Exercise promotes health, reducing most people’s risks of developing diabetes and growing obese. But just how, at a cellular level, exercise performs this beneficial magic — what physiological steps are involved and in what order — remains mysterious to a surprising degree.
Several striking new studies, however, provide some clarity by showing that exercise seems able to drastically alter how genes operate.
Genes are, of course, not static. They turn on or off, depending on what biochemical signals they receive from elsewhere in the body. When they are turned on, genes express various proteins that, in turn, prompt a range of physiological actions in the body.
One powerful means of affecting gene activity involves a process called methylation, in which methyl groups, a cluster of carbon and hydrogen atoms, attach to the outside of a gene and make it easier or harder for that gene to receive and respond to messages from the body. In this way, the behavior of the gene is changed, but not the fundamental structure of the gene itself. Remarkably, these methylation patterns can be passed on to offspring – a phenomenon known as epigenetics.
What is particularly fascinating about the methylation process is that it seems to be driven largely by how you live your life. Many recent studies have found that diet, for instance, notably affects the methylation of genes, and scientists working in this area suspect that differing genetic methylation patterns resulting from differing diets may partly determine whether someone develops diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
But the role of physical activity in gene methylation has been poorly understood, even though exercise, like diet, greatly changes the body. So several groups of scientists recently set out to determine what working out does to the exterior of our genes.
The answer, their recently published results show, is plenty.
Of the new studies, perhaps the most tantalizing, conducted principally by researchers affiliated with the Lund University Diabetes Centre in Sweden and published last month in PLoS One, began by recruiting several dozen sedentary but generally healthy adult Swedish men and sucking out some of their fat cells. Using recently developed molecular techniques, the researchers mapped the existing methylation patterns on the DNA within those cells. They also measured the men’s body composition, aerobic capacity, waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and similar markers of health and fitness.
Then they asked the men to start working out. Under the guidance of a trainer, the volunteers began attending hourlong spinning or aerobics classes approximately twice a week for six months. By the end of that time, the men had shed fat and inches around their waists, increased their endurance and improved their blood pressure and cholesterol profiles.
Less obviously, but perhaps even more consequentially, they also had altered the methylation pattern of many of the genes in their fat cells. In fact, more than 17,900 individual locations on 7,663 separate genes in the fat cells now displayed changed methylation patterns. In most cases, the genes had become more methylated, but some had fewer methyl groups attached. Both situations affect how those genes express proteins.
The genes showing the greatest change in methylation also tended to be those that had been previously identified as playing some role in fat storage and the risk for developing diabetes or obesity.
“Our data suggest that exercise may affect the risk for Type 2 diabetes and obesity by changing DNA methylation of those genes,” says Charlotte Ling, an associate professor at Lund University and senior author of the study.
Meanwhile, other studies have found that exercise has an equally profound effect on DNA methylation within human muscle cells, even after a single workout.
To reach that conclusion, scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and other institutions took muscle biopsies from a group of sedentary men and women and mapped their muscle cells’ methylation patterns. They then had the volunteers ride stationary bicycles until they had burned about 400 calories. Some rode strenuously, others more easily.
Afterward, a second muscle biopsy showed that DNA methylation patterns in the muscle cells were already changing after that lone workout, with some genes gaining methyl groups and some losing them. Several of the genes most altered, as in the fat cell study, are known to produce proteins that affect the body’s metabolism, including the risk for diabetes and obesity.
Interestingly, the muscle cell methylation changes were far more pronounced among the volunteers who had ridden vigorously than in those who had pedaled more gently, even though their total energy output was the same.
The overarching implication of the study’s findings, says Juleen Zierath, a professor of integrative physiology at the Karolinska Institute and senior author of the study, is that DNA methylation changes are probably “one of the earliest adaptations to exercise” and drive the bodily changes that follow.
Of course, the intricacies of that bogglingly complex process have yet to be fully teased out. Scientists do not know, for instance, whether exercise-induced methylation changes linger if someone becomes sedentary, or if resistance training has similar effects on the behavior of genes. Nor is it known whether these changes might be passed on from one generation to the next. But already it is clear, Dr. Ling says, that these new findings “are additional proof of the robust effect exercise can have on the human body, even at the level of our DNA.”
For the original article please click link below:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/how-exercise-changes-fat-and-muscle-cells/
Friday 22 November 2013
Tuesday 19 November 2013
How To Get Motivated to Exercise
How To Get Motivated to Exercise
It can be hard to exercise. Here are 5 tips to help you get off the couch and get fit.
By Linda Wasmer Andrews
WebMD Feature Reviewed by David Ludwig, MD, PhD
You know you should do it. And you know why: Exercising -- simply put, moving instead of sitting -- is critical for safeguarding your health and setting a good example for your kids. So why does it seem so hard to get yourself moving?
The truth is: You can. But knowing how and why to exercise isn’t enough.You need to develop the right mind-set to get and stay motivated.
"Change is hard!" says certified health behavior coach Shelly Hoefs, fitness supervisor at the Mutch Women’s Center for Health Enrichment in Sioux Falls, S.D. "When we try to start exercising, we think of all the excuses for not doing it and all the things that have gotten in the way before. Getting fit starts to seem overwhelming. And that makes it feel stressful. Before long, we don’t want to do it anymore."
Here are 5 steps to get you moving in the right direction -- and keep you going.
1. Find Personal Motivation to Exercise
What you need to get you up off the couch is a reason that's important to you. At first, that may be some external factor, says Cal Hanson, director of the Sanford Wellness Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. It could be a number on the scale that surprises you or your doctor's recommendation that you need to move more to stay healthy.
There are all kinds of benefits to getting fit. Which matters most to you? Something as simple as taking a brisk walk after dinner every night helps to:
control your weight
strengthen your bones
enhance your muscles
reduce your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer
Plus, by becoming active, you're being a good role model for your children.
These benefits may get you started, but they may not cut it when it comes to keeping you moving day after day, Hanson says. To keep up your motivation to exercise over time, you also need to find your internal motivators. Maybe taking a yoga class leaves you feeling more energized or less stressed. Maybe a run or walk every day helps you let go of stress. Hanson says these are the kind of rewards that are meaningful to you on a personal level and that can help keep you motivated.
2. Set Realistic Goals to Get Fit
CDC guidelines call for adults to do 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week. That's a 30-minute walk 5 days a week. If you kick it up a notch -- jogging or running, for example – the benefits multiply. Though it's fine to provide for a gentle start, ultimately the more the better.
