Entries from August 2007 ↓

5 Ways to Make Power Walking Work for You from Diet-Blog.com is showing people that you can do it without looking ridiculous. How about getting your dog accompany you?

What’s the Difference Between Appetite and Hunger audio content via FormerFatGuy.com will clear things up (I’ll feel sorry for you if things are still cloudy between hunger and appetite for you. Oh don’t worry I oftentimes feel sorry for myself because of that, too.)

Diet Success: The Mysterious Ingredient from SuccessBeginsToday.com intrigued me enough that I just have to share it to you.

6 Steps to Lose the Buddha Belly from ZenHabits.com is in somewhat tune with my Spot Training Series.

There’s Xenical, Acomplia, Goodliness, Fenphen, Alli, ObEcure and all the other drugs that promise to combat obesity either through suppressing appetite, slowing down the absorption of fats, or boosting the metabolism of a person. But why isn’t there any magic bullet that really hits this “problem” head on?

An eye-opening article about the failure of weight loss pills in addressing the real deal about weight loss revealed the reason why no anti-obesity drug will ever work:

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The Medifast weight loss program is a simple enough to undertake method to purportedly lose a lot of weight. This program will cost at least five hundred US dollars, as it requires clearance from a physician, which, in turn, will require blood tests and medical exams to be done. Counseling is done online or through call centers. The program itself consists of low-calorie meal plans, where the company provides replacements for meals that can be paired with ordinary foods.

But how reliable is the Medifast diet, and does it work for a lot of people? Although a lot of positive reviews are available at http://www.medifastdiet.com, the diet still has to be scrutinized and the facts have to be balanced. Medifast itself has been around since the early 1980’s, where it was classified as a simple meal replacement program that was characteristically low in calories. It was also popular in the medical community, as most low calorie diets were also geared toward lowering cholesterol, easing the symptoms of heart disease, and even preparing people for delicate operations.

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This is the last part of the weight loss herbs series. Here are the other installments: Dandelions and Malabar Tamarind and Licorice and St. John’s Wort.

- Oat straw has long been used to curb addictions, and in the past, it was used for alcoholics, drug addicts, and heroin smokers. If you treat overeating as an addiction, then oat straw could probably help. Oat straw, however, should be taken in low doses, as it has not yet been studied extensively.

-Bodybuilders often use Cordyceps, a Chinese herb, to help them gain energy. Dieters use Cordyceps to increase energy for exercise, which can then lead to more lost weight. However, this property of Cordyceps can also make it dangerous to people with heart conditions.

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Believe it or not, you too can have the body of one of the Desperate Housewives. All you need to do is stick to a particular regimen, and patiently exercise and eat your pounds away. In due time, you too can walk tall and raise your chin confidently, and turn your street into your own personal red carpet.

Eva Longoria is petite but fit, and she keeps her figure through kickboxing sessions. A student of kinesiology, Longoria knows how the human body responds to certain movements, and she isolates muscles by cardio training, weight training, and alternating days of yoga. To tighten her bottom, she does leg presses, squats, and lunges. Mind you, Longoria is not on any strict diet. She simply eats a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, but she still has time for the occasional pizza slice.

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This is the third part of the Spot Training Series. The other previous posts include Losing Double Chin and Losing Arm Flabs.

Love handles are harder to isolate because they are located in an area where there are few muscles to flex and move. To prepare yourself for your love handles exercise, decrease the amount of fat in your diet and drink a lot of water. This will allow you to keep your weight off through your exercise regimen. You can also walk a lot or do a few minutes on your treadmill in order to get your body used to exercise.

Most fat will be deposited first in the hips, and they are the last to disappear as you lose weight. You will not notice results immediately, but as you engage in regular exercise and a healthy diet, you will achieve your fitness goals soon enough. Start your day by warming up: stretch your legs and arms to keep muscles from straining.

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This is the second part of the Spot Training Series. The first one is on getting rid of double chin.

Arm flab is easy to remove with a few weights, and even easier if you can do weight lifting around the house. Instead of buying dumbbells, get mid-weight books or vases. Stand comfortably, and hold a vase or book on each hand. Stretch out your arms. With palms facing up, curl your arm slowly toward your body, and then back out again. Do this five to ten times while breathing normally.

Now assume the same position, but this time, stretch out your arms with palms facing down. Curl your arms in, bearing the weights and feeling your back arm muscles stretch. Always keep your posture straight during these exercises to avoid back muscle strain. Help this exercise out by walking regularly or doing a few minutes on the treadmill.

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Keeping fit and healthy is not only a problem that many of us have to face at one point in our lives, but it can also be the solution to the many problems that we are already facing right now. Sickness, migraines, lethargy, and heart disease – all these stem from lack of fitness and health. But how can we be healthy and stay healthy if keeping fit is expensive to begin with?

Worry no more, because there are actually gadgets and tools that are less than a hundred dollars, and these gadgets and tools can help you get and stay fit. How much you spend on these gadgets and tools really depends on what tools you have to begin with. For instance, if you have a Palm portable, or hand held computer, you can download your fitness and calorie counting program into it. You don’t have to worry about carrying heavy books and notebooks around with you, and all you need to do is consult the program on the nutritional value of the foods that you eat.

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This is the second installment of the Real Deal on Weight Loss Herbs. The first one is about dandelions and tamarind.

Although licorice root will satisfy sweet cravings, it can interfere with heart medications, cause cardiac arrhythmia (or irregular heartbeat), and even result in a heart attack. Licorice root can also force the body to use up its stored potassium, which can lead to muscle pain or weakness.

Another popular medication is St. John’s Wort, which purportedly raises one’s mood and keeps one from getting depressed. Depression often drives people to eat; so by controlling depression (or stress, which St. John’s Wort can also ease) this herb can allow you to lose weight, right?

Despite this promise, however, St. John’s Wort is not often produced in good enough quality in over the counter medication. You also cannot take St. John’s Wort with red wine, yeast-based foods, or cheese, and you need to take it along with your meals to keep from getting an upset stomach.

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Weight loss herbs are taking over the market, and you might be bombarded with message after message of promises. Some weight loss herb marketing messages will even say that they are from all-natural products – which can sometimes trick people into believing that such herbs are harmless, and that these people no longer need to consult a doctor before taking these herbs. But how reliable are weight loss herbs, and can they really work?

There are many purported weight loss herbs on the market, and they each have to be examined for reliability and safety. Here are only a few examples that you might want to look at before taking that container from the shelf and bringing it to the cash register.

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