Daily Diet Blog

April 30, 2007

Fat Smash Diet : Back At It

Filed under: Diet Reviews — EatingToLive @ 12:15 pm

Have you ever heard of the Fat Smash diet?  It’s a diet that’s in a book by “Dr. Ian” who’s on the popular show where celebrities lose weight and are basically recorded in their trials and tribulations on the road to weight loss.  The mood swings, the emotional ups and downs when you find out you’ve hit your target goals and when you find out you haven’t even come close.  All that good stuff, it’s called reality TV, love it or hate it!

Anyways, back to my point.  I actually don’t watch the show, but had heard Dr. Ian talk about his diet on a radio show I listen to, and becamse interested in it because it wasn’t the typical diet where you really eliminate carbs for a while, but rather it focused more on carbs, like brown rice and complex grains, but no meat for the first ten days.  I liked the thought of eating no meat, because meat does tend to be difficult to digest, and I figured since I was a vegetarian for about a year a long time ago, I could definitely do this diet. 

We had just moved to a new home, and we didn’t have any time to work out, plus we were eating junky fast food and eating out at restaurants all the time, and decided it was time to whip our bodies back into shape, as I had put on ten pounds and he had put on about fifteen.  We felt sluggish, heavy and generally pretty disgusted with ourselves.  Forget about the sex life, there was none because neither of us was happy with out bodies.

So, we went on the fat smash, and I can’t say I have one complaint.  I’ve dropped about seven pounds in two weeks, and I feel great.  I’m not eating any meat or cheese, so nothing is really clogging my system up, so I’m in comfort with my digestions issues all the time now.  We are actually thinking about making the fat smash (a modified version) a regular part of our every day diet, we like it so much.

April 26, 2007

Is Working Out with a Partner More Motivating?

Filed under: Health & Fitness Tips — EatingToLive @ 7:53 pm

Lots of people say that working out with a partner can be much more motivating, and may even be the difference between them paying a visit to their local workout facility or bailing out in favor of the bazillions of other things they could be doing with their day.  I, for one, have found that it goes both ways for me personally. 

I’ve found that working out with a partner can be more motivating to push myself further, but it really depends on who the person is that I’m working out with. 

Sometimes if you go to a fitness class or just to the gym with a workout partner who likes to gab and isn’t really all that into the working out part of it, you may find yourself distracted and unwilling to actually work your muscles and push your body to it’s endth limit to get the results you want out of your workout. 

On the other hand, if you work out with a partner who is likewise fitness minded, you can find that you are both pushing yourselves a little harder, almost egging eachother on to see who can work out the hardest, or at least to keep up with eachother.  Those are the best partners to work out with, because then at the end of your routine, you feel like you’ve really accomplished something, not like you just went out for a coffee break! 

April 23, 2007

Ephedra in the News Again : Company Illegally Adds to Supplements

Filed under: Dietary Supplements — EatingToLive @ 4:13 pm

Ephedra, the “natural” stimulant substance that was found so prominently in so many diet and health and fitness supplements for fat loss and muscle building in years past, and has since been banned by the FDA for unnecessary and substantial risk of bodily harm, is sort of in the news again today. 

A health and nutritional company that was on the rise for selling many body building and health products, is now being indicted for a federal investigation for some allegedly very shady dealings, including marketing diet supplements that contain the banned ephedra stimulant.

The company is called Hi-Tech, and prosecutors are alleging that the owner and most of the employees engaged in activity ranging from shady business dealing to criminal activity.  That criminal activity?  Allegedly, the discussed killing and FDA agent who was investigating the business to try to squash the building case against them.  I know, bad, bad stuff, huh?

Not only that, they also are accused of running online pharmacies that said their drugs were from Canada but were in fact manufactured in a second rate, unsanitary warehouse in Belize.  Add to their repertoire the fact that ephedra, the banned substance here in the US was secretly included in some of their products, as well as prescription drugs without disclosure on the labels, and you’ve got one all-around criminal operation!

The company of course has pleaded not guilty on all charges, but to me, it sounds like they’re fighting a losing battle, with all the counts against them.  I actually had to take a medicine with ephedra in it yesterday, I didn’t have any cold medicine of my own at work, and had to borrow a Sudafed from a coworker. 

