Q. I mean I tried losing weight by not eating, made it worse.
A. Generally it is safe to loose 1-2 pounds per week if you are trying to shed a lot of weight over time. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to simply reduce your caloric intake by changing your dietary habits for good. Stop eating between meals, or before bed. Stop eating large portion sizes.
When eating a wide range of foods your digestive system works at the most efficient level and is able to get a high percentage of the calories. In nature, this is good because it allowed us to survive in food-scarce conditions. In the modern world this is bad, since you can easily gain access to too much food and become fat. Diets like Atkins and others work by promoting the consumption of only certain types of food, which makes your digestive system less efficient at harvesting the calories from the food rather than reducing the total caloric intake. The biggest problem with this method is that it the moment you go back off it, the calories come right back. Additionally, our bodies are meant to get a rounded diet, and cutting out certain food groups can lead to vitamin deficiencies.
Any type of 'crash diet' will have similar results in the long term, as you aren't actually changing your behavior. In addition, repeated binge/diet cycles actually can affect your metabolism and make your body MORE prone to keeping weight on in the future, since your body learns that it will need to store food to prepare for starvation periods.
When eating a wide range of foods your digestive system works at the most efficient level and is able to get a high percentage of the calories. In nature, this is good because it allowed us to survive in food-scarce conditions. In the modern world this is bad, since you can easily gain access to too much food and become fat. Diets like Atkins and others work by promoting the consumption of only certain types of food, which makes your digestive system less efficient at harvesting the calories from the food rather than reducing the total caloric intake. The biggest problem with this method is that it the moment you go back off it, the calories come right back. Additionally, our bodies are meant to get a rounded diet, and cutting out certain food groups can lead to vitamin deficiencies.
Any type of 'crash diet' will have similar results in the long term, as you aren't actually changing your behavior. In addition, repeated binge/diet cycles actually can affect your metabolism and make your body MORE prone to keeping weight on in the future, since your body learns that it will need to store food to prepare for starvation periods.
How do I put an end to my sugar addiction?
Q. I have been a slave to sugar all of my life. I don't just have a sugar tooth, my whole body craves it. This burden was placed on me as a child when anything from Mt. Dew to southern sweet tea was placed in my cup. Not to mention cavities before I even lost any of my baby teeth. I am addicted and I am ready to let it go. The problem is that I don't know how. Many of you may laugh at this, but my daily attitude is controlled by sugar or lack thereof. I have been fortunate that my metabolism has passed much of it through without any weight gain. Now, as I get older, it's starting to effect me. I am also looking into pescetarianism (vegetarian who eats fish) because meat is starting to become a problem as well. Both sugar and meat are beating me down by the end of the day. Does anyone out there have any tips for cutting sugar out of my life and/or becoming a pescetarian?
A. When you are on a diet, cravings are sure to strike. The three most common cravings are cravings for sugar, fat and salt.
Sugar is considered by many diet experts to be an addiction as dangerous as nicotine or even heroin. There is nothing that gives us a bigger lift than a shot of sugar. However sugar exhausts the pancreas, is often followed by a crash in blood sugar levels and can lead to diabetes and other serious disorders.
An addiction for sugar usually has its roots in issues to do with stress and emotions. Many individuals find sweet foods, and particularly chocolate to be extremely comforting. The only problem is that the root cause of the stress or emotional problem that is causing you to "turn to sugar" to solve your problems is not addressed then you will probably always be addicted to it.
If you crave sugar there are some foods that are not sweets and cakes that can help you circumvent the body's addiction to it. For instance the Jerusalem artichoke is a vegetable that is thought to regulate the body's blood sugar balance. Vegetables such as sweet potatoes and yams can help satisfy the craving for creamy or milky sweets. However if you do crave sugar the best thing to do is reach for a piece of fruit, which will definitely have fewer calories than a slab of cake.
Some people who crave ice cream or rich products actually have a calcium deficiency. The same thing goes for people who crave a great deal of cheese, which of course can add pounds to a body in no time. To make sure that your cravings for ice cream or cheese are not based on a calcium deficiency it is a great idea to take calcium supplements, eat plenty of broccoli or Swiss chard and drink low fat skim milk.
If you are craving fat, you probably have a bit of an oral fixation. The craving for fatty foods is quite primal and has more to do with a phenomenon called "mouth feel." Foods that are warm and fatty take us back to the cavemen days when biting into freshly killed meat and drinking the blood was common.
Cravings for fatty foods are commonly found in emotionally insecure individuals who need to express their anger by biting into something warm and fatty in texture. Psychologists call this "eating your anger."
If you are craving sodium then you may need to eat a more balanced diet that includes more vegetables. Vegetables are a natural form of salt. A good substitute for high sodium dishes is sushi as the seaweed that wraps the raw fish is filled with healthy amounts of sea salt.
