Sleep…it’s Good for Your Weight

sleep_exerciseMost of us have struggled with weight at one time or another and are well aware of how important regular exercise and a proper well-balanced diet are to our weight loss success.

But not everyone is paying attention to their sleep patterns in regards to weight loss.

Odd as it may seem there is strong evidence that sleep or the lack thereof strongly contributes to the obesity epidemic.

In fact, lack of sleep is gaining recognition and attention as a primary reason that weight loss efforts are impeded or fail altogether for many people struggling to lose weight.

A recent study was conducted on participants randomly assigned to sleep either 5 ½ hours or 8 ½ consecutively for 14 nights in a row. All their diets were trimmed by 680 calories and they all slept in a lab. [Read more…]

What Triggers You to Eat?

eating emotionalEmotional eating…food traps. Emotional eating is when we turn to food for comfort when we’re not hungry…something every one of us has done at one time or another.

Becoming aware of your emotional eating triggers puts you in control. It allows you to know what situations and emotions trigger you to eat when you are not hungry and you can steer clear of those dangerous traps.

Most often food triggers can be filed into distinct categories:

  • Social: Peer pressure and eating to fit in. Caving to the pressure of others.
  • Thoughts: It always begins in your thoughts. Your whole world is created in your thoughts. If you’re self-image has been damaged, your low negative image can trigger emotional eating. [Read more…]

Eating the Wrong Foods Is What Makes You Fat

healthy-fatsThe study of how nutrients interact with our human genes is called Nutrigenomics and is a blossoming new field of study. It studies the genes associated with health and disease which includes resistance to losing weight.

Most people are already aware that certain foods contain information and instructions for cells and hormones along with nutrients and calories. They are now trying to figure out how this information can turn on or off the expression of certain genes.

Recent studies prove that you do not get fat from simply eating too much. It is now a known fact that you do get fat from eating the wrong types of fat and the wrong types of carbohydrates.

Eating foods like high fructose corn syrup programs your body to become and stay fat. [Read more…]

Grab Those Weights to Tackle Weight Loss Resistance

stuckLifting weights or doing some sort of resistance exercise is the key in promoting fat and weight loss but works especially well for those experiencing any kind of weight loss plateau.

If the dreaded weight loss plateau is something you are presently experiencing you would benefit from developing resistance/strength training…most likely the missing component.

Resistance/weight training increases your bodies lean muscle mass that in turn increases your metabolism which in turn allows you to burn more calories and more fat…even when resting. [Read more…]

Vitamin D’s New Role in Weight Management

vitamina-d-e05cFor years vitamin D has been recognized for the role it plays in strengthening bones, fighting depression and boosting immunity.

More recently after decades of research, study and tests, experts are revealing that vitamin D levels…or the lack thereof also plays a role in weight management.

Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin but a potent neuro-regulatory steroidal hormone that has been shown to influence about 10% of all the genes in the body. [Read more…]

Are You Insulin Sensitive?

insulin resistanceWith so much focus on diet and exercise in the fat/weight loss battle it’s easy to over-loo the role hormones play in our health. They can make all the difference.

Insulin is a super important hormone that is secreted by the pancreas when we eat and helps to absorb nutrients from the food we eat. When we consume carbohydrates, the sugar in our blood increases and the pancreas releases insulin to help take the sugar out of the bloodstream and to our organs such as the liver and muscles cells where it is used for energy.

However when insulin is not working properly, sugar piles up in the blood with nowhere to go and the disease diabetes is the result. Diabetes is nothing to fool around with. Excess sugar in the blood can cause vision loss, hearing loss, high blood pressure and gum disease.

The 2 main kinds of diabetes are: Type 1 when the pancreas is at fault and produces little to no insulin and Type 2 which occurs when the hormone insulin is produced but the body does not respond to it right away.

The causes of Type 1 diabetes are harder to pinpoint but Type 2 diabetes is…unfortunately, increasingly common.

Eating carbohydrates too often (especially sugars) will make you less sensitive to insulin and you can actually develop low “insulin sensitivity” (this is one case of “sensitive” that you want on your side…you do want to be sensitive to the production of insulin), a condition that allows more insulin than is needed to be produced in order to keep blood sugar levels stable.

With poor insulin sensitivity, carbs and nutrients are hard to digest which results in weight gain.

Not only does insulin sensitivity increase the risk of developing diabetes, it also ups the risk of thyroid problems and different types of cancer. It also makes it very difficult to control body fat.

