Printable weight loss charts are very useful for people trying to Lose Weight. They serve as a guide, allowing you to keep track of your progress as you follow your weight-loss program.
This can provide you with a tangible result for all your hard work. Because of this, it is usually better to post them where you'll see them often. This is the big advantage to weight loss charts that are printable.
The data collected on the charts varies. Typically, it will include weekly weight loss (it is usually best not to record daily weight loss figures because natural fluctuations can be a disincentive).
Other data that may be recorded includes various body measurements such as waist size, but can also include things such as clothing size.
Another common metric used is the calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI). While this index only gives a rough indication, the problems only lie at the boundaries. For example, if you are in the middle of the obese category, then it really is time to Lose Weight. Even small losses in weight can provide considerable health benefits.
Rather than just keeping a table of figures, there are computer programs which generate graphs, where you can see trends more clearly. Of course, the disadvantage in using this kind of software is that you have to turn on your computer just to update the chart.
There are a range of free printable weight loss charts available online to download from the internet. Nevertheless, unless you are a very strong willed it is probably easier to join a recognized weight loss program. Any reputable program will provide you with quality weight loss charts to use.
Research suggests that maintaining a weight-loss chart can assist you in obtaining your goal, because it keeps you accountable and also provides an incentive for continuing on your regime.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Why Many Fat Free Diets Do Not Work
Most people understand that it is wise to limit the amount of fat grams in their daily diet. The dietary reference intake amount for an adult ranges from 20% to 35%[i] of daily calories; or about 44 to 55 grams per day[1]. Since a single slice of pecan pie carries with it 27 grams of fat, and a mere tablespoon of thousand island salad dressing contains 8 grams of fat[ii], it is not surprising to see more and more people checking food labels and “passing over” an order of onion rings[2] as they try to lose, or maintain, inches and pounds.
However, the relentless avoidance of fat – even of healthy unsaturated fat – is creating a troubling scenario for many individuals. Instead of losing weight when they go “fat free”, they are actually gaining weight.
Many people on the road to weight loss forget – or simply do not know – that the words “fat free” do not also mean “calorie free”. As a result, many people ingest far too much “fat free” food, believing that it will not add weight, since, alas, it is dubbed “fat free”. Yet it is the calories in these fat-free foods that cause the weight gain; not the fat grams themselves[iii].
A single gram of fat contain nine calories, which is more than double the amount of calories in a gram protein or carbohydrate. Therefore, mathematically speaking, an eater can consume twice as many protein or carbohydrate grams than fat grams, and achieve the same caloric intake. Since many high-fat foods contain an excessive amount of fat grams – such as onion rings – it has become a staple of dieting wisdom to reduce fat intake and avoid such oily, greasy foods[3].
Yet it bears repeating that the reason to avoid fat-rich foods is not because of the word “fat”; it is because each fat gram contains a scale-tipping 9 calories. In other words: the weight-conscious reason for avoiding excess fat grams is because it leads to a higher caloric intake.
Dieters who neglect to realize this basic nutritional fact – that weight gain is about calories and not about fat grams themselves – fail to realize, and often at their eventual dismay, how the body actually gains and loses weight.
The typical adult male American diet calls for 2000 calories per day because this is how many calories are collectively use and burned (i.e. converted into energy) by the body each day. As an example, an average male dieter who consumes 1800 calories a day will “save” 200 calories per day. As there are 3,500 calories in a pound, the dieter in this scenario will “save” 3,600 calories over the course of 18 days (18 x 200 calories). This translates into a loss of one pound. Similarly, if this dieter consumes an excess 200 calories per day, a pound of weight will be gained in 18 days.
A dieter who is not aware of this mathematical formula may indeed avoid fat altogether and consume, for example, 6 tablespoons of “fat free” caramel topping per day; believing that this is not a part of the weight gain equation, because it is labeled as “fat free”. This is not false advertising, as fat free caramel topping contains no fat grams. However, fat free caramel topping delivers 103 calories per two tablespoon serving[iv].
If this dieter is adhering to a diet regimen of 44 fat grams per day -- and does not count calories -- then he will simply not know that in these 6 mere tablespoons are a substantial 309 calories; or 15% of the total daily caloric intake for a 2000 calorie/Day Diet.
