Health Blog

A healthy body and a sound mind

Why Do You Keep Failing At Weight Loss?

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lose weightIf you are like the average person trying to lose weight, then you have probably asked this question many times over. We have to face it: weight loss is NOT easy. Those who have been blessed with fast metabolism do not have to worry about this issue, but there are countless people trying to shed pounds on a regular basis, only to face failure. Perhaps, if we look at some of the factors that contribute to the failure, we can make some changes and lose weight for real AND for good.

The feeling of deprivation is never good. Sadly, this is one common factor in a lot of weight loss programs. Individuals are restricted severely when it comes to food intake, resulting in the feeling of deprivation. Naturally, human instinct makes one want to get rid of that feeling; hence the problem of yoyo dieting.

The solution? Lessen your food intake but do not go to the point that you feel that you are depriving yourself too much. Crash diets, cracker diets, water diets, and so on – all of these things will only add to the feeling of deprivation. Avoid unhealthy food but do not stop yourself from eating here and there.

Crash diets do work temporarily. You’d notice, though, that you can’t seem to get past that plateau after losing a few pounds. Why? The answer is simple: effective and lasting weight loss is not achieved through diet alone. The second and vital component of weight loss is exercise. The basic principle is to burn more calories than you consume. If you stop eating suddenly, your body will go into starvation mode and burn even fewer calories. It is easy to see that you need to cut back on your calorie intake AND get moving to burn more calories and shed those pounds.

Simple enough, isn’t it? Now you need to get these ideas into your head and DO SOMETHING about it. In a couple of months, you’ll definitely see results.

Photo courtesy of http://www.womensportreport.com/

Originally posted on December 20, 2010 @ 4:37 pm

Calcium Supplements

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I distinctly remember my mom telling me to drink my daily rations of milk – one glass in the morning and another at night. I also remember loving it and my sister quite the opposite – she would surreptitiously pour her milk into the sink or water the plants with it! I guess I should thank my mother for making us drink a lot of milk during those formative years. Why? Because of its calcium content.

Today, calcium deficiency is one of the main concerns for women in their 30s or even early 20s. The great fear is that when we reach our 50s or 60s, osteoporosis would set in. That is why you can see a plethora of advertisements regarding calcium and different products supposedly containing adequate amounts of this mineral.

Because calcium is not that easy to acquire from the natural food that we eat everyday, the best course for the busy woman these days would be to take calcium supplements. There are a lot of different forms of calcium supplements – calcium caltrate, calcium carbonate, oyster shell or bone meal based calcium supplements, coral calcium, calcium lactate.

You have to be careful when choosing which kind of supplement you take. This is because calcium is not easily absorbed by our body. So the fact that you are taking supplements doesn’t mean that the body is actually benefiting from it. Different supplements may have different instructions on dosage and the manner of intake. You can ask our doctor to help you determine which supplement is the best for your needs.

Originally posted on August 13, 2010 @ 12:27 pm

Carb Cycling

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We’ve all heard about diets which target the carbohydrate intake of people. Some say they’re dangerous. Some say they’re useless. Others say they work. You’ll never know until you try it for yourself. However, the fact remains that diets like this are akin to starving yourself. Basically, no carb diets disallow the intake of some of the most common foods we eat everyday – pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, and similar foods.

Recently, I came across a new idea (at least it’s new to me) – carb cycling. So what is this thing all about? Basically, you do not starve yourself. You have days when you eat normally (with regards to carbs) and there are days when you limit your carb intake. Take note, the word I used was limit and not prohibit.

So on the days that you are not limiting carbs, the suggested intake is about 300 to 400 grams (per day). Experts say that this is around the normal amount the average person eats anyway. On the days that you limit your carb intake, then try to eat less than 300 grams. The trick is to watch what you eat. Try to eat more of healthy carbs such as fruits and vegetables. Avoid or limit white flour and sugar.

Following this program, you can still get the energy you need from carbs without having to starve yourself to death. In this way, you will not feel deprived and you won’t have the tendency to go on a binge. Sounds good to me!

Originally posted on July 15, 2010 @ 1:41 pm