Junk Food Linked To Weight Gain In Schools? Apparently Not

Despite a tripling of obesity rates in US schools over the last forty years, and an increase in junk foods, candy and sugary drinks availability in schools, a new study claims to demonstrate that the two are not linked - put simply, the study researchers say that junk food at school does not appear to be associated with higher obesity and overweight rates. The study has been published in Sociology in Education, and was authored by Jennifer Van Hook, a Professor of Sociology and Demography, and doctoral student Claire Altman.



Prof. Hook said:

"We were really surprised by that result and, in fact, we held back from publishing our study for roughly two years because we kept looking for a connection that just wasn't there."

Prof. Hook and Claire E. Altman gathered data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999. The large study tracked the children all the way up to eighth grade. The researchers focused on a sample of 19,450 kids during the years 2003-2004 (fifth graders) and 2006-2007 (eighth graders).

Junk food was available in 86.3% of the eighth graders' schools and 59.2% of the fifth graders'.

Even though the percentage rise in junk food availability and accessibility from fifth to eighth grade was significant, the obesity/overweight rates in the two age groups remained pretty much the same. In fact, (obesity/overweight) rates dropped as the children got older - from 39.1% in fifth graders to 35.4% in eighth graders.

Van Hook said:

"There has been a great deal of focus in the media on how schools make a lot of money from the sale of junk food to students, and on how schools have the ability to help reduce childhood obesity. In that light, we expected to find a definitive connection between the sale of junk food in middle schools and weight gain among children between fifth and eighth grades.

But, our study suggests that - when it comes to weight issues - we need to be looking far beyond schools and, more specifically, junk food sales in schools, to make a difference."

The authors believe that authorities need to focus on the home and family environments, plus other broader non-school environments, if they want to tackle childhood obesity effectively.

Van Hook explained:

"Schools only represent a small portion of children's food environment. They can get food at home, they can get food in their neighborhoods, and they can go across the street from the school to buy food. Additionally, kids are actually very busy at school.

When they're not in class, they have to get from one class to another and they have certain fixed times when they can eat. So, there really isn't a lot of opportunity for children to eat while they're in school, or at least eat endlessly, compared to when they're at home. As a result, whether or not junk food is available to them at school may not have much bearing on how much junk food they eat."

According to the findings in this study, combating childhood obesity/overweight is most effective when younger children are targeted.

The authors wrote:

"There has been a lot of research showing that many children develop eating habits and tastes for certain types of foods when they are of preschool age, and that those habits and tastes may stay with them for their whole lives," Van Hook said. "So, their middle school environments might not matter a lot."

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

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Leg Pain Can Mean Heart Danger, Expert Says

David Dow thought he was having back problems, and that his legs were hurting as a result. As it turns out, that pain may have saved his life.

An otherwise healthy 57-year-old, he figured he just needed to learn some back-strengthening exercises, so he found a personal trainer to help him. But despite the workouts, his leg pain got worse making it hard for him even to walk from the car to the grocery store entrance. He and the trainer suspected something else was wrong and he sought the advice of his doctor.

Soon his doctor's tests revealed the true cause: blockages in the blood vessels of his legs. In fact, the arteries going to his lower extremities were nearly 100 percent blocked. The cause? Years of heavy smoking and high-fat meals, and other factors had caused cholesterol, scar tissue and blood clots to build up inside his blood vessels.

Most people think this kind of clogged artery disease, or arteriosclerosis, only happens in the heart. But as Dow's case shows, it can happen throughout the body. When it does, it's called peripheral arterial disease, or PAD.

And in some people, PAD causes leg pain that acts as an 'early warning' that someone is at high risk for a heart attack or a stroke, says a University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center expert.

"This is the hallmark of a disease that's all over," says James Stanley, M.D., a director of the U-M CVC and the vascular surgeon who operated on Dow. "It's like gray hair you don't just get it on one side of your head. So if you've got this kind of blockage in your leg, you're going to have it other places."

In fact, nearly a quarter of people who have leg pain due to PAD will be dead in five years, mostly due to heart attacks and other heart problems, Stanley says. For people like Dow, whose leg pain kept them from walking even short distances, the odds are even worse: as many as half will die by five years.

Fortunately, Dow got diagnosed and treated before that happened to him. Stanley performed a bypass operation to open his blocked leg arteries, similar to the bypasses that heart patients have. A recent checkup showed he's doing well.

"For sure, it's a wake-up call," says Dow, who has quit smoking and changed his eating habits. "You know that old saying, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire'? I'm sure that I not only have the vascular issues in my lower extremities, but I'm sure I have them in other parts of my body."

