How To Lose Belly Fat For Women Articles



How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat For Women

Not every woman wants to go to the gym and pump iron and do crunches while hanging upside down. In fact unless it's an all female gym it's sometimes a little creepy working out in the gym.



Can Losing Belly Fat Help Fix Your Marriage?

There are many reasons why marriages go bad and one of them has to do with no longer being physically attracted to a spouse. So what does losing weight have to do with restoring relationships or perhaps help in marriage? Well, you might be a little surprised about the connection.


Article Listing

Why Is Nutrition Important When Exercising?
Why Am I Not Losing Weight?
Beat Your Food Cravings
3 Things You Lose By Losing Weight And 3 Things You Gain
How To Overcome a Growing Weight Problem
Lose Weight Now - 9 Important Health Issues You Might Avoid
How To Keep Off Belly Fat If You Have To Dine Out Often
Which Is More Important For Weight Loss, Diet or Exercise?
Can Fiber Help Me Lose Weight?
Can I Reduce My Love Handles By Twisting Or Bending Side To Side?
If You Want To Lose Weight Read This Before You Get Started

Article 1     Back to Article Listing

Why is nutrition important when exercising?

Adequate nutrition is necessary if the benefits of exercising are to be achieved and should go hand in hand. During an exercise, the rate of metabolism (catabolism in this case) increases and that burns up a lot of calories. This means that there is depletion of our energy levels and thus must be replaced by proper nutrition.

While exercising, there is increase in the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats. They all need to be replaced and in cases where the essence is to build the muscles, will require that, adequate amino acid sources are ingested to allow the new rate of muscle building triggered off by the exercise.

The body demands increase tremendously and will take adequate amount of energy from carbohydrates to power the level of metabolism going on. Proteinous foods will supply the amino acids needed for muscle building. All these including micronutrients like B vitamins and chromium, antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, and minerals such as calcium and magnesium will be needed at extra quantities. The level of metabolism releases even more free radicals and as such, increase mop up action will be needed by anti-oxidants.

You will need to drink more water than you usually do. During exercising, you loss fluid extremely from sweat and insensible loses due to increase respiration, and so you are easily dehydrated. This can lead to heat stroke, hypovolemic shock, renal stone formation etc. So you will need a lot of water to cool off the exothermic reaction that is taking place in your body.

There is virtually an increase in every single chemical reaction in the body. Just as everything else is working overtime, so are the heart muscles. You will need to supply the heart with adequate vitamins like B and C, oxygen and other nutrients to ensure that the electrical activities in the heart continue to meet up the new demands. More sodium and potassium ions influx and efflux occurs and nutritional intake should be such that can meet up with these activities. Depletion of these ions could cause heart block.

Before or after exercises, adequate carbohydrate which is the main energy source for physical activities should be taken. If you want to do so before an exercise, you need to allow time for adequate digestion to occur and commence when the food is no longer much in the stomach to avoid Angina as blood flow is more to the abdominal organs thereby depriving the heart. Ideally, we should eat after a good rest following exercise paying attention to the needs of the body.

For athletes, wrestlers, boxers and other sports people, that strong grip and balance in the legs can not be developed if exercises are not properly complemented by good nutrition. For a strong grip, the muscles of the hands need to grow bigger and stronger, the leg muscles must grow bigger too for balance, and the bones are not going to be strong enough without adequate calcium supply from a diet rich in fruits, fish and milk. For more information regarding losing weight and better nutrition take a look at the products below:

Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat

Article 2     Back to Article Listing

Why am I not losing weight?

Have you found yourself asking this question after 6 months or 1 year of weight loss program? Maybe you have been dieting for a year now and you are probably also exercising, yet you don't seem to be making any progress and you are worried. So you are now asking, why?

Some people actually loss the weight, maybe in their first 6 months but later gain it back. If you're troubled by this it is most likely that you have been digressing from you plan. You're not alone in this if you must know there are about 70% of the populations who suffer this problem.


