Health Lifestyle Guide for Weight Loss

The most influential source for gaining or losing fat cells is FOOD, a fact all know but yet don’t realize the immense impact it has in the metabolism of the body. It’s more powerful than any prescription weight loss pills, because the FOOD that you eat can eventually effect the outcome of your body’s contour/silhouette.

Not consuming the correct food groups at the correct intervals each day and the pattern in which you choose to eat your meals also plays a role. It’s important to always keep a mental note on the meals you had for the past few days. This could prove to be quite a trick and could help with the decision making process on what to order at your next dinner date, business lunch or simply what’s for supper.

Example:

If you have consumed allot of carbohydrates or 'heavy foods' in the weeks/past few days, order salad/vegetables in place of rice or potatoes; couscous is another healthier alternative to the above. Their are other healthier meat options instead of the predictable beef/lamb/chicken, ostrich meat contains approximately zero cholesterol.

Some Practical Tips:

Instead of consuming the conventional 'diet fluids' i.e. juice/purified water try having health/power smoothies. Variety of smoothies will contain the needed vitamins and minerals you might have missed in the week and to give you the added boost you may need. Some of them contains health agents to boost your mood for those miserable days.

These smoothies can be quite filling and can be used as a substitute for one of your meals for those 'on-the-go' day's. Try to avoid as much artificially sweetened food products i.e. yoghurt/juice as possible. Fruit contains it's own natural sugar so grab a non sweetened yoghurt along with fruit. if you are a 'die-hard' sweet tooth, do not add sugar to your tea/coffee when having something decadent (remember: then no starch for a few days)

Basic Rule, eat more than 3 meals a day. The recommended amount is 6 small portioned meals a day. your first meal of the day should be filling and not just your average bowl of cereal.
A comforting fact to always remember, it's not about how much you weigh but how much body fat percentage you hold. Honestly, it's all about how many centimeters you can shed and how toned you become.

The benefits for eating Brown rice instead of white are that they are rich in antioxidants. It also provides lecithin and contains lots of fiber that assists the large and small intestine, as well as the colon.

DO NOT SKIP ANY MEALS OR STARVE YOURSELF; THE BODY WILL AUTOMATICALLY STORE MORE FAT CELLS !

What makes the weight-loss process so much of harder, is the fact that we need food to survive. It is all around us and it cannot be avoided. Unlike a recovering drug addict that can avoid coming in contact with substance. It's important to remember that food is not the enemy, it's poor decision making and the failure to eat 'consciously'.

After each meal that you eat, the human brain releases 2 types of hormones into your bloodstream which together they influence Fat Storage and Fat Burning. These hormones are activated by the foods we eat.

AFRAID OF ENCOUNTERING “HUNGER PAINS” …TRY THE FOLLOWING

Drink a glass of water before each meal; this would give you a feeling that you are “full” therefore making it less likely for you overeat or get tempted for something extra. If you are easily tempted or not so disciplined at the start…better yet, why not drink two glasses. If the daily ritual of drinking water becomes a tad bit monotonous, Green tea also has other health benefits because of its significant antioxidant components. In the process you would ensure overall health and protect yourself from cancer, skin breakouts and heart diseases. Another alternative, why not try flavored waters on the market, too. Just keep an eye out for additives. No sweeteners or sugar to be added. Artificial sweeteners will make you hungry and does cause some damage to your organs i.e. the liver or pancreas.

Your metabolism slows down while you sleep so avoid those late night snacks especially filling snacks i.e. sandwich’s, meat etc.

You are more likely to binge on something decadent and in the starch food group if you skip breakfast. Therefore you have to start your day with a well balance-filled breakfast. Eating regularly a well balanced breakfast will increase your metabolism as well as eating regularly.

Regular Activity

Regular exercise routines such as, walking (office stairs), biking, whilst doing house cleaning (try to lift & bend in a squat position when picking up furniture) or hiking will help raise your metabolism during the activity and for several hours after. Start off with small changes in your daily exercise routines. Make sure to get enough sleep and rest. Don't forget that protein is also needed in your diet plan. This is vital for building muscle, the more muscle build-up the less fat percentage. Lean body mass is the most important factor of metabolism. Did you know that the muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat! So don’t concentrate too much on loosing body fat but increase your Muscle Mass.

Avoid excessive drinking for it slows down the body's ability to burn fat, not to mention skin breakouts. Try at least to drink a glass of water after two glasses of wine or 3 glasses after a hectic night out before going to bed. Surprisingly salads can be quite filling… so eat raw vegetables and salads for they are loaded with vitamins and low in fat; giving that you have it without the dressing.

GREEN TEA & IT'S HEALTH BENEFITS

Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)and rich in vitamin E. EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels; treats headaches to depression and slowing down the abnormal formation of blood; Preventing food poisoning; Reducing the risk of cancer; Slowing the aging process; Controlling high blood pressure; Lowering blood sugar.