November 27th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, carbohydrates, diet, exercise, fats, proteins
When it comes to the trio of protein, fat and carbs, most people tend to focus on the last two. They are demonized, championed, reviled – you name it. But in this mess, protein is usually forgotten, or lumped into a category where it doesn’t belong. Protein is vital, especially if it is the right kind of protein. In fact, the right kind of protein can actually aid you in your weight loss efforts.
Body builders are probably the ones that are best informed about protein. They eat it in large amounts, especially after exercising and they know the value that it brings to their efforts to build muscles. What the average dieter may not know is that protein not only builds up lean muscle mass, but by doing so, it can help increase your metabolism. When you couple that with a plan for exercise and healthy eating, you are setting yourself up for success.
The key is finding the right kind of protein. The majority of Americans get their protein from red meat sources – and these are the same foods that contain a high amount of cholesterol. However, there are many other sources of protein that are quite good for you, and in fact, some of these can even help you prevent disease. When you are looking for the right kind of protein to eat, it is important to focus on these sources, especially the ones that are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
These proteins are found in fish, lean chicken and even in soy. Consult with your doctor or a qualified nutritionist to see what types of protein you can safely eat and learn more about the different varieties that are available. You can easily start adding these foods in to your diet slowly. For example, you can eat salmon once a week, or try having tuna fish (canned in water only) for lunch instead of a hamburger.
The more you begin to replace bad foods with high quality protein, the more effective your weight loss efforts will be. Protein is especially helpful as a mid-day snack, and can provide the fuel you need to get through a tough day and make it until dinner. Low fat cottage cheese is a wonderful source of quality protein, and you can also find good proteins in soy nuts, and other fun snack food.
Try to stay away from pre-packaged protein bars, unless you carefully read the label. Many of these bars are laden with fat and carbohydrates and even though they may claim to be healthy, you may be stepping backwards instead of forwards in your weight loss efforts by eating them.
The right balance of protein will help you build up lean muscle mass, especially if you are exercising regularly. Try adding a few of these protein sources to your diet this week and see how much better you feel. Chances are, you’ll want to keep going and your body will definitely thank you.
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November 4th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, body mass index, food, goals, medicine, motivation, review, trigger food, weight loss
I highly recommend Jumpstart. In fact, I have a special offer for anyone in wanting to try Jumpstart in Redwood City or Mountain View: $25 off your first visit (just print it and bring it to your appointment).
With four locations in California, Jump Start Medicine provides its patients with a weight loss program that, on average, will take two to five pounds off a week. Most of their patients leave satisfied, with more energy and are highly motivate to keep the weight off, ensuring that their customers rarely need to return. The program that they provide is medically sound and safe for all of their patients. Designed for men and women, the supervised program achieves weight loss through a number of ways, ensuring the maximal, safe benefit to patients. The program follows a plan of reduced consumption along with exercise. The food is carefully chosen to provide the most energy with minimal calories and keep the appetite at a minimum.
To ensure that the patient does not suffer from cravings ruining their efforts, the center provides medications to take the edge off of the patient's appetite, ensuring maximum benefit. The medications are completely voluntary, and many patients have achieved excellent results with diet and exercise alone. Those patients that wish to hedge their bets will find that the medication is safe, and will boost their weight loss efforts.
A typical appointment will consist of an initial consultation. This will provide the doctors with a clear picture of where the greatest need is and target it with a tailored weight loss program. During this consultation, the patient's body mass index (BMI), weight, waist, and body fat are measured. Every patient is different, and their goals are to lose anywhere from 10 to 100 pounds and be able to keep it off. These goals are best approached under the supervision of trained medical professionals. The professionals here will make sure that your efforts will be safe and with the most effect.
Dr. Sooji Rugh M.D. & Dr. Sean Bourke M.D.
Both received their undergraduate and medical degrees from prestigious universities across the country. Thusly they bring to Jumpstart Medicine a variety of experience to best achieve your goal for ideal weight. The program they employ will not only provide weight loss, but also will yield many other health benefits. These include a lower risk for diabetes, lower blood pressure, lower levels of bad cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, and many more health benefits.
Many patients attempt their goals on their own, and find themselves failing due to increased hunger, swinging metabolism, and no real support system. Cravings, low levels of energy, even low levels of depression can conspire against patients in their goals of a healthier lifestyle. That is where the program at Jump Start Medicine really shines. Their multi-angled attack against excess weight and caring and supportive environment will help patients lose weight in a safe and healthy manner. There are no meals or shakes to buy, or any gimmicks and books that provide a hidden cost. This center will provide a medically proven program to take the weight off and keep it off.
I highly recommend them.. In fact, I have a special offer for anyone in wanting to try Jumpstart in Redwood City or Mountain View: $25 off your first visit (just print it and bring it to your appointment).
$25 Off Jump Start Medicine Weight Loss Discount
June 18th, 2008 — blood sugar, caffeine, carbohydrates, fats, metabolism, proteins
If you want to jump start your weight loss efforts, you're going to need to focus on your metabolism. For most of us, our metabolisms have either been slowed by yo-yo dieting or even genetics and it can be hard to get them back again. However, it is not impossible to kick start your metabolism once again. You just need to make sure you are using the right techniques.
Many people fall on the theory that caffeine is the easiest method you can use to increase your metabolism. While this is true in the short term, the drawbacks are numerous and it's not good for your body or your heart to take too much caffeine. You can actually end up with caffeine intoxication if you have more than 500mg of caffeine in a day. That's the equivalent of two large cups of coffee from Starbucks to put that into perspective.
Instead of relying on external ways to increase your metabolism, it's time to look inward. First, let's talk about blood sugar. If your blood sugar is out of whack, your metabolism is too. Your body is spending too much time processing the wrong kind of foods and your metabolism suffers for it. If you're constantly throwing your body through feast and famine when it comes to sugar, chances are your levels are far out of whack.
To fix this, you need to make sure that you are getting the right balance of proteins, carbs and fats. This gives your body the chance to actually start burning fat instead of working on handling all the sugar that you've thrown at it. Keep in mind however, that you do need some sugar in your diet to keep functioning properly.
Next, you're going to want to build lean muscle mass. It simply is more effective at raising your metabolism than anything else. You can start doing this by adding in some mild weight lifting into your exercise routine. Even women can benefit from lifting small amounts. As you build muscle mass, don't panic if the numbers on the scale go up a bit. This is perfectly normal since muscle weighs more than fat. It is only temporary and if you keep burning fat, those numbers will come back down.
You can look at it as though you are restructuring your body. You are removing fat, which slows down your metabolism, which lean muscle mass that will raise it. Over the long term, you're retraining your metabolism and getting it to speed up.
By learning how to manage your blood sugar properly and by building more lean muscle mass, you have the perfect recipe for increasing your metabolism. It won't happen overnight, but if you stick with it, you'll be able to burn fat quickly and more efficiently. Don't rely on supplements that make crazy promises and endanger your health. They may work in the short term, but unless you address the issues that caused the slowdown of your metabolism in the first place, you're not fixing the problem.
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