You can aim for these exercise guidelines, but don't try to meet them at the start. "People lose their motivation to exercise when they try to do too much too soon," says Hanson.
So instead of walking for 30 minutes a day right off the bat, start out doing 15 minutes a day, 2 or 3 days a week.
Set weekly goals, gradually adding more time and intensity. At the end of each week, take a look at how you did. If you reached your goal, celebrate! "And if you didn't reach your goal," Hanson says, "think about what went wrong and how you're going to respond differently next time."
3. Stop Thinking of It as Exercise -- Do Something You Enjoy
You don't have to go to the gym to get a good workout. It's all about moving more -- however you do it. For some people, going to the gym provides structure that helps them focus and a sense of accomplishment when they're done. For others, it's a chore -- one they wind up avoiding as often as they can.
What else can you do? Almost anything that gets you -- and your family -- moving:
Walk the dog, or walk a neighbor's dog. They'll be grateful for the help!
Have dance contests with the kids instead of watching TV.
Go to the park and play hide-and-seek.
Shoot hoops with the kids.
Walk or bike to the store instead of driving.
Get off the train a stop early and walk the rest of the way to your office.
Take the stairs rather than the elevator.
If you think about it, you're surrounded by opportunities to get more active. Find the ones that you get excited about. You're more likely to keep doing them if you're having fun.
4. Plan How to Fit Exercise Into a Hectic Schedule
For busy parents, a major obstacle to getting fit is lack of time. If you wait for time to open up, chances are you won't be able to squeeze in a walk or a dance class very often. To avoid getting sidetracked by the daily demands of life, try these tips:
"Sit down with your schedule and really carve out blocks of time," says psychologist Susan Bartell, PsyD, author of Dr. Susan's Fit and Fun Family Action Plan. Put it in your calendar like any other appointment.
Add physical activity to things you already do. For example, pedal a stationary bike while reading or watching TV. Or take a walk with a friend to catch up instead of calling each other on the phone.
Plan activities you can do with your kids, such as going for bike rides or skating. Not only will you find more time for fitness, you'll help inspire your kids to move more.
If you plan ahead for potholes on the road to fitness, you're more likely to stay on course, Bartell says. "When you think through solutions to problems in advance, you're less likely to give up when a pothole comes along."
5. Bounce Back From Setbacks
You’ve set a reasonable fitness goal. You’ve prepared for potential problems. Yet somehow you still didn’t make it to the gym today as you had planned. Don't let that be your downfall.
"For many people, this is a slippery slope," Hanson says. "It reminds them of times when they failed before, and they begin to think of themselves as exercise failures."
When this happens, it’s time for an attitude adjustment so you don’t completely lose your motivation to exercise. If you miss the gym on Monday, that doesn’t mean your whole week is shot, Hanson says. It simply means you need to hit the gym on Tuesday or take the dog for an extra-long walk tonight.
Knowing how to exercise isn’t just a matter of learning how to use your body to hold a yoga pose or swing a racquet. It also involves learning how to use your mind to propel yourself into action and stick with a fitness routine.
"Start thinking of yourself as someone who exercises," says Hoefs. "Eventually, that will become your identity."
For the original article please click the link below:
http://fit.webmd.com/jr/parents/article/parents-motivated-to-exercise?page=3
It can be hard to exercise. Here are 5 tips to help you get off the couch and get fit.
By Linda Wasmer Andrews
WebMD Feature Reviewed by David Ludwig, MD, PhD
You know you should do it. And you know why: Exercising -- simply put, moving instead of sitting -- is critical for safeguarding your health and setting a good example for your kids. So why does it seem so hard to get yourself moving?
The truth is: You can. But knowing how and why to exercise isn’t enough.You need to develop the right mind-set to get and stay motivated.
"Change is hard!" says certified health behavior coach Shelly Hoefs, fitness supervisor at the Mutch Women’s Center for Health Enrichment in Sioux Falls, S.D. "When we try to start exercising, we think of all the excuses for not doing it and all the things that have gotten in the way before. Getting fit starts to seem overwhelming. And that makes it feel stressful. Before long, we don’t want to do it anymore."
Here are 5 steps to get you moving in the right direction -- and keep you going.
1. Find Personal Motivation to Exercise
What you need to get you up off the couch is a reason that's important to you. At first, that may be some external factor, says Cal Hanson, director of the Sanford Wellness Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. It could be a number on the scale that surprises you or your doctor's recommendation that you need to move more to stay healthy.
There are all kinds of benefits to getting fit. Which matters most to you? Something as simple as taking a brisk walk after dinner every night helps to:
control your weight
strengthen your bones
enhance your muscles
reduce your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer
Plus, by becoming active, you're being a good role model for your children.
These benefits may get you started, but they may not cut it when it comes to keeping you moving day after day, Hanson says. To keep up your motivation to exercise over time, you also need to find your internal motivators. Maybe taking a yoga class leaves you feeling more energized or less stressed. Maybe a run or walk every day helps you let go of stress. Hanson says these are the kind of rewards that are meaningful to you on a personal level and that can help keep you motivated.
2. Set Realistic Goals to Get Fit
CDC guidelines call for adults to do 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week. That's a 30-minute walk 5 days a week. If you kick it up a notch -- jogging or running, for example – the benefits multiply. Though it's fine to provide for a gentle start, ultimately the more the better.
You can aim for these exercise guidelines, but don't try to meet them at the start. "People lose their motivation to exercise when they try to do too much too soon," says Hanson.
So instead of walking for 30 minutes a day right off the bat, start out doing 15 minutes a day, 2 or 3 days a week.
Set weekly goals, gradually adding more time and intensity. At the end of each week, take a look at how you did. If you reached your goal, celebrate! "And if you didn't reach your goal," Hanson says, "think about what went wrong and how you're going to respond differently next time."
3. Stop Thinking of It as Exercise -- Do Something You Enjoy
You don't have to go to the gym to get a good workout. It's all about moving more -- however you do it. For some people, going to the gym provides structure that helps them focus and a sense of accomplishment when they're done. For others, it's a chore -- one they wind up avoiding as often as they can.
What else can you do? Almost anything that gets you -- and your family -- moving:
Walk the dog, or walk a neighbor's dog. They'll be grateful for the help!
Have dance contests with the kids instead of watching TV.
Go to the park and play hide-and-seek.
Shoot hoops with the kids.
