How to Lose Weight

4 Healthy Reasons to Eat a Salad Today

2009-07-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

4 Healthy Reasons to Eat a Salad Today

Have you had your salad today? Eating salad almost every day may be one of the most healthy eating habits you can adopt -- and one of the simplest, experts say.
Eating salads is a super-convenient way to work in a couple of servings of vegetables and/or fruit. Green salads are on the menu of almost every restaurant. You can even buy a side salad (with lettuce, carrots and tomatoes, available with fat-free or reduced-calorie salad dressing) for a buck at many fast food chains these days. And you can make a green salad at home in 5 minutes, armed with a bag of pre-washed salad greens, a few carrots or other veggies, and a bottle of light salad dressing.

Not only that, but salads are cool, crunchy, and fun to eat (lots of textures, colors, and flavors). Most people enjoy eating salads--even kids! You can customize them to include the fruits and vegetables that appeal to you the most, and whichever ones you have on hand.

Here are four health reasons to reach for a salad today:

1. Eat Salads for the Fiber
It's hard to believe that something we can't even digest can be so good for us! Eating a high-fiber diet can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent constipation.
Not only that, eating more fiber can help you feel fuller, eat less, and ultimately lose weight.

2. Eat Salads for the Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables
If you frequently eat green salads, you'll likely have higher blood levels of a host of powerful antioxidants (vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene,) especially if your salad includes some raw vegetables. Antioxidants are substances that help protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.

For years, researchers have noted a link between eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lower risks of many diseases, particularly cancer. A recent study from the National Cancer Institute suggests that people whose diets are rich in fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of developing cancers of the head and neck -- even those who smoke and drink heavily. Foods found to be particularly protective include beans and peas, string beans, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, apples, nectarines, peaches, plums, pears, and strawberries.

3. Eat Salads to Cut Calories and Increase Satisfaction
If losing weight is your goal, you may want to start your meals with a green salad. Studies have shown that eating a low-calorie first course, like a green salad of 150 calories or less, enhances satiety (feelings of fullness) and reduces the total number of calories eaten during the meal.

Research suggests that "bigger is better" as long as the salad is bigger in volume, not in calories - which means more veggies and less dressing and other fatty add-ons.
"We saw reductions in consumed calories when people ate salads that were 1 1/2 cups and 3 cups in volume but around 100 total calories,". The 3-cup, 100-calorie salad reduced the total calories consumed at the meal by about 55.

4. Eat Salads to Get Smart Fats
Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables appears to help your body absorb protective phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables.

A recent study from Ohio State University measured how well phytochemicals were absorbed by the body after people ate a salad of lettuce, carrot, and spinach, with or without 2 1/2 tablespoons of avocado. The avocado-eaters absorbed eight times more alpha-carotene and more than 13 times more beta-carotene (both of which are thought to help protect against cancer and heart disease) than the group eating salads without avocado.

If you dress your salad with a little olive oil, there may even be some additional years in it for you. Italian research on people aged 60 and older has suggested that a diet that includes plenty of olive oil and raw vegetables is linked to reduced mortality.

Making one simple change to your diet – adding a salad almost every day – can pay off with plenty of health benefits, right?

Any queries that I could you, please feel free to contact me at stargirlyune@gamil.com. I'm willing to serve you. See you!

Sources&Pictures: WebMD.com/ google.com

The Best and Worst Beverages for Weight Loss

2009-07-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Best and Worst Beverages for Weight Loss

Hi There! Have you ever been thinking about these? Many of us watch what we eat but not what we drink when on a diet. That’s a mistake!!! Choosing the right drinks can tweak your metabolism, curb your appetite, and reduce your total calorie count. Which drinks are spoilers and which are helpers on the path to weight loss? OK, here we go!!!

Spoiler: Soda
Every time you chug a bottle of soda, you’re consuming hundreds of empty calories. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet. Switching to diet soft drinks is an obvious way to cut calories, but it’s unclear whether this switch results in weight loss. In some people, diet soda may increase their sweet tooth.

Helper: Water
Replacing carbonated soft drinks with water will cut hundreds of calories per day, and the benefits don’t stop there. Drinking two glasses of water before a meal may encourage the stomach to feel full more quickly, so you don’t eat as much. In addition, new research suggests drinking plenty of water may have a positive effect on your metabolism.

Jury’s Out: Fruit Juice
Juice can have as many calories as soda, but it has far more to offer in the way of nutrients. This presents a dilemma -- you want the vitamins and antioxidants without all the extra sugar. The safest bet: Look for 100% fruit juice. Steer clear of juice drinks that have added sweeteners. Look for the percent of real juice, noted on the nutritional label. You can also slash calories by drinking water with a tiny bit of juice added.