First check out with your doctor to make sure you are not suffering type 2 diabetes mellitus. But it could also be that you are suffering the same problem every body out there who is trying to loss weight is suffering. They fail to seek expert advice. Or they have but are not adhering strictly to what was prescribed. The thing is that, we know fat binders work, but not every fat binder out there works as expected or promised. You can not afford to exercises just every now and then and expect that because you are on a diet, you should loss weight. It doesn't just work that way. There has to be a well thought of diet plan as well as exercise plan.

Something I would suggest is maybe trying a particular kind of meal works for you, it makes sense to keep going with that food combined with fruits and vegetables. You can not keep trying different regimen forever; you need to stick to things that work. Use only tested diet plans.

If you have been using say, 1% milk that contains a very low amount of fat, then start using skim milk. You might want to incorporate lean protein like fish or chicken. You can also get good proteins from things like beans (some have more/better protein than others) or nuts.


Another secret is to stay away from snack bars. Don't buy and don't have it at home. Even if it belongs to someone else, the kid for example because, sometimes you will need a cooperative family to succeed in losing weight. The allure of these snacks is difficult to avoid sometimes. However, if you consider that your health is worth more than a couple of snacks, it should serve as enough motivation for you to want to stay alive.

I am out lining some of these steps because I believe your problem is in either your wrong diet plan or lack of consistency-maybe ignorance too. So you should include some weight lifting exercises into your routine. This weight does not have to be heavy- Cardiovascular exercise is great and plays an important role in reaching your goal weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, however, once you stop the exercise you stop burning calories as well. With this you not just burn calories during exercises but continue even after the exercise. For more information regarding losing weight and better nutrition take a look at the products below:


Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat

Article 3     Back to Article Listing

Beat Your Food Cravings

Many people suffer from food craving occasionally. Craving is always for a certain specific food or type of food, not just anything to satisfy hunger. Generally the craving is felt for candy, chocolate or something that will give sugar or carbohydrates to the body. It could even be the craving for potato chips or an extra glass of wine.

Quite often people think it is bad habits that are responsible for this craving, or that the person has poor will power. That is really not the case! The food cravings have biological reasons and to beat the food craving we must understand these underlying reasons.

Reasons for food craving

Whenever we are exhausted or we feel depressed we have low blood sugar condition and the body signals brain that it needs something to pep-it-up. This results in a craving for sugar or carbohydrates. One of the causes for this behavior is Serotonin, our basic feel-good hormone. The conditions of low level of Serotonin and low level of blood-sugar go hand-in-hand. That is why whenever there is less of Serotonin; we feel a craving for sweet food such as chocolates to make up for the shortage of sugar in blood.

Unfortunately, sugar or carbohydrates release only a short burst of serotonin; when that burst dies down, the craving returns. This leads us into a spiral.

Another reason is Adrenal Fatigue. When you feel stressed out or feel run own, when you have not had a restful sleep or you are feeling very tired for no specific reason, you are suffering from adrenal fatigue. In very severe cases the condition is called adrenal exhaustion. In the modern world this health disorder is quite common, but unfortunately it is very rarely appreciated as such.

In case of Adrenal Fatigue also the body sends a signal to the brain for a pick-me-up and that is your craving for sugar or carbohydrate snacks, or may be, coffee during the day; at night you may look for alcohol or carbohydrates. All of this only makes the problem worse.

It is also seen that persons, who keep themselves on a low fat, low carbohydrate diet on a long time or have been taking appetite suppressants, do have food craving; it is because they have become at least partially insulin resistant without realizing this condition. In the normal course blood sugar level of the body is maintained stable by the action of insulin; insulin signals the cells of the body to absorb glucose from the bloodstream when necessary. Because of their insulin resistant condition, the cells do not respond to the signal and cannot mop up glucose they need. This results in a distress signal to the brain asking for more carbohydrates or sugar. The body thus receives excess calories which are deposited as fat and the person starts gaining weight in spite of eating less.


