Monthly Archives: October 2010

Tips

Side Effects of Using HCG for Weight Loss

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The use of HCG (human chorionic gonadoropin) for weight loss seems rather extreme. The basic procedure is to take a series of HCG injections while following a very specific and very low calorie diet. Following this procedure exactly results in the lose of adipose fat to the tune of about 1 pound per day. Anyone looking on this procedure from the outside would say that it sound pretty extreme. I suppose that it is extreme, but the weight loss is also very extreme, which is wonderful to say the least. So a weight loss method as extreme as this must have some pretty serious side effects, right? Nope – you could not be more wrong!

Compared to other extreme weight loss methods, the use of HCG injections is very safe. There is none of the liver and heart damage associated with appetite reducing drugs. There is no surgery as in stomach stapling or stomach band operations. There is no potential kidney or liver damage as found in some high protein diets. It simply works.

So what are some of the side effects?

Nothing life threatening, but when the protocol is first started there is the potential for headaches and some irritability and restlessness. This is really due to the changes in the composition of your new diet and not so much from the HCG hormone itself. Some people, due to the low calorie diet, also feel some hunger or at the very least, a certain ’emptiness.’ This usually passes by the 2nd week and is virtually non-existent for the rest of the procedure. Other effects that can be felt are changes in blood pressure (lowered … usually a good effect), changes in blood sugar level (lowered … again, usually good) and of course a serious drop in body weight.

This diet, while extreme in its results, is not dangerous and when compared to other weight loss methods, is extremely safe. Most who attempt the HCG protocol are willing to put up with a little restlessness for the wonderful results that occur so quickly.

Internal Cleansing Low Calorie Neutral Recipes Vegetarian

Juice Fast Diet for Quick Weight Loss

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A juice fast is usually a last ditch diet effort to lose stubborn weight because the diet is extreme. However, it can be highly effective for those who manage to stay on this rigid diet.

The main benefit is that this is a quick weight loss diet. You can lose anywhere from one to four pounds daily in the beginning of a juice fast, slowing down to about a pound a day as the fast progresses. It is not unusual to see someone drop 30 pounds on a 30-day fast and that kind of weight loss can be transformative.

Staying on this diet is a challenge but for those who have staying power, the benefits far exceed weight loss. Fasting has been shown to be a healthy practice that detoxifies the body and cleanses the blood.

Here are a few recipes to use during a juice fast;

  • 6 carrots
  • 6 kale leaves
  • 4 stalks celery
  • 4 beets
  • 2 turnip
  • 1/2 lb. spinach
  • 1 head cabbage
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Place all ingredients in water and gently boil until vegetables are tender. Drain liquid for use during fasting.

Here is a lemon juice recipe that speeds detoxification

  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)
  • 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 32 oz steam distilled water

While you can drink commercial juices, make sure you avoid any juice that contains sugar or artificial ingredients. It is better to lean more toward vegetable juices instead of fruit juices. It is typically recommended that you sip 4 to 8 glasses of juice throughout the day and also drink an additional 6 to 8 glasses of filtered or purified water throughout the day.

It is also important to know that you might feel the effects of detoxification, especially in the early days of the fast diet. Flu-like symptoms are the common symptoms of detoxification. If you feel ill, increase your juice intake by an additional glass to slow the detoxification process.

Recipes Starches Vegetarian

Comfort Food Without The Calories – A Healthy Minestrone Soup

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As fall starts to come the chill in the air starts to make you want warm comfort foods, instead of reaching for the creamy cheesy carbohydrate loaded concoction that you think might make you feel warm and cozy, go for another warm food that won’t wreak havoc on your diet. When looking for how to lose belly fat through your diet, this low-fat, healthy, Minestrone soup is a a great option. This lean soup is full of vegetables, and a great source of lean protein. Soup is an excellent meal choice when you’re watching your diet because it’s very filling. You want to be sure you stick to the water-based soups, and not cream based soups. Cream based soups are typically high in fat and calories.