Helper: Vegetable Juice
Vegetable juice is every bit as nutritious as fruit juice with about half the calories. A 12-ounce serving of tomato juice has 80 calories, compared to 160 calories for orange juice. Vegetable juice with pulp is also high in fiber and can help control hunger, wow! so amazing.

Jury’s Out: Smoothies
Blend a banana, strawberries, and blueberries into a frothy smoothie, and you’ve got a delicious arsenal of disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. The homemade variety is best when you’re counting calories, because you can control the ingredients -- skim milk and fresh fruit are all you need. Restaurant smoothies may contain ice cream, honey, or other sweeteners that boost the calorie count sky-high.

Jury’s Out: Low-Fat Milk
Consuming calcium-rich foods may do a body good, but calcium probably won't help you lose weight, new research now reveals. Some earlier studies suggested calcium may prompt the body to burn more fat, but there’s little evidence to support these claims. Depriving the body of calcium, on the other hand, has been show to trigger an increase in the production of fat cells. To get the benefits of calcium without consuming extra fat, stick to skim or low-fat

Spoiler: Energy Drinks
Sports and energy drinks are calorie bombs like soda. They may have more added nutrients, but you can find the same vitamins and minerals in low-calorie foods. People who are serious about losing weight should stay hydrated with water rather than sports drinks.

Helper: Black Coffee
When you need a shot of caffeine, coffee is a better choice than soda or energy drinks. Black coffee is calorie-free and rich in antioxidants. Studies have shown that consuming moderate amounts of coffee (about 3 to 4 cups a day) may improve mood and concentration, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer.

Spoiler: Fancy Coffee
Once you add heavy cream, flavored syrups, and/or a snowcap of whipped cream, that innocent mug of black coffee becomes a minefield of fat and sugar. Specialty coffees can contain up to 570 calories per cup -- possibly more than an entire meal! If you don’t like your coffee black, add a little skim milk and artificial sweetener to keep the calorie count low.

Helper: Green Tea
Green tea is another excellent choice when you’re looking for a little caffeine. Not only is it calorie-free, some research suggests green tea extract may stimulate weight loss through the action of phytochemicals. These are plant-based compounds that may temporarily cause the body to burn more calories and melt fat. The benefit appears to last only a few hours, so it may help to drink green tea at least twice a day.

Spoiler: Wine Coolers
Wine coolers may sound light and airy, but they are heavy on calories. A 12-ounce wine cooler can have 190 calories and 22 grams of carbs. Regular wine is not much better with at least 100 calories in a 5-ounce glass. A low-calorie alternative is a wine spritzer: mix a dash of wine with some sparkling water.

Spoiler: Cocktails
A shot of hard liquor has fewer calories than wine or wine coolers, but once you mix in soda or cream, watch out… An 8-ounce white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories. A less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with diet soda.

Helper: Light Beer
OK, beer is not really going to help you lose weight. But if you’re out with friends and want to share a pitcher, light beer is the way to go. A serving has 100 calories, compared to 150 calories for regular beer.

I wish these could help you reach your target, loss weight for better life!

Any queries that I could help you, please feel free to contact me at stargirlyune@gmail.com. I'm willing to serve you. Have a good day.lol

Sources: WebMD.com/ All pictures, google.com

15 Foods To Help You Lose Weight

2009-07-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hi There! Today I would like to share about "15 food that could help you lose your overweight problem". Then put these on your grocery list.

Eggs
Skip the bagel this morning. Eggs, which are full of protein, will help you feel fuller longer-a lot longer. A multicenter study of 30 overweight or obese women found that those who ate two scrambled eggs (with two slices of toast and a reduced-calorie fruit spread) consumed less for the next 36 hours than women who had a bagel breakfast of equal calories. Other research has shown that protein may also prevent spikes in blood sugar, which can lead to food cravings.

Beans
You've probably never heard of cholecystokinin, but it's one of your best weight-loss pals. This digestive hormone is a natural appetite suppressant. So how do you get more cholecystokinin? One way, report researchers at the University of California at Davis, is by eating beans: A study of eight men found that their levels of the hormone (which may work by keeping food in your stomach longer) were twice as high after a meal containing beans than after a low-fiber meal containing rice and dry milk. There's also some evidence that beans keep blood sugar on an even keel, so you can stave off hunger longer. Heart-health bonus: High-fiber beans can lower your cholesterol.

Salad
Do you tend to stuff yourself at meals? Control that calorie intake by starting with a large salad (but hold the creamy dressing). In a study of 42 women at Penn State University, those who ate a big, low-cal salad consumed 12 percent less pasta afterward-even though they were offered as much as they wanted. The secret, say researchers, is the sheer volume of a salad, which makes you feel too full to pig out. Health bonus: A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that people who ate one salad a day with dressing had higher levels of vitamins C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and carotenoids-all disease fighters-than those who didn't add salad to their daily menu.

