Tag: Polyunsaturated Fats

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Why You Need Fat to Lose Weight

Why you need fat to lose weight if you already have to much fat? If you read any type of healthy living guide you will be told that 25% –  30% of your total calories should come from fat. If you are eating around 1,800 calories per day this is 250 fat calories each and every day. so it is important to know what and why you need fat to lose weight.

The key to eating this amount of fat each day without health problems is to choose the right type of fat. Fats are classified into two main groups the good fats and the bad ones.

The Good Fats

Why You Need Fat to Lose Weight

Unsaturated fats are classified as the Good fats and can be split into two groups Monounsaturated Fats and Polyunsaturated Fats. Monounsaturated fats help raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol. This type of fat also works to prevent a build up of fat in your arteries and helps reduce that unwanted and dangerous belly fat.

The best sources for unsaturated fats are olive oil, olives, canola oil, almonds, peanuts, cashews, sesame seeds, peanut butter and avocadoes.

Polyunsaturated fats are those which contain omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 helps to boost your brain function, improves your moods and strengthens your immune system. Omega 6 fatty acids are important for keeping your skin and eyes in healthy condition.

Good sources of Omega 3 are found in fish like herring and salmon and in walnuts, flax seed and tofu. A good source of Omega 6 is in corn and safflower oil along with corn fed chicken and beef. Your goal should be to eat more Omega 3 sources of fat and only small amounts of Omega 6, as too much of this can lead to heart disease.

The Bad Fats

Saturated fats are commonly known as the bad fats. Consuming too many of these types of fat can lead to high cholesterol levels and heart disease. You may be eating far to much saturated fats and that is why you need fat to lose weight with only unsaturated fats

It is easy to see saturated fats as they are seen in hard sources. For instance in chicken skin and on bacon, your best bet to limit your intake of saturated fat is to simply remove as much as possible before cooking or eating. Other sources of saturated fat are cream, 2% milk, coconuts and palm oil.

Trans Fats are probably the worst culprit on the list when it comes to bad fats. Trans Fats are pretty much man made. These are the fats that manufacturers add to foods to prolong their shelf life. Trans fats raise bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and lower good levels (HDL). These fats are totally responsible for causing heart disease!

You will find Trans Fats in shortening, margarine, crackers, cookies, chips and all processed foods.

Now you understand what fat is and the difference between good and bad fats. We can move on to why your body needs fat and why it helps and why you need fat to lose weight when it comes to losing weight.

Why You Need Fat to Lose Weight

Fat is a wonderful source of energy. Each gram of fat provides your body with 9 calories of energy. Protein and carbohydrates only provide your body with 4 calories.

Fat is responsible for keeping your cells healthy. Each cell is surrounded by a fatty membrane, without this your cells would not work properly. Your nerve fibers are also surrounded by fat. The fat acts as insulation and protection and actually allows messages to be transmitted throughout your body faster.

Certain vitamins require fat to be absorbed by your body effectively. This includes vitamins A, D, E and K which your intestines require daily.

Your body uses fat to regulate its sex hormones and other bodily functions. You will notice this in girls who are so thin that they do not menstruate.

Fat acts as a protection for your body. It helps to keep you warm in the winter. Leaner people often feel the cold more than those who are heavier. Fat is also responsible for keeping your skin smooth and glowing. Dry, flaky skin is often a sign of a fatty acid deficiency.

Your heart, kidneys and liver need to be protected and insulated and this is done by fat. This layer of fat helps to protect your organs from injury and keeps them in place.

Fat and Weight Loss

When you combine protein with fat you have the makings of a fast weight loss formula. Of course you must be careful of how much and which type of fat you eat.

The combination of protein and fat makes you feel fuller longer. You will experience less hunger pangs. The other benefit is that your blood sugar will be more stable. You won’t be bothered by sweet cravings, feeling light headed or shaky or suddenly feeling as though you are starving.

