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How To Lose Weight Using Green Coffee Bean Extract

 

 Green Coffee Bean Extract

This is going to be the “mother” of all slimming treatments. Green coffee bean extracts! If nothing else, the health-supplements companies are now laughing all the way to their banks. Can lose weight without extra exercise and without changing lifestyle, and just over $20 a month; who wouldn’t give this a try? I will. But I don’t need to lose weight, so I save the money. Now, straight to the point; how to lose weight using green coffee bean extract. 

What are green coffee bean extract

We are used to imagine coffee beans as dark brown or black in color. When we drink coffee, we expect the coffee to be black when freshly brewed. Then we may add either cream or milk, changing the color of the coffee we drink. Ever heard of white coffee? In our location, it is very common to drink white coffee. Of course there is no such thing as white coffee coming from white coffee beans. We refer to coffee with milk powder or cream powder as white coffee when they are packed in sachets. Another version of our white coffee is the common coffee with milk. Enough for a short digression.
Now about green coffee beans. Green coffee beans are simply coffee beans that have not been roasted. Green coffee beans contain this so-called “wonder” natural anitoxidant called chlorogenic acid which slows down and also reduces the release of glucose in the body, thereby effectively promotes weight loss. Less sugar means less fat build-up and no weight gain.It also stabilizes blood sugar level maintaining a healthy body. As such diabetic patients can also benefit from the green coffee beans.
Below are the three main effects of chlorogenic acid helping weight loss and maintaining a healthy sugar level in the body:

1. The chlorogenic acid goes into the bloodstream and causes the body to burn glucose or sugar and fat mainly in the liver.
2. The chlorogenic acid slows down the release of sugar or glucose in the blood stream, especially after a meal.
3. With the two combined effects, we have the synergistic results of burning fat, blocking fat and even stopping fat accumulation.

When there is no excessive sugar in the bloodstream, there is no fat build-up, and therefore no weight gain. Another advantage of taking green coffee bean extract is that it is a natural and safe method to lose weight.

Commercial products of the green coffee bean extract

 

The chlorogenic acid is extracted from the green coffee beans and packed in capsules. There are numerous brands on the market. The product is usually called “green coffee beans” or “green coffee bean extracts”. According to the popular Dr. Oz, a good branded “green coffee bean extract” product should have the following facts:
· Contains Svetol or GCA
· No binders, fillers, additives and other low-quality ingredients
· 100% pure and in vegetarian capsules
· Contains a minimum of 50% Chlorogenic Acid
· Preferably with unconditional money-back guarantee
The recommended dosage is one 800mg capsule, twice a day.

Other considerations on green coffee bean extract

Buy a quality product:
The green coffee bean extract for losing weight is quite a recent “discovery”, especially after being featured in the popular Dr. Oz show. Bearing in mind, weight-loss or weight-control programs are very high on the top list of any health regime, there will be high incidence of inferior commercial products in the market. So be very careful if you are buying this product. I am a firm believer of good quality products. It is just plain common sense to pay more for quality products than to save a few dollars ending up with inferior products which may even hurt our health, or aggravate the health problem that we are trying to solve in the first place. I think you will not be off the mark by following the advice of Dr. Oz when considering purchasing the green coffee bean extract.
Caffeine in coffee:
Now the often asked question; is there caffeine in the green coffee bean extract? Coffee has caffeine, which means green coffee beans should also have caffeine. The question is how much? An average cup of coffee contains 100mg to 150mg of caffeine. A quality branded green coffee bean extract has only less than 8mg of caffeine. This is the result of decaffeination of the coffee beans. Please note, inferior brands are found to contain as much as 40mg or more of caffeine! On a note of caution, you should always start with less than the recommended quantity, then gradually follow the recommended dose.

Side effects of green coffee bean extract

There should not be any side effect on a normal healthy person. After all it is just coffee. However, nursing and pregnant women and children are advised not to take green coffee bean extract.
People with kidney or liver problems or on prescription drugs are also advised not to take the green coffee bean extract.

The rest is up to you

Especially with such a high profile, high demand product, there will be proponents and critics on both sides. Actually it is very easy to proof the effectiveness of this green coffee bean claim. Try one bottle and you will know in due course. In the meantime, the suppliers are still smiling!!

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7 Healthy Eating Tips For The Non-Gym Goers/Fitness People

 

The weight gain epidemic

Although it is apparent that large amounts of unhealthy weight gain has quickly become an out of control epidemic in our society, however some people still choose to roll the dice with their health and continue on the road to an inevitable self destruction by keeping dangerous eating habits that are not conducive to good health. Simply exercising a couple of times a week, for 30 to 45 minutes a day would be extremely beneficial to pretty much anyone's health. The gym life isn't for everyone. For whatever their reasons are, some people find themselves too busy, they get too intimidated, or maybe are financially unable to afford a membership to a fitness center, let alone be able to obtain a credentialed certified personal trainer. These days there are many exercise programs that would allow you to work out in the comfort of your own home, with little or no equipment, but like I said, some people just do not want or like to exercise. Me personally, I would probably go into a depression if I was unable to workout. It's just a part of my everyday lifestyle and I absolutely love doing it. If you fall into the non-gym goer category, these tips will assist you in selecting healthy eating habits that will augment weight loss. Understand that unless you plan on using these tips for the rest of your days living, without the assistance of some kind of weight training/exercise routine, along with these healthy eating habits to alter your body composition (muscle to fat ratio), once your eating habits change/return to normal, any weight that you have lost will more than likely return.

Sugar is public enemy number 1

When you think about, losing weight is a process that really comes down to basic arithmetic. 3500 calories equals one pound. No matter how you want to look at it. Your body not only requires a fixed amount of calories daily (everyone's calorie requirement will vary), but it also requires a certain number of different kinds of calories in order to receive the necessary nutritional elements to function properly and efficiently. A calorie is never "just a calorie". Sugars would be what you would call "empty calories". They offer absolutely no nutritional value to you and simply just add to the number of your daily caloric intake count. To make matters worse, sugar is the main precursor of fat. The more sugar that's flowing through your blood stream, the more fat your body is going to retain. This is one of the reason that Diabetics or people who have trouble metabolizing sugar see such excessive weight gain. It's going to be extremely difficult to cut sugar totally out of the equation, as some foods like fruits have natural sugars already in them. All white sugars, brown sugar, honey, syrup, etc should not be on your list. If you have an undying sweet tooth like I do, replace your sugar with splenda or stevia. These artificial sweeteners should curb your sugar cravings.

