Simple Ways to Lose Fat

Feb 28, 2010 No Comments »

When we go on a diet, we often do the mistake of taking these things as short term. But shedding weight and getting your desired figure is not some short term project. You have to introduce changes in your lifestyle. Otherwise you will gain everything back in a short span of time. To make weight loss permanent, take few things into account:

• Increase Time span of your cardio exercises: Increase the time by  at least fifteen minutes and try to make it a five days a week routine. It will burn your calories and keep your heart healthy. Once you get it into your routine, you won’t find it difficult to stick to the routine.
• Eat Five Times A Day: If you take meals five times a day and into smaller quantities, it will keep your metabolic rate high and you will burn fat faster. Smaller meals over a day will keep the hunger away from you. In the meanwhile plan your five smaller meals intelligently. Try to avoid fried and fatty food. Drink good old plain water instead of soda drinks.  
• Pay Attention to Your Fiber Intake: You have to eat green leafy vegetables, broccoli,cabbage and other wholegrain to make your diet sufficiently filled with fiber. If you diet has sufficient quantity of fiber, you will feel satisfied and filled and tend to eat less.
• Build Muscles: Muscles are metabolically more active compared to fat. So pay attention to build some muscles in your body. Try to have a healthy ratio of fat and muscles according to your body weight. Add some weight training to your exercise. You don’t have to lift weight like a champion. Take load according to your age and stamina.
• Reduce Your Intake of Processed Food: Reduce refined food from your diet. They contained lots of fat, salt and sugar. No don’t carry much nutritive value. Reducing processed food, refined sugar and flour from your diet help you in reducing calorie intake.

Tips to Reduce Calories from Your Diet

Feb 16, 2010 1 Comment »

We live in a fitness conscious world. Today we want to enjoy life with good health. We can follow some simple tips to cut calories from our diet. By paying a bit of attention to our diet, we can turn away the menace called weight gain. It is always better not to modify your diet completely and continue with what you are eating earlier. This way your body don’t feel deprived of certain food. You just have to reduce the quantity and frequency of your favorite food.

• Instead of Juice opt for Fresh Fruits: Increase the intake of fresh fruits in your diet. When you are having sweet cravings, eat fruits. Packaged fruits juices contain lots of calories. So chuck them away from your dining table and fridge. Fruits contains less calories and more fibers. 

• Use smaller Plates: Chose smaller sized plates. They reduce your calories intake without you being aware of it. So less agonizing and sacrificial feeling for you to grapple with. You can’t fill your plates with large amount of food and hence consume less. 
• Drink Water: Try to drink lots of water instead of cold drinks or soda. Water keep your system clean and hydrated. It also flush out toxins from your body. It goes without saying that water has no calories like soda or cold drinks.If you  can get coconut water drink that too as it is an excellent thirst quencher.
• Take Care of Your Protein Intake: Take care of your protein intake. Your body needs it for repairs. Protein also helps in keeping body fat low. But don’t take too much of protein because it will not help in fighting fat after a certain level.
• Reduce the Amount of cooking oil and fat: Cook your food using less oil. Try out some tasty recipes that need roasting or stir fry as cooking method.Try using olive oil or flaxseed  oil. At the same time use less butter and cheese on your toast and sandwiches. Consume less red meat and increase the intake of fish and chicken in your diet. But go for roasted or grilled chicken and fish.
• Reduce Portions:  You don’t have to give up your favorite food. If you like munching on chips and cookies. Go ahead and have them. But take a smaller packet and reduce the frequency.This way you won’t feel deprived of your favorite food and you will save yourself from the undesirable side effects.
• Increase Your Fiber Intake: When you are choosing your diet carefully try incorporating fibers in your food. Fibers will help in digesting your food. They also give you a sense of fullness. You feel satiated after having lunch or dinner. This way you tend to eat less too.
• Eat Home Cooked Food: Don’t fall for the convenience of canned food or restaurant food. They want repeat customers. And you too throw caution to the wind while eating out. But its a different story if you are cooking at home. Then a bit of thought process goes on about the type and amount of food. No one likes to cook more than needed. 
• Pay Attention While Eating Out: When you are out to enjoy food in a restaurant just be a bit cautious. Go for intelligent combinations. Balance one high calorie dish with a salad or soup too. While enjoying pizza or burger, order a side dish of fruits and salad too. Go for healthy toppings on your pizza.
• Go For Whole Grain: If you enjoy eating pasts and noodles choose whole grain pasta or bread. This will give you more nutrition and less calories. They are also rich in fibers.
• Get Rid of Starchy Food: You can’t avoid starchy food from your diet. Because most of our food consists of starch be it pasta, bread, potato, cereals and rice. But eat the quantity that is required not more than that. It should not be more than one third of our diet. Don’t add fatty options with starch foods.
• Reduce Dessert Size: Most of us possess a sweet tooth. We like having desserts. Why should one deprive of so called good things in life. But at the same time pay attention to portion size and frequency. This way you won’t suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes avoid cream or chocolate toppings from your dessert. Sometimes be imaginative and come out with your own special healthy toppings.

New Way to Lose Fat

Feb 05, 2010 No Comments »

We all know that when we consume more than we burn, we gain weight. The key lies in the fact that we have to burn that extra fat to lose weight. Researchers have found a new method to trick the body into consuming more energy. This can be done with the help of an enzyme known "energy master switch." This is an enzyme known as Fyn kinase. This enzyme inhibits burning more fat.

Claire Bastie of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Neuroscience and her team showed that mice lacking Fyn kinase altogether burn more fatty acids and expend more energy to become leaner. They also showed other metabolic improvements, including increased insulin sensitivity. Those effects were the effect of higher levels of the master energy switch AMPK in their fat and muscle tissue.

Those findings can help in developing a new kind of weight loss drug. Now, the researchers are lobbying around the idea by showing that chemical inhibition of Fyn kinase with an experimental drug known only as SU6656 does have significant metabolic benefits for mice. Ultimately, the animals seem to be extremely fit because it lose fat and keep the lean. The researchers explained how the Fyn kinase works. It acts on another component of the energy pathway, which leads to a change in AMPK levels.

Bastie said that SU6656 itself isn’t a model drug candidate for clinical trials in humans. Because Fyn kinase and AMPK both have effect the brain as well as fat and muscle. Scientists should have to find out a new drug that doesn’t have these undesirable side effects. Bastie said, "Our next goal is to design something extremely specific to muscle and adipose."

She said she wants to figure out what are the functions of Fyn kinase and AMPK in the brain. She thinks they may play some role in appetite control. She also wants to find out what usually controls Fyn kinase levels.