Green tea
The slimming ingredient isn't caffeine. Antioxidants called catechins are what help speed metabolism and fat burning. In a recent Japanese study, 35 men who drank a bottle of oolong tea mixed with green tea catechins lost weight, boosted their metabolism, and had a significant drop in their body mass index. Health bonus: The participants also lowered their (bad) LDL cholesterol.

Pears
They're now recognized as having more fiber, thanks to a corrected calculation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At six grams (formerly four grams) per medium-size pear, they're great at filling you up. Apples come in second, with about three grams per medium-size fruit. Both contain pectin fiber, which decreases blood-sugar levels, helping you avoid between-meal snacking. This may explain why, in a Brazilian study that lasted 12 weeks, overweight women who ate three small pears or apples a day lost more weight than women on the same diet who ate three oat cookies daily instead of the fruit.

Soup
A cup of chicken soup is as appetite blunting as a piece of chicken: That was the finding of a Purdue University study with 18 women and 13 men. Why? Researchers speculate that even the simplest soup satisfies hunger because your brain perceives it as filling.

Lean beef
It's what's for dinner-or should be, if you're trying to shed pounds. The amino acid leucine, which is abundant in proteins like meat and fish as well as in dairy products, can help you pare down while maintaining calorie-burning muscle. That's what it did for 24 overweight middle-aged women in a study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Eating anywhere from nine to 10 ounces of beef a day on a roughly 1,700-calorie diet helped the women lose more weight, more fat, and less muscle mass than a control group consuming the same number of calories, but less protein. The beef eaters also had fewer hunger pangs.

Olive oil
Fight off middle-age pounds with extra virgin olive oil. A monounsaturated fat, it'll help you burn calories. In an Australian study, 12 postmenopausal women (ages 57 to 73) were given a breakfast cereal dressed either with a mixture of cream and skim milk or half an ounce of olive oil and skim milk. The women who ate the oil-laced muesli boosted their metabolism. Don't want to add olive oil to your oatmeal? That's OK-it works just as well in salad dressings, as a bread dip, or for sautéing.

Grapefruit
It's back! A 2006 study of 91 obese people conducted at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic found that eating half a grapefruit before each meal or drinking a serving of the juice three times a day helped people drop more than three pounds over 12 weeks. The fruit's phytochemicals reduce insulin levels, a process that may force your body to convert calories into energy rather than flab.

Cinnamon
Sprinkle it on microwave oatmeal or whole-grain toast to help cure those mid-afternoon sugar slumps. Research from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture found that a little cinnamon can help control post-meal insulin spikes, which make you feel hungry. Health bonus: One USDA study showed that just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon a day lowered the blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

Vinegar
It's a great filler-upper. In a Swedish study, researchers found that people who ate bread dipped in vinegar felt fuller than those who had their slices plain. The probable reason: Acetic acid in the vinegar may slow the passage of food from the stomach into the small intestine, so your tummy stays full longer. Vinegar can also short-circuit the swift blood-sugar rise that occurs after you eat refined carbs such as white bread, cookies, and crackers.

Tofu
It seems too light to be filling, but a study at Louisiana State University showed that tofu does the job. Researchers tested it against chicken as a pre-meal appetizer for 42 overweight women-and the participants who had tofu ate less food during the meal. The secret: Tofu is an appetite-quashing protein.

Nuts
Yes, they are fattening: A handful of peanuts is about 165 calories. But research shows that people who snack on nuts tend to be slimmer than those who don't. A study from Purdue University found that when a group of 15 normal-weight people added about 500 calories worth of peanuts to their regular diet, they consumed less at subsequent meals. The participants also revved up their resting metabolism by 11 percent, which means they burned more calories even when relaxing. Health bonus: Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids. And researchers at Loma Linda University recently found that eating 10 to 20 whole pecans daily can reduce heart disease risks.

High-fiber cereal
Studies show that you can curb your appetite by eating a bowl for breakfast. But how well does it really work? Researchers at the VA Medical Center and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis tested the theory against the ultimate diet challenge: the buffet table. They gave 14 volunteers one of five cereals before sending them out to the smorgasbord. Those who'd had the highest-fiber cereal ate less than those who didn't have as much fiber in the morning. Try General Mills Fiber One (14 grams per serving) or Kellogg's All Bran With Extra Fiber (13 grams per serving).

Hot red pepper
Eating a bowl of spicy chili regularly can help you lose weight. In a Japanese study, 13 women who ate breakfast foods with red pepper (think southwestern omelet) ate less than they normally did at lunch. The magic ingredient may be capsaicin, which helps suppress appetite.

I wish these of super food could help you success in your lose weight programe. Have a good day!

