Calorie Shifting Diet - Lose Weight by Shifting Calories!

Our country is becoming increasingly more overweight year after year. Many of us try diet after diet only to end up failing and becoming heavier in the long run. Our current economic state does not help at all because stress usually causes us to eat more. But what can we do? The bottom line is that something needs to change not only with your eating habits but with a little exercise. There is a brand new way of eating called calorie shifting in which you eat by alternating calorie types from meal to meal. This new calorie shifting diet has given people some extremely great results and best of all it is easy to use and follow.

Calorie Shifting Diet - How it works

The calorie shifting diet works by tricking your bodys metabolism. Let's take for example one of the previous low calorie diets that I am sure you have already tried. These diets made you consume less calories per day and therefore your body started to realize that you were almost at a point of starvation. So, what does the body do? It starts to conserve calories. That's why you lose some weight at the beginning of those diets but the weight loss slows down as you continue. Worse yet, you really are starving yourself and you feel like you have to cheat and eat something you like.



The calorie shifting diet works differently by eating different amounts of calories each day and alternating different types of calories such as proteins, then carbs, the back to proteins, etc. This keeps your bodys metabolism tricked or confused and adjusts to the different calorie intakes and keeps your metabolism going. By shifting calories, your body never feels like you are starving it and therefore it never starts to conserve fat and calories as it would with those other diets.

Shifting Calories - The Benefits

The benefits of using the calorie shifting diet are that you don't have to keep track of calories or read labels, and write down the foods you ate, etc. The other great benefit is that you get a meal plan that you have to follow, but you can eat the foods you want to eat. You get to choose from over 30 different foods for this meal plan. You also get to eat until you feel satisfied each time you eat a meal! No more feeling starved or the need to cheat.

This diet will also go over the types of drinks you should be drinking and what else to do as far to increase your results. By using this diet, you can lose up to 9 pounds in 11 days.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sean_Frye/145725

The Top Ten Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss!

In conjunction with daily exercise, including healthy snacks in your diet is crucial. There are fibrous foods and protein foods, which make up the two main sources of nutrition.

Food that burns fat needs a higher calorie amount in order to burn energy than what is actually present in the food content, which is a proven fact. The term "calorie negative foods" is used to describe this.

Here is a series of healthy snacks to include in your diet: 

#1. Apples - Apples contain a chemical called pectin that inhibits a cell's fat absorption abilities. In addition, you will eat less since the fiber content in apples causes you to feel full more quickly. On a final note, the stored cellulite in your body is able to be dispersed through the food's water absorption.

#2. Fruits Containing Vitamin C - Oranges, grapefruits, guava, sweet limes, papayas, lemons, tomatoes and tangerines are citrus fruits that contain high concentrations of fiber and Vitamin C. These citrus fruits are considered to be healthy snacks because of their ability to burn fat. The body needs a certain amount of Vitamin C to ensure proper function in fat burning.



The body is also able to burn fat more quickly because of the production of carnitine amino acid. Vitamin C is able to dilute any stored fat in the body, thus hampering its functionality. In other words, the fat in your body is more readily dissolved.

#3. Dairy/Calcium Foods - Products such as cheese, milk and yogurt enhance fat burning in the body. You could start making your own frozen yogurt popsicles to eat as a dessert.

#4 Nuts - While these boost metabolism and allow you to feel fuller more quickly, nuts are an ideal snack. However, avoid including any salted or processed nuts in your snacking. The most ideal choice would be to eat organic almonds.

#5. Frozen Juice Bars - You might as well have an ice cream truck visiting your street when you pull out one of those delicious frozen juice bars. Gidus has said, "They're sweet and tangy, and anything frozen takes longer to eat". "They're just a few calories, and they've even got some vitamins."

#6. Bubble Gum - You ought to ask yourself just how hungry you really are when you are thinking about grabbing that extra snack. You should take out a piece of bubble gum if you feel any uncertainty whatsoever. In fact, in a matter of sixty minutes, chewing gum could very well burn as much as eleven calories.

