Happy Halloween

Q: Why didn’t the skeleton go to the ball? 

A: Because he had no BODY to go with. 

Happy Halloween - could not help adding the cheesy joke :)

7 Things To Not Put In Your Salad If You Are Trying To Lose Weight.

Think salads are a foolproof lunch plan if you’re on a diet? Not so fast. Just because it’s green does not mean it’s healthy. While salads are a great way to get more essential vitamins and nutrients that most of us don’t eat often enough, it’s easy to load up on ingredients that make a good salad go bad. Here are seven things you shouldn’t even think about putting in your salad if you’re trying to lose weight.

CRISPY CHICKEN, SHRIMP, OR TOFU

Crispy chicken, coconut shrimp, fried tofu, or any other coated protein that add unnecessary calories and, often, a dose of sugar—making your salad not so diet-friendly. “But you always want to add a lean source of protein to your salad to help satisfy and fill you up,” says New York City-based nutritionist Brigitte Zeitlin, R.D. Instead, opt for grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, canned tuna (minus the mayo), hard-boiled eggs, steamed tofu, or edamame.

CRUNCHY NOODLES, WONTONS, AND TORTILLA STRIPS

“Crunchy noodles are like eating chips,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It. All they add to your salad are calories (around 120 per half cup) and fat (half of those calories, at around 60 grams). Same goes for tortilla strips or wontons. Instead, toss in half a cup of dried chickpeas for crunch: Part of the superfood bean family, they have protein to fill you up as well as soluble fiber, which may lower cholesterol levels. Zeitlin suggests adding one to two tablespoons almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds. “These guys add heart-healthy fats that help fill you up so that you feel satisfied and don’t look for unnecessary snacks between meals,” she says.

Related: Can Eating Avocados Help You Lose Weight?

How Much Honey Is Too Much?

Many people swear by honey as a healthy sweetener, an alternative to sugar or non-caloric chemical sweeteners. But can you go overboard on this tasty treat and is it really as good for you as you think?

Angela Lemond, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Texas, warns that sometimes since honey is natural, it isn’t automatically filed away in our minds as sugar, but, she says, “it is considered an added sugar when you eat it.” Womp womp.

“It can be easy to go overboard on honey, especially when you’re adding it directly to smoothies, oatmeal, or other recipes and not measuring it out beforehand,” says Torey Armul, R.D., an Ohio-based dietitian. “It’s difficult to gauge portions when using it straight from the bottle, and the sugar content adds up quickly.” Armul says too much honey consumption is linked to weight gain, diabetes, and tooth decay. Additionally, “there is a significant amount of fructose in honey," says Sonya Angelone, R.D.N, a California nutritionist, who recommends against eating honey in general. Fructose is known to cause gas and bloating, and Angelone says people can develop those types of GI problems when eating honey.

 Related: How To Kill Your Sugar Addiction Naturally

This is not to say you should go cold-turkey with your honey. It has its own benefits, from making food taste better to soothing sore throats. Raw, unfiltered honey in particular is rich in probiotics and antioxidants that you won't find in regular sugar. 

Can You Eat Pizza Every Day And Still Lose Weight?

If you were stuck on a desert island and could only eat one food the rest of your life, pizza wouldn’t be a bad way to go. But if you're trying to lose weight, it's definitely not the obvious choice.

However, according to the New York Post, one New York City chef (and Naples, Italy native) dropped nearly 100 pounds by, among other changes, eating a pizza for lunch every day. Which begs the question: Can eating a slice a day really help you shed pounds? 

“Monotony has its advantages when it comes to weight loss,” says Jennifer McDaniel, R.D. She says some research has also found that eating the same thing day after day can lead you to want to eat less of it, while variety can spark appetite even when you're full. A limited menu, therefore, can be less tempting and simpler to plan—at least for a while.

“If weight loss is your goal, sometimes repetition can be helpful,” agrees Brigitte Zeitlin, R.D. “Some studies have shown that consistency can help when it comes to changing habits. For example, if you are trying to lose weight and never eat breakfast, then eating the same thing every day for breakfast can make the new morning routine easier to get accustomed to instead of trying to think of seven different breakfasts for the week.”

Actors Give Advice on Diet & Exercise

             


Really interesting video. Its about how actors deal with getting to the right weight for movies. The motivation remains the same whichever size you want to be. It all takes hard work.

Let me know what you think?

5 Side Effects Of Paleo Diet You Need To Know

If you haven’t heard about the paleo diet by now, you must be living in a cave—ironically, the very place this prehistoric meal plan supposedly originated. “The idea is based on eating like your ancestors ate,” says Lisa Young, R.D. author of The Portion Teller Plan. “Very often, you’re going high protein, lower carb, and cutting out dairy and sugar.” In other words, eat like a caveman.