Beating the craving

If you appreciate the basic reasons for the craving, then beating the food craving can be done. It may take a little time but it can be done. To break food cravings, the body needs real healthy foods, additional nutritional supplements (of pharmaceutical grade) at times; this and moderate exercise can help curb cravings. This process may take some time, but it will succeed. For more information regarding losing weight and better nutrition take a look at the products below:

Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat


Article 4     Back to Article Listing

3 Things you lose by Losing Weight and 3 Things you Gain

Lose weight and gain happiness? This statement in no way is meant to insult anyone who by society standards would be considered overweight. This statement is also not implying that if a person is overweight he/she cannot be happy. I'm living proof.

With that said there are some who believe that given the choice to be overweight or not most would choose to not be overweight.

1. Lose weight and you lower the possibility for having long term and lingering health issues. There are a number of illnesses associated with being overweight. To name a few you have high blood pressure, heart disease, abnormal cholesterol levels, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

1a. Lose weight and gain or improve your short term and long term health situation and add years to your life. Losing weight will allow you to increase your energy level, lower your cholesterol levels, reduce your blood pressure, reduce aches and pains, improve mobility, improve your breathing, help you sleep better and wake more rested, decreases your risk of sudden death from heart disease or stroke.

2. Lose weight and you lose the mental stress sometimes created due to unhappiness with your looks. Less face it we all want to look good right? Again, please don't be offended by this statement. If you are overweight it doesn't mean you don't look good. This statement applies to those who are not happy with their weight and the way they look. This causes a lot of stress for some people and this can easily lead to diminished health and/or increased propensity to illness; to avoid this, stress must be managed. To avoid this stress weight must be managed.

2a. Lose weight and gain or improve your mental state of being. The late Michael Jackson had the following words in one of his many hits "I always feel like somebody is watching me". Lose weight and your body will feel better and your mind will be at peace. Once your confidence starts going up you won't care who is watching you. Your social life will improve and you're self confidence will shoot through the roof.

3. Lose weight and lose the phobia's associated with being overweight. A phobia is an irrational, intense, persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, or people. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. There are varying degrees of phobias from a very mild case to when the fear is beyond one's control, in which case you could be looking at one of the anxiety disorders. There are some overweight people who avoid going to certain places for fear of being teased or embarrassed about their weight. They avoid having their picture taken and avoid mirrors.

3a. Lose weight and gain control of your life back. You will no longer be afraid to step on a scale or visit the Doctor. The days of worrying who is watching you will be over. The walls around you will come tumbling down and any low self esteem you had will be eliminated.

So how do you improve your health and happiness future?

1. You decide today that you love yourself and your family and friends to much to not gain control over your overweight situation.

2. You believe with all your heart, mind and soul that days, weeks and months from now you will succeed.

The battle begins with your attitude and state of mind towards taking control over the situation. With the right attitude, diet and exercise you will succeed in your quest. If you have some weight you would like to lose you must believe and start now.

For more information regarding losing weight and better nutrition take a look at the products below:

Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat


Article 5     Back to Article Listing

How to Overcome a Growing Weight Problem

One of the biggest problems you will face in your battle to overcome a growing weight problem is you. Losing weight is one challenge but the bigger challenge is keeping the weight off. You may see some celebrities lose 30 or 40 pounds and 6 months later you see them on a daytime talk show and they are back to their original weight. Even folks with billions of dollars struggle trying to figure out how to overcome a growing weight problem.

You know that it is possible to overcome your weight problem. You just need to improve in a couple of areas so you can successfully manage your weight. Albert Einstein who was a pretty intelligent guy suggested that it is insane to keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results. So we sometimes need to change our ways to overcome a growing weight problem or lose weight.

First you have to improve your eating habits. Here are some simple examples of practical changes you can make to help you overcome your growing weight problem.

Breakfast - Minor change results in 400 less calories taken in. See illustration below.

