Think Green To Stay Lean

Think losing weight on an all-you-can-eat diet is the stuff of infomercials? Think again.

A recent study showed obese subjects placed on a vegan diet -excluding meat and animal products, but not limiting calories - lost more weight than a control group that followed a low-calorie, low-cholesterol diet.

The veggie edge: approximately 13 pounds lost over 14 weeks for the vegan dieters, versus 8 pounds for the control group.

More recently, the same researchers reviewed 87 studies on vegan or vegetarian diets, concluding that the high-fiber, high-water, low-fat content of vegan or vegetarian diets - not calorie counting per se - was responsible for weight loss. Indeed, overweight individuals who "went vegan" lost about a pound per week, regardless of additional lifestyle changes made.

Other research found that vegetarian women weigh less. After evaluating the diet and health data of 56,000 American women, the same researchers found the meat eaters were significantly more likely to be overweight when compared to their vegetarian peers: 40 percent of carnivores, compared to 25 percent of vegetarians and 29 percent of flexitarians, or semi-vegetarians (those who avoided meat but ate fish and eggs).

If a slimmer figure isn't enough incentive to go greener, how about a longer life? A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a low meat intake was associated with a 3.6-year increase in life expectancy.

Yet another reason to minimize meat and make more room for plant-based protein on your plate: A recent Mayo clinic analysis of data from nearly 30,000 postmenopausal women found a 30 percent lower risk from heart disease among those who ate the most vegetable protein from beans and nuts in place of either carbohydrates or animal protein.

A large-scale analysis of dietary patterns and prostate cancer risk found that animal products such as meat and dairy were the strongest risk factors, while fruit and vegetable consumption had the most protective benefit.

Processed meat may be the unhealthiest of all, the researchers stated those who consumed the most processed meat had a 67 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Diets rich in red meat and pork increased the risk by about 50 percent.

If you're like most Americans, you are probably like most who are not getting enough protein and simple carbohydrates; your challenge (and health opportunity) is to increase consumption of fruit, vegetables and legumes.

Little changes can make a big difference. Add more fruit to your cereal (try frozen berries for convenience and freshness). Make a banana or a fruit cup your morning snack.

Have a vegetable-based soup with your lunch and, you will see that you might just end up eating less. Same goes for dinner: Start with salad and you'll consume fewer calories and far more nutrients.

Written by,

Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

7 Tips To Help Burn More Calories

You may have heard stories about people who have lost dozens of pounds simply switching their diet soda or walking a few extra minutes each day. These were are all small changes in habits that contributed to a big difference and increased their metabolism over time.

You can increase your weight loss goal quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories.

I have listed a few tips below, that I think will help to get you started.

1) Move More

Sedentary people burn about one-third less calories per day.  By simply taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn in one day. Small movements will add up over time to lots of calories.

The trick is to keep moving throughout your day. Write the word move on post-it notes and put them in places you will notice them when you are sitting still. Try a few of these while sitting still:

• Tap your feet
• Swing your legs 
• Stand up and stretch 
• Move your head from side to side 
• Change position 
• Wiggle and fidget 
• Pace up and down 
• Use the restroom upstairs
• Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot
• Stand up while on the phone and step from side to side
• Clench and release your muscles

2) Eat Little and Often

Evidence suggests that eating small meals every 2-4 hours will keep your metabolism burning faster than larger, less frequent meals. When you eat small amounts often your body is constantly working to digest and absorb food which requires energy.

3) Eat Fat

If you want to feel good and keep the fat off you need to first put it in.  Fat not only tastes good, our bodies need it to work efficiently.  By consuming several servings of healthy fats every day you will actually increase your calorie burning potential.

Try incorporating fats like Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, avocados, salmon, albacore tuna, nuts and seeds into your diet daily.

4) Drink Cold Water

Evidence shows that your body might expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body then hot beverages, and being well hydrated will help your body metabolic processes burn quicker.

5) Exercise With Weights

Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. By lifting weights you will build muscle tissue, and muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest and helps to increase fat-burning enzymes in your body.

6) Spice up

Eating hot spices might speed up your metabolism.  Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help boost metabolism and keep blood sugar levels in check. Cant stand the thought of cinnamon in your morning cup of coffee? Spice up with cayenne, crushed red pepper or wasabi instead.

7) Eat More Protein

Protein requires a more complex chemical breakdown by your body in order to be digested and used as fuel. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process.   Protein also takes longer to digest and helps to stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time  and this can help you to not overeat later in the day.

By eating a portion of protein at every meal and as part of your snacks, you can increase the total number of calories you burn each day.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

Weight Loss Blunders To Avoid During Your Weight Loss Journey

Lets face it, there are times on your weight loss journey when progress can come to a halt. Days or weeks can go by without you seeing movement on the scale, and it can get downright frustrating. After working with thousands of clients, I've noticed certain patterns that can cause this weight loss stoppage.

Here are 3 of them.

Eating more than you need

Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and other diet systems have one undeniable benefit to them they define for the average person how large an actual serving is. Most of us underestimate the volume of food we eat (and consequently, underestimate the number of calories we consume in a day).

By fixing in your head what a serving size or portion of food looks like, we can better estimate (and consequently, evaluate and calibrate) the amount of food we eat at each meal. Keep in mind, when it comes to weight loss, you need to take in less calories than you burn each day.

Two good rules of thumb:

A portion of meat (3 oz.) is the size of a deck of cards.
A portion of carbohydrates (1 cup) is the size of a tennis ball.

Please remember to fill up on non-starchy vegetables, they are full of nutrients, have very little impact on blood sugar, and contain little in the way of calories.

Not eating frequently enough

It is a social custom to eat three square meals in a day. While this may do for social purposes, for weight loss, you will want to aim for more frequent feedings. It is recommended that you consume a minimum of 5-6 small meals each day. By doing so, your body gets the signal that food is abundant, and there is no need to conserve energy.

Additionally, frequent feedings maximize your metabolism, as your body is constantly busy, burning calories by digesting your meals. By not letting too much time pass between meals, you stabilize blood sugar levels since they never really get the chance to drop. By keeping your blood sugar stable, your hunger levels are minimized, decreasing the chances that you will be tempted to overeat at your next meal.

Choosing to drink your calories instead of eating them

This is a very common problem among those attempting weight loss, due to the abundance of unhealthy diet smoothies, protein concoctions, and weight loss shakes. There are 2 factors to keep in mind when relying on these liquid meal replacements.

First, many of the liquid diet shakes on the market and all fruit smoothies have an abundance of sugar in them. This causes an immediate surge in energy followed by a huge crash due to the release of insulin to control the blood sugar rise. This dramatic shift in blood hormone levels (particularly insulin levels) is something you want to avoid, both for health reasons and for weight loss.

Secondly, most weight loss shakes are devoid of fiber. Fiber is one of your most precious allies when you are dieting. It helps you feel full and blunts the rise in insulin levels when all that sugar hits your bloodstream. While fruit smoothies do contain some of the fiber from the pulp of the fruit, a better strategy would be to eat the actual fruits contained in the smoothie.

Lastly, the amount of calories that can be concentrated into a shake or smoothie is far greater than the equivalent volume of actual food.  A 16 oz fruit smoothie may contain as many as 600 calories, and will not fill you up all that much! On the other hand, eating 600 calories of fruit will prove to be much more than the typical person can manage in a single sitting.

Think about it- when making major dietary changes, you want to get the most out of your calories. But remember not all Meal Replacement Shakes are bad, to learn more about meal replacement shakes, and how utilizing the right one for your weight loss needs can help you CLICK HERE, to read more.

Dwight Obey, Independent AdvoCare Distributor

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.