Ever wonder what calorie means? Is calorie bad? How about the so-called “empty” calories? Here’s the deal on this obesity-related word:

Calorie measures the energy value in foods and how much the body needs. The calorie value may be derived from Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat. The calories in these foods help us with our daily activities, both voluntary such as walking, talking, exercising etc. and involuntary body processes (breathing, blood circulation, etc.). So it is not true that calorie is bad. It only becomes the culprit for weight gain if there is an imbalance between the food intake and the expenditure. This only happens when we eat too much and skip our gym day.

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Cardio alone won’t guarantee a six-pack and a firm butt. Learn how to lose that stubborn fat and sculpt your body.

Most of us want to lose a little bit of body fat, and we’ve been conditioned into believing that cardiovascular exercise is the best way: the harder we go, the more calories we burn. However, while we’re exercising we should not obsess over how many calories we are expending. Instead, our goal should be to train our bodies to burn a higher number of calories all the time, even when we are at rest.

When you work out, your body’s metabolic rate (a measure of its efficiency in maintaining basic life processes like breathing, digestion, etc) raises. When you finish training, there is a flow-on effect, where your metabolism — your body’s engine room — stays elevated for some time. Over a period of time as you train regularly, you progressively condition your metabolism to operate faster, even when you are not working out, which means you burn more calories continually and keep body fat under control.

Running will make you sweat and it is valuable cardiovascular exercise, but it expends a disappointing 75 calories per kilometer on average and doesn’t stimulate significant muscle development. Strength training doesn’t burn a high amount of calories either while you’re performing it. But when you push a muscle to failure, you set off a cascade of physiological changes. As the muscle recovers over the next two days — when you feel like an old person, temporarily — it will thicken, and the new muscle tissue will demand sustenance (i.e., a higher expenditure of calories). By the time you add on three pounds, or a mere 1.37 kg of lean muscle, your body would have required an extra 9000 calories a month just to break even.

Alongside this, if you can hold your diet steady you will be vaporizing body fat. Yes, I can hear you thinking, “I have to put on weight in the form of muscle to lose fat?” Well, kind of. But don’t forget to factor in your 1.37kg of muscle, which takes some time to build, but will be demanding your metabolism to work faster and virtually eat away at the fat. So, in effect, you add muscle to take away fat. Muscle weighs heavier than fat, and in theory, if you gain muscle and stay the same on the scale it suggests that you have lost significantly more fat than the muscle you have gained.

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Lose the weight without virtually doing anything.

1. Get a good night’s rest. According to a study from Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University, the less you snooze, the less leptin (a powerful hormone) your body is likely to produce. What’s that got to do with shedding pounds? Leptin helps promote weight loss in two ways: It discourages you from eating (by sending the message: “Hey stop munching — you’re full!” to your stomach) and it rouses you to expend energy. More evidence that sleep deprivation interferes with dropping pounds: The hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, is higher in people who don’t get enough zzz’s. If you don’t sleep soundly one night, try to squeeze in a nap the following day — the hormones are affected by how much shut-eye you get in a 24-hour period.)

2. Don’t store cookies and other treats in glass jars. If you keep fatty foods out of sight, it’ll be much easier to keep them off your mind. Experts at Cornell University determined that women ate more Hershey’s Kisses when the candies were on their desks than when they were in opaque containers or placed father away.

3. Get some sun. Your body needs sunlight to produce a very essential feel-good hormone called serotonin, which may lessen your cravings for sugar and other carbs. So when you start longing for sweets, go outside instead, even in the cold weather. It’s also a good idea to keep the drapes and shutters open during the day.

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Benefits, risks, and the diet pills that can kill you

If you want to lose weight, the answer is always simple: eat right and move more. It’s what doctors and medical and scientific studies have always endorsed. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or energy t go through a rigorous exercise program, and the results (10 pounds a month) can sometimes be frustrating. All that work, and you didn’t even drop a dress size? That’s what makes slimming products like diet pills so enticing: no stress, no fuss, instant results, too.

Words of warning:

Many diet pills are very effective, clinically proven and manufactured by respected pharmaceuticals. But there’s something to keep in mind: No matter how good a diet pill is, they were designed to be taken with the guidance of a doctor, trained to weigh the possible side effects against your medical history. When you take it on your own, just talking to friends who swore that “it worked for me!” you immediately put yourself at risk. Some dangers include pulmonary problems, liver failure, and heart damage.

Many believe that if a product can be bought without a prescription at a reputable drug store, then you don’t need to see a doctor. That’s not true. Even if they’re readily available getting medical supervision is your responsibility. and smaller drugstores can even sell products that haven’t received proper screening.

