Skip Midnight Snack If You Want To Lose Weight

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My friend told me that if I want to lose weight, I should not eat anything after 10pm. Maybe I should listen to her. A study recently published in the Journal of Cell Metabolism suggests that eating at the wrong hours of the day contributes to weight gain. Therefore, it's not just about too much calories.

So, why is it important to quit those midnight snacks? According to lead author Satchidananda Panda of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, eating at the wrong hours of the night will mess up our normal metabolic cycles. We need to let our muscles and internal organs like the liver and intestine take a rest. A clash in our eating schedule and body clock leads to weight gain.

Do not take this study to mean that you can eat as much calories as you want during the day as long as you fast at the right time for the right number of hours at night. It is still important to have a balanced diet and exercise too.

All these years, when it comes to weight loss, the focus has been on calorie counting. This research tells us that there is another factor for us to consider. If you like to stay up late and have a habit of raiding the fridge for a midnight snack, maybe it's time to put a stop to it. This could be the key to solving your weight problem.

How To Lose Weight During Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, you are definitely going to gain weight. The question is how much weight are you going to gain? If you are already overweight to begin with, you need to take extra precautions. A pregnant woman that is obese has a higher risk of delivering through C-section, hemorrhage, extended hospital stay and need for neonatal intensive care.

In the British Medical Journal, researchers found dietary intervention the most effective way in reducing gestational weight gain. You don't have to worry about your baby suffering from your diet change if your diet plan is nutritionally balanced.

A balanced diet comprises of unprocessed whole grains, fruits, beans and vegetables. Each person's energy intake is different but a good guide is maximum 30% fat, 15-20% protein and 50-55% carbohydrate.

Diet alone is not enough to beat obesity. Moderate workout such as brisk walking can help overweight pregnant women to shed some pounds.

If you want to lose weight safely during pregnancy, learn more about this Weight Loss Program for Pregnant Women.

Contact Sports May Affect Learning Ability

You would think that someone who gets his head banged in too many times can't be too smart. Isn't this a common believe? Experiencing numerous head impacts in contact sports such as football and hockey can't be good for the brain right? Well, a research has been published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology addressing this issue.

What the Dartmouth researchers found was that in general, athletes in contact sports did not differ much cognitively from athletes in non-contact sports. However, when it came to measuring how well they did with new learning, those that had higher exposure to various head impact metrics performed poorly.

So, maybe we were not entirely wrong after all. This is in indication that some athletes are negatively effected by repeated head impacts. However, some are effected more than others. McAllister, the study author, reasons that "some people may be genetically more sensitive to head impacts". Also, it raises the question on whether the effects are short term or long lasting. Nothing is conclusive yet. Definitely more research needs to be done.

Too Much Sugar Can Mess Your Brain

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Sugar can make you more stupid. Wow, I'm sure most of us didn't know that. What we know is that too much sugar is not healthy for us as it can lead to diabetes and obesity. But how many of us really wondered what it was doing to our brain? Well, a research team at UCLA took a look and for the first time, made a link between sugar and brain function.

So, what does it do? It hampers your memory and learning. Therefore, you must be more careful in what you eat. If you have children, watch what you feed them. If you are still studying, consider what you snack on when you hit the books.

The type of sugar used in the research was high-fructose corn syrup. This sugar is commonly used as a sweetener and preservative when manufacturing food products. So, stay away from processed foods, soft drinks, condiments, applesauce and even baby food.

The good news is that omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the problem. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, walnuts and flaxseeds. You can also take DHA in capsule form. Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery recommends one gram of DHA per day. He also advises us to cut down the sugary desserts. Replace them with fresh berries and Greek yogurt instead. Dark chocolate minus the extra sweetener is given the thumbs up too. If you can't stay off the sugar, the least you can do is counter with omega-3 fatty acids.

So, don't just think too much sugar will make you sick, it'll harm your brain too.

