Heart Healthy Dieting

Recent research on nutrition shows we are really what we eat.
More and more people are getting on the weight loss bandwagon,
but how many are cognizant of weight loss with a heart healthy
diet? Research further shows that eating fruit and vegetables
every few hours will elevate the body's disease-fighting
ability while losing weight in the process.

The easiest and healthiest way to keep weight off is to consume
fewer calories. Several authors have written articles, books
and periodicals on the subject of weight loss and this will
probably be the trend for many years to come. In this era of
obesity, millions of people are researching all the weight loss
information they can find. Millions of people are starting
diets every day. Many of those diets fail before they get
started. When the diet fails, the individual gets frustrated
with himself or herself and vows to quit. Guess what?
Quitting a diet does not stop the weight gain. Eventually you
will see increased pounds above and beyond where your weight
gain was before starting and quitting the diet.

Heart healthy dieting cannot be rushed. You must motivate
yourself to maintain the stamina to stick with the diet you
choose for however long it takes to be successful with your
weight loss. Thoroughly research the diet plan you have
chosen. Make sure the diet plan will give you the weight loss
results you are seeking. Once you have decided on a diet plan,
consult your physician to be sure you have no unknown health
issues that may prohibit the chosen diet plan.

When choosing a weight loss plan, keep it real. Stay in touch
with reality. You know you did not gain the weight overnight,
so do not expect to lose weight overnight. There are no
miracle weight loss diets that will melt pounds away while you
sleep. Set your weight loss goals low enough for you to
handle. If you want to lose a few pounds, this can be
attainable in a short while, but not overnight. If you want to
lose a lot of pounds, set your goals in attainable increments.
Maybe five to ten pounds would be best as incremental weight
loss goals. You should have the stamina to sustain a five to
ten pound weight loss.

A five-day fast could give you the motivation to reach your
fist incremental weight loss goal. After the five-day fast,
you might be pleasantly surprised of your success and decide to
step up your weight loss regimen a notch. Always remember to
eat heart healthy on your way to the weight loss success you
want.

About The Author: Find that little person you lost and visit me
at http://www.marymshields.usana.com.

Can Oolong Tea Help Men Lose Weight?

It seems that we're all fighting the battle of the bulge.
Especially as we get older, it seems to get harder to keep the
pounds at bay. We often think of women as being the dieters,
but in fact, men are just as subject to weight problems as
women.

As you're looking for ways to make weight loss easier, consider
the research that has been performed on the health benefits of
tea. Tea has long been used in Asian cultures to prevent
illness and protect health, and it seems that science is
proving what Asians have believed all along: tea is good for
you.

Lifelong tea drinkers have lower incidences of heart disease,
high cholesterol and some forms of cancer. They are also less
likely to suffer from diabetes or be overweight. Tea protects
your teeth and may even have potential to prevent diseases like
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

We are beginning to learn a lot about the benefits of tea, but
clearly there is much more to learn, so that we can pinpoint
exactly how we can best use tea to help with medical needs.

One of the most promising areas of tea research centers on tea
as a weight loss aid. Much research has shown that tea seems to
speed up the metabolism and promote fat oxidation. Other studies
have shown that lifelong tea drinkers are less likely to be
overweight, have a lower percentage of body fat and have a
lower waist to hip ratio.

In addition, studies have shown that when tea was part of a
sensible diet and exercise plan, subjects lose more weight than
those subjects who used a diet and exercise plan without tea as
a supplement.

One study that is particularly interesting was conducted by the
Beltsville Human Nutrition Center in Maryland in conjunction
with the University of Tokushima in Japan. In this study,
twelve men between the ages of 25 and 60 were evaluated. All
participants were in good health, and the study was conducted
over a period of one month. The target participants were those
who consumed the caffeine equivalent of 2-4 cups of coffee each
day.

Prior to the beginning of the study, each participant was
evaluated with regard to their calorie expenditure per day
without caffeine or tea. During the study, each participant was
placed into one of four study groups. One group received a
supplement of water, one group received water with caffeine,
one group received half strength oolong tea and one group
received full strength oolong tea.

For three days, the participants were fed the exact same diet.
The diet was low calorie and free of caffeine, other than the
caffeine in the beverage supplements. The beverage supplements
were given to the participants five times per day.

This study found that the participants who drank full strength
oolong tea and caffeinated water burned more calories in a day
than the subjects who drank water or half strength tea.
Drinking caffeinated water increased energy expenditure by 3.4%
over those participants who drank water alone.