#7. Beef Jerky - You may be surprised, but this is quite a healthy snack to eat. There is approximately one gram of fat, twelve grams of protein and anywhere from seventy to eighty calories in an ounce of beef jerky.

#8. Avocadoes - This fruit makes you feel full more quickly since it is packed with fiber.

#9. Protein - Foods containing high levels of protein that burn more energy than what is stored during digestion would be oatmeal, low-cal dairy foods, whole grain foods, eggs and legumes.

#10. Green Tea - Green tea would be an ideal beverage to consume on a regular basis since numerous studies from the past have concluded that this drink actually boosts the metabolic rate.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Bryan_Carlton/723741

Gain 10 Pounds of Muscle in 4 Weeks With the Lean Muscle Building Workout

Have you been lifting weights and exercising regularly in an attempt to pack on some lean muscle, but are still not seeing the results you want? Have you almost given up on your dream of having the lean, muscular body you've always dreamed about? Don't quit yet, because there is a way that you can gain 10 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks by adhering to a simple but effective lean muscle building workout. There is really no magic formula for muscle gain - it will take discipline and hard work, and you will need to make your muscle-building efforts a top priority if you hope to be successful.

To begin with, if you want to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks, you will need to understand a few basic facts. First, your muscles do not grow during the actual workout! Most people fail to understand this fact, and the resulting misconception completely skews their focus. Second, your nutritional intake and rest are just as important as the way you exercise. You are going to need to balance your weight lifting, eating, and rest so that all three elements work together in a seamless manner to help you reach your goal.

Design your Workout

We'll start with the actual workout first, since that is usually the subject of most interest to people who want to add muscle mass. If you want to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks, your workout should be designed to be tight, efficient, and intense. While most of the routines you read about in the popular bodybuilding and strength training magazines are all created to take anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours, the fact is that most people will find that type of routine counterproductive. Your goal should be to do just enough sets and repetitions to stimulate the muscle fibers, and create the tiny tears that will with the normal rest cycle, produce healthier, stronger, and bigger muscles.



Most people will attest to the fact that they can generally achieve that "tearing down" of the muscles in a routine that lasts as little as 30 minutes. Under no circumstances should you allow the routine to take more than 45 or 50 minutes, as anything more will result in a buildup of lactic acid that will leave you completely drained - hindering both recovery and muscle growth. Be sure to incorporate exercises to work out every major muscle group as well, to ensure that your efforts to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks build your overall physique and not just one or two features.

Don't Forget About Food

Balancing the exercise with proper nutrition and rest can sometimes be difficult, but if you are serious about trying to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks you will have no choice but to eat right and get adequate rest. To build muscle, you will need protein. Eat between one and a half to two grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. Balance the protein with slow-burning carbohydrates that can provide you with the energy you need, and a minimum of dietary fat. Always remember that gaining one pound of weight a week requires you to eat a total of 3500 calories more - or an increase of 500 calories each day. To pack on the muscle you want, you will obviously need to eat much more than you do at present - and much of it should be protein.

And Rest

Finally, any efforts to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks will fail miserably without rest. All of your muscle growth occurs during your rest cycle, which means that you need to find a way to acquire a full eight or more hours of sleep each night. If you have an extremely active lifestyle - i.e., calorie-burning activities - you may need to make additional adjustments. Nevertheless, by focusing on a balanced approach to exercise, nutrition, and rest, you can have the lean, muscular body you seek.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/G._Crandall/34202

Vitamin B12 and Weight Loss

Cobalamin or as it is better known, is one of the vital nutrients our bodies need in order to work properly. It is necessary to perform many of the body's more important tasks, including the making of DNA during cell division and the healthy formation of red blood cells.

B12 is known as the "energy vitamin" because it gives a real energy boost. It is used to remedy fatigue and it speeds up the metabolism. Red blood cells are also responsible for producing hemoglobin, the part of the blood that takes oxygen from the lungs and transports it to all the different parts of the body.