Drinking too much coffee or alcohol can also cause cravings for sodium. This can cause a shortage of sodium in the blood.
Many cravings have no biological basis at all and are "all in the head." The trick is to realize that a positive association with a food is not necessarily a reason to continually binge on it whenever you feel blue.
Recently the news has been talking about cinnamon and how it can help regulate blood sugar levels. Cinnamon capsules can be found in almost any store that carries supplements. Both Walmart and Costco have great prices on cinnamon capsules (about $3 for a small bottle and $8-10 for a very large bottle).
You should avoid any types of products that is made with sugar substitutes, as in diet sodas. There are two reasons for this.
First off your body get used to having a sweet taste constantly in your mouth so it feels as though this is a natural feeling for you. This makes you crave more and more sugar, since your body believes that sweetness is normal. And second, it has now been found that your body may be reacting to the sugar substitute as though it was real sugar. You insulin levels then rise, then fall quickly making you want to have another quick sugar fix.
Sugar is a hard addiction to stop but with a little planning, taking a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, trying the cinnamon capsules and avoiding sugar substitues you can kick the habbit!
Sugar is considered by many diet experts to be an addiction as dangerous as nicotine or even heroin. There is nothing that gives us a bigger lift than a shot of sugar. However sugar exhausts the pancreas, is often followed by a crash in blood sugar levels and can lead to diabetes and other serious disorders.
An addiction for sugar usually has its roots in issues to do with stress and emotions. Many individuals find sweet foods, and particularly chocolate to be extremely comforting. The only problem is that the root cause of the stress or emotional problem that is causing you to "turn to sugar" to solve your problems is not addressed then you will probably always be addicted to it.
If you crave sugar there are some foods that are not sweets and cakes that can help you circumvent the body's addiction to it. For instance the Jerusalem artichoke is a vegetable that is thought to regulate the body's blood sugar balance. Vegetables such as sweet potatoes and yams can help satisfy the craving for creamy or milky sweets. However if you do crave sugar the best thing to do is reach for a piece of fruit, which will definitely have fewer calories than a slab of cake.
Some people who crave ice cream or rich products actually have a calcium deficiency. The same thing goes for people who crave a great deal of cheese, which of course can add pounds to a body in no time. To make sure that your cravings for ice cream or cheese are not based on a calcium deficiency it is a great idea to take calcium supplements, eat plenty of broccoli or Swiss chard and drink low fat skim milk.
If you are craving fat, you probably have a bit of an oral fixation. The craving for fatty foods is quite primal and has more to do with a phenomenon called "mouth feel." Foods that are warm and fatty take us back to the cavemen days when biting into freshly killed meat and drinking the blood was common.
Cravings for fatty foods are commonly found in emotionally insecure individuals who need to express their anger by biting into something warm and fatty in texture. Psychologists call this "eating your anger."
If you are craving sodium then you may need to eat a more balanced diet that includes more vegetables. Vegetables are a natural form of salt. A good substitute for high sodium dishes is sushi as the seaweed that wraps the raw fish is filled with healthy amounts of sea salt.
Drinking too much coffee or alcohol can also cause cravings for sodium. This can cause a shortage of sodium in the blood.
Many cravings have no biological basis at all and are "all in the head." The trick is to realize that a positive association with a food is not necessarily a reason to continually binge on it whenever you feel blue.
Recently the news has been talking about cinnamon and how it can help regulate blood sugar levels. Cinnamon capsules can be found in almost any store that carries supplements. Both Walmart and Costco have great prices on cinnamon capsules (about $3 for a small bottle and $8-10 for a very large bottle).
You should avoid any types of products that is made with sugar substitutes, as in diet sodas. There are two reasons for this.
First off your body get used to having a sweet taste constantly in your mouth so it feels as though this is a natural feeling for you. This makes you crave more and more sugar, since your body believes that sweetness is normal. And second, it has now been found that your body may be reacting to the sugar substitute as though it was real sugar. You insulin levels then rise, then fall quickly making you want to have another quick sugar fix.
Sugar is a hard addiction to stop but with a little planning, taking a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, trying the cinnamon capsules and avoiding sugar substitues you can kick the habbit!
So does starving yourself make you loose weight?
Q. I have read alot of reviews and most of them say that it does. But some tell me to eat small portions. I dont really care anymore about what's going to happen, I just want to loose weight. Im 13 and 155lbs. HORRIBLE!! So before I do this I want to know should I starve myself? Eat smaller portions?? HELP!
A. Starving yourself will not make you lose weight in the long run, sorry.
If you really want to lose weight:
1. Eat about 6 small complete meals throughout the day (fish, almonds, walnuts, and lean proteins in general, plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, and complex multigrain carbohydrates) spaced out about every 2-3 hours. Consume between 1500-2500 calories a day.