That stuff is very scary, at least for my body.  It speeds my heart rate up so fast, and at one point, I felt almost like I was having a panic attack, my heart was pumping so fast. 

Needless to say, I’d really like to stay away from ever taking the substance ephedra again, even if it is for a cold or allergy medicine, which is legal for it to be in. 

April 20, 2007

Exercising at Home

Filed under: Exercise Equipment — EatingToLive @ 10:23 pm

Most of us promise ourselves we’ll start exercising and get fit. The hard part is following through, starting a fitness routine, doing it regularly and then staying with it persistently. While joining a gym is a wonderful idea, many of us don’t have the time or finances to exercise in this fashion.One way to avoid the list of excuses to sidestep exercising is to keep it simple. Perhaps you don’t have the money for expensive equipment or you feel self concious exercising in front of other people at a gym.

Exercise routines can be done easily at home. Timewise, it makes sense to purchase an inexpensive tape or DVD suited to your personal level of fitness. Many calisthenic, yoga or cardio workouts are available as DVD’s to follow as a guide.

This saves time as you don’t have to travel to get started. It also saves on gas and can be done just about any time of day or evening as your schedule allows.

Part of your fitness routine can be as simple as walking. You can build at your own pace on your chosen mode of exercising. There is also some excellent home exercise equipment that emulates almost perfectly the gym quality of the treadmills, ellipticals and recumbent bikes that you would find at your local fitness facility. 

If you are certain you are motivated, exercise equipment can be purchased to enhance your workout that is very inexpensive. Ankle weights may be purchased for very little money and will potentiate your workout for thigh and calf toning. Dumbbells are another inexpensive add on for about 50 cents a pound. Resistance bands may be purchased for as low as $7.00.

So, no more excuses about no time or money. Just get started exercising and you’ll feel better for it.

 

April 17, 2007

Obesity Linked to Asthma and Allergies?

Filed under: Health & Fitness Tips — EatingToLive @ 7:27 am

Yes, it is quite possible. We do know that obesity is linked to hundreds if not thousands of potentially debilitating diseases and illnesses, including depression and mood disorders. So it is definitely safe to say that obesity and health issues often go hand in hand, and that health and fitness and fat loss are vital to staying healthy.

And now there is increasing evidence, both anecdotal and scientific and quantitatvie evidence that obesity is linked to asthma and even allergies. Asthma is a disorder where the lungs cannot put out the oxygen they breathe in with as much force as when it is taken in.

The bronchial tubes constrict, and there is usually an over production of mucous involved as well, which only further clogs the bronchial passages and restricts air flow, resulting in a constricted feeling in the chest area, and a wheezing sound when one with asthma breathes.

While and exact cause of asthma’s link to obesity cannot be found, it may be that because obesity is linked to eating too much of the wrong foods, that the asthma is simply an allergic/defensive response to the “wrong” foods, which is a problem in obese people.

It could also be linked somehow to the higher stress levels one’s body experiences who is obese, because essentially their body is working harder to defend against the assault of over-eating and/or eating fatty, aggravating foods.  Health and fitness supplements for fat loss can help us achieve the fit and lean body the helps prevent these types  of problems.

Whatever the exact link is, it is definitely more than safe to say that staying fit and active will definitely help fend off any types of illnesses, and while it is not a guarantee that staying fit and trim will fend off all disease, it sure does give us all a better fighting chance at staying healthy and disease and illness free!

April 14, 2007

Spot Treatment Liposuction Fat Reduction?

Filed under: Fat Reduction — EatingToLive @ 10:39 pm

Yes, something more laser targeted (literally) to get rid of those horrible fatty areas that we all can’t stand about certain parts of our body, is here.  Or at least it seems so.  Many times with these newer cosmetic procedures, it takes a LOT of perfecting before anyone really wants to go out there and get it done, because doctors simply haven’t had the time or patients yet to test it and perfect it.

This is a laser targeted liposuction, where lasers are used to target fat pockets and break them down and make them go away.  It uses lasers, instead of actual suction, or at least uses the lasers to assist, in the “melting” of these fat pockets by targeting them and breaking them down with laser beams.  It’s called SmartLipo laserlipolysis, and it’s gaining a lot of early attention as the next best thing in the ever growing field of plastic surgery and cosmetic correction. 

