Laura F asked:


I’ve heard a lot of buzz on TV about one of the newest weight loss supplements. I hate swallowing certain diet pills, and they always seem to make me jittery. I thought that SlimChews were a great idea, and was wondering if anyone has had any success with them?

Wyman

Weight loss programs traditionally focus on calorie reduction. But we now know that effective and healthy weight loss is about more than that. A smart and sustainable weight loss diet needs to include the right amounts of ALL nutrient categories: water, carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.

This nutrient guide will introduce you to all of these nutrient types and illustrate how to incorporate them into a workable weight loss plan.

Water

This is the most basic and important nutrient in any diet, whether your goal is weight loss or weight maintenance. Almost every physiological process of your body relies on hydration to work properly. On average, adults need 2 liters of water a day. So whether you are thirsty or not, make it a habit to drink at least 8 glasses a day. And if your weight loss regime includes exercise, which it should, you may need more water than that to replace fluids lost to perspiration.

Carbs

Oh, those controversial carbs. With so much focus on weight loss, carbs have gotten a bad name. But there are good carbs (the complex carbohydrates) and bad ones (simple or refined carbs). Knowing how to tell them apart can make a big difference in your general health and in reaching your weight loss goals.

Unrefined grains, cereals, beans and peas, and vegetables are good sources of complex carbs. Maximize them in your diet and minimize the refined carbs, which tend to create weight problems for most of us. Things like: white flour products, white rice, sugar and sugar products like sucrose, dextrose, maltose, glucose and syrup. The only good form of sugar is fructose, or fruit sugar. That’s why a sensible weight loss diet includes fruits instead of sweetened desserts.

Warning: Eliminating carbs completely while dieting will only make it harder to return to a “normal” pattern of eating once the diet is over. Eating the right kind of carbs in moderation is the key to success.

Protein

High protein weight loss diets have received a lot of attention because they help the body burn off fat. If your body is deprived of carbs, it has to burn something. But there are negative health effects associated with this kind of rapid weight loss that can be very serious. And for that reason, many dietitians no longer recommend it.

Instead, they say opt for a balanced diet that meets these simple standards:

* Low fat, with only small amounts of polyunsaturated fats

* High fiber

* Lean meats/fish

* High complex carbohydrates

* Low fat dairy products

* More aerobic exercise

Fat

Fat has been demonized in modern culture as we tend to lump all fats together. But in fact, your skin, hair and nails require essential fatty acids (EFA) to be healthy and strong. So do all your cells. So eliminating all fats from the diet is counterproductive to your healthy weight loss goals.

EFAs are found in foods like fatty fish, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, soybeans, corn oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil (the last 3 should be taken sparingly). Mono unsaturated fats like canola, olive and peanut oil are considered “good fats” as they can protect against heart disease.

Fats to avoid: Saturated fats like butter, shortening, palm oil, coconut oil, cream and full fat dairy products, fatty meats, hydrogenated fats usually found in margarines and packaged snack foods.

How to Read Food Labels

Your weight loss plan can only succeed if you become religious about reading food labels. That way, you can truly control what you eat and how much of it. Here are the markers to look for:

Total Fat: the less the better. Four grams or less is good, two grams or less is best.

Types of Fat: Avoid saturated. Seek out products with mono or poly unsaturated fats.

Calories from Fat: 20% is the ideal amount for weight loss purposes.

Sodium: Choose foods with less than 300 mg of sodium per serving.

Fiber: 30 grams per day is a good goal.

Sugar: Also labeled as sucrose, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, brown sugar, etc. Keep intake as low as possible.

Daily Values: These are based on a diet of 2,000 to 2,500 per day, too high for most people on a weight loss diet. So the DV listing may not be useful to you.

Nutrients in Weight Loss: Summary

As you can see, being very familiar with the nutrients you consume is vital to achieving your weight loss goals. And the best part is that sensible eating is the only sort of diet that is sustainable and can easily be continued for life. So your weight loss accomplishments can be achieved and then maintained for years to come.



