Diet Vs Exercise -Which Is More Important?

Fast Weight Loss Is More Water Than Fat

A lot of people want to lose weight in the quickest way possible and are often fascinated when they use a weight loss product or service that produces a rapid weight loss in the first few days or weeks. While it might be appealing to think that they are at last on the right track and that they will finally be able to stick to it and lose unwanted body weight, there is however a flip-side to this rapid weight loss experienced.

After experiencing the initial rapid weight loss, it is too often the case that a lot of dieters who make use of such quick fat reduction products find that they simply start losing hope as their fat loss rate almost always grinds to a snail pace. And while it might be great if all the bodyweight reduction experienced during the initial phase of the diet program was actually from body fat, the fact is that this is not the case.

The truth of the matter is this - losing body weight is actually easy, but losing body fat is not as easy as it might seem. It would also not be an exaggeration to say that a lot of diet promoters are pretty much aware of this fact but somehow intentionally fail or refuse to enlighten dieters about this weight loss phenomenon.

This is what is actually happening. A great percentage of the weight lost during the early phase of virtually any weight loss program is mostly due to water loss from body tissues because water forms part of every single cell in the human body. In fact, fat-free mass is 70-75% water, and body fat is just about 10-40% water.

Due to the reduction of calorie intake during the early periods of using any weight loss product and in particular those especially designed to "supposedly" facilitate quick fat reduction, the body is forced to release and burn its stored glycogen for energy fuel. Glycogen is essentially made up of 75% water and 25% glucose and therefore when glucose is metabolized, water is largely produced as a by-product.

Consequently, about 75% of the weight lost during this initial rapid bodyweight reduction is mostly from lean body mass (muscle and water) and 25% from unwanted body fat. Normally, for every gram of glycogen that is burned, the body loses about 4 or 5 grams of weight. When body water is lost in this way, and due to the fact that water is heavy, the drop in pounds is easily noticed on the scale.

It is only when the body's glycogen stores become significantly depleted that the body begins to burn fat for energy. However, each gram of fat has about twice the calorie content of 1 gram of glycogen and therefore it would require burning double the amount of calories needed to lose 1 gram of glycogen to lose 1 gram of fat.

Therefore, since fat contains only about 10-40% water, when the body moves into the fat burning phase of a weight loss program, the bathroom scale tends to be much slower than when glycogen was being burnt for energy at the beginning of the diet.

Taking into account the aforementioned points, it is unfortunate to note that there are actually some weight loss programs that in an attempt to show prompt results incorporate the use of diuretics to give the illusion of weight loss. Diuretics, both drugs and diuretic herbs, promote body water loss through the kidneys. Apart from these diet programs leading to body water loss which easily shows up on the bathroom, the dieter risks getting dehydrated.

Equally, be it a conventional diet, a fad diet, or a diet pill, the early rapid bodyweight reduction effect mostly likely to be experienced is virtually the same - body water loss. However, diets that employ have severe caloric restrictions or that are high in protein can significantly increase this effect.

Actually, the natural course of weight loss is to experience a quick loss of weight resulting from the loss of water from body tissues which is then subsequently followed by a significant slowdown in fat loss as the body now switches to burning its fat stores to meet it energy needs. After the initial rapid bodyweight reduction phase of a weight loss program, the rate of further healthy fat loss should be somewhere around 1-2 pounds per week, or slightly more depending on the individual's make-up.

Therefore when a diet plan or some other fat reduction program claims to have the ability to help you lose as much as 10-30 pounds of body weight within a questionable period of time, say 1 week, you now have an idea of what you are up against. You simply can't burn fat that easily, instead you will be losing your body water.

When dieters have a proper understanding of the body weight they are more likely to shed during the early days of a diet program, their focus and expectations will not be unnecessarily raised as they now understand just where they are and what to expect.

Understanding the little intricacies involved in losing weight such as the body water loss concept above, helps dieters to be far better poised to set realistic fat reduction goals. This allows for a design of a fat reduction plan that anticipates how to handle situations and other inevitable minor setbacks that test the dieter's resolve without him or her feeling unnecessarily discouraged.

A sensible and long-term focused weight loss program should therefore target body fat loss instead of concentrating solely on scale weight loss. For successful and long-term weight loss, there is the need for an individual to make some positive and permanent changes in his or her lifestyle such as the incorporation of a calorie-controlled diet with regular physical exercise.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Fast-Weight-Loss-Is-More-Water-Than-Fat&id=6873940 

How to Use Intermittent Fasting to Lose Weight Fast and Detoxify

Not sure if Intermittent Fasting is for You. Then take a look at this video.