A good protein and fat meal would be a meal that consists of scrambled egg with ham. When cooking the eggs add peppers, mushrooms and onions. This is a great breakfast or brunch on the weekends. You will feel more energized all morning and be able to go about your daily tasks with gusto.

So remember that fat provides your body with more energy than protein and works to keep you feeling full. The foods to avoid when losing weight or just for living a healthy lifestyle are:

  • Refined foods
  • Refined sugar
  • Foods high in carbohydrates like bread and white flours
  • Processed oils like margarine
  • Hard fats

Smoking, stress and lack of exercise are all causes of heart disease, diabetes and other ailments. Take steps to include more exercise and reduce your stress levels.

Conclusion – Why You Need Fat to Lose Weight

While certain fats can be detrimental to your health the good fats are required to keep your body in good shape and health. By limiting your fat intake and watching which type of fat you are consuming, you will start to lose weight and feel healthy again. A lot comes down to why you need fat to lose weight

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Weight Loss Exercise

Tips To Lose Weight

Are you looking for tips to lose weight? These tips to lose weight fast will help you. Keep in mind, however, that if you want to lose weight and keep it off that you have to change your lifestyle. That means following these tips consistently. It can be difficult to change life-long habits. Starting out is usually the hardest part. Once you develop healthier patterns, they too can become habits!

5 Tips to lose weight

1. Eat Healthier Fats

Tips To Lose Weight

tips to lose weight

The latest research on tips to lose weight say that it’s not so much fat itself that is the problem when it comes to health and weight loss, but the kind of fat. In general, it’s a good idea to avoid trans fats, which are found in many junk foods, margarine, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and baked goods such as cakes, cookies and donuts (you can find healthier, organic versions of these products).

 

Saturated fats, which are found in animal products are fine to eat in small quantities, especially if they are natural or organic.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that are now called “healthy fats” contain essential fatty acids, especially Omega-3. These are found in almonds and other nuts, avocados, coconut and olive oils and flaxseed oil.

So, as a rule,the best tips to lose weight are that it’s best to avoid trans fats as much as possible, consume limited amounts of saturated fats (note -some people still label saturated fats as “bad fats” but there is compelling research that shows that many cultures have consumed animal products for centuries with virtually no obesity or degenerative diseases -see Weston Price Foundation for more information; the problem today is that most animal products are from factory farms, which use many questionable additives), and large amounts of healthy fats.

One Healthy Diet program is the Fat Loss for Idiots plan. Check out my Review of it

2. Exercise Intelligently

Besides diet the best tips to lose weight are that you need to exercise. The problem many people have with exercise is that they start out very enthusiastically and then, when that initial burst of energy wears out, they quit. If this is your tendency, you should remember that the real key to a successful exercise program is consistency. It’s far better, for example, to walk for forty-five minutes every day and stick with it than to be a “weekend warrior” and do strenuous exercise inconsistently. Don’t try to do too much, but make sure you get regular exercise at least three times per week.

Tom Venuto who created Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is a great resource for this. You can read the review of his book here.

3. Pay Attention to What You Drink

Water and fluid intake can be at least as important as food when it comes to tips to lose weight. The best thing to drink is pure water. After that, stick to pure juices (in moderation; many juices like apple are healthy, but contain lots of sugar; even natural sugar can be fattening in large quantities), green tea, which has antioxidants that may help with weight loss, and herbal teas.

Avoid soda as much as possible, even diet sodas –most artificial sweeteners have potential health risks. One glass of wine or beer every day is fine for most people and may actually have health benefits. Beyond this, however, alcohol can be fattening and of course can contribute to other health problems.

4. Get Some Sleep!

While we all know that you need exercise to lose weight fast, oddly enough, sleep can also help. Recent research has shown a correlation between sleep deprivation and obesity. Apparently lack of sleep causes an imbalance in the body which inhibits the burning of fat. So if you have sleeping problems, you should address this. Regular exercise can help with this. Avoid caffeine or stimulants beyond the mid-afternoon. Certain herbal teas, such as chamomile and skullcap can also help with sleep.