Eating Complex Carbohydrates

When your attempting to lose weight/cut calories, carbohydrates should be the first macro-nutrient group that should be manipulated. You can't cut them out all together, the body does need them as they provide energy, however if they are not used they will be converted into fat. If the only exercise you get throughout the day is when you go to work or performing household chores, then in fitness terms, you live a very sedentary lifestyle. Carbohydrates are classified in two groups, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates such as bread, pasta or baked goods made with white flour, most packaged cereal, yogurt, fruit juice, milk, candy and soda pop should be avoided when exercising is not part of the equation. As their name suggest, simple carbohydrates are exactly that, simple. Usually containing refined sugars, very few vitamins or minerals and are quickly broken down and digested by the body. If they are not used quickly, they will only contribute to the body fat stores. Complex, low-glycemic (meaning slow burning) carbohydrates should always be the type that is consumed by the non gym goers. They're sugars are bonded together which makes them harder for the body to breakdown and digest. They also provide a consistent flow of energy and controls the amount of sugars that can be converted into fats and stored.

You can't avoid fats, so eat good fats

It's pretty common for people to associate weight loss with fats and for the most part it makes a lot of sense. However fats are required for multiple body processes and all of our major organs need fat to function correctly. Of course your consumption of fats should be those of the "good variety. All Trans fats such as pizza, cakes, cookies and commercially packaged goods should be by passed. There is no amount of trans fat that could even remotely be considered healthy. Although it can be a little difficult, saturated fats should also be kept at a minimum as they can raise your bad cholesterol levels. There have been some studies that have recently come out saying that not all saturated fats are bad. They are partially correct, all saturated fats are not the same. The saturated fats with carbon chain lengths of between 12 to 16 are the ones that adversely affect your LDL cholesterol. The problem with this is, there are not any foods that only contain one type of saturated fat, so they are deemed bad. Some of the good fats such as natural peanut butter, organic flax seed oil, virgin olive oil, coconut oil, raw nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts), salmon and other fatty fish should be the fat calories consumed daily in your eating habits.

Sodium intake and substitutes

Too much of anything is bad for you, regardless if it's a necessity for bodily processes or just an indulgence. Sodium is basically a mineral that's generally found in the surrounding fluids of the cells in the body. Sodium is a daily necessity as it assists in the regulation of blood pressure, maintains pH balance, and boosts proper functioning of the muscles and nervous system. Sodium has an unmistakable taste which makes it so attractive to most people. My father would never sit at the dinner table without the salt shaker. Sodium is naturally in many of the foods we eat, but table salt is approximately 40% salt. Because most diets contain more than the daily recommended allowance of sodium, it would be highly unlikely for anyone to have a sodium deficiency. Besides making you more susceptible to weight gain, bloating and swelling by water/fluid retention, too much sodium as also been associated with high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease and loss of calcium from the bones. Your sodium intake should be moderate daily at best.

Substitutes for dairy products

Many of the diary products you eat are high in fat and low in fiber content. Too much fat in the blood leads to unhealthy weight gain. The lactose in most diary products make them harder for the body to breakdown and slow down the digestion process, so eating them excessively will only clog you up and likely cause constipation. If you lead an inactive lifestyle, the last thing you want to do is slow your body down. Too much calcium, as many diary foods normally contain a lot of calcium, can result in calcium deposits in the joints, heart and kidneys. If your eating habits consists of a lot of dairy, it might be a good idea to substitute for some non diary items. Soy, almond and rice are three very good and common milk substitutes.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that are imperative for the body to develop and grow. Vitamins, which are made by animals and plants and minerals coming from the soil and water, then are absorbed by plants, are essential for overall health maintenance. You can normally get the required amount of vitamins needed through a well balanced diet. While it would be extremely challenging to "overdose" on vitamins through a normal diet, consuming large doses of fat soluble vitamins will lead to an unhealthy build up in the body resulting in a variety of health issues. Not eating enough vitamins or have a deficiency is just as bad. Lacking any one of the many necessary daily vitamins such as Vitamin A, B's, D, etc can cause any number of health concerns. So ensure you are getting your daily supply of vitamins and minerals.

Proteins

Proteins are the actual building blocks of the body. Whether it's coming from your normal eating habits or a protein supplement, it is an absolute necessity. Especially as we begin to age. Even more so for women as the get older. Most whey proteins have high levels of amino acids that are easily and quickly absorbed by the body. if your objective is to lose weight or simply maintain your present weight, protein shakes are normally low in calories and are a healthier option than most meals and snacks. Proteins do assist in the weight reduction process when consumed correctly by increasing your metabolism. A gram of protein consists of 4 calories, so not only is eating too much bad for your health, taking it excessively can quickly increase your calorie count.

 The body is unable to store protein, so any amount consumed that's not used will result extra calories and stored as fat. Considering that your not that active, the body is not going to assimilate as much protein. So the amount you intake per meal setting will vary by individual. The body will absorb approximately 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal (again depending on the person). having a protein shake for breakfast or replacing other meals/snacks throughout the day with a shake will be advantageous in your weight loss/maintenance journey.

Understand that these tips will be exponentially more effective with the assistance of some kind of weight training/exercise routine, in order to change your body composition and keep the weight off. But I understand the gym life just isn't for every one. You don't have to attend a gym in order to be healthy.

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Best Ways to Lose Belly Fat - 3 Weight Loss Tips

If you want a flat stomach then you need to be sure that you’re practicing these weight loss tips.
When you know exactly what to avoid and how to ensure your body is running smoothly then you will start to notice a slimmer waistline.
By the end of this article you will have the knowledge on how to attain the slim and sexy stomach you always wanted!

Know What to Avoid

I know you’ve heard it before, but you NEED to avoid junk food. There’s a reason it’s called that; it’s pure junk! If it comes in a box or bag and it’s prepackaged, just waiting for you to pop it in your microwave to eat then chances are you DO NOT want to eat it. Food companies are raking in millions of dollars with these products because it’s so cheap for them to make and the ingredients in them are sometimes addictive.

