How To Lose Weight By Combating Stress

Maybe you've tried a number of diets and failed and maybe even tried some exercise only to find you lose a little weight but it comes straight back again. Well don't worry. There's a reason for that - it's called stress.

Not many people realise that stress is not just a mental reaction but it is also a physical condition. So, you may ask, what has this got to do with weight loss?

Well, stress is a natural bodily function designed to help keep us alive and reactive to things going on in the world.

However, when your body is placed under stress it produces adrenaline and a hormone called cortisol. It is this hormone that's responsible for pumping energy in the form of sugar into the body to fuel the adrenaline rush.

But if you are not using this energy then the extra blood sugar that is being released has nowhere to go except settle around your stomach to be used later. As fat.

Because of this many people are keeping or gaining weight without even realising it. Of course, there are other factors, but stress is one that very few people talk about and many don't realise. Stress in the modern world often takes the form of money worries, family problems, issues at work and much more.

Stress and anxiety is in fact a double edged sword and may be the one thing stopping you from losing the pounds you so desperately want to. Not only does it produce the excess blood sugars that turn to fat but it also encourages you to use food as a comfort tool and so needs to be controlled and fought against. For instance you may tuck into chocolate or fast food for that instant hit that is the culinary equivalent of a warm hug from a loved one.

Tests on rats have shown that under stress organisms naturally engage in pleasure-seeking behaviour, in particular high calorie food. So eating these foods that are bad for you when you are stressed does not mean you are weak minded. You are just following your biological programming.

Stress is also one of the biggest reasons for lack of sleep and tests have shown that men who only manage to get four hours of sleep a night have on average a thirty seven percent higher level of cortisol than those who get a full eight hours. (Remember cortisol is the hormone that is responsible for energy in the form of sugar.)

Getting a good nights sleep when trying to shed the pounds is also critical because a deep sleep leads to higher secretions of a natural occurring hormone called Human Growth Hormone. This protects your muscle mass, not bodybuilder-type muscle just the natural kind we all have, and it is muscle that helps to maintain a steady burning metabolism.

Now if you are already stressed then the chances are you are not getting enough sleep already and so you are caught in a vicious circle that is affecting your weight loss. Fortunately, despite stress being the silent diet killer, there are some easy ways to fight it.

One option is going to your doctor to ask about prescriptive sleeping tablets but these should be used alongside a healthy lifestyle not in place of one.

Instead you can do a little bit of exercise which can help you get an easier night's sleep and kills two birds with one stone. For instance, just a brisk walk each day will be enough for your body to fall to sleep naturally at the end of the day.

You need to eat breakfast to fuel your energy resources. This will also manage your Cortisol levels. Cereal is especially good at this. A good breakfast is also associated with reduced stress levels. Skipping breakfast is just asking for trouble and will actually have a negative effect on your weight loss.

Fish, particularly oily fish which are high in Omega 3, is another food that should be added to your diet as it helps to reduce stress and therefore help weight loss. A tin of boneless sardines contains a week's worth of Omega 3, is great for your diet plan and is delicious on toast.

One thing to bear in mind is we all need a little stress to keep us on our toes and in this day and age it is everywhere. The trick is to put things into perspective, learn to accept stress and make it work for you. Just ask yourself, "Are things really that bad?" because quite often we let everyday things stress us out needlessly.

Combating stress with a healthy lifestyle could just be the miracle weight loss plan you've been looking for.

How To Lose Body Fat

Why Most Diets Work At First And Then Fail

When it comes to starting a new diet most people manage to lose weight for the first few weeks. They rapidly shed some pounds and think they've finally found their ultimate diet. Unfortunately as so many looking to lose weight have found out this is generally a temporary thing.

Within a few weeks of starting a new diet most people will stop losing the weight they initially did. They stand up on the scales and wonder why they're not getting the results they were when the diet program first began.

The answer to this question is that it you most probably have hit what is called a "weight loss plateau". This usually occurs because your body has become used to the diet program you have begun.

You see so many of these diets are created to provide you with an initial hit that shocks your body with something new. Because this is new you're body will start burning fat in order to sustain it's usual levels.

Whilst this is great at first, within a few weeks your body will have become accustomed to the new diet program. Your body becomes used to the new diet and (if you have one) new exercise program and is no longer shocked into burning energy. This is what makes so many people give up diets so very quickly.

So how do you combat this weight loss plateau?

Well firstly stop concentrating solely on counting calories. So many people begin a diet and do nothing but count how many calories they consume. They think that if they eat less calories they'll lose weight, which they will at first before the body becomes used to it.

Your metabolic rate, because low calories are being consumed, has no real reason to increase itself. Your metabolic rate burns more fat the higher it is. So if it is at a low point because of such low calorie consumption it won't burn fat.

In order to burn fat successfully and fight plateaus you need to create a high metabolic rate. The easiest way to do that is to fuel it throughout the day. You can do this by eating small, regular means rather than the normal three of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most people gorge themselves at these intervals and that does not do their body any favours.

Focus on eating healthy foods regularly, with small snacks every three hours. These must be healthy though! Eating burgers and chips will not do you any favours. They must be good, healthy foods.

On top of eating regularly and healthily exercise will also help you in your quest for weight loss by raising your metabolic rate. If you combine a good, steady diet with regular exercise you will be able to lose weight.

