Sunday, December 2, 2012

What are the best foods to eat when trying to lose weight along with exercising?

Q. What are the best foods to eat when trying to lose weight along with exercising? What are best dieting foods that will most aid in weight loss?

A. Josh, Perform some form of cardio exercises, in the morning, on an empty stomach, for 30-45 minutes while keeping your heart rate at about 140 beats per minute.

Good things to eat are:
- Veggies
- Fruits
- Salads
- Low sodium soups

Bad things to avoid :
- Processed Carbohydrates
- Baked Goods
- Breads
- Chips and Crackers
- High fat Meats and Dairy.

Drink 6-8 glasses of water every day, water is also a good appetite controller and the transportation system.

My friend shed a couple of inches by following the guidance on the web resource in the box below.

Give it a try. All the best :)


How much weight is normal to lose weekly?
Q. I currently wiegh 143 and my goal is 116. That is 27lbs. I would like to do it in 5 weeks. That is 5.4 pounds a week. Do you think it is possible? Any weight loss tips/advice?

A. The following healthy living recommendations will help you if you�re trying to lose weight, tone up your muscles, have aspirations of building lean muscle mass, are attempting to get a wash board stomach, or just want to feel better:

*1) Burn more calories then you're consuming everyday and measure your results using the following formula: Calories Consumed minus Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) minus Physical Activity minus the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). A website that explains this formula in more detail and will help you determine how many calories you need to reach or maintain a certain weight is at http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/weight/calsburned.htm

Get a diet and fitness calculator that you can put on your computer or cell phone. This will allow you to easily calculate the above formula, set goals, log your daily calorie consumption, and register your physical activities.

Set realistic goals for your ideal body weight. Here are two websites that will calculate a suggested body weight:
Adults: http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm
Teens/Children: http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/exercise/weight/bmi.html

It is difficult and unhealthy to lose more than one or two pounds per week. There are 3,500 calories in a pound. If you eat 500 fewer calories per day for a week you will lose one pound. If you burn through exercise 500 more calories per day for a week you will lose one pound.

*2) Eat natural and organic foods found on earth versus something created by a corporation to make money. Eat meals in small portions throughout the day and take a good multi-vitamin supplement.

Avoid �High Glycemic Load Carbs� (sugar, pastries, desserts, refined starches such as breads, pasta, refined grains like white rice; high starch vegetables such as potatoes) and drink lots of water. Read this article for more information on high GL Carbs:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates.html

Do not try fad diets or diet pills. Here is an excellent food pyramid that anyone can follow: http://www.rayandterry.com/html/images/PyramidLRG.gif?osCsid=26a424be471d1337e7c2f105d5c64d9d

*3) Exercise on most days by doing cardiovascular training and/or resistance training activities.

Read a book or find a certified trainer to make sure your doing all resistance training exercises correctly. A great book to buy that teaches you the resistance training basics is �Weight Training for Dummies�. A superb magazine to buy with resistance training routines that will not get you bored is "Muscle and Fitness". Signup for the free newsletter. An excellent free online resource is at http://www.exrx.net/

A good book to buy that teaches you the cardiovascular training basics is �Fitness for Dummies�.

*4) Get plenty of sleep. Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health, and safety.

*5) Educate yourself continually on health issues and make a life long commitment to good health. A great free publication is �Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005�. A superb book to read is �You The Owner�s Manual�. An excellent periodic publication is the �Nutrition Action Health Letter�. A reputable test you can take to measure your biological age is at http://realage.com

Look at all areas where you can enhance your health. For example, make improvements in the quality of the air you breathe. Review outdoor air quality forecasts where you live and get an indoor air purifier. Send me an email or yahoo instant message to "gainbetterhealth" if you want an indoor air purifier recommendation and if you have any questions.

*Click on all the source links below to get the full benefit of the recommendations. The answers presented to your health questions are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.


I'm interested in becoming a vegan, but what is the healthiest way to do so, and lose weight?
Q. I want to be a vegan, mostly to lose weight (I've gained 20 pounds), but I'm worried of malnutrition. What is the healthiest vegan plan that could give me weight loss results as well? I have no idea what the cost of tofu is and all that jazz, and I'm worried of gaining more weight. Please help me!

A. Going vegan is a great way to lose weight. I lost about 15 pounds of flab after becoming vegan. The main thing is to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains in your diet. (Nuts are also healthy, but eat them sparingly because they're fattening.) Just being vegan doesn't guarantee weight loss -- after all, there's such a thing as soy ice cream!

