A slightly different approach to Weight loss

In many western countries, excess weight is a problem for the majority of people. Those of us battling a few extra pounds would like to be able to lose it quickly, but the problem with quick weight loss is that the weight tends to come back rapidly. The healthiest weight loss programs are the ones where you lose weight slowly. It is so hard to be patient enough to wait for results, but it’s been shown repeatedly that if you lose weight slowly, by adopting healthy lifestyle habits, the weight is more likely to stay gone.

But there are healthy ways to jump start your weight loss, fortunately. You have to remember one principle that seems counterintuitive: you must eat in order to lose weight.

“Wait,” you’re probably saying. “Isn’t that how I got fat in the first place?” Well, yes and no. The reason you have to eat in order to lose weight is because when you stop eating, your metabolism slows. Your body thinks it’s experiencing a famine and conserves resources as a response. Not only will you have a harder time losing weight, you’ll have an easier time gaining it back when you start eating again. You want your metabolism to hum along at a steady rate and fine tune your eating habits to promote weight loss.

One thing that most diabetics know is that eating smaller, healthier, more frequent meals is a way to keep blood glucose levels stable. It is also a good way to keep a steady supply of energy rather than energy surges and crashes, and as it turns out, it’s a good way to steadily lose weight. If you know you’ll be eating again soon, you’re less likely to binge than if you’re starving and you know it will be six hours until supper.

You can follow this eating plan on an 80/20 schedule: eight out of ten days you follow the frequent, healthy mini-meal plan, and the other two you can eat as you normally do. The great thing is, you might feel so much better that you adopt the healthy frequent meal schedule for good. It feels good and is easy to maintain.

The best part is, once you have your metabolism running well, it is easier to lose weight because you’re never in “starvation” mode, binging then “being good” for a day or two. You do have to eat reasonably healthy, however.

Now, with this eating plan, there aren’t any “forbidden” foods. The more you remind yourself you can’t have that slice of cheesecake, the more you’ll want it, and the more you’re likely to binge on it along with other unhealthy foods. While there are no forbidden foods, the preferred foods are lean protein, fruit, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. If you do this for eight days out of ten, then you can give yourself a break from it for a couple of days. Chances are that by then, you’ll have noticed you’ve lost a little weight and will be motivated to keep your healthy eating habits.

Losing weight and keeping it off is more about making lifestyle changes you can live with rather than deprivation or fasting.

Breaking the Insulin Boom and Bust Cycle that keeps you Fat!

Most people think that extremely overweight people are simply eating too much and moving too little. While that is certainly a factor, there are other metabolic properties that have an effect, too. Obesity involves a vicious cycle in metabolism that eventually results in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Learning how your metabolism works is the key to stopping this unhealthy cycle.

The processes in your body that take the nutrients you ingest and turn them to energy (whether it’s energy you use by exercising and moving, or energy stored as fat) are collectively known as your metabolism. Your metabolism wants to give you energy when you need it, so that you can walk, work, or do housework without feeling faint or hungry.

A few years ago, everyone blamed carbohydrates for weight problems. While simple carbs like white sugar and white flour can be harmful over time, carbs themselves aren’t necessarily the “bad guys” that everyone made them out to be. If you have a healthy balance of nutrition and an active lifestyle, your metabolic furnace will run well. But sometimes it gets out of balance, you gain weight, and you raise your chances of acquiring diabetes and heart disease.

What happens first is a blood sugar spike that follows consumption of simple carbohydrates. To cope with the sugar overload, your body produces extra insulin. Whatever unused energy from the food is not used is stored as fat. After a while, your body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin and stops using insulin efficiently. Your blood sugar levels increase, which promotes further insulin resistance. Weight gain is very common in this pattern of eating. After several years of this, your body cannot use insulin well, and you end up with type 2 diabetes, which raises your risk of other health problems like heart disease and kidney disease.

Unfortuantely, there isn’t a simple fix to this metabolic cycle that causes obesity. You have to help your metabolism get back to normal again. That is a lot of what happens when people are newly diagnosed as diabetic. Once they are regularly monitoring blood sugar levels and can see exactly how high their blood sugar goes after a couple of donuts, they can clearly see how those simple carbohydrates can cause long term problems. Decreasing your intake of refined sugars and increasing your exercise are the two proven ways to break out of this metabolic spiral, lose weight, and have a healthier body.

Weight Loss Tips for Teens

It is important to note up front that weight loss may not be necessary or desirable. Many young people have a certain amount of “baby fat” that they outgrow. Teens’ bodies are changing constantly, and what you look like at 14 may be very different from what you look like at 18. And there are some teens who want to lose weight because of the people they see in magazines and movies. Often it’s the “popular” kids at school that take their standards from the fashion magazines, providing more peer pressure. But there do exist teens who really do have extra weight that they need to use. For those individuals, there are many things they can do to encourage steady weight loss.

1. Cut down on simple sugars. For many years, people thought that candies and cookies weren’t all that bad because they didn’t have a lot of fat in them. But the sugar itself leads to insulin surges and a sugar “high” followed by a sugar “crash.” Simple sugars are also very easy for the body to convert into fat. If you forbid yourself all sweets, you’ll grow resentful and could binge. Just cut back, and substitute some of those sweets with fresh fruit.

2. Excercise at home. Sure, you’re slammed with homework, and you may not have the money or time to join a gym. But anyone can take 15 minutes to exercise with a DVD or by playing Wii Fit if you have the equipment. If your neighborhood is safe, walk. Are there places within walking distance of your home, such as a library? If you have a dog, take her on a walk. She’ll love the attention and the exercise is probably healthy for her too. If you have a high energy pet and a place that is safe, you could try roller skating with your dog. Be sure to wear protective gear if you do, though. The point is, regular activity is the key. You know what the best exercise is? It’s the one you’ll do.

3. Participate in school activities. School sports can be a great way to stay or get fit. If the “big” sports like football, basketball and baseball aren’t you’re thing, many schools have swim teams, bowling teams, and track teams. Even signing up as a help for a sport can get you a certain amount of activity, plus you won’t be consuming sweets while you’re keeping stats and helping the coach.

4. Cut back on fast food. It seems that teens and fast food were made for each other. Growing teens do need a certain calorie level, and fast food is quick and inexpensive. But it shouldn’t be an everyday thing because fast food is high in calories, fats, and sugars.

5. Walk at the shopping mall. You can get a pedometer for a couple of dollars to keep track of how far you’ve walked.

Getting a weight loss buddy to exercise with you, learning to cook healthy foods, and drinking plenty of water are other ways to gradually change over to a healthier lifestyle. Make changes you can live with and you can make a big difference in health and weight.