Belly Fat Loss Tips For Chocoholics

By Tammy Carter

The people who pass out belly fat loss tips often take it for granted that everyone will have the same level of difficulty in following a regime aimed at getting rid of belly fat. In reality, we are not all the same. Some people are happy to exist on a diet of salads, fruit and plain water and don't understand why their favourite meals aren't everyone's idea of enjoyable eating. To some of us following a healthy eating plan to lose fat seems near to impossible.

How can you survive on a low fat, low sugar, restricted calorie diet when you just can't live without chocolate? The answer is that you will find it a lot harder to maintain a controlled eating plan than the people who prefer tomatoes to chocolate. If you have a sweet tooth, it will probably be hard for you to stick to a belly fat loss regime. These tips will help you to manage your cravings for chocolate and other sweet things and to lose the troublesome fat in your tummy area.

The usual reasons any person gains weight are that we often eat the wrong types of food and we tend to eat too much. The body stores the extra calories as fat, our weight creeps up and our waistlines expand. When we look for help to get rid of some of the fat build up (particularly fat around the stomach area) we learn that we need to change our eating habits and increase our level of physical activity. If you are a sweet-lover, you will soon learn that the foods you like best are top of the list of things to avoid.

If you have tried dieting previously, you will know the feelings you get when you read the list of forbidden foods and find your favourite things there. Isn't it strange how just reading a diet sheet can bring on an immediate craving for chocolate? Don't worry, you will be able to overcome that feeling and you will be able to lose that dangerous fat lurking around your midsection. Death from chocolate deprivation is highly unlikely to occur on a sensible balanced eating plan.

The first belly fat loss tip for chocoholics or any sweet toothed person is not to let yourself get too hungry. You already have this natural fondness for sweet things; if you are also feeling very hungry it will be very much harder to resist snacking on the kind of sweet food that will just add to your belly fat problems.

The best ways to avoid hunger are to eat regular meals and to ensure that you include foods that will make you feel full for longer (the best foods for this are high fibre foods), and to substitute healthy alternatives to your usual high sugar treats. You might find you feel better if you eat smaller meals and have several snacks throughout the day as well. Some people swear by eating a large breakfast and smaller lunch and evening meal. Others do best on six small meals a day instead of the normal three. This is something you will need to work out for yourself by experimenting.

When you feel hungry in between meals, try drinking a large glass of water. As well as being good for us, water can give a feeling of fullness that will get us through to the next meal without resorting to snacking. Dehydration can also create feelings of hunger, so make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day.

High calorie treats containing refined sugar should be avoided, but you can satisfy your craving for sweets by eating fresh fruit which contains natural unrefined sugars. In addition to avoiding refined sugar, you will be getting the added benefit of the vitamins and minerals which occur naturally in fruits.

Don't make yourself feel deprived by skipping dessert, simply make sure you avoid pastry or very creamy desserts, and opt for fruit based desserts instead. Fat free fruit yoghurts are an excellent quick dessert or snack.

Keep busy. You don't need to be a chocoholic to indulge in eating through boredom, many people fall into this trap. If you have been planning to start a project, this is the time to get going; a new interest will occupy your mind and keep chocolate fantasies at bay. If you can get involved in active messy jobs like gardening or decorating, you will be using extra calories, and keeping yourself occupied. Having dirty hands will also deter you from picking at foods. If you have nothing in particular to do, go for a walk, phone a friend, take a shower, take up Sudoku puzzles; what you do doesn't matter as long as you keep yourself occupied.

If your dieting downfall is cakes or cookies, you can try the special diet ranges, but be sure to read the labels carefully because low fat items often contain lots of refined sugar and as many calories as the normal non-diet variety. As most of these diet foods don't taste anywhere near as good as the "real" thing, they are best avoided altogether. If you can trust yourself to keep to a small portion, a piece of your usual favourite cake will be much tastier than a substitute diet product.

Chocolate! There, the word's out. Chocolate is the big one, the most common reason for people to break their good dieting habits. If you are a chocoholic you will know that there is absolutely no substitute for the real thing.

How are you going to lose your belly fat? Firstly, it would be a mistake to vow that you are going to live chocolate free forever. This pledge will make you feel miserable at the start and a failure later when you give into temptation; if you are a real chocoholic giving in to temptation is inevitable and will most likely result in a huge chocolate eating binge. The minute you ban something from your life, you will find it just about impossible to stop thinking about it.

It is best to take things step by step. If you can trust yourself not to cheat on the portions, you could allow yourself a small ration of chocolate as part of your daily calorie intake. If you don't trust yourself to stick to your chocolate allowance, it might be better for you to give up chocolate altogether for a set period.

If you follow through on a decision to eat no chocolate for, say a month, this will give you time to see some definite progress in your effort to lose belly fat. I won't try to kid you; you know it is not going to be easy, but seeing the improvement in your weight and size at the end of the punishing first month, will give you the strength you need to keep your chocolate eating under better control through the next month and the months after.

