Sunday, October 11, 2009
How to Lose Your Belly Fat Quickly and Naturally
Q. How I lose my belly fat? I’ve tried several things but nothing worked”. I do 100 daily sit-ups, cutting calories drastically, excess cardio, fat burners, etc.
A. If you can’t lose your belly fat, you’re using the wrong approach. You don’t need endless sit-ups, supplements, starving yourself or worse surgery. Here are the 10 best ways to lose your belly fat – quickly and naturally.
1. Stop Doing Crunches. Crunches will strengthen your stomach muscles, but won’t burn the belly fat that covers your abs. Spot reduction is a myth. You’re wasting time & effort doing 200 daily crunches.
Crunches can also cause lower back pain, slouching shoulders & forward head posture. The Reverse Crunch doesn’t cause these problems, but again: spot reduction is a myth. To lose your belly fat, you need more. Keep reading.
2. Get Stronger. Strength training builds muscle mass, prevents muscle loss and helps fat loss. Squats and Deadlifts work best to build strength.
- Your lower back keeps you upright from the back. Your abs from the front. Both muscles will work hard during heavy Squats & Deadlifts at keeping you from collapsing under the weight.
- Squats & Lunges; Deadlifts allow you to stress your body with heavy weights, working all your muscles from head to toe. This helps getting stronger quickly and building muscle fast, including ab muscles.
Spot reduction still doesn’t exist, so Deadlifts won’t burn your belly fat directly. However they’ll strengthen your abs and lower your waist size. Only takes 3×45mins/week.
3. Eat Healthy. As the saying goes “abs are built in the kitchen”. You can train hard & build muscular abs, but if you eat junk food all day, you won’t lose your belly fat. Stop eating processed food. Eat whole, unprocessed foods. If there are more than 5 ingredients you may want to avoid it. Beware of the words All-Natural, 100 Percent Natural, these are marketing terms.
- Proteins. Grass Fed Beef, Bison(Buffalo), Free Range poultry, Fresh fish, Whey Protein Powder, free range eggs, grass fed cheese, …
- Veggies. Spinach, broccoli, salad, kale, cabbage, carrots, cucumber …
- Fruits. Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, pears, strawberries…but only in the morning, veggies at night, fruit in the morning.
- Fats. Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds, …
- Carbs. Brown rice, steel cut oats, whole grain pasta, quinoa, …
No need to be perfect. Eating junk food occasionally helps fat loss by keeping your hormones sharp. Don’t overdo it though. Eat junk food 10% of the time max. That’s 4 junk meals/week if you eat 6 meals/day.
4. Limit Alcohol Consumption. To lose your belly fat, what you drink is as important as what you eat. Alcohol from time to time is OK. But forget about losing your belly fat if you drink beer & sweet alcohols daily.
Beer drinkers always have a peer shape: belly fat & man boobs – especially as they get older. Alcohol also stresses your liver which has to overwork to clear the toxins. This can get in the way of building muscles.
Drink alcohol 10% of the time. Example Friday & Saturday night. Normal alcohol consumption, not the get drunk. Rest of the time: water, water with squeezed lemon, green tea, etc. Either that or forget about losing your belly fat.
5. Eat Less Carbs . You need carbs for energy. Problem is that most people eat way more carbs than they need. Your body will stock the carbs it doesn’t need as fat. And this is often how you get belly fat.
Unless you’re a skinny guy who needs to gain weight, lower your carb intake. Keep eating fruits & veggies with each meal. But cut back on potatoes, and switch to new potatoes or sweet potatoes because they have a lower glycemic load, pasta, rice, breads, … Eat these post workout only.
Drink Your Weight In Water. You should try to consume at least half of your weight in good water. When I say good water I mean the best you can find. Good water usually doesn't come from a store, but rather through your faucet. Your responsible for filtering your water with a Kangen generator that will adjust the pH of your water to balance your internal fluids and hydrate your body much more effeciently than designer or tap waters without any chemicals.
6. Eat More. Eating tons of healthy foods won’t make you fat. Especially not if you exercise 2-3x/week. Starving yourself is the number 1 nutritional mistakes. Healthy nutrition is important for 3 reasons:
6. Eat More. Eating tons of healthy foods won’t make you fat. Especially not if you exercise 2-3x/week. Starving yourself is the number 1 nutritional mistakes. Healthy nutrition is important for 3 reasons:
- Energy. Food is energy. Your body uses food for weight lifting, working, digestion, etc. Lack of food means lack of energy, in all areas of life.
