The Golden Formula For Fat Loss

The Golden Formula For Fat Loss 

Before you start any diet you need to know your baseline, that is, how many calories your body needs to maintain your current weight. From this reference point, you can know how many calories you need to cut and how many you need to burn from exercise.

Your basal metabolic rate [aka BMR or sometimes used interchangeably with the term “rest metabolic rate” (RMR)] is that baseline.

Your BMR refers to the number of calories that is needed when your body is at rest, in order to breathe, circulate blood, keep your muscles toned, keep the intestines moving, maintain your glandular activity and keep your body temperature where it should be, etc.

Now here is a surprising fact. The more you weigh, the faster your metabolism is likely running. A large Sumo wrestler that weighs 350 pounds has a higher BMR than a woman weighing 130 lbs. This is because his body has to work harder to carry around that extra weight.

The formula to calculate BMR (both men and women) is 370+[21.6 X Lean Body Mass (LBM) in kg].

So let us calculate the BMR for a 350 lb sumo wrestler with 60% LBM:

1 kg = 2.2 lbs. Weight = 350 lbs. LBM = (0.6 x 350)/2.2 = 95.45 kg
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x 95.45)= 2431.72 calories

So for the sumo guy to maintain his weight, he must consume 2431.72 calories daily. On the other hand, a 130lb woman with 70% LBM will need to consume 1263 calories daily to maintain her weight.

Here is why knowing your BMR is important.

In order to burn fat, you must consume fewer calories than your BMR. But the source of your calories will affect your metabolism to your advantage or to your demise. 

You can find out your BMR by running down to the local gym and having a personal fitness trainer calculate it with a hand-held bio-impedance device. Or perhaps you could have your doctor tell you your LBM. You could then use that figure to calculate your BMR.

My BMR is ______________   Date____________

Tip: 

In case you do your own research, you'll find that there are various formulas for calculating BMR, each with its own pros and cons. There will be some variances in the figures but don't be overly concerned with this. 

The key is to use your BMR as a logical starting point and then adjust your calorie intake each week based on how your body is responding to your diet and exercise plan. No need to calculate your BMR weekly.

Later on down the road when you have made significant progress in your fat loss or want to maintain your weight or seek to build muscle, you may recalculate your BMR.

Late Nights Wreck Your Metabolism

 Late Nights Wreck Your Metabolism 

Proper sleep - perhaps the most ignored aspect of fat loss. Inadequate sleep wrecks your metabolism.
If you don’t get at least six hours of sleep, which is equivalent to four complete Rapid Eye Movement (REM) cycles, then homeostasis does not rule your nervous system and stress results. This shifts your metabolism pathways to ones that store fat.

As you already know, long periods of stress, such as what happens when you are not sleeping well, could interfere with your body’s composition by increasing fat and decreasing muscle. And this, in turn, causes a sluggish metabolism.

Sleep deprivation also interferes with hormones such as ghrelin and leptin, which are essential to the control of appetite.

Sleep deprivation increases inflammation in the body which in turn, increases the risks of getting a whole host of illnesses. Research has shown that people who are sleep deprived are at higher cardiac risk and also more likely to get certain forms of cancer.

How much sleep should you get? 7-8 hours of deep uninterrupted sleep is ideal. Sleeping more than that regularly is likely to slow down your metabolism.

Whoever said sleep is overrated probably died prematurely. If you have a problem falling asleep, you can take a safe non-addictive sleep aid or consult your physician. 

However, be very wary of some of the sleep aids that are pushed by big pharmaceutical companies. These can cause some harmful side-effects.

Tip: 
Drinking alcoholic beverages may make you sleepy at first but overall it disrupts REM sleep. It is better to have a warm shower and drink a cup of hot milk to help you get your zzzzzzzzzzs.

Stress Can Give You Fat Belly

 Stress Can Give You Fat Belly 

Your metabolism functions best once your body is in equilibrium (internal stability).
But throughout times of stress and survival things, your metabolism shifts to a special setting.