5. Reduce Stress

Stress also makes it difficult to lose weight fast. This is probably related to the issue of sleep deprivation contributing to obesity. While we tend to think of sleep and relaxation as the opposite of what we need to lose weight, the fact is we need both activity and rest to be at our best and for our body to burn fat.

Tips to lose weight – Remember to do all these things together

So we don’t only need to get enough sleep, but we also need to be able to deal with stress throughout the day. If you have a problem with stress, try yoga or meditation. These also teach proper breathing, which is crucial for overall health, stress reduction and losing weight. So follow these tips to lose weight fast and you will be sure to do a lot better in your weight loss goals.

I really think that to lose weight fast you need to concentrate on all of these things. There are a ton of articles that I have written on weight loss and muscle gain but more often than not it is the time crunch that forces people to look for tips to lose weight.

Tips To Lose Weight

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Weight Loss Exercise

Fats in your diet


Fats in your diet

Fats in your diet

Fats are always looked at as a negative in a diet…well in almost all diets anyway, as Atkins tends to think that they are OK. The reason that most people try to avoid fats is that they tend to be less of a priority for your body to metabolize; the body would rather metabolize the carbohydrates and then Fat or Protein. Another issue with fat is the number of calories per gram, a gram of fat has 9 calories as opposed to Protein and carbohydrates which have 4 calories per gram. So your body is going to more than likely store any extra fat taken in as, well, fat.

What Kind of Fats in Your Diet to Watch For

So you should watch out for the Fats in your diet in most cases. Still it is important to take in some fats, you body can not exist without any fats and in fact stores vitamins A, D, E and K in fat. These vitamins are needed to maintain good health. One thing to be aware of is that these vitamins because they are stored in fat can build up and be toxic¦how toxic? Well I have not heard of anyone getting sick from them but without them you would surely get sick.

Research has shown, because that people who consume a high-sugar diet tend to consume lower amounts of fat and vice versa. If you think about this it means that your mind will look at a sugary or a fatty food in the same way and will crave both in the same way.

Different Types of Fats in Your Diet

Most people’s questions about fats in your diet are what kind they can eat to be eating healthy. There are three types of fat that comes from food. Saturated Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats, and Monounsaturated Fats. All three are found in foods that come from animals or plants, but the amount varies. As a rule, more saturated fat is found in animal than vegetable foods, where more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are found in vegetables than animal foods. Cholesterol is also found in foods from animals.

Saturated fat is mainly found in foods of animal origin, but some vegetables also have large amounts. These are called saturated vegetable fats and are often found in processed bakery goods and nondairy milk or cream substitutes. These are: Beef, Brazil Nuts, Butter, Cheese, Chocolate, Coconut, Coconut Oil, and Lard

As a rule of thumb when shopping, saturated fats are solid at room temperature. When you have a lot of saturated fat in your diet, your liver responds by making more cholesterol. This raises your blood cholesterol level. It is the most harmful type of fat you can eat.

Fats in your diet

Polyunsaturated fats come mainly from plants. They are liquid at room temperature. Eating polyunsaturated fat can reduce blood cholesterol levels. Examples are Almonds, Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Filberts, Fish, Margarine, Mayonnaise, and Pecans

Monounsaturated fats are mainly found in foods that come from plants. They are liquid at room temperature and can reduce blood cholesterol levels, but less than polyunsaturated fats do. They can, however, raise HDL cholesterol (the ‘good’ kind of cholesterol) levels. Examples are Avocado, Canola Oil, Cashews, Olives, Olive Oil, Peanuts, and Peanut Butter.

Trans fats are what make vegetable margarines have a butter-like texture, and prolong the shelf life of packaged foods. The effects of trans fats are still not known, but it is believed that they, like saturated fats, cause blood cholesterol levels to increase. As we have learned over the last couple years trans fats can not be metabolized by our body so they are poisonous and very unhealthy

You can see that these Fats in your diet are important but some should be eaten with caution