Tag: Lean Protein

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Weight Loss Exercise

With So Many Diet Plans Conflicting With Each Other, Who Can You Trust?



Frustrating is an understatement, I know. It can be so incredibly difficult to cut through all the conflicting information you get from the various diet plans out there. What makes this such a difficult task? Well, for starters, most of these diet plans have been created by equally qualified people. This article is about to expose these discrepancies, helping you make an effective, stress-free dieting decision.

We’ve all seen it. One health guru tells you that in order to lose weight and build lean muscle, you’ve got to eat lots of lean protein and very few carbs. A week later, you’re exposed to another health guru (just as renowned as the first) telling you that common sense tells us that we need less and less protein as we get older, that this fact is obvious when you look at the composition of a mother’s milk as her baby gets older (the protein decreases), and that the animals we eat for protein didn’t get their protein by consuming protein, but rather amino acids.

Is milk good for you… or terrible? Does veganism create weak, frail people… or absolute powerhouses? Does consuming fat actually make you fat? Depending upon the book you’re currently reading, the “official” answers to these questions can vary wildly.

So here’s what I propose. It is the most common sense approach known to man. Follow results! Try something for a week and monitor your progress. If you’re headed in the right direction, continue. Otherwise, follow the next guru’s advice for a week and see how that works for you.

If this level of trial and error doesn’t appeal to you, consider the commonly accepted truth that diet plans that have you consuming fewer calories than you use are going to work every time. That’s just the way the body is designed. Regardless of any of the latest diet trends that may tell you that calories don’t matter, use your own common sense on this one.

Extra calories are stored as body fat. This fat is full of calories (units of energy). If you keep stuffing yourself with more calories than you use, then your body will continue to store them. On the other hand, when you use more calories than you consume, your body will pull from your fat reserves in order to fuel itself. Any diet plans that try to debunk this well-known fact are immediately subject to suspicion from where I stand.

What’s really funny to me about a lot of these genuinely convincing programs is that they try to pitch their diet by claiming that you can eat whatever you want and don’t have to do much exercise. What you eat and how you move your body are ALL that matter when it comes to losing weight. The fresher and more natural your food, the better. And the more you exercise, the better (within reason).

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Weight Loss Exercise

Foods to Include in a Simple Diet Plan for Weight Loss



If you want to lose weight, you need to exercise and eat a healthy diet. Making the right food choices is essential in any diet plan. A simple diet plan for weight loss should include wholesome, natural foods that will provide the nutrients your body needs and help boost your metabolism.

Best Food for Weight Loss

A diet plan for weight loss should be simple and easy to follow. Anything complicated that requires exotic, hard-to-find, or expensive foods is doomed to fail. Luckily, the best foods for weight loss are easily available and often affordable. The following foods can be included in a simple diet plan for weight loss:

1. Lean Proteins – The body needs protein to build and maintain muscle mass and boost metabolic functions. Proteins also help regulate the appetite. The best sources of protein are lean meats such as skinless chicken, fish, and pork with most of the fat trimmed off. Avoid fatty meats because they are high in saturated fats. Other excellent sources of lean protein are eggs, beans, nuts and seeds. Beans are high in protein and fiber but low in calories. Nuts such as almonds and walnuts provide healthy essential fats along with protein.

2. Fruits – The natural sugars in fruits help curb your craving for sweets and provide carbohydrates for energy. Fruits are also high in fiber which keeps you feeling full. Additionally, fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Include fruits in a simple diet plant for weight loss. You can add fruits to your meals or for a healthy snack.

3. Vegetables – Like fruits, vegetables are low in calories but high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. A diet plan for weight loss should include plenty of vegetables especially leafy greens, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. Go easy on starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn but have your fill of spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens.

4. Whole Grains – The body also needs carbohydrates from grains and cereals. Whole grains provide carbohydrates for energy as well as fiber, vitamins and minerals. They are nutrient-rich and help maintain stable blood sugar levels. Avoid highly processed and refined carbohydrate sources such as white bread and candies.

5. Low-Fat Dairy Products – Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, protein and fat. Choose low-fat dairy over the full-fat versions to help reduce the total calories consumed. Non-fat or low-fat milk, yogurt and cottage cheese can help you lose weight.

Simple Weight Loss Diet Plan

When you are trying to lose weight it’s important to eat the right amount of food often enough so you don’t get hunger pangs. Start your day with a healthy breakfast consisting of 2 eggs scrambled in a non-stick pan. You can add chopped onion and green pepper to your scrambled eggs. Have a piece of whole-wheat toast and a small cup of berries or melon.

For your morning snack, eat an apple or a handful of nuts. Lunch can be a fresh salad with light Italian dressing, and grilled skinless chicken breast.

Your afternoon snack can be a banana or an orange. For dinner, you can have grilled fish, steamed vegetables, a salad with tomatoes and lettuce, and vinaigrette dressing.

  • Foods to Include in a Simple Diet Plan for Weight Loss


Foods to Include in a Simple Diet Plan for Weight Loss

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Firming Up a Flabby Tummy and Finding Those 6 Pack Abs




Do you have a decent body except for that middle roll of flab that just doesn’t seem to go away no matter how much you exercise or attempt to spot reduce that area? The truth is that the spare tire around your middle is fat ? and you’re not going to see the 6-pack abs buried beneath until you get rid of it.

The trick to reducing fat around your middle is to reduce your caloric intake and eat foods that are proven “fat burners” such as lean protein, salads and vegetables. Reduce your carbohydrate intake, especially in the evening hours when your body is slowing down. Adopt a low fat diet for your lifestyle to burn the unwanted fat and eventually reach the show-off abs you desire.

There is a difference between toning your abs and reducing the fat around your middle. Toning abdominal muscles can be achieved by exercising, but removing the fat must take place from the inside out. It won’t do you any good to try spot reduction exercises if you don’t get rid of the fat first.

There’s no such thing as an immediate “fix” for a flabby tummy. You can spend hundreds of dollars on pills and creams, but you’ll soon realize that the only way to 6-pack abs is to work at it.

While you’re concentrating on a low fat diet, you’ll want to tone and firm the abdominal muscles that lie beneath the fat with exercise. The key to exercising your abs is to do the exercises correctly. If you’re concentrating on tummy crunches to firm your abs and performing them incorrectly you’ll never see success.

So, before you exercise, learn how to do it properly. For example, if you’re doing crunches, learn the correct method of breathing as you’re exercising. A number of good online sites contain information about how to perform abdominal exercises.

Concentrate on resistance training when firming and toning your abs. Use a “fit ball” (sometimes called “exercise ball”) for support if you have problems with your lower back. And don’t overdo it. Three sessions a week is plenty when you’re exercising muscles that have lain dormant for awhile.

Cardio exercises (aerobic) designed to rev up your heart rate can help burn fat, so be sure to include them in your exercise regimen ? and include the ones that work both your upper and lower body. It’s best to do cardio exercises in the morning ? and always on an empty stomach.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see results as fast as you’d like. Remember, those 6-pack abs are buried somewhere beneath that fat roll. It’s your job to find them.
Good luck.