Weight Loss Information Blog
Posts tagged Vitamins And Minerals
Women and Losing Weight Fast
Jul 27th
It is all too common for women to worry about their weight. Women are socialized to think they need to be thin to be attractive and successful. We know better, we should be more concerned with our health than our looks. Nevertheless, we continue to diet and sometimes it is not very healthy at all. From our teens to adulthood as women we are sensitized to worry about our weight. Some women can escape the phenomena. They have either not had a weight problem or are lucky enough to just view and use food for what it is, fuel for the body.
Some men worry about their weight too, especially when it concerns their health. Men do not have the same pressure that women have about being thin. Some men would not eat unless someone put it in front of them or reminded them to. Women know that these are irrational beliefs yet we continue to worry about it anyway. Some women have an unhealthy relationship with food and end up with an eating disorder or dieting all their life. The media does not help the problem. As teens we look at magazines and dream of being thin and beautiful. As we age it can become a control issue, an emotional issue or just bad eating habits.
Promises of losing weight fast are in the media all over the place. Fad diets with quick weight loss promises lure us in to try them, only to be disappointed and out of the money we spent. There seems to be more new diets and diet pills coming around all the time. The newest trend is the cleansing diet. A diet pill will claim it suppresses your appetite, flushes all the toxins out of your body and provides all the vitamins and minerals you need. ‘Flushes’ should give us a clue; a cleansing diet may leave you running to the bathroom all day.
Losing weight fast is not worth the trouble and it is dangerous to your health. Your hopes will be shattered when you quickly lose 10 pounds only to regain 15 pounds just as fast. Losing weight fast does not work and it poses health risks.
Fad diets can rob your body of the vital nutrients it needs to function normally. This can leave you with untoward side effects such as dehydration, constipation, weakness, fatigue and electrolyte imbalances. Electrolytes help your nerves and muscles function. Your heart is a muscle. You can become very ill or even have a heart attack if your electrolytes and fluids are out of balance. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to do it sensibly. A sensible diet balances all the food groups and includes occasional treats. A diet with 1500 calories a day can help you lose weight and learn how to eat right.
You will not need diet pills because your body will be full and satisfied.
You need to add exercise to your diet to turn up your metabolism and start a lifestyle habit. Women in particular need weight bearing exercise to keep their bones strong. Walking is a weight bearing exercise and anyone can do it, just about anywhere. Once you reach your goal weight you can gradually add more calories to your diet. Most importantly, you have learned how to eat healthy, exercise and you have developed a healthier relationship with food.
Healthy eating tips for dining out – Part 2
Dec 3rd
Dining out doesn’t have to be detrimental to your diet. You can indulge at your favorite restaurant and not feel guilty! Here are a few healthy eating tips for eating out.
Order water with lemon. The biggest taboo when eating out are the calories you drink. A margarita in traditional glass can pack on an additional 500 calories. By sailing through fast food and grabbing a large drink you can expect to tack on around 300 calories. If water is too boring, opt for a diet soda, wine spritzer or light beer.
Don’t be afraid of substitutions. Most restaurants won’t mind if you request a side small side salad or a vegetable medley in place of French fries. By simply asking for your sandwich without mayo or requesting they not butter your bread when they grill it you can save anywhere from 100-200 calories.
Shy away from butter and hydrogenated oils. Instead of getting sauted veggies, ask for steamed veggies. Ask that they not butter your hamburger bun. Get brown steamed rice instead of fried rice. My friends would scoff when I would blot up grease on top of my pizza until they realized you could soak up about 50 calories or 5 grams of fat per slice.
Ask for sauces and dressings on the side. After working in a restaurant and watching how much salad dressing was poured on top of salad my stomach turned. I started ordering salad dressing on the side, dipping my fork in the dressing and then forking the salad. I found I was actually consuming about 1/5th of what I had traditionally been eating.