Paleo isn’t without its pros: You’re cutting out a ton of processed foods and the higher protein-to-carb ratio can leave you satisfied with smaller portions, helping with weight loss. But, says Young, “it’s totally not sustainable. Whenever you cut out entire food groups, you’re not going to be able to live with it for a long time.” Plus, she points out, paleo advocates also restrict a lot of healthy plant-based proteins including beans and legumes, some whole grains, and low-fat dairy—all foods that have been shown to help with weight loss.

Ultimately, Young says, paleo dieting can be a good way to jumpstart a more whole-foods approach to your diet and eliminate processed junk food and sugar. Just don’t go caveman crazy. It’s okay—more than that, good for you—to have beans, legumes, whole grains, starches, and some low-fat dairy in your diet.


Related: 6 Things That Happen When You Give Up Carbs

But even paleo devotees who do achieve the loincloth-ready bodies of their dreams may have other side effects to contend with. For instance:

This May Be The Reason You Are Not Losing Weight.

When designing a weight-loss meal plan, it might be time to look further down the label than the calorie count and start focusing on upping your protein intake. If you're having a hard time incorporating adequate protein into your diet, here's why it's time to start.

It keeps you satisfied: According to Esther Blum, clinical and holistic dietitian and the author of Cavewomen Don't Get Fat, high-protein foods regulate your appetite since they take more work to "digest, metabolise, and use, which means you burn more calories processing them." With Esther's clients, she's found that many start to shed pounds with more ease once they start to eat more protein.


Related: How Much Protein Should You Eat To Lose Weight

It repairs muscle tissue: A recent study shows that in addition to a regular exercise routine, doubling your protein intake may be the key to losing fat pounds without dropping muscle mass. According to Tim Rich, a fitness manager at Crunch Gym, anyone doing endurance or strength training needs at least 10 grams of protein right after an intense workout to make sure the body receives the proper nutrients to aid in muscle repair and recovery. This is important to keep in mind as you're choosing the perfect post-workout snack.

The Best Teas For Losing Weight.

Looking to sip your way to some serious health benefits? Not only is tea a great way to improve your overall health, but it has some powerful weight loss boosting capabilities as well. 

We consulted with some tea experts — Billy Dietz, tea specialist at DAVIDsTEA and Kristina Richens, certified tea expert and Minister of Commerce at The Republic of Tea — as well as Lisa Eberly-Mastela, RD, MPH to find out which teas are best for shedding some pounds.

While these aren't outright medical claims or prescriptions for weight loss, teas have well-studied (and scientifically proven) natural benefits that can help your body perform at its best. Eberly-Mastela noted that "all tea will support weight loss because it helps you stay hydrated, which supports weight loss," but our team of experts chose a few standouts to add to your weekly routine.

Types of Teas



 Green Tea and Matcha. These teas are "known for increasing metabolism," said Richens. And she's right! A study published in the American Journal For Clinical Nutrition found that green tea promotes fat oxidation, "beyond that explained by its caffeine content." Read: caffeine boosts your metabolism on its own, but green tea's got that extra mojo. It's also been shown that matcha can stop the growth of new fat cells. "This is due to the antioxidant catechins found in green tea," said Richens. "It triggers the release of fat from fat cells, and also helps speed up the liver's ability to turn fat into energy." Drink up!

Related: Your Body on Green Tea.

The Real Dangers of Fad Diets

                 

Hi check out this video about Fad diets.  "Cookie Diet?" What? Definitely too good to be true.

Let me know what you think? 

The One Biggest Misconception About Keto Diet.

The keto diet is still hotly contested, but clinical nutritionist Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC, CNC chalks a lot of that up to one giant misconception: "It's not just butter and bacon."

Though it is a very high-fat diet (up to 80 percent of your calories come from fat!), Dr. Axe noted that most people don't understand how to eat healthy with that macronutrient distribution (and thus end up defaulting to butter and bacon).

Related: Keto Diet - Recommended By Doctor On One Condition.

While grass-fed butter is still a good fat source, he also recommends seeking healthy fats from natural sources like avocados and nuts. And while salad isn't the first thing to come to mind when you think "keto diet," Dr. Axe suggests "loading up on vegetables and water," while eating "some meat." He especially noted that vegetables, herbs, and greens are of the utmost importance, and are often neglected on the diet. 