By: Antonio LeMaire

About the Author:

Blake

When it comes to weight loss today, many people are searching for the quick fixes and the fad diets to answer their weight problems, when in fact these are the programs that are inhibiting their weight loss in the long run.

Quick weight loss has its initial benefits but understanding the long term affects of this type of weight loss program can help you learn the most effective forms of weight loss and how to maintain weight when you finally reach your goal.

You see, there are actually some quick weight loss methods out there that work, however, the majority of people searching for weight loss information have no idea what these methods actually are. They get fooled by the fad diets that tell them a certain food is the sole cause of their weight gain and go for the pitch with enormous hope.

In a society that is based on the love for a quick fix, many people simply do not have the time in their day for any other form of weight loss program that may have better result but takes up too much time. At least, this is how many of them feel, but nothing could be further from the truth because a great weight loss program does not require a very large investment of time.

Let’s go through the pros and cons of conventional quick weight loss so you can see where the pitfalls are, and then we can explore where the true benefits of a successful quick weight loss program can be found. More importantly, let’s examine how you can get great, long-lasting weight loss results in your own life.

Pros Of Most Fad Diets

* Choosing to utilize a fad diet you have the ability to place great hope in a system with large claims. In the beginning you see a great deal of weight loss and assume that you are losing fat (in reality it’s water and muscle). This is enough motivation to convince anyone they are on the right track. These diets tend to be highly motivating, but just as deceptive.

* There is not much time involved for quick fixes like fad dieting. You are led to believe that you simply restrict the foods you eat as the diet calls for and you will get the results they promise.

* You do not have to go to the gym and work out with most fad diets, or at least they claim this to be true. The claims they make are enormous and unsupported in many ways, and this is the snare that gets most people. Everyone is willing to take a chance that involves no tedious work.

* Instant results! Most fad diet claim to lose double digit poundages in less than a week. This claim may be possible on a comprehensive weight loss system, but there are few systems out there that can honestly claim this. The fad diets don’t even come close on this claim, yet you will never see them stop making it.

Cons Of Most Fad Diets

* When you use a fad diet or choose to lose weight any other way than with a healthy diet and exercise you are losing the wrong type of weight; water and muscle mass. This means that you are not losing fat at all and the potential to gain all this weight back is more than likely due to overall decreased metabolic effects.

* You are slowing down your metabolism by eating less and neglecting your body of calories, carbohydrates and fat because your body needs the correct types of these nutrients to function properly. When your metabolism slows down you are not only going to discover a lull in the amount of weight you lose, but the capacity to gain it all back and then some is also increased.

* You find yourself in what is known as a yo-yo diet system where you are constantly losing weight quickly and gaining it all back. This can be dangerous for your health as well as your psychological emotions as well. It can be discouraging to find yourself in this cycle and even prevent you from trying to lose weight again.

* These types of quick weight loss programs are not for the long term. They utilize variations in starvation techniques that can only sabotage your weight loss goals in the future. The only way to really lose weight and keep it off is by changing your lifestyle. Begin eating healthier and exercising regularly so it is part of your life, not a short term diet plan.

Although in the beginning of the process, quick weight loss plans can seem incredibly effective, they do not last unfortunately, and they can severely damage your metabolism as well as your overall health depending on which program you follow.

Although you are trying to lose fat and calories, your body still needs a certain amount to function properly and the more you deprive your body of these nutrients and minerals, the more harm you are doing than good. Take the time to re-adjust your lifestyle and start making time for healthy meals, snacks and exercise to lose weight at a more gradual basis.

You will find that the weight loss you lose from healthy weight loss techniques is actually fat loss and your physique will transform into the body you used to envy! So what are you waiting for? Start adopting a healthy weight loss program now and turn your body into a fat burning machine!



By: James Wong

About the Author:

Griswald