Add in a low price, make it easy to cook and most of the people in the world will be hooked.
But flip the box over and look at the ingredients and the nutrition data. You don’t want this stuff in your body! If you bought healthy food and cooked it yourself, you’d end up eating less of it because it actually fills you up and keeps you feeling full. And you’re going to feel a lot better because you won’t be consuming ingredients that your body doesn’t need. You also need to pay attention to what you’re drinking.

Yes, you are going to need to cut down on your happy hour outings because alcohol is your enemy when it comes to weight loss. Alcoholic drinks are packed with calories, give you late night “munchies” and they mess with your blood sugar levels. Don’t let the light and low carb versions fool you; you’ll end up drinking more calories than you think. But calories aren’t the only issue… let me introduce you to acetate.
When you consume alcohol it’s not all converted to fat, but it still will give you a “beer belly” because it’s converted into something called acetate. And when acetate is in your body it halts all your fat burning and instead your body burns off the acetate. So when you’re drinking, your body isn’t going to be burning fat at all! Think about all the time your body’s fat burning is turned off when you just drank a six pack or more. But there’s something a little harder to avoid that might be messing with your weight loss.

You need to try your best to avoid being stressed out. High levels of stress cause your body to produce cortisol. What has high levels of cortisol in your blood been linked to? You guessed it… increased abdominal fat! So if you want to continue to lose fat then you need to change things about your environment so that you can live in a calm atmosphere. There’s one more thing you should avoid, but you need to be sure that you’re avoiding the right kind. 

All Carbs Aren’t Created Equal

I know that you’ve heard about the low carb craze, but when most people go low carb then end up trying to avoid all carbs, which isn’t what you should do. There are two main types of carbs: complex and simple. What kind do you think most people get a surplus of? If you guessed simple carbs, then you’re right.
Simple carbs are found in sugars and syrups and are actually included in more food than you think. High fructose corn syrup is found in SO many different types of food and it’s actually worse for you than regular sugar. You need to avoid this and be on the lookout for “corn sugar” because they’re trying to change what they have to label it as. Simple carbs are absorbed into your bloodstream a lot quicker than complex carbs so that’s why you get that energy crash after eating a bunch of sugar.
If you get too much sugar in your diet, you’re still getting calories but the energy doesn’t last so you find yourself eating again. But if you focused on complex carbs you would end up eating less because you’d stay full longer. The food industry makes things even harder for you by refining carbohydrates into things like white bread to increase its shelf life. This makes for a product that has less nutrients than it should have. So not only do you want to lower your intake of regular sugar but you want to avoid products that list words like "bleached" or "dehydrated" in their ingredients.
There’s nothing wrong with eating a lowER carb diet, just make sure that the carbs you’re reducing are simple and refined carbohydrates. If you want to ensure that you don’t overeat then you need to be sure that you’re eating enough grains, beans, vegetables and fruit. Fruit!? Isn’t that packed with a lot of sugar? Ah yes, but you’re forgetting about another type of carbohydrate.

Focus on Weight Loss with Every Fiber of Your Being

Did you catch that? Yes, fruit contains sugar but it also contains fiber. The fiber in fruit actually slows the absorption of sugar so that the energy lasts a bit longer. But you want to avoid guzzling down fruit juices because you’re going to miss out on a lot of the fiber that way. That’s beside the fact that a lot of fruit juices have added sugar, but back to fiber.
By eating fiber you’ll control your blood sugar, stay full longer and you can even trim your waist some. If you eat enough fiber every day then you’ll stay “regular” and avoid being constipated, which is always a good thing. But this also keeps you from being bloated and holding onto pounds you don’t need. If you’re constipated then your stomach is going to bulge because it’s full of a bunch of undigested food waiting to meet your porcelain bowl. So fiber will not only help you stay slim by satisfying your appetite longer but it will also help you “battle the bulge”. By knowing what food to consume you ensure that your body stays as slender as possible.
These are proven weight loss tips that will help you lose belly fat but they’re not to be used as a temporary fix. When you make these changes to your diet you will trim down your waistline but don’t give up once you reach your goal. You now have the knowledge to achieve a flat stomach but it won’t mean anything unless you make these changes permanent. 

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How To Lose 18 Pounds In 4 Weeks

 

Introduction

I've been lifting weights and bodybuilding for the past 5 to 6 years, and after my last bulk I decided to cut down some weight. I will tell you how I lost 18 pounds in four weeks, and hopefully it will help you to get motivated and achieve your goals!

What this article is not?

It's important to notice that I am not trying to prove that my weight loss way is the best way to lose weight, or that it is some kind of a revolution in a fat loss industry. I am not here trying to convince you what is right or wrong. Moreover, I understand that you do not have to believe anything I say, as I do not have any proof of when the photos were taken, nor do I have any photos of the actual weigh-ins. You will have to believe me on this one (or not).

First Week

The way I started my diet is really funny. I was planning to start cutting down on Sunday, March 24, 2013. It was Saturday, March 16. I went to Costco, and got a pack of my favorite pastries, since it was a week to my cut, and I wanted to enjoy my last week. But instead, I eat the whole pack, which was around 1500kcal itself, on that day then I said to myself - that's it, tomorrow I'm cutting!
Therefore, I started my diet on Sunday the 17th instead of the 16th. I weighed in at 208.5, and my waist was ~35 inches. Unfortunately, I did not measure my body fat percentage. I did that on purpose, because I hate measuring it when it comes up to over 13%, it makes me feel even worse about myself...