Keto Diet - Recommended By Doctor On One Condition

Would clinical nutritionist Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC, CNC, recommend the keto diet? "Absolutely,"  but there is a catch. You can't do it forever.

A brief refresher, if you don't already know: the keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet in which you switch your body's primary energy source from carbohydrates to fat (i.e., from glucose to ketones). Up to 80 percent of your calories come from fat — we're not kidding when we say high-fat! That's what differentiates this diet from something like Paleo or Atkins — they're both low-carb, but with keto, the emphasis is on the fats.

"I don't think somebody should be on a full ketogenic diet for more than three months," he said. "What I teach is not that everybody should be on a ketogenic diet — the basis of what I teach is traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM — but if somebody has the goal of overcoming epilepsy, fighting cancer, overcoming blood sugar issues like diabetes, losing weight, or even some hormonal issues, the ketogenic diet is a great temporary diet."

The Pros And Cons Of Going Keto.

Nowadays, there are so many different diet trends popping up that it can be hard to keep track of what's good and bad. And you'll likely find mixed reviews; while some experts tout the benefits, others shine a spotlight on what's bad.

Still, humans are curious by nature — it makes sense that you'll want to give some of the more popular diets a shot. A hot one many of you know about by now? The ketogenic diet.

Yet before embarking on any diet plan, it's important to prepare yourself for what you might experience throughout the journey.

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, NYC-based registered dietitian, bestselling author, and founder of The F-Factor Diet, has weighed in on the short-term and long-term side effects of going keto. So you can decide for yourself whether it's the right fit.

What's the Keto Diet?

First off, what the heck is the keto diet, anyway? Put simply, it's a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein diet that puts your body in a state of ketosis. When your diet is lacking in carbs but is high in fat, your liver creates ketones, which are substances made when the body breaks down fat for energy, says Zuckerbrot. The process of ketosis metabolises fat to provide energy, meaning you're burning fat, as opposed to carbs. As a result, you might lose some weight, as your body is in fat-burning mode.

Related: What Is A Ketogenic Diet?

Busting Weight Loss Myths.

Check out this video as some of the common weight loss myths are discussed. Hope you find this useful.

Let me know what you think?

Related: 8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight.

Cellulite And Weight Loss - What's the Connection

When you lose weight, you'd probably expect that you'd lose (or at least reduce the appearance of) your cellulite, too. But, unfortunately, that's often not the case. What gives?

John Layke M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon and practitioner at the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Group, explains that cellulite is caused by fibrous bands that attach to the underside of the skin, causing the dimpling (think of a pin cushion—it's like the pins are the fibrous band).

Cellulite is incredibly common—studies estimate that 80 to 90 percent of women have it. But what causes it varies person to person, says Jennifer Caudle, D.O., a family physician and Associate Professor at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. She says that how much cellulite a person has depends on a number of factors, including genetics, age, skin thickness, sex, and the amount of fat on the body.

Caudle notes that people of all weights and sizes can and do have cellulite. Case in point? Back in August, actress Hilary Duff hit back at body-shamers who criticized her for having cellulite. "My body has given me the greatest gift of my life: Luca, 5 years ago. I'm turning 30 in September and my body is healthy and gets me where I need to go," Hilary wrote in the caption.

Skinny Fat? What Is It?

We all have that friend: The one who eats only mac ‘n’ cheese and cookies, does zero physical activity, yet still fits into jeans from high school. While you sweat through regular workouts and take the time and effort to cook and eat healthy meals, your friend stays thin seemingly without trying.

But looks can be deceiving. The number on the scale doesn’t paint the whole picture.

“Skinny fat” is an unscientific, non-medical term to describe people who appear to be at a healthy weight, but actually have a lot of body fat and very little muscle. Living a “skinny fat” lifestyle doesn’t come without consequences. Read on to learn more about it, plus ways to get stronger and healthier.

Are You Skinny Fat?

While there is no formal definition of “skinny fat,” it generally refers to people who fall within a healthy weight range but exceed the recommended body-fat percentage and do not meet normal ranges for muscle mass.

“The term ‘skinny fat’ is the perfect demonstration of the misconceptions on what being healthy is,” says Cody Braun, fitness expert.

The medical term for “skinny fat” is metabolically obese normal weight. (And since “skinny fat” isn’t the friendliest of terms, we’ll mostly stick with MONW from here on out.) The acronym says it all: A person can be a seemingly healthy weight, yet metabolically obese.

Crescendo Fasting? What Is It And Should It Be The Fasting Method For Women?

If you’ve ever looked into intermittent fasting, a diet that requires followers to fast for 12 to 20 hours daily, you might’ve come across some dire warnings about the diet being really, truly, dangerously bad for women.