Most sweet "diet" food ranges leave a lot to be desired, but there are some low fat chocolate flavoured drinks available that actually taste the way a chocolate drink should. Try a comforting mug of guilt-free hot chocolate if you feel you are about to give in to your chocolate craving.

What should you do if you slip and indulge in a chocolate-fest? Pick yourself up, promise yourself that you won't let it happen again, and keep going. Don't use this slip-up as an excuse to abandon your attempt to lose your belly fat. Don't tell yourself that your diet is broken beyond repair; it is only damaged a bit, and it will still work if you give it another chance.

This step by step management of your favourite treats works well with most foods. This technique cuts down on the likelihood of giving in to bingeing, or completely giving up your attempt to eat sensibly and healthily while trying to lose belly fat. If you make sure you never say never, you can look forward to the day when you have lost the dangerous belly fat and can introduce your favourite forbidden goodies back into your everyday diet (in moderation, of course).

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The Truth About Body Fat Percentage Charts

(builtlean.com)

By Dave Jackson

I was discussing with my doctor a few days ago how they come up with the body fat percentage charts and why they haven't changed much over the years. And her funny response was that doctors are still hoping people will return to the skinny bodies they once had several decades ago.

So I began to do a little investigation and found that for the most part, body fat percentage charts can be trusted. You plug in a couple of variables, such as your height and weight and age - and glance at the chart to see whether your body fat percentage is under or over what someone considered the norm.

(dailybeautycare.com)

The problem is that two people of the same height and weight can have very different percentages of body fat. In fact, as we age, we start to fatten up around our organs. This is called "visceral fat" and is not something you can measure with calipers or those fancy bathroom scales.

But one thing is certain, if you are on a quest to lose weight, you definitely want to lose fat first and do everything you can to keep your muscle mass. Sounds like a good plan, but it is harder to do that you may think. Fortunately, there are a good number of to quick fat loss websites [http://www.thethreebest.com/fatloss/] that detail what is necessary and actually put you on a proven plan to get rid of those unsightly folds.

And before you think that you're off the body fat percentage chart, remember that you may be just fine. Women need more body fat than men. Breasts are almost all fat. And the way women are made, there is some fat around their hips.

One great determining factor is age. Our muscles tend to shrink and accumulate this visceral fat. Many teach that if we don't care for our bodies while we are still young, it gets increasingly harder to lose fat and remain healthy into our older years.

So while the body fat percentage chart has been created by the health industry as a starting point, don't forget that even though you are not within one of the parameters, you may be just fine. However, if you feel unhealthy, tired, that your metabolism is slow, and you know you are overweight, it might be time to look into one of the programs that helps you lose fat without hurting your muscle.

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Dave Jackson is the founder of TheThreeBest.com and after reviewing over 30 weight loss and fat burning sites, reveals exactly the best fat loss websites [http://www.thethreebest.com/fatloss/] that have worked for hundreds.

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Diet Soda and Body Fat Loss

By Oluseyi Sogaolu

Soda also called "pop" in some areas is one of the most deadly chemicals you can take for the control of body fat. There is nothing healthy about drinking diet soda to get rid of that abdominal or body fat because the so called addicted and dedicated drinkers of it got "FATTER" than those who take it occasionally.

As a matter of fact, total soft drink use was associated with overweight and obesity and the obesity risk of the addicted drinkers of diet soft drinks is very high. This is because for every can or bottle of diet soft drink you take in a day, there is 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight.

However, why intake of soda makes you fatter rather than lose fat is associated with some reasons which are highlighted below:

The artificial sweeteners that are present in diet sodas create a negative hormonal response in the body which increases fat storing hormone production and cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in a short while after taking the diet drink.

Another reason is that some people think and believe that because they take diet drink, they are at liberty to eat more of every other food not minding the combination and calories. This taught will not help you in any way but put you at the risk of developing abdominal and body fat.

To conclude, there is no problem without solution. The best alternatives to diet soda are good old water with lemon or unsweetened iced teas (green, white, black, red....). The only thing is that just be creative and careful in making your iced tea for maximum enjoyment and greater array of anti-aging antioxidants.

I am a proficient writer who is competent, enthusiastic, honest, achieved, extremely gifted, highly efficient and sincere. I will be giving you tips on how to lose abdominal fat easily and fast too. All truth you need to know about abs will be revealed to you. However, I believe you will find the above tips useful. There are still more to come. Meanwhile you can learn more by visiting [http://www.abssecretsexposed.com] for more information.

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Do I Work My Abs Everyday or Every Other Day? The Biggest Confusion

Do I Work My Abs Everyday or Every Other Day? The Biggest Confusion

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By Stan G

Recently I overheard two of my students arguing on this topic. One of them insisted in working out everyday. His argument was that the abdominal muscles are a lot different than the other muscle groups. He mentioned that your muscle actually brakes when you workout, and it gets repaired and becomes larger when you rest for the next day. But ab muscles are the only muscles you can workout for everyday. And in this way he said, you will be able to burn fat around your abs much faster.

