Tag: Supermarkets

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Weight Loss Exercise

Leptin – Fat Hormone Regulation

Leptin is a hormone in our body that controls fat regulation. This post is going to be a work in progress but I wanted to point out a hormone that we all have to deal with when it comes to hunger and fat loss and fat storage (getting fat).

One of the problems that I have found, and my wife as well, when Leptin is explained is that science is not very nice to us common folk. I suspect that you want to know how to lose weight and are not really too interested in becoming a biochemist to do it.

How Leptin controls fat stores

Leptin is that starvation hormone that decides that our body has to store fat if we are in a starvation situation (like animals getting ready for winter hibernation) or to burn our calories quickly (like when animals are in a hunting or hunter situation).

Basically when we eat too much food and do not exercise enough we store fat. Leptin controls that storing of fat in our body just like it would in animals but we as people with supermarkets, fast food, and easy access to the smells and tastes that we like. We kind of mess things up as far as eating when hungry comes in and do have to do something to regulate it on our own.

Okay, have you got that straight? Hope so. So when we are on any kind of a regular diet what will happen is that we lose weight for the first few days or couple weeks and then we plateau. The other crappy side effect is that our energy drops and we have trouble working out. The plateau is caused by our our Leptin levels dropping which causes our metabolism (energy burning) to slow down and at the same time our body stores as much fat as possible.

This means that we have to do something to take us out of this fat storage problem

How to Reset Leptin Levels

Leptin Fat Hormone Regulation

Reset Leptin Levels

There is a simple way to rest our Leptin levels and this is to stop our bodies from thinking we are starving. What will happen is that you will diet for a week or week and a half and then take a day or two off and remind our bodies that we are not in a starvation phase. Some diets do this already and they call it different things. Fat Loss for Idiots calls it calorie shifting, in 24/7 Fat Loss Joel Marion calls it a cheat day.

On any diet that uses this strategy you don’t just go and gorge, you eat normal size meals until satisfied but not worrying about fat content of the foods or carbohydrate types.

The important thing about this method is to make sure that you are reminding your body that you are safe, you are not starving, and to bring your Leptin levels back so that you are again able to lose fat and not have your body store fat.

Diet and Leptin Levels

Now that you know how this Leptin business works you have all the information you need to make your current diet or to further evaluate a diet. What you need to do is never diet hard for more than a week or two without taking a day or two off. Although these cheat days can cause a bit of weight gain if done incorrectly you will be doing more help then any single diet day to making sure that you are going to have long term weight loss success.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Importance of Healthy and Natural Foods




Until quite recently, ‘healthy’ shopping meant shopping in a health food store, sometimes called a natural foods store. Now, however, most major supermarkets have extensive health foods and organics sections. This shows that the demand for these products is way up; healthy eating is finally going mainstream! While this is a good thing, it also means more choices, which can be confusing, especially if you are new to the field.

While it’s not my job to tell you where to shop, you may want to familiarize yourself with a well-stocked health food store and do most of your shopping there for a while. You may be tempted to stick with your supermarket, thinking it’s more convenient (such as for nonfood purchases) and cheaper. This can be true, but a store that specializes in natural foods can be an easier way to get yourself comfortable with the many choices in this realm. Furthermore, you will not be tempted by the vast amounts of unhealthy foods sold by the truckload at regular supermarkets! Once you are more familiar with natural foods and know what you are looking for, you can always price shop and return to the regular markets.

Healthy, Natural and Organic: what’s in a name?

First of all, if you want to eat healthy, and help you in losing weight you’re going to have to start reading ingredient labels, as dull and time-consuming as this can be. You don’t really have to spend a lot of time going over every line of an ingredient list; you can quickly learn to ‘speed read’ and learn what to watch for.

When you start shopping for natural foods, you will quickly learn that many foods are labeled ‘natural,’ ‘all natural’ and ‘organic.’ These can be tricky to even the most savvy shopper. ‘All natural’ simply means that the product does not contain ingredients deemed ‘artificial’ by the FDA. Such products can still contain lots of ingredients you may want to avoid or limit such as excessive sugar or salt, the two biggies. If a product has the world ‘natural’ on the package but doesn’t say ‘all natural,’ be careful. It might very well have a combination of natural and artificial ingredients, which means it’s not all natural.

‘Organic’ is even trickier, as there are various standards used to allow this description. In general, however, organic means that no harmful pesticides were used in the creation of the product. In the case of vegetables or fruits, it means that they weren’t sprayed with such chemicals. In the case of dairy or meat, it means the animals were fed on an organic diet. ‘Organic,’ like ‘all natural’ doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for you. Organic products can and often do contain large quantities of sugars and sodium. More on this later.