If you are a Duncan Donuts breakfast eater instead of having a multigrain bagel with lite cream cheese (500 calories, 17 g fat, 6 g saturated and 850 mg sodium) try the ham, egg and cheese English Muffin (350 calories, 15 g fat, 1,104 mg sodium)

Instead of a Duncan Donuts glazed cake donut (320 calories), have a glazed donut with 220 calories.

Instead of a Duncan Donuts Dunkaccino (230 calories) have a small Hot Latte Lite (80 calories)

Although the above illustration is for Duncan Donuts foods the same can be done at any other breakfast place you prefer to eat at.

Lunch - Burger King

If you are a Burger King fan instead of having a Burger King big fish sandwich with tartar sauce and medium fries (1,120 calories) have a Whopper JR. without mayo and a garden salad (360 calories).

Instead of French Fries (340 calories) have some Onion Rings (150 calories).

Dinner - On the Border - Change a meal and take in 550 - 1155 less calories.

Instead of a Chicken Fiesta Salad with chipotle honey mustard dressing (1,070 calories) try a chicken salsa fresca (520 calories). How about passing up the saut%uFFFDed shrimp fajitas with rice, beans and all the fixings (1,745 calories) and have the 2 crispy chicken tacos with grilled vegetables and guacamole (590 calories).

The more you pay attention to your calorie intake the more successful you will be in overcoming your growing weight problem. The saying "you are what you eat" is pretty much true. If take in less calories you will have less of a weight problem.

The other way to overcome your growing weight problem is to exercise regularly. Please remember that I said regularly.

If you don't want to be an up and down dieter, than you have to incorporate some consistent exercise in your life.

There are so many options available to find the exercise that fits you. If you have the money and can hire a fitness trainer then best of luck to you. Most others don't have the money or time to invest in a trainer. You could choose to join a gym although some are too embarrassed to go work out at a gym.

The only thing you can't afford is to do nothing. So here are some simple suggestions to help you overcome your growing weight problem, the dollar store way.

Before you start any serious forms of exercising I would suggest you discuss your plans with your Doctor. This way you can feel comfortable with the exercising journey you are about to embark on. Regardless, always start out gradually and work within your comfort level. Don't push your body too hard at the outset because it just may push you back.

Walking - Walking can help you lose weight and is a great method to improve your overall health. Walking at a moderate pace helps to boost your metabolism which helps keep those calories you took in from turning into fat. Walking 4 days a week (30 to 40 minutes) each day will get you on the right path to keeping unwanted weight off.

Exercises such as brisk walking, skipping, running in place or on a treadmill, stationary bicycle etc. performed every few days a week, alternately, can be more efficient in burning fat than running.

Running - Running to help you overcome your growing weight problem is another simple method to burning fat.

However, if you are not accustomed to running you should be careful starting out because your body needs to build up strength to handle to the running. You will need to make sure you have a pair of high quality running shoes i.e., Reebok, Adidas, Nike, just to name a few.

Try to shoot for 3 to 4 times each week.

Try interval training (running at a very fast speed for short intervals of time) into your running routine which will help your weight loss efforts.

Set a goal that you are comfortable with and implement a walk/run schedule. For example, if you plan on exercising for 19 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 2 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 2 minutes and walk 5 minutes. Adjust the minutes and ratio of time between walking and running based on your comfort level.

The way to overcome a growing weight problem is to eat better and implement a regular exercise routine. When you start to make these few changes you will no longer be considered insane because you will not be doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

You will be more mindful of your calorie intake and exercising and your life, health and well being will be better for it.

For more information regarding losing weight and better nutrition take a look at the products below:

Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat


Article 6     Back to Article Listing

Lose Weight Now - 9 Important Health Issues You Might Avoid

During the last 20 years there has been a significant increase in obesity in the United States. Take a look at the Percent of Adults Obese (Body Mass Indicator BMI > 30) in the U.S., according to the Center of Disease Control. The table is shown at the end of the article. Hopefully you are not included in these statistics. However, if you are you should be working on a plan to make sure you are moving out of this group. Your health and well being depends on it.

