Weight Loss Resolution

14 Apr

Your Weight Loss Resolution And Difficulties That Accompany It

If you’ve recently engaged in a weight loss resolution for the new year, take note. New research has emerged regarding weight loss: the longer you maintain an unhealthy weight, the longer and harder it will be to lose. 

Researchers and practitioners in Australia have found that after a strict clinical weight loss diet, even those who change their eating lifestyle will eventually gain a percentage of the weight back. This is not due to a lack of discipline but the fact that the body gets used to being a certain weight and used to taking in a certain amount of calories.

When you diet or are actively looking to change how you eat, you are essentially starving yourself by a margin of calories. Most people find that they are incredibly hungry at this time because the body expects what you’re used to. Recalibrating the body to expect less food is something that doesn’t take months – it could take years. In addition, the longer you carry the weight, the harder it will be to lose the weight. It’s often why people hit plateaus while working on their weight loss goals.

What does this mean for those who’ve resolved for 2012 to lose weight? Again, this is going to depend on how long you’ve been carrying extra weight around. Generally those who are 10-15 pounds overweight can easily lose and maintain weight through a better diet and more exercise but it needs to be a permanent change. If you have 20 to 50 pounds to lose, diet and exercise will help, but don’t be surprised if you end up gaining back 5 to 10 pounds of that weight.

Weight Loss Pace

13 Apr

Slow vs. Fast: What Weight Loss Pace Works For You?

We’ve all seen and heard the ads touting rapid weight loss. Of course, if you need to lose a few pounds, you want it to happen now, if not sooner. But is it a good idea? Doctors say “no” and that slow is better. Sticking to your own weight loss pace means that you stay healthier, change your habits, and keep the pounds off.

The recommendation many physicians make for losing weight is to aim for a couple of pounds per week, max. While this may seem way too slow, think of it this way: one pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. That’s a lot of food to give up or exercise to add into your routine in one week to shed one mere pound. If you starve yourself to lose weight even faster, it will be rough on your body and once you go back to eating, the pounds will creep back on. You will not be changing your patterns, either.

Better to make small changes and incorporate them into your lifestyle gradually, then stick with it. Walk for an hour every day after work, have desserts only on the weekends, switch to low fat milk and yogurt, and use the stairs instead of the elevator. These alterations will add up over time; the pounds will come off slowly, and stay off.

We live in a culture that is used to immediate gratification. If you use that mindset when it comes to losing weight, you may lose it quickly but gain it back before you know. Go for slow results that last.

Low carb vs Low Fat diet

12 Apr

Low-Carb Diet Helps Retain Weight Loss Over Low-Fat Diet

Is a calorie really a calorie?

Researchers from the National Institute of Health recently wrapped up a new study that challenges what we know about the calorie, a unit of measurement used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food.

Essentially, researchers have found that dieters trying to maintain their weight loss burned significantly more calories eating a low-carb diet than they did eating a low-fat diet. The study’s finding published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was designed to see if dieters who changed their type of diet could help shed pounds that are often regained.

Scientists selected 21 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 40, and had them each lose about 30 pounds. After their weight loss, the researchers had different segments use varying diets for four weeks to see if the weight would return. Each diet had the same amount of calories, but the fat, protein and carbohydrate content varied.

The findings revealed that participants burned about 300 calories more a day on a low-carb diet than on a low-fat diet, about the same amount one would burn off with an hour of moderately intense physical activity. Essentially, eating low-carb foods helps you lose more weight than low-fat foods, according to the research.

But despite this finding, researchers are still unclear of the underlying reasoning for these findings. But they theorize that the low-carb diets don’t cause a surge-and-crash in blood sugar, which in turn doesn’t tripper the starvation response. When the body thinks its starving, it turns down its metabolism to conserve energy.

Only time will tell if this theory proves correct, but in the meantime eating a low-carb diet over a low-fat diet may be more beneficial. Of course all diets are hard to maintain and regulate. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to simply change one’s lifestyle altogether by eating healthier and exercising on a routine basis.

Tagged With: weight loss

12 Apr

Is a calorie really a calorie? Researchers from the National Institute of Health recently wrapped up a new study that challenges what we know about the calorie, a unit of measurement used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food. Essentially, researchers have found that dieters trying to maintain their weight loss burned significantly …

Overweight Individuals May Lead A Longer Life, Says JAMA Study

Being overweight is the cause of a host of health risks that contribute to a shorter lifespan, right? Not necessarily, says a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Bucking common belief, the study indicates that being overweight may actually lead to a longer life. The finding is compelling to say …

If you’ve recently engaged in a weight loss resolution for the new year, take note. New research has emerged regarding weight loss: the longer you maintain an unhealthy weight, the longer and harder it will be to lose. Researchers and practitioners in Australia have found that after a strict clinical weight loss diet, even those …

Tagged With: diet journal

12 Apr

Overweight Individuals May Lead A Longer Life, Says JAMA Study

This year many people will resolve to lose weight. In order to support the growing market of dieters, many smartphone and tablet application developers are launching new products that help people reach their goals. Many of them are free or cost a nominal fee for extended features. What makes them helpful and their users successful …

3 Small Steps to a Successful Weight Loss Resolution

As the year begins, many people this year will attempt to stick to a resolution to lose weight once and for all. The trick to effective weight loss resolutions is starting small and working slowly towards a goal. Instead of adopting the latest trend in nutrition and weight loss, try adopting these three small but …

The Image of Weight Loss: It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Many people will be staring at their mirrors this January seeing the effect the holidays have had on their waistline. For others, they will see years of neglect and may possibly inspired to make profound changes in their lives. What you see in the mirror can be deceiving. Looking good is only one aspect to …

How Keeping Hydrated Helps You Lose Weight

Drinking water before each meal has been shown to help promote weight loss, according to a study from Virginia Tech. If you’re looking to lose weight, drinking 8-ounce glasses of water before meals can help you feel more full and help you eat more mindfully during meals. The study was discussed on WebMD. It looked …

Foods To Control Your Cravings

When you’re on a diet, you may find yourself craving unhealthy foods. It’s not that your body is craving chocolate, sugar, and bread, but it is craving vital vitamins and nutrients. If you’re looking through your diet journal and find that time and time again you’re reaching for the junky stuff, here are some common …

Five Superfoods That Can Help You Lose Weight

When you’re looking to lose weight but keep a varied diet, you can look to superfoods to help you along the way. Here are some examples of incredible foods that help you lose weight more effectively: Salmon is a super fish! It’s heavy in healthy omega 3 fatty acids, protein, and calcium. These are all …

Just Say No to Fad Diets

Fad diets come and go and so will the pounds if you don’t make some lifestyle changes. Every day, there are crazy new diets touted as easy, permanent ways to shed bulges. Unfortunately, fads don’t offer long term solutions. According to the Mayo Clinic, in order to achieve permanent weight loss, a dieter needs commitment, …

Dieting, Science, and What It Really Takes To Lose

Is dieting science an exact methodology? It is something that we can study and prove what works and what doesn’t? Dr. Jules Hirsch, a professor and physician at Rockefeller University, has been researching obesity for nearly 60 years. In a recent Q&A with New York Times he discusses the newest study from Journal of the …

Slow vs. Fast: What Weight Loss Pace Works For You?

We’ve all seen and heard the ads touting rapid weight loss. Of course, if you need to lose a few pounds, you want it to happen now, if not sooner. But is it a good idea? Doctors say “no” and that slow is better. Sticking to your own weight loss pace means that you stay …