The other student's argument was that the muscles are muscles. Even your abs need rest. She explained further that if you workout every other day, your ab muscles get all the rest they need. And hence when you workout on them again after a day's rest, you can push your ab workout further and train harder than the last workout.

I pounced into the conversation and said, I do not quite agree with both of your arguments.

Now it appears to me that it is a biggest confusion about abs workout amongst many people. So I decided to write this article to clear things out. In that conversation I corrected my male student that you don't burn fat around muscles while working out. It's commonly known as Spot Reduction. And there is no such thing as Spot Reduction in reality. You certainly burn calories while working out, but you can only lose fat by maintaining your diet. And it also depends on your genetics.

My female student is correct about her understandings, but kind of. What she thinks is right that when you workout with heavy weights, your muscles need rest in order to regain strength, this is also correct with ab muscles. But in my opinion, you do not really need to workout on your abs with heavy weights.

Lets understand muscles little better. There are two types of muscles. 1. Slow Twitch 2. Fast Twitch. Abs and even calves have slow twitch muscles, because these muscles are worked out anyway during the daily activities. And hence, more enhanced workout with more reps gives good results for these muscles.

So the question remains unanswered - Do I work my abs everyday or every other day?

The question is answered by questioning this - What is your Goal? Did you know that you can do ab workout only once a week, if your goal is such? There are people who need strong waistline for heavy weight lifting. These people use abdomen in order to lift heavy. They are only required to workout once a week or twice a week at the most.

If you need to have just a flat belly and shiny six pack abs, then you need to concentrate more on your diet. Slow twitch ab muscles can handle a daily abs workout. But I highly recommend you workout 3 to 4 times a week.

If you wish to know more about Exercises For Abs, I would suggest you watch this Free Presentation that explains why Best Workout For Abs is just not working out.

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Six Pack Exercises - Are Your Exercises to Get a Six Pack a Waste of Time?

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By John McMills

If I've seen it once, I've seen it a thousand times. Some guy is complaining about how his six pack exercises consist of hundreds of crunches on a regular basis and he's still not getting any results. If you're doing hundreds of crunches, that's why you're not getting any results.

When seeking a six pack, you're looking to build muscle, and high reps do not build muscle! High reps are considered endurance training, which does nothing but convert fast-twitch muscle fibers to slow-twitch. Your six pack exercises need to include low reps with high resistance as muscle is created by overload, and more muscle is created using progressive overload (a term you may be familiar with). Basically, when the body strains to move weight that is towards the upper limit of what it can handle, it decides that it must adapt to be able to move large amounts of weight, which is done by building more muscle (after the initial breakdown). The progressive overload just means that in order to build more muscle, each time you must do more than you had your previous workout.

Six pack exercises are made to work the rectus abdominis, which makes up the muscles of the six pack. If you read at all through the previous paragraphs, you should have a basicidea of the six pack exercises you should be doing by now, but I'll spell them out for you anyway. The simplest would be the weighted crunch. Place a weight on your chest and fold your arms over it (or grab it behind your head) and lift your upper torso up, not up and forwards. That is one of the most common mistakes that keeps you from isolating your abs. You can go as high as twenty reps, but I'd recommend no higher. Aim for at least three sets, and if you're doing very low reps, you'll need more than that.

You might ask, "Are those really all the six pack exercises I need?" Well, if you have a solid nutrition plan and a low body fat percentage (or a plan to get one soon), then yes, you can get a six pack with just this. You will have apparent muscular imbalances as your rectus abdominis will be trained and your obliques probably won't be, but the point I'm trying to make it that you needn't overcomplicate your six pack exercises. If you create a demand on your muscles and they have enough fuel and rest to grow, they will. I wish you the best of luck in your six pack quest.

If you're looking for more free, quality information on six pack exercises or are you ready to get a complete, step by step guide for your six pack exercises, visit our site dedicated to getting you ripped.

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How To Develop Six Pack Abs

By Chris W Anderson

Learning how to develop six pack abs is not rocket science. The main thing you need to get a six pack is a low body fat percentage. If you have too much body fat your abs will not show. The best way to get rid of your body fat is to make sure the calories you are taking in is less than the calories you are burning. For example, if you eat 1,500 calories in a single day and burn 2,000 calories that means you are going to lose weight. On the other hand, if you eat 1,500 calories per day and only burn 1,000, you are going to gain weight. This article is going to give some good tips on how you can make sure your calories in is less than your calories out!

Find A New Physical Hobby

A lot of people would tell you it is important to exercise because exercise burns a lot of calories. This is true, it is a great idea to exercise. However, not many people enjoy exercising and a lot of people simply do not have the time for it. If you feel like that is you don't worry! If you can find just twenty minutes per day to do something simple, even if it is just walking, that is a great way to burn extra calories. it does not matter what you do, just make sure you do something physical for twenty minutes every day.

