A very commonly visible problem of the current generation is obesity. Weight gain today is not restricted to men and women in their late thirties and early forties. It has also started affecting kids and adolescents as well.
With the increase in average obesity levels, a number of weight loss options have also come up. While most of these weight loss methods are actually crap, some methods have been able to show some promise.
If you ask my opinion, in that case, the best method of losing weight is to go for a natural way, instead of a cosmetic way of losing weight. A recent addition to the wide list of natural weight loss techniques is sea weed.
Sea weed can help you lose weight in the following ways:
1. Speeding up your metabolism
Perhaps, the biggest advantage of sea weed is its ability to speed up the metabolism process inside the body. Sea weed has abundance of Fucoxanthin, which is quite helpful in improving the metabolism rate inside the body. It does so by improving the fat oxidation, as well as the process of thermo genesis. As the metabolism rate of the body increases, more and more calories are burned. Thus you are able to lose weight quickly.
2. Suppressing appetite
Another feature of sea weed, which makes it an effective weight loss tool, is the fact, that it is an excellent appetite suppressant. Recent studies have revealed that alginate, which is an extract from seaweed, has the ability to slow the digestion process. Sea weeds can therefore be quite useful in making you feel full for a longer time and reducing your calorie intake.
3. Antioxidants
Another feature of sea weed, which can be quite helpful in your weight loss program, is the fact, that sea weed is abundant in antioxidant properties, such as lignans and isoflavones; which help a lot in burning a lot many calories. Also, it is excellent in improving the metabolism rate of your body.
4. Regulates blood sugar levels
Another important factor, that works in favor of sea weed as an excellent weight loss tool is the fact that, it is quite helpful in regulating the blood sugar level. As, the blood sugar level is under control, the insulin level also remains under control, as a result of which, the fat storage process, also remains under control.
As it is sea weed can be beneficial to you in many more ways, apart from weight loss properties. It reduces the risk of cancer, along with lowering bad cholesterol in your body. Due to these benefits, sea weeds are often referred to as new age super food.
Can anyone lose 90 lbs really in couple of weeks? Well that’s what really the pompous Radio show host Rush Limbaugh is claiming. He never really claimed about the supplements, exercise or diet he is taking right now, however much can be derived from his recent talk at various shows. All the fans and followers of Rush are really curious to know what exactly is Limbaugh’s diet. Between the lines that I can read, I see the diet is all about reducing Alcohol intake, eliminating packaged food, eating fresh food, go on low carb, eat less fat and that’s all. Indeed coming to think of eat, most of our fat is due to the way we handle our eating habits. Most of us are engaged in gulping Big Mac with diet coke, gulping Hoodia tablets with couple of beers in night, eating more after work-outs etc., so how can we really reduce the weight when we don’t have any control on ourselves.
I was not able to find any of the Rush Limbaugh’s videos on diet, however below are two related videos. One is Michael Phelp’s legendary 12,000 calories diet and other is Rush’s sarcastic bashing of Phelp.
There are various myths surrounding the weight loss. And you should also look into them if you are following a plan for loosing weight and have not gain success.
1. MYTH: Avoid starch foods to loose weight
We tend to avoid them so as not to add those extra pounds. But the thing is that the starch rich foods like bread, rice, potatoes, pasta etc. are low in fat and high in starch and have low amount of fats. They make us fat not because of their fat or starch content but because of the butter, sauce and other fat rich food which we use to make them more appealing to our taste buds.
2. MYTH: take low fat diet or avoid eating fat to loose weight
Low fat foods sometimes contain too much of calories as compared to the high fat food. You should thus look into the amount of calories and ingredients before buying the food on the shelf of the shop.
3. MYTH: Snacks and fast food make you gain weight
Small meals spread through the whole day not only make you feel better but also make your diet plan interesting. The fast food if taken sensibly and managed with the diet plan can also make you grow thinner. But for this consult your dietitian.
4. MYTH: reduce your meals to loose weight
The truth is if you skip your meal you tend to end eating more. Thing is sensibly plan your meal. Avoid skipping your breakfast. You can take small meals and try eating low in these meals.
5. MYTH: low starch and high protein diet is good for weight loss
Such diets which are high in proteins and low in carbohydrates in the long run result in nutritional imbalance. The different nutrients in the body have different assimilation ways. The proteins are used differently and the carbohydrates are used in a different manner. The carbs are the quickest source of the energy that the body can use. Avoid eating it and then you have some lethargy and other symptoms. Also high protein diet result in high level of ketone in the blood which can affect your kidney. So a balanced diet with all the nutrients is what the body wants to stay fit.
6. MYTH: the supplements help you to reduce weight
Most of the supplements act on the concept of placebo affect. To stay in shape you need to change your lifestyle and follow the exercise regime and the diet plan.