The Diet

The diet my first week is the basis for my whole transformation. Pretty much, I ate ~1500 kcal every day split into 5 meals a day. The reason I do 1500kcal is because it splits nicely into around 300 calories per meal. I feel that's sufficient enough for me to last for the next 2-3 hours. That being said, this is not optimal weight loss plan if you want to preserve as much muscle as possible. For that you should aim for about 500 calories less than your daily caloric needs (the link to calculate your daily caloric needs is provided on the right). Moreover, even the caloric needs calculator is not necessarily 100% accurate. The best way to measure your daily caloric needs if tracking your weight loss weekly. If you're eating 500kcal below your maintenance caloric needs, then you should be losing around 1lb of fat a week.
Anyway, I ate about 1500kcal a day because I am very inpatient and, honestly, dieting is the worst thing that could happen to me. I love my carbs - cereal, pastries, and gingerbread cookies; so I wanted to lose as much weight as quickly as possible. I did not know my daily caloric needs (the calculator says my maintenance at 208lb is ~3200kcal/per day), but I suspected that I should be losing around 3lb of fat per week and the rest would be muscle loss, water weight, and cleansing of the body. However, I believe that the supplements might have increased my metabolic rate a bit and make me burn around 4lb of fat per week. That is only a guess though.

Intermittent Fasting

It is also important to consider that I was doing intermittent fasting as my diet plan. My first week would be around 10 AM (or 11 AM, depending on my class schedule), and my last meal would never exceed past 6 PM. Intermittent fasting is a pretty new technique for weight loss, and there are many ways to do it. Most popular, and the one which I did, is 16 hours non-eating and 8 hours eating windows. Some people go as low as 20 non-eating/4 eating hours, but I do think the muscle loss would increase significantly in such diet.

Macro-nutrients

When dieting, it is important to understand the differences of macro-nutrients. In my previous articles, I have covered the different types of them, and the various specifics, and need for it. I will provide the links to those articles below, so you can use them as reference.
During this diet, my most important macro-nutrients were protein. To preserve as much muscle mass as possible, I aimed to eat around 1 gram of protein per lean body mass. Therefore, my protein intake would be anywhere from 170 grams to 200 grams. My second most important macro-nutrients were carbohydrates. From my past experience, I noticed that if I go below 100 grams of carbs a day, the cravings begin to appear and the diet becomes a real mental struggle. So, I decided to never cut carbs below 100grams. Fats would fill the rest of the diet, but it wouldn't be much of them - around 30-40 grams of fats per day. Now that did have some side effects, but my protein and carbs were more important. I will talk about the side effects later.

Supplements

My first week I would not use many weight loss supplements. The reason for that is that body will naturally shed tons of weight because of the shock that it will get after the severe decrease in daily caloric intake. However, I did take one pill of a fat burner. My fat burner supplement of choice is Nutrex Lipo 6 Black Ultra Concentrate. I feel that it does give me an edge, plus the caffeine in the morning does give me a boost for my workouts because I workout soon after waking up on an empty stomach. I took one pill of it, instead of the recommended two pills, because I wanted to leave that extra pill to shock the body when I would really need a fat loss boost. However, Lipo 6 Black is not the only good supplements. I have used USP Labs OxyElite before and I got good results. I included a list of my recommended fat burners on the side.
The second supplement I used is Chromium Picolinate. I would take one pill of it daily, and would continue taking it all throughout the 4 weeks. What it essentially does is prevent insulin levels from spiking. I don't know how much of it is true, but I would feel that it would decrease the cravings after a higher-carb meal. However, it could have been a placebo. Nevertheless, I had some bottles of it left previously, and it is not the most expensive supplement, so it didn't hurt.
The third supplement, which I would use always, no matter cutting or bulking is protein powder. To me, protein powder is a must, and I would take it every day, about 50 grams of protein in my diet would come from the protein powder, because it is very hard to find a lean protein source that requires such light effort to prepare.
The other supplements I would use are to enhance my workouts and keep my strength levels. They have nothing to do with weight loss: creatine, l-arginine, l-citrulline, beta-alanine.

Workouts

My workouts the first week were very simple. No cardio, only lifting weights. I did weight lifting 6 times the first week, with Wednesday being a rest day (last rest day of the whole transformation). To increase weight loss, cardio could help significantly, BUT I hate cardio! Also, I figured the caloric shock should be a good start, so I would save the extra boost for later.

The Results

So after my first week I weighed in at 201.8 lbs and my waist was 34 inches. Obviously, the whole 7 pounds weren't all fat loss. Again, I would suspect that around 3lbs out of those 7 pounds were water weight loss and the cleansing out of the body

Second Week

The Diet

The goal of this week's diet was similar - to continue eating ~1500 calories a day. However, I failed! Every day I would eat some peanut butter (yes, a big fan of peanut butter!!!)... I thought I would eat around 500kcal of it, which would bring me to around ~1600-1700kcal per day, but I guess it ended up being much more than that. Once I looked at it, I went through a big bottle of peanut butter in a week. The total would be around 7000kcal, therefore - 1000kcal of peanut butter per day.... All I have to say is OOPS!

Supplements

My second week, I added a yohimbe supplement. Yohimbe supposedly have effects on helping body to use body fat more easily, and, since I had a bottle of yohimbe left from before, I decided to add it to my regime. However, the problem with yohimbe is that it gives you this weird feeling the first 2-3 times you take it. I don't know how to describe it but you start sweating, feel nauseous, and you feel like throwing up, but you can't. That's why I was reluctant to take it, but for the sake of fat loss I did. Two days after no more of that feeling, because, I guess, body adapts to it, so it's all good.
Also, I added fish oil supplements. I would take 2 pills of fish oil a day. Fish oil does, supposedly, help with fat loss but I find those claims bogus, and even if it does help, I do think that the effect fish oil has on weight loss is very insignificant. However, I took fish oil purely for health reasons. I wouldn't get much fat in my diet, and fish oil, being a healthy fat, would help me with the hormone production.
Another supplement I added was Vitamin D. Obviously, going to 1500 kcal a day, would not provide all needed vitamins and micro-nutrients. Also, I did have a bottle of Vitamin D left over from before, so why not? If I didn't have it left, I probably wouldn't have taken it.
The last supplement I added was a ZMA supplement. ZMA is essentially zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6, combined with a certain ratio that helps support healthy testosterone levels. The reason I started taking it is because I noticed a decrease in my sex drive, and I did not want it to affect my relationship, so I had to do something about it. This has happened because of the lack of fats in my diet, which I have mentioned previously. Fats are responsible for hormone production, and, since I would only consume 30-40 grams a day, my hormone production processes would slow down. Moreover, ZMA supposedly helps prevent muscle loss and increase fat loss. However, I do think that those claims are bogus as well, and fat loss is not why I started taking this supplement.