Use Smaller Plates And Bowls

This is an interesting and funny tip in my opinion. New research shows us that families who have bigger plates and bowls usually weigh more than families with smaller plates and bowls. We are taught at a young age to eat everything on our plate because we do not want to waste food. When we eat with bigger plates we usually put more food on the plate and wecontinue eating even after we become full because we do not want to waste food. If you get smaller plates you will not have to worry about this over eating problem.

Get More Sleep

If it is possible for you to get more sleep, do it! When you sleep you are in an anabolic (fat burning) state. If you can get just one extra hour of sleep per night you will burn more calories. This might sound weird but give it a try for a week and watch how much weight you lose!

Develop A Full Exercise Plan And Diet

One of the most important tips for getting Six Pack Abs is to have a plan of action created for you. There is a free five day course you can get on developing a six pack quickly and the best part is it is free! Click Here to sign up and receive your first lesson today!

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Workout Tips For Six Pack Abs

Click Here for a Sixpackshortcut

By Lisa Hopper

Most people these days lead busy lives, with no time on their schedules to go to the gym, and barely enough to step away from the computer. With so little time, is it still possible to get six pack abs? The answer is yes, if they devote even a little time to some simple exercises that can easily be done at home. There are some abdominal and core exercises that one can do at home, such as the following:

Crunches

This popular exercise targets the upper abdominals. In order to do it, simply lie on a flat surface and place your hands on your chest or behind your head. Contract your abs and hold the position for 2 seconds, then return to the lying position. Properly done crunches need to be performed in a continuous and controlled fashion. Focus on pulling your upper body up with your abdominal muscles. Don't push yourself up with your neck or shoulders. Doing so will cause stress on those muscles.

Side Crunches

Side crunches are almost the same as normal crunches, but instead of focusing on your upper abdominals, the target muscles are the oblique muscles (also known as love handles). You should use the same technique as above, only this time you are crunching to the side of your abs.

Lying Leg Lifts

You are targeting the lower abs in this exercise. To start off with, lie flat on your back and then bend your legs and raise them with your toes pointed. Your shins and thighs should be forming a 90 degree angle with your thighs perpendicular to your body and your shins parallel. Next, straighten your legs up so they are pointing at the ceiling. Now, lower your legs slowly until they are about an inch off the floor. You shouldn't just drop your legs with gravity; always be in control. Repeat these steps to do lying leg lifts. It helps to keep your hands under your buttocks when doing this exercise so you can get leverage and help to keep your feet off the ground. For a bigger challenge, add some weights to your ankles or hold a medicine ball between your feet.

V-Crunches

These are very similar to lying leg lifts, except your chest is at a 45 degree angle when you begin. Start by sitting on the edge of a bench and reach back just until you can support yourself from lying on it. Once you feel stable, start bringing your knees towards your chest. You should be creating a V shape with your thigh and chest. The base of the V is where your abs are. Repeat this motion to do V-Crunches.

Cat Stretch

This exercise looks just like the movements done by a cat that is stretching its back. It's a quick and easy exercise. Start by getting down on the floor on your hands and knees, keeping your muscles relaxed and glancing straight ahead. Now, tighten your abdominals and then thrust your back upward as far as you can. Maintain this posture for five seconds before you return to the starting position. Repeat this motion.

Hopefully, these workout tips for working your abdominal muscles have helped and encouraged you to start practicing them at home. They are quick and easy to do, and don't require you to go to a gym. Although you won't get six pack abs from doing these exercises alone, at least they will give you a good start towards your goal.

For more tips on how to get six pack abs, please visit Way to Six Pack Abs.

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Easy Six Pack Abs

Six Pack Principle Revealed

By Chris W Anderson

We all want to have a nice body, but one of the keys to having a nice body is to get six pack abs. If you are looking for then we are glad you are here reading this article. You have to understand, getting a six pack is not hard if you know what you are doing. The problem is many people don't know what they are doing. In fact, most people think that exercise is more important than diet to getting a nice looking stomach. This could not be further from the truth! Diet is the number one thing you need to change to get some nice looking abs. In this article, I am going to be talking about how you should change your diet to get some nice abs.

Eat Six Times Per Day

I know this might sound a little strange, but it is very important you eat six times per day. This does not mean you will be eating more food though, it means you will be eating six smaller meals per day instead of three larger ones. This is important because the when you eat, your metabolism has to speed up. If you eat three meals per day, your metabolism speeds up after the meal, but then after a few hours it slows down again. If you eat six times per day your metabolism is constantly going fast. So at the end of the day you ate the same amount of food but you burned more calories!

Do A Fast Before You Start A New Diet

Many people don't do this, but if you do a fast before you start a new diet you will be able to lose a lot more weight than if you didn't do a fast. We want to clean out our system and get rid of all the impurities before we start to eat healthy. If you get rid of all the impurities in your body, your body will be able to break all the nutrients down much easier and not store as much fat.

Eat Your Veggies!