What’s better for weight loss: Diet or Exercise?

You want what millions of other people ‘do’ to lose weight. Whether you want to trim off extra pounds so you’ll feel better, look better, or be better prepared to tackle whatever demands come your way, you probably want to find the most efficient way to do it.

Well, with this information, you can figure out if you should put your emphasis on diet or exercise to get the results you want.

Best Way to Lose Weight Quickly

                                     

While fad diets have tried their best to malign the fine name of dieting, proper diet continues to be a vital way to lose weight.

                                Food for Weight Loss

In fact, research has shown that if you’re only going to do one thing in your journey to weight loss, it should be dieting. What does dieting mean exactly?

It means taking very careful note of every bite you put in your mouth. But you can’t stop there. Because paying attention to what you eat isn’t going to make you lose an ounce of weight. You’ve got to take note of it and then reduce the number of calories you consume. If you want to lose even more faster, you’ll even want to make sure your calories are good calories. In other words, you can’t eat just You’ll want to go with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources, and lots and lots of water.

Exercise hasn’t lost its place in the race for weight loss. Why? Because savvy people realize you’ve got to hit the gym if you’re going to maximize your weight loss. The best technique for weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in, and exercise is your golden ticket for shredding calories.

                                     Exercises for Weight Loss

There are other reasons exercise rocks in the world of weight loss. It is the best way to ensure your weight you drop is fat and not muscle. Also, when you exercise, your muscles tone up and grow stronger.

Who Wins the Battle?

Food and Exercises for Weight Loss

More than likely, you read this hoping that exercise alone would help you lose weight because you hate the idea of watching what you eat. Or maybe you’re just the opposite, and you prefer to watch your diet but absolutely loathe exercise.

If you’re not willing to eat right and exercise, the success you see today will be gone tomorrow. Try as you might, one of these ingredients alone is not enough to help you lose weight, keep it off, and have an overall healthy lifestyle.

So stop pitting diet against exercise and do both. Your good health and more fit self await.

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3 Easy Steps to Fast and Lasting Weight Loss

3 Steps To Lose Weight That Will Last

When it comes to losing weight there are no magic pills or secret diets that can help you reach your weight loss goals. But you can achieve your goals with these 3 steps to help lose weight.

Like most things in life losing weight (a lot of weight) boils down to conscious effort, discipline, determination and perseverance.

Losing 10, 20, 50 or 100 pounds or more all comes back to what you do on a daily basis. If you do what you're supposed to do (eat right + exercise) day in a day out you will eventually lose all the weight you want.

However, if you throw caution to the wind and don't do what you're supposed to do then you may never see your weight loss dreams come true. This my friend is the saddest scenario there is.

If you're bored of being fat, if your tired of being overweight, if your ready to start your new life today then hold on because I am about to give you the simple yet extremely effective weight loss plan you've been waiting for.

Are you ready? I am going to tell you in no uncertain terms what you have to do to lose all the weight you want in 3 easy to do steps. However, in order for this to work you must maintain your focus and discipline everyday to keep doing the steps until you reach your desired results.

Even if you falter and veer off your weight loss track, it's OK. If you are able to quickly get back on track you will overtime, reap the benefits of dramatic weight loss and improved health.

And now, without further adieu here are your 3 basic steps to weight loss...

1. EAT LESS

2. EAT BETTER

3. EXERCISE

There they are. What do you think? A little anti-climatic, huh? Maybe you were expecting more... Well, let me tell you if you are able to grasp and implement this powerfully safe and effective weight loss plan is you will never again have to spend another unnecessary dime on weight loss products that don't work.

You see, your body is a fine tuned weight loss management machine. If you follow the right plan and give your body only what it needs to survive it will do all the hard work for you.

Given enough time and following the 3 steps above you can lose tens and even hundreds of pounds without starving yourself or resorting to bogus weight loss pills or dangerous body sculpting surgeries.

Now, this is not to say that the road to significant weight loss will be easy or that you will not have to suffer a bit to reach your desired results. There will be days when you feel like throwing in the towel and giving up.

On those days you might just cave into your undeniable cravings and go crazy at your local all you can eat artery clogging buffet. But hey,that's OK. You're human. Sometimes you have to go a little nuts to get back on track.

However, if you are truly committed to reaching even your most seemingly unattainable weight loss goals you can and will do it by following the plan above. Now, for your benefit let's go a little deeper into each step of the plan.