Steer clear of cream sauces. Cream sauces have a lot of butter and heavy cream. If you absolutely love alfredo or want to indulge, request the sauce on the side and use it sparingly. Instead of cream sauces, try garlic and olive oil or marinara which is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Share a meal. Restaurant portions are usually much larger than a traditional portion should be for a person, especially a woman. Split your entre with a friend, or request a doggy bag and package half of your sandwich for later so you aren’t tempted to overindulge. Always share your dessert. Consider opting for berries and whip cream over a five-layer cake.
If you love fast food, choose kiddy sizes or small sizes. Do you really need a half-pound burger and a large fry? Order up a small cheeseburger and settle for a small fry. If you are still hungry munch on an apple or a fruit and yogurt parfait for dessert.
Chose your restaurants wisely. A lot of restaurants have heart healthy and low fat menus that are surprisingly good. In some areas, there are specialty restaurants that are all organic and fresh yet taste amazing.
By making a few minor changes in the dishes you order, you will find that you can still eat out and enjoy the foods you love, all the while maintaining your diet. Bon Appetite!
4 Ways To Lose Weight Fast Without Exercise
Oct 12th
Just like poor people are looking for the holy grail to get rich quick, overweight people are looking for the holy grail to lose weight fast. While there may be a few ways to lose weight fast, most of the time the effect is short lived or carry some significant amount of risk.
One common method to lose weight fast is through starvation. This does not mean going for hunger strike for a few days. Instead, some people will eat only one meal per day and drink milk or water for the rest of the day. Some other may consume only liquid food for all their meals.
The weight loss effect from starving is usually very short. No one can go on starving forever. Once a normal diet is resumed, the weight seems to pile up faster than before. In addition, starving deprived the body of the essential vitamins and minerals it need to function properly, which can have a deadly side effect if it is done on a long term basis.
Another way to lose weight fast is to induce vomiting after a meal. Again, this method can produce short-term weight loss but it is actually very bad for health. In the long run, this method can lead to anorexia nervosa, which can be very deadly if not treated early.
Taking weight loss medication is another popular choice. However, medications that help you lose weight fast generally has some undesirable side effects, such as oily stools, headache or giddy spells. They may not be life threatening but it cause some embarrassing or inconvenient moments for you.
Always consult your doctor before taking weight loss medication. What works for other may not work you.
Some weight loss drugs are so potent that they can damage your internal organs (such as liver) when consume on a regular basis.
Finally, you can consider weight loss surgery such as liposuction. While surgery can indeed help you lose weight rapidly, it is also the most risky. The chances of getting serious side effects or life threatening complications are much higher. Surgery should not be a consideration unless your life is at risk because of your weight.
Exercise is still one of the best way to lose weight. It may not be as fast as those methods discussed earlier but it is the safest. Couple with the a diet consisting of more fruits and vegetables, you can achieve your the weight loss goal in a reasonable short period of time. And the effect is usually long lasting.
Best vitamins for women – Part 6
May 25th
In order for human life to exist, vitamins and minerals are essential. On the Earth, all living things have a specific set of nutrients they must obtain from the environment or make for themselves in order to survive. As humans, we need a variety of these vitamins and nutrients in order to survive. Deficiencies and overdosing of these nutrients can lead to diseases, or other problems like nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting if too much is ingested.
Vitamins come in two different types: fat soluble and water soluble. Fat soluble vitamins include things such as A, D, and E vitamins, and water soluble includes B and C vitamins. Because fat soluble can dissolve in fat, the body is capable of storing them inside of fat cells, and they therefore do not have to be replenished everyday. However, water soluble vitamins do need to be replenished every day. The best way to do this is though food, not a multivitamin.
Different cultures, throughout human history, have experienced through trial and error that a single crop cannot provide of all these nutrients. The best way to obtain the optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals is to have a wide variety in one’s diet. Fruit and vegetables make a good start. Scientists and doctors recommend as many as five to nine fruits and vegetables every day. Multivitamins are a useful tool, but they serve as no replacement for real fruits and vegetables. The best way for the body to absorb nutrients is to eat them, not to swallow a pill.