Workouts

This week I added cardio training to my routine. I did the same weight lifting routine for 6 days a week, plus on Wednesday I added 40 minutes kickboxing bag training routine. Also, I had a break from school Thursday through Sunday, so on each of those days I would do half an hour of cardio either on treadmill or on a bicycle after my weight lifting routine.

The Results

The results were very surprising and rather shocking. Despite that I added 5 days of cardio to my workout regime, I only lost 0.8lb and went to 201lb. Yes, you guessed it! The peanut butter!!! However, I did lose an inch of my waist, bringing it down to 33 inches. Therefore, what I figured that happened was that I lost around 3lb of fat, but, since my body would get more calories, it would start store more food inside the body, so I gained back the water weight as well as some food weight inside my stomach. That is the only explanation I could find for the waist lost, but not weight loss. Moreover, I did measure my body fat percentage - it was 12.5%.

Third Week

The Diet

Obviously after such unsuccessful weight loss the previous week, I had to say no to peanut butter. I only had peanut butter twice this week, and it was in tiny amounts. Other than that my diet stayed pretty much the same - I would still consume around 1500kcal per day.

Supplements

This week was big on supplements. I received my supplements delivery, and I added many supplements to my regime.
The first, and probably the most important supplement, I added was L-Carnitine. L-Carnitine does help your body use body fat, instead of muscle, for energy. Moreover, there has been a lot of research done on L-Carnitine and proven that it works. I would take a liquid L-Carnitine, as it was fairly cheap, and it would deliver a good amount of L-Carnitine. Moreover, it tastes delicious - I feel that I could drink the whole bottle at once.
The next supplement I added was CLA. The conjugated linoic acid is another healthy fat that has been proven to have positive effects on the fat loss. However, there is one thing I did not like about it - I would take 5 grams of CLA, and 2 grams of Fish oil. That's 7 grams of fats in total, which would add extra ~49kcal to my diet. That's 50 calories less that I could eat off my peanut butter! But I guess it's for the greater good.
I also added a thyroid support supplement. I do not know if they work or not, but I did read that supposedly they increase (or at least support the healthy rates of) metabolism. Since I ate 1500kcal a day, and would only eat 8 hours per day, my metabolic rate would slow down from what it would be at a normal pace. Therefore, I decided to give it a try - it couldn't hurt.
Another fat loss supplement I introduced was a green tea extract. Green tea extract, along with caffeine, yohimbe and CLA, help to use body fat as energy. I would take 2 pills of green tea extract, three times a day. Also, it is one of the cheaper supplements. I probably wouldn't have introduced it but I had it left from previous cuts, so I gave it a shot.
Two more supplements I introduced was multivitamins and rhodiola. Multivitamins is a bogus supplements. I believe that your body does not absorb it, and you just piss it out. Since I would drink about 1-2 gallons of water every day, my urine would usually be transparent. However, after taking multivitamins, it turns to yellow-green color. Yes, you guessed it - that's the multivitamins coming out of your body. Now that being said, I am not 100% percent positive that the body doesn't absorb it, so I gave it a try anyways. Who knows, maybe it would benefit me. And also I had it left over from before.
Rhodiola is a supplement to reduce stress levels. Stress is bad because it produces cortisol, a hormone that encourages muscle loss and fat gains. I wanted to prevent that, so rhodiola hopefully was there to do the trick. No idea if it works or not, but it had good reviews, so hopefully it does work.

Workouts

My workouts pretty much stayed the same this week, but my cardio routine changed a bit. Wednesday was still 40 minutes of kickboxing bag workout, but no cardio on Thursday; 20 minute cardio on Friday, but an hour long elliptical session on Saturday, followed by 30min elliptical session on Sunday.

The Results

The results were back on track after this week. My waist went from 33 to 32 inches. My body fat percentage went from 12.5% to 11%, and my weight went down from 201 to 195.5 pounds.

Fourth Week

The Diet

This was my last week, and considering that one must thing that it must have been the easiest week, since my goal was almost there. However, that is far from being the truth. My largest mental struggle appeared this week. I don't know why because I did not really have any cravings and I didn't want to eat that much. The problem was that I was noticeably losing muscle size. Obviously, that was expect, and I shouldn't be complaining about it, but still, it wasn't the most pleasurable thing in the world.
This week I aimed for the 1500kcal as well, but on a few occasions I sneaked in some peanut butter, and once I finished it, I ate some peanuts. However, I'd say 4 out of 7 days were clean and peanut butter free!

Supplements

My supplementation did not change much during this last week. I introduced another pill of fat burner, just to get that extra boost. And also, I added joint support supplements - MSM and Chondroitin. I did that because the last Sunday was my leg day, and for some reason my knee was hurting while doing squats, so I figured the lack of micro-nutrients in the diet was to blame.

Workouts

My workout regime was almost identical as the week before, except I did not do any cardio on Friday.

The Results

And here the final day has come! Today, Sunday, April 14, 2013, I weighed in at 190.9, making me have lost almost 18 pounds in the period of 4 weeks. I reached the body fat percentage of 9.5%, and my waist was 31 inch. Mission accomplished!

Other Important Things to Notice

Cheat meals

It is very important to stay mentally healthy throughout your diet. My way out is cheat meals. I would eat my cheat meal every Sunday. Why Sunday? Firstly, Sunday is my weigh in day, so I could congratulate myself after eating healthy for six days. Secondly, Sunday is my hardest day of the week workout-wise - I would do legs, abs and 30min of cardio on Sundays, and leg workouts do burn most of the calories. Therefore, having a cheat meal on such a heavy day would usually cancel out. Also, when I would eat my cheat meal, I would go out, and wouldn't eat it at home. So if you do the math, cheat meal is probably around 800-1200kcal. I would tend to skip 1-2 meals during my cheat meal days. So that one meal should have around 900kcal because it would count as three different meals. Therefore, cheat meal would not even end up being as bad as it should! Obviously that's probably not the best way to do it, as I shouldn't be skipping meals, and etc, but hey - it worked for me, and I stayed mentally healthy!