Any queries that I could help you, please feel free to contact me at stargirlyune@gmail. See you!

Sources: By Denise Foley,15 Foods To Help You Lose Weight, WebMD.com/ All pictures, google.com

How to Cut Calories in Your Daily Activities

2009-06-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hi there! As the previous blog, I just shared you for "how to loss weight by calculate your calories needs and BMR" and today I would like to share for "how to cut calories in your daily activities". Let's go!

1. Cut 100 calories at breakfast
•Ditch the Pop-Tart for a slice of high-fiber toast with strawberry jam.
•Gotta have carbs? Split a bagel with a co-worker.
•Drink your two cups of joe black. Or order a single espresso instead of your usual latté.
•Swap OJ for the real deal—one fresh orange.
•Trade a side of regular sausage for turkey.
•Top your waffles with Reddi-wip instead of syrup (or use sugar-free).
•Skip the whip on any Caribou Coffee 16-ounce drink.
•Eat your granola from a 4-ounce mug, not an 8-ounce bowl.
Lose the Yoplait Thick & Creamy and have a Yoplait Fiber 1.
•Order pancakes, but hold the butter.
•Scramble together four egg whites instead of two whole eggs.
•Substitute nonfat cream cheese for regular on your bagel.

2. Cut 100 calories during dessert
•Stop eating when you hit the crust. The edges and bottoms of baked goods are especially caloric because they absorb the butter used to grease the pan.
•Fill your bowl with sorbet instead of ice cream—you can have an extra 1/2 cup of the former and still slash calories.
•Next time a cocoa craving hits, ditch the dish of chocolate ice cream (about 3/4 cup) for a Fudgsicle.
•Have sugar-free Jell-O instead of pudding. Better your nighttime treat jiggle than your thighs.
•Go ahead and have that piece of birthday cake—just scrape off the chocolate frosting first.
•Eat five meringue cookies instead of two chocolate chip ones.
•Pass on the à la mode and savor that brownie au naturel.
•Can the cone. Have your ice cream in a bowl.
•Top your dessert with 1/2 cup of fresh berries instead of 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup.

3. Cut 100 calories at lunch
•Leave the Swiss cheese out of your sandwich.
•Slather your bread with mustard rather than mayo and save 80 calories per tablespoon.
•Pass up croutons at the salad bar.
•Use up to 10 pumps of ranch dressing spray instead of pouring 2 tablespoons from a bottle.
•Devour a slice of Pizza Hut cheese pan pizza instead of the meat lover's variety.
•Take your iced tea unsweetened.
•Reach for a Snapple raspberry white tea instead of a Snapple raspberry iced tea.
•Stuff chicken salad into a whole-wheat pita instead of between slices of multigrain bread.
•Make your burger turkey, not beef.
•Slurp minestrone soup instead of cream of anything.
•Go bunless—shed your hamburger roll.
•Use south-of-the-border savvy: Have a quesadilla made with two 6-inch corn, not flour, tortillas.
•Two or more pizza slices? Blot off the grease with a napkin.

4. Cut 100 calories in the kitchen
•Substitute nonfat Greek yogurt for a serving of sour cream.
•Use chicken broth (low-sodium is best) instead of oil to sauté meat and veggies.
•Making homemade mac 'n cheese? Cut 2 tablespoons of butter from the recipe.
•Replace the oil or butter in cakes with Sunsweet Lighter Bake prune-and-apple mixture or any brand of unsweetened applesauce.
•Next time you make meatballs, meatloaf, or burgers, go half-and-half with ground beef and turkey.
•When preparing packaged foods that call for butter or oil, like rice and stuffing, use a broth instead.
•Swap low-fat cottage cheese for whole-milk ricotta when you make lasagna or stuffed shells.
•Use tuna packed in water, not oil.

5. Cut 100 calories at happy hour
• Nurse a single glass of wine instead of downing two beers.
•Ask for your rum and cokes in a highball glass. Bartenders pour an average of 20 percent less liquid into taller tumblers, so you'll swig less per round.
•Drizzle extra hot sauce, not blue cheese or ranch dressing, on your wings.
•Ordering a cocktail? Make it on the rocks instead of frozen. Slushy fruit drinks tend to be made with bottled mixers that contain added sugar and syrups.
•Blending your own? Have a daiquiri, not a piña colada.
•Pop the cap off of an MGD 64 instead of a bottle of Killian's Irish Red.
•Sip a glass of water between drinks—pacing yourself can help you cut back by a glass or more.
•Dip your nachos in salsa rather than guacamole.
•For automatic portion control, sip wine from a Champagne flute, not an oversize goblet.
•Mix your vodka with Red Bull Sugarfree, not cranberry juice.

