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Can you drink alcohol and lose weight?
If you’re a wine drinker like me (meaning I rarely have dinner without wine) or at least like to have a glass of wine with your dinner than I suggest you read this article:
Can You Drink Alcohol and Still Lose Weight?
When you’re on a diet, you know you should probably pass up the dessert menu, but what about the cocktail menu?
It’s a question researchers and dieters alike have grappled with for years, usually while clinging to a bottle of booze. In the end, the answer isn’t all that different from any other solid weight-loss tip out there: Everything in moderation.
That’s because, while overdoing it on alcohol is a surefire way to pack on the pounds, research published in The Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that responsible drinkers are thinner, on average, than people who lay off alcohol altogether.
The Downside of Your Drink
As anyone who has tried to drink a few glasses of wine with that salad can attest, alcohol makes you want to eat everything. But that’s not just because alcohol throws inhibition out of the window. Alcohol also reduces your body’s levels of leptin, a hormone responsible for telling your body “we’re full.” Just three glasses slash levels by 30 percent, according to research published in Alcohol & Alcoholism. That’s more than enough to make you feel ravenous and follow up your salad with a burger and some ice cream.
That may be why a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that men consume an extra 168 calories from food on the days they drink. They also eat more fat and fewer fruits and veggies on drinking days, says lead researcher Rosalind Breslow, an epidemiologist with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research.
To add insult to button-popping injury, alcohol doesn’t allow your body to burn those calories as it should. That’s because when you drink alcohol, your body goes on alert to break down the toxin immediately, ignoring calories from sugar, fat and whipped cream until after all of the alcohol is cleared from your system, explains Dr. Randy Wexler, a family medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. So rather than being burned for energy, those calories are stored around your middle as fat…
Read on at this link
Healthy eating and your weight loss
Even if you’re a healthy eater and doing your exercises you might not be happy with the effects on your weight management and if that’s the case than this article is definitely for you:
10 Ways To Lose Weight When You’re Already A Healthy Eater
You snack on fruit, count calories, follow a weight loss program, and start most days with a walk or swim. So when you step on that scale and the needle stays put, you wonder what the heck you’re doing wrong. Even with such healthy eating habits, sometimes a seemingly inconsequential snack choice or a larger (but common) food myth can keep pounds in place. Take heart: A simple, slight adjustment in your healthy eating and thinking can help your weight loss goal.
Healthy Eating Habit: You count calories
The key to weight loss: Take in fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight and you will drop pounds. But only 11% of Americans correctly estimate their ideal daily calorie intake, according to a recent survey. The rest of us tend to overestimate, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and that’s what keeps you from weight loss. Let’s say you assume that a target of 2,000 calories per day will allow you to get to your weight loss program goal, but it really takes 1,800: Those extra 200 are enough to keep an additional 20 pounds on your frame.
Do it better
Determine the right number of calories you need each day—and stick to it.
• Get your max intake:Click here to determine what your ideal daily allowance of calories is.
• Divvy it up: Set limits on your meals and snacks. If 1,800 calories is your max, split it into three 500-calorie meals and one 300-calorie snack.
• Create a custom meal: If your favorite frozen entrée has 500 calories, that’s all you get. Find one for 300, however, and you can have some fresh fruit and a small salad with it.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Here’s the first chapter of a brand new 40 page Ebook entitled Intermittent Fasting Deciphered written by an experienced nutritionist on the increasingly popular topic of this form of dieting you can obtain the full version of by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page:
So what is Intermittent Fasting?:
Intermittent fasting, just like its name suggests, is a cyclical diet that involves a period of fasting followed by a period of non-fasting. The non-fasting period may vary depending on the type of intermittent fasting you engage in.
There are several types of intermittent fasting. This report will highlight a few of the popular ones and recommend the easiest type to follow to ensure that your life does not become miserable.
The intermittent fasting can be broken down into 2 “windows”.
⦁ Fasting window
⦁ Eating window
During the fasting window, you will not be allowed to consume any food. You can only drink water. No calories should be consumed during the fasting window.
During the eating window, you will be allowed to eat and will need to consume all your calories for the day during this window.
Intermittent fasting does not concern itself with what you eat. The diet is secondary. What really matters is that you MUST be compliant during the fasting period. This is when the body will utilize its fat stores for energy.