Here are some tips to help you prevent “insulin sensitivity” and minimize diabetes risk:

Regular Exercise: That’s a no brainer and plays a role in almost all our health issues. Just 3-4 times a week will improve your overall health and “insulin sensitivity”.

Foods we eat: What goes in our bodies will eventually show up in our health. It’s best to follow a diet that’s low in simple processed carbs (especially sugar). After you exercise, the blood sugar spike is actually a good thing because the insulin aids in sending nutrients quickly to exhausted and tired muscles.

Green Tea: Green tea is proving itself as a super food and has been shown to reduce blood sugar concentrations significantly. It’s best not to add milk or cream as it undermines the tea’s circulatory benefits.

Low Body Fat: Being lean is a good thing and can improve insulin sensitivity.

Fasting: Although not everyone has tried fasting, it can help to lower the risk of developing diabetes and other diseases like cardiovascular disease.

Lots of quality sleep: Getting enough sleep is crucial in keeping the body functioning at peak performance…and that includes the production of vital hormones.

Eat slow digesting foods: These sugars in these foods take longer to hit the bloodstream allowing insulin to be released gradually. Protein, fiber and fats all play a role in this and should represent a significant portion of anyone’s diet.

Cinnamon: Believe it or not this spice I a delicious way to control blood glucose levels. Yummy in yogurt and as toppings or even sprinkled in coffee.

If you struggle with a fat/weight loss resistance and you seemed to have reached that dreaded plateau, body insulin sensitivity may be your biggest obstacle. Find out how to defeat this nemesis and stop your weight loss resistance once and for all in “Stop Weight Loss Resistance” a complete comprehensive program offering 6 surefire solutions when you just “can’t lose weight”.

Conquering the Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau

weight loss resistance bookAre you frustrated and discouraged with dieting? Have you reached the dreaded weight loss plateau where it doesn’t seem to matter what you do you can’t seem to budge, burn or coerce your weight down any farther?

You don’t need to be discouraged any longer. There are steps you can follow that will help you to break through your weight loss plateau.

First you need to understand that weight loss plateaus are to be expected as long as you are actively losing weight. Our bodies naturally resist change. Most people who eventually reach their ideal weight challenged many plateaus that lasted for several weeks along the way to their desired goals. [Read more…]

The Subconscious Role in Weight Loss

subconscious_weightFirst things first. Why do we so often “get it backwards?”

The journey to “slim” is an inside job. Weight loss can only happen from the inside out and yet we continually focus on outer conditions as our cause.

It’s important to understand that you must never underestimate the power of your mind in its ability to assist you in the healing and repair of your body and its systems. Employing the mind/mental concept is a new, unique and productive approach to losing weight and keeping it off.

How many times have you told yourself to just do it but it never happens? It doesn’t happen because you have not changed the cause which lies deep inside your subconscious. Until you change the cause the unhappy results will keep appearing. [Read more…]

Sugar turns on the “Fat Switch”

frustraed dieterThere’s no hiding the truth anymore. What you eat does matter. Recent studies show that you do not get fat from simply eating too much nor do you get fat from eating fat, the belief that has been held for so long.

It has now been proven that you do get fat from eating the wrong types of fat and the wrong type of carbohydrates. Basically you could safely say that becoming and staying overweight could be viewed as a symptom of eating an improper diet, one that consists of chemically-laden processed food that is not natural to our chemistry and biology. Not a real surprise to anyone reading this I am sure.

It’s not just the food and calories you are consuming that is keeping you overweight; it is your habits, eating the wrong type of nutrient depleted foods, dead calorie foods. [Read more…]

Never Underestimate the Power of your Mind in the Weight Loss Battle

two girlsMainstream diets and exercise programs are a dime a dozen. They are splashed on TV, in our magazines, advertised across our computer screens and even make their way into local newspapers. But as good as some of these exercise programs may be, the truth is there is one factor that is too often overlooked and missing from mainstream diets and exercise programs and that is exercising the power of the mind.

Even though this mental concept is relatively new and unique, the mind must never be underestimated when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off and if you are experiencing “weight-loss resistance” the mind is the first place to look for the problem.

Facts are facts and studies reveal that 95% of the people who go on a diet fail to lose any significant weight for the long term. They may experience temporary weight loss but unless their mind has been included in their formula for losing weight, their weight loss is temporary at best. [Read more…]