Dow isn't alone, says Stanley, who has operated on thousands of patients with severe PAD in his decades as a professor of vascular surgery at the U-M Medical School. Nearly 30 million people in the United States have some form of PAD, though the vast majority are "silent" cases that don't cause symptoms. Among people over age 70, nearly one person in five has PAD.
Who's most at risk for PAD? People over 50, smokers, people with diabetes, people with high blood pressure, people with high cholesterol, and people who are overweight or obese, Stanley explains. In other words, it's the same group of individuals who have a high risk of heart attack and stroke.

So, the advice for preventing PAD, or stopping it before it gets serious, is largely the same as the advice for preventing a heart attack or stroke: Quit smoking, eat healthier, get more exercise, control your blood sugar if you have diabetes, lose weight, and get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked. And ask your doctor if you should take a daily aspirin to prevent clots, or drugs to reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol.

Even though PAD makes people's legs hurt or feel tired when they walk or exercise a symptom that doctors call '"claudication" which feels like a "Charlie horse" type cramp one of the best things to do is to walk more, says Stanley.

"The more a patient walks, the more likely it is that they will develop little 'detour' blood vessels, called 'collateral' vessels, around the obstruction," he explains. The large majority of people can develop these vessels that will ease the pain.

But in some people, PAD has already gotten bad enough to cause pain or numbness even when the person is sleeping something called "rest pain." Stanley says this pain often awakens patients from sleep. It most often occurs in the ball of the feet and may feel like someone has wrapped a bandage around the foot. This level of symptoms is ominous, he says, because it indicates a more severe blockage without adequate collateral vessels.

Another sign of severe PAD is the development of painful sores, or ulcers, on the feet and toes. These occur because the blood flow to the lower leg isn't enough to feed the tissue, and it begins to break down. People with diabetes, whose bodies have an especially hard time healing such ulcers, are most at risk. Left untreated, skin ulcers can get worse and even turn into gangrene often leading to amputation.

The vast majority of PAD cases are nowhere near this serious. But people who don't get help for symptoms when they first start may find their problem becoming much worse over time.

So, Stanley recommends that anyone who has discomfort in their leg or legs, especially new pain that lasts more than a week, should talk to a doctor. She or he might perform a Doppler examination a painless, non-invasive ultrasound test that detects blood pressure in the extremity.

The Doppler test can tell whether someone has PAD and how bad the blockage might be. Depending on the result, the doctor might recommend an MRA (magnetic resonance arteriogram) of the leg, or a conventional arteriogram that involves injecting dye into the leg arteries through a device called a catheter.

If a severe blockage is found, like in Dow's case, there are several options. Two are similar to those for heart patients: a minimally invasive procedure like an angioplasty that opens blockages with a tiny balloon, or bypass surgery to place a new graft to carry blood into the blocked area.

There are also promising new options on the horizon, to help the body grow new blood vessels in the blocked area. The U-M CVC the first place in the world where patients with severe PAD can volunteer for an experimental new gene-therapy treatment called MultiGeneAngio.

The MultiGeneAngio trial takes cells from a vein in the patient's arm, adds in new genes that encourage the growth of blood vessels, and then injects the cells into the blocked artery using a minimally invasive technique. Right now, it's still being tested for safety and to find the right dose of cells, says Michael Grossman, M.D., the U-M interventional cardiologist who is leading the study at U-M. But if the study proves successful it may one day become a new treatment option for patients.

Until that day, the best weapon against PAD is better knowledge of the fact that pain in the legs is more than an inconvenience. "If one has PAD there are two issues," says Stanley. "What happens to your leg, and what happens to your life."

Facts about peripheral arterial disease or PAD:

•   Peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, is sometimes called peripheral vascular disease. Both names describe the blocking of blood vessels in the peripheral parts of the body, away from the heart.
•  The blockages are caused by the buildup of cholesterol, scar tissue and blood clots within the blood vessel - the same thing that happens in the blood vessels that feed the heart.
•  PAD interferes with the flow of blood to the legs and feet, which can cause pain or numbness in the legs. When the pain occurs while a person is walking or exercising, it's called claudication. When it occurs as a person is sleeping, it's called rest pain.
•  Similar blockages in the heart or brain may cause a heart attack or stroke.
•  People with PAD, especially PAD that causes pain, have a much higher than normal risk of having a heart attack or stroke. PAD is considered a warning sign for more serious, life-threatening problems.
•  PAD is more likely to develop in people who have an inherited (genetic) tendency to develop blocked arteries, and in people over age 50. It's also much more common in people who smoke, people who have have diabetes, high levels of blood fat (for example, cholesterol) and high blood pressure, and in people who are overweight. African-Americans appear to have a higher risk than other groups.
•  PAD can be diagnosed using an ultrasound test.
•  People who have PAD should quit smoking if they haven't already done so.
•  PAD can be treated using exercise, dietary changes, good blood-sugar control, and medications to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. Severe cases are treated with minimally invasive procedures or surgery.