The principle of fasting is that when your stomach is empty, the body will not have food for fuel and will tap into its fat stores for fuel. This is imperative in burning fat successfully.
Many people struggle to lose weight because their insulin stores are full and the body burns food as fuel. The body never gets a chance to access the fat stores. As a result, even with exercise, the visible changes are slow to come.
It must be noted that even if you’ve adopted intermittent fasting, you should strive to be on a caloric deficit to guarantee fat loss. You can find out what your calorie requirements are by visiting
https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
When you are at a caloric deficit and you combine it with intermittent fasting, your fat is going to melt off faster than what you ever thought possible.
Let’s look at an example. If you have an 8-hour eating window and a 16 hour fasting window, you will need to consume all your calories for the day during the 8 hours.
The beauty about IF is that your body will not go into “starvation mode” because you will be eating and consuming calories. You’re just doing it within a short span of time.
So, assuming you consume all your calories during the 8 hours, about 3 to 4 hours after your last meal, the food you ate would have been digested and some may have been used as fuel by your body.
However, there are about 12 hours left to go before your next meal since you’re on a 16 hour fast. Your body will not have any more food to use as fuel.
That is when it will use the insulin and fat stores for energy. It doesn’t matter if you’re awake or sleeping; your body will still be burning calories for all the different bodily processes such as repair and maintenance. These calories will be coming from your stored fats.
This is what makes IF so fantastic. Like Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.
Intermittent fasting is extremely simple in concept. It doesn’t involve detoxification, low carbs, ketogenic dieting, etc. None of that is an issue.
All you need to do is eat and fast… that’s it. It doesn’t get any simpler…
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20 Delicious Weight Loss Foods
Just discovered this awesome list of weight loss foods you might want to consider integrating into your personal diet so as to seriously upgrade not only the healthy foods you’re consuming but also work on your weight management:
20 Delicious Weight Loss Foods You Are Avoiding
1. Hummus
Several years ago you could not find hummus at my local market. Now, it is available in many varieties. Of course, you can make your own hummus. Food Network’s Ina Garden has a delicious hummus recipe. Hummus is mashed chickpeas. Loaded with nutrients, ½ cup is 204 calories. It is a great food for weight management.
2. Couscous
My son learned to write cursive using couscous. His kindergarten teacher poured the fine granules into a pan and with a move of his finger, he was writing his name. But, I digress; couscous is much more than a teaching prop. It is a wholesome product of durum wheat. When steamed, it becomes a delicious addition to your weight loss menu. one cup equals 176 calories.
3. Kale
Many people don’t like to eat green food. Give kale a try. It is dense with nutrients, almost like the fountain of youth in leaf form. Kale is great juiced with other fruits and vegetables. One cup of Kale is 33 calories.
4. Avocados
Once thought a no-no for losing weight, new studies show that the healthy fats in avocados actually promote weight loss. Like kale, it is great juiced with other fruits and vegetables. ½ cup is 120 calories.
5. Spelt Berries
Spelt Berries are not really berries, but a whole grain. They are of the durum wheat family, originating in the Near East thousands of years ago. The chewy, nut like texture is anything but boring. The most common use (that I know of) for spelt berries is Ezekiel Bread. Find the recipe at Bobs Red Mill…
You can find the other 15 items at this link
Strategies for Smarter Intermittent Fasting
Have you ever tried intermittent fasting? I came across a book called “Eat Stop Eat” several years ago and read the first 50 pages only to realize I wasn’t going to be able to follow that approach, blame my weakness if you want but whatever it was I forgot all about it until I saw the following article on Livestrong this morning:
7 Strategies for Smarter Intermittent Fasting
I’m a firm believer in meal timing for fat loss and fast metabolism. I ask clients to consume a protein shake within an hour of waking, eat every four to six hours and stop eating about three hours before bed. Sticking to this regimen minimizes hunger and cravings, steadies blood sugar levels and promotes optimal fat burning.
Intermittent fasting (IF) cancels out these and many other dietary rules. Adherents argue that among its benefits, abstaining from food for certain periods — anywhere from 16 hours to days — can boost immunity, increase metabolism, curb insulin resistance and other blood sugar issues, and improve athletic performance.
But let’s be honest: Most people are doing IF for fat loss.
I’m not entirely sold that IF is your most effective ticket for fat loss, but that hasn’t stopped countless people from trying this regimented pattern of eating and fasting.