Curb Your Food Cravings With Gila Monster Saliva

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How far would you go to control your food cravings? Would you take a drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard? Your response to that would probably be "YECH". However, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, says that it works. They tested it on rats and found that it stopped their cravings for ordinary food and chocolate. The name of the drug is Exenatide and is a synthetic version of a natural substance known as exendin-4.

Who can benefit from this drug? Those who are diabetic, obese or suffering from eating disorders such as compulsive overeating. If you want to lose weight and have failed in your dieting attempts, this may help you too. Professor of Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Suzanne Dickson said that most diets fail because we can't overcome our desire for tempting foods. In this case, overcoming our cravings is the answer to controlling our weight. They will continue to study this drug to see if it also will suppress alcohol cravings.

So, if you can't stay away from chocolate, ice cream, cakes and other foods that keep your weight up, maybe a lizard's saliva is the answer to your problem.

Source

Weight Loss Improves Fertility

A study at the 19th European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France implies that weight loss improves chances of getting pregnant. The research was presented by Kyra Sim from the University of Sydney's Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders. The study involved 49 overweight women who were undergoing fertility treatments. One group women followed a 12-week low calorie diet program while the other group acted as a control. The former group which lost a mean of 6.6 kg registered 48% rate of pregnancy while 14% was reported in the latter group.

Overweight Pregnant Women Are Likely To End Up With Overweight Children

If you are pregnant, do yourself and your baby a favor and watch your weight. A research that was published in the journal Circulation indicates that mothers that are overweight when pregnant will lead to their children becoming overweight not only as children but also as adults. As you may know, being overweight can cause many unwanted health problems and illnesses such as diabetes and heart problems.

Study co-author Professor Orly Manor believes it is important to know the reasons why people end up fat so we can take action early to fight off the health problems that follow it.

At the moment, there is a trial treatment being done by British doctors in 4 cities to stop overweight mothers-to-be from giving birth to obese babies. These pregnant mothers are given the diabetes drug metformin. This is their idea of medicating babies while still in the womb.

This does not sit well with everybody. Maybe we should not be too quick to choose medications to solve our problems. They are not always the safest choice. Encouraging mothers-to-be to live a healthier lifestyle, get fit and eat more nutritiously should be emphasized. If mothers can break their family away from unhealthy habits that contribute to obesity, and instill healthy habits in their children, I have no doubt this will give their children a better chance of staying away from obesity.

If you are expecting a baby and would like to lose weight safely, check out this Weight Loss Program for Pregnant Women.

Social Humiliation To Help You Lose Weight

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It seems there is an app for everything these days, so why not an app to help you stick to your weight loss plan. Here are some of the more popular ones: Virtual Fridge Lock, GymPact and Aherk.

Virtual Fridge Lock uses social humiliation. When you raid your fridge at night, a magnetic device you attach to the fridge will alert your friends in your social network. Now you can't sneakily grab a midnight snack without others knowing about it. Maybe the unkind comments you get will whip you into shape. Gympact uses money as a motivator. Get paid when you meet your fitness goals and pay a penalty when you fail. Aherk is a Facebook app. Fall short of your health goal and expect embarrassing pictures hitting your social network.

So, which do you think will do a better job in motivating you to stick to your weight loss program?

Get the full story on Weight-Loss Plan In The Form Of Social Humiliation.

Man Drops 100 Pounds With Modified Yoga Program

Diamond Dallas Page (DPP), the latest high-intensity form of yoga has helped an obese Arthur Boorman lose 100 pounds. Although yoga has been known to improve strength and flexibility, the founder of this new workout focuses on the slow, deep resistance motion of the yoga. He believes that using body for resistance training in yoga can help people to lose weight.

Weight Loss Surgery Performed Through the Mouth

POSE (Primary Obesity Surgery Endoluminol) is a new weight loss surgery that created a buzz at New Orleans. It aims to reduce between 20 and 50 pounds of excess weight. However, there is a failure rate between 15 and 20 percent.

The whole incisionless procedure requires no hospital stay. With only a few surgeons who offer this unique service, it is performed through the mouth.