Walk or bike to the store instead of driving.
Get off the train a stop early and walk the rest of the way to your office.
Take the stairs rather than the elevator.
If you think about it, you're surrounded by opportunities to get more active. Find the ones that you get excited about. You're more likely to keep doing them if you're having fun.
4. Plan How to Fit Exercise Into a Hectic Schedule
For busy parents, a major obstacle to getting fit is lack of time. If you wait for time to open up, chances are you won't be able to squeeze in a walk or a dance class very often. To avoid getting sidetracked by the daily demands of life, try these tips:
"Sit down with your schedule and really carve out blocks of time," says psychologist Susan Bartell, PsyD, author of Dr. Susan's Fit and Fun Family Action Plan. Put it in your calendar like any other appointment.
Add physical activity to things you already do. For example, pedal a stationary bike while reading or watching TV. Or take a walk with a friend to catch up instead of calling each other on the phone.
Plan activities you can do with your kids, such as going for bike rides or skating. Not only will you find more time for fitness, you'll help inspire your kids to move more.
If you plan ahead for potholes on the road to fitness, you're more likely to stay on course, Bartell says. "When you think through solutions to problems in advance, you're less likely to give up when a pothole comes along."
5. Bounce Back From Setbacks
You’ve set a reasonable fitness goal. You’ve prepared for potential problems. Yet somehow you still didn’t make it to the gym today as you had planned. Don't let that be your downfall.
"For many people, this is a slippery slope," Hanson says. "It reminds them of times when they failed before, and they begin to think of themselves as exercise failures."
When this happens, it’s time for an attitude adjustment so you don’t completely lose your motivation to exercise. If you miss the gym on Monday, that doesn’t mean your whole week is shot, Hanson says. It simply means you need to hit the gym on Tuesday or take the dog for an extra-long walk tonight.
Knowing how to exercise isn’t just a matter of learning how to use your body to hold a yoga pose or swing a racquet. It also involves learning how to use your mind to propel yourself into action and stick with a fitness routine.
"Start thinking of yourself as someone who exercises," says Hoefs. "Eventually, that will become your identity."
For the original article please click the link below:
http://fit.webmd.com/jr/parents/article/parents-motivated-to-exercise?page=3
Sunday 17 November 2013
How Exercise Impacts (Good) Brown Fat Cells & (Bad) White Fat Cells
Did you know that your body has two different kinds of fat? Learn how an active lifestyle can reduce or minimize the amount of "bad" white fat you have in your body.
In the old Westerns it was always easy to identify the bad guys because they always wore black. But, in the ensuring decades it has not been as easy to delineate the good from the bad. Bad guys don’t always wear black, and every once in a while one of them actually turns out to be a hero.
Recent research sponsored by the American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health is actually proving incredible insight into a notorious “bad guy,” and forcing researchers to rethink how we view good and bad fat.
Body fat—the good and the bad
Did you know that your body has two kinds of fats? No, seriously. Just like the fat that you can consume in foods, your body is naturally comprised of both good and bad fats. The question that researchers have been asking for years, is how we can increase the amount of “good fat” while reducing “bad fat?”
Body fat or adipose tissue, as it’s known in biology, actually plays several vital roles within the body. In addition to insulating the body and cushioning internal organs, body fat serves as an energy store and secretes hormones such as leptin and estrogen just to name a few. Brown fat or brown adipose tissue is considered to be “good fat” and is common to humans, rodents and small mammals. It was once believed that brown fat only existed in infants but was recently discovered in adults.
Researchers believe that brown fat may hold weight loss secrets that would benefit overweight and obese individuals. In infants and adults, brown fat actually generates heat to warm the body when it is exposed to cold. To generate heat the brown fat, mainly located in the neck and upper chest, burns calories through a unique thermogenic processes that raises the basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Brown fat is very different from white adipose tissue or white fat that develops from a sedentary lifestyle combined with poor diet. A certain amount of white fat is beneficial and necessary for bodily functions but problems arise when too much accumulates within the body. Elevated levels of white fat especially abdominal fat are related to several disease including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome just to name a few. And, unlike brown fat, white fat doesn’t burn calories.
Muscular Build
New research into exercise and fat offers hope
Two studies of mice and humans conducted by the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston suggest that exercise can actually led to a browning of white fat.
The studies found that mice that ran on an exercise wheel for 11 days and men who undertook 12 weeks of training on an exercise bicycle underwent a browning of their subcutaneous white adipose tissue that appears to have led to profound changes in the way that fat behaved in the body.
The browned white fat behaved more like brown adipose tissue in that it was more metabolically and thermogenically active than white adipose tissue. Researchers were able to discover that this “new” fat affected other bodily tissues by transplanting the exercise-training fat into obese mice. The murine study suggests that the browned fat was associated with increased glucose uptake, improved body composition, decreased fat mass and increased insulin sensitivity.
“Our results showed that exercise doesn’t just have beneficial effects on muscles, it also affects fat, said Kristin Stanford, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center. “It’s clear that when fat gets trained, it becomes browner and more metabolically active. We think there are factors being released into the bloodstream from the healthier fat that are working on other tissues.”
While researchers were unable to perform a similar transplant in humans they believe that exercise plays an important role.
“We know that exercise is good for us,” says Laurie Goodyear, PhD, senior researcher on the study and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. “But what we’re showing here is that fat changes dramatically in response to exercise training. This is not the fat that’s around your middle, which is bad fat and can lead to diabetes and other insulin resistance conditions. It’s the fat that’s under the skin, the subcutaneous fat that adapts in a way that appears to be having important metabolic effects.
Based upon the studies conducted by the Joslin Diabetes Center, it’s probably a safe bet that other researchers will be conducting trials of their own to investigate the correlation between exercise and the browning of white fat. In the meanwhile there are some valuable takeaways from the data that has been published. First, if you aren’t exercising then you need to start. Second, if you regularly engage in physical activity then you are definitely headed in the right direction, so keep it up.
For the original article, please click below:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/exercise-brown-white-fat-cells
In the old Westerns it was always easy to identify the bad guys because they always wore black. But, in the ensuring decades it has not been as easy to delineate the good from the bad. Bad guys don’t always wear black, and every once in a while one of them actually turns out to be a hero.
Recent research sponsored by the American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health is actually proving incredible insight into a notorious “bad guy,” and forcing researchers to rethink how we view good and bad fat.