Healthy Minestrone Soup Ingredients:
2 TBS olive oil
5 red potatoes, cubed
5 carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
6 cups of water
3 TBS diced fresh basil
2 TBS diced fresh oregano
1 TBS salt
2 cups uncooked small shaped pasta

Combine olive oil, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic in a large pot over medium heat. Mix in tomato paste, beans, water and broth. Add basil, oregano and salt. Cook for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Continue to stir. Add pasta to pot. Continue cooking until pasta is tender. You really can add any vegetables you want to this soup to up your servings of vegetables for the day. Also, to save yourself time you can use frozen vegetables, and pre-cook the pasta while the rest of the soup is cooking, and then stir it in at the end.

This is a great meal for a cold day. Serve up with some whole grain bread and you’re set. Continue reading for more fat burning recipes

Healthy Products Tips

Greater Weight Loss Success With Healthy Snacks

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There are many things you can do to increase your chances of losing weight and keeping the weight off. These range from free to very expensive, from easy to extremely difficult. Some of the easiest and cheapest aids are healthy snacks for weight loss.

You may not think that buying snacks is going to help your weight loss progress much, but that depends on the kind of person you are. If you’re the kind of person who’s never really been bothered by chocolate bars, packets of chips, popcorn, etc. then you don’t really need to be looking into healthy snacks. You can stick to a healthy weight loss diet and slim your body down to your ideal weight without problem.

But, on the other hand, if you’re the kind of person who likes an occasional snack – and to be honest I think most of us fall into this category – then the chances are that you’ve been frustrated by your diet. You may not want to guzzle packets of chips all day long (I should hope you don’t; even healthy snacks aren’t good if consumed to excess) but there are those occasional times when you really fancy a packet. If you can just reach into your cupboard and take out a bag of low fat chips then it’s not at all an issue. But if you just try to deny yourself, this passing fancy is likely to grow into something more severe, and pretty soon your diet will make you miserable.

Spending a few dollars to buy low fat popcorn is no big deal, but it can really help to keep you motivated and focused on your healthy diet. You’ll be able to keep thinking of the body you’ll soon have, rather than being plagued by thoughts of all the tasty treats you’re having to deny yourself.

And with this peace of mind and focus will come greater weight loss success.

Healthy Products Tips Working Out

Knowing When to Take Protein Powder for Best Results

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Protein powder is popular among people who want to lose weight. It is available in the market and it is very easy to prepare. Just mix with water or fruit juice and you are good to go. However, for best results, here are some pointers on when to take protein powder.

Protein powder is best taken immediately after workout. It helps in recovery after a strenuous muscle activity, as our body needs raw materials after exercise to help rebuild muscles. If there is a lack of raw materials, our body will break down muscles from a different place so that the body can reconstruct the damaged muscles. However, an hour after working, our body has already settled down so the tendency is our body will ask for more. We can take another 20-30 grams of protein to help speed up muscle rebuilding. it is not recommended to take before working out.

You can also take protein powder first thing in the morning. Since the body has not taken anything for around six to eight hours straight, it needs nutrients to recover. One good thing about protein powder is that the body absorbs it more quickly than solid food so it recovers the muscles much faster. Nevertheless, it is still advisable to eat breakfast after taking protein powder for more nutrients for the body. For more convenience, we can take protein powder with our regular meals.

When we are sleeping, our body still needs nutrients for the next six to eight hours. To supplement this, it is good to take protein powder before going to sleep. We can mix whey protein with casein protein, which makes the absorption slower. It would be sufficient at the course of the night while we are not eating anything. We can enjoy the mixture of protein powder with warm milk not only for a good night sleep but for a healthy body, too.

If you are really focusing on building and toning muscles, it is not wrong to take protein powder in the middle of the night. This is what most of the bodybuilders do for continuous supply of protein in the body. However, it is not required. If you cannot wake up in the middle of the night, you can still take protein powder first thing when you wake up.