The objective of the surgery is to make your stomach smaller. This is possible by pinching and suturing the fundus area which is part of the stomach. With reduced stomach space, you can curb your appetite and lose weight. However, you may regain weight. Thus, you should change the way you eat and plan to workout often to maintain your weight after the surgery.

Are We Trapped In The Vicious Cycle Of Weight Loss Pills

This article is a good reminder for anyone who is looking for a quick fix to their weight problems. Dr Danielle Ofri plainly explains how the weight loss pills are similar to lemons (used cars) that are sold in the market. Having read this article, you will understand why large pharmaceutical companies are willing to spend so much money to promote their weight loss products based on this simple analogy. Yet, many of us often take a high risk with this Band-Aid approach that may bring about undesirable health complications for the sake of losing just a few pounds.

3 Simple Home Workouts To Sculpt Your Abs

Here are three simple exercises on how to get fab abs at home.

Introducing ViPR The New Workout Tool

What is the one of hottest gym equipments today? It is no other than ViPR, a heavy rolled up piece of matting. You can lift, shift, pull, push, flip and roll it. You will get your whole body working out. The versatility of this new training equipment allows a person to work several muscles at the same time. This seems to be the better way to train rather than working out the muscles separately. It combines both strength training and movement training which makes you stronger than if you were to do just one type of training or the other. Imagine one equipment to replace your barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell and medicine ball. If you don't like to run but need a high cardio workout, use this. More and more fitness professionals are trying to get their hands on it.

Fight Brain Aging With Resistance Training

Resistance training involves strengthening of the muscles by overcoming a resistance force. The most conventional way is to lift weights. But you can still use other forms of resistance workout without weights for example push-ups and elastic bands. Resistance training can be beneficial for older people especially if they experience declining age-related brain function. Just doing it once a week is already sufficient. Of course, the more the better. It is recommended that you perform 8 to 10 resistance workouts twice a week with 8 to 12 reps each.

For full article, read here.

Why Eating Fat Is Good For Your Health

Is fat really bad? We have been told many times to reduce fat if we want to live longer. However, it seems that eating fat is healthy for us. I mean all kinds of fat: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Why? If we remove fat from our diet, we are missing the most important component in our health. Fat is essential for an effective delivery system particularly for fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. Moreover, fat gives you energy. And it can help you to control your appetite, preventing overeating. So should we eat more fat?

Read this eye-opening article on Bring back butter... and cheese, red meat and whole milk.

Watch Out What You Eat For Breakfast

Please check what you eat for breakfast the next time. If you are eating a full English breakfast which usually consists of egg and bacon regularly, then you are likely to have love handles.

In 3 hours after your fat-rich breakfast, this fat will become fatty tissue. And it will be stored around your waist. If you continue to follow this poor eating habit, pretty soon your buttocks, thighs, and hips will be become bigger, thanks to the accumulation of fat.

One way to deal with this fat is to exercise. In fact, if you are fit, it would be easier for you to burn this unwanted fat.

Check out this study by Oxford University.

Why You Don't Lose Weight After Workout

After working out vigorously, you expect to lose a lot of weight. But this does not happen all the times. Maybe your body uses fat instead of carbohydrate for fuel. Or your digestion process is too slow. However, you may eat too much after working out. Probably it is time to change how you reward yourself after workout.

Read the full article.

How To Beat Weight Loss Plateaus By Making Changes In Your Workout And Diet

Have you come to a point that no matter what you do, your weighing scale won't budge? You probably have hit the weight loss plateau. This happens when you see no or little improvement in your weight status after two weeks of regular workout and dieting. Let's see what you can do to break out from this plateau. It all comes down to your workout and diet.

Not So Obvious Workout Routine

If you are following the same fitness routine, in less than a month your body will adapt to it. It is best that you have several types of workouts. This allows you to have different workouts each day without any obvious pattern.

If you want to escape from the plateau, be more active a few times a day. This can help you to burn more calories and increase your metabolism. For example, you can schedule to have your aerobic workout in the morning and strength training in the evening. It is fine to combine both aerobic exercises such as running, kick-boxing, and swimming and weight training or strength training such as squats and lunges on the same day.