7. MYTH: drinking water helps in reducing fat
The water enhances the metabolism but in no way flush out the fat in you. You have to work to burn those extra pounds.
The average fat quotient of the average American has seen a phenomenal rise in the last few decades, leading to a rise in the number of cases of grave diseases, such as diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and so on.
In most obesity related cases, people do not take heed to the advices of their doctors and ultimately reach a situation, where weight loss surgery is the only option left with them. The most common weight loss surgery is the bariatric weight loss surgery.
Bariatric surgery is perhaps the best solution for those, who have extremely high Body Mass index, or are suffering from life threatening obesity; as a result of which, they need to lose weight quickly and are not in a position to go for the traditional methods of fat loss.
In case of Bariatric surgery, the focus is on the gastrointestinal tract, on which surgery is performed, to reduce the nutrient intake of the body. A bariatric surgery reduces the nutrient absorption capacity of the stomach, or the intestines. As a result of this, the calorie intake of the body reduces drastically.
Bariatric surgery can be broadly classified under two categories:
1. Restrictive bariatric surgery
Restrictive bariatric surgery is a surgery in which the size of the stomach is reduced by way of staple or bands. When the size of the stomach gets reduced, the amount of food that can be ingested gets reduced too as well.
2. Combined restrictive and malabsorptive surgery
In this kind of bariatric surgery, along with the reduction in the stomach size, the absorption capacity of the gastrointestinal tract is reduced drastically. As a result of this, the nutrient absorption rate gets reduced drastically, leading to a significant decline in calorie intake.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of bariatric surgery is that, people who undergo, bariatric surgery, are more likely to put off their weight over a long period of time. May be due to this reason, bariatric surgery has become quite popular in recent times. Not just that, a bariatric surgery, significantly reduces, the risk of major diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, some forms of cancer, Heart disease, Hypertension, Arthritis, Stroke, Asthma, Sleep apnea etc.
However, it needs to be mentioned here, that, bariatric surgery, is after all a surgery; and therefore, it should be avoided. Therefore, it is only when your obesity becomes extremely unbearable, or life threatening, that you should opt for a bariatric surgery. So, in case of normal circumstances, where your Body mass index is less than 35, or even less than 40, it is better to go for a natural way of losing weight.
The most common problem, in a weight loss program, is the fact, that; most people start up with a lot of enthusiasm, but after some time, they tend to stray away from their schedule. The main reason for this is lack of motivation. But, since, you need to follow a very strict weight loss schedule; you would definitely need a lot of motivation, if you actually wish to achieve your objective of a well toned body. This is because if you are not actually motivated, then very soon, you will start feeling jittery and then it would take you no time to get back to your old ways.
Importance of motivation is quite visible even in normal day to day activities; and if you actually see to it, then in that case, motivation is by far the most important aspect in any weight loss program. This is because, as long as you are not motivated enough, you can not actually succeed in cutting down on the flab.
Therefore, it is very important for you to stay motivated, if you wish to cut down on the fat quotient of your body. The following are some of the ways, which can help you, stay motivated:
The first thing that you need to do is to be realistic in your approach. Most people make the mistake of going for a very strict schedule, right from the beginning. As a result, their weight loss regime gets into shambles, sooner than what they expected. In order to avoid such a situation, you should always be realistic in your approach. You should always remember that since weight loss is a gradual process, therefore, it would require a lot of your time and efforts, before you can actually be in such a position when you can follow such a tough regime.
The most common form of motivation, which had been a part of the HR strategy of many firms, is the reward and punishment strategy. As it is, in most of the firms, a good performance is appreciated by incentive, perks, or promotion, where as a below average performance is met by reprimand, or termination of services. So it is , in this case, you need to reward your self every time you follow your regime with diligence and punish yourself every time you stray away. This would be an important step in ensuring that you stay motivated and do not stray away from your weight loss schedule. For example, a new music collection for a fortnight’s strict regime may act as an excellent motivator for you. This would ensure that you follow the schedule, for a longer period of time.
In order to be motivated, the most important thing that you can do is to enjoy what you are doing. This is perhaps the best method of staying motivated. The most common reason for lack of motivation is the fact that, people do not actually enjoy the weight los program. It therefore, becomes very much important to try and enjoy the weight loss regime.
As the saying goes; motivation is the key to success, therefore, it is very important to be motivated, even if it is a weight loss program. So, if you feel that a diet or a workout regime is forced upon you, then in that case, you will never be able to follow it with due diligence.
With obesity becoming a quite common problem, daily exercise has become an important part of our everyday schedule. This is because; a bulky body is much more than low motivational levels and humiliation at personal as well as professional front. Obesity is the cause of many major diseases, the most common being cardiovascular diseases.
