Posts Tagged ‘Losing’

The Battle of the Diets: Is Anyone Winning (At Losing?)

Essential Fatty Acids: Essential To Losing Weight?

Essential Fatty Acids: Essential To Losing Weight?
Essential Fatty Acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that our body cannot produce by itself, but which are very important to supplement our diet. It might sound weird that our body benefits from something that it doesn’t produce by itself, but that is certainly the case with essential fatty acids. Most importantly essential fatty acids have been shown to improve the metabolic processes. There is also strong evidence to suggest that low levels of essential fatty acids, as well as unhealthy ratios of EFAs, could very well be a large factor in illness, including but not limited to osteoporosis.
This being said, and as strange as it may sound, it is very important to eat the right kinds of fats to lose weight! Many people still think that you need to have a fat free diet to lose weight, but this is only partly true. The real trick is to eat the correct ratio and the correct type of fats. If you do this, losing weight will never be easier! So, lesson one, all fats and not created equal! Lesson two, all fats aren’t bad for your diet! Choose wisely.
You should know that there are definitely some fats that you need to stay away from. These bad fats include hydrogenated, oxidized, fried or heat-processed fats. These are typically found in vegetable shortening, margarine, and of course fried foods. All of the aforementioned foods have been inextricably linked to heart disease, cancer, and premature aging. Don’t worry though, there are good fats too! These good fats are essential fatty acids. EFAs are used to promote weight loss, improve cardiovascular health, immune health, reproductive health, and even skin health. What a great fat!
Many of these good fats can be found in yummy foods such as flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish oils, as well as avocados. These foods also help to keep your blood sugar levels stable, which in turn helps your body feel fuller longer. What this means is that you get fuller faster, all with eating less. They’re like the natural preventer from overeating. Likewise, the aforementioned foods can also help burn unwanted fat instead of storing it. So basically you get a natural fat burner coupled with a overeating preventer. So the best thing to remember is that some fats are good for you body, others are not. To learn the difference between the two is one of the most effective and beneficial things that you can do when you want to lose weight. Keep reading!
It’s no mystery that Americans are overweight. In fact there are some numbers that suggest that over 50% of Americans fall into the overweight category. Interestingly, and as strange as it may sound, the people that are overweight actually suffer from a fat deficiency! The types of fats that these people could be benefiting from are none other than essential fatty acids. EFAs are completely necessary to your body’s biochemical processes. The reason for this is because without them your body senses that it is without food, and as a result converts more carbohydrates into fat, essentially making your body a fat-making machine.
Many also believe that a lack of essential fatty acids may lead to many other health concerns such as arthritis, diabetes, skin disorders, PMS, breast cancer, fatigue, yeast problems, allergies, depression as well as mood swings.
However if you supplement your diet with essential fatty acids, you have so many health benefits to look forward to. Your hair will look better, your nails will look better, and even conditions such as psoriasis and eczema can be healed with the proper use of essential fatty acids.
For more information on essential fatty acids, please visit Top Form Healthy Fatty Acids.

Tips on Losing Weight For New Moms

The journey through pregnancy to delivery puts your body through transformations that you probably watched with mixed emotions. While it is thrilling to see the signs of new life kicking below the surface, at the same time you probably have been scheming all along on how you’ll eventually lose that extra weight. If you’re not sure how to begin, here are a few tips on things you can do to work back to your pre-pregnancy body (or even better).

1. Go For a Walk

Your body has been through a lot, it is very normal to stay away from serious exercise for up to 6 weeks or longer if you had a Cesarean section. Once you feel rested enough to begin an exercise program, begin simply by taking a walk around the block. You don’t have to go far, it is reported that pushing a stroller 1 to 2 miles actually burns about 150 calories.

2. Get strong, lift weights

As a new mother you know very well that you don’t have to go to the gym to lift weights. You’re doing it all the time every day! Use your new baby’s weight by holding the baby to your chest while you do lunges. You can also get a great workout by holding the baby above your chest and slowly pressing her toward the ceiling several times.

3. Increase lean muscle, take protein

One of the best ways to lose weight is to build lean muscle. When you create lean muscle, your body burns large amounts of calories. Calories are constantly burned to maintain that lean muscle as well. This is a great benefit because you can basically increase your metabolism simply by increasing the lean muscle in your body. Protein is the essential requirement in this process. Whey Protein in particular is an excellent source to help your body create lean muscle. It is actually a product of the process of making milk (something you should know about by now!) and is an all-natural way to boost your daily protein diet. It is safe, inexpensive, and very effective. The second most abundant component in whey protein is alpha-lactalbumin, which is one of the primary whey proteins in human breast milk.

