Monday, July 21, 2008

Is Medifast a Good Choice For People Who Have a Lot of Weight to Lose? Medifast Questions Answered

In this article we are going to take a quick look at weather or not Medifast is a good diet choice for people who have A LOT of weight to lose. Now, it's important to remember that weight loss is often relative. What YOU may think is a ton of weight loss may actually not be considered as such by a medical professional or currently defined paradigms of obesity, etc. But for our purposes, let's just say that anyone who NEEDS to lose 25 pounds or more falls into this category. Continue reading as we explore, and evaluate your choices accordingly. Read on..:-)

Filed Under: Expectations and Rewards
Most people that follow the Medifast 5 and 1 program WILL lose the proscribed 2-5 pounds per week in a pretty consistent manner according to their own research. The diet is rich in diversity and choices, but is NOT rich in calories...as although you will be eating 6 meals a day, you will only be eating approximately 1000 calories a day while following the primary portion of the diet. This is obviously going to help ANYONE lose weight, regardless of how much they need to drop.

Filed Under: Science and Research
A John's Hopkins Medical Center study of one particular dieter who lost 160 pounds over 10 months on Medifast(and as of this writing has kept them off!) is a pretty good testament to the applicability of this particular program to ANYONE who needs to drop a lot of weight in any time frame. Of course if you are VERY heavy, you should see a doctor before beginning ANY weight loss program! Just don't give up....you CAN make positive changes if you want them, as thousands of others have proven, and inspired us all in achieving just that!

I Feel GREAT! No More Chubby Tummy I told My Hubby!

Read on...to discover how you can lose weight, feel great, and turn heads on the beach, in the boardroom and in the bedroom...guaranteed!

(Even if you've never lost a pound on ANY diet ever before!)

How To Lose 4 Inches

Once you know the secret to losing inches fast, it no longer seems so difficult. Read on to find out my tried and true methods for rapid, healthy, and amazing weight loss.

Detox

Our bodies are full of toxins. Every day, we are breathing in dirtier air and eating food with more preservatives and carcinogens. And, our body is attempting to protect us from these impurities by storing them in our fat cells. It's our bodies built in defense mechanism.

The problem with this defense mechanism is that it makes us bloated and larger than we deserve to be! We can fix that though. To combat this bloating and detox your body properly I suggest you do two things. First, get a good body wrap from a spa or do one at home. You'll lose several inches from your body while the toxins leave your system and your body will be in a better position to begin metabolizing your fat. Not to mention, it will do wonders for your ego, and get you started on your path to losing four inches the right way.

The next step you should take in your detoxification process is to begin taking a good fiber supplement. The majority of toxins in our bodies are stored in our intestinal tract and colon. The average person holds between 3 and 7 meals in their colon, unnecessarily, at any given time. Getting on a good fiber supplement will flush you out and jump start your inch loss efforts.

Metabolism

Raising your metabolic rate is of enormous importance in being able to rapidly lose inches. Many people try to lose weight by not eating and working out. This is flat-out silly. The old motto that weight loss is as simple as burning more calories than you take in is completely wrong. You need to eat to lose weight!

I know it seems counter intuitive, but think of it this way. If you never eat, your body gets used to being in this mode of starvation all the time, trying to survive on no nutrients. Then, when you do eat, you binge and your body is thrown into trauma. Now, your body is confused. It wants to burn up your food, but your body also knows it might need to hold on to that food for later when you starve yourself again.

Instead, try this. Eat. In fact, eat 6 meals a day, including right when you wake up. And for each meal, eat a serving of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and of mono-unsaturated fats. Do this for 10 days and you will lose four inches, maybe more. Your metabolism will simply be through the roof!

Exercise

Exercise is important, but nowhere near as crucial as eating the right foods. If you are eating as I suggested, and drinking lots of water, you won't need more than 30 minutes of good interval training 3 times a week to lose masses of weight and ultimately get to your goal of losing 4 inches. And, your interval training can be as simple as playing a little basketball or doing a workout on the elliptical.

So, all you really need is to get rid of those unnecessary toxins, feed your body, and do some simple exercising and you can easily lose 4 inches.

That's all it takes!

Want to lose 4 inches in an hour? And, then work on losing 4 more? If so, check out: How to Lose 4 Inches

Brandon Walsh is considered an expert author in the fields of biblical nutrition, weight loss, and healthy living.

Weighing in on Weight Loss Products

Are you looking for a little something to help boost your fat burning? The grocery and health food store shelves are overflowing with weight loss products that promise to do that and oh-so much more. You have probably heard about diet scams in the past, and no smart person is going to be fooled by the airbrushed ads in magazines, so how do you know which (if any) of these products work?

This article will help you to understand each product, how it supposedly works, and how and if it actually does. Don't waste your time and money on bogus weight loss products ever again!

Diet patches. The patch is supposed to deliver chemicals into your blood stream through your skin. Those chemicals interact with and absorb harmful substances, flushing them out of the body before they can be converted to fat. The verdict is still out on these weight loss products.