Swimming is an effective sport, which can help you in a big way in your efforts to lose weight. A major advantage of swimming is that, unlike most sports, you actually do not require a partner. What makes swimming so effective in a weight loss program, is the fact, that you are losing weight in many ways; all at the same time.
As it is, swimming is an overall exercise, which helps you in losing weight from all over the body, instead of focusing on specific areas. Apart from developing the overall muscle mass of the body, swimming also helps in improving the overall functioning of the body, especially the lungs and the heart. As a result of this, there is also an improvement in your body metabolism rate.
Apart from this, as long as you, swim, a lot of your body temperature, is lost, to control which, your body has to burn up some extra calories. This means further weight loss for you.
However, if you are ready to opt for weight loss, then in that case, you need to keep the following points in your mind:
First of all, in any kind of exercise, including swimming, it is always better to start up with some warm up exercise. A light warm up of two to three minutes, can help you in swimming for a longer period of time.
If you are new to swimming, or if you are swimming after a fairly long time, then it is always better, to give more intervals in your swim time. For example, you can take a break after every four minutes of swimming. This would help you in relaxing your muscles; and it is necessary, because your muscles are not used to such kind of exertions.
As you begin used to it, you may lower the number of breaks gradually. For example, you take a break after every six minutes of swimming. Thereafter, you can lower the breaks further, by taking a break after every ten minutes, and so on.
After this, you should look towards improving your swimming speeds. As it is, when you improve upon, your swimming speed, it helps you in losing more weight in a short span of time.
When you get bored of swimming for a long time, then in that case, you can try a different form of exercise. You can walk in the pool with water up to the thighs.
Swimming is a great exercise and it helps in losing weight, much faster than other forms of exercise. Apart from that, unlike all other exercising options, swimming does not exert unnecessary pressure on your bones. Apart from that, resistance in water is far greater than that on land. This means, that you lose more weight while you are swimming.
There are different surgeries to reduce the weight. Some of them are:
1. Bariatric surgery
This surgery is for those who are over weight by more than 100 pounds and have Basal Metabolic Index of 40. In such obesity patients the surgery helps to reduce the weight much faster than the exercises, and the dietary solutions that they have already taken. The surgery restricts the food intake or hinders with the digestive system of the patient. This is done by either making the passage between the upper and lower part of the stomach narrow by banding or by making alterations in the intestine so that the food bypass the lower part of stomach, duodenum, jejunum. The first is the restrictive type and is by Adjustable Gastric Banding and Vertical Banded Gastroplasty. The second is of restrictive malabsorption type.
2. Gastric bypass surgery
This also like bariatric surgery is for patients with BMI over 40. By this surgery the food that the person intakes is allowed to bypass the stomach and a part of the intestine. Thus the person who has undergone surgery eats restricted amount of food in a meal and the body absorbs fewer calories resulting in the weight loss. The patients undergoing surgery have to follow a diet plan for certain time which is planned by the medical practitioners. They are first kept on the liquid diet and then their diet is gradually improved to semi liquid and then to a solid diet.
3. Liposuction
This is a type of cosmetic surgery in which the fat is removed from different parts of the body. The fat in the body part is sucked out through the vacuum device called cannula. Tumescent liposuction is common in which a sterile saline solution is injected in the body part where the liposuction is performed. In ultrasound liposuction the fat is liquefied by using sound waves. The desired result requires certain number of sittings. Liposuction is also common technique for cellulite removals.
Side effects
The surgeries do have their side effects. In liposuction the treated area can show increased sensitivity, necrosis or dying of the skin around the treated area, swelling and burning sensation.
In gastric bypass there may occur nutritional deficiencies especially of calcium and iron. This results in osteoporosis, anemia and other vitamin deficiency diseases. The risk of pneumonia increases. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and stomach ulcers.
With bariatric surgery also there are conditions of increased risk of pneumonia, kidney stones, blood clots in legs, thiamine deficiency besides nausea, vomiting and other nutritional deficiencies.
The pills are in the market as appetite suppressants, carb blockers in name of Xenical, Meridia, Adipex, Sanorex and many more. Although most of these pills have been removed out of the market but the shops are still thriving with the pills of the similar type which promise to make you shed weight fast.
The pills can be divided broadly into two types. One is the herbal category and the other contains those prescribed by you physician. The herbal pills vary according to the contents of which they are made. They are made of herbs and are considered to be safe. The prescribed ones on the other hand give more visible results when used. They are similar to the drugs and have their own side effects.
How do these pills work?
These pills act on the neurotransmitters responsible for the hunger and mood. The constituent of the pills act on your neurotransmitter and thus your appetite is suppressed and you eat less.
Some other like Xenical prevents the absorption of fat in your body. The pill Xerisan ASA and Banital if taken will prevent the complete assimilation of carbohydrates in your body.