How many of you honestly have five cups of veggies per day? Probably not many, but that is the recommended dosage. If you are not eating at least five cups of veggies per day start doing so now. The easiest way to do this is get a juicer and juice five servings of veggies in the morning. drink it all at once or slowly throughout the day.

Develop A Full Exercise Plan And Diet

One of the most important tips for getting Six Pack Abs is to have a plan of action created for you. There is a free five day course you can get on developing a six pack quickly and the best part is it is free! Click Here to sign up and receive your first lesson today!

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Discover How Skinny Guys Gain Muscle

By Jacob T Watson

Just because you are a skinny guy, it doesn't mean that you can't bulk up. The important thing is to do it the right way. Just because you might be the kind of guy that can eat anything and as much as they want and not gain an ounce, it doesn't mean that you should. Nutrition is always important and should be in the forefront of everyone's mind; even the skinny guy's.

If you are looking to gain muscle, you should take supplements. As you begin to work your body to get it in peak condition, you are going to need the extra calories and protein that a protein powder will supply. Look for one that does not contain added corn, soy or artificial sweeteners. If you want to avoid any negative intestinal side effects, choose a protein powder that contains added probiotics or digestive enzymes.

In addition to supplements, you skinny guys should also increase the amount that you are eating but, remember to do this in the right way. You are going to be burning tons of carbohydrates as you are weight training so you will need to keep up by eating about 300 to 600 calories two to three hours prior to your workout. Try eating brown rice, yams, oatmeal, potatoes or another healthy source of carbs.

You should also eat a healthy amount of meat in order to bulk up. Meat is full of fats and protein that will help you to gain in size quickly. Look to seafood, grass-fed beef and eggs. These are all great sources of foods that will naturally increase your testosterone levels. And as you know, it is testosterone that is responsible for building muscle.

As you are working out, it is better for you to stick to the same workout everyday rather then mix it up if you are looking to put on muscles. Get used to working yourself hard. No one ever gets anywhere with anything without really pushing themselves. As you are doing your workout, you should be grunting as you complete the last few reps of each set. That is how you can really know if you are pushing yourself to the max. When you think that you can't do the last few reps, find it in yourself to do a few more. Your greatest amount of muscle gain is in those reps you didn't think you could do. You also need to make sure that you are lifting the right amount of weight for you. If you are going through your sets pretty easily, you might need to add weight.

If you are having trouble motivating yourself, get yourself a trainer or a workout partner who is going to push you to your max. Gaining muscle is not just about your workouts and your diet. It requires will power and determination. Women like skinny guys too but, if you are looking to get the physic that will not make you embarrassed to take your shirt off at the beach, you are going to need to be willing to do what it takes.

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Timing Your Carbohydrate Intake for Fat Loss

Timing Your Carbohydrate Intake for Fat Loss

By Aimee Deak

There are many people who just cannot lose fat on a high carbohydrate diet. Even though they eat "good" carbs and workout hard, they cannot seem to get to the body fat level they desire. This is common in many people, but there is a solution: TIMING YOUR CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE!

Timing your carbohydrate intake works basically like a Keto-diet. When you reduce carbohydrates to ZERO, and keep it that way for at least 2 days, your body will switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. Ultimately your body will begin converting fat into ketones, and using the ketones as its primary fuel source. This process is called ketosis, and so aptly named a Keto-diet.

Keto diets are protein sparing, which means your body will keep its muscle, which is exactly what you want. A Keto diet works extremely well for shedding body fat while keeping hard-earned muscle. There is, however, a downside to a Keto diet. In order to achieve and stay in ketosis, you have to be carb-free for a minimum of 2 days. A true Keto diet requires you to go without any carbohydrates for 5 or 6 days and then allows a 1 or 2 day "carb-up". When your "carb-up" is over, the cycle is repeated. Sounds simple, right? Try it and see. It's not that easy. The idea of a 1 or 2 day "carb-up" sounds appealing but it cannot be full of junk food and high fat foods.

Carb-ups must be low fat and 90% healthy carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and oatmeal. If you have a "dirty" carb-up with ice cream, cookies and candy, you'll negate your fat loss from the previous week and probably gain some more.

If you can truly hang in there and do a Keto diet "by the book", you then have a second problem. Without ANY carbs for so many days your performance in the gym will suffer. So while this diet allows you keep your muscle, it doesn't allow you to be intense in your workouts, and you'll end up weaker because you could not give your best effort. The third reason for failing on a Keto diet is that zero carbohydrates and low caloric intake affects thyroid metabolism. It slows your metabolism, eventually to a slow CRAWL! Very bad! Even with the negative aspects I have outlined, this is not a bad diet for dropping body fat and definitely better than very low calorie diets or high carbohydrate diets. But in order for it to work you must be dedicated and strict. A Keto diet is not a pig-out, free-for-all every 5 days.