4. Breastfeeding

Although breastfeeding requires that you add 500 calories to your diet, just by breastfeeding you actually burn 600 to 800 calories a day. So just by feeding your baby you can actually lose weight. Some lucky women will actually lose all of their baby fat by breastfeeding alone!

5. Watch calories, avoid fat

You will have to be disciplined and stay away from empty calories found in soda and chips. Healthy nutrient-rich foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy, and whole grains will definitely help you to lose weight and feel great. Experts discourage dieting right after giving birth, you need to think about the repairing process that your body is experiencing at this stage. Eat small, frequent meals, don’t skip meals, and be sure to distribute calories throughout the day. This will ensure that you won’t overeat and will best metabolize the calories in your diet.

Weight Loss Programs – Medical Benefits of Losing Weight

If you are overweight, you are not alone. In 2007, 2 out of 3 Americans are overweight or obese. As a society, we are becoming increasingly mindful that decreased activity coupled with increased caloric intake and poor nutrition slowly but inevitably overwhelm our bodies’ ability to maintain a healthy weight.

Being overweight or obese puts you at serious risk for developing many obesity related diseases. That’s the bad news. The good news is that reducing your weight dramatically reduces these same risks. For those patients who suffer from these conditions, weight loss can significantly improve or completely correct these conditions.

Insulin Resistance and Diabetes Mellitus
Obesity leads to insulin resistance, a diminished biological response to the hormone insulin. This resistance is characterized by an elevation of circulating insulin, a diminished ability to store glucose, and a propensity to store fat.

In patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, serum glucose levels improve within days after starting a weight loss program. One study showed that the average fasting blood glucose levels in persons with type 2 diabetes decreased from 290 mg/dL to 110 mg/dL in 3 days in response to a very low calorie diet. Medication (oral agents or insulin) can be greatly reduced or eliminated in such cases. Another study reported that, after a 23-kg weight loss (22% of initial body weight), all patients taking oral agents and 82% of patients taking insulin were able to discontinue medication. Similar results were reported with weight losses of 9.3 kg. In general, patients with a 15% reduction in total body weight may consider stopping oral agents. Smaller decreases in total body weight may even cure “pre-diabetes”, a significant cardiovascular risk.

Hypertension
Hypertension improves with weight loss in overweight persons. In patients following Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD’s), one study reported a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure in 81% of patients and in diastolic pressure in 62% of patients (6). Patients receiving a diet of 800 to 1200 kcal who averaged a weight loss of 10.5 kg showed decreases in both systolic and diastolic pressures of about 20 mm Hg. In about three quarters of these patients, blood pressure returned to normal. Adding an exercise regimen to weight loss led to even greater improvements in blood pressure.

Sleep Apnea
Obesity can be associated with mild to severe respiratory functional impairment. Increasing obesity is associated with decreasing oxygen saturation. Two primary disorders ensue: obesity-hyperventilation syndrome and sleep apnea.

Patients with hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels) and sleep apnea improve quickly with weight reduction. For every 1 percent decrease in weight, sleep apnea patients decrease their apnea-hypopnea indices (the amount they stop breathing at night) by 3 percent. In fact, many sleep apnea patients who sleep with CPAP machines are able to stop using their breathing machines at night after weight loss.

A disturbance of ventilation-perfusion (a mismatch in breathing vs. circulation) is common in obese persons. This disturbance can result in heart failure. These conditions also improve with weight loss. With significant weight loss, essentially normal pulmonary function can be achieved and cardiac function can be normalized.

Dyslipidemia
Obesity is often associated with an elevation of serum triglycerides and total cholesterol. The ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol is usually elevated, resulting in an even greater risk of heart attacks and strokes. All of these values generally improve with weight loss. Often, fasting triglyceride levels that may be as high as 1000 to 1500 mg/dL will return to normal levels (<250 mg/dL) with dietary treatment alone. Weight loss has been repeatedly reported to increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Even rather small weight losses of 5% to 10% of initial weight will have this result.

Metabolic Syndrome
Intra-abdominal fat is metabolically active and associated with serious health risk. Metabolic Syndrome describes a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors which combine to produce a pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic (hypercoagulable) state. This condition leads to vascular diseases that result in heart attacks and strokes and a pro-inflammatory state associated with an increased incidence of a number of cancers. It is estimated that over 50 million Americans are currently at risk, but that less than 5% are diagnosed.