Drinking full strength tea increased energy expenditure by 2.9%
over drinking water alone. Drinking half strength tea did not
significantly increase energy expenditure over drinking water
alone.

So, why not just drink water with caffeine?

You might ask why we wouldn't just drink water with caffeine to
help increase our metabolic rate. Well, according to this study,
you could do just that. However, when you consider the many
other studies that have touted the many other benefits of tea
consumption, it's clear that getting your metabolic boost from
tea is far healthier than adding caffeine to your water.

Tea is full of anti-oxidants, which is believed to be why it
prevents illnesses and protects health. Anti-oxidants are
powerful fighters of free radicals in the body. Free radicals
are oxygen containing molecules that are created as a
by-product of our digestion process.

These free radicals damage our cells and DNA if left unchecked.
However, consuming anti-oxidants combats these free radicals
before they can harm our bodies. Scientists have shown that
consuming a diet high in anti-oxidants helps us to avoid
serious illnesses and slows down the aging process.

In addition, there have been other studies that have suggested
that tea promotes more weight loss through fat oxidation than
other caffeinated beverages. It is believed that this too is
the result of anti-oxidants. It appears that the combination of
caffeine with the anti-oxidants in tea is a more powerful weight
loss supplement than caffeine in other beverages.

Finally, research has shown that the caffeine in tea seems to
be better tolerated than other forms of caffeine. Many people
who are caffeine sensitive find that they can drink tea without
the usual side effects of caffeine. The caffeine in tea often
does not produce the irregular heart rate and nervous jitters
that caffeine sensitive people experience from other
caffeinated beverages.

So, adding tea to your diet plan may be a great way to speed up
your weight loss. Tea is healthy, refreshing, inexpensive and
readily available. So, why not add tea to your diet routine?

About The Author: Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon
Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and
black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com

Can The Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight ?

The Cabbage Soup Diet is different and a little extreme, at
least at the start. Here are all the details and a new cabbage
soup diet pill announcement at the end of this article.

In the world today, there are millions of people who are
overweight. Obesity is on the rise, and many people are looking
for a way to shed a few unwanted pounds quickly.

There are many methods that those who want to loose weight can
use, one being dieting.

There are thousands of diets on the market today, one of the
oldest being the cabbage soup diet. Those who choose to use
this diet plan should be prepared for an extremely strict diet
regime.

There are many different recipes for cabbage soup, however the
classic recipe includes cabbage, onions, peppers, garlic,
celery, mushroom, carrots, and tomatoes simmered in vegetable
stock.

This unusual diet allows you to eat as much cabbage soup as you
want throughout each day. Adding various fruits and vegetable on
assigned days is the only variation to the menu. The only drinks
that are allowed on program are water, unsweetened fruit juice
on the days that fruit is assigned. Skim milk is allowed; on
the days that it is assigned, and black coffee and plain tea.

Here's the scoop on how this eating plan is structured:

Day one of the cabbage soup diet allows you to add as much
fruit as you want to the menu with the exception of bananas.

Day two allows you to add vegetables to the menu, including one
baked potato with a small amount of butter.

Day three allows you to add fruits and vegetables to the menu.
However, potatoes and bananas are to be excluded. Don't give up
just yet.

Day four of the cabbage soup experience allows you to add eight
bananas to your menu, and as much skim milk as you want.

Day five is a treat and a relief. You are allowed to add up to
twenty ounces of beef to the menu and six tomatos.

Day six of this weight loss program allows you to add as much
beef and vegetables as you like to the menu with the exception
of potatoes.

Day seven allows you to add brown rice and vegetables with the
exception of potatoes and unsweetened fruit juice to the menu.

It is important that you remember to spread the menu allowances
throughout the day. Do not have all of them all for just one
meal.

It is also important to remember that this particular soup diet
plan is meant to be used for only seven days. Using it any
longer can lead to serious health problems.

There has been a great controversy in the medical community
regarding the cabbage soup diet. Some experts feel that this
diet may be harmful to some people. Therefore, it caution
should be used when considering this diet.

Obvioulsy, it is not recommended for everyone. It is crucial
that you consult your physician before starting the cabbage
soup diet to rule out any underlying health problems. Your
doctor will advise you if this is the right diet for you.

About The Author: Ken Black is the owner of
http://www.Weight-Loss-Discovery.com. Visit us to learn more
about healthy weight loss.

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