Women’s bodies are more sensitive to the signals of starvation, so going too long without eating could throw their hormones out of whack, some experts say. As a result, intermittent fasting can make you so ravenous that you end up devouring everything in sight. Or worse, it can cause your body to break down lean muscle for fuel.

A quick Google search of “intermittent fasting for women” will tell you that the best way to avoid this supposed fate is with crescendo fasting—a special type of fasting that works with our delicate lady hormones instead of against them.

Instead of fasting 12 to 20 hours daily, crescendo fasters fast for 12 to 16 hours at a time on two to three non-consecutive days per week. (So, they might stop eating at 7 PM and fast until 9 AM the next morning and then do the same thing again a few days later.) The origins of the diet are murky, but it seems to have a cult following among Paleo-leaning health blogs.

Fast Food Cravings

                         


Check out this video about fast food cravings. Let me know if you found the tips useful.

Related: Cravings - Enjoy in moderation?

Cravings - Enjoy in Moderation?

If you've ever found yourself staring at the bottom of an empty bag of chips (or pint of ice cream) after telling yourself you'd just have one serving, you know how difficult it can be enjoy your favorite treats in moderation. 

Nevertheless, plenty of experts will tell you that's the best way to keep your food cravings in check and prevent overindulging later. However, while that logic is still sound in some respects, a new study shows that eliminating food cravings during weight loss is more nuanced than that. 

THE RESEARCH

This study, published in the journal Obesity, monitored 367 overweight participants (their average baseline weight was around 207 pounds) over the course of two years. All participants stuck to a highly restrictive diet, and researchers monitored their body weights and craving levels at baseline, six months, and 24 months.

Reduce Those Cravings Fast ! Here's How.

Want to keep your Cheetos cravings in check? Your go-to strategy might be wrong: Eating just a little of your favorite snack doesn’t help reduce your cravings at all, a new study in the journal Obesity suggests.

Researchers had 367 people who were trying to lose weight keep food logs to see if their cravings changed depending on what they ate. They discovered that cravings for foods decreased when people consumed them less frequently—but there was no change at all in their cravings if they simply ate what they craved in smaller amounts.

That means if you want to stop craving a certain food—say, you can’t resist a bag of hot salty fries, or you need a couple scoops of ice cream to top off your day—you’re better off eating it less often than simply reducing your portion of it, the researchers say.

Related: Eating this Snack May Fight Your Junk Food Craving

It likely comes down to your conditioning response: Your cravings exist in combination with internal stimuli, like stress, or external stimuli, like time or day or behavior. So if you consume the cravings during the stimuli previously, whenever that comes up again, you’ll feel the urge to chow down.

Dairy? - Should You Stay Away To Help Your Weight Loss?

Any serial dieter will tell you to steer clear of the dairy cabinet. It’s full of saturated fat that will play havoc with heart and waistline. Opt instead for low-fat processed spreads, skimmed milks and fat-free cheeses.

Big mistake.

Fat is not the villain we once thought it was. There is no doubt we have to watch our fat intake, and saturated fat does seem to be linked with heart disease - but I suspect that it is as much to do with the way that fat is packaged up as the fat itself.

Consider a bacon butty, with white bread, lashings of butter, loads of ketchup and salt and washed down with a cup of sugary tea. Then think of goats cheese, sat atop a pile of salad, whole-grains and avocado, and a large glass of fresh milk. Both full of saturated fat but one is chock full of additives, preservatives and sugar and the other full of vitamins and fibre.

Related: Can Eating Avocados Help You Lose Weight

Some Weight Loss Strategies That Should Be Avoided.

Hi check out this video and let me know what you think?

3 Simple Habits To Do Everyday To Help You Lose Weight.

Losing weight doesn't feel great when you only focus on restricting your diet and exercising like crazy. It doesn't have to be that hard, though! Incorporating simple changes into your daily life can yield HUGE results. Here are three painless weight-loss strategies you can use to reach your goals.

Add, Don't Subtract

You probably won't lose weight pounding piece after piece of pizza and tubs of ice cream, so you're making a healthy decision by ditching these kinds of foods. A simple mind shift can make all the difference in you being able to stick with limiting those foods and, more importantly, being happy about it. Don't think of all the foods you can't or shouldn't have — discover and rejoice in all the new and healthy foods you can eat.

Think it's impossible to get psyched about veggies? Learning how to make nutritious meals more exciting will be key to this. Skip the boring bowl of lettuce, cucumber, and carrots and make a kale, white bean, and maple-roasted butternut squash salad instead. Take a cooking class or play around with recipes to find healthier versions of the foods you like. For example, lasagne, made with tofu, but you'd never know! And while grocery shopping, choose produce that's in season, because their flavors will inspire you to eat more fruits and veggies.