2. Do NOT starve yourself, do NOT binge eat.
3. Be as active as you can; nothing to do for 10 minutes? Knockout 10 elevated push-ups.
4. Eat some spicy foods; take a decent amount of vitamin C, and drink between a half-gallon and a whole gallon of WATER a day.
5. No more soda. Ever.
6. If you do drink coffee, drink it black.
7. Do at least 35 minutes of cardio straight at least once a day, at least three times a week, more if you are not trying to put on muscle.
8. Do a large amount of full body exercises whenever possible (Jumping Jacks, Pull-ups, Chin ups, dips, squats, hanging leg raises, hanging knee raises, back raises, glute ham raises, burpees)
9. Get at least 6 hours of sleep a night, but no more then 9.
10. Avoid anything deep-fried, white bread, sprinkles, and any refined sugar.
You can find more good info at http://www.crossfit.com and http://www.bodyrock.tv and feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
What you can look forward to if you starve yourself:
You will barely lose any fat, but you will lose plenty of muscle mass, making yourself look flabbier.
Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually death. The term inanition refers to the symptoms and effects of starvation.
Individuals experiencing starvation lose muscle mass as the body breaks down these tissues for energy. Catabolysis is the process of a body breaking down its own muscles and other tissues in order to keep vital systems such as the nervous system and heart muscle (myocardium) functioning. Vitamin deficiency is a common result of starvation, often leading to anemia, beriberi, pellagra, and scurvy. These diseases collectively can also cause diarrhea, skin rashes, edema, and heart failure. Individuals are often irritable and lethargic as a result.
Atrophy (wasting away) of the stomach weakens the perception of hunger, since the perception is controlled by the percentage of the stomach that is empty. Victims of starvation are often too weak to sense thirst, and therefore become dehydrated.
All movements become painful due to atrophy of the muscles, and due to dry, cracked skin caused by severe dehydration. With a weakened body, diseases are commonplace. Fungi, for example, often grow under the esophagus, making swallowing unbearably painful.
The energy deficiency inherent in starvation causes fatigue and renders the victim more apathetic over time. As the starving person becomes too weak to move or even eat, his or her interaction with the surroundings diminishes.
Look up Terry Schiavo if that's still not enough motivation.
If you really want to lose weight:
1. Eat about 6 small complete meals throughout the day (fish, almonds, walnuts, and lean proteins in general, plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, and complex multigrain carbohydrates) spaced out about every 2-3 hours. Consume between 1500-2500 calories a day.
2. Do NOT starve yourself, do NOT binge eat.
3. Be as active as you can; nothing to do for 10 minutes? Knockout 10 elevated push-ups.
4. Eat some spicy foods; take a decent amount of vitamin C, and drink between a half-gallon and a whole gallon of WATER a day.
5. No more soda. Ever.
6. If you do drink coffee, drink it black.
7. Do at least 35 minutes of cardio straight at least once a day, at least three times a week, more if you are not trying to put on muscle.
8. Do a large amount of full body exercises whenever possible (Jumping Jacks, Pull-ups, Chin ups, dips, squats, hanging leg raises, hanging knee raises, back raises, glute ham raises, burpees)
9. Get at least 6 hours of sleep a night, but no more then 9.
10. Avoid anything deep-fried, white bread, sprinkles, and any refined sugar.
You can find more good info at http://www.crossfit.com and http://www.bodyrock.tv and feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
What you can look forward to if you starve yourself:
You will barely lose any fat, but you will lose plenty of muscle mass, making yourself look flabbier.
Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually death. The term inanition refers to the symptoms and effects of starvation.
Individuals experiencing starvation lose muscle mass as the body breaks down these tissues for energy. Catabolysis is the process of a body breaking down its own muscles and other tissues in order to keep vital systems such as the nervous system and heart muscle (myocardium) functioning. Vitamin deficiency is a common result of starvation, often leading to anemia, beriberi, pellagra, and scurvy. These diseases collectively can also cause diarrhea, skin rashes, edema, and heart failure. Individuals are often irritable and lethargic as a result.
Atrophy (wasting away) of the stomach weakens the perception of hunger, since the perception is controlled by the percentage of the stomach that is empty. Victims of starvation are often too weak to sense thirst, and therefore become dehydrated.
All movements become painful due to atrophy of the muscles, and due to dry, cracked skin caused by severe dehydration. With a weakened body, diseases are commonplace. Fungi, for example, often grow under the esophagus, making swallowing unbearably painful.
The energy deficiency inherent in starvation causes fatigue and renders the victim more apathetic over time. As the starving person becomes too weak to move or even eat, his or her interaction with the surroundings diminishes.
Look up Terry Schiavo if that's still not enough motivation.
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