I really recommend the book Skinny Bitchh... it's a diet book written by two vegans and it includes four weeks' worth of vegan menus.

Other resources:

Slimming vegan menus:
http://www.vegcooking.com/slimmingmenus-1.asp

The four vegan food groups:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html

Vegan food pyramid:
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-food-pyramid.asp

Good vegan sources of protein, iron, and calcium:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sources

Good luck!!


How can I lose weight and tone my body more effectively?
Q. I started working out recently, doing 30 minutes of cardio, then some weight lifting, mainly focusing on my arms (I live on the 4th floor in a dorm, and I walk everywhere, so my legs don't need it nearly as much as my arms). What can I do to tone my body as I lose the weight? I don't want to be skinny, only fit, and while weight loss is my key, I also don't want tons of flab once the fat is gone.
It's kind of hard to do that, I live in a dorm and I have to eat what they serve, or I don't at at all.

A. Healthy weight loss tips


* Take one pound at a time
Don�t get overwhelmed by how much weight you need to lose. Try to remember that "losing 15 pounds in two weeks" is nothing to celebrate. It is important to realize that the more quickly weight is lost, the more likely the loss is coming from water and muscle, not fat.

Since muscle tissue is critical in keeping our metabolism elevated, losing it actually leads to a decrease in the amount of calories we can each day without gaining weight.

Fat loss is best achieved when weight is lost slowly. Strive for a weight loss of no more than 3-4 pounds per week. One pound of weight is equivalent to 3500 calories.


* Set Reachable Goals
For instance, if you know you need to get more exercise, begin with a manageable goal of, say, walking 10 minutes a day that you know you can achieve. Then build your self-esteem by achieving the small goals you set yourself.

The same logic applies for losing weight.

* Stay off the scales
Don�t get discouraged when your progress seems to be slow according to your bathroom scales. They do not provide a true measure of what is going on with the body.

If exercise levels are adequate (5-7 days a week), you may be putting on muscle but losing fat, thus losing inches even if you are not losing pounds. It's always a good idea to do several body measurements to have a second objective way to monitor progress.

* Stay focused on being healthy, not thin
# Many people become more successful at long term weight loss when their motive changes from wanting to be thinner to wanting to be healthier. Change your mindset to think about selecting foods that will help your body's health rather than worrying about foods that will affect your body's weight. The Food Pyramid offers a basic outline of the types and amounts of food you should eat each day to give your body the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

* Fat Free?
We've known for some time that limiting high fat foods in the diet can be helpful with weight loss. That's because fats pack in 9 calories per gram compared to only 4 calories per gram from proteins or carbohydrates. To many, the message to limit fats implied an endorsement to eat unlimited amounts of fat-free products. Just to clarify, fat-free foods have calories too. In some cases fat-free foods have as many calories as their fat laden counterparts. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight. Eating less fat will help you to lose weight. Eating less fat and replacing it with excessive amounts of fat-free products will not.

* Drink plenty of water
Drink eight glasses a day. Water is a natural appetite-suppressant. Nettle tea is a great weight-loss tea as it supports metabolism and has diuretic properties.

* Reward yourself
# Each time you reach a goal, such as losing 5 pounds, reward yourself with a gift or a massage.

* Seek help if you need it
# A big key in long term weight control comes from receiving encouragement and support from others. Find a friend to lose weight with or you can check to see if groups such as Weight Watchers, or eDiets offer programs and resources in your area by clicking the links. You may also wish to check with your local hospital to see if their registered dietician conducts group weight loss programs.

* Watch your portions
With the advent of "supersize" meals and increasingly huge portions at restaurants, our concept of normal serving sizes is a distant memory. Be mindful of the amounts of food you consume at a sitting. When necessary, divide your food in half and ask for a take home bag. It is all too easy to be a "plate cleaner" even when served enormous portions. Learn to pay attention to your hunger level and stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.

* Eat your food slowly
Did you ever notice that thin people take an awfully long time to eat their food? Eating slowly is one method that can help take off pounds. That's because from the time you begin eating it takes the brain 20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Fast eaters often eat beyond their true level of fullness before the 20 minute signal has had a chance to set in. The amount of calories consumed before you begin to feel full can vary significantly depending on how quickly you eat. So slow down, take smaller bites and enjoy your food.





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