Cravings

Another point to consider is cravings. Interestingly enough, I did not have any cravings throughout this diet! OK, I'm lying. I did crave peanut butter, but peanut butter was generally included in my diet as one of the meals anyway. The problem was that I wouldn't control myself how much of PB I would eat, but that's another story.
The reason why I had no cravings, I believe, is because of very low sugar content I would eat daily. I would say I would eat less than 20-30 grams of sugar a day. And since it was that low, and it was really spread out throughout the day, my insulin levels wouldn't spike and wouldn't create those cravings.

Diet Sodas and Sweeteners

Diet soda is always a consideration when dieting. However, from my past experience I noticed that diet sodas would usually create cravings. I don't know why, but I have read some reports that diet sodas have ingredients that create similar effects to your brain that an insulin does. However, I am not sure about their credibility.
What I would do instead, though, is I would drink two-three large, and I mean it - large, mug of tea, and 1-2 large mugs of coffee every day. Firstly, they would keep me full, and I wouldn't want to eat as much. Secondly, they would taste pretty good, and is a healthy alternative to soda. I would use Sweet n' Low as my sugar-free sweetener mainly because it was the cheapest one in the market. However, on my latest shopping trip, I compared the ingredients of Sweet n' Low and the more expensive fat burners, and I saw that Sweet n' Low had some questionable ingredients - I got Splenda instead. The problem is - Splenda doesn't sweeten as much as Sweet n' Low, but I guess I'll have to live with it.

Supplementation

As you can tell, I have used A LOT of different supplements.

• Did I need any of them? No.
• Did they help? I don't know.
• Then why did you use it? I felt that I could use an extra boost.

As I have mentioned previously, I am impatient person, in particularly, when it comes to limiting the foods I eat. To prevent that, I wanted to get best results as quickly as possible. I used the supplements to maximize the fat burning potential, and prevent muscle loss as much as possible. I do believe that similar results can be achieved without any fat burning supplements.

What's next?

Next, I am planning to do a lighted diet for another week or so, maybe to shed off an extra 1-2lb of fat, mostly because I still have some L-Carnitine left, and I want to finish it all (I told you, it tastes awesome!). After that I will increase my calories to a little bit above my maintenance level, to start cleanly bulking again. However, I do expect to gain back around 2-5lb within the first week of increasing calories back to normal. The reason for that is, that those 18 pounds I lost is not all fat and muscle. It's also some of the water weight, and the food that the body would normally keep in the digestive tracts. Increasing the amount of food I eat, would normally increase the amount of food the body has to process, and keep inside at a given time. Also, I will quite intermittent fasting, because I did notice it does slow down your metabolic rate a lot. Might work for a diet, but definitely not for bulking.
Thank you for reading, and I hope this article helped you to get motivated to achieve your goals, as well as provided some useful information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

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Foods That Will Make You Lose Weight

 

Foods That Burn Calories Rather Than Adding Them!

Foods that leave you with a zero calorie effect are known as Zero Calorie Foods. Foods that cause you to lose weight when you consume them are known as Negative Calorie Foods.
Zero calorie or Negative calorie diets like 'The Cabbage Soup Diet' and 'The Grapefruit Diet' are diet plans that are based on the principle that the foods you eat can help you to lose weight even if you consume large amounts of these.
These diets work because the foods in the program are exceptionally high in fiber and therefor very difficult for the body to digest. When these foods are consumed they take so much energy to digest that your body burns more calories then it retains.
SO WHAT ARE THESE AMAZING FOODS That Will Actually Make You Lose Weight When You Eat Them?
The list of Zero Calorie Foods and Negative Calorie Foods are as follows: Asparagus, apple, beet, blueberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chicory, cranberry, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garden cress, garlic, grapefruit, green bean, honeydew, hot chili peppers, lemon, lime, lettuce, mango, onion, orange, papaya, peach, pineapple, radish, raspberries, spinach, strawberries, tomato, tangerine, turnip, watermelon, and zucchini.
For no calorie seasonings or sauces use this list of flavor enhancers: Tabasco pepper sauce, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice or mustard. Cayenne pepper will cause you to lose weight by increasing your metabolism and it is a healthier alternative to the basic black pepper that most people use. Mix Cayenne pepper into your basic yellow mustard to create a hot tasty mustard that will increase your ability to weight loss.
Remember that a responsible diet plan is the method most likely to insure permanent weight loss. Also do not forget the important role of protein in your diet plan, without it you may lose muscle, rather than maintain it.
The ideal way to use zero calorie foods to your advantage is to incorporate more of these fiber rich foods into your current diet. Consuming negative calorie foods within a healthy balanced diet plan will help you to lose that excess weight and keep it off.

Cabbage Soup Recipe

Ingredients for Cabbage Soup
3 large green onions
2 green peppers
2 large cans of diced tomatoes
5 Carrots
1 bunch of celery
Half a head of cabbage
1 can of tomato soup prepared with water (no milk)
Enough water to almost cover the veggies.
Season to taste with your choice of any of these spices parsley, ginger, cayenne pepper, curry, garlic powder, salt, or pepper Simmer till veggies are tender.
Note: The cabbage soup diet plan should not be followed for more than six days. Alternated a couple days of cabbage soup with days of normal eating will give you the best and healthiest results. For example: Eat cabbage soup for 1 day. Eat regular meals for 2 days. Eat cabbage soup for 1 day. Eat normal for 3 days. Then repeat the sequence.

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Best Salads to Lose Weight

 

Salads to Lose Weight

Salads are good for weight loss and are an effective method for being healthy too. Carbohydrates which are fibrous like lettuce and broccoli are so filling and do not have much calories in them. These veggies are so hugely different than starchy carbohydrates. Starchy carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, breads and rice are much high in calories. Salads are low calories and yet filling food and are hence considered as the perfect diet food for us so long as you do not top them with heavy dressings like mayonnaise and put virgin olive oil instead.
Eating salads is the quickest way to lose weight. This fact is universally known. When we eat different kinds of salads, we are not consuming any fats and at the same time getting a boost of important nutrients too. But you may get bored by eating salads everyday but there is no reason for you to worry at all. There are so many varieties of salads that you can make for yourself to eat, which will be tasty and you can lose weight too. You can make green salads, vegetable salads, fruit salads and many other kinds of different salads to select from these days.