The changes in metabolism throughout the stress area unit essential to your survival. However, if these changes are maintained for a prolonged period of time, your metabolism can be negatively affected.
In times when you are stressed, adrenal gland hormones are produced in high amounts. The stress could be anything; stress from a family situation, stress in rush hour traffic or stress from financial pressure.
All stress has identical physiological impact on the body.
These high levels of adrenal hormones cause shifts in your body. Your memory functions are enhanced. You have a lowered sensitivity to pain. You feel a burst of energy.
And your system gets a brilliant charge of energy.
These are good changes in certain situations, but only if they are short-lived.
The longer that your stress endocrine (cortisol) level is high, the more damaging it is to your health and the more fat your body could end up storing.
Excess cortisol secretion can suppress thyroid function, increase abdominal fat, raise blood pressure, lower immunity, promote higher blood sugar levels and decrease your bone density and muscle mass.

Speaking of muscle, it is a very critical factor in fat burning. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. In other words, muscle burns calories and it burns more calories than fat does.
The last thing you want is a situation where you are losing muscle mass.
I'll speak a lot of concerning the vital role of muscle-mass in later chapters.

Pay attention to your stress levels. Do activities that help to relax and de-stress you.

THE THREE BASIC CHANGES

THE THREE BASIC CHANGES

There are many nutritional changes you need to make. However, we found that these three basic changes to your diet are undoubtedly the most effective and critical to prevent the top three killers in America.

1. Removing the BAD FATS – Replacing them with GOOD or GOD FATS. 

• Bad fats such as hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, and rancid vegetable oils are linked to cellular congestion leading to cancer, chronic fatigue, and neurotoxic syndrome.

• unhealthy fats also are coupled with chronic inflammation that is the key to twenty-first-century drugs.

Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, etc. are the leading cause of death in the United States and inflammation is at the root.

• smart fats square measure the foremost lacking nutrient within the customary Yankee Diet (SAD), not vitamins and minerals.

• smart fats square measure essential to internal secretion production, cancer bar, brain development, weight loss, cellular healing, and anti-inflammation.

2. Change the MEATS that you EAT.

• There area unit many studies that link business meats with cancer and heart condition.

• Grain-fed to animals created to eat grass changes carboxylic acid ratios and denatures sensible fats, resulting in modern-day unwellness.

• The bioaccumulation of economic pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones in meats area unit way over what you receive from business vegetables. This leads to many cancers and chronic illness.

• Grass-fed and free vary meats provide several fatty acids missing within the commonplace yank Diet (SAD) such as arachidonic acid, congregated
linoleic acid (CLA), and the proper ratio of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids.

3. Remove ALL Processed grains and Refined SUGARS from your Diet. 

YES: This includes white rice, white pasta, and white bread. These are processed grains that are sugar raise glucose and insulin the same as sucrose, fructose
To identify acceptable grains, the word "whole, stone-ground or sprouted" must be before the word "wheat" or whatever the grain's name. For example, if it doesn't say the words "whole wheat", it is processed. Wheat flour is not a whole grain and is thus disease-causing to your body. 

• One-third of sugar consumption comes from soft drinks, while two-thirds of our sugar intake comes from hidden sources including lunch meats, pizza, sauces, bread, soups, crackers, fruit drinks, canned foods, yogurt, ketchup, mayonnaise, etc.

• High glycemic or refined sugars cause elevated glucose, which elevates insulin leading to premature aging and degenerative diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease (inflammation of the arteries), and cancer.

• Sugar is an anti-nutrient offering insignificant amounts of vitamins and minerals and robbing your body of precious nutrient stores. This inevitably leads to diseases of the new millennium such as chronic fatigue, ADD, ADHD, heart disease, diabetes, and cancers.

• Remember refined sugars unnaturally spiking and elevation of insulin and leptin. Prolonged spiking/elevation of insulin and leptin lead to insulin and leptin resistance. Insulin and leptin resistance cause diabetes and weight loss resistance or the inability to burn fat for energy, respectively.

What Is Fiber?

What Is Fiber?

Dietary fiber could be an advanced saccharide and is that the part of the stuff that can't be digestible and absorbed within the blood.
Soluble fiber could facilitate weight loss because it causes you to feel full longer, and analysis has shown it conjointly could facilitate lower blood steroid alcohol.