Source:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

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22 Cheap and Easy Ways to Eat Healthy

Proper nutrition is important every day, but now there’s even more reason to ditch the bag o’chips and go for the greens. Today, November 7, is National Eating Healthy Day, a holiday sponsored by the American Heart Association. And it just so happens we’ve found 22 ways to celebrate. So forget about the tempting smells from the pizza place down the block or how easy it is to pick up a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on the way to work. These tips make eating healthy not only easier, but often cheaper, too. 

At the Grocery Store

1. Make a grocery list (and stick to it). By heading to the store with a clear list of what’s necessary, it’s much easier to avoid last-minute purchases. (Some studies say shoppers may still make impulsive buys… but the list can’t hurt.) Feeling techy? Try one of the many apps that can help with shopping, like GroceryIQ or Shopper.

2. Don’t go shopping hungry. Even after you take the time to write a meticulous grocery list, if that stomach is grumbling so loudly the people in the next aisle can hear it, chances are something surprising’s going to jump into the shopping cart. Avoid succumbing to last-minute cravings (like, say, for lardwiches) by eating a healthy snack (or meal) before heading to the store.

3. Buy more greens. On that weekly trip to the grocery store, grab some extra green vegetables for health benefits like a stronger immune system. They’re super-healthy (kale and spinach are bona fide superfoods!) and easy to fit into any meal!

4. Choose fresh or frozen over canned. For veggies, soups, and beans, nixing the can cuts out unnecessary sodium. For fruit, it avoids excess sugar. Plus, the fresh stuff always tastes better. And, perhaps surprisingly, canned produce can actually end up costing more (or at least the same amount) as the fresh stuff!

5. If you can’t grow it or raise it (theoretically), don’t eat it. Monosodium glutamate doesn’t grow on trees. Neither does high fructose corn syrup or Yellow No. 5. But at least one of these ingredients is found in many (if not most) of the processed foods on grocery store shelves, from chips to fruit juice. And these ingredients have been linked to everything from obesity and diabetes to brain and liver damage. If whatever’s in that grocery basket couldn’t theoretically come from your own backyard, swap it for something closer to the original. Choose whole potatoes over a box of mashed; pick plain ol’ oats instead of pre-sweetened packets.

6. Choose whole grains. When grains are processed — like, say, to become white flour used in crackers, cookies, or white bread — two essential parts of the grain (the bran and germ) are removed. The problem is these parts hold the most health benefits and nutrients, including vitamin E, major B vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Look for the “Whole Grain Stamp” on packaging or just opt for ingredients like whole grain, brown rice, and oats.

7. Avoid sweetened drinks. Added sugar is a big no-no. Not only does it pack on calories, but eating foods with added sugar has also been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and weight gain. Replace sweetened beverages (even artificially sweetened diet drinks) with water, seltzer, and fresh fruit, or 100 percent fruit juices diluted with water.

8. Eat naturally sweet food (and don’t add extra sugar to it!). Some of us have a sweet tooth, but instead of indulging in sugar-packed processed foods, choose naturally sweet ones to cut down on sugar cravings later. Start in the fruit section and choose naturally sweet vegetables like beets, corn, and sweet potatoes (just to name a few!).

9. Buy in bulk and divide into portions. Yes, this strategy is mostly a way to cut down on cost. But buying in bulk — anything from vegetables, to meat, to grains — can also cut down on shopping time, so there’s more time left to prepare healthy meals.

10. Stick to the edges of the grocery store. The outer edges are typically home to fresh produce, meats, dairy, and breads. The inner aisles usually feature highly-processed items packed with extra sugar and artificial ingredients. There are always exceptions, of course, but try sticking to the 80:20 rule (80 percent of the grocery cart from outside the aisles, 20 percent from inside the aisles) for a healthier diet.

Food Storage and Prep

11. Make grocery day “Food Prep Extravaganza.” To cut down drastically on food prep throughout the week, do it all at once after returning home from the store. Unwrap, clean, and cut up meat to freeze or refrigerate in portions. Wash and prep all produce. Chop and freeze anything that may be used at a later date. Pre-portion snack foods (see below), and yogurt or rolled oats for easy breakfasts throughout the week! (Overnight Oats are a favorite in the Greatist office!)