In fact, a dieter could subsist entirely on “fat free” foods, and easily exceed their target daily caloric intake by their second meal of the day. These excess calories are obviously not deriving from fat grams; but they are coming from another source, most probably carbohydrates.
Again, the message here that many dieters do not receive from the advertising and marketing media is that fat grams in and of themselves do not necessarily “cause” weight gain. Rather, fat grams contribute to the total caloric intake, and they should be counted alongside carbohydrates and proteins.
Adding an unnecessary layer of complexity here is that many “healthy foods”, such as energy bars, contain an excessive amount of calories. A chocolate chip Energy Bar™, for example, contains 230 calories; which is actually only 40 calories less than a Butterfinger™ candy bar[v]. Unfortunately, because the Energy Bar contains 2 grams of fat and is therefore “low fat”, some dieters eat several per day; and pack on 230 calories each time, despite the fact that virtually none of those calories come from fat. It does not matter; the dieter will still gain weight if his or her daily caloric intake threshold is surpassed. Dieters who expect yogurt-covered bars to be “healthier” are also misled; the yogurt-berry Balance BarÔ contains 200 calories per serving, despite the fact that only 25% of the calories come from its 6 grams of fat.
However, there are some responsible nutritional supplement products on the market that are engineered to be both low fat/fat-free and low-calorie. These foods are of benefit to dieters when they are losing weight, and also in the vulnerable period after the weight has been lost. Regrettably, many very well intentioned dieters who have made tremendous strides and sacrifices to Lose Weight regain it within the first few “post-diet” months. While a number of factors influence whether a dieter will regain weight, including environment and genetics, one major culprit is that dieters are not provided with low-fat, low-calorie, and palatable food sources once they have achieved their weight loss goals. They consequently return to previous eating habits, and the unwanted weight returns within weeks.
However, as mentioned, there are intelligent nutritional supplements on the market that do fill this void, and ethically serve dieters – and post-dieters – with foods that they need to stay healthy, and fend off weight gain. For the sake of current and future dieters who are going to struggle with misleading “fat free” marketing, it is hoped that such intelligent companies, and their products, quickly become the norm of the future, rather than the exception of today.
[1] Fat grams contain 9 calories each.
[2] 3 grams of fat per onion ring!
[3] As briefly noted above, many dieters fail to realize that there are healthy unsaturated fats that the body requires; the body cannot produce fat on its own, it must receive it through diet. Yet even unsaturated fat grams contain 9 calories each, and so the understanding the fats should be severely limited holds true.
REFERENCES
[i] Source: “Unsaturated Fat”. Discoveryhealth.com.
http://health.discovery.com/encyclopedias/1946.html
[ii] Source: “Fat Content of Foods”. Weight Control Infocenter.
http://holisticonline.com/Remedies/weight/weight_table-fat-content-of-foods2.htm
[iii] : “Watching Fat vs. Calories”. Good Housekeeping/iVillage.
http://magazines.ivillage.com/goodhousekeeping/diet/nutrition/qas/0,,284558_291893,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=1&pba=adid=13272851
[iv] Source: “Fat Free vs. Regular Calorie Comparison”. US Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/chrt_calcomp.html
[v] Source: “Fueling Up with Energy Bars”. Healthcentral.com
http://www.healthcentral.com/FitorFat/FitorFatFullText.cfm?ID=34334&storytype=CBTips
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Belly Fat Burning Foods : What To Eat To Lose Weight And Burn Belly Fat Fast
How To Lose Weight Fast - Like 20 pounds in 3 weeks!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Diet Considerations for Hemochromatosis Sufferers
When the diagnosis of hemochromatosis is made it is important to adjust the diet so that too much iron is not being absorbed because of an improper diet. However such adjustment need not be at the expense of enjoying life and good food.
The biggest considerations are not to take medications which contain iron, consume too much alcohol or Vitamin C. Excessive alcohol consumption which has shown to greatly increase iron absorption in those with hemochromatosis is set at a level of 60g a day. Thus it is important to stay well below this level. The limit should be 30g a day in men and 20g a day in women. When a patient has two copies of C282Y and drinks excessive alcohol there is a multiplying affect – not an additive affect – on the absorption of iron. It is deadly to drink too much alcohol if you have hemochromatosis. The effect of excessive alcohol consumption on hemochromatosis cannot be overstressed.
Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron. It is wise only to consume a moderate amount and not take Vitamin C tablets. Vitamin C has been known to precipitate heart palpitations in those with hemochromatosis.
The ingestion of black tea has been shown to decrease the absorption of iron. African tea which is becoming popular may contain iron so too much should not be consumed.
Patients with hemochromatosis should not take supplements unless there are documented deficiencies. There is evidence that those with hemochromatosis may also have an increased ability to absorb other heavy metals. While iron may be removed by bleeding it is very difficult to remove other excess heavy metals.
Don’t take milk thistle which has often been touted as good for the liver. It can cause severe problems in those with hemochromatosis. It is best to avoid herbal medicines with hemochromatosis as the joint effects have not been adequately studied.
Don’t eat raw shellfish. They may be contaminated with Vibrio vulnificans which thrives in an iron rich environment. There have been fatalities in the northern hemisphere. Cooking inactivates this organism.
Vitamin E – as an antioxidant may be of some help because too much iron may act as an oxidant. However it is probably important not to exceed 400 to 800 IU a day of Vitamin E.
It is non-heme iron or the iron found in sources such as vegetables that is excessively absorbed in hemochromatosis. Thus a patient with hemochromatosis may consume a steak and not be overly concerned. Meat and blood are sources of heme iron.
It is important not to believe that those with hemochromatosis should overly restrict their diet. With the exception of the above pointers restriction of iron intake doesn’t help that much in hemochromatosis. A very strict diet with removal of all other sources of iron will help keep the ferritin level down, however no more than could be achieved by one phlebotomy every 6 months. So it is important to enjoy your food – hemochromatosis is not a barrier to that.
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Diet After Weight-Loss Surgery
Think weight loss surgery is the only thing you need to get yourself thin? Think again. Weight-loss surgery requires certain lifestyle changes. If you are considering getting weight-loss surgery, you will need to be willing to change your exercising and eating habits. This will ensure that you loose the amount of weight you desire to after your surgery. Here are some dietary recommendations that you will need to consider before and after your surgery. By following these guidelines, your weight loss should be successful.
It is recommended that for the first three months after your weight-loss surgery, you eat only liquids and soft foods. This will give your upper stomach a break, with easier to digest foods and nutrients that are not so difficult to break down. If you choose to eat meat or harder foods during this time you will need to make sure that you chew it slowly and thoroughly. If you do not, the partially digested meat will cause painful side-effects.
Another modification to your eating habits that you will have to make is eating in smaller amounts. When you are morbidly obese your body needs more food to maintain the needed energy supply. However, this changes after surgery. Your dietary habits will need to change from eating large meals to eating smaller but more frequent meals throughout the day. Most who have had surgery go from eating larger meals to grazing, where they eat a little bits throughout the day and avoid large meals completely.
You will also need to make sure that you are taking the right vitamins and minerals. Iron, calcium, and B12 vitamins are often harder to maintain in your body. Because of this, you will need to take some supplements. You may also want to consider taking a multi-vitamin to ensure that your body is getting the right amount of nutrients every day. It is known that weight-loss surgery makes it more difficult for the body to absorb nutrients. This makes it more important to take the right amount of vitamins and minerals everyday.
Dietary habit changes also include not eating fatty foods or excessively sugary foods. Desserts and fast foods should be avoided even after most of your weight is lost. If a particular food has a lot of calories in it, it is probably best not to consume that kind of food for several months after your surgery. Taking it out of your diet completely will guarantee that you can loose the weight that you need quickly.
Those who have weight-loss surgery are expected to take in foods slowly at first and adopt a diet that will help them in their success. Without having the right vitamins, supplements and diet needs in place after surgery, the weight to stay on. Those that have had weight-loss surgery have often been successful with loosing weight quickly. This, however, is based on following specific dietary guidelines, making it one of the most important steps after your surgery.
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Friday, April 5, 2013
BEST Weight Loss Diet Plan for Men & Women. Go Vegan!
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