Percent of Obese (BMI > 30) in U.S. Adults 2008 State Obesity Rates

There are some obvious reasons to lose weight and some that are not to obvious. The following are some reasons you might want to consider as you determine whether it is the right time for you to lose weight. Of course, you should consult with your Doctor on a regular basis to make sure you are in good health. However, if you are in the obesity category losing weight could help you avoid, prevent or reverse some of these health challenges associated with obesity;
  1. Hypertension or High Blood Pressure. If you are overweight there is a good chance that you will develop high blood pressure which increases the risk of a heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.

  2. High Blood Cholesterol. Also known as lipid disorder and occurs when you have too many fatty substances in your blood.

  3. Diabetes. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas gland and helps blood sugar (the body's fuel) enter cells and provide energy. Obesity has been linked to diabetes and prolonged periods of high blood sugar can cause damage to other body parts such as the eyes, kidneys or nervous system. People with diabetes also have increased risks of getting a heart attack.

  4. Congestive Heart Failure. Problems which affect the hearts ability to function normally. A heart attack occurs when the heart muscle is damaged. Usually the damage is as a result of insufficient blood supply to the affected area. The main cause is of the lack of blood has been attributed to coronary artery disease which can be linked to high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood cholesterol. All problems associated with obesity.

  5. Stroke. The brain depends on an adequate supply of oxygen. If part of the brain is deprived oxygen, it becomes damaged or dies and results in a stroke. Some possible causes include hypertension, high blood pressure and diabetes which all are associated with obesity.

  6. Thrombosis. Also referred to as blood clotting is an essential protective mechanism of the body to help with daily trauma. The problem occurs when the clots form in the deep veins of the legs (called thrombophlebitis) and travel downstream, potentially obstructing a blood vessel in the lungs. Other problems include clots that form on top of cholesterol plaques in arteries, which can lead to heart attacks. A slowing of blood flow on account of obesity has been included as a potential cause of Thrombosis.

  7. Varicose Veins. Dilated curving veins usually on the legs. Veins return blood to the heart and lungs to be re-oxygenated and then re-circulated to the rest of the body via the arteries. The veins normally have one way valves that help blood flow back toward the heart. In varicose veins, the valves often fail, allowing blood to pool and contributing to the swelling problem. Obesity and lack of exercise have been factors associated with varicose veins.

  8. Gallstones. Gallstones are concretions of cholesterol, bile pigments and calcium salts that precipitate from bile in the gallbladder. Obese people with diets high in fat and cholesterol have been associated with a high incidence of gallstones.

  9. Colon Cancer. A diet high in fat has been identified as a risk factor in the development of colorectal cancer.

How to get the ball rolling in losing weight and reducing your belly fat!

Develop a plan. You should approach your weight management like you would any other important project.

Strategy, How do you plan on losing weight? Dieting, exercising, personal trainer, dancing, pills?

Goals How much weight do you plan on losing? How fast do you want to lose the weight? How much do you want to spend on products or programs?

Determine your strengths and weaknesses. Are you better at exercising and more challenged when it comes to eating junk food? Spend a little more time focusing on building the areas that you are weaker in.

Document your strategy, goals and plan. Without doing so you will have very little focus and you will not be able to measure your success.

Document your progress. How much you lose weekly. How much time you are putting in. What you have been doing to lose the weight i.e., exercising and eating.

Review your strategy, goals, plan at least once a month to make sure you are on track. Tweak the plan as necessary.

Important: Every morning after you wake up and before you go to bed visualize in your mind how you will look once you achieve your goal. Envision a healthier and happier you.

With the right plan, focus and commitment you can and will succeed in managing your weight and improving your health.