12. Prepare your own food as often as possible. We’re not talking give up eating out entirely — it’s no fun skipping those special restaurant dinners! But by preparing as many meals as possible on your own, it’s much easier to know (and control) exactly what’s going into your body, without any sneaky ingredients. Going to be at work during the lunch hour? Pack something to eat there. No time to eat before heading out in the AM? Bring something to eat on the way or at the office.

13. Pre-package snacks. When eating out of a family-sized potato chip bag, it’s easy to keep reaching that hand in until all that’s left are the greasy crumbs. Instead of wasting away in a bottomless pit of chips, try pre-portioning snack foods into single-serving plastic baggies or reusable containers.

14. Grow your own herbs. Fresh herbs (or freshly dried ones) are a great way to season food without excess salt, butter, or cheese. Growing a personal herb garden isn’t only good for that belly — it’s also an easy way to pretty up any space! All that’s necessary for a DIY herb garden is a few small planters and an empty windowsill (even the Greatist office has one!).

15. Store the healthiest food in the front of the fridge. When the fridge door opens, make sure you see the healthiest items first. If the leftover chocolate cake is shoved in the back corner, chances are the eye will gravitate towards the shiny apple right up front first. Bonus points for storing healthy options in transparent containers and unhealthy stuff in opaque ones so you see the healthy stuff before the stomach really starts grumbling.

Cooking and Mealtime

16. Sneak veggies into everything. We even have a few ways to fit veggies into dessert. Yep, we went there.

17. Forget about counting calories. Checking every nutrition label before chowing down is annoying (to say the least). Instead focus on meals that include a variety of nutrients, colors, and fresh ingredients. It’s much easier to keep a healthy, balanced diet this way than by counting calories.

18. Eat a healthy breakfast! Starting the day off right is key to eating healthy all day long. So what makes the best breakfast? One study found consuming protein for breakfast can help prevent overeating later in the day, but another found that eating a big breakfast with dessert could help keep off excess pounds. Choose what works best for you.

19. Opt for smaller portions. When restaurants pile plates bigger than a human head, it’s easy to overeat. Limit those portions to less gargantuan sizes to easily eat a little healthier. Not sure where to start? Try these portion-size plates, or learn how to estimate serving sizes for certain foods. And here’s a great tip for eating out: To avoid eating more than planned, ask the server to wrap up half the dish beforehand and go home with a pre-made doggie bag.

20. Replace dessert with fruit. (…Or at least add fruit to dessert.) While some varieties can be high in sugar, fruit is a great way to satisfy that sweet tooth without breaking the sugar bank. Plus, it offers health benefits typical desserts can’t, like fiber and antioxidants. And opting for fruit can help avoid that dreaded sugar crash.

21. Pace your mealtime. When we eat quickly, our bodies don’t always have time to realize we’re full — so it’s easy to overeat. Enjoy what’s on the plate, and stop eating as soon as that stomach gives the first hint of being full. It’s always possible to eat more later.

22. Consider not buying unhealthy stuff in the first place. ‘Nuff said.

Article source: http://greatist.com/health/22-cheap-and-easy-ways-to-eat-healthy-041012

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Can Drinking Coffee Help You Lose Weight ?

The idea that drinking coffee helps you to lose weight has been around for ages, and we’re here to tell you, it doesn’t. For coffee drinkers out there hoping to hear that it does, we’re sorry to burst your bubble. Where does the coffee and weight loss myth come in? Caffeine and appetite suppression.

Coffee and Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant, and as such is thought to boost your metabolism so you can burn more fat. If it does in fact boost the metabolism, the amount of caffeine you’d have to consume to see real results would be potentially deadly. It can however be used to give you a little kick start just before a workout but drinking it all day long hoping for some permanent 24/7 fat loss is not going to happen.

Caffeine, though a stimulant is also a diuretic. Diuretics are chemicals that pull water from the body, which in turn will dehydrate you. Ever notice you have to run to the bathroom a lot when you’ve had a lot of caffeine? That’s why. If you’ve been drinking coffee on a regular basis and see weight loss on the scale, it is likely just water weight, which will rebound quickly. It will be hard to lose fat by relying on the caffeine in coffee. The caffeine in coffee can also cause your blood pressure to rise, as well as your heart rate, and you’ll find it harder to sleep at night. You’ll eventually crash and possibly crave sweets to pick yourself back up, feeling worse than you did before you needed the boost. Fat loss tends to be a lot of water weight at first, so this is a key reason why the myth is so easy to believe.