- Fat Loss. Eating the right foods helps fat loss: protein has the highest thermic effect and satiates, healthy fats promote fat loss, A single fat molecule can produce a whopping 129 molecules of ATP. In contrast, without enough healthy fat, the body is forced to utilize an inferior source of fuel for ATP production — carbohydrates. A single carbohydrate molecule produces a paltry 38 molecules of ATP! Do the math — a single fat molecule yields more than three times the energy as a carbohydrate molecule! Unlike carbohydrates, consuming healthy fat does not result in a spike of the fatigue-causing, fat-storing hormone insulin. And even better, healthy fat exponentially increases production of the energy molecule ATP. ATP is the master energy- and strength-producing molecule within the body. The more you have, the better you perform.
- Maintain Muscle. If you starve yourself, your body will burn muscle for energy – NOT fat. You’ll become skinny + fat. Protein intake is crucial to a lean fat burning machine. You should set your daily protein intake at 1 gram per pound of your Lean Body Mass LBM. So if you are 150lbs and your 20% body fat, then your are actually 30lbs of fat and 120lbs LBM. Consuming minimum of 120 grams of protein daily 6 meals consisting of 20 grams per meal.
Hunger means you’re not eating enough of the right foods. Don’t worry about calories so much, but you should be choosing were the calories originate. 100 calories of sugar from a 40oz soda are much different than 100 calories from a veggie salad. Just eat breakfast and eat every 3 hours from there on, including post workout. Eat healthy foods 90% of the time to lose your belly fat fast.
7. Eat More Protein. Protein has a higher thermic effect than other foods: your body burns more energy processing proteins than it does processing carbs and fat. That’s why high protein diets work great at burning your belly fat. Muscle is what we all want more of, in fact one pound of muscle can burn 20 times the calories as a pound of fat. Building new muscle helps us achieve that lean, and sculptured body.
8. Eat More Fat. Fat doesn’t make you fat. Bad nutrition and lack of exercise do. Eating fat actually helps fat loss. Your body won’t store fat as easily if your giving it a constant intake of healthy fats.
Fish oil is the best source of fat to lose your belly fat. Fish oil naturally increases testosterone levels and increases fat loss. 6g omega-3 per day is a good start. Check Out Krill Oil
Stay away from trans-fatty fats present in products like margarine, actually they are hidden under names like Partially Hydrogenated Soybean or Cottonseed oil . Trans-fatty fats are bad for your health. Eat whole unprocessed foods 90% of the time as I recommend in point 3 and you’ll avoid trans-fatty fats easily. Some products actually make claims like 0 Trans Fat, but actually contain Partially Hydrogenated Oils in the ingredients so read the label on the back.
9. Lower Your Body Fat. As a man, your belly is the last place where you’ll get rid of fat. If you have man boobs and a double chin, you’ll have to lower your body fat to lose your belly fat. If you're a woman then the butt, thighs and back of your arms is where you will store it. Here’s how to remove it:
- Get Stronger. Strength training builds & maintains muscle, increases fat loss, helps sticking to diet, don't be afraid of muscle you wont turn into "that girl" bodybuilders have a completely different diet.
- Eat Healthier. Apply the 8 nutrition rules. Eat breakfast. Eat every 3 hours. Proteins, veggies & fruits with each meal. Fast digesting carbs post workout only. 2 cups of water with each meal. Whole foods 90% of the time.
- Add Cardio. 15mins post workout, build up to 3×45mins/week. If you have less than 15% body fat, just get stronger and eat healthier. That will lower your body fat and make you lose your belly fat.
10. Stay Motivated. Looking at your belly or in the mirror gives you inaccurate feedback. What you see is influenced by food intake, water retention, light and your own perception. Self-image issues can make the last one tricky. Always think and speak in terms of what you want, and would like to have, rather than what you are trying to avoid.
You will always get more of what you don't want when it's all you think and talk about. "Those who argue for their limitations get to keep them." Instead practice positive self-talk where you talk about how you feel at your goal weight and body fat. "I love being a size 4 and I feel great, I knew I could do it." Studies indicate that your subconscious mind can't distinguish the difference in reality and imaginary. Start day dreaming of your perfect body.
You will always get more of what you don't want when it's all you think and talk about. "Those who argue for their limitations get to keep them." Instead practice positive self-talk where you talk about how you feel at your goal weight and body fat. "I love being a size 4 and I feel great, I knew I could do it." Studies indicate that your subconscious mind can't distinguish the difference in reality and imaginary. Start day dreaming of your perfect body.
- Measure Body Fat. Every 2 weeks using a fat caliper. It doesn’t need to be accurate. What matters is that the trend goes down.. Stay off the scale, weight isn't nearly as important as bodyfat.
- Measure Your Waist. Also every 2 weeks. If you get stronger and eat healthy, your waist will go down fast. Your pants will start to feel loose.
- Take Pictures. Shoot pictures of yourself every 2 weeks: front, back & side. The side pictures will show the most change.