6. Cut 100 calories at the drive-thru
•Pass up a Wendy's baked potato with sour cream and chives and chow down on value fries instead. Amazing but true.
•Have a McDonald's cheeseburger instead of a Quarter Pounder with cheese.
•Downsize your drink: Trade a large fountain soda (with ice) for a medium.
•Go for grill marks. Order a flame-broiled chicken sandwich rather than one that's breaded (and usually fried in oil).
•Treat yourself to an ice-cream cone at McDonald's instead of Dairy Queen.
•Crunch on one Taco Bell regular taco instead of a Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco. And all the hot sauce you want.
•Slurp a cup of Panera Bread's low-fat chicken noodle soup instead of the cream of chicken with wild rice.
•Make your daily pick-me-up at Starbucks a skinny vanilla latté, not a regular.
•Skip the two packets of BBQ sauce—eat your burger and fries plain.

7. Cut 100 calories on your snack break
•Drink sparkling water instead of soda.
•Move your stash of Hershey's Kisses at least 6 feet away from your desk—you'll dip in half as often.
•Drain the heavy syrup from your can of fruit cocktail and then rinse the fruit with water before digging in.
•Have 1/2 cup of fresh grapes instead of that little snack box of raisins.
•Lay off the Lay's Classic potato chips and have a handful of Rold Gold pretzels.
•Munch on a bag of Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Kettle Korn, not Movie Theater Butter flavor.
•Chase down the ice-cream truck for a Good Humor vanilla sandwich, not a King Cone.
•Satisfy a crunch craving with baby carrots, not potato chips.

8. Cut 100 calories when you're not cooking
•Request the lemon chicken with white rice, not fried.
•Skip the crunchy noodles with your bowl of wonton soup.
•Ask for an order of Szechuan Shrimp instead of your usual General Tso's.
•Choose the pasta with 1/2 cup of marinara instead of 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce.
•Indulge your inner carnivore with beef stroganoff, not meat lasagna.
•Go with the baked potato (butter only), not the mashed, as your side of choice.
•Dip your dinner roll in marinara sauce instead of olive oil.
•Avoid anything breaded. Flour and bread crumbs not only add calories but also absorb more cooking oil.
•Pop 12 pieces of sashimi and 1/3 cup of edamame, not 12 pieces of spicy tuna roll.

Just so easy to cut calories, right? lol

Any queries that I could help you, please feel free to reach me at stargirlyune@gmail.com, see you!

Sources: 78 ways to cut 100 calories by By Kate Grip Denon, Women's Health (MSN, health&Fitness)/ all pictures, google.com

Loss Weight by Calculate Your Caloric Needs and BMR

2009-06-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hi there, today I would like to share some tips of “How to loss weight” that isn’t a mysterious process. In fact, weight loss doesn't even have to involve strange diets, special exercises or even the 'magic' of pills or fitness gadgets. Want the secret to weight loss? Make small changes each and every day and you'll slowly (but surely) lose those extra pounds. Here’s we go!

Rules of Weight Loss
To lose one pound, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. Sounds impossible doesn't it? Here's how it works.

1.Calculate your BMR. Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing, digestion, etc.
2.Calculate your activity level. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day.
3.Keep track of how many calories you eat. Use a food journal to add up what you eat and drink during the day. If you're eating less calories than you're burning, you'll lose weight.

As tips, you could have question “what’s Calories, BMR and calories Calucator?” So, just look below, you will find all answers as you doubt.

What’s Calories?
Have you ever heard this “That’s loaded with calories!” or “Are you counting your calories?”
When people talk about the calories in food, what do they mean? A calorie is a unit of measurement — but it doesn't measure weight or length. A calorie is a unit of energy in food and beverages we take in. We all need that energy to live. Everything we do relies on the energy that comes in the form of calories. The food we eat becomes the fuel that runs our bodies. Drinks also contain calories; sodas, for example, are referred to as "empty calories" meaning they carry no other nutritional value; but the calories definitely still count.

Most foods and drinks contain difference calories. Some foods, such as lettuce, contain few calories. (A cup of shredded lettuce has less than 10 calories.) Other foods, like peanuts, contain a lot of calories. (A half of a cup of peanuts has 427 calories.) No matter the form of your calories ... if you "overload your tank" you will find yourself gaining weight.

Where are Calories?
Calories are found in four components of foods. They are: fat, carbohydrates, protein and alcohol (i.e., sugar). Fat contains twice the calories of carbohydrates or protein (fat has 9 calories, carbohydate and Protein have 4 calories per gram).

How do Calories Get Stored as Fat?
When you are in excess of that, your body doesn't have any choice but to do something with those extra calories. It puts them in storage in the form of fat.

In other words, calories turn into fat when they're sitting around doing nothing. When you have taken in 3,500 calories above your caloric needs ... you gain a pound (Oh! My God).