Coffee and Appetite Suppression

Sadly, drinking a cup of coffee in the morning will not suppress your appetite any more than a cup of another liquid. It’s going to work by filling your stomach, just the way a glass of water or milk will. The difference? Coffee, especially if you pack on the cream and sugar will be much higher in calories than water or skim milk. It will not last long, and you’ll be hungry again pretty quickly. Don’t rely on it to help you feel less hungry! If you really want appetite suppression, eat higher quality foods that are good for you and filling. A bowl of whole grain oatmeal topped with some berries will keep you feeling full and give you plenty of energy until your mid-morning snack time. Eating plenty of fiber is the healthiest way to suppress your appetite, which will help with your weight loss efforts far more than coffee ever could.

So what can you do if you’re addicted to coffee and you don’t want it to ruin your health and weight loss goals or you want to use it, as I do, for a pre workout kickstart?

• Drink it black with no sugar, and limit yourself to two  cups per day. Never replace a meal with coffee.
  
• Consider switching to decaf coffee if you are only drinking it for pleasure.
  
• Skip the cappuccino s and latte’s. If you can’t, make sure to use low fat milk.
  
• Consider switching to green tea, which has been shown to have many health benefits.

It’s up to you what to do. We’re not telling you to completely give up your coffee, but now that you know the truth about it, make sure you use it in a way that it will help you with your fat loss goals instead of workout against you!

Article source:http://www.sixpackfactory.com/coffee-lose-weight

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Are Eggs Healthy? Study Denies Link to Cardiovascular Disease

Some like ’em green and with ham; others eat them scrambled; but it seems some people are just plain confused about whether they should eat eggs at all.

For years now, eggs have made new headlines every few months, with one study declaring their nutritional benefits and another implicating yolks as a potential cause of cardiovascular disease. Now, researchers say eating one whole egg a day (hold the ham) is just fine, and isn’t associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke. Egg-cellent.

What’s the Deal?

In the latest research, researchers reviewed a set of studies conducted between January 1966 and June 2012. All the studies examined the link between egg consumption and the risk of CHD and stroke. Additionally, all studies were prospective, meaning they followed people throughout their lives and didn’t just look back at their egg-eating habits. It turns out, for non-diabetic people, there was no association between eating up to one egg a day and CHD or stroke. For diabetics, on the other hand, high egg consumption (up to one egg per day) was linked to an increased risk of heart disease, though the researchers say they didn’t look at enough studies of diabetic patients to draw any definite conclusions.

Is It Legit? 

Possibly. The researchers really did their homework, and backed up their claims with a slew of reasons why eggs might not be linked to an increased risk for CHD or stroke. For one thing, some research suggests lowering the amounts of cholesterol in our diet by eating fewer eggs doesn’t actually decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Instead, eating a diet that’s overall low in saturated fat and cholesterol might be a better bet to help reduce the risk of CVD[3]. The study authors also point out that eating eggs promotes the formation of larger LDL and HDL particles, which might actually protect against artherosclerosis. And there’s some evidence that eating protein-rich foods (such as eggs) instead of carbohydrates could lower the risk of CHD. Even the dose of vitamin D in eggs might help keep CVD at bay.

These findings support a range of other research suggesting that, in non-diabetic men and women, an egg a day isn’t associated with an increased risk of heart disease. It’s also worth noting that some of the recent research demonizing eggs suggests that egg consumption is only a problem for people already at risk for heart disease.

Of course, the study authors acknowledge that there could have been errors in the measurement of egg consumption and other eating habits. And there definitely needs to be more research on the effects of high egg consumption in diabetics and people at risk for heart disease.

Those who are concerned about their cholesterol intake might consider eating just the egg whites. For everyone else, the only question is: fried, poached, or sunny-side up?

Article source: http://greatist.com/health/are-eggs-healthy-012913

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The No:1 Diet Mistake that Causes Plateaus (And how to Fix It Instantly)

Today I am going to reveal one of the simplest yet most devastating diet mistakes I see people make on a daily basis. In fact this diet mistake can sometimes solely be responsible for you hitting a plateau.

Now let me just start and say, this is not really your fault because I have come across very few diet manuals in my time that actually talk about this and if it was not for me making this mistake myself many years ago when I did my own body transformation I probably would not have actually discovered it myself.

So what is it? CALORIE ADJUSTING!

Say WHAT??? Let me explain…

So you are starting a new diet and after you read the whole book you are being told to calculate your daily calorie intake that will help you lose weight. So you start by getting your BMR ( Base Metabolic Rate ) and then deduct a few calories off that so that you are on a calorie deficit diet and hopefully lose some weight this way. Now when you start you calculate all of this for your weight at that moment. Let’s say it was 250lbs for argument sake.