1. EAT LESS

There is really no doubt about it. If you want to lose weight you have to start eating less. You have to create a calorie

deficiency in order for you body to start shedding pounds.

If you do not begin to limit how much food you take in no amount of exercise will help you reach your goals. Eating less of your favorite greasy, fat filled foods will be the quickest way to dramatic weight loss.

It really doesn't matter how much weight you have to lose. Unless you take control of both your conscious and unconscious eating habits you'll be hard pressed to lose even one pound.

No, you have to start cutting back on the amount of food you are used to eating. I've heard of stories where people would go to Mc Donald's and pack away two Super Sized Big Mac Meals.

Obviously, this is way too much. In this situation even cutting down to one Super Size meal would be an improvement. But, as we will see in our next step, a better plan would be to do away with the Super Size meal all-together and start eating better.

2. EAT BETTER

As the saying goes, "We are what we eat." If we eat crap, guess what? However, if we learn to eat well then not only will our waistline thank us for it but we'll also feel better about ourselves to boot.

One of the quickest changes you can make to your diet when trying to lose weight is to ditch all the junk food you may be used to eating (chips, sodas, pizzas, donuts, cookies, etc) and start eating more vegetables.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. You may still be traumatized by your mother not letting you get up from the dinner table until you finished all your broccoli but let me tell you, your mother was right.

If you can fill half your plate at every meal with high fiber and nutrient packed vegetables you are well on your way to significant and long lasting weight loss. This is probably one of the simplest things you can do to really kickstart your weight loss journey.

While it might not be easy to start eating vegetables at every meal the sooner you begin the better off you'll be and the quicker the weight will start to melt off your body.

3. EXERCISE

In order to kick your weight loss adventure into high gear you have to get your body moving. I don't care if you call it working out, exercising, aerobics or whatever the point is you have to do something to get your heart rate up and your sweat glands working overtime.

Exercise is the key to sustainable, long lasting and real weight loss. For every pound you lose by eating right and exercising that is one more pound that will never come back to haunt you.

Why? Because you now know the "secret" to safe and effective weight loss. If you ever feel yourself creeping back up on the dreaded scale o' fat all you have to do is put these 3 steps into action and watch as you stabilize and contradict any unwanted weight gain.

By exercising on a regular basis you are giving your body the energy boost it needs to ramp up your metabolism rate to start efficiently and effectively losing weight on a daily basis. I don't about you but that sounds pretty darn good to me.

The more you push yourself physically the faster you will see change in your body occur. You may not have to work out with a personal trainer everyday but you do need to do something.

Be it going for a walk, running, swimming, biking, hiking, or any other physical activity you like to do start doing it now. Don't spend another night on the couch watching the latest re-runs. Get your body moving and start losing weight today.

CONCLUSION

Losing weight (even a lot of weight) is not rocket science. So rest assured that anyone can do it, even you. However, it will require all the patience, discipline, determination and perseverance you can muster.

Start slow. Take it one day at a time. You may not reach your ideal weight in one week, one month or even one year but stick with it and reach it you will. By following the 3 steps above you too can become a success story like so many other before you.

So go forth and start losing all that unwanted weight that years of undisciplined living have left behind. Take control of your life starting today. Soon you'll be glad you did. When that day comes there will be no looking back.

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How to use intermittent fasting to lose weight fast

Intermittent fasting is one of the best strategies for fast weight loss. What makes it special is that once you lose the weight, you can keep it off with minimal pain and effort.

You can retrain your ‘hunger mechanism’ with intermittent fasting and it fills a need that other calorie reduction strategies lack. Some people just need to feel more satiety with their meals. Hunger and cravings will chip away at your willpower making a lower calorie level harder and harder to sustain.

Searching For The Actual Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

I got very annoyed when I first tried to learn about intermittent fasting. I’m only interested in things that create a noticeable difference in real life. Unfortunately, all of the articles I came across initially were filled with useless fluff. I had to do some ‘digging’ to get to the good stuff.

I wasn’t interested in a HGH boost if it’s so tiny that it doesn’t cause any kind of change. I also don’t care that intermittent fasting extends the lifespan of mice.

While there are some legitimate health benefits to intermittent fasting (such as reducing inflammation, improved insulin sensitivity, improved cholesterol + triglyceride levels, etc…), I just wanted to know how it’s better for losing body fat.

After all, even if you’re fasting, you still need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. So what are the real advantages over regular calories reduction? I’m talking about advantages that makes a big enough difference to jump on the bandwagon.