If you take away your body's preferred fuel source (carbohydrates) and provide it enough fat, your body will switch to using fat as fuel. Instead of going 5-6 days without ANY carbohydrates as in a Keto diet, timing your carbohydrate intake allows you to eat carbs when they are most needed, and least likely to be stored as fat-IMMEDIATELY AFTER A WEIGHT TRAINING SESSION.

You will not have to be preoccupied with being in ketosis, and if you eat an "unplanned" carb meal, or just feel the need to eat more carbs to increase energy, you didn't just knock yourself out of the ketogenic state you worked 2 hard days to achieve.

Timing your carbohydrate will also ensure that your performance in the gym is strong. Your thyroid function will remain higher for an extended period of time and best of all, you won't go crazy waiting 5 days to eat some carbohydrates!

How-To:

You are trying to get your body to switch from being a carbohydrate or protein burning machine into a fat burning machine. Simply remove carbohydrates out of the equation, AND keep fat in your diet at (at least) a 40-50% ratio. This lets the body know there is still a primary fuel source (fat) and allows it to be burned as fuel, while sparing protein.

Suppose you decide to begin timing your carbohydrate intake on Monday. Sunday night you eliminate carbohydrates four hours before bed. When you wake up in the morning your glycogen levels (carbs stored in your muscle) will be almost completely depleted, and your body will want carbohydrates. Don't give it any! You will eat only fat and protein. Ensuring fat makes up at LEAST 40%-50% of your calories. You may have a salad with olive oil, green beans, or other low-carb vegetables, but not more than 6-8 grams of carbohydrates per meal (1 cup of vegetables or 3 cups of lettuce). You will continue to eat this way until pre-workout, where a piece of fruit is allowed if you feel the need to raise energy levels. Most people do not find this necessary. However, it would be to your advantage to have a small protein drink pre-workout.

What about the post-workout meal? This is the time to replenish the glycogen stores in your muscles. Immediately after a hard weight training session there is a "window of opportunity" in the muscle cell when insulin sensitivity is very high and the body is most receptive to nutrient absorption. So, at this point you should have 65-100 grams (35-70 grams for women) of fast-absorbing liquid carbohydrates (maltodextrin, dextrose, or sucrose).

Approximately 10-15 minutes later have a whey protein drink with 65-100 gram protein (35-50 grams for women). As soon as you are hungry again, eat a small "regular" 40/30/30 meal (protein/carbs/fat) to completely fill your muscles with glycogen. After this meal, you are back to zero carbs until your next workout.

Repeat this cycle for a maximum of five days, and then have a 1-day carb-up of "clean" carbohydrates such as oatmeal, yams, sweet potatoes and brown rice.

If you are eating 6 meals a day, 5 of your 6 meals will contain carbs. If you are eating 5 meals per day, 4 of your 5 meals will contain those "clean" carbs. Your last meal on carb-up day will be zero carbs again.

On the days that you do not weight train, you should not eat any carbs except for a green salad or two cups of steamed green vegetables. To make this plan work more to your advantage, alternate your weight training days and cardio or "off" days. This way you will not have your carb days back-to-back

TIPS:

• Keep your fat intake to a minimum of 40%. If you fail to do this, your body will continue to use carbs as fuel. How can this happen if all you are eating is chicken? It's easy for your body to convert protein into glucose (carbs) and it WILL do this if you don't feed it an alternate fuel source (fat).


• This type of plan work best with fewer workout days, so if you are someone who is in the gym 6 days a week you will see decreased results since every day will be a carb day. However, it will still work to some degree.


• Keep a food journal to ensure you are getting the correct amount of protein, fat and calories.


• Your carb-up days are for refilling your glycogen stores in the muscle, and bumping up calorie levels slightly to keep your thyroid humming. They are not free-for-all, pig-out days. So many people make this mistake and negate all the fat loss they achieved up until the carb-up day.


• Do some cardio. It is not mandatory, but it will make a big difference. Try one 30-minute session at moderate intensity and one 15-minute HIIT session per week.


• Don't be in a hurry to lose fat. You didn't get fat overnight and you certainly will not lose it overnight.


• Hide your scale! Many people are able to gain muscle when eating like this. Use the mirror and fat-calipers to determine your progress.


• You will look flat by day 4. This is NOT what you will look like when fully carbed-up. Remember that each gram of glycogen in the muscle brings 3 grams of water with it. When glycogen stores are low (and they will be) you will "appear" flat and devoid of muscle. It's just water, don't sweat it...so to speak!


• Make sure you drink enough water. One gallon per day is the MINIMUM!


• You might want to take a fiber supplement on your no-carb days to help aid in the elimination of waste. This function is usually assisted by the fiber in the carbs you eat.

Be Well & Stay Fit!

Aimee Deak

Personal Trainer & Nutrition Analysis
PT TRANSFORMATIONS
http://www.pttransformations.com

Aimee Deak is a certified personal trainer, nutrition analyst and author of the book, "Every Body Loses", an easy-to follow, step-by-step guide to fat loss and exercise.