Forget pie in the sky diets that say you can lose weight without doing any exercise whatsoever. They might, and I do mean might, work for a little while. But then you will hit the weight loss plateau and give up or try another diet. Again it may work for a few weeks as your body is "shocked" with the new diet but in the long term it will fail.

A little exercise such as a brisk walk or enjoyable bike ride a few times a week will make the world of difference to your weight loss goals.

Make sure you don't become disheartened by your own weight loss plateau. You now understand why it happens and how to avoid it!

25 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY DIET – “A Guide To Weight Loss”

Try to use these weight loss diet tips that can be followed anywhere, everyday and you’ll notice a difference quite quickly:

1. You should always consult the doctor before beginning any exercise or weight loss program.

2. Do not skip meals. By skipping meals you trick the body into slowing down the metabolism as it attempts to conserve calories during a period where limited fats and fuel are available. Remember that eating increases the metabolism.

3. Eight hours after waking up, our metabolism slows down which is why 30 minutes of exercise before your evening meal will increase the metabolism for about two to three hours.

4. Drinking hot water instead of cold water in the morning can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.

5. Warm water with just a squeeze of lemon juice before breakfast gets the metabolism going for the day. This also helps to prevent constipation and is excellent for the skin.

6. Eat three small meals and two snacks everyday instead of one or two huge meals.

7. Buy non-toasted muesli instead of the toasted ones. A plate of toasted muesli contains more fat than a plate of bacon and eggs.

8. If you have a packed meal take pitta bread roll ups or wraps with salad fillings.

9. Make pasta a fast food choice. Preparing a pasta meal or salad will only take about 20 minutes.

10. To get extra iron add alfalfa or mung beans to salad.

11. Eat vegetables like capsicum and zucchini stuffed with flavoured fillings of minced chicken, white meat or fish. These are healthy and contain low fat.

12. Make a delicious low fat mayonnaise by combining one teaspoon of Dijon mustard with a low fat yogurt.

13. Eat slowly and chew each bite during meals as this will decrease one's appetite.

14. Good cooking and healthy eating begins with learning about nutrition and how to prepare healthy recipes.

15. Learn how to make the family’s favourite recipes and make sure that fats, salt, and sugar are cut out. Substitute non-fat yogurt for cream.

16. Stir-fry without oil, use chicken stock instead as this will cut down on hidden fat. Use herbs and spices instead of salt to taste.

17. Chilli helps to speed up metabolism - even the milder varieties.

18. One of the best sources of vegetable protein is from soya beans or tofu. All legumes provide some protein, so include lentils, lima beans, etc into casseroles and soups.

19. Try not to remove the skins of fruits and vegetables where possible as most of the nutrients are concentrated under the skin.

20. For a dramatic decrease in fat try making omelettes without adding the yolks!

21. Remove fat by dropping ice cubes into the baking tray. Fat will stick to the ice cubes.

22. Although you may find it hard at first, try not eating 3 hours or more before bedtime.

23. Also eat before you go food shopping and always prepare a shopping list. Then only buy food which relates to your weekly menu plan and don't be tempted to buy goodies.

24. Look for a weight loss "buddy," club, or support mates. This will motivate you to stay and enjoy your weight loss program.

25. Finally make sure that you keep your discipline to promote consistency on the diet plan. This will lead eventually to a healthy life-style without the extra fat and extra pounds on the side.

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HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT USING A NEGATIVE CALORIES DIET

Did you know that you can lose weight by having a diet using negative calories? We all know that if we burn more calories than we consume, then we will lose weight and this type of diet helps to do just that. The main idea is that our body uses more calories to digest some aliments than the calories we know those aliments contain themselves by analyzing the combination of nutritional components of those specific aliments.

The theory is in fact very appealing: the body has to consume energy in order to digest the food. You may have already heard that eating celery burns more calories than it contains. This is true but contrary to popular belief, chewing and swallowing the celery does not burn the calories, rather it is the act of digesting the tough cellulose that accounts for the energy expended. Another example is an orange which has about 50 calories. To process all nutritional components and vitamins that an orange contains, our body will burn more than just 50 calories.

Of course this negative calories diet is not a long term solution but is something that we can call on in some specific periods when our body is overwhelmed with nutrition, like holidays, Christmas, New Year, birthdays and weddings.

Some specialists say that the loss of weight is obtained mostly by losing parts of the muscular tissue, which is not recommended at all.

So if you decide to use the diet with negative calories please keep in mind the following:

• Make sure it is done in a period, as mentioned above, when your body has already too many calories stored and you won’t be affecting your health by doing this.

• Ask a medic if you can risk only eating these types of aliments and also ask him the time limit for this diet in your case so you can avoid getting sick.

• Try to combine different aliments as much as you can, do not eat just oranges or other fruits that contain citric acid as they are not good for your stomach when eaten in huge quantities.

• Review your schedule for the days you want to use this diet and make sure you don’t have any important or stressful things to do. This is because stress also causes caloric burn and weight reduction which can leave you feeling weak and physically powerless. If such a thing happens give up on the diet immediately and eat something with many calories and glucoses fast.

If you bear in mind all of the above points you can start a negative calories diet. Why not give it a try instead of taking slimming pills and drinking tea? At least you will still be eating something.

Oh and by the way, celery with peanut butter or ranch dressing does not count as a negative calories food!

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