Part II – Are There Ingredients Put in Food to Make You Fat?

May 17, 2010 · Filed Under Weightloss · Comment 

Part II – Are There Ingredients Put in Food to Make You Fat?
High Fructose Corn Syrup. This is one of the worst. I mean have you seen the commercials that claim “HFCS is fine in moderation?” Are they serious?

What are the main causes of belly fat?

There are many and varied reasons why people gain weight around the belly. It is highly likely that one factor alone is not the cause but rather an accumulation of several contributing factors can lead to weight creeping on unnoticed.

Research has highlighted five important factors that have been shown to effect how much fat is stored around your middle. These are:

1) Improper diet:

The number one cause of excess stomach fat is improper diet. Eating a healthy, nutritious diet is the biggest component for long term consistent weight loss. In order to lose weight your body must burn more calories than you consume. Reducing your calorie intake combined with healthy eating habits can greatly reduce the amount of fat around your middle and the rest of your body.

2) Genetics:

Genetics plays a huge role in your appearance. Some people have a tendency to store fat in the lower half of their body, hips and thighs, (typically pear shape) while others tend to store fat around their middle (apple shape).

If one or both of your parents has a tendency to store fat around the middle then there is a fairly high chance that you will to. However, this does not mean that you are predisposed to belly fat and can not do anything about it. Once you understand your body shape and how it works to store fat you can change how your body responds.

3) Lifestyle:

Unfortunately the world we live in today creates a myriad of stressful situations for people each and every day. From work related problems, deadlines, relationship problems or the lack of one, fitting in the house work, dealing with family quarrels, low calorie diets, intense training, lack of quality sleep or just being caught in a traffic jam ….the list goes on!

Stress can trigger the release a hormone called cortisol (the stress hormone), this causes your liver to produce excess sugar that you body does not need and as a result it is stored as fat.

There is also some scientific evidence that leading a more stressful life can have a direct impact on where fat storage occurs in your body. There is a link between high cortisol levels and storage of body fat, particularly visceral abdominal body fat. It is important to say that high levels of cortisol are merely one contributing factor to storage of abdominal fat, not the primary cause.

4) Age:

Age plays a big role in the accumulation of belly fat. As we get older our metabolism gradually slows down. That means you do not burn calories as fast or as easily as you did when you were younger. A slower metabolism can also result in extra storage of fat, particularly around the middle. It is very important as we get older to maintain a level of physical activity to increase metabolism and burn belly fat.

5) Digestion:

Improper digestion may cause several problems such as gas, bloating and occasional abdominal pains. Many people who complain about persistent belly fat are actually suffering from excess gas which causes the belly to look bloated.

Increasing the amount of fresh, raw, organic fruits and vegetables into your diet will provide a natural source of enzymes and fibre to help break down what you eat and flush all the toxic substances that can cause symptoms such as gas, bloating and constipation.

Conclusion

Belly fat is without a doubt the number one trouble spot for men and women alike. More women moan about having a wobbly tummy and more men try to get a perfect six pack; concentrating efforts on this region more than any other body part.

Trying to shift stubborn belly fat is very important for health reasons, as there is a number of health risks associated with stomach fat. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep apnea.

In order to effectively get rid of fat around your middle rethinking your diet and exercise is a step in the right direction. Eating a well balanced diet full of protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables will reduce the levels of fat in and around the abdomen.

Adding in a little bit of exercise will speed this process up dramatically as it will increase metabolism and help you to burn fat and get toned. Nothing extreme, but even adding in a little walking, swimming or cycling into your regular daily/weekly routine will go a long way to reducing the stubborn belly fat.

Research has highlighted a number of common factors that have been shown to cause exess belly fat. It is unlikely that one factor alone is the sole cause for excess belly fat but rather an accumulaton of two or more leading to exess weight gradually creeping on around the middle.

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What are some good diets and diet plans for a fifteen year old girl?

April 14, 2009 · Filed Under Diet plans · 2 Comments 
diet plans
Needs Advicee (: asked:


I’m looking for a healthy diet.
I’m not one of those girls who’s really obsessed with my wieght.
I just would like to tone my body and get in shape for the summer.
So i’m about 5′4″ and 140lbs.
So can someone help me out with some HEALTHY diets and diet plans (:
please and thank you !