A List Of Low Carb Foods

If this energy is unused however, the body can translate the extra heat as a means to gain more fat and weight; without exercise, carbohydrates may be as good as fat.

If you need a mind booster, take proteins; if you need energy, take a few fats then work out. Here is a list of low carb foods that you might want to consider, so that you do not deprive your body of its required carbohydrate requirements.

Here is a list of low carb foods that you might want to consult as you decrease your carbohydrate intake without scrimping on the food. High on the list are fresh fruits and vegetables. Some vegetables, however, such as potatoes and yams, are high in native starches, and can actually add to your weight.

Stick to green salads by adding lettuce, endives, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, and celery to your plate. You can also have one cup each a day of artichokes, pumpkin, cabbage, okra, cauliflower, bean sprouts, leaks, and tomato.

Meats and shellfish are no strangers to low carbohydrate dieters. Go for lean meat, such as those found in the chest and thighs of cow and pork. Ask your butcher to trim the cuts free of fat before you buy any chops and slices. You can also try out lean cuts of lamb and venison.

If you are unsure about the fat in red meat, then you can increase your fish intake by consuming salmon, trout, sole, tuna, and flounder. These fish are extremely high in iron, which can also help ease the possibility of you getting anemia.

If you are not allergic to shellfish, then you can take shrimps and crabs. Mussels and oysters, however, are high in carbohydrates as well, so you can take only about four ounces a day of these.

For more protein and less carbohydrate, you can go for poultry, such as chicken and game hens. Stick to the white meat, however, when you reach for that duck, goose, or turkey.

10 Tips To Lose Weight

The Holiday Season is upon us. This time of year we have the habit of indulging ourselves. Food is an important aspect of our celebrations. It is therefore obvious that we make wise food choices. Of course, this is easier said than done. Especially when we see some of the food that is available that is made by our family and friends. In the majority of cases people will not be concerned with those of us watching our weight. Because of this they are less inclined to prepare healthier versions of their recipes. At this point it becomes our responsibility to both stick with our diets and to watch what we eat.

It is obvious that the variety of dishes that we are presented with will be very tempting. What follows are 10 eating suggestions that will help you with your weight loss program.

1. The first one is to stop eating when you are full. At this time of year this is something that many people do not do. This is especially true of those people that believe in cleaning their plates. I do not believe in wasting food, so take only what you can eat comfortably. At the point that you feel satisfied you should just stop.

2. Get into the habit of walking, especially after eating. Walking may be the best form of exercise. It can be a very good cardiovascular exercise, particularly in the colder weather.

3. It is important not to count calories incessantly. I never cared for this form of dieting. Also, it drives the people around you nuts. There already are enough stress factors this time of year. The smartest thing to do is to watch what you eat as opposed to keeping track of the calories.

4. Watch your sweets. Avoid eating too much fat. I am not fond of artificial sweeteners. I believe that they cause more harm than good. If you are at a holiday celebration, just try to indulge in a small amount of sugar.

5. Eat 3 good square meals as opposed to several smaller meals or continuous snacking. I realize that this is contrary to what many articles and experts say. Eating regular meals, sitting down to eat, eating quality food and chewing well are what is important.

6. Realize what your eating limits are and do not cross them. This is very important if you have changed your diet and are trying to lose weight. You know better than anyone else what you can and cannot eat. It is true that most of us enjoy splurging at this time of year. It is really a matter of making up your mind and sticking to your guns.

7. Opt for the best food choices. At every family function there ought to be some healthy food choices. Choose the plain fruit and vegetables as opposed to the cake, cookies and pies. Stay away from the dips.

8. It is best to eat in moderation. Choose the healthiest foods, sit down when you eat and chew your food extremely well.

9. If you choose to drink, do so in moderation. Remember that many holiday drinks are loaded with sugar. Your best choices might be water, unsweetened tea or coffee.

10. Eat whole grains. Very few people realize that whole grains are biologically the stable of our diet. Stay away from white bread, cake or anything with processed flour. These food will put the pounds on very quickly. Instead, it is best to eat whole grain or multi grain foods. There are always more things that you can do to help your weight loss. It is important to remember that converting to a healthy lifestyle is something that you should practice the entire year.