To prevent boredom in your fitness regimen, include high intensity workouts to maintain your high metabolism and burn fat faster.

Don't forget weight training. It can develop lean muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. And you can use lighter weights to enjoy the same benefits as heavier weights. The secret is to lift until your muscles reach the point of exhaustion.

By being creative with your workouts, you can burn more fat and increase your metabolism which will break the weight loss plateau.

Tweak Your Diet

Be careful about how much carbohydrates you consume because your body tends to pile up carbs when they are not used. The more carbs you eat, the more glycogen your body will store. Glycogen is the result of unused carbs. Another fact you must know is that your body will retain 3 to 4 grams of water for each gram of glycogen your body keeps. As your body accumulate more glycogen, your weight will increase because of the water retention.

If you have been eating processed high carbohydrate foods, then stop. Instead substitute them with natural carbs like whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits that contain lots of water and air. Eating these healthy carbs will make you eat less because of their rich content of water and air.

You may resort to low-carb diet to crush weight loss plateaus. It is a mistake. Over time, your body will starve. And it is natural for your body to respond to starvation. This will stop the low-carb diet from working.

A better way is eat more frequently. Don't get the wrong idea that you are eating more. Basically, you break down your three main meals to four or five times a day. Make sure that you have sufficient calories for the whole day. Smaller meals not only boost your metabolism but also stop you from feeling hungry.

Are you getting enough fiber? Do you know a gram of fiber can get rid of seven calories? Start eating more fibrous foods. It also helps to speed up your digestion. That requires fuel. In other words, you use more calories.

Don't forget to drink water before meals. One study highlighted that subjects who drank two cups of water before meals not only lost significant weight but consumed less calories.

By making these adjustments in your workout and diet, you should be on your way to seeing more movement on your weighing scale.

Check out our sponsor on their fantastic workout and diet program to help you lose weight in the shortest possible time without worrying about plateaus.

Bariatric Surgery Gives Hope To Obese Women With Irregular And No Periods

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Obesity can cause women to have irregular periods or none at all. Getting pregnant is not easy. Bariatric surgery may give hope for obese women to be fertile again. During the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in San Diego, a study showed that after the surgery, most women experienced regular menstruation and healthy hair growth. This study involved obese women who had problems with their menses.

Read the full story here.

How To Build Muscle Mass With Lighter Weights

As you age, your muscle mass begins to shrink. Cardio workout alone can't help you to maintain muscle mass. You need resistance training to maintain or build muscles. Most bodybuilders are dogmatic about the weight used in strength training. Ask any bodybuilder about developing bulk muscles and most of the time, they'll tell you to use heavy weights. In fact, for traditional weight training, you need to do 80-percent-of-maximum lifting for 8 to 10 reps. This can be demanding for most older people.

Recently, I read an article on ScienceDaily and as far as muscle building is concerned, surprisingly, it almost makes no difference whether you're lifting heavy or light weights provided you do it right.

Well, does it make sense? After all, we've been led to believe that lifting heavy weights is the key to muscle mass. Based on the study that was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, it is not the weight that matters but whether or not you have carried those weights to the point of fatigue. The study revealed that the two groups who lifted light and heavy loads received similar gains in muscle volume.

In other words, do you feel exhausted to the extent that you can no longer carry on? I think you need to work out until your muscles are so worn out that they cannot do another repetition. Therefore, you don't have to worry about the amount of weight that is used.

This is good news for those with joint problems. I have back pain which doesn't allow me to lift heavy weights. So I use lighter weights as long as it doesn't hurt my back. With this new information, all I have to do is perform as many reps as possible. And yes, it'll definitely take a longer time to complete as compared to heavier weights.

So how light should be your weight and how many reps should you perform at least? You should lift 30 percent of maximum weight for 25 to 30 reps or until your muscles feel too fatigue to continue.

If you feel your muscle mass is diminishing and you want to stay active, then I suggest that you get some new proteins into your muscles with these adjustable dumbbells. Whether you want lighter or heavier weights, you can swap the weight easily with little interruption.