Whether you’re curious about IF or you’ve been doing it for years, these 7 strategies can bolster your success:
1. Don’t make eating a free-for-all. Fasting for 18 hours does not give you permission to dive into a deep-dish pepperoni pizza. You’re setting the stage for numerous problems: food intolerances, potential binge eating, fat gain, and post-meal digestive issues. Plan your meals ahead of time and stick with lean protein, green veggies, high-fiber slow-release starches and good fats. Otherwise, your ravished state makes you vulnerable to a potential eating disaster.
2. Don’t make food your new hobby. “I fantasize about elaborate meals when I’m fasting,” a friend doing IF confessed. I get it: food occupies my mind when I get hungry too. Trouble is, you’re potentially hungry a lot of the time while doing IF, leaving room for numerous food fantasies. Avoid situations that trigger those thoughts. For instance, don’t go grocery shopping when you’re fasting. Remember to have your next meal planned in advance; see rule one above.
Read more: https://www.livestrong.com/blog/7-strategies-for-smarter-intermittent-fasting/#ixzz3hlLqtf00
How protein is your secret weight-loss weapon
Just read this article and that reminded me I’ve got loads of quality protein powder left in the kitchen and so will be drinking protein shakes after each workout for the next 30 days to see what happens, any way here’s an excerpt of that article:
Cheese, chicken and eggs: Don’t dismiss that chicken or cheese just yet – it could be the key to helping you slim down.
Eat more to lose weight? Sounds like a dream doesn’t it?
Well it isn’t – as long as it’s chomping shed loads of the right thing. And that thing is protein.
According to Shona Wilkinson, Head Nutritionist at NutriCentre.com, protein is a vital ingredient you should eat more of to aid weight loss.
“Protein provides amino acids, each of them having a very specific role. They are needed to keep your metabolism up, to boost your energy levels and to produce the ‘happy hormone’ that can stop you craving comfort foods,” she commented.
Need more proof? Find out how protein really helps the body, which protein-packed foods you should stock up on and more…
Add proteins to lose weight
Protein-rich foods can help you to lose weight on many levels.
“Firstly, they will make you feel fuller after eating. Proteins are digested more slowly than carbs, and stay in the stomach for longer,” says Shona.
“It can also help you to digest carbohydrates when eaten together as a meal. That means that you will not only have your energy released more even during the day but also it will stop you from having sugar cravings.”
Also, protein can help to maintain or improve your muscle mass and growth.
“This simply means having more toned silhouette and also maintaining a healthy metabolism – muscle burns more energy than fat!,” Shona adds.
“Unless you’re lifting heavy weights for several hours a day, you won’t turn into a female Arnold Schwarzenegger –promise!…
Read more at this link
The most popular rule of weight loss is completely wrong
Bummer, I was about to crank up my exercise program to get to my weight goal by mid september but it now appears I will have to either review my exercise plan or my weight loss goal for even burning 3.500 calories per week is not going to get me there, check out the excerpt of the article that debunks the calorie myth:
There’s a popular rule you’ve probably heard before about losing weight: for every 3,500 calories you shed from your diet, you’ll lose a pound. But just because everyone, including nutritionists with graduate degrees, keep repeating this doesn’t make it true.
In fact, it’s a total myth.
“I see dietitians using it all the time, making recommendations based off of it,” said Kevin Hall, who is a researcher at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Unfortunately it’s completely wrong.”
The adage dates back to the 1950s, when medical researcher Max Wishnofsky measured how much energy a pound of fat tissue represents, and found that it was 3,500 kilocalories, otherwise known as calories. Theoretically, he had calculated how many calories a person had to burn—or forego—in order to lose a pound of fat. But Wishnofsky made a couple spurious assumptions.
First, he assumed that when you lose weight you only lose fat tissue. “That isn’t true,” said Hall. “It’s a relatively minor error, because a lot of it is fat tissue, but it still isn’t true.”
The much bigger mistake Wishnofsky made was misunderstanding how our bodies react to weight loss. As soon as we start cutting calories from our diet, the number of calories our body expends begins to fall. “It literally starts happening on the first day,” said Hall. “And it continues to mount as you lose weight.”…
The 7 Best Drinks That Shrink Belly Fat
I’m on a real mission to lose 15 pounds within the next 2 months and that won’t be easy but I just came across another interesting set of tips that could help me and you to reach my goal so here goes::
7 Best Drinks That Shrink Belly Fat
“Doctor, why can’t I lose weight?”