It has many functions and uses but does it help people lose weight?

What is the link between Vitamin B12 and weight loss?

Vitamin B12 Injections and Weight Loss
Some people might go to a clinic to get shots. These shots are administered directly into the muscle, allowing for better absorption. People who get these shots mainly suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome or a deficiency. They might also claim that taking these shots help them to lose weight.



However, injections by themselves do not directly induce weight loss, nor are they intended to. So why do people who get them lose weight?

There are many factors to take into consideration.

B12 causes the metabolism to speed up, which in turn increases weight loss. People who go to get injections tend to be more conscious of their health and are already on a vegetarian, or other weight loss diet.

Shots give a tremendous boost of energy. This generally helps people to maintain their diets, and motivates them to exercise and increase physical activity. Vitamin B12 also helps to fight stress and depression, symptoms which are sometimes associated with weight gain.

While the shots can be a great benefit to some, particularly those with a B12 deficiency, there can be some negative side effects when taken excessively or along with certain other substances. There is also a risk for those who have certain pre-existing conditions. It's important to consult a physician before undergoing injections.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Deficiencies can become a serious health threat. The body can normally stock up many years supply of vitamin B12, so it more often materializes when the body is unable to properly absorb vitamin B12 because of illness or old age. Incidentally, deficiencies can cause weight loss, among other symptoms. Extreme cases can even result in permanent nerve damage if left untreated.

A person diagnosed with a B12 deficiency will need to take supplements. These are most often taken as capsules or via intramuscular injections. Although vitamin B12 does not directly cause weight loss, it is still an essential nutrient that is needed by the body. It is important to get a sufficient amount of it and doing so will ensure better health, all around.

Vitamin B12 and Dieting
When undergoing any new weight loss program it is important to make sure that the diet is well balanced and contains all of the essential nutrients. This of course includes vitamin B12 and other essential nutrients.

Food sources rich in B12
Meat, Poultry, Milk and other dairy products, Eggs, and Fish

Since the only reliable source of vitamin B12 are from animals those practicing a vegetarian or vegan diet will have to get theirs from supplements. If a person doesn't get enough they may develop a deficiency.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Susan_Bell/479366

Kettlebell Exercises - A Workout For Weight Loss Training

The kettlebell is a primal piece of workout gear. It's a cannonball with a handle, plain and simple. There are a variety of weights and sizes to choose from, and there are even a few lines of "rubberized," colorful kettlebells due to the growing popularity of kettlebell workouts in southern California.

But what are kettlebell exercises good for? Strength and weight loss training to begin with. Kettlebell training incorporates fluid, intense motion to work the core, lower back, lower body, and shoulder muscles. It combines the endurance of a cardiovascular workout with the power of strength training. It requires concentration and body control. A kettlebell workout can be a rewarding training method for weight loss and strength, but it is not for the "casual gym dweller." Following are three basic kettlebell exercises to get started.

The Swing
Every activity has a basic move. The yoga beginner learns the downward dog, the tap dancer learns the single time step, the boxer learns the straight right, and the kettlebeller learns the swing.

Lower your body to a squat position: feet at shoulder width, weight on heels, shoulders back, kettlebell between legs.



Grab the kettle bell with both hands. Rise upward while pushing your hips outward. Use your core to swing the kettlebell out and upward. Assist with your lower body and shoulders, but do not use your arms or rely on shoulder strength to swing the kettlebell. Legs and hips are the driving force of the motion.

Once the kettlebell reaches its zenith, now you can actively use your shoulders to return the kettlebell to the beginning position.

Clean and Press
Once you've got the swing down, this is the next kettlebell exercise to master. Perfect for weight loss training, the "Clean and Press" begins with the basic swing, but then transforms into a press once you bring the kettlebell to your shoulder.

Start with a basic swing, but keep your elbows tucked in as you bring the kettlebell up.

Once the kettlebell reaches shoulder height, drop back to a half squat. Bring your elbows underneath the kettlebell as you dip down.