To be classified as having Metabolic Syndrome, one needs 3 out of 5 of the following components: 1. increased intra-abdominal fat defined by a waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women  2. high blood pressure 3. elevated triglycerides 4. low HDL cholesterol 5. diabetes or pre-diabetes. Abdominal obesity is present in 84% of patients with Metabolic Syndrome.

In summary, fat location matters. Intra-abdominal fat is metabolically active and dangerous and can lead to heart attacks, strokes, cancers, and more. Fortunately, 1st-line treatment for Metabolic Syndrome is weight reduction and increased physical activity. Waist circumference and intra-abdominal fat decrease markedly with the type of weight loss typically experienced by patients at Jumpstart Medicine.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) affects 5 – 10% of reproductive age women. It occurs in association with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and anovulatory infertility. As noted above, weight loss improves diabetes. Weight loss in PCOS patients can also significantly improve their reproductive potential (fertility).

Degenerative Joint Disease
Low back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee are both more common in obese persons.  Obese women are 4 times more likely and obese men 5 times more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knees. Fortunately, the associated knee pain and disability improve or resolve with weight loss. According to the Framingham Study, an 11 pound weight loss in women decreased their risk for knee osteoarthritis by 50%. The degree of improvement varies with the amount of structural damage but relief can oftentimes be complete with moderate weight loss.

Social Stigmatization and Prejudice
In addition to suffering from health risks, obese individuals also suffer discrimination and decreased competitiveness in our society. Compared to a normal weight counterpart with otherwise equal credentials, an obese person is less likely to be hired for a job and more likely to be paid less if he or she receives the job. Obese individuals are less likely to be admitted to competitive colleges than their otherwise equal normal weight candidates.

Other Benefits
Because the risks attending general surgical procedures are greater in obese patients, it is often beneficial to reduce a patient’s weight before attempting a major elective procedure such as an orthopedic operation, cholecystectomy, or gastric bypass. A 5% to 10% reduction in body weight or a 5-unit change in body mass index (BMI) can reduce the duration of hospitalization and the incidence of postoperative complications.

Stop Losing your Beauty and Valuable Time Removing Fusion, Braids, Weaves, Hair Extensions and Dreadlocks!

The popularity of braids, dreadlocks, add on hair / wigs, weaves, natural hair styles, and hair extensions with or without glue is exploding.

The key importance and selling point for the Take Down removal cream is that it is an oil based cream. This key factor allows women to transition easily from wearing braids to a relaxer in the same day.

Most women of color assume that after removing braids or extensions they have to wait 1 week in order to relax or straighten their hair, but because Take Down is a cream- not a spray. and is an oil based product.

It protects the scalp and hair so that a chemical relaxer can be used. Most people or stylists don’t have the time or patience to remove fusion, braids, dreadlocks, weaves or hair extensions the right way. And the average consumer goes to the salon to undo or “take down” a style.

And if the hair stylist does not have proper understanding of how to remove any of these styles, they just pull and tug, which ultimately damages their client’s hair. But now there is a solution.

The Take Down® brand is not only unique, but is the lead product for the removal of all add-on-hair styles in the beauty industry. It is a very strong cross over product, for all types of women and hair textures.

Every one from hollywood,models, entertainers to the everday college student wears some form of hair extensions, braids,and add-on-hair.

Anyone who has removed fusion, hair extensions, weaves that are saturated with bonding glue, or tiny micro-braids, understands the hassle. When removing hair extensions with fusion, braids, weaves or dreadlocks, the hair can become dry and matted together, so it can take hours upon hours to remove these styles. And often, once these styles are removed, unhealthy, broken hair is left behind.

Introducing a new product that helps detangle hair and aids in the fast and easy removal of fusion, braids, hair extensions, weaves and dreadlocks. TAKE DOWN® makes the pain, tangles, knots and damage associated with removing these styles old news.

With TAKE DOWN®, women and men who desire changing their locked hairstyles don’t have to cut their Dreadlocks off any more, they can salvage all that beautiful hair. With TAKE DOWN®, you have no more hair loss, damage or balding. And definitely no more excess fusion adhesive or bonding glue stuck to the hair and scalp.

TAKE DOWN®, THE REVOLUTIONARY HAIR REMOVAL CREAM penetrates through the hair and softens the hair as you comb through it. This natural cream can be a relief from the pain of combing out knots and clumps of tangled or matted hair once you have taken out the extension, braid or dreadlock. This revolutionary process makes removal of braids easy, fast and painless…

TAKE DOWN’S ®, revolutionary and unique selling points sit squarely with its ability to address a strong, yet previously overlooked, need in the hair care market.

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