Protein - Its Place In Your Weight Loss Program

By: Kay Blackiston

Any food that we take into our bodies is composed of macronutrients, micronutrients and water. The macronutrients (macro = large) are protein, fat and carbohydrates; the micronutrients (micro = small) are vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

Macronutrients provide the calories that provide energy for life; micronutrients have no calories but are an essential part of our diet. Without macronutrients we would starve to death, without micronutrients we would die from health deterioration.

So, What Exactly is Protein?

Technically speaking proteins are any of a large group of nitrogenous (containing nitrogen) compounds of high molecular weight that are essential constituents of all living organisms. They consist of 22 biological compounds called amino acids. (more…)

Is Jenny Craig Any Good?

By: Bill Nadraszky

Jenny Craig, is it good for you or bad for you?

My wife has recently restarted going to Jenny Craig and because of the popularity of Jenny Craig I thought I would write a bit of an article about Jenny Craig.

Jenny Craig is a diet that you do by going into an office and getting the full meal deal, and you pay for that. The program that Jenny Craig offers for weight loss is to have your consultant ask some questions and then put you on a specific calorie plan.

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What Are the Herbs for Weight Loss?

By: David Bloom

There are a number of herbs for weight loss that can help you safely and effectively lose excess pounds without the need for controversial and often dangerous prescription medications. When used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise program, these herbal extracts can give you the extra boost you need to reach your diet goals.

Weight loss herbs come in various forms, including single ingredient and more comprehensive supplements, elixirs and liquid preparations, among others. It’s important to research all of the options thoroughly before deciding what’s right for you.
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Stress and Weight Loss

By: Alberta McKain

Can Stress cause weight gain?

Stress and weight loss are linked. Emotions influence our hormones which in turn influence our emotions which influence our eating habits.

The hormone adrenaline is released when we are frightened, excited or anxious. Since adrenaline tends to speed up our metabolic rate, the release of this hormone is likely to promote weight loss. Long term stress can have the opposite effect for weight loss. The hormone cortisol, released when we are stressed, can increase fat storage, particularly in the abdominal area.

In other words, short bursts of stress may help us to lose weight, but long term stress can make us overweight.

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I AM Exercising! Why Don’t I Lose Weight?

By: Di Roberts

I used to think my body was some kind of machine. I thought that losing weight was a simple matter of cutting the intake and/or increasing the output and soon I would look like your average Hollywood starlet. If I wanted to lose a pound, all I had to do was eat 3500 calories less than my maintenance level of 2000 calories a day or walk 35 miles or some combination of those.

If you were of the same opinion you have probably noticed, like me, that the reality isn’t quite so simple. In fact, the August/September issue of ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified News has an article by Ralph LaForge various factors that interact to determine just how many calories you burn during a given period of exercise.

If you just starve yourself, you get unhealthy and the body gets to be very efficient at maintaining your weight on very reduced levels of calories. You are always hungry so you get crabby. What weight you did lose was muscle and water, with some fat, so when you relent, as you must if you have any survival instincts, you gain back all the pounds plus some extra ones and they are NOT attractive, firm muscular pounds.

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3 Week Weight Loss Detox Program

By: Alberta McKain

Detox, short for detoxification, is the removal of potentially toxic substances from the body. Although a detox program is primarily thought of as a treatment for alcohol or drug dependence, the term is also used to refer to diets, herbs, and other methods of removing environmental and dietary toxins from the body for general health and for weight loss.

This is a sample 3 week detox diet plan that is thought to support detoxification and weight loss by increasing elimination from the body, cleansing the colon, enhancing circulation to clear toxic substances, eliminating foods from the diet that require detoxification or are allergenic, and providing nutrients to support and protect the liver, the main organ involved in detoxification.

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8 Keys to Unlocking Body Fat and Building a Lean Body

By Ellen Agius

Obesity is the single most important challenge for public health in the 21st century.

According to National Health Statistics 60% of the population is overweight and 20% of our children and adolescents are overweight with numbers increasing. The World Health Organisation has declared obesity a “global epidemic” (Australia’s Health 2004).

Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater. Obesity is classified as a BMI of 30 or greater. To determine your BMI, calculate your weight in kg divided by your (height in metres)2. A healthy BMI is between 20 and 25. Excess weight is very unhealthy. Even being slightly overweight can carry moderate health risks. The top three killers are heart disease, cancer and diabetes which are all related to obesity and poor nutrition.

Factors Contributing to Overweight

There are certain factors today which contribute to increased obesity. Today’s modern diet is full of junk food, processed foods and high levels of preservatives and additives.

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Omron HBF-306 Body Fat Analyzer >>>

$59.99 SALE $32.85

This is a great price for a body fat analyzer. I recently had my body fat checked during a fitness check and was shocked at the results (not in a good way). But, it did launch me into a major fitness kick!

Now with this body fat analyzer from Omron I can measure my body fat weight and percentage in seconds, at the push of a button. This is accomplished with clinically proven accuracy, with the help of Biolectrical Impedance (BI).

BI is a widely accepted method for measuring body fat levels, both at the surface and between the body’s organs. This internal fat is often overlooked by surface testing methods but can play an important role with other measurements of wellness.

The Omron HBF-306 body fat analyzer includes an athlete mode for accurate results with those in training Uses 2 AAA batteries (not included). Guide to Wellness book is included.