Body fat—the good and the bad
Did you know that your body has two kinds of fats? No, seriously. Just like the fat that you can consume in foods, your body is naturally comprised of both good and bad fats. The question that researchers have been asking for years, is how we can increase the amount of “good fat” while reducing “bad fat?”
Body fat or adipose tissue, as it’s known in biology, actually plays several vital roles within the body. In addition to insulating the body and cushioning internal organs, body fat serves as an energy store and secretes hormones such as leptin and estrogen just to name a few. Brown fat or brown adipose tissue is considered to be “good fat” and is common to humans, rodents and small mammals. It was once believed that brown fat only existed in infants but was recently discovered in adults.
Researchers believe that brown fat may hold weight loss secrets that would benefit overweight and obese individuals. In infants and adults, brown fat actually generates heat to warm the body when it is exposed to cold. To generate heat the brown fat, mainly located in the neck and upper chest, burns calories through a unique thermogenic processes that raises the basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Brown fat is very different from white adipose tissue or white fat that develops from a sedentary lifestyle combined with poor diet. A certain amount of white fat is beneficial and necessary for bodily functions but problems arise when too much accumulates within the body. Elevated levels of white fat especially abdominal fat are related to several disease including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome just to name a few. And, unlike brown fat, white fat doesn’t burn calories.
Muscular Build
New research into exercise and fat offers hope
Two studies of mice and humans conducted by the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston suggest that exercise can actually led to a browning of white fat.
The studies found that mice that ran on an exercise wheel for 11 days and men who undertook 12 weeks of training on an exercise bicycle underwent a browning of their subcutaneous white adipose tissue that appears to have led to profound changes in the way that fat behaved in the body.
The browned white fat behaved more like brown adipose tissue in that it was more metabolically and thermogenically active than white adipose tissue. Researchers were able to discover that this “new” fat affected other bodily tissues by transplanting the exercise-training fat into obese mice. The murine study suggests that the browned fat was associated with increased glucose uptake, improved body composition, decreased fat mass and increased insulin sensitivity.
“Our results showed that exercise doesn’t just have beneficial effects on muscles, it also affects fat, said Kristin Stanford, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center. “It’s clear that when fat gets trained, it becomes browner and more metabolically active. We think there are factors being released into the bloodstream from the healthier fat that are working on other tissues.”
While researchers were unable to perform a similar transplant in humans they believe that exercise plays an important role.
“We know that exercise is good for us,” says Laurie Goodyear, PhD, senior researcher on the study and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. “But what we’re showing here is that fat changes dramatically in response to exercise training. This is not the fat that’s around your middle, which is bad fat and can lead to diabetes and other insulin resistance conditions. It’s the fat that’s under the skin, the subcutaneous fat that adapts in a way that appears to be having important metabolic effects.
Based upon the studies conducted by the Joslin Diabetes Center, it’s probably a safe bet that other researchers will be conducting trials of their own to investigate the correlation between exercise and the browning of white fat. In the meanwhile there are some valuable takeaways from the data that has been published. First, if you aren’t exercising then you need to start. Second, if you regularly engage in physical activity then you are definitely headed in the right direction, so keep it up.
For the original article, please click below:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/exercise-brown-white-fat-cells
Saturday 16 November 2013
Five Things You’re Getting Wrong About Weight and Weight Loss
If I’m thin then I’m healthy, right? Wrong. There are several misconceptions people have about weight, losing it and what’s healthy. Here’s the low-down on some myths we’re better off busting.
Kids have to lose weight to shed obesity: As children grow, they put on weight, but how much is normal, and how much is excessive and potentially a hazard to their health? In the latest study, published in the journal Lancet, researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health developed a mathematical model to differentiate between healthy weight gain and the extra pounds that contribute to obesity. The model takes advantage of more accurate assessments of how many calories heavier children take in, as well as how quickly and efficiently they burn off those calories, and the ratio of fat to muscle in their bodies. The resulting model shows some kids can outgrow their obesity around puberty even if they don’t lose weight. That’s because obesity is a measure of not just weight but the ratio of height to weight known as the body mass index (BMI), and as children grow, they transform fat into muscle, which can weigh as much, if not more than fat tissue. So kids with a high BMI that might suggest obesity may not actually be overweight.
Still, the researchers say that teaching children about portion control and balancing what they eat with physical activity to burn off excess calories are important lessons to learn early.
You can’t be fat and still be fit: A person’s level of physical fitness, as well as his weight, matters for overall health. A study in 2012 showed that overweight and obese people were at no greater risk of developing or dying from heart disease or cancer compared to normal weight people, but only if they were as metabolically fit as their slimmer counterparts. When it comes to premature death, it’s less about how much fat a person carries, but what kind of fat. Visceral or belly fat, for example, is considered more metabolically harmful than fat that sits just under the surface of the skin. Visceral fat, which is embedded more deeply within muscles and organs like the liver, release agents that can disturb the body’s energy balance, shunting calories into fat. Lean people can have high levels of visceral fat in their tissues, while overweight individuals may be carrying more subcutaneous fat and therefore could even be metabolically fitter than those who are slimmer.
Most people who put on weight, however, don’t enjoy a fit status for long. Eventually, the excess weight can contribute to higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
You can eat what you want and just exercise to lose weight: Cutting calories by adjusting what you eat is actually the most effective way to lose weight. Ideally, consuming fewer calories and exercising is a more efficient way of dropping pounds, but for most people, passing up the chips is easier than sweating it out on a treadmill for an hour. Downing 140 calories from a can of soda, for example, takes only a few minutes, but would take half an hour of moderately intense walking to burn off. “You can greatly undermine weight loss efforts and general health by not considering the quality of the foods you eat. It is important to consider calorie density and nutrient density of foods to maximize exercise performance and improve health status,” says Gayl Canfield, the director of nutrition at Pritikin Longevity Center.
Long bouts of low-intensity exercise are best for losing weight: Fitness experts are trying to de-bunk the myth that pounds melt off faster with low-intensity aerobic exercise than higher intensity workouts. “It’s true the body burns proportionally more fat calories than carbohydrate calories at a lower training intensity, however, should you increase your exercise intensity into the cardiovascular zone you will burn more overall calories,” says Scott Danberg, the director of fitness at Pritikin Longevity Center. Mixing in some short bouts of high-intensity exercise can translate into benefits on the scale.
Eating protein is the best way to feel full and keep calories in check: Lean protein is indeed a good way to get filled up, but fiber is even better, because it comes with fewer calories. To make sure you’re not feeling hungry but still getting all your nutrients, load your plate with fruit, vegetables beans and grains.