State % State % State % State %
Alabama 31.4 Illinois 26.4 Montana 23.9 Rhode Island 21.5
Alaska 26.1 Indiana 26.3 Nebraska 26.6 South Carolina 30.1
Arizona 24.8 Iowa 26.0 Nevada 25.0 South Dakota 27.5
Arkansas 28.7 Kansas 27.4 New Hampshire 24.0 Tennessee 30.6
California 23.7 Kentucky 29.8 New Jersey 22.9 Texas 28.3
Colorado 18.5 Louisiana 28.3 New Mexico 25.2 Utah 22.5
Connecticut 21.0 Maine 25.2 New York 24.4 Vermont 22.7
Delaware 27.0 Maryland 26.0 North Carolina 29.0 Virginia 25.0
Wash. DC 21.8 Massachusetts 20.9 North Dakota 27.1 Washington 25.4
Florida 24.4 Michigan 28.9 Ohio 28.7 West Virginia 31.2
Georgia 27.3 Minnesota 24.3 Oklahoma 30.3 Wisconsin 25.4
Hawaii 22.6 Mississippi 32.8 Oregon 24.2 Wyoming 24.6
Idaho 24.5 Missouri 28.5 Pennsylvania 27.7


For more information regarding losing weight and better nutrition take a look at the products below:

Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat

Article 7     Back to Article Listing

How To Keep Off Belly Fat If You Have To Dine Out Often

Ok, so you made the commitment to lose weight and keep off belly fat. You have calculated your Body Mass Indicator and made the decision to become more physically active. You have set some realistic goals for yourself. So what is the problem? Your busy schedule and hectic social life forces you to dine out often and this makes it more difficult to keep off belly fat.

Lets face it, anyone can lose weight. That is not the biggest challenge. Keeping the weight off is a bigger challenge. I can tell you that you can still dine out and keep off the belly fat.

Here are some tips to help you when you dine out:

Order A la carte. That way you can order just what you feel like eating. You can also request an appetizer as your entree. Some entrees are enough for the main course.

Ask for a half serving. If they cannot prepare half a serving ask them to doggy-bag the other half. It will remove the temptation to eat it all at once. You can save the rest for later or split your meal with someone else if you are dining with others.

Be careful eating from the salad-bar. It looks healthy and makes you feel good eating salad. However, depending on the dressings you select you could end up with a salad drowning in unhealthy oil. Look for diet dressing or bring your own. This alone will go a long way in helping to keep off the belly fat.

Be cautious of the great smelling hot buttered bread. It smells delicious and is hard to resist. If you must, ask for plain and not buttered. If you can, ask for breadsticks instead of rolls. Definitely, refuse the offers to bring more bread if you want to keep off the belly fat while dining out often.

Ask for dressings and sauces to be served on the side. This way you have control over how much you consume. Remember the goal is to keep off belly fat.

Remember that drinks can also add on the calories. Alcohol packs on the calories. Try a little mineral water.

Watch out for the hidden calories in chicken and veal which are not as healthy when coated with breading and fried in oil.

You can enjoy a little dessert but try to split it with someone else if you can. If you are alone consider giving half away. You might make a new friend and at the same time keep off the belly fat. It is great that you get a chance to eat out often and try different foods. It is not so great that you have to worry about keeping your belly fat in check. You do not have to worry as much if you control what and how much you eat when you dine out. Do not think of this as a diet but more so as management of a healthy eating life style.

Making a few minor adjustments when you are dining out, will go a long way, to helping you keep off the belly fat.


For more information regarding losing weight and better nutrition take a look at the products below:

Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat

Article 8     Back to Article Listing

Which is more important for weight loss, diet or exercise?

Diet probably contributes more to weight loss for most people because it's easier to cut calories than it is to burn them off through exercise. But combining diet and exercise is better for weight control than either strategy alone, and exercise is crucial for keeping pounds off in the long run.

A number of studies have shown that restricting calories is a better way to drop a pants size than spending more time in the gym. For example, one 12 week trial found that men and women who exercised but did not diet lost .3 percent of their initial body weight while those who dieted but did not exercise lost 8.4 percent of their weight.