Before we get to that, let’s quickly go over:

What Is Intermittent Fasting Exactly?

Intermittent fasting is not a diet. It’s just a pattern of eating. By reducing the time you can eat during the day or week, you can retrain your hunger anticipation response and enjoy more satiety.

For example, fasting for 16 hours (including sleep) and eating during an 8 hour window (leangains style fast).

Or you can reduce your weekly calorie intake by fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week (Eat Stop Eat). Being able to change your daily and weekly pattern makes dieting real flexible.

Meal Frequency and Metabolism

Just in case you didn’t know about the ‘5-6 meals a day to raise your metabolism’ myth, I’ll go over it quickly. In 1997, researchers conducted this study and proved that meal frequency had no effect on your metabolism. Makes no difference whether you eat 2 or 6 meals a day.

Now, let’s get on with the biggest advantage of intermittent fasting for weight loss (in my opinion).

Your Hunger Mechanism Can Be Trained

Two hormones are largely responsible for your experience of hunger. One of the hormones is called ghrelin and it is released in anticipation of a meal. We can train this hormone-response in our favour for easy weight loss. Here is how it works:

Training The Meal Anticipation Hunger

If you’re used to eating at around the same time everyday, your body will anticipate the upcoming meal and make you feel hungry right before the event. This is controlled by your circadian clock (your body’s natural internal clock).

So if you’re eating 6 small meals a day and feeling hungry all the time, it’s because your ghrelin response is out of control. Your body is constantly anticipating another meal and making you feel hunger all the time.

Higher meal frequency is helpful if you’re trying to eat more food, but it can sabotage your attempt to eat less. While some people can keep it up, it ruins the people that enjoy bigger satisfying meals.

Eating 2-3 meals a day is nothing new, but combine it with intermittent fasting and it works amazingly well. To take full advantage of this ghrelin response and feel more satiety, all you have to do is condense your daily window of feeding.

For example:

The average person that works 9-5 could have their first meal be around 7 am and last meal around 6-7 pm. This creates a 11-12 hour window of feeding.

By condensing this window to an 8 hour period, you will be able to experience more satiety. This can be achieved by simply skipping breakfast, eat your first meal at noon and last meal at 8 pm (leangains)

At first, you may feel hungry from having skipped breakfast. The key is keeping the routine consistent for a couple of weeks. This will retrain your ghrelin response to anticipate the new meal schedule.

In the meantime, you can use appetite suppressants like coffee and avoiding pictures of food until the new meal time (looking at pictures of food will make you hungry).

#1 Reason for Failed Diets

Diets fail most of the time because they make you miserable. Hunger and cravings will chip away at your willpower. If you can’t see yourself maintaining a diet for for the foreseeable future, there is a fundamental flaw in its design. Most ‘trendy’ diets are completely ridiculous for this reason.

Willpower is valuable and we don’t have a lot of it. While it can work in the short term, it’s not meant for long term sustenance. This willpower needs be used to form a new habit. Once the habit is formed, maintaining it has to take minimal willpower…meaning it can’t make your miserable.

So in the case of intermittent fasting, that willpower should be used to form the new habit of condensing your window of feeding. It’ll take a couple of weeks to train the new ghrelin response and then it will be a walk in the park.

In this process, you will also gain superior hunger control. Hunger will no longer affect you as strongly in general.

So What About Calorie Reductions?

Even if you’re fasting, you still need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. With a condensed window of feeding, you’ll be eating that same amount of food in a shorter window of time. This creates more satiety and makes it easier to eat less naturally.

Intermittent Fasting To Lose Weight ‘Fast’

Now lets talk about the lose weight ‘fast’ part.

A shorter window of feeding + improved hunger control = more satiety and it also gives you room to create a bigger calorie deficit.

I recommend starting off the first two weeks slow. Just eat the usual meals and get used to the new eating pattern. The key is sticking with it everyday until the new pattern is established. You’ll know when this happens because the pre-breakfast hunger no longer affects you as noticeably.

A lot of people naturally start eating less as they get used to the new eating pattern and start getting results. I like to have my last meal as my biggest meal to prevent hunger at night. This meal has to be rich in protein as it provides longer lasting satiety.

Once the new pattern becomes natural, you can add in a 24 hour fast once or twice per week (Eat Stop Eat). This will really accelerate your weight loss by dropping your weekly calorie intake by 15-25%.

 Source:

How to Lose Weight in A WEEK | Effective Diet to Lose Weight in a Week

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