To read the original article please click below
Tuesday 6 August 2013
How to diet
Low-carb, the 5:2 diet, detox, cabbage soup ... there is no shortage of novelty diet programmes promising to make you lose weight fast.
Are you a healthy weight? Use the BMI calculator to find out
The big question is do they work? Most do lead to fast – sometimes dramatic – weight loss, but only for the pounds to creep back on again at the end of the diet.
More worryingly, many fad diets are based on dodgy science or no research at all, prescribing eating practices that are unhealthy and can make you ill.
In 2011, the British Dietetic Association warned against following popular diets such as the Dukan diet, which it said was complicated, not based on scientific evidence and reportedly did not lead to long-term weight loss.
Below are some of the problems with fad diets, plus advice on healthy eating and how to lose weight healthily.
Five reasons to avoid fad diets
Many weight loss diets promise to help you lose weight quickly. Often, these diets focus only on short-term results, so you eventually end up putting the weight back on.
Here are five reasons why following the latest novelty diet may not be a good way to lose weight.
1. Some diets can make you ill
Many diets, especially crash diets, are geared to dramatically reducing the number of calories you consume. “Crash diets make you feel very unwell and unable to function properly,” says dietitian Ursula Arens. “Because they are nutritionally unbalanced, crash diets can lead to long-term poor health.” Find out how to start losing weight.
2. Excluding foods is dangerous
Some diets recommend cutting out certain foods, such as meat, fish, wheat or dairy products. Cutting out certain food groups altogether could prevent you from getting the important nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to function properly. You can lose weight without cutting out foods from your diet. The eatwell plate shows the different foods we should be eating.
3. Low-carb diets can be high in fat
Some diets, such as the Atkins diet, are very low in carbohydrates (for example pasta, bread and rice), which are an essential source of energy. While you may lose weight on these types of diets, they’re often high in protein and fat, which can make you ill. Low-carbohydrate diets can also cause side effects such as bad breath, headaches and constipation. “It has been suggested that the high protein content of these diets ‘dampens’ the appetite and feelings of hunger,” says Arens. Many low-carbohydrate diets allow you to eat foods high in saturated fat, such as butter, cheese and meat. Too much saturated fat can raise your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
4. Detox diets don’t work
Detox diets are based on the idea that toxins build up in the body and can be removed by eating, or not eating, certain things. However, there’s no evidence that toxins build up in our bodies. If they did, we would feel very ill. Detox diets may lead to weight loss because they involve restricting calories, cutting out certain foods altogether, such as wheat or dairy, and eating a very limited range of foods. “Detox diets do not work,” says Arens. “They are, in effect, a form of modified fasting.”
5. Cabbage soup, blood group, the 5:2 diet and other fad diets are often far-fetched
Some fad diets are based on eating a single food or meal, such as cabbage soup or raw foods. Others make far-fetched claims, for example that you should cut out certain foods from your diet based on your blood type. Intermittent fasting, which includes the increasingly popular 5:2 diet, is a pattern of eating where you eat normally five days a week, and fast on the other two days. Fans of the 5:2 diet say it can help you live longer and protect you against disease.
Often, there is little or no evidence to back up these claims and can be difficult to keep to in the long term. “If followed over long periods, these diets can be very unbalanced and bad for your health,” says Arens. “You may lose weight in the short term, but it’s much better to lose weight gradually and to be healthy.”
How to lose weight the healthy way
We put on weight when the amount of calories we eat exceeds the amount of calories we burn through normal everyday activities and exercise. Most adults need to eat less and get more active.
The only way to lose weight healthily and keep it off is to make permanent changes to the way you eat and exercise. A few small alterations, such as eating less and choosing drinks that are lower in fat, sugar and alcohol, can help you to lose weight. There are also plenty of ways to make physical activity part of your life.
If you’re overweight, aim to lose about 5-10% of your starting weight by losing 0.5kg-1kg (1lb-2lb) a week. You should be able to lose this amount if you eat about 500 to 600 calories fewer a day than you need.
An average man needs about 2,500 calories a day and an average woman about 2,000 calories to stay the same weight.
Find out whether it's safe to lose weight fast.
Six ways to kickstart your healthy weight loss plan
Here are six simple things you can do to eat healthily and help you lose weight. You’ll find lots more tips and information in our Lose weight section.
To reduce the amount of fat you eat, you could trim the fat off meat, drink skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat, choose a reduced- or low-fat spread and replace cream with low-fat yoghurt. Find out about some more healthy food swaps.
Eat wholegrain foods, such as wholemeal bread, brown rice and pasta. They’re digested more slowly than the white varieties, so will help you feel full for longer.
Don’t skip breakfast. A healthy breakfast will give you the energy you need to start the day, and there’s some evidence that people who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to be overweight.
Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. Learn more in Why 5 A DAY?
If you feel like a snack, try having a drink first, such as a glass of water or cup of tea. Often we think we’re hungry when really we’re thirsty.
Swap drinks that are high in calories for lower calorie alternatives. That means drinks that are lower in fat, sugars and alcohol. Swap a sugary fizzy drink for sparkling water with a slice of lemon. Don't forget that alcohol is high in calories, so cutting down on alcohol can help you to control your weight.
Exercise and weight loss
Regular physical activity will not only help you lose weight but could also reduce your risk of developing a serious illness.
The amount of physical activity that is recommended depends on your age. Adults between 19 and 64 who are new to activity should aim to build up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week. Learn more about physical activity guidelines for adults
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/how-to-diet.aspx
Are you a healthy weight? Use the BMI calculator to find out
The big question is do they work? Most do lead to fast – sometimes dramatic – weight loss, but only for the pounds to creep back on again at the end of the diet.
More worryingly, many fad diets are based on dodgy science or no research at all, prescribing eating practices that are unhealthy and can make you ill.
In 2011, the British Dietetic Association warned against following popular diets such as the Dukan diet, which it said was complicated, not based on scientific evidence and reportedly did not lead to long-term weight loss.
Below are some of the problems with fad diets, plus advice on healthy eating and how to lose weight healthily.
Five reasons to avoid fad diets
Many weight loss diets promise to help you lose weight quickly. Often, these diets focus only on short-term results, so you eventually end up putting the weight back on.
Here are five reasons why following the latest novelty diet may not be a good way to lose weight.