Fruit Salads for Weight Loss

Fruits and vegetables have high water content when they are eaten raw. For those on a diet, water is their natural ally. This extra water content in fruits and vegetables fills your stomach and also quickens the process of metabolism. Fruits and vegetables have loads of important nutrients like Vitamin A, B, C, K and some minerals. These important nutrients are needed to keep our body healthy when we are dieting. Having salads will ensure that we do not suffer because of malnutrition while we are dieting.

Tangy Fresh Fruit Mixed Salad

In this salad, you can mix I can of orange segments including their natural juice, 1 can of pineapple pieces including its natural juice, some seedless grapes and 2 sliced melons which are peeled and cubed. All these ingredients can be kept in a serving bowl and gently mixed and kept in the refrigerator and then served after chilling it.

Vegetable Salads for Weight Loss

It is always better to use some fresh vegetables for making your salads. It is best to eat organic vegetables. Try and make your salads as colorful as possible that even children feel like eating it.

Simple vegetable salad

In this salad, we can mix some shredded cabbage, some lettuce leaves, one cucumber or zucchini, some ice berg lettuce and some bell peppers of different colors. All the vegetables including the cabbage can be cut finely. Put them in a bowl and dress the salad with some extra virgin olive oil. Add some lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to be served.

Tips to make Salads to Lose Weight Fast

Some salads make you put on more weight instead of losing it such as salads which you buy in some fast food joints or restaurants because they overload it with high calorie ingredients. But if we avoid these high calorie ingredients in our salads, they make us feel hungry later. There is nothing to worry however, but just follow these tips and tricks to lose weight fast.

1. Use an oil-based salad dressing: Our body cannot absorb all the specific vitamins which are fat soluble without the presence of fat in them. so people who ate salads dressed in olive oils had more of carotenoids in their blood which can help melt the belly fat and at the same time make you feel full. It is a better idea to toss the oils with some vinegar which is a proven releaser of fats that can help prevent blood sugar spikes after their meals.
2. Mix up your greens: All types of green vegetables like spinach, lettuce etc have their own nutrients and healthy benefits. Also try adding some herbs like parsley and basil which have loads of disease-fighting antioxidants in them. Hence, if your salads are full of flavor, the fewer high-calorie ingredients you will need to add for making it tastier.
3. Say yes to cheese: When you sprinkle your salads with cheese that is low in fats, it helps people to burn fat easily and also maintain their weight and feel less hungry. This is because cheese is packed with calcium that helps to release all the fats. Therefore, try using some shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese.
4. Lean on protein: It is best to choose salmon or grilled chicken or tofu or nuts or seeds in your salads. This way you will be releasing fat and at the same time feel fuller.
5. Eat more veggies and fruits in your salads: It is best to fill your salad plate with lots of colorful veggies and fruits which contain loads of minerals and vitamins having synergistic effects. This means that when they are combined together in the salad, they have a more powerful effect when they are eaten in a combination. Sp go ahead and mix together lots of colored peppers, peas, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, raspberries strawberries or even pears to make a great salad which is filling, healthy and tasty too.

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Lose Weight With Ginseng

 

Ginseng and Weight Loss

The Chinese and native Americans have used ginseng as a medicinal ingredient for centuries. In modern-day research, ginseng has been scientifically proven to strengthen the immune system, improve memory, increase male libido, lower choresterol levels and decelerate the progression of Alzheimer's. These therapeutic benefits of ginseng have been widely studied in major health institutes, all over the world. In the past few decades one other significant advantage of ginseng that has been increasingly discussed is its ability to facilitate weight loss.

Ginseng can accelerate weight loss in two ways. First off, it can rev up your sluggish metabolism. With a faster metabolic rate, you can eat the same amount of food but have less excess calories to be converted into fat. Aside from that, ginseng is a fantastic energy booster that makes you feel more vigorous and helps you maintain physical stamina during a strenuous workout. Accordingly, you will be able to participate in a more active exercise routine for a longer period of time.
Keep in mind, however, that you should not use ginseng as your sole weight-loss regimen. A healthy diet and regular exercise are key to effective, long-term weight control. True, ginseng might be able to help you to lose weight faster, but without a healthy lifestyle, ginseng alone won't suffice. Sprinkling ginseng powder over a Big Mac or two pounds of bacon every day won't make you slim. Drinking ginseng tea while sitting on a couch all day won't help you get rid of that stubborn spare tire, either.

Choosing Ginseng

Light brown and knobby, a ginseng root usually resembles a wrinkly little human with ropey arms and legs. As odd as they might seem, these stringy roots are the only part of the ginseng plants that is highly beneficial. All ginseng products are made from the roots, not the leaves or the flowers. You can buy ginseng in various forms, including powder, capsules, tablets, liquid extracts, dried roots and fresh roots. However, only certain types of ginseng contain weight-loss properties. According to the University of Maryland medical research team, Panax ginseng is the one that can help you shed those extra pounds. Siberian ginseng might be a great nerve tonic but does not have much potential to facilitate weight loss. The types of ginseng that belong to the Panax species include Chinese, Korean and American ginseng. 

Although both American and Asian ginseng can promote weight loss, they have opposite ways of working, like yin and yang. Regarded as a yin herb, American ginseng cools down the body, relieves stress and works better than its Asian relative when it comes to increasing physical stamina. Asian ginseng, with its yang properties, warms the body, keeps the brain alert and beats American ginseng at enhancing metabolism. So before buying ginseng, "listen" to your own body first. If you tend to feel hot or become restless easily, forget Asian Panax and opt for American ginseng instead. But if you have a slow metabolism and often suffer from mental fatigue, Asian ginseng is your best choice. 

Ginseng Side Effects and Caution

Most medicines are like double-edged swords. Before heading to a natural food store to buy ginseng, you should make sure your body can handle it and you're not on any medication that might counteract with ginseng. Since it is a stimulant, ginseng is not suitable for those who have insomnia or anxiety problems, as it might worsen the symptoms. Other rare yet possible side effects of ginseng include high blood pressure, diarrhea, headache, nausea and breast pain. In addition, you should avoid ginseng if you are taking blood thinners, anti-psychotic drugs, antidepressants, diabetes medications and calcium channel blockers. Ginseng might hinder the effects of these medicines and cause other undesirable interactions.