Diet Teas. These teas talk about their "slimming properties" and how their active ingredients flush fats from your body. That's really a polite way of saying that they are laxatives. While this may yield a small weight loss, it is all water. Even worse, prolonged use of these products may cause long-term damage to your digestive system.

Electric Muscle Stimulators. The stimulators are usually worn like a belt, with the fabric flat against your bare torso. Electrical currents are sent through the product and into your muscles. Supposedly this helps your body to form more lean muscle while breaking down cellulite. These claims are unproven, and the device can actually burn your skin.

Magnetic Earrings. These earrings promote the same concept as copper bracelets. Supposedly the magnetic properties of the jewelry communicate with your body and help you to maintain equilibrium. They make a nice accessory, but are not proven weight loss products.

Weight Loss Drinks. Unlike diet teas, these drinks are meant to replace entire meals. They are nutrient rich and low in calories. These may work if used consistently, but few people feel satisfied with one serving, and the vast majority gains the weight back as soon as they discontinue use of the product.

Diet Bars. These may be used in several different ways. Some diet bar weight loss products are advertised as snacks, some are promoted as pre-exercise energy bars, and others are to be used as meal replacements. These bars are usually rich in healthy vitamins and minerals and have far less calories and fat than candy bars, but will not stimulate weight loss when used alone.

Weight Loss Pills. The effectiveness of these weight loss products varies from one brand to the next. The best weight loss pills require a prescription. A few of these drugs are truly effective, but when used incorrectly some of these pills can have dangerous side effects.

This is just a small sample of the many weight loss products currently on the market. When in doubt, ask your doctor or dietitian.

Mark Neustedt is the founder of CB-Product-Reviews.com and after reviewing more than 20 weight loss programs reveals the top 3 weight loss programs that work.

Discover how you can easily loose weight by following one of these simple diet programs.

How to Lose Weight by Nutritional Cleansing

If you feel that your weight is stuck at a plateau, or out of control the nutritional cleansing could be the door to the breakthrough you are looking for. Nutritional cleansing is the process of removal of excess body fat and replenishing of the body internally by eating certain kinds of food. This is important because most people have impurities in their bodies and as such their bodies are nutrient exhausted, in this state the body tends to retain extra water and fat as a way to dilute and/or remove toxins. Our energy levels drop and cellular efficiency decreases.

Fortunately, there is a way out of this problem that is cleansing and replenishing the body at the same time-I call this dual body cleansing. I have seen people transform their bodies and energy so amazingly in one month or two with nutritional cleansing that I literally almost can't recognize them.

Nutritional cleansing leads to the following: Energy level rise, Increase in mental clarity, mood swings level out, Lean muscle mass increases while extra fat is no longer necessary. It is not common for people to need a whole new wardrobe after only a month or two of the nutritional cleansing. With nutritional cleansing, the body's own healing power is liberated and your body seems to be changed terrifically.

How is this possible?
It is possible due to the synergy of high quality easily absorbable protein-a protein powder that is undenatured and that comes from grass fed cows, essential fatty acids, low-glycerin carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, vitamins, macro minerals and ionic trace minerals,fiber,good bacteria, enzymes naturally occurring folic acid, healing and cleansing herbs like aloe vera and drinking at least one ounce of high quality water for every two pounds of body weight. These combined with moderate caloric restriction and the avoidance of foods that tends to trigger an inflammatory response produce this amazing results.

It is often difficult for people to believe that this is possible; however I can assure you based on my personal experience and from observing the results of hundreds of other people over the years-These results are real.

If you are interested to try out a fast fat loss diet program on how to lose 9lbs in every 11 days, I highly recommend FatLoss4Idiots Diet Program, it has been around for years and has helped thousands of people to lose weight successfully though dieting, check it out at http://loose9lbsin11dayscycle.blogspot.com/

Best Cardio Workout

Looking for the best cardio workout? A little story first...

When you enter my gym, the row of cardio machines is the first thing you see. The gym layout is setup so you have to walk past all the treadmills, elliptical machines, stair masters and recumbent bikes, before getting to the change rooms.

I'm not sure if there is any particular reason for this layout or not. As I walk past each cardio machine, I can't help but notice the number of over weight individuals that are either walking at a snails pace or running for their lives.

Sometimes I just feel like stopping and asking what their goals are, but I never do. I know my advice will probably fall upon deaf ears as unsolicited advice is better left alone.

But it always concerns me when cardio workouts have no real goals behind them.

For instance I workout in the evening and I notice some obese people walking ever so slowly. My first thought is, did these cardio goers just have dinner? Did they eat starchy carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, or pasta) with dinner? If so, they are probably unaware that they will not be tapping into their fat stores anytime soon.

In fact at that speed, they will probably only burn up a few calories from whatever they ate for dinner.

Of course any cardio is better than no cardio. But by just being aware of some simple cardio rules of thumb they will be ahead of the game.