1. Some diets can make you ill
Many diets, especially crash diets, are geared to dramatically reducing the number of calories you consume. “Crash diets make you feel very unwell and unable to function properly,” says dietitian Ursula Arens. “Because they are nutritionally unbalanced, crash diets can lead to long-term poor health.” Find out how to start losing weight.
2. Excluding foods is dangerous
Some diets recommend cutting out certain foods, such as meat, fish, wheat or dairy products. Cutting out certain food groups altogether could prevent you from getting the important nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to function properly. You can lose weight without cutting out foods from your diet. The eatwell plate shows the different foods we should be eating.
3. Low-carb diets can be high in fat
Some diets, such as the Atkins diet, are very low in carbohydrates (for example pasta, bread and rice), which are an essential source of energy. While you may lose weight on these types of diets, they’re often high in protein and fat, which can make you ill. Low-carbohydrate diets can also cause side effects such as bad breath, headaches and constipation. “It has been suggested that the high protein content of these diets ‘dampens’ the appetite and feelings of hunger,” says Arens. Many low-carbohydrate diets allow you to eat foods high in saturated fat, such as butter, cheese and meat. Too much saturated fat can raise your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
4. Detox diets don’t work
Detox diets are based on the idea that toxins build up in the body and can be removed by eating, or not eating, certain things. However, there’s no evidence that toxins build up in our bodies. If they did, we would feel very ill. Detox diets may lead to weight loss because they involve restricting calories, cutting out certain foods altogether, such as wheat or dairy, and eating a very limited range of foods. “Detox diets do not work,” says Arens. “They are, in effect, a form of modified fasting.”
5. Cabbage soup, blood group, the 5:2 diet and other fad diets are often far-fetched
Some fad diets are based on eating a single food or meal, such as cabbage soup or raw foods. Others make far-fetched claims, for example that you should cut out certain foods from your diet based on your blood type. Intermittent fasting, which includes the increasingly popular 5:2 diet, is a pattern of eating where you eat normally five days a week, and fast on the other two days. Fans of the 5:2 diet say it can help you live longer and protect you against disease.
Often, there is little or no evidence to back up these claims and can be difficult to keep to in the long term. “If followed over long periods, these diets can be very unbalanced and bad for your health,” says Arens. “You may lose weight in the short term, but it’s much better to lose weight gradually and to be healthy.”
How to lose weight the healthy way
We put on weight when the amount of calories we eat exceeds the amount of calories we burn through normal everyday activities and exercise. Most adults need to eat less and get more active.
The only way to lose weight healthily and keep it off is to make permanent changes to the way you eat and exercise. A few small alterations, such as eating less and choosing drinks that are lower in fat, sugar and alcohol, can help you to lose weight. There are also plenty of ways to make physical activity part of your life.
If you’re overweight, aim to lose about 5-10% of your starting weight by losing 0.5kg-1kg (1lb-2lb) a week. You should be able to lose this amount if you eat about 500 to 600 calories fewer a day than you need.
An average man needs about 2,500 calories a day and an average woman about 2,000 calories to stay the same weight.
Find out whether it's safe to lose weight fast.
Six ways to kickstart your healthy weight loss plan
Here are six simple things you can do to eat healthily and help you lose weight. You’ll find lots more tips and information in our Lose weight section.
To reduce the amount of fat you eat, you could trim the fat off meat, drink skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat, choose a reduced- or low-fat spread and replace cream with low-fat yoghurt. Find out about some more healthy food swaps.
Eat wholegrain foods, such as wholemeal bread, brown rice and pasta. They’re digested more slowly than the white varieties, so will help you feel full for longer.
Don’t skip breakfast. A healthy breakfast will give you the energy you need to start the day, and there’s some evidence that people who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to be overweight.
Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. Learn more in Why 5 A DAY?
If you feel like a snack, try having a drink first, such as a glass of water or cup of tea. Often we think we’re hungry when really we’re thirsty.
Swap drinks that are high in calories for lower calorie alternatives. That means drinks that are lower in fat, sugars and alcohol. Swap a sugary fizzy drink for sparkling water with a slice of lemon. Don't forget that alcohol is high in calories, so cutting down on alcohol can help you to control your weight.
Exercise and weight loss
Regular physical activity will not only help you lose weight but could also reduce your risk of developing a serious illness.
The amount of physical activity that is recommended depends on your age. Adults between 19 and 64 who are new to activity should aim to build up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week. Learn more about physical activity guidelines for adults
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/how-to-diet.aspx
Wednesday 31 July 2013
How can I speed up my metabolism?
It’s not unusual to hear people blame their weight gain on a slow metabolism.
They’ve cut down on calories and take regular exercise yet they’re still not losing weight. The only other possible diagnosis, they expertly conclude, is a slow metabolism.
What is a slow metabolism? How does it affect your weight and can you do anything to speed it up?
Professor James Timmons, a metabolism expert from Loughborough University, gives your metabolism a closer examination.
What is metabolism?
Metabolism describes all the chemical processes that go on continuously inside the body to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food.
These chemical processes require energy. The minimum amount of energy your body requires to carry out these chemical processes is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Your BMR accounts for anything between 40% and 70% of your body’s daily energy requirements depending on your age and lifestyle. A ‘slow metabolism’ is more accurately described as a low BMR.
There are many calculators that work out your daily energy needs available online. Look out for calculators using the Harris-Benedict equation.
Do some people have a faster metabolism than others?
Body size, age, gender and genes all play a role in determining your metabolic rate.
Muscle cells require more energy to maintain than fat cells, so people with a higher muscle to fat ratio tend to have a higher BMR.
As we get older, we tend to gain fat and lose muscle. This explains why the BMR tends to decrease with age.
In general, men tend to have a faster metabolism as they have more muscle mass, heavier bones and less body fat than women, which is why their daily calorie allowance is higher.
Calorie allowances
An average man needs around 2,500kcal a day. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal a day. These values can vary depending on age and levels of physical activity, as well as other factors.
Your metabolism may be partly determined by your genes, although this is not yet fully understood. Genes definitely play a role in muscle size and your ability to grow muscles, both of which affect your metabolism.
Am I fat because of a slow metabolism?
People who struggle to lose weight often blame a slow metabolism. However, studies show that some overweight people may actually have a higher metabolism than their leaner counterparts. This is because they have larger bodies with bigger muscles and internal organs.
Research has also shown that people tend to eat more than they think they do. When asked to write down everything they've consumed in a day, many people tend to report eating far less than they actually do.