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Practical Guidelines for Using the Glycemic Index

Practical Guidelines for Using the Glycemic Index

By Mary Ann Copson

The Glycemic Index is a nutrition concept that can help you sort out the pros and cons of carbohydrates. It is a comparative guide to the rise in insulin levels that occurs after eating carbohydrates. 


Low to moderate glycemic index carbs produce a small but steady rise in insulin levels (healthy) as opposed to high glycemic index carbs that produce a large and rapid rise in insulin levels (unhealthy). 


Low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates provide slow release of energy that supplies continuous fuel for the body and brain and for the working muscles. Their slow rate of digestion and absorption puts less stress on the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.


Misconceptions about the Glycemic Index abound and people often have a hard time putting the principles into daily dietary practice. 


A glycemic rating over 70 is high. Medium runs from 70- 56. Under 55 is considered low. 


Many factors affect the glycemic index of a carbohydrate. In general, carbohydrates that are more processed and ground more finely with the bran separated out will have a higher glycemic index. 


Guidelines for choosing lower glycemic index breads, cereals, crackers, chips and other carbohydrate packaged products: 


Limit your intake of finely ground, soft, puffed and flaky products. Finely ground flour products - both 100% whole wheat and white flour such as soft whole wheat or white flour bread, crackers, breakfast cereals will have a high glycemic index. If you can mush it together and form a ball out of it- the glycemic index is high. 


Anything "puffed" such as puffed wheat, rice or corn cereals - even whole wheat ones - will usually have a high glycemic index. If something has been processed into small fine particles that can be crushed into crunchy crackers and cereals - the glycemic index is probably going to be high -even those made out of good whole grains. Most crackers, packaged cold cereals and chips have a glycemic index in the 70s, 80s and 90s. 


Instead, choose dense, grainy, chewy products. Foods with intact fiber will be more "dense" and chewy and less flaky and light. If the fiber is intact the product will have a lower glycemic index. Grainy, dense breads are more likely to have a lower glycemic index. Choose coarse breads with at least 50% intact kernels. 


Sourdough breads, because of the acids produced by the fermentation of their yeast starter culture, have much slower rates of digestion and absorption. 


You can also eat whole grains in their natural state. Whole intact grains that have been softened by soaking and cooking will have a low GI value. For example, cooked barley has a GI value of only 25. Cooked whole wheat has a GI value of 41. But choose old fashion whole grains and not the "instant" varieties - any thing that has been "instantized" is probably going to have a higher glycemic index. 


Fruits and Vegetables: 


Choose barely ripe fruits and vegetables for a lower glycemic index. Overly ripe fruits and vegetables have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic effect than just ripe foods. 


Tropical fruits, such as mango, papaya, pineapple, and cantaloupe tend to have higher values than temperate fruits such as apples and oranges. But all fruits are OK. Even the higher glycemic index fruits like pineapple will usually have a GI rating in the 60s. Just don't eat only watermelon (GI 72). 


Almost all vegetables are low to moderate glycemic index and are great to eat. The poor carrot has been greatly maligned as having "too much sugar" but actually has an average glycemic index of only 47. 


Potatoes: 


Most potato varieties have a high glycemic index due to the presence of high amounts of amyl pectin that is quickly digested. 


Tiny new white and red bliss potatoes have a lower GI value than normal varieties. Russet baked potatoes have the highest glycemic index (an average of 85) and mashed potatoes an average of 92. 


The glycemic impact of potatoes can be lessened by eating smaller portions and varying your diet with alternatives such as sweet potato (GI- average 61 - the starch in sweet potatoes is amylose - more slowly digested and absorbed) or yams (GI average 37). 


Rice vs. Pasta: 


Pasta gets a bad rap. Pasta gets blamed for all sorts of maladies because it routinely gets categorized as a bad carbohydrate. "They" say to cut out the pasta and eat rice. 


Well, it just so happens that pasta has a low to moderate glycemic index (30-55) that results in a slow, steady release of energy in your body. 


Pasta made with semolina is made from cracked wheat and not finely ground flour so it has a moderate glycemic index. Furthermore, pasta is unique in its physical make up. The reason for its slow digestion and steady release of energy is "the physical entrapment of ungelatinized starch granules in a sponge-like network of protein molecules in the pasta dough." That is something you don't need to understand to get the good news that pasta can be good for your energy. Yippee! 


But always serve pasta al dente. If you overcook pasta it gets soft and swollen and you have fully "gelatinized" those starch granules and turned pasta into an energy drainer. 


Almost all kinds of pasta have a lower glycemic index than most varieties of rice - even brown rice (a glycemic index over 70 is typical because almost complete "gelatinization" of rice starch takes place during cooking). And pasta has more protein than rice or potatoes. Overall semolina pasta is a good energy food and can be part of a high-energy diet. Remember though - a serving is just 1/2 cup and keep variety in your diet by not eating pasta any more that once every four days. 


Rice varieties such as Jasmine and short grain varieties (even short grain brown rice) that have a lot of amylopectin tend to have higher glycemic index GI (high 70s to 139). You will know these higher amylopectin rice varieties because they tend to stick together after cooking (an example of the "if you can mush it into a ball and it sticks test"). 