How many calories should I eat if I want to lose weight?
To estimate how many calories you should consume in order to maintain your weight, you'll need to do a little math. By using a simple formula called the Harris-Benedict principle, you can assess your basal metabolic rate -- also known as your BMR.

Calculate Your BMR
Your BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function. We use about 60% of the calories we consume each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing. Other factors that influence your BMR are height, weight, age and sex.

Step one: is to calculate your BMR with the following formula:

Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Please note that this formula applies only to adults.

Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:
1.If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
2.If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
3.If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
4.If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
5.If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent
Add this number to your BMR.

The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than this result. As you lose weight, you can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.

Example: Your BMR is 1500 calories and you burn 1000 calories in daily activity. To maintain your weight, you should be eating 2500 calories but, after keeping a food journal, you find that you are eating 3000 calories every day. By eating 500 more calories than your body needs, You will gain one pound everyweek.

Count Calories to Lose Weight
It follows that if it takes 3,500 extra calories to gain a pound, all it takes is to cut 3,500 calories to lose one. This is best achieved by cutting some calories from your regular diet with simple changes, such as choosing reduced-calorie beverages daily and burning additional calories by exercising on a regular basis.

A healthy weight loss goal is to lose .5 to 2 pounds per week. Losing more than 2 pounds per week will mean the weight is less likely to stay off permanently. Never cut back to fewer than 1,200 daily calories without medical supervision.

You can find out how many calories are in a food by looking at the nutrition facts label. The label also will describe the components of the food — how many grams of carbohydrate, protein, and fat it contains. That means if you know how many grams of each one are in a food, you can calculate the total calories. You would multiply the number of grams by the number of calories in a gram of that food component. For example, if a serving of potato chips (about 20 chips) has 10 grams of fat, 90 calories are from fat. That's 10 grams X 9 calories per gram.

Just so easy to loss weight, right? lol

Any queries that I could help you, please feel free to reach me at stargirlyune@gmail.com, see you!

Sources: Learning About Calories by Mary L. Gavin, Kidshealth.org/ How to Calculate Your Caloric Needs and Loss Weight by Jennifer R. Cott, About.com/ How to Loss Weight – The Basic of Weight Loss by Paige Waehner, About.com/ all pictures from google.com

The Power of "Acai Berry Diet".

2009-05-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Power of "Acai Berry Diet”

Hi There!! Today I would like to introduce you to know for superfood called “Acai Berry” that I had read from some resources. For several hundreds years, the acai (pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”) berry was known only to those who live inside the Amazon rainforest. Researchers think that compounds in plants and trees in the rainforests may have the solutions to treat our most dreaded diseases. When the rainforests vanish, those remedies naturally vanish.

Fortunately, people in the rainforests found the miracles in acai berry long time ago and have been using the acai berry to maintain good health and increase the energy for many years.

The acai berries are grown and found on top of palm trees. Local farmers at the rainforest harvest acai berry and create fruit pulp out of it. If they freeze acai berry promptly when they are still fresh, most of nutrition in acai berry can be kept in the pulp even while being transported overseas. The acai berry is best-known for their rich purplish color and an ample source of numerous crucial antioxidant vitamins.

Acai Berry Benefits are “The Reason why you should put Acai Berry into your Daily Diet Plan”.

Acai Berry is the fruit, a small, round, black-purple drupe about 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter, similar in appearance and size to a grape but with less pulp, is produced in branched panicles of 700 to 900 fruits. Two crops of fruit are produced each year. The fruit has a single large seed about 0.25–0.40 inches (7–10 mm) in diameter. The exocarp of the ripe fruits is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of acai and its maturity. The mesocarp is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of 1 mm or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp, which contains a seed with a diminutive embryo and abundant endosperm. The seed makes up about 80% of the fruit.

The berries are harvested as food. In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, acai palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up such a major component of diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is economically valuable in the region.

The juice and pulp of acai fruits are used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. In northern Brazil, acai is traditionally served in gourds called "cuias" with tapioca and, depending on the local preference, can be consumed either salty or sweet (sugar, rapadura, and honey are known to be used in the mix). Acai has become popular in southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as acai na tigela ("acai in the bowl"), mostly mixed with granola. Acai is also widely consumed in Brazil as an ice cream flavor or juice. The juice has also been used in a flavored liqueur.

Dietary Supplement

The acai "berry" has been touted and marketed as a highly beneficial dietary supplement. Companies sell acai berry products in the form of tablets, juice, smoothies, instant drink powders, and whole fruit.

Marketers of these products make claims that acai provides increased energy levels, improved sexual performance, improved digestion, detoxification, high fiber content, high antioxidant content, improved skin appearance, improved heart health, improved sleep, and reduction of cholesterol levels. More dubious claims include reversal of diabetes and other chronic illnesses, as well as expanding size of the penis and increasing men's sexual virility and sexual attractiveness to women. Acai is most commonly marketed as a weight loss product.