Taken from :Kathryn Soloff is the co-publisher of http://www.natural-remedy-dot-com.com/losing_weight/ where he provides additional advice, tips and hard to find information on Natural Herbal Weight Loss.

Is Losing Weight Without Supplements A Fantasy?

You have to almost be a genius to work out how all the weight loss advice available, even for free, fits in together. Its just so contradictory and confusing. There seems to be different groups all with their own agendas trying to push their point of view because there is something in it for them. If you go the diet programs, almost all of them will tell you that you should not take any supplements – that supplements are evil. If you go to some exercise programs or supplement companies, they’ll push the supplements at you claiming that you’ve got no chance of losing any weight unless you get the supplement they sell or recommend.

So what is the truth? How can you see past their bias and make the right decision for you? To make a logical decision, you’ve got to take a step back and remember how you, or anyone loses weight. There is only one rule: You have to spend more calories per day than you eat. That’s it. You do that, and no matter what anyone tries to say to you, or to sell you, you will lose weight. Therefore, whenever someone gives you advice, always keep that rule in mind, because if their advice doesn’t stack up with that formula, say thanks but no thanks to them, and move on. So you should also keep this in mind when you approach the subject of supplements. So, do you really need them? Of course you don’t. If you can cook your meals on a diet that also has enough nutrition to keep all of your organs healthy, you don’t have to worry about it.

By ensuring your body is operating at full capacity you give yourself the best chance of healthy weight loss, which is really what you want to aim for. The problem is that if you are like most people, you are really busy. It is very hard for you to prepare whole food meals for every meal you take. Often you are on the road, or at work, and you need to eat something while you are not at home. This is where supplements, used smartly can really help you out. Now before I go further, you should understand the difference between supplements and drugs. Drugs are products that change the bio-chemistry in your body in a way that can’t be done by eating natural foods. So taking drugs leaves you with a much greater chance of developing a a raft of potential side effects that you do not want to suffer.

Therefore, I don’t recommend you take any drugs (unless prescribed by your doctor for medication). Supplements, on the other hand, are products that are designed to replace natural foods. So for example, if you are in a position where you know you are going to be out for the whole day, and you want to avoid fast food, you might take a meal replacement powder to give you the calories in the correct nutritional quantities so that you stick to your plan. In summary, supplements are simply there to ensure you get the nutrition that is left out by what you eat. It is not their to create an artificial reaction inside your body. You would take supplements to ensure your body did not miss out on any of the vital enzymes or nutrients it needs for you to be at your best. So is it useful to consider supplements? I believe so, because realistically it is very hard, with the lives we lead to follow a strict diet and remain sane. Now please note that just because I think you should consider supplementing, I’m not saying you should be taking them all the time.

In fact, I’m almost saying the opposite. Try and get as much of your nutrition from whole foods that you prepare yourself. What ever you can’t get this way, you should consider supplementing to ensure your body does not miss out. You should also realize that not all supplements are created equal. For example, a lot of people lack good fats in their diet, so their doctor might advise them to take some fish oil tablets on a regular basis. Compare this to the meal replacement powder I talked about above, and you should be able to see that you shouldn’t be having a meal replacement powder every day. You should only reserve them for when you truly cannot prepare the meal you need to follow your eating plan. So should you use supplements or not? You should now be able to answer this question yourself. Only use supplements if you find it impossible to get the nutrients you lack from your normal diet. You should also always consult your doctor before starting any supplementation to ensure it is right for you.

Losing Weight – 6 Ways Drinking More Water Can Help Make It Happen

If you are trying to lose weight, but are failing to pay attention to your water intake, you are making things much more difficult than they have to be. Here are some of the major reasons why anyone hoping to burn off fat and get slim needs to get a healthy dose of water every single day.

1. Water Helps you Feel Full There are lots things you can consume to feel full, but only one has zero calories. Pounding down water constantly will reduce hunger pangs give you the willpower to stick to your diet.

2. Water Will Help You Think Straight Ever go reach a point in the day, usually the early afternoon, when all of sudden it feels your energy just drains from you and you can’t seem to concentrate on your work. It’s not a sign of a declining mind, your brain probably is just lacking the water it needs to function at its peak. And since living healthily usually requires a lifestyle adjustment and a change from your usual routine, you need to keep your brain as healthy as possible. If your brain gets the water it needs, you are more likely to consider the damage to your diet a soda might cause. You are more likely to remember an appointment with your personal trainer.