Now press the kettlebell above your shoulder, rising to a stand, and finish with the kettlebell raised above your head.

Slowly lower the kettlebell and swing back to the squat position.

Turkish Get Up
This kettlebell exercise is for the advanced kettlebeller. It's basically a complicated way of standing up. But it utilizes a wide variety of muscles, more strength than weight loss training, but definitely a great addition to the oeuvre of kettlebell exercises.

Lie on your back, and hold the kettlebell straight up with your left hand, elbow locked.

Prop yourself up with your right hand. And pull your left foot toward your buttocks.

Plant your right knee on the ground. Follow through by placing your left foot on the ground. You should be halfway into a kneeling position at this point.

Finally, stand up. Keep in mind, your elbow should be locked for the entire exercise and you should keep your eyes on the kettlebell the entire exercise as well.

Mastering the Turkish Get Up can take some time, but it can drastically improve your weight loss training regiment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mark_Sisson/259661

How to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time

In bodybuilding, there is a common belief that it is impossible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Many bodybuilders believe that you should only focus on one of these goals. Either lose fat by doing loads of cardio and dropping your calories by 500, or else eat 500 calories more than normal and start lifting weights to gain muscle.

However, neither of these goals is totally ideal. If you lose fat by cutting your caloric intake and doing loads of cardio, you will produce a body that is thinner than before but not visually appealing. You will simply be a smaller version of what you were in the beginning. Gaining muscle means eating more food but that often means putting on some fat, too. Lifting weights while eating like that will produce a a much more muscular frame but with puffy, bloated-looking muscles and a stocky frame that is also not what most people are looking for.

The vast majority of people who hit the gym to transform their bodies, other than the serious meatheads who want to be the next Schwarzenegger, are people who are looking to create the hot, sexy, "GQ model" look, with well-developed but reasonably-sized muscles, a six-pack and a hard, lean appearance, so that the muscles look angular and "cut", as though you were a diagram of the human musculature. This appearance is not created by following either of the pieces of advice given above for building muscle or losing fat.

The secret to creating this look is to follow a program that emphasizes three stages -

1/ Heavy training that gets you strong
2/ Muscle building work to increase size
3/ Metabolic bursting, HIIT and steady-state cardio to burn fat



Do all three of these in THAT order and you will produce that "GQ" body. Let's go into details now!

1/ Heavy training - spend at least the first month pushing and pulling some serious weight. Focus on intensity (how much weight) and volume (how many sets). I would recommend 5 sets of 5 reps at a minimum of 80% of your 1-rep max. You can do some exercises at a higher number of reps to increase size a little bit but make sure that you spend most of your time getting strong. Increase the weight by 20% each week if you can. Just do a little cardio if you must (for example, if you are seriously overweight). Focus on the traditional heavy compound exercises that train the whole body - pull-ups, push-ups, pull-downs, squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows and lunges.

2/ Training for size - spend the second month focusing on increasing the size of your muscles. Ease off on the heavy training by reducing it to no more than 20% of your time at the gym. Increase reps to 8-12 and decrease sets to 3-4 max. Decrease weights to 60% of your 1-rep max. Super-set upper and lower body exercises to maximize efficient use of time and regard the time when you are exercising your lower body as a rest period for your upper body m(and vice versa). Minimize rest periods overall to increase the workload on the body. You can incorporate more isolation exercises into your routine, such as bicep curls, pec-dec machine and other, more "wussy" exercises. Sleep at least 8 hours a night to maximize muscle recovery and growth. Take at least 2 rest days a week. Drink plenty of water to flush out lactic acid.