People think that if you can buy a prouct without a prescription then it’s safe for anyone to use. Side effects can vary, depending on your medical history and interactions with other medicine you’re taking. In fact, they’ve bought from a friend of a friend at some point.

If you plan to take a diet pill or you’re on to your next slimming product, here’s our advice: proceed with caution and get medical and nutritional counsel.

Xenical (over-the-counter)

Maker: GlaxoSmithKline
Active ingredient: Orlistat. Its maker calls its unique among al other weight-loss medications because it is non-systematic — it does not affect the central nervous sytem and has no effect on the heart and the brain.
Dosage: 60 milligrams with 1-2 tablets taken before meals
Claims: Works in the digestive system to prevent about one-third of the fat of what you eat from being absorbed by the body. Xenical supporters cite studies that a prescription of Xenical (120 mg), when combined with a weight-loss program, led to an average of 12.4 pounds of weight loss in six months.
Keep in mind: Over-the-counter Xenical is indicated for use by overweight adults along with a reduced calorie, low-fat diet. While it is approved for sale here, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still has not approved it in the United States for over-the-counter sale.
Possible side effects: Known to case excess gas, oily discharge and loose stools. The consumer watchdog group in the US, Public citizen, which made public its concerns about the over-the-counter Xenical cited several studies that show Xenical can cause “abnormal cell growth in the lining of the colon,” which can be an early indication of cancer.

Xando

Maker: Reborne
Active ingredient: So-called starch blockers phaseolamin and hydroxy citric acid (HCA).
Dosage: One to two tablets right before a meal (maximum of 6 tablets a day).
Claims: All-natural ingredietns. It has no caffeine or laxative effects. Instead, it “blocks and burns” carbohydrates, starch, sugar, and fat. The maker’s website cited a clinical study that taking the drug and limiting one’s diet to 1,200Kcal “gives a significantly larger (3 times more) weight reduction that the diet alone. Eighty five percent of the weight lost is body fat.”
Keep in mind: Because it is classified itself as a supplement rather than a drug, Xando does not need US FDA approval. It is the policy of the FDA that the manufacturer of supplements assumes the responsibility of making sure it is safe. They will only take action against supplements or health food if there is a voluntary report or evidence of adverse reactions.
Possible side effects: Gas and bloating.

Reductil

Maker: Abbott
Active ingredient: Sibutramine hydrochloride, which is said to work in the area of the brain that signals the sense of fullness. Hence, you eat less.
Dosage: Recommended initial starting dose is one 10mg capsule per day.
Claims: When used as part of a weight-loss program, a Reductil (known as Meridia in North America) uer may lose four or more pounds of body weight in the first month.
Keep in mind: Reductil is an obesity drug and should be taken only with a doctor’s prescription, and always in conjunction with a low-calorie diet. Those who have problems with blood pressure, take anticoagulants, have epilepsy or decreased liver and kidney functions are advised to use it with extreme caution and only with the doctor’s approval. Adverse reactions have been reported in Italy, France, and the UK.
Possible side efects: Insomnia, constipation, a dry mouth and small increase in blood pressure.

Avoid at all costs: (more…)

Let’s cut to the chase: Does the perfect diet — the one that could keep those pesky pounds off for good — really exist? It’s out there all right. The problem is, it won’t sell. When it comes to weight loss, people want a magic bullet, something with immediate results. The most effective diet is the one you really have to work at, and expect changes over time rather than instantly.

We don’t believe in eliminating any food or food group from one’s diet as anything that excludes anything is unnatural and therefore not sustainable. Even surrendering to occasional craving is OK if only to acknowledge our body’s normal biochemical responses.

As for specific diets, we now prefer a regimen that emphasizes quality (as in food that doesn’t encourage fat storage) quantity (from food portions and calorie intake to volume for satiety), and time (small, frequent meals every 3-4 hours increase metabolism). Furthermore, one’s “ideal” diet should also take into consideration unique factors like age, gender, genetics, current medical condition, cultural background and even taste preference. Add some form of activity into the equation (30 minutes, five times a week for health; 45-60 minutes for most days of the week to maintain weight) and you’re off to dropping a healthy 2 lbs a week.

For dieters who like some form of structure, these six diets, like all those before them, are effective in the short term. But if your goal is to sustain the diet, then it may not work. Tweaking it to suit your individual eating style might, so after securing your doctor’s approval, find out which of these diets — or a semblance of it — is the right one for you.

South Beach Diet

What it is: Miami-based cardiologist Arthur Agatston’s remedy for his overweight patients. The diet, which has since taken the world by storm, emphasizes eating “good” carbohydrates and fats.