However, this study like many others, sometimes don%u2019t compare diet and exercise on the same footing. The women in the diet-only group cut 945 calories per day and men cut 1,705 calories. Meanwhile, the exercise only groups walked or jogged for 30 minutes five times a week, expending an average of 255 and 190 calories per session for men and women, respectively. So in this case, comparing diet and exercise is like comparing apples and oranges.

When researchers compare subjects who eat 500 fewer calories per day with subjects who burn an extra 500 calories by walking, both groups tend to lose the same amount of weight.

Of course, it takes an hour or more for most of us to burn off 500 calories through exercise but rarely a moment to suck down a 500 calories mocha malt Frappuccino. That's why once you step outside the laboratory, dieting probably plays a bigger role in weight loss than exercise.

Still, it's clear that combining diet and exercise achieves better results than doing either separately. In a review of more than a dozen studies lasting up to a year, the National Institutes of Health found that groups that did aerobic exercise and cut calories lost an average of 4.2 pounds more than groups that just directed. Groups that added weight training to the mix were rewarded with 2 additional pounds of weight loss on average. And over the long run, research shows, exercise is the single best predictor of who succeeds in keeping off the weight they've lost.


Article 9     Back to Article Listing

Can Fiber Help Me Lose Weight?

The short answer regarding can fiber help me lose weight is quite likely. If you are trying to shed pounds and improve your health, chances are you are aiming to cut back - on calories, on sugar, on processed foods, on fried foods, on saturated fat. But when it comes to fiber, your approach should be just the opposite: more, more, more.

The typical American consumes about 15 grams of fiber per day - significantly less than the 25 grams to 38 grams recommended by major health organizations for women and men, respectively.

Increasing your fiber intake to meet that recommendation not only may reduce your risk of developing colon cancer but may be just the ticket to controlling your weight.

Fiber is a catchall term for indigestible substances found only in plant foods. Fiber comes in two varieties: insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber is best known for keeping you "regular"; it holds onto water, helping move waste through the body. Insoluble fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, dried beans, wheat bran, seeds, popcorn, and whole=grain breads and cereals. Soluble fiber - the type shown to reduce blood-cholesterol levels - is found in oats, peas, beans, barely, rye, and several fruits.

Both types of fiber are valuable for weight control. High fiber foods tend to be low in calories, so you can pile your plate full without piling on the calories. A heaping salad of spinach, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, onion, tomato, three-bean salad, and low-calorie dressing contains about 150 calories - less than a small Coke at Burger King.

Fiber-rich foods also tend to require more chewing than foods void of fiber, so your brain has time to register fullness before you've overeaten. Think how long it takes to eat an apple (3 grams of fiber) compared with gulping a 6-ounce glass of apple juice (no fiber), and think about which leaves you feeling more full.

To increase your fiber intake, eat whole fruits instead of fruit juices and choose whole-grain breads and cereals. Just make sure you read the food labels carefully and look for "whole wheat" instead of "wheat". A bread called "12 grain" might be 90 percent white flour dressed up with caramel coloring and a few sprinkles of grains and contain the same amount of fiber - 1 gram - as a slice of plain white Wonder Bread. So again, the simple answer to the question can fiber help me lose weight, is yes!



Article 10     Back to Article Listing

Can I Reduce My Love Handles by Twisting or Bending Side to Side?

Twisting from side to side does not reduce fat and is unsafe for your lower back.

Just as abdominal exercises won't flatten your belly and the Thigh-Master won't slim your thighs, side twists and bends won't reduce your waistline. You simply can't target an area with repetitive exercise and expect the fat to melt away.

Where you lose fat has more to do with genetics than anything else; we're all pre-programmed to gain and lose in specific areas, in a specific order. Forget about twisting side to side and spend the time on some calories burning exercise like running, walking, cycling, or skating.