6 Weeks later you have lost 18 pounds but you can’t seem to lose one more pound. You are doing everything exactly the way you have been doing it up to this point to lose that first 10 pounds. You are sticking to your diet and busting your butt in the gym but nothing is happening. YOU HAVE HIT A PLATEAU so to speak. You then start to blame the workout program or the diet, some people resort to drastic measures like taking more and more fat burners and then, probably the worst, some people just STOP and give up.

Now first of all, some of the above reasons like a bad workout or diet program can be to blame but more often than not, it is in fact just a simple diet mistake that is causing all of this.

See after you’ve lost the first 18 pounds you can’t continue to eat the same amount of calories you used to eat when you were 250lbs and expect to still lose weight. Your body now needs less calories and unless you ADJUST YOUR CALORIE intake you are literally going to eat as many calories as you burn each day and that means you will not lose any more weight because you don’t have a calorie deficit anymore.

By simply readjusting your daily calorie intake again you could start to lose weight again almost instantly. In fact I get my clients to readjust their calorie intake each week as they lose enough weight for it to have an effect on their daily calorie intake.
So if you feel you have hit a plateau, before you start to blame the whole world, make sure you have not made this simple diet mistake that could possibly be the reason for you not getting the results you used to get.

CLICK HERE TO CALCULATE HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD EAT EACH DAY TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Article source : http://www.sixpackfactory.com/diet-mistake-that-causes-plateaus-and-how-to-fix-it-instantly

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How Many Calories Do You Need for Fat Loss

To maintain energy and a stable weight, the number of calories you eat must equal the number of calories you expend. The number of calories you expend depends on your Basal Metabolic Rate(BMR) and your activity level. Your BMR is affected by multiple factors such as: genetics, age, sex, and height (things you can’t change), and body composition (muscle and fat) and activity level (things you can change).

However if you wish to lose weight then you need to expend more calories than consumed.

The first step in designing a personal nutrition plan for yourself is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day; your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is the total number of calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities. TDEE is also known as your “maintenance level”. Knowing your maintenance level will give you a starting reference point from which to begin your diet.

There are many different formulas you can use to determine your caloric maintenance level by taking into account the factors of age, sex, height, weight, lean body mass, and activity level. Any formula that takes into account your lean body mass (LBM) will give you the most accurate determination of your energy expenditure, but even without LBM you can still get a reasonably close estimate. A fast and easy method to determine calorie needs is based on total bodyweight and activity level.

Quick Method
 

Body weight (in lb) X 11-13

Multiply by:

11 for Low Activity ( Training 2 to 3 Days Per Week )

12 for Moderate Activity ( Training 4 to 5 Days Per Week )

13 for High Activity ( Training 6 to 7 Day Per Week )

Example

184 lbs ( My Weight ) x 13 ( High Activity ) = 2392 cals per day

This will give you your calorie range.  This is a starting point and is a very easy way to estimate caloric needs, but there are obvious drawbacks to this method and you should only use this as a guide.

Once you have this value, structure your meals accordingly with regards to your proteins, carbohydrates and fats (Macronutrients) depending on your goals. Remember also to taper your calories as your day progresses as less energy is required later in the day.  Keep a very accurate food log for each day as well as this is what you will fall back on after a few weeks to make sure you continue to get results or if you are not getting the kind of results you have been looking for and need to make some adjustments.

Now after one to two weeks weigh yourself or take your fat % again.  You would like to be 1-2 ( 2 to 4 lbs. ) kilograms or percent lower than your first measurement.  If you have not changed at all decrease your calories by 200.  If after another week no change has occurred follow the same process again by reducing your calories by another 200.

If this still has not provided you with the kind of result you are looking for ( And be realistic about things )rather increase your activity in the form of cardio and weight training exercises.

Try not to ever go below 1200 calories per day.

A few final points. First of all, try not to decrease your calories and increase your exercise at the same time.  It will make it difficult to determine exactly which aspect of the modifications you made is working for you as well as making you feel drained and weak, not the kind of lifestyle you are looking for!

And then lastly. The reason we say to try the total calories you just calculated for a few weeks before you start to subtract 200 cals is because most people are already over eating. So by starting to eat the amount of calories from the calculation above, 90% of you will already be eating 300 to 600 calories less than what you are doing now. So first try that and if you are not losing weight then only do you start bringing your total calories down by another 200 for a few weeks and following the other rules mentioned above.