High amylose content rice varieties such as Basmati, Uncle Ben's converted rice and long grain brown rice have a low glycemic index. If the rice grains stay separate after cooking it is more likely to have a lower glycemic index (GI 50s and 60s) 


Great alternatives to rice include pearled barley, buckwheat, bulgur, couscous, or noodles - all moderate to low GI. 


Simple steps to lower the glycemic effect of your diet: 


To get good glycemic control you don't have to eliminate all high glycemic index foods - just be sure and have at least one low glycemic carbohydrate at each meal. 


Overly cooked foods are predigested have higher sugar content and a higher glycemic index. Avoid over cooking your foods. 


Fats slow down the digestion of starches. The higher the fat content of a food the lower its glycemic index. This is why the glycemic index of potato chips is lower than that of a baked potato. To lower the glycemic effect of a high glycemic food such as a French baguette add a little fat such as olive oil, good quality organic butter or some nut butter. 


When you do eat a high GI index carbohydrate include protein with it. The protein will slow down the rate of digestion and can cut the glycemic index effect by about one third. 


The higher the acid content of a food the lower its glycemic index. Acids in foods slow down stomach emptying, thereby slowing the rate at which the starch can be digested. 


Include some acidic foods in your meals like vinegar, lemon juice, limejuice, some salad dressings, and pickled vegetables. A side salad with your meal will help to keep blood glucose levels under control. Four teaspoons of vinegar in a salad dressing or about four teaspoons of lemon on your food or in your water reduces the glycemic effect by about one-third. Include more legumes in your diet. Legumes are super nutritious, high fiber low glycemic index foods (GI ranging from 13 to 59). If you want to ensure stable long lasting blood sugar control legumes are your friends. 


The glycemic index is only one of many markers you can use to choose nutritious foods. It is not the only marker to use. Often it is better to have a higher glycemic index food such as baked potato than a lower glycemic index food such as potato chips. Consider not only the glycemic index of a carbohydrate but also the nutrient value of the food when making your choice. Even with these guidelines it can sometimes be hard to tell the glycemic effect of a carbohydrate. But when you are not carrying a reference book around with you these guidelines will help you take better care of your health and well-being. 


Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Ann Copson 


Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood & Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician; and a Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach. Reconnect to your physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual natural rhythms at 
http://evenstaronline.com 

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Best Shoulder Workout with Isolation Shoulder Exercises

Best Shoulder Exercise Routine for Ripped Delts


More Shoulder workout exercises can be found on this Youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrAsiaVc7hs

Cardio Vs Weight Training (Free Weights) - Which is Better For Fat Loss?

By Benjamin B S Tan

I'm sure you've been told by many trainers that the only way you can lose fat is through some sort of cardiovascular exercise. In fact I'm not suggesting you go without it. The point I'm trying to make is that to optimize fat loss you would actually have to combine the two to a certain extent.

Cardiovascular exercise or cardio for short has always been seen as the only way to lose fat. There are a few reasons for this. First of all cardio is burns a lot of calories, and even burns calories at a higher rate than resting a few hours after the cardio exercise. Another reason it's so popular is because it's so easy to tell someone to do it. As a trainer I just need to tell the guy to run for half an hour to forty minutes every day and he'll be well on his way to weight loss. However, would he do it? Personally I don't really like cardio all that much as it can seem repetitive and mundane however it does have its place especially intervals if you actually consider intervals being cardio.

So why bother with weight training if cardio is so great? Well, first of all, cardio does not increase your body's metabolism the way weight training does. Weight training totally reshapes your body, builds your muscles and increases your strength.

However that's not all it does. Many people do not realize that weight training actually increases your RESTING METABOLIC RATE. What this means is that if you do weight training, your body will be burning calories at an increased pace all day and everyday, not just after your exercise and even as you sleep. If you were to rely solely on cardio then you'll have to work a whole lot harder to achieve your desired fat loss.

So the truth is that most trainers would rather have the easy way out and just tell you what you should be doing to lose fat would be mainly cardio. Granted, many also do teach about weight training, but not the weight training that you'd need, which would greatly increase your resting metabolic rate as compared to other weight training methods. If you're looking at fat loss, there are definitely certain muscles that are better to train to as compared to others particularly to lose more fat and I'm not just talking about crunches and other ab exercises.

I really can't stress this enough:

Cardio without training would get you no where near what you're trying to achieve, unless you work incredibly hard and that will still leave you skinny and weak. Combine the two and then we're talking. This applies both to men and women alike.

Tired of hitting plateaus? Benjamin has been weight training for over 10 years and has compiled his years of experience on what works and what doesn't. Whether you're looking to lose fat or to put on muscle, he's got you covered.

Find out more on how to utilize your time to maximize your results while minimizing your time with his free ebook, available at => [http://www.getfitwithoutbarriers.com]

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