3/ Cardio - in the third month, focus more on fat loss. Start circuit training by doing "heavy" exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, pull-downs, squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows and lunges at high rep ranges with absolutely minimal rest periods with lighter weights. Do all 8 of these exercises in one circuit and focus on trying to complete at least 3 circuits in one gym session. Then hit the treadmill or stationary bike. Perform a 5-minute warm-up at 60% of your maximum intensity, then do metabolic bursting with a Tabata Protocol of 2o seconds at a minimum of 90% intensity, followed by 10 seconds at 60% intensity. Repeat this 30-second process at least 10 times (giving you 5 minutes of bursting). Follow this with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) by performing 2 minutes at 80% intensity and 1 minute at 60% intensity. Do this 3 times (9 minutes total). Then perform steady-state cardio for 10 minutes at 60% intensity, then a 1-minute cool-down at 50%. This gives you a 25-minute cardio routine to begin with. The metabolic bursting is anaerobic, meaning that it takes place "in the absence of oxygen", which forces your body to go to its fat stores to give you the energy to complete the exercise. The HIIT, then moves the fat into the blood stream, where it is available to give constant supplies to the body during the longer high-intensity 2-min sessions. Finally, the steady-state moves the fat from the blood into the kidneys. Drink plenty of water. This will flush out the fat from the kidneys into the bladder. When you urinate, it will move out of the body and be gone! As the month continues, increase bursting to 20 times (10 minutes), HIIT to 5 times (15 minutes) but keep steady-state at 10 minutes. With a three-minute warm-up and two-minute cool-down, that gives you a 40-minutes workout to aim for by the end of the month.

Do all this and you will get the hot body of your dreams!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Oliver_N_Chapman/1935522

Calories Burned Jogging - Don't Be Fooled

Jogging is probably the easiest exercise to do that gives a substantial calorie burn rate, so it's naturally tempting to know the number of calories burned jogging. When you know this number of calories, it's easier to check the amount of exercise you need to shed weight at a manageable pace. But it isn't that simple - it's actually easy to be misled by the numbers, since the amount of burned calories varies from person to person.

How many calories do you need to burn?

According to the experts, you'll need to burn 3,500 calories in order to shed one pound. That means if you total 500 calories while jogging per day, and if you jog everyday, you'll theoretically lose one pound per week. Done the whole year, it can add up to around 50 pounds - and that's no small feat! But there's more you need to know. Aside from the exercise, you'll also need to watch your diet.

The average person consumes about 2,000 calories each day. Supposing you eat this much and you're still gaining weight, it means that 2,000 calories is too much for you. Your balanced consumption rate - which is the number of calories you need to consume to make your weight level off - is probably around 1700. That means even if you log 500 calories jogging every day, eating 2,000 calories will only give you a calorie deficit of 200 - which means you'll lose one pound every 17 or 18 weeks. This can be a trap for some dieters, since exercise can actually stimulate the appetite.



The best thing to do is to settle for a low-calorie diet that doesn't sacrifice any of the taste and enjoyment of food. Then it'll be easier to make your burned calories count towards your weight loss regimen.

Don't be fooled by treadmills and other exercise machines.

Some exercise machines have a nifty little meter on the panel telling you how many calories you've burned already. Don't count on this meter too much, since they're calibrated for a person who's 150 pounds or heavier. And the heavier the person, the more calories will be burned. So don't be misled - the number might be higher or lower than it really is.

Here's a better guide for calories burned jogging: If you weigh 105-121 pounds, you'll burn around 8.6 calories per minute. If you weigh 122-148 pounds, the number goes up to 9.2. For people weighing 149-175 pounds, its 11.5 calories per minute. And for those weighing 176 pounds and above, it's around 12.7 calories per minute.

It doesn't stop here. The number of calories burned also increases with the intensity, so once you get bored of jogging at the usual speed of 5 miles per hour, you can go up to six and burn even more.

Remember the proper way of jogging.

Finally, it pays to remember the right way of jogging. When only starting out, you'll need to start at a relaxed pace. That is, you should be at a pace where you can still talk in sentences without running out of breath. And when you do get tired, slow down to a walking pace to catch your breath. Once you get into it, you'll realize that you can jog simply for fun, and the calories burned while jogging wouldn't seem to matter so much anymore.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Peter_Hilford/263608