Also, as with everything that can use lasers instead of traditional operating instruments, the recovery time should be significantly less and there may also be an improvement in the scarring that occurs afterwards, since lasers provide such a nice clean, smooth cut and do not usually result in any significant scarring or trauma to the skin they cut through. 

It will not completely replace liposuction, but it will definitely be an option for those who are looking for more of a targeted area of fat reduction, instead of say their entire buttocks and hip/thigh region, which would be more appropriately done by traditional lipo. 

April 10, 2007

Mediterranean Diet Good for Allergies?

Filed under: Diet Reviews — EatingToLive @ 9:12 am

It’s one of the “crazes” in the diet industry, but unlike other, unhealthy diet crazes, this one is really, really good for you, and you’ll likely garner a multitude of health benefits if you follow this diet, including a benefit that some may find unlikely.  The Mediterranean diet, which is rich in omega three plentiful foods like nuts, olives, olive oils, veggies and fruits, has been found to not only benefit weight management, but you can also probably expect a reduction in allergies and allergen-induced problems like asthma. 

The study that went along with this data was one of children who ate mediterranean diets, who live on Greek islands, and it was found that there was much less of an occurrence where children’s diets were rich in legumes and nuts, as well as veggies and fruits.  This is no surprise, as we all know fruits and veggies are worth more than their weight in gold when it comes to overall health and nutritional support.

Especially in kids, where breathing and ellergies just start to come to light during the growth years, this study is very enlightening since it shows that the origination of allergies and asthma could be eliminated or at least significantly reduced if we feed our kids the right foods and nutritional support that their gowing and developing bodies and minds need. 

The Mediterranean diet can be considered as a good guide to everyone’s diet and nutritional guidelines and it can also be a huge benefit to support weight loss, especially if you’re also watching your caloric intake.  Hypnotherapy weight loss is also a great way to reduce caloric intake, as it can subliminally give you the mind power that you need to start sticking to a healthier diet plan and also to eat less food at each sitting.  I’ve tried it before, and boy does it work well. 

April 7, 2007

I Love My New Elliptical

Filed under: Exercise Equipment — EatingToLive @ 11:07 am

My boyfriend and I recently purchased a house together, and one of the first orders of business was to buy an elliptical trainer - more specifically, a Horizon elliptical machine because they’re reviewed so well, for our basement, especially since we no longer have a gym right across the street from us as we did in the complex where our old town house used to be.  We did go a few weeks without working out (yes we both feel like crap, and we’re never doing that again), because of the busy-ness of the move, and that’s also why I haven’t posted in like 3 weeks (sorry). 

We went to Dicks Sporting Goods, and ended up buying a Horizon elliptical trainer, which I believe to be the highest quality elliptical out there right now.  We went with a higher end model too, simply because I really didn’t like how the cheaper models did not give enough room for your foot on the pedals and also seemed to move a lot when you got on them and started working out.  We tested them out extensively, and ended up buying the Horizon E54.

We also bought a few rubber mats to go below the elliptical, which is a must, especially since all exercise equipment could potentially emit black dust and ruin your floor.  Not only that, rubber mats supply a firm surface for your elliptical, and they make for a smoother, more stable surface for the elliptical, making your ride smoother and less “wobbly”. 

The ride is great on this thing.  I had read that about Horizons in a lot of the home elliptical reviews, and it really is true.  It also has several programs, including the manual, which is my personal favorite so I can just tailor my workout to however I’m feeling that day.  It is very stable, and does not wobble.  I did notice a bit of a squeaking noise at first, but realized that was our fault, and we had to just jimmy a part in the workings of the machine and it was fine. 

It does start off a little tough, because if you think about it, the resistance is a little higher at first because the machine isn’t yet warn in, so you usually need to start off on your elliptical with a light setting, so you don’t kill yourself on the resistance being so tight for the first few months until you wear it in a little and it becomes a tad easier to ride. 

All in all, the Horizon elliptical was a great buy, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a solid, long lasting elliptical machine. 

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