As of March 2009, there are no controlled studies backing up any of these claims. According to ABC News correspondent Susan Donaldson, these products have not been evaluated (in the United States) by the FDA, and their efficacy is questionable. In late 2008, lawyers for The Oprah Winfrey Show began investigating alleged statements from supplement manufacturers who suggested that frequent Oprah guest Dr. Mehmet Oz had recommended their product or acai in general for weight loss.

Nutritional content
Most of the research to date on acai has focused on a particular freeze-dried form referred to as Opti-acai. This powder preparation of freeze-dried acai fruit pulp and skin was reported to contain (per 100 g of extract) 533.9 calories, 52.2 g carbohydrates, 8.1 g protein, and 32.5 g total fat. The carbohydrate portion included 44.2 g of fiber. The powder was also shown to contain (per 100 g): negligible vitamin C, 260 mg calcium, 4.4 mg iron, and 1002 U vitamin A, as well as aspartic acid and glutamic acid; the amino acid content was 7.59% of total dry weight.

The fat content of acai consists of oleic acid (56.2% of total fats), palmitic acid (24.1%), and linoleic acid (12.5%). Acai also contains beta-sitosterol (78–91% of total sterols). The oil compartments in acai fruit contain polyphenols such as procyanidin oligmers and vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid, which were shown to degrade substantially during storage or exposure to heat.

Antioxidants of acai raw materials
A comparative analysis reported that acai has intermediate antioxidant potency among 11 varieties of frozen juice pulps, scoring lower than acerola, mango, strawberry, and grapes. A powdered preparation of freeze-dried acai fruit pulp and skin was shown to contain anthocyanins (3.19 mg/g); however, anthocyanins accounted for only about 10% of the overall antioxidant capacity. The powdered preparation was also reported to contain twelve flavonoid-like compounds, including homoorientin, orientin, taxifolin, deoxyhexose, isovitexin, scoparin, as well as proanthocyanidins (12.89 mg/g), and low levels of resveratrol (1.1 μg/g).

In a study of different acai varieties for their antioxidant capacity, a white species displayed no antioxidant activity against different oxygen radicals, whereas the purple variety most often used commercially was excellent against peroxyl radicals, good against peroxynitrite, and poor against hydroxyl radicals.

Freeze-dried acai powder was found to have high antioxidant activity against superoxide (1614 units/g) and peroxyl radicals (1027 μmol TE/g) and milder activity for peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals. The powder was reported to inhibit hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidation in neutrophils, and to have a slight stimulatory effect on nitric oxide production by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages in vitro.

Extracts of acai seeds were reported to have antioxidant capacity against peroxyl radicals, similar to the antioxidant capacity of the pulp, with higher antioxidant capacity against peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals.

Antioxidant activity of Acai juice
When three commercially available juice mixes containing unspecified percentages of acai juice were compared for in vitro antioxidant capacity against red wine, tea, six types of pure fruit juice, and pomegranate juice. The average antioxidant capacity was ranked lower than that of pomegranate juice, Concord grape juice, blueberry juice, and red wine. The average was roughly equivalent to that of black cherry or cranberry juice, and was higher than that of orange juice, apple juice, and tea.

Studies have demonstrated that blood antioxidant capacity increases within two hours of consuming a commercial acai juice.

Another study showed another benefit of acai berry. The study has shown the acai berry’s activity against cancer cells due to high level of antioxidant and nutritional components in pulp and juice. Grapes and blueberries are also known as healthy fruits. Actually, the acai berry has much more antioxidant vitamins than grapes (ten times more) and blueberries (two times more).

For a long time, the acai berry has not been available to people outside the rainforests. As the acai berry became more popular, acai berry started to be more available to us. The acai berry is really one of the most remedial fruit, and a desirable add-on to your daily diet.

Have you put "Acai Berry" into your daily diet plan yet? lol.

Any queries that I could help you, please feel free to reach me at stargirlyune@gmail.com, see you!!!

Sources&Pictures: Acai Berry, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia/ listofhealthyfoods.com/google.com

How to Lose Weight to Thin

2009-05-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

How to Lose Weight to Thin

Say hi!! to the blog readers who have overweight problems. I'm not the trainer or weight loss specialist but I'm a reader like you. I just read these secrets from MSN, Health & Fitness, these resources said about secrects of "how to stay thin and look healthy". I think these could apply to use for the people who want to loss weight.

Here are 10 secrets you need to know in order to join the ranks of the thin.