Article Source: http://www.sixpackfactory.com/how-many-calories-for-fat-loss

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5 Super Foods You Should Be Eating Daily

Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. More and more people are buying the latest supplements and following the latest training fad. All of this is for naught if we eat garbage. By this I mean, a diet that consists highly processed products and fast foods. You can buy every pill under the sun and work out like an Olympian, but if your diet is high in sugars, trans fats, and chemicals, you won't see any progress.

Health and fitness has grown steadily into multi-billion dollar industries. As of late, the new buzzword in the media is super foods, but what exactly are they and why should you eat them? Good question. Super foods are nutrient dense, low calorie foods that are chock-full of antioxidants and essential nutrients that our bodies cannot produce. In other words, these are the pound-for-pound Champions of healthy food.

Below are 5 super foods that you should be eating in some form every day.

1. Kale is the most nutrient dense plant on the planet. An organic bundle will be under $3 and packed with calcium and vitamins B & C. Try baking your own kale chips. They are a yummy alternative to potato chips. I use kale in my morning shakes and evening salads along with...

2. Spinach is jam-packed with iron, Vitamins A & K, and the eye saving lutein. I also use this one in my salad and shakes or lightly cooked with grass-fed butter, sea salt, and fresh garlic. Absolutely delicious!

3. Matcha green tea is a must for anyone looking to lose weight and get a ton of nutrients in one cup. The latest research shows that green tea can kill cancer cells by cutting off the blood supply to them. When consumed with meals, green tea decreases the absorption of fat. Japanese matcha is the best.

4. Coconut is great for many things. During and after your workout, drink coconut water, instead of sports drinks, to replenish fluids and electrolytes that were lost in sweat. Use coconut oil to cook because it is the most heat stable oil and supports a healthy heart. The medium chain triglycerides found in it feeds the brain so that it functions optimally while lauric acid supports a healthy immunity. Coconut oil can also be used in your hair and on your skin as lotion.

5. Fermented foods are also known as prebiotics, which are foods that stimulate the growth of "good" bacteria in the gut. When the good guys outnumber the bad guys by a lot, then your health improves because your immune system is stronger. Some good fermented options are miso soup, kefir, kimchee, sauerkraut, and natto. These are acquired tastes, but definitely worth trying.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Rawle_Shewprashad

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Lose Weight This Year With The Diet Solution Program

Is one of your goals for the New Year to lose weight? Are you hoping to get in shape FAST-but in a healthy way? Weight loss is usually one of the Top 10 New Year's Resolutions people make... EVERY YEAR. Finally achieve your goals this year with a program designed to help you shed pounds without starving yourself or costing you lots of time and money.

Turn your weight loss "resolution" into a "solution" with The Diet Solution Program by Isabel De Los Rios.

Does that sound too good to be true?

Well, it IS too good to be true. The facts show that when people take on a weight loss or diet program:

- they DO starve by cutting out whole food groups, skipping breakfast, following the latest and greatest "lose weight fast" program.

- they DO spend A LOT of time trying to diet, writing things down, going to weight-loss meetings, heading to the gym, finding the newest exercise fad that promises "you'll lose inches in weeks".

- and they DO spend A LOT of money on joining a gym with monthly fees anywhere from $10.00 to $60.00 EACH month, even those weight loss meetings cost money. Diet pills are costly and most are unsafe and unnecessary.

Does even just one of the above sound like something you've done or tried before?

I'm here to tell you that it does NOT have to be this way. How do I know? I know because I decided to take a test drive of a program I found online called The Diet Solution Program. It almost should not use the word "diet" in its title, as it's really a solution, a healthy eating lifestyle program. All for the cost of a one month of gym membership-and my two feet to exercise with, I obtained a program that contains everything needed to lose weight. I found it is possible to begin losing weight fast by following a healthy regimen of the right foods and the right exercise. I was impressed with fact I was able to purchase the program online and download it immediately.

The key to success is having everything you need in one place at the time YOU need it. Most people find themselves with the best of intentions. "I'm gonna lose weight this year no matter what!" and go to the gym only to find they aren't quite sure of what exactly will work for them and what will not work for them. So for the first few weeks, they do what they THINK will work while never really knowing if it is enough or IF it work at all.

After the gym, they go food shopping and buy items that are listed as "diet" and "healthy" food, like frozen diet entrees. These foods are highly processed and really don't help you to fuel your body for energy and sustenance. As soon as you stop eating "diet" foods, the weight comes back. One of the foods many people are told they need to give up to lose weight is the whole food group of carbohydrates. People give up all bread and pasta, etc... THEN they find they are exhausted and cannot continue on their weight loss journey. Frustration sets in, and well, it doesn't get any better. But The Diet Solution Program shows you how you can still eat carbohydrates and lose weight.