Example Diet. You won’t get fat eating healthy foods. Especially not if you exercise and with all the veggies. Example diet using the above nutrition rules:
- Breakfast: eggs with veggies, orange, organic green tea from Mercola
- Snack: unsalted raw nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, 2-4 small strawberries, a small pear
- Lunch: tuna in water, organic spinach or roman lettuce, olives, olive oil
- Snack: cottage cheese with small organic tomato
- Post workout: ground round 4-6oz, quinoa, spinach, banana small
- Dinner: chicken 3-4oz, spinach 1-2 cups, baby carrots, pear half
- Pre-bed snack: whey protein shake w/ organic rice milk, cranberries, ground flax seeds, fish oil capsules
Your Success is My Success,
Ryan Parker
76 Reasons Why You Should Switch From Sugar To Natural 0 Calorie Stevia
Q. I have heard about this new sweetener, I am wondering do you think it's better for me and my family's health?
Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D
Author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit
In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publication.
- Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.
- Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. 3,4,5,6
- Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.7,8
- Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.9,10,11,12
- Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.13
- Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.14,15,16,17,18,19,20
- Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.21,22
- Sugar can weaken eyesight.23
- Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.24,25,26,27,28
- Sugar can cause premature aging.29
- Sugar can lead to alcoholism.30
- Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.31,32,33
- Sugar contributes to obesity.34
- Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.35,36,37
- Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)38
- Sugar can cause gallstones.39
- Sugar can cause appendicitis.40
- Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.41
- Sugar can cause varicose veins.42
- Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.43
- Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.44
- Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.45,46,47
- Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.48
- Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.49
- Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.50
- High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).51
- Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.52
- Sugar causes food allergies.53
- Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.54
- Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.55
- Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.56,57
- Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.58
- Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.59,60
- Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.61
- Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.62,63
- Sugar can cause emphysema.64
- High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.65
- Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.66
- Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.67
- Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.68,69
- Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.70,71
- Sugar can damage your pancreas.72
- Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.73
- Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.74
- Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.75
- Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.76
- Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.77
- Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.78,79
- Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.80
- Sugar can cause depression.81
- Sugar can increase your risk of gout.82
- Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.83
- Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.84,85,86,87
- Sugar can lead to dizziness.88
- Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.89
- High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.90
- High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.91,92
- Sugar is an addictive substance.93
- Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.94
- Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.95
- Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.96
- Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.97
- The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.98
- Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).99
- Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.100
- Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.101
- Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.102
- I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.103
- Sugar increases your risk of polio.104
- High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.105
- Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.106
- In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.107
- Sugar may induce cell death.108
- In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.109
- Sugar dehydrates newborns.110
- Sugar can cause gum disease.111
Compounds in Processed Foods that Can Cause Cancer
World Health Order: "Cancer Top Killer by 2010"
We Must Hold Ourselves Responsible
Trans Fatty Acids: Imitation fats in shortenings, margarines and most commercial baked goods and snack foods. Strongly associated with cancer of the lungs and reproductive organs.
- The link between hydrogenated oils and diseased children: ADHD, aggressive behavior, learning disabilities and more.
Rancid fats: Industrial processing creates rancidity (free radicals) in commercial vegetable oils.
Omega-6 fatty acids: Although needed in small amounts, an excess can contribute to cancer. Dangerously high levels of omega-6 fatty acids are due to the overuse of vegetable oils in modern diets. Click here for the full story on the links of Omega-6 and disease
MSG: Associated with brain cancer. Found in almost all processed foods, even when "MSG" does not appear on the label. Flavorings, spice mixes and hydrolyzed protein contain MSG. The word Autolyzed yeast extract is a code name for MSG. Click here for the full story about the link between cancer and MSG
Aspartame: Imitation sweetener in diet foods and beverages. Associated with brain cancer, is now being used in over 6,000 low sugar or no sugar consumer products. Aspartame was actually developed by a pharmaceutical company owned by Donald Rumsfeld and later sold to Monsanto one of the largest developers of pesticide. Click here for the full story about the link between brain tumors and aspartame you were never told.
Pesticides: Associated with many types of cancer. Found in most commercial vegetable oils, fruit juices, vegetables and fruits. Peanut Butter, and soy are said to have the highest levels of pesticide due to the farming practices. Click here to read the full story of the links to cancer and pesticide
Hormones: Found in animals raised in confinement on soy and grains. Plant-based hormones are plentiful in soy foods. Click here for a story on the links between disease and added hormones
Artificial Flavorings and Colors: Associated with various types of cancers, especially when consumed in large amounts in a diet of junk food. Click here for a story about links to disease using artificial colors
Refined Carbohydrates: Sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white flour are devoid of nutrients. The body uses up nutrients from other foods to process refined carbohydrates. Tumor growth is associated with sugar consumption. Click here to read 76 ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
