alternatives . . . for example:

1.Sorbet or frozen fruit instead of ice cream

2.Wine instead of spirits (merlot and pinot noir are highest in antioxidants!) - maximum one glass per day;

3.Herbal teas, green tea or white tea instead of coffee ? limit yourself to one cup of coffee a day or every other day if you really can?t do without it!

4.A delicious piece of fruit on its own or in a low fat protein shake instead of a bar of chocolate. You can also search around for health bars high in protein, low in sugar and with a selection of vitamins and minerals.

Be creative! After a while you won't be craving the 'bad' things anyway. Step 7 ? ?EARN YOUR FOOD?! ? Remember this statement and you WILL lose weight. If you plan some type of activity BEFORE your meal you will reap the benefits and become more in tune with your body? even walking to the supermarket or up some stairs counts.

The more you ?burn? in activity, the more you can eat. Put exercise sessions before meals into your weight loss program as much as you can to fit in with your lifestyle.

Step 8 ? Set some time aside each day ? 5 to 10 minutes is fine ? sit quietly, empty your mind and then when all is calm, visualize your ideal weight and shape and feel gratitude that you have already achieved your goal by using your weight loss program. Write out a positive statement about your ideal weight and shape and say it when you first wakeup in the morning and before retiring in the evening. This is a little trick for the subconscious and it will help your weight loss program as well as helping you have a great positive outlook!

Step 9 - Make this program part of your long-term lifestyle ? your body will adapt and will find its own perfect weight and shape.

Copyright http://www.Global-Longevity.com

Paul Newland is a health writer, sports training consultant and martial arts instructor and manages the Global-Longevity.com website. He is the author of numerous health information books and guides, including the Wellness Report, The Ultimate Antioxidant Report, The Selenium Report, The Bird Flu Report, The Ultimate Nutrient Guide and The Essential Fatty Acid Report and The Ultimate Sports Nutrition Guide - available Free (for a limited time) through Global-Longevity.com

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I am sure you have heard you have to build more muscle so you can burn more fat. I?m sure you have also heard that you have to put your body into extreme calorie deficit in order to lose weight. I?ll bet you?ve also been told that eating a high protein diet will make you lose weight faster.

Do not do high protein diets! Too much protein can cause kidney failure. Be careful!

If all we had to do is burn more calories than we take in, weight loss would be easy. Why? Because most people stop eating when they want to lose weight. It works for 2-4 weeks but then all of a sudden, it stops. Your body adjusts to the lower calories. Now you have to drop your calories even further to keep losing weight. Pretty soon, you?re starving yourself.

Think about this. Let's say your body required 1600 calories per day. If you ate only 1000 calories that would mean you would lose weight according to the theory. If that's the case you should be able to eat all the STARCHES and SUGARS you want as long as you did not exceed 1000 calories. Let's take it one step further. Let's say you eat nothing but 1000 calories from doughnuts. Well, you should lose weight, right? Definitely not!

Besides getting sick you would gain weight. But why? Because the body utilizes each and every calorie you eat in a different way. The body uses calories from proteins differently than calories from starches. So the bottom line is not HOW MUCH we eat, it's WHAT AND WHEN WE EAT! How about that! You can eat more and lose weight. The key is to eat mini-meals every 2.5 to 3 hours, keeping your body fueled and your metabolism humming.

Make sure you include vegetables at every meal and fruit in at least 3 meals. Choose whole (unrefined) grains such as old-fashioned oatmeal, brown rice or buckwheat groats and natural starches such as sweet potatoes and beans. Also, eat small portions of protein with each meal. Your portion size should equal the size of a deck of cards. As for fat, it?s best to get your fat from flax oil, salmon and other sources that provide essential fatty acids (Omega 3, 6 & 9). To limit the amount of saturated fat you eat make sure you eat skinless chicken breast and remove all visible fat. If you want an omelet or scrambled eggs, use one whole egg and 5 egg whites.

The body not only utilizes each and every calorie you eat differently it also BURNS each and every calorie differently. Your activity level will determine which calories the body will utilize for energy (protein, carbs or fat). Most people will only burn calories from the foods they?ve eaten during the day and never tap into their fat stores. In other words, they eat so they can go to the gym and burn it off; a never-ending cycle. Unfortunately, some people don't eat enough and they go to the gym and burn off muscle proteins. They lose weight, BUT they also get flabby due to the loss of muscle tissue.

The idea is to supply your body with the calories it needs to maintain proper bodily functions, AND burn off calories from stored fat. If you over-eat, your body will store the excess calories as fat. No matter how much you exercise, you?ll still be storing fat, not losing it. If you eat too little your body will think it?s starving and hold on to its fat stores. No matter how much you exercise, you?ll keep your stored fat and lose precious muscle.

If the body's functions are met first by supplying it with the amount calories it needs, several times throughout the day, it will rid itself of fat incredibly fast. Trust me, the human body is not meant to be fat.

My fat loss and fitness plan ?Every Body Loses? will give you the tools you need to begin a healthy fat loss program. The style of eating and exercising outlined in my book is one that you can follow for life without feeling deprived. If you?re serious about losing fat and getting fit go to http://www.aim4nutrition.com and get started TODAY!

Aimee Deak is a certified personal trainer, nutrition analyst and author of the book, Every Body Loses, an easy-to follow, step-by-step guide to fat loss.

You can find more information about fat loss and exercise on her website http://www.aim4nutrition.com

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