The Diet Program Solution by Isabel De Los Rios, an exercise and nutrition specialist with 10+ years of experience as a certified nutrition and fitness professional. This is an online program that you can download (Yay! You can have it with you all the time!) and follow without going to meetings, or worse, feeling like you are on your own. The Diet Program Solution really IS a solution because the manual covers everything you need to lose weight and achieve your goals. You can adapt her teaching to YOUR daily life and activities and food likes.

Losing weight is not the easiest thing to do, but it does NOT have to be the hardest either. I couldn't review a program without trying it first. About a year ago, I tried a VERY strict eating plan (let's just say the food "cabbage" was in it), and I could barely manage to do the recommended 3-5 times a week of 30-45 minutes of cardio exercise. Needless to say, after about two weeks, I was done. My job and life at the time got incredible busy, so I was now also eating out more often. I watched infomercials at 3am (like I said, my life got busy and I had odd hours), and just did not trust ordering from the television.

I decided to search on the internet. When I found the Diet Solution Program, it interested me A LOT. I did NOT order right away. I read a review and checked out the site-just like you are doing now. I watched Isabel's videos. She is definitely knowledgeable on the subject of weight loss and did not seem to be making promises of the "seas parting" and losing 20 pounds in one month Frankly, the program seemed, well, MANAGEABLE. Throw in the 60-day guaranteed refund if I wasn't happy, and I figured it was a lot easier than other options I had tried and certainly worth looking into.

I started the program about 3 months ago and I have lost 16 pounds to date. Is it a ton of weight loss? No, but its better than the usual 1-2 pounds and the bigger point here is that I'M LOSING WEIGHT IN A HEALTHY WAY-FINALLY! I'm noticing a difference. The Diet Solution Program is manageable! YIPPEE! I walk 3 times a week and feel pretty good. I'd recommend adding some more exercise... but I'm off to a great start because her program really lets me eat (I LOVE FOOD!) A 15 pound weight loss can mean more of your wardrobe fitting. There are tons of testimonials on the website that really attest to the fact that YOU LOSE WEIGHT ON THE DIET SOLUTION PROGRAM. I haven't even used all of the teaching that the program provides yet. I'm still just as busy as I was-my schedule hasn't changed... but my lifestyle has changed and I have more energy to get through the day and YOU WILL TOO. I found myself mostly fascinated with how the author taught me that I have a metabolic type and need to eat according to my "type". There are three types - carbohydrate, protein and mixed.

The Diet Program Solution contains the following:

A fully detailed MANUAL that explains how to apply the knowledge she is going to educate you with. The manual is a comprehensive tool to be read and referred to over and over again. You'll learn HOW to eat the right foods (yes, even yummy foods) and lose weight. She takes the "diet" out of the plan and educates the reader on what to eat and how to combine foods for the healthiest way to actually see results on the scale!

The proper food lists and meal plans for each and every day to guide you. Fresh vegetables and fruits are an important component of the plan (I'd be wary of any plan that DOESN'T promote these food groups!)

Grocery store shopping lists - Go armed to the supermarket with these and it will be easy to bypass that frozen meal section! It's also a huge time-saver.

A full recipe program is included that pulls it all together for you so you won't be wondering what to eat. For example, I personally have a sweet tooth for cranberry sauce-especially around ahem, "certain" holidays (gobble, gobble anyone?). I always buy a couple of cans. Now I have learned through this program how easy it is to make sweet, fresh cranberry sauce by using little more than fresh cranberries and water! To me, this is an example of the biggest "take-away" from the program. You can still eat your favorite foods by learning from Isabel how to eat them properly(not from a can). I'm sure you will also find an "a-ha" moment for some of your favorites as well.

If you think carbohydrates are off-limits on this plan - you are wrong. The Diet Solution Program includes carbohydrates-the right ones. This program is a well-rounded eating plan that will leave you feeling like you are just changing your style of eating to a healthier one. This is not a deprivation diet, although it's important to follow what the author guides you to eat.

If you can handle the side effect of having more energy (a bonus I wasn't expecting!), you will find yourself getting creative and making new recipes from the foods the diet teaches you about because both the food and what Isabel teaches you about eating just really makes it all "click" and you'll actually ENJOY eating right. I really think if this is the year you want to lose weight while getting healthier, then you need to research this plan and find out if it's right for you.You'll be able to cross "lose weight" off of your New Year's Resolution To-Do list once and for all.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6725472

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