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Low Fat Diet Myths
By admin | May 3, 2008
The latest research on low fat diets and why they don’t work
For decades, the low fat diet has been the gold standard of weight loss and nutritional help. But do low fat diets really work?
In recent years, trendy diets such as Atkins, Sugar Busters, and the South Beach Diet have questioned the validity of low fat diets.
Others in turn have questioned whether high protein diets are safe and/or effective for long term weight loss.
But putting aside the high protein diets for the time being, the effectiveness of low fat diets has been called into question by a recent study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
The results of this 8 year study of over 50,000 women were released in 2006, and they shocked many people in the medical community.
The low fat myth debunked
This study revealed little or no health benefits from a low fat diet, in which the study’s participants lowered their daily fat intake to 24% of total calories, whereas a control group ate a diet in which approximately 37% of the calories came from fat.
That’s right, there was no significant difference in the rates of colon cancer, heart disease, or stroke between those two groups.
But does this mean it is healthy to eat any and all fats in high quantity on a daily basis?
Hardly. This study failed to differentiate between good fats (monounsaturated and omega 3 fats) and bad fats (saturated and trans fats).
Other studies have shown that diets lower in these bad fats and higher in fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses.
Good fats and hunger
Incorporating good fats from sources like olive oil, nuts, and avocados can lessen your hunger and thus help you eat less.
While fats are more dense in calories than either proteins or carbs, they also tend to make you feel more sated after you eat them, and this can lead to eating less food and thus losing more pounds.
Fat also keeps you feeling fuller for longer after a meal than do carbs or even protein, because fats keep the stomach from emptying too quickly.
So what is the ideal diet?
The science of nutrition is constantly in flux, and what seems etched in stone today might well be revealed as a myth tomorrow.
Therefore, you have to make educated choices based on the best available information. In my opinion, the best diets or eating plans for weight loss incorporate a balanced approach, including moderate amounts of proteins, carbs, and good fats.
Diets like the Zone and the Abs Diet both seem to me to fit these criteria. You should check with your doctor before deciding on the best eating plan or diet for you.
While a low fat diet might not be all it was once cracked up to be, eating a combination of eating a proper diet and doing regular aerobic exercise is still your best bet for weight loss.
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How to Get a Six Pack
By admin | May 3, 2008
What you need to know to get killer abs
Want to know how to get a six pack? It might be easier than you think, and many of the things you believe to be true about stomach exercises might be totally false.
In the first place, you can do all the crunches, leg lifts, bicycle amneuvers, and any other ab exercises you want and still not get sick pack abs.
In fact, you could buy any machine on the market, use it according to the exact specifications in the instructions, and STILL you would probably not get a six pack.
The reason for this? Simple. You can never have ripped abs until you burn off the layer of fat covering your stomach muscles.
Until you burn off that fat, you can tone and shape your abs perfectly, but they will not be visible under your gut.
Now what’s the point of doing all that work, suffering through all those reps, if you’re never going to see any results?
The REAL secret to getting six pack abs
Despite what all the ab machine marketers and even many personal trainers will have you believe, the very first thing you must do in order to get ripped abs is to get moving.
Get active. Do some form of aerobic exercise every single day (taking one day off to rest per week).
Make it fun - do something you like, such as playing basketball, football, ultimate frisbee - anything that gets your heart pumping for at least a half an hour a day.
This will start the process of burning fat. And studies show that aerobic exercise is 33% more effective at reducing abdominal fat than is dieting, so get moving and you’ll really be targeting your abs.
Change your diet in increments, maybe dropping soda, then swapping fruit for deserts, and then switching from white bread to whole wheat.
Every change you make in your diet will add up, working in tandem with your daily aerobic workouts to burn that fat and reveal those abs.
Consider supplements such as fish oil and green tea extract to further boost your fat burning and lower your appetite, accelerating the process even further.
The FINAL step is the abs exercize routine
Once you are starting to flatten your stomach, THEN start working your abs. A simple, effective and free routine is here.
Follow the ab exercise routine, continue your aerobic exercise, keep up the eating and supplements - that is exactly how to get a six pack.
You now have the knowledge. All it takes from you now is comittment, and you’ll have the six pack you’ve always dreamed of.
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