How Testosterone Injections Can Help Obese Men To Lose Weight

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Your sexual behavior and brain development are dependent upon testosterone which is released by your testes. When you pass the age of 40, the level of testosterone begins to drop. Some studies show that reduced levels of testosterone in older men double the risk of obesity. Some scientists believe that when the testosterone level is low, you'll experience insomnia, depression, and lack of concentration. Furthermore, the risk of getting type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure is two times more than other men with healthy levels of testosterone.

Recently, Dr Farid Saad published a study at the 19th European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France which suggested that older obese men could lose weight by using testosterone supplements. In this study, he and his colleagues examined the results of 215 men between the ages of 38 and 83 after being injected with 1,000 milligrams of testosterone. By the end of 6 weeks, they were administered with testosterone again. Then followed with a 12-week interval of similar jabs until the study was completed. These men suffered a deficiency of testosterone which caused them to experience erectile dysfunction, low energy and tiredness. In one particular group of 115 men which they studied for 5 years, they noted a few interesting insights.

1. They lost 35 pounds.


2. Their waistlines were reduced on average from 42 inches to 38.5 inches.


3. Their testosterone levels were restored to normal.


4. Their blood pressure dropped.


5. Their LDL bad cholesterol decreased

Why did they lose weight? Could it be because of testosterone? Other researchers explained that when your testosterone level increases, you've more energy, making you feel stronger. Obviously you'll be more inclined to work out. Furthermore, your lean body mass increases as well.

There are two concerns with higher testosterone levels which are prevalent in other studies: the risk of developing prostate cancer and heart disease. In this study, no men was found to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Is testosterone a miracle cure for obesity? How far are you willing to risk your life by subjecting yourself to the possibility of getting either prostate cancer or heart disease or maybe both?

For 5 years, these obese men only lost 35 pounds. That's not a lot. Although their mean body mass index (BMI) were reduced from 34 to 29, they were considered to be overweight instead of obese. But they were still overweight.

I strongly feel testosterone is not an ideal solution for weight loss. What happens if you stop taking this hormone replacement therapy? Some doctors warn that your testosterone level will drop even further if you decide not to continue anymore with the therapy. Why would you want to depend on a single hormone to reach your ideal weight?

You may find a lot of weight loss aids in the market that can help you temporarily. But what really works is a change of lifestyle. This includes your diet and workout. Choosing the right foods and a fitness program is a safe way to boost your testosterone level and beat obesity.

Check out which elliptical machines you should get for maximum weight loss.

Photo Credit: Teh epicness

Women With IUDs Lost Some Weight

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When the researchers analyzed the medical records of 223 women in the age group between 15 and 44 who used copper and hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) for 2 years, they found that these women lost about 1 percent of their body weight. But the results were not conclusive as the number of womens involved in the study was not enough.

Photo credit: Mara

Jog To Live Longer

Recently Danish researchers revealed that jogging could increase life span. And the best part is that you don't have to jog a lot. They found that just by jogging about 1.5 and 2.5 hours a week at a slow or average pace, you should see the optimal benefits.

Read the rest of Jogging Boosts Lifespan Up To Six Years.

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Why Yoga Can't Help You To Lose Weight

Yoga reduces your metabolism, increasing your chances of gaining weight. Even you perform more strenuous yoga, it will not boost your metabolism. Even at the aerobic level, your heart rate is still below the minimal official aerobic recommendations.

Excerpts from Don’t Count Weight Loss Among Yoga’s Benefits.

Photo Credit: synergybyjasmine

Will Combining Both Strength And Cardio Training Have Any Negative Effect?

Experts in the fitness industry usually advise against doing both weight training and aerobic exercise on the same day. Two studies recently showed otherwise. The "muscle interference" or "exercise antagonism" did not take place as most people expected. So do you think it is fine to mix both endurance and resistance training on the same day?

Click here for full details on "Is it wise to practice weight training and aerobic exercise on the same day?"