What you eat: In Phase 1, no fruits, bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, sugar, baked goods and alcohol. Dieters not only lose their taste for sugar and carbs, they also lose weight – up to 13 lbs in the strict two-week phase. Healthier carbs are slowly reintroduced in the second and third phases.

What the pro says: We like that it curbs sweet cravings, and that it distinguishes “good” carbs and fats from unhealthy ones. But sticking to specific ingredients — or finding suitable substitutes — to make the diet work can be tricky and tedious. And the tendency to stay beyond the prescribed two weeks of Phase 1 for dramatic weight-loss purposes can be dangerous. Those active in sports suffer dehydration, a result of the low- to no-carb first phase.

Atkins

What it is: Invented in the 60′s and revived in the 90′s by Dr. Robert Atkins, the diet restricts the consumption of carb-rich food while encouraging the eating of protein and fat.

What you eat: In the two-week Induction Phase, only 20 grams of carbohydrates. That means no fruit, bread, grains, starchy veggies, and dairy products except cheese, cream, and butter. In the Ongoing Weight Loss Phase, dieters experiment with levels of carb portions until they find the one that helps them to stick to their ideal weight. This they continue in the Pre-maintenance and Maintenance Phases. Atkins advises consuming no more than 60 grams of carbs a day to keep weight off.

What the pro says: Like South Beach Diet, Atkins is good for staving off carb cravings, but it may also be unnatural to sustain by people who love to eat rice during meals. We also find the diet nutritionally inadequate and potentially dangerous. Eating large amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease.

Advocates: UK pop star Robbie Williams, who has gone on numerous and extreme weight-loss schemes, including a liquid fast, has been on Atkins as well.

Vegetarianism

What it is: Generally, it’s eliminating animal meat from your diet, through the years, vegetarianism has spawned variations. Lacto-ovo vegetarians consume animal byproducts like eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese, but no pork, chicken, beef and seafood; pesco-vegetarians allow fish and seafood; and vegans are strictly all-plant-and-produce eaters.

What the pro says: Unless you’re extra vigilant or you live in another country, being a vegan can be hard to hold on to as the choices are limited and expensive. Going pesco-vegetarian will work if you really prefer fish over meat, and it’s also healthier, thanks to the omega-3 fatty acid found in salmon, tuna and sardines. But vegetarianism has its own hitches. Hypertension is the #1 disease among those who consume gluten, a meatless substitute loaded with salt. And eating beans, the vegetarian’s source of protein, can lead to gout if one overindulges or is predisposed.

Advocates: Model Raya Mananquil and her boyfriend and fellow model Corey Wills are vegans and supporters of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA.

Mediterranean Diet

What it is: Not a “diet” in the weight loss sense of the word, but an eating habit practiced by the people in the 16 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The diet was the subject of a study conducted in the 60′s wherein researchers credited the robust health of people living in Greece, France, Spain and Italy to their particular eating regimen.

What you eat: A high consumption of fruits, veggies, potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds, bread and other cereals; moderate amounts of fish, and low-to-moderate amounts of meat, full-fat cheese, and yogurt. A glass of red wine goes with it every meal, and olive oil is used for cooking and dressing.

What the pro says: The combination of all the different ingredients makes this “diet” healthy. That outdoor activities like walking and biking are part of the Mediterranean lifestyle bolsters this eating regimen’s effectiveness in weight management. However, you must exercise portion control — cheese and olive oil can be fattening.

French Diet

What it is: In her runaway best seller French Women Don’t Get Fat author Mireille Guilliano describes the real way to dine like the Frency: “Eat for pleasure but stop when you are full; choose the finest, freshes ingredients you can afford; be strict with the ritual; don’t eat standing up or on the run or watching the television; learn to savor small portions; drink lots of water; and walk as much as you can.”

What you eat: Guillano recommends favorite fruits and vegetables over meat (which you can eat once a week) and fish (enjoy twice weekly). Limit yourself to an egg a day, and have lentils, green vegetables and salads, potatoes (avoid mashed and fries), brown rice and, bien sur, a glass or two of wine a day. And keep eating yogurt religiously, she says.

What the pro says: Like all diets borne out of a country’s lifestyle and culture, this one is an acquired taste. Again, portion control is key.

Advocates: The French, of course. Only 11% of the nation is overweight, compared to the 30% Americans who are 30 lbs heavier than their ideal weight. Guilliano is a perfect case in point. At 5’3″ and stradling between 110-112 lbs, she has maintained her weight for nearly 30 years — this despite drinking champagne and wine daily, and dining out, as part of her job, nearly 300 times a year. (more…)