Good sources of soluble fiber include oatmeal, oat bran, barley, dried beans and legumes, and citrus fruits. Insoluble fiber tends to speed up the passage of material through the digestive tract and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Good sources of insoluble fiber embody wheat bran, whole grain cereals, and fruit and vegetable skins.

Dietary Fiber

• Dietary Fiber refers to nondigestible food plant carbohydrates and lignin. 

• Added Fiber refers to fiber added to foods during food processing. 

• Total Fiber is the sum of Dietary Fiber and Added Fiber

What Are the Health Benefits of Fiber? 

The health benefits of fiber are well documented in reducing the risk of certain diseases. Fiber is linked to a reduced risk of cancer, especially colon and breast cancer, and fiber may help lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol levels, which have an impact on the risk reduction of heart disease. Fiber also can help in the management of diabetes by reducing blood sugar. 

How Much Is Enough?

Experts recommend healthy adults eat 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber per day. You can meet this goal by eating a well-balanced diet containing a variety of foods, such as two servings of fruits, three servings of vegetables, and three or more servings of whole-grain bread, cereal, pasta or crackers.

Top 10 Ways to Add Fiber to Your Diet

1. Start the day off with a bowl of your favorite, delicious high-fiber cereal, such as frosted shredded wheat or whole-grain raisin bran.

 

2. Put fruits, such as berries, raisins, or bananas, on your cereal to increase your fiber intake by about 1 to 2 grams.

 

3. Combine the great taste of both whole grain and enriched grain bread in your family’s diet. For example, introduce whole-grain taste to the family by using one slice of white bread and one slice of 100% whole wheat bread when making sandwiches.

 

4. Next time you are making any type of pasta, instead of using traditional pasta, choose whole wheat pasta. Even macaroni and cheese lovers can use whole wheat macaroni.

 

5. Substitute wheat bran for one-third of the all-purpose flour when making pancakes, waffles, muffins, or any other flour-based food.

 

6. When you feel the urge to start snacking, reach for a delicious muffin, pretzels, or baked pita chips instead of a candy bar.

 

7. If rice is what you crave, then steer toward brown rice, which offers increased amounts of dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Plus, it tastes exquisite.

8. Believe it or not, popcorn can be a healthy snack for you and your children. Just don’t use too much butter or salt on this whole-grain treat.

 

9. A great substitute for desserts is a bowl of fruit (especially raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries). Try whole-wheat bread pudding with fruit, or perhaps a treat as tasty as a whole-grain muffin strikes your fancy.

 

10. Leave the skins on fruits and vegetables such as pears, apples, peaches, and even potatoes, as opposed to peeling them off. Most of the fiber is in the skin, which will help the digestive tract and may prevent colon cancer.

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol may be a waxy, fat-like substance that's created within the body by the liver.
Cholesterol forms a part of each cell within the body and serves several important functions.

Our bodies need cholesterol to:
• Maintain healthy cell walls 

• build hormones (the body's chemical messengers) 

• build D 

• build digestive fluid acids, that aid in fat digestion

Sometimes, however, our bodies build a lot of steroid alcohol than we actually would like, and this excess steroid alcohol circulates within the blood.
High levels of steroid alcohol within the blood will clog blood vessels and increase the danger for heart condition and stroke.

• Our bodies will build an excessive amount of steroid alcohol after we eat an excessive amount of saturated fat - the type of fat found in animal-based foods like meat and dairy farm merchandise.

• additionally, to creating steroid alcohol, we tend to additionally get a little share of our body's steroid alcohol from the foods we tend to eat.
Only animal-based foods like meat, eggs, and dairy farm merchandise contain steroid alcohol.
Plant foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains don't contain steroid alcohol.

The Different Types Of Cholesterol

There are different kinds of sterol - and not all sterol is harmful.

• LDL (or LDL) sterol could be an unhealthy kind of sterol that's possible to clog blood vessels, increasing your risk for cardiopathy.