More often than not, the reason you’re putting on weight is not because of a slow metabolism, it’s because you’re eating and drinking more calories than you're burning. It may be hard to accept, but staying on top of the number of calories you eat is key to losing weight and keeping it off.
Can losing weight too fast slow my metabolism?
Crash diets and other calorie-restricted diets can reduce your BMR. With some diets, your body is forced to break down muscle to use for energy. The lower your muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. With less muscle and a slower metabolism, it then becomes a lot easier to put body fat back on after coming off the diet.
What can I do to speed up my metabolism?
It is claimed that certain foods and drinks can boost your metabolism, including green tea, black coffee, spices and energy drinks. The evidence behind these claims is flimsy, the effect on your metabolism is marginal at best and each person will respond differently to each product.
While you don't have much control over the speed of your metabolism, you can control how many calories you burn through your level of physical activity. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. In fact, some people who are said to have a fast metabolism are probably just more active — and maybe more fidgety — than others.
Here are the three most effective ways of burning calories:
Aerobic activity
Aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to burn calories. You should aim to do 150 minutes of aerobic activity, such as walking, cycling and swimming, a week. You can achieve this target by doing 30 minutes five days a week and breaking down your activity sessions in chunks of 10 minutes. To lose weight, you are likely to need to do more than 150 minutes a week and make changes to your diet. Physical activity guidelines for adults.
Strength training
Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so increasing your muscle mass will help you lose weight. Don't worry, you don't need to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger! Aim to do muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include lifting weights and high intensity bouts of exercise. Heavy gardening may also do the job.
Be active
Being constantly on the move and reducing time spent sitting down will help you burn more calories. Any extra movement helps burn calories. Look for ways to walk and move around a few minutes more each day than the day before. The more you move, the more calories you burn. Get ideas on fitting more activity into your day.
Can certain medical conditions cause a slow metabolism?
Some diseases and conditions can slow a person’s metabolism, such as Cushing’s syndrome and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid), but more often than not, people’s weight is a matter of consuming more calories than they burn. However, if you feel that you may have a problem that’s not responding to lifestyle changes, seek medical advice.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/how-can-I-speed-up-my-metabolism.aspx
They’ve cut down on calories and take regular exercise yet they’re still not losing weight. The only other possible diagnosis, they expertly conclude, is a slow metabolism.
What is a slow metabolism? How does it affect your weight and can you do anything to speed it up?
Professor James Timmons, a metabolism expert from Loughborough University, gives your metabolism a closer examination.
What is metabolism?
Metabolism describes all the chemical processes that go on continuously inside the body to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food.
These chemical processes require energy. The minimum amount of energy your body requires to carry out these chemical processes is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Your BMR accounts for anything between 40% and 70% of your body’s daily energy requirements depending on your age and lifestyle. A ‘slow metabolism’ is more accurately described as a low BMR.
There are many calculators that work out your daily energy needs available online. Look out for calculators using the Harris-Benedict equation.
Do some people have a faster metabolism than others?
Body size, age, gender and genes all play a role in determining your metabolic rate.
Muscle cells require more energy to maintain than fat cells, so people with a higher muscle to fat ratio tend to have a higher BMR.
As we get older, we tend to gain fat and lose muscle. This explains why the BMR tends to decrease with age.
In general, men tend to have a faster metabolism as they have more muscle mass, heavier bones and less body fat than women, which is why their daily calorie allowance is higher.
Calorie allowances
An average man needs around 2,500kcal a day. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal a day. These values can vary depending on age and levels of physical activity, as well as other factors.
Your metabolism may be partly determined by your genes, although this is not yet fully understood. Genes definitely play a role in muscle size and your ability to grow muscles, both of which affect your metabolism.
Am I fat because of a slow metabolism?
People who struggle to lose weight often blame a slow metabolism. However, studies show that some overweight people may actually have a higher metabolism than their leaner counterparts. This is because they have larger bodies with bigger muscles and internal organs.
Research has also shown that people tend to eat more than they think they do. When asked to write down everything they've consumed in a day, many people tend to report eating far less than they actually do.
More often than not, the reason you’re putting on weight is not because of a slow metabolism, it’s because you’re eating and drinking more calories than you're burning. It may be hard to accept, but staying on top of the number of calories you eat is key to losing weight and keeping it off.
Can losing weight too fast slow my metabolism?
Crash diets and other calorie-restricted diets can reduce your BMR. With some diets, your body is forced to break down muscle to use for energy. The lower your muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. With less muscle and a slower metabolism, it then becomes a lot easier to put body fat back on after coming off the diet.
What can I do to speed up my metabolism?
It is claimed that certain foods and drinks can boost your metabolism, including green tea, black coffee, spices and energy drinks. The evidence behind these claims is flimsy, the effect on your metabolism is marginal at best and each person will respond differently to each product.
While you don't have much control over the speed of your metabolism, you can control how many calories you burn through your level of physical activity. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. In fact, some people who are said to have a fast metabolism are probably just more active — and maybe more fidgety — than others.
Here are the three most effective ways of burning calories:
Aerobic activity
Aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to burn calories. You should aim to do 150 minutes of aerobic activity, such as walking, cycling and swimming, a week. You can achieve this target by doing 30 minutes five days a week and breaking down your activity sessions in chunks of 10 minutes. To lose weight, you are likely to need to do more than 150 minutes a week and make changes to your diet. Physical activity guidelines for adults.
Strength training
Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so increasing your muscle mass will help you lose weight. Don't worry, you don't need to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger! Aim to do muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include lifting weights and high intensity bouts of exercise. Heavy gardening may also do the job.
Be active
Being constantly on the move and reducing time spent sitting down will help you burn more calories. Any extra movement helps burn calories. Look for ways to walk and move around a few minutes more each day than the day before. The more you move, the more calories you burn. Get ideas on fitting more activity into your day.
Can certain medical conditions cause a slow metabolism?
Some diseases and conditions can slow a person’s metabolism, such as Cushing’s syndrome and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid), but more often than not, people’s weight is a matter of consuming more calories than they burn. However, if you feel that you may have a problem that’s not responding to lifestyle changes, seek medical advice.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/how-can-I-speed-up-my-metabolism.aspx
Monday 13 May 2013
Fiftysomething Diet: 5 Powerful Weight-Loss Boosters
Science is finding that these foods and drinks can help you shed pounds more easily and quickly
Staying at a healthy weight during your fiftysomething years is a balancing act between calories consumed and burned. Chances are you already know that you need fewer calories as you age. So it’s trickier to prevent weight gain without making some efforts. Exercise is one good strategy, especially aerobic activities, like brisk walking, swimming, dancing and biking. But it also pays to take advantage of any and all foods that can burn fat, curb appetite and tweak your metabolism into overdrive. Here’s a look at five foods that do just that.