The Yohibine increases lipolysis the process by which the fat burns in our body.
There are other in the herbal pills, such as ephedra and green tea, which have their own functioning. Green tea has caffeine which suppress the appetite and thus the weight loss.
Effects
The pills have their side effects. While the meridian may result in the constipation, increase in blood pressure and headaches. The Xenical may result in the increased bowel and high fatty bowel. Some drugs result in the decrease in the blood cholesterol level and decrease level of insulin resistance.
The herbal pills come in different combinations and if not consumed cautiously or if taken with the drugs prescribed by your physician then they may have their own consequences.
The drugs containing ephedrine may result in heart attacks, strokes and death in some cases. These are chemical compounds which cause irregular heart beat, increase blood pressure, and also result in depression, insomnia.
Suppression of the appetite result in decreased consumption of food thus the body gets fewer nutrients than it should which in the long run result in nutritional deficiencies. Moreover when you stop taking the pills you are equally prone to regain the weight lost over the months.
Looking at the possible side effects of the pills it can be concluded that there is no substitute to work out and healthy balanced diets.
Preparing for your wedding within few days and want to loose weight? Have to shape up for the Christmas party next month and reduce your fat belly? So, you are looking for the quick weight loss methods. There are certain tips to reduce your weight quickly.
Reduce the butter on your bread. The reducing of fat serving in your meal helps to cut down excess calories that you take unknowingly.
Take some time out for exercise. A regular hour of exercise every day makes you burn the pounds accumulated on your belly.
Try to be active through out the day. Make it a habit to use stairs instead of the escalators. Go out for a walk after your meals.
Make your meals short and plan 4-5 small meals for the day. Small meals spread through the day provides you all the energy and reduce the calories that you tend to take more when you skip meals and plan 1-2 big meals in a day. But make sure that your small meals are giving you all the nutrients and the energy that you require to stay healthy.
Drink water. This gives you a feeling of fullness and thus you eat less.
Avoid fast foods and junk foods. They are very rich in calories and less in nutrients.
Include more green vegetables and fruits in your diet. These are high in fiber that gives you a feeling of fullness and also they are low in calories. The make your diet a balanced one by adding all the nutrients and vitamins that you require to stay fit and healthy.
Have a sound sleep. If you skip you sleep hours then you will not only feel lethargic but will also tend to take more of the calories as most of the researches have shown that insufficient sleep makes us feel more hungry and increase our appetite. A regular sleep balances the level of leptin in your body and you loose weight in a more healthy way.
Avoid eating fad diets as they are not effective in the long run. When you stop taking them or following then you regain the weight that you have lost.
Monitor the weight loss plan regularly. Try to make it interesting by adding new exercises, a new activity or a creative meal to your diet. Make the program more realistic.
Try to stay with your program and make changes in your lifestyle to enjoy loosing weight in shortest way.
We all want to stay in shape and maintain a healthy body. For this we are constantly in search of new methods, new exercises for the target the area which make us disproportionate, innovative diets that help us to be in shape. There are different methods to reduce weight some of them are:
Exercises
There are different type of exercises which your personal trainer will tell you according to your medical history and present health situations. There are cardiovascular exercises, yoga, ti chi, and many more. Some trainers give you a combination of all while others make an exercise routine distributing them for certain days.
Diets
There are various diets that can be low fat high protein diets, Atkins diet, liquid diets, the list is endless. The diet is planned according to your weight, height, work hours and lifestyle, and also according to your medical history. A healthy balanced diet is important to stay fie and in shape. The dietitians and medical experts suggest you a balanced amount of nutrients that your body requires in certain proportion. Skipping some and over eating others may result in bad health in the long run.
Take those carbohydrates
Carbohydrates give a feeling of fullness. These are the major nutrient that the body assimilates. It is the carbohydrates that the body uses first and stores fat. These require less energy to burn and thus form the primary energy source for your body. But avoid complex ones such as pasta, bread. The healthy diet can be taking the carbohydrate food in the morning and cutting them in the meals that you take later in the day. This balances the total amount of carbs in the daily diet plan.
Divide your large meals into smaller meals: plan smaller meals through the day. This reduces the excessive intake of the calories and provides you the energy in small packets through out the day.
Surgeries
There are surgeries for reducing weight. Liposuction is the type that surgically removes the fat in your body and is mainly targeted around the abdominal area. The other type is the gastric bypass surgery in which the digestive system is made such that the food is directly passed to the duodenum completely bypassing the stomach. There are other types as well that your doctor suggest you according to your medical health and fitness.
Supplements
Green tea and caffeine, and, other dietary supplements as pills that help you to reduce fat quickly. But they have their own limitations and can be harmful in the long run if taken excessively.