1. They don't diet
Or at least not in the traditional, all-or-nothing, deprivation sense of the word. "You need to get rid of that diet mentality and realize that what you are doing is making a permanent lifestyle change," says Anne Fletcher, M.S., R.D., author of the Thin for Life book series. She adds, "You do have to cut back on calories if you want to stay thin, but it's about reassessing what you eat and being more sensible in your choices, not about a quick-fix, crazy diet." Research has also shown that thin people tend to have a better quality diet than those who are overweight. They eat more fruits and vegetables and more fiber, and drink more water—all healthy things that provide more food volume for the number of calories.

2. They keep track of their weight
Thin people know how much they weigh, and they monitor that number by stepping on the scale frequently. It's not about a having an unhealthy fixation on that number on the scale, but it's a way to catch a 5-pound gain before it suddenly turns into a 20-pound gain. "Aim to keep your weight within a five-pound range, and if you see it go above that buffer zone, make sure you have an immediate plan of action for how to address it," suggests Fletcher.

3. They exercise regularly
"In my research, nine out of 10 people who've lost weight and maintained it exercise regularly and make it a critical part of their lives," says Fletcher. Even if you've never been a fitness fanatic, it's not too late to get moving. Even taking a few 15-minute walks throughout the day will be a move in the right direction. Once you start to enjoy the mood-boosting and calorie-burning advantages of exercise, start looking for ways to keep your workouts interesting. Join a local gym and try a variety of classes and cardio machines, find friends to walk with, or experiment with at-home exercise DVDs.

4. They don't solve problems with food
Almost everyone is guilty of occasionally drowning their sorrows in a pint of Ben & Jerry's or taking out frustration on a batch of brownies, but thin people definitely don't make it a habit. "They tend not to eat purely for emotional reasons," says Fletcher. When you are upset (or bored, lonely, frustrated or angry), she suggests asking yourself: Is food really going to solve the problem, or will it just end up making you feel worse after you finish eating? Chances are, the food won't fix what's bothering you, so it's important to come up with a list of other small pleasures you can turn to instead of food. Some ideas include going for a walk, watching a movie, calling a friend, playing with your kids, or taking a bubble bath.

5. They stop eating when they're full
Most thin people are not members of the clean-plate club. Instead of mindlessly eating however much they are served, they pay attention to internal hunger cues and satiety. "Thin people are tuned into noticing when they are satisfied, and they stop eating even if there is food left," says Jill Fleming, M.S., R.D., author of Thin People Don't Clean Their Plates (Inspiration Presentations Press, 2005). "They often report that they don't like that feeling of being uncomfortably full, so they've learned how to stop before they reach it."

6. They don't surround themselves with temptation
Rather than stocking the cupboards with junk food, thin people's kitchens tend to be filled with healthy foods. That doesn't mean you can never have any indulgences in the house, just that you shouldn't have so many that you're likely to overeat them. For example, if you love to bake, give most of your sweets away to friends, or have your kids bring them to school or soccer practice, leaving just a few behind to enjoy yourself

7. They allow themselves treats
It's the opposite of the deprivation mentality that many overweight (but dieting) people espouse: Thin people let themselves eat what they crave, sometimes even indulging in a treat every day. "The difference is that they do it consciously, choosing exactly what they really want to eat and then eating slowly and enjoying it," says Fleming. So if it's chocolate you want, don't try to eat around the craving with an array of foods that don't really satisfy you. Instead, allow yourself to have a small but really delicious chocolate bar and put the craving to rest.

8. They eat breakfast
According to the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks the habits and strategies of more than 5,000 people who have maintained a significant weight loss, nearly 80 percent of these successful losers eat breakfast every single day. And most of their naturally lean counterparts do the same, and make sure that they eat within about an hour of waking up. "Breakfast is literally breaking the fast of the night," says Fleming. "Until you send food into your system, your metabolism doesn't really start to kick in."

9. They move, stand and fidget more
"Thin people are rarely sitting," says Fleming. Beyond their regular fitness routines, they simply move around more—and consequently burn more calories—throughout the day. And a study at the Mayo Clinic confirmed this: Researchers found that on average, a group of lean subjects sat for two hours a day less than the obese subjects, potentially burning up to 350 additional calories.

10. They don't skip meals
There are two problems with skipping meals—and thin people are careful not to fall prey to them. Going more than six hours without food will slow down your metabolism, plus you'll likely get so desperately hungry that you'll grab anything (as opposed to something healthy) and eat too much of it. "Thin people keep their gas tanks [i.e., their stomachs] between one-quarter and three-quarters full all the time," says Fleming. The best way to do that is to eat frequent mini-meals every three to four hours.

I wish you'll find the best way to make healthy lifestyle changes, lol!!!

Any queries that I could help you, please feel free to reach me at stargirlyune@gmail.com, see you!

Remark: All these resources is came from MSN, Health & Fitness, by Sally Wadyka on Wendesday May 20, 2009.