So, if they DID want my opinion as to the best cardio workout for losing weight, I would suggest that if they want to use the slow cardio approach in the evening, to minimize starchy carb intake in the previous meal.

Wait about 2-1/2 to 3 hours after eating so their glycogen stores are more depleted and their fat stores are more readily available for burning.

Walk at a pace that is within their target heart rate for burning fat. Most of the cardio machines in gyms nowadays have heart rate monitors in the handles. You just have to grip them and it will let you know your heart rate. Everyone has different needs but I prefer to keep my heart rate under 120 beats per minute, which usually translates for me to walking on the treadmill at 1.0% incline at a speed of 3.0 mph for a half an hour after I lift weights.

For more information about finding out your target heart range, visit http://building-muscle-now.com/how-to-lose-weight-with-cardio.html

When it comes to finding the best cardio workout, obviously there are more ways to skin a cat. As I stated before, there are always those that prefer the "run like your life depends on it" approach. Those types of cardio workouts do have their place but I'll save these for the next article.

http://building-muscle-now.com

How to Make Time For Breakfast So You Can Lose Weight

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but many people are still skipping it. If you really want to lose weight, than NEVER skip breakfast.

I understand mornings can be very busy, and time is precious, but you can prepare a healthy and nutritious meal in record time, and the benefits will be worth it. Research shows that people that eat breakfast have a more nutritious diet overall, in fact. This is due to being satisfied in the morning, which prevents overeating at lunch, which can lead to weight loss. Listed below are some simple ways to fit in your morning meal.

On the Go: These breakfast items can be eaten in the car if you have to! Toast an English Muffin and spread it with sugar free preserves, or make toast and use a sparing amount of reduced fat Peanut Butter...a little goes a long way! Grab a yogurt and a plastic spoon, or take yogurt with a spoonful of low-fat granola and fresh berries along with you in a travel coffee mug. Or stuff a pita with a slice of low-fat ham or Canadian bacon with some shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese. Much better than grabbing a breakfast sandwich from a fast food restaurant, these are satisfying breakfasts that you can eat while on the move.

Get Creative: Instead of waiting for your toast to toast, substitute a whole wheat tortilla for your bread. Spread the tortilla with peanut butter, or make a taco by adding a few spoons of low fat cottage cheese topped with mango salsa. Or take last nights left over's and scramble them in with some egg whites. Even Chinese food tastes good when mixed with egg whites and a little Peanut oil instead of Olive oil to coat the pan. If you grilled onions and peppers the night before they are a natural for a scramble in the morning. Egg whites take about one minute to cook, so you can whip them up in a flash and get on with your day.

Pick the Fruit: Instead of fruit juice, pick fruit instead. You can take it on the go, and it is high in fiber which will keep you feeling full longer. Mix fruit up with yogurt or cottage cheese, or with granola, and you have a full breakfast, and full of nutrition as well. Fruit juice is higher in sugar than the fruit it comes from, so you won't experience that sugar high and crash later in the day.

These breakfasts can be made at home, and take less time than standing in line at the donut shop, so you have no reason to skip breakfast any longer.

Southern California Native Chris McCombs is a San Juan Capistrano Personal Trainer as well as an Anaheim Personal Trainer. Chris specializes in helping Orange County residents make dramatic fat loss transformations.

The Only 3 Ways to Lose Belly Fat Fast

How do I know how to lose belly fat fast? Because once I stopped doing crunches, I started getting a flat stomach. If you really want to know how to lose belly fat then you first have to stop watching late night and weekend infomercials that feature a new ab machine every few months.

Those machines are a terrible way to lose belly fat. Some of them may help a little with strengthening your abs, but what's the point of having strong abs with fat covered all over them?

There is only three ways you can lose belly fat fast: Developing fat burning nutrient dense eating habits, doing high intensity interval training, and ab stabilizing weight lifting routines (i.e. Pushups). The combination of these three things is the key to increasing your metabolism which will help you lose belly fat fast.

If you do one without the other, you may lose belly fat, but it won't be fast. You've probably heard that you have to do aerobic workouts to burn the fat off your abs, and crunches to build the muscle underneath. Yes that works - but it's the slowest way.

If you're like me, you don't have time to do boring cardio everyday, and 100 crunches every night. Even if you did have the time, once again, that will not burn belly fat fast. If you believe that it's the fastest way, then you're stuck in the '90s... come on and move into the 21st century like the rest of us who know the truth about burning fat fast off of any part of the body.

Once again, to lose belly fat fast you must...

1. Focus on a fat burning nutrient dense diet
2. Make high intensity interval training apart of your workout routine
3. Do ab stabilizing weight lifting movements

(hint: lifting your own body weight is the best type of ab stabilizing movement and it's 10 times better than crunches)

This article was written by Vernita Sherman. Vernita is a fitness enthusiast who is dedicated to exposing the truth about fat loss that weight loss companies are keeping from you. Vernita introduces every day people to honest fitness experts who are committed to helping people burn off excess body fat naturally. You can learn more about abdominal fat loss at http://www.ultimatebellyfatloss.com