University of Maryland Medical Center suggests that ginseng should not be used for more than 3 consecutive weeks. After the third week of daily ginseng consumption, you should stop using it for 2 weeks and then restart the cycle. Due to its stimulative properties, ginseng is not recommended for young children.

Using Ginseng for Weight Loss

The most convenient way to use ginseng is to take it as a supplement in the forms of capsules or tablets. But here I will discuss how we can use ginseng powder, liquid extracts and roots in beverages and food, which is a bit more economical and absolutely more delicious! One important thing to remember: don't take ginseng supplements or consume ginseng around dinner time unless you want to stay awake all night.

Ginseng Tea

Besides dipping a tea bag in hot water, there are 3 other ways to make ginseng tea.
Making tea with ginseng powder: Dissolve 1 tsp. ginseng powder in one cup of hot water. Add honey or another sweetener of your choice.
Making tea with ginseng liquid extract: Add 2 - 3 drops of ginseng extract to a cup of hot water. Sweeten it a bit and enjoy.
Making tea with dried ginseng root: Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Add 2 oz. of sliced ginseng root to the water. Let simmer for about an hour. Remove from heat and spice it with honey and cinnamon.
Ginseng Tea Tips: Honey is a better sweetener for ginseng tea than white or brown sugar. Ginseng tea tends to have a bitter aftertaste and strong aroma. Honey can help reduce that aftertaste, and cinnamon can nicely subdue the earthy smell of ginseng root. You can drink ginseng tea in the morning to wake you up from slumberland or have it after lunch to prevent an afternoon energy slump instead of running to a soda machine or grabbing some sugar-loaded snacks.

Ginseng Smoothies

We hear again and again that skipping breakfast is a bad idea for people who are trying to lose weight. First of all, breakfast can help stimulate your metabolism after a whole night of idle time. And secondly, it might stop you from getting too hungry later in the day. In other words, people who regularly eat breakfast are not inclined to binge at lunch and dinner. Knowing all this, some of us still don't have a big enough appetite or adequate time to eat real breakfast in the morning. That is when ginseng breakfast smoothies or protein shakes come in handy. The preparation is very simple. Just add 2 - 3 drops of ginseng liquid extract or one teaspoon of ginseng powder to your favorite breakfast smoothie recipe. And voila! you have a healthy energy-booster on the go.
My favorite ginseng smoothie recipe: In an electric blender, mix together 1 large ripe banana, 1/2 cup low-fat milk, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries (thaw first if they're frozen), 1 tsp. ginseng powder and 2 - 4 ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Enjoy your healthy breakfast!

Cooking with Ginseng

Ginseng has been used in Chinese and Korean cuisines for ages. It is a hearty ingredient in a variety of Asian recipes including soups, salads and stir-fry dishes. One of the most popular dishes made with ginseng is stir-fried ginseng venison. Venison or deer meat is pretty hard to prepare, as it has a sinewy texture and harsh gamy taste. By adding fresh chopped ginseng root to the marinade, it is said to help tenderize the meat and neutralize the gamy flavor. To use ginseng for stir-fry, simply add a teaspoon of sliced fresh ginseng root or a tablespoon of ginseng powder to other ingredients in a sizzling saucepan, and the health quality of the dish will step up a notch. If you don't mind the earthy scent of ginseng, you can dice up a pinch of fresh ginseng root and sprinkle it on your salad without cooking it first. Last but not least, let me end this article with an easy Chinese recipe for ginseng chicken soup.

What you'll need: 1 small chicken, 2 - 3 small fresh ginseng roots, 10 dried red dates (jujubes), 1 cup rice wine, 1 - 2 green onions and salt to taste.
To prepare: Cut up the chicken and boil in a large pot. The amount of water should be just enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil. Add red dates, ginseng, rice wine and salt. Then continue to boil on high heat for another 10 minutes. Finally, lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about an hour. Skim off the fatty layer and sprinkle with chopped green onion before serving.

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The Top 5 Most Effective Fat Burning Juice Recipes

Here are the top 5 most effective fat burning juice recipes that you should try:
The Fat Flusher

The Fat Flusher is one of the most delicious fat burning juices out there. It is rich in Vitamin C, an important ingredient in the production of L-carnitine. L-carnitine is responsible for moving stored fat to the liver, which converts the fat to glycogen and then burned as fuel by the body.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
3 red apples, seeded

Green Lean Machine

Parsley, like most leafy greens are packed with cortisol which protects your cells from oxygen-based free radicals. As a result, this signals your body to burn fat that are stored in the abdominal area and also decreases the body's cortisol levels which prevents it from storing new fat.

Ingredients:
2 cups parsley
2 cups kale
1 cup baby spinach
3 stalks celery
1 cucumber

Cooler with a Kick

Again one of the best fat burning juices out there, this mouth-watering juice mix will speed up your weight loss the healthy way. It makes use of apples which help boost immunity and improve digestive function. Cucumbers detoxify the kidneys and boost hormone regulation and secretion. Last but not the least, ginger helps the body eliminate waste and toxins that have built up over the years. Your weight is made up of part fat, part waste - and both are flushed out from the body through detoxification.

Ingredients:
2 apples
1 large cucumber
1-inch piece ginger

The Dieter's Cooler

Pomegranates are loaded with Vitamin C, B Vitamins, riboflavin, phosphorus and other essential nutrients, giving this delicious fruit its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Concoct this refreshing juice to lower the cortisol levels in your body for a faster, more effective fat burning!

Ingredients:
1/2 pomegranate, peel included
1 bunch red grapes
1 sweet apple

Green Fat Burning Cocktail

If you like using greens for your fat burning juices, this is a recipe you should definitely try. Kale and spinach help boost metabolism while broccoli, cucumber and lemon help cleanse the digestive tract. This sunshine in a glass is designed to get rid of your abdmoninal flab caused by the buildup of waste and toxins. It also boosts digestion and metabolism to speed up the fat burning process.

Ingredients:
2 large kale leaves
1 cup spinach
1 small cucumber
1 lemon
1 broccoli floret

Enjoy these powerful fat burning juice recipes along with healthy eating and some moderate exercises and you're sure to achieve your ideal body in no time!

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