Many of the patients I see in my practice ask the same thing: They have tried exercise, they have tried cutting calories—they’ve tried just about everything that Western medicine has to offer, and yet the weight just doesn’t come off.
But what most people — even most Western doctors — fail to understand is that weight loss doesn’t just come from balancing your calories. It comes from balancing your body, an essential aspect of Ayurveda, the centuries-old Indian medical practice that’s based around proper nutrition.
Ayurvedic medicine sees the body as a series of systems, called doshas; keeping these systems in balance through proper nutrition prevents inflammation, the source of most of our illnesses, including weight gain. To combat belly fat, I often prescribe for my patients one of these simple, delicious drinks made of traditional herbs, which help to soothe the digestive system and stimulate weight loss. Try one or more of these traditional healing drinks, and watch how quickly your own belly can go from nasty to Namaste.
Weight-Loss Drink #1: Mango Lassi
Because it: Reduces inflammation
Lassi is a popular drink from India and Pakistan, made from fermented yogurt. In Ayurvedic medicine, lassi “cools” the digestive system, aiding gut function. And from a modern medical perspective, lassi is a fermented food that contains many healthy bacteria, or probiotics, which decrease bloating and reduce inflammation—two key contributors to weight loss. While lassi can be made with any number of fruits, mango lassi is one of the easiest and most popular drinks in India…
The Top Four Hormone Imbalances
Researchers Identify The Top Four Hormone Imbalances Causing You To Store More Trouble Spot Fat
Researchers working in the field of endocrinology have identified an alarming connection between hormone imbalance and the inability to lose problem fat areas (like lower belly fat, love handles, thigh and back fat).
An increasing number of women and men over the age of 35 from around the world have been experiencing the fat storing effects of hormone imbalance. What researchers found most interesting was that the hormone related fat deposits could not be eliminated by diet and exercise alone.
Subjects were placed on a hypo caloric (low calorie) diet and exercised 3 times per week. After 8 weeks, more than 50% of subjects were still unable to eliminate their trouble spot fat deposits. Researchers discovered that in each case where weight loss was unsuccessful, hormone imbalance was to blame.
The researchers then identified four hormonal imbalances that prevent your body from losing fat;
1. Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is now recognized as being the most common disease associated with fat gain and rapid aging. Researchers from Harvard University recently concluded that inflammation and the associated excess insulin are the number one contributors to the recent rise in type 2 diabetes and obesity in North America. A new 3 step process for reducing inflammation and balancing the hormones associated with fat gain is revealed in the article on the next page…
Check Out These Quick Tips to Boost Metabolism
My personal metabolism could definitely be better and so I was interested to read this article and will certainly be trying out the various tips featured here:
Quick Tips to Boost Metabolism
A sluggish metabolism can thwart even the best attempts at weight loss. Find out how to increase metabolism to burn calories and slim down
Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair. Your best friend feasts on whatever she wants and never gains a pound, while you suffer through carrots and celery and still can’t lose an ounce. Could your metabolism be to blame? It’s possible. Although genetics play a role in how your metabolism runs, you do have some power to increase metabolism and help burn calories more quickly.
Metabolism is a chemical process that converts your body’s fuel (calories) into energy. It’s involved in everything your body does, from breathing to moving and thinking. If your metabolism runs fast, it’s like a furnace quickly burning through fuel. If it runs slowly, it’s more like a smoldering fire using up your fuel supply gradually.
A slow metabolism is actually a very efficient one, says Michael Zemel, PhD, professor emeritus and former director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He explains that our ancestors were hunter-gatherers who often didn’t know when their next meal would come. Their bodies held onto calories as a matter of survival. And because only the fittest people lived to pass along their genes, modern humans probably evolved from those with slower metabolisms.
Fast forward to you: Here’s how to boost metabolism for better weight management.
Build Muscle to Boost Metabolism
Lean muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you’re at rest, says Dr. Zemel. So increasing your muscle mass will help increase metabolism and burn calories more quickly. This is especially important as you move into middle age, a time when metabolism naturally slows down and you risk a loss of muscle mass..
Read more:https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/weight-management-guide/quick-tips-boost-metabolism/