• HDL (or HDL) sterol could be a sensible kind of sterol.
HDL cholesterol helps clear the LDL cholesterol out of the blood and reduces your risk for cardiopathy.

Facts About Cholesterol

• More than one-half of American adults have blood cholesterol levels that are too high. 

• Lowering your cholesterol level has a double payback: For every one percent you lower your blood cholesterol level, you reduce your risk for heart disease by two percent. 

• Even if you already have heart disease, lowering your cholesterol levels will significantly reduce your risk for death and disability. 

• As blood cholesterol exceeds 220 ml/dl (milligrams per deciliter, which are the units in which blood cholesterol is measured in the United States), the risk for heart disease increases at a more rapid rate. • All adults should have their blood cholesterol level measured at least once every five years. 

• The liver makes most of the cholesterol in our bodies-only a small percentage comes from food. But the more saturated fat we eat, the more cholesterol our bodies make. 

• Most people can bring down their blood cholesterol levels without medication by changing the way they eat and by becoming more active. 

• Only animal foods contain cholesterol; plant foods do not contain cholesterol. 

• A medium egg contains about 213 milligrams of cholesterol, a three-ounce portion of lean red meat or skinless chicken contains about 90 milligrams of cholesterol, and a three-ounce portion of fish contains about 50 milligrams of cholesterol.

WHAT IS SODIUM ?

WHAT IS SODIUM?

Sodium is a mineral. The main dietary source of sodium is common table salt (sodium chloride), which is 40% sodium and 60 chlorides, but regular unprocessed foods contain natural sodium as well. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and cheese all contribute sodium.

How Much Sodium Should I Have?

The Dietary Guidelines for healthy American adults recommends limiting dietary intake to less than 2400 milligrams (mg) per day. The human body needs very minute amounts of sodium to function normally. We need about 250 mg of sodium each day, which is easily supplied by natural, unprocessed foods; however, the average American consumes approximately 4000 to 6000 mg per day. In Asian diets, sodium intake can climb to over 8000 mg per day.

1 teaspoon of salt contains about 2400 mg of sodium

What is the Risk of Eating Too Much Sodium?

High sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure. For some people, high sodium diets can also cause fluid retention and swelling in the feet and hands.

What Foods Are High in Sodium?

The foods highest in sodium are processed and packaged foods. Salt-based seasonings are also big sodium contributors. For example:

How Can I Reduce My Sodium Intake?

    * Don't add salt during cooking or at the table.    

    * Choose fresh, unprocessed foods.

    * Choose frozen and canned foods without added salt.

    * Look for "Low Sodium" or "Unsalted" on package labels.

    * Read the nutrition facts of the food label for the milligrams of sodium. (140 mg or less = low              sodium)

    * Ask for restaurant meals to be prepared without salt.

    * Limit trips to fast-food restaurants.

How Can I Season My Food?

    * Herbs and spices

    * Sea salt

    * Fresh or powdered garlic and onions

    * Fresh lemon or lime juice

    * Ginger or fresh ground horseradish

    * Pepper

    * Flavored vinegar

    * Salt-free seasoning mixes 

What is Fat?

What is Fat?

Fat is a nutrient. It is crucial for traditional body perform and without it, we could not live.
Not solely will fat provide the U.S.A. with energy, it conjointly makes it attainable for alternative nutrients to try and do their jobs.

Fats, that encompass a large cluster of compounds, ar typically soluble in organic solvents and insoluble in water.
Chemically, fats are typically called triesters of alcohol and fatty acids (triester = one in all 3 organic compound chemical groups).

At temperature fats could also be a gift in either liquid or solid type, this relies on their structure and composition.
We tend to confer with fats that are liquid at a temperature as oils.
Fats that are solid at temperature ar usually said as fats.
The word lipids refer to each solid and liquid styles of fat. Below is a reminder breakdown of their meanings:

   • Oils - Any fat which exists in liquid form at room temperature.
 Oils are any substances that don't combine with water and have a greasy feel.

  

  • Fats - All types. However, fats square measure ordinarily stated as those that square measure solid at temperature.