With all of these suggestions, we must make sure to regulate protein powder intake to avoid kidney problems. However, it is easy to know when to take protein powder because we can already make it a part of our lifestyle. We can arrive into our desired outcome in the most convenient way.

Lastly, make sure to check out TweakFit fitness blog for more tips on how to lose weight.

Tips

Weight Loss Patches Reviews: Do They Work?

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In today’s world we see many people suffering from obesity and hence the products for weight loss have seen great success. People, who are obese, find shortcuts to reduce weight and so diet pills, weight loss patches have been the order of the day.

Weight loss patches are fantastic small patches that are placed on a smooth part of your skin such as the arm or leg. These patches contain herbal medicines such as guarana, hoodia and chromium which are released directly into your blood stream. Guarana is a stimulant that burns the fat while chromium helps in regulating the insulin levels. These patches claim that the metabolic rate can be increased, burns fat faster and helps in suppressing your diet. But how far is all this true is the question that has to be answered.

The ingredients that are mentioned above may bring out actual results on weight loss, but this alone is not sufficient enough for the weight loss patch to guarantee that the tool will surely be advantageous for people who want to lose weight. If there is no change in the lifestyle and the diet of the person then the patch is useless.

The US Federal Trade Commission had conducted weight loss patches reviews on two brands of weight loss patches which are distributed in the market. It was found that the manufacturers of these patches gave false claims. According to the FTC, the manufacturers of these patches have deceived their customers on the merits of their products by running false advertisements through media.

After the weight loss patches reviews by the FTC, the other websites just followed them. Some reviews proved that these products are not effective in losing weight.

Weight loss patches reviews are available in plenty if you go online. You need to go through all the reviews by those who have used this product before and understand if this product has really worked effectively. That could be one of the best ways to judge the effectiveness of the product. These reviews are honest opinion published by the users of such products.  Companies that offer a money back guarantee are often the most reputable.  Remember that there are no shortcuts to a healthy lifestyle.

Tips

Are There Any HCG Diet Dangers?

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Without a doubt there are a multitude of diets available to anyone wishing to lose weight.  Most of these diets have one or two side effects that need to be considered before continuing.  The same can be said of the HCG Diet.  There are a few precautions that must be understood before plunging in and losing a lot of weight.

Pregnant Women

HCG is a hormone produced by the female body during pregnancy.  Typically the level of HCG will increase throughout the pregnancy term.  Therefore it is usually not advisable for pregnant women to take HCG injections.

Underage Dieters

The HCG injections or drops are also not recommended for people under the age of 18.  HCG can produce progesterone in the body.  If this occurs in a young person it could interfere with their physical development as they mature.

Basic Side Effects

Since the HCG diet recommends a strict daily intake of only 500 calories some people experience headaches or fatigue.  These symptoms typically do not last very long.

Some of the newer proponents of the HCG diet suggest taking a supplement during the dieting phase.  However, most of the problems people have experienced during the HCG diet are due to the supplements, not the HCG.  People that have followed Dr. Simeon’s plan to the letter typically do not encounter any problems since they are not adding supplements to their dieting.

Other people have observed that their bodies get colder much easier.

This is one reason it is so important for people to follow and use the recommended HCG diet recipes.  By eating the exact amount of food and liquids most dieters can avoid these types of side effects.

Summary

For the majority of people, a realistic long term goal is the real purpose behind the diet.  Following the HCG plan is a great way to kick off a new healthy lifestyle.  Most people that stick with the program and follow the exact guidelines have witnessed significant weight loss that range from half a pound and up per day.  Since the general diet usually lasts for 26 days, this means that people can experience a loss of 13 pounds or more though the use of this plan.  Anyone wishing to lose a lot of weight over an extended amount of time could use this quick success as motivation to adopt a new way of eating and exercising.