In general, it’s a good idea to buy as much all natural, preferably organic diet, though an all organic diet can be difficult and expensive to adhere to; there is no need to be a purist. This is not as hard as it might sound, especially now, when so many companies are clamoring to meet the demand for healthier products. As we will see in the next chapter, the challenge is not so much in finding healthy products as in avoiding unhealthy ones!

As a rule, ‘all natural’ and organic are the minimum standards to look for when shopping for natural foods and for losing weight. That is, if products do not meet one or both of these standards, they probably are not very healthy. On the other hand, just because they do meet these standards doesn’t mean they are great for you. There are other things to look for, which I’ll go into later.

I’ll conclude with some thoughts about the whole natural foods concept for losing weight. To some, it’s a gimmick. People might point out that many ‘artificial’ ingredients are not necessarily unhealthy. After all, we are supposedly protected by law against anything that is toxic or seriously bad for us right? This is debatable, and a whole book could be written (and many have been!) on this topic. However, I’ll give you my brief take on it.

True, the hard evidence is sketchy that eating foods that contain artificial colors or flavors or preservatives by the way, those are broad terms which encompass hundreds of possible additiveswill make you sick, make you gain weight, lower your energy or  cause any other specific negative result. How many writers of natural foods manuals will admit something like that?  But seriously, my attitude is, why take chances? In many cases, the evidence is controversial that is, there are arguments both for and against many additives. Furthermore, many of these additives are relatively new, especially when measured against the many millenia of human history.

Mainstream scientists might argue that since lifespans are longer today than, say, a hundred or thousand years ago, that proves that our present ‘junk food’ diet can’t be so bad. I wouldn’t be so sure. There is also evidence that many degenerative diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) are actually becoming more prevalent now. Also, what about the rise in maladies such as obesity, autism, ADD and many so-called mental illnesses such as depression and bi-polar disorder? Think of all the foods and drugs that you hear about years after many people have already been made sick by themthat are pulled from the shelves, followed by lawsuits against the company that made them.

My guess is that, since you reading this, you are already inclined towards eating a natural foods diet, so I will not spend any more time preaching to the choir.


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Weight Loss Exercise

Learn How to Fast Safely





Fasting isn’t something you should try without much thought and preparation. For most people, fasting is an incredible experience that helps you feel renewed and rewarded. For others, fasting is fraught with untamed cravings, headaches and feelings of failure because they couldn’t see it to the end. Learning how to fast safely is all about choosing the plan that’s right for you and your lifestyle.

There are so many available fasting plans ? and you’re sure to find one that suits you and that you reap huge rewards from. Any fasting program you choose should begin by deciding what your motivation is for fasting. It could be that you want to begin a weight loss program on a clean slate, cleanse your body for health reasons or for spiritual reasons. Find a fasting plan that fits what you’re trying to achieve to make sure you won’t be disappointed at the end.

Then, check with your doctor to make sure that your body is ready and able to handle the particular fast you chose. Ask him or her for tips you can use to ensure that you realize everything from the fast that you’ve envisioned.

There are a few items you need to invest in to get the most from any fasting plan you choose. First, you should purchase a juicer rather than choosing from juices at the supermarket. Fresh, rather than pasteurized juice is a better fit for fasting. Sometimes they’re difficult to locate, but if you can buy organically grown fruits and vegetables rather than those available at most supermarkets, do so. They may cost a little more, but the quality is worth the cost. When you purchase teas, choose only from the wide variety of organically grown, herbal teas.

While it’s okay and even recommended to exercise during your fast, it should be limited to non-stressful or low aerobic movements. Walking or stretching exercises are best during the fast ? but take it easy. If you don’t feel like exerting yourself ? don’t. Fasting is different for everyone. Some people are energized and others feel lethargic.

When the fast is over, be aware that your body has just gone through a major renewing and rejuvenating experience. The thing you don’t want to do is begin eating foods high in carbohydrates, sugars, additives or drinking alcohol, carbonated beverages and dairy products such as milk. If you do indulge in these foods and drinks immediately following the fast, you may experience bad reactions such as stomach and other digestive problems.


Fasting should be the first step you take in developing a healthier lifestyle. When you learn how to fast in a safe manner, you’ll end the fast with feelings of self-esteem (after all, you’ve just completed a process that involves depriving yourself of one of life’s main comforts and necessities to achieve a goal) and pride for what you’ve accomplished.



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