1. Dried Beans Foods rich in water-soluble fiber, like kidney beans, chickpeas and black beans, not only help you feel full at meals but they may even target your stubborn spare tire. In a 2011 study, researchers noticed that for every 10 grams of soluble fiber eaten over the course of a day there was a corresponding 3.7 percent decrease in abdominal fat over a five-year period.
“There is mounting evidence that eating more soluble fiber and increasing exercise reduces visceral or belly fat, although we still don’t know how it works,” said Dr. Kristen Hairston, assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina and lead author of the study. “Although the fiber-obesity relationship has been extensively studied, the relationship between fiber and specific fat deposits has not. Our study is valuable because it provides specific information on how dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, may affect weight accumulation through abdominal fat deposits.”
For more details on various types of fiber and weight loss, check out this article from WebMD.
(MORE: The Fiftysomething Diet: Should You Be Juicing?)
2. Salmon One of the biggest food helpers on the path to weight loss is protein -- preferably lean protein, which is better for the heart and overall health. The simple explanation is that a good dose takes longer to digest than carbohydrates, keeping you satisfied and therefore making you less likely to overeat between meals. It doesn’t hurt that the body burns more calories digesting proteins than it does carbs. But the intriguing thing about fish as your protein source -- salmon, in particular -- is that preliminary reports suggest salmon plays a role in modulating insulin levels or insulin sensitivity.
The key word here is preliminary. Still, two reports bear mentioning. In one 2009 study, scientists fed three groups of volunteers low-calorie diets: no seafood (the control group), lean white fish or salmon. Everyone lost weight, but the salmon eaters had lower fasting insulin levels, which is far better for overall health. Weight loss is one partial explanation, researchers say, but the compounds in salmon (perhaps omega 3 fats like EPA and DHA) might also contribute to modulating insulin.
In an unrelated 2011 study with animals, Canadian researchers found that a group fed salmon protein had significantly lower weight gains than groups eating other varieties of fish. What’s happening here is still part mystery, yet it could be a win-win. Choosing salmon as your lean protein source might not only help you lose weight, but also help prevent the insulin resistance that can lead to type 2 diabetes in later years.
Wild salmon is leaner than farmed. It contains plenty of protein minus unhealthy fats. Three ounces of cooked wild salmon contains 155 calories, 22 grams of protein and just 7 grams of fat, most of it the heart-healthy omega 3 variety.
(MORE: Boomer Bellies: Can Middle-Age Spread Be Avoided?)
3. Nuts Most dieters shy away from nuts due to their high fat content, but research suggests almonds, peanuts and other nuts offer special weight loss benefits. It all started with a 2001 landmark study from Harvard that found that participants following a Mediterranean-style diet that included nuts and peanuts lost greater amounts of weight and stuck with the diet longer than those on a different low-fat diet. (Harvard researchers now call the Mediterranean plan the best diet for losing weight.)
Then a 2003 study in the International Journal of Obesity discovered that an almond-eating group of overweight volunteers (eating 85 grams per day or about 3 ounces) lost 62 percent more weight and 56 percent more body fat than a nut-free diet group eating the exact same number of calories but no nuts. Research also confirms that women who eat nuts have lower body mass indexes, or BMI, than women who eat little or no nuts. Speculation is that the fat and protein in nuts helps keep dieters full longer.
Whatever the reason, all researchers say the key watchword is moderation -- say, a couple of small handfuls of nuts a day. Count on a handful being about one ounce of nuts: 157 pine nuts, 49 pistachios, 24 almonds, 20 walnut halves, 20 pecans, 20 hazelnuts, 18 cashews or 12 macadamia nuts. Keep in mind, you can nullify all health benefits if nuts are covered with chocolate, sugar or salt.
4. Green Tea We’ve mentioned before that green tea contains antioxidants (called polyphenols) that may fight cancer and lower cholesterol levels. But studies suggest it might be time to add fat burner -- or maybe we should say belly buster -- to the list of health benefits.
Scientists seem to be zeroing in on a specific group of polyphenol compounds called catechins as the surprising force behind weight loss. A 2009 study from the Journal of Nutrition showed that a group of 132 overweight and obese adults doing moderate exercise for 180 minutes per week and drinking either a caffeinated beverage with green tea catechins or a control beverage with no catechins, had remarkably different weight-loss scenarios. At the end of 12 weeks, the exercisers drinking green tea with 625 milligrams of catechins lost more weight and more belly fat and had lower triglyceride levels than dieters drinking the catechin-free beverage.
It’s unclear how green tea promotes weight loss, but researchers suspect it may have something to do with revving up fat burning in the hours after a meal. A small 2013 Brazilian study confirms these findings. Researchers there found that overweight and obese women drinking green tea and following a program of resistance training lost more body fat, lowered their waist circumference and showed more significant increases in their resting metabolic rate than women who drank a placebo or green tea but didn't exercise.
Bottom line: To net the fat-burning efforts of green tea it appears you need to pair your tea sipping with exercise.
(MORE: One Man's Diet: How I Lost Nearly 50 Pounds)
5. Water Call it the forgotten weight loss aid, but studies continue to confirm that good old zero-calorie H2O is one of the cheapest and most effective weight-loss aids on the planet.
Will it work on a fiftysomething body? Definitely.
A 12-week 2010 Virginia Tech Study divided a group of overweight adults age 55-75 into two groups. All participants ate the same amount of calories, but half the group was asked to drink two cups of water before each meal; the other half drank no water. "We found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake,” said Brenda Davy, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, senior author on the study.
Davy says the exact mechanism responsible for weight loss is uncertain. She speculates it could be as simple as the fact that water fills up the stomach and makes you feel like eating less. In an earlier study, she and colleagues noticed that middle-aged and older adults who drank two cups of water before a meal ended up eating about 75-90 fewer calories. Another plus of choosing water as your beverage of choice before meals: There’s less room for calorie-rich options like soda, sugary cocktails or fruit juice.
For the original article please click below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/how-to-lose-weight_n_2965765.html
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