Regular exercise, in combination with watching what you eat, is the most effective way to shed body fat. And while there is no guarantee where you will lose the fat, there's a very good chance that at least some of it will come off your love handles.

If twists and bends won't reduce your love handles, will they at least firm up the muscles underneath? Not really. Your obliques, a group of abdominal muscles that wrap around your middle like a girdle, get only a minimal benefit from these exercises. Twists don't require your obliques to work against much resistance or against gravity (which is just another form of resistance), so they don't offer much strength or tone. They can however, wrench your lower back.

One of the places the obliques are anchored is your lower spine. Twisting vigorously tugs on these muscles, which, in turn, tug on the spine - not an ideal scenario for an area that's fragile to begin with.

Targeting the obliques is important because, more than any other abdominal group, they anchor your lower spine. Stronger obliques go a long way toward minimizing back pain and improving posture.




Article 11     Back to Article Listing

If You Want To Lose Weight Read This Before You Get Started

If you want to lose weight like I and many others had the need or desire to do, I think you should get off on the right foot. If you don't start off right before you know it you will be frustrated with your lack of results and could end up in worse shape then when you started.

I recommend before you get started that you take a look at your eating habits and examine why you eat the way you do. You need to take a look at the following list and determine if you find yourself eating because of these reasons:

Boredom - Do you often find yourself with nothing better to do, so you make and eat a sandwich or scarf down a bag of chips or see how many green M&Ms are in the bag? Eating to keep your mind preoccupied will load up calories and put on weight in no time.

Moods - Does this sound like some of your self-talk? "I think a chocolate chip cookie will put me in a better mood." Or, "having a bad day. I deserve an ice cream sundae." Eating with your moods usually means you'll be eating all of the time.

Childhood Habits - How were you raised plays a huge role in how you eat now. If you were allowed to eat lots of candy and junk food, it's a good bet you still do. Maybe your mom didn't cook much, so you ate a lot of prepared foods and because of your age you eat what you wanted and didn't worry about weight loss.

Emotional Reasons - Many people eat in response to stress - stress in their marriage, job, or family. Are you eating to take your mind off a problem you're dealing with? Do you find comfort in food (which you are not getting elsewhere in your life)? Do you eat when you are upset or angry? Identifying your stressors and finding alternative ways to deal with them will give your body a chance to listen and respond appropriately to your internal cues of hunger and help you lose the weight you want.

I'm sure you want to lose weight quickly but, in order to do so I recommend that you make a behavioral change. Yes, you probably will lose weight if you change the foods you eat or the portion sizes but if you want to lose weight and keep it off for good, you have to change the behaviors that surround your eating.

Here's how to change your behaviors and lose the weight you want to;

  1. Control the stimulus that causes you to overeat - shop from a list, don't shop when you're hungry, keep healthy foods in the front of the fridge and use smaller plates when eating.
  2. Alter your eating behavior - chew food slowly and thoroughly, do nothing while eating like watching TV, pause in the middle of the meal and stop eating before you feel full.
  3. Reward yourself for good behavior - plan specific rewards for specific behaviors.
  4. Monitor yourself - keep a diary that includes the time and place of eating, type and amount of food and how you feel.

If you want to lose weight and not struggle with the ups and downs of dieting and exercise then getting off to a good start is vital.

It is possible for you to lose weight and enjoy a happier and healthier life style. You will be amazed with your results if you apply a little determination with a little knowledge.

You have the determination and will power to do it. To get more useful tips and resources to give you the knowledge you need to succeed in your quest to want to lose weight read more here Click here!



Home   Belly Facts   Weight Loss-Health   Belly and Nutrition    Myth Buster
Truth About Abs   Strip That Fat   Burn The Fat  Belly Tips   Belly Articles   Belly Exercises
Acai Berry  Healthy Weight   Body Mass Index  Every Other Day Diet   Fit Over 40
Product Reviews   Pregnancy Weight  Belly Fat Products  The Diet Solution Program Review