  • Lipids - all kinds of fats, regardless of whether they are liquid or solid.
Lipids square measure a vital part of the diet of all humans and lots of varieties of animals.

Examples of Fats 

1. Animal fats Butter, lard, cream, fat in (and on) meats.

2. Vegetable fats Olive oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, corn oil.

Different categories of fats 

1. Saturated fat 

Saturated fats are totally saturated, each molecule of fat is covered in hydrogen atoms. Nutritionists say saturated fats increase health risks if you consume too much over a long period of time. A large intake of saturated fats will eventually raise cholesterol levels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease and possibly stroke. 

Where is saturated fat found?

The largest amounts of saturated fats can be found in meat (mammals), meat products, the skin of poultry, dairy products, many processed foods such as cakes, biscuits, pastries, and crisps, as well as coconut oil. 

2. Monounsaturated fat

Monounsaturated fat molecules are not saturated with hydrogen atoms - each fat molecule has only the space for one hydrogen atom. Health experts say the impact on the health of monounsaturated fats is neutral - they are neither good nor bad for you. Many health professionals, however, do say that they reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease. The Mediterranean diet is full of monounsaturated fats. 

Where are monounsaturated fats found? 

Olives, groundnut oil, and avocados.

3. Polyunsaturated fat 

There are a number of spaces around each polyunsaturated fat molecule - they are not saturated with hydrogen atoms. Nutritionists say polyunsaturated fat is good for our health, especially those from fish, known as the Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect us from heart disease as they lower blood cholesterol levels. Health care professionals say Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may also help reduce the symptoms experienced by people who suffer from arthritis, joint problems in general, and some skin diseases. 

4. Where are polyunsaturated fats found? 

Oily fish (sardines, mackerel, trout, salmon, and herring), safflower oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil. 

5. Trans fat Trans fats are synthetically made, they do not naturally occur. Trans fats are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. They are also known as partially hydrogenated oils.

Trans fats might be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, they are never saturated. Trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer fatty acid(s). Therefore, trans fats have fewer hydrogen atoms than saturated fats. 

Trans fats are not essential for human life and they most certainly do not promote good health. Consuming trans fats increases your LDL cholesterol level (bad cholesterol) and lowers levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), which in turn raises your risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke. 

Experts say that trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are worse for your health than naturally occurring oils. 

Trans fats have become popular because food companies find them easy to use and cheap to produce. They also last a long time and can give food a nice taste. As trans fats can be used many times in commercial fryers they are commonly used in fast food outlets and restaurants. Several cities around the world are trying to stop outlets from using trans fats. 

Where are trans fats commonly found? 

o Fried foods, such as French fries 

o Doughnuts 

o Pies, pastries, biscuits, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, stick margarine, shortenings, and many other baked foods

If nutritional labeling includes partially hydrogenated oils, it means that food has trans fats. The American Heart Association says your consumption of trans fats should not exceed 1% of your total calorie intake. 

The Atkins diet says that saturated fat is overrated as bad fat. The 

Atkins diet adds that trans fats are much more important in developing the vascular disease.

How much fat should I eat? 

According to the Dietary Guidelines for American 2005, the following percentages are recommended: 

• Children aged 2 to 3 - total fat limited to 30%-35% of total calorie intake

• Children aged 4 to 18 - total fat limited to 25%-35% of total calorie intake

• Adults aged 19 and older - total fat limited to 20%-35% of total calorie intake

Dr. Barry Sears, who created the Zone Diet, says an average adult should consume 30% fat, 30% protein, and 40% carbohydrate - he stresses that the types of fats are important, favoring the omega-3 oils and vegetable oils. 

Over the last 50 years, the percentage of people in most countries who are overweight has increased significantly. This is due to many factors, but NOT because people's fat intake has increased. Over the last five decades, the consumption of carbohydrates as a percentage of total calorie consumption has increased dramatically - not fat consumption. Fat consumption does not make your body produce more insulin; carbohydrates do that. The more insulin you produce the more energy your body will store away as fat. When deciding how much fat to consume, remember that the answer is not simple - there are many types of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.