3. Water Will Help You Digest Your Foods More Efficiently While you are trying to lose weight, you want the food you eat to get converted into muscle and energy as much as possible. To make this happen, you have to have a strong, efficient digestive system and metabolism. And that just isn’t possible if you are dehydrated. If your body lacks sufficient hydration, your body will struggle to digest the foods you eat, and therefore more will be turned into fat.

4. Water Will Help Keep You From Getting Sick If you don’t get enough to drink, you might suffer from something called “Chronic Cellular Dehydration,” where your cells are weaker due to being constantly dehydrated. This will weaken your immune system, which will make you more likely to become ill. And nothing can put a damper on a fitness plan like a cold or flu. When you’re sick, you are more likely to skip workouts and eat “comfort foods” to feel better. Drinking enough water gives your cells all they need to effectively fight infection.

5. Water Will Increase Your Liver’s Fat Burning Potential If you are trying to lose weight, you should take extra good care of your liver, because that is the organ that helps you burn fat and convert it into energy. When you don’t drink enough water, it weakens the liver, which means that your body’s fat burning powers slow down.

6. Water Will Improve Your Blood Circulation The more oxygen you have in your bloodstream, the more fat you are able to burn. How do you increase the level of oxygen in your bloodstream? You guessed it, by drinking plenty of water. That extra burst of oxygen will help you on two fronts: it will help you burn fat faster and give you more energy for more intense workouts.

The Shocking Secret About The Low Fat Diet

The low fat craze has gotten so bad, we now even have low fat ice cream. I'm sure that the thought of it actually being mis-advertised has crossed your mind at least once. Is it really possible? You're going to find out in this article that although technically it is low fat, in reality it probably isn't. If you are worried about how much bad fats you are eating, then you need to understand how this works. It all boils down to how foods are actually integrated into your body. Before I tell you about that, let's talk about the actual low fat diet. This diet tells you to eat low fat foods to avoid getting fat. The food companies have jumped onto this line of thinking and so when you go to the supermarket, there's practically a low fat choice of any food you want to buy. But many of them replace the fat with a huge amount of sugars and other refined carbohydrates to keep the taste. Therefore, if you are following a low fat diet, you are probably eating a lot of refined carbohydrates. So, what does that mean? Refined carbohydrates get processed immediately in your body, and turns into glucose. The glucose gets dumped into your blood stream, so that your blood can take it to all parts of your body, to ensure it will always have the energy to keep functioning. Now, if you don't need this energy right now, your body stores it as glycogen in your muscles. If all of your glycogen stores are already full, then it is stored as fat! I hope you understood that. Let me rephrase it to be sure. If you eat a lot of refined carbohydrates, it will eventually turn to fat if you eat more than you need. Unless you are very active, and make use of your glycogen stores, you don't need refined carbohydrates. Even if you are active, you would have refined carbs very selectively, like for example after you've just finished an intense workout. So although you may be eating what's called a 'low fat' food, it is really anything but low fat. Now the main exception to this is low fat milk, low fat cheese or low fat natural yogurt. These usually don't have refined sugar. Most of the other types of 'low fat' foods though are full of it. The worst thing about these refined carbohydrates are that they are very addictive. If you study the role of insulin in your body, you'll realize that your body starts craving for these high sugar foods, often when you aren't even hungry. It's a vicious cycle you want to stay away from. It's a cycle that most obese and overweight people are right in the middle of. There are also other effects of eating too many refined carbs. These include unstable energy levels, mood swings, headaches and onset of life threatening diseases such as heart disease. If you have understood this article, you'll immediately realize that trying to eat low fat to lose weight is a self defeating exercise. It won't improve your body or your health. What you eat is as, if not more important as how much you eat. So next time you go shopping and you see the "Low Fat" sign on the food, make sure you check the ingredients label to see how much sugar and carbs are in it. Now you know that excess refined carbs are pretty much the same thing as fat, you'll be able to see right through the sneaky companies that try and trick you with this.

Taken from :If you enjoyed this, you can learn more effective diet strategies. You can also read about why crash diets don't work here.