4 Things To Try To Make Losing Weight Will Feel Much Easier

Whether you have five or 50 pounds to lose doesn't matter — losing weight is hard! But it doesn't have to be. 

Make your weight-loss journey easier and more enjoyable by following these four tips. Heck, you might even lose weight faster!

Drink Up

Keeping a water bottle nearby at all times is an absolute must because drinking a ton of water (it doesn't necessarily have to be a gallon!) fills you up, so you eat less. Drink at least eight ounces first thing in the morning (with a little lemon or grapefruit is great!), drink at least eight ounces every time you sit down to a meal, and also reach for water in between meals when you start feeling hungry for a snack. 

Dehydration symptoms like headaches and low energy can trick you into thinking you're hungry when all you really need is a few huge gulps of water. If you have a hard time remembering to drink throughout the day, set reminders on your phone.


Related: Do Tea and Coffee Count Towards Your Water Intake

New Nordic Diet? What Is It.

You can't turn on the TV or open a magazine these days without being bombarded by the miraculous health benefits of the latest dieting fad. Most of these diets are not only ridiculous (I'm looking at you, Hollywood Cookie Diet), they also aren't sustainable.

 For a new way of eating to truly transform your health, it has to be something you can stick with; something that becomes your new way of life. Nobody can eat cereal or drink chalky shakes for two meals a day for the rest of their life — not happily, anyway.

In my experience as a nutritionist, the diets that actually help people get healthy and stay healthy are those that still allow you to choose from a wide variety of foods and are made up of mostly real, whole foods. There is a relatively new diet making the rounds, called the New Nordic Diet, that fits both of these criteria and looks pretty dang tasty, to boot.

What Is the New Nordic Diet?

5 Foods You Think Are Healthy, But Aren't

             


Check out this video. Let me know what you think about some of these foods?

Golden Rules Of Fat Loss Explained By An Expert.

Never run again — lift more instead! Can getting fit really be that simple?

We asked Sarah Chadwell, NASM certified personal trainer and natural bodybuilder, just how you could skip running and still look like a gym goddess. She said that there are more effective training practices to burn fat and build strength. "You can cardio yourself to death and still have the same flat figure," said Chadwell. "Or you can follow the golden rules of weight loss, never run again, and have a lean, sexy, curvaceous physique."

Here are the golden rules of fat loss that Chadwell lives by:

Counting Macros For Weight Loss.

Are you finding yourself counting calories, sticking to your numbers, and even still not seeing results? The problem might be not about the number of calories, but the kind of calories.

We chatted with certified personal trainer and nutrition coach Carrie McMahon, author of the e-book Why You Should Count Macronutrients, Not Calories.

With a life revolving around calorie counting and uncontrollable cheat days (sound familiar?), McMahon was stuck in a restrict-and-binge cycle that she couldn't seem to escape. She soon realised that in order to make a change in her health, she needed to change her approach to food — so she ditched the calorie counting in favour of a less mainstream concept: macronutrient counting.

Related: What Are Macro? And Should You Count Them For Weight Loss

6 Things That Happen To Your Body On A Ketogenic Diet.

By now, you've probably heard of the ketogenic diet, or a low-carb, high-fat diet. It’s a popular diet trend among athletes and average folk alike. (Who doesn't love the idea of eating more steak and bacon?) But what actually happens to your body when you go on the ketogenic diet?

To understand how the ketogenic diet works, you have to understand ketosis, the process by which your body is starved of glucose for fuel and must look to fat sources instead. Typically, you fuel your body by giving it glucose in the form of carbs, which can be found in flour, grains, vegetables, legumes, dairy products, and fruits.

We usually introduce a steady stream of this type of fuel into our bodies with each meal or snack, explains Pamela Nisevich Bede MS, RD, CSSD, LD. These carbohydrates are usually the body’s first choice when looking for an instant fix.

“When a carb is available, the body will naturally turn to this to make energy instead of dietary fat or stored body fat. However, when we remove carbohydrates from our diet, our bodies begin to break down fat and turn to a fuel source in the form of ketones, which is more efficient but generally underutilized,” explains Bede.

Ketones are a substance produced by the liver when the body breaks down fat for energy, which are then released into the blood. Your body's cells use ketones to power everyday activities. When there’s a buildup of ketones in the blood and you’re switching gears into an ketogenic state, your body changes in some incredible ways.

Related: What Is A Ketogenic Diet