Trying to Lose Weight? Carbs Are Your Enemy

If you are trying to lose weight, carbs are probably something you have heard quite a bit about. You likely understand that your body uses carbohydrates for energy, and that your weight issue is probably due - at least in part - to over-consumption of carbohydrates to some degree. For many people, simply reducing the intake of foods high in carbohydrates would be enough to help the weight simply melt off, but the problem is that most of the foods we crave are loaded with them. Just take some time to read the labels on crackers, cookies, potato chips and other foods you commonly crave and you will quickly understand this.
If you want to lose weight, carbs are your enemy and you have to understand your enemy to fight back. Your body grows accustomed to getting a certain level of carbohydrates on a daily basis, and when you cut this level down, it starts craving sweet treats like crazy. However, if you really take the time to stick with a diet and have the willpower to fight back and keep the carbs out of your body, you will find that you can gradually retrain your body to accept a lower level of carbohydrates into the body. Most people, however, hit a plateau with dieting where the cravings for carbohydrates wins over, and you indulge in those sweet treats. However, if you have blockers working in your favor, you can make these little indulgences not quite so harmful to your efforts.
Blockers are ideal for people who want to lose weight because carbs are literally blocked from being absorbed into your body. You may eat them from time to time, but your body never sees them as energy. Eventually, your body is retrained to accept a lower level of them in your body, and in the meantime, your little indulgence here and there has little effect on your efforts to shed unwanted pounds.

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Not Eating to Lose Weight - A Diet Myth Revealed

Not eating to lose weight can be very dangerous and unhealthy for your body, and can produce the exact opposite effect on your body. Many people believe that the quickest way to shed the pounds is to simply stop eating. They think that if they stop putting food and calories into their body that the pounds will just fall off. OK, I can see the logic they are trying to use with this formula but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Here's why not eating to lose weight simply WILL NOT WORK:

• Fasting:

If diets were as simple as not eating to lose weight, then weight loss products would not be a multi-billion dollar a year market. Fasting and then GAINING WEIGHT back a few days later causing a yo-yo effect on your body will actually make it harder for you to ever reach your goal weight. If you start to fast for a day, you will probably begin losing weight almost immediately. Unfortunately, 95% of the weight that you lose will be comprised of water weight as fluids are released from the body. This water weight can come off of your weight rather quickly but as soon as you begin eating again it is all be gained back quickly also.

• Starvation Mode:

Not eating to lose weight will cause your body to automatically go into what is known as starvation mode. This happens when your body notices that it is not getting enough food and triggers your body to begin storing fat for later use. So as you are not eating to lose weight your body is actually retaining MORE FAT cells. To produce energy, your body will first begin to burn muscle protein. Only when this muscle protein can longer be burned will your body start to burn fat and by then you will be very sick.

• Decrease Metabolism:

Starvation mode will also drastically lower your metabolism rate as it tries to conserve energy. Once you start to eat again this low metabolism rate will burn calories at a much slower rate and make it harder for your body keep the pounds low.

• Health Problems:

If you start not eating to lose weight, you will begin to see several health problems start to arise. You will feel weak and tired as your body is not producing a sufficient amount of energy. This lack of energy is certain to promote a reduced activity level which will also add to weight gain. You will also become sick and pale because your body is not getting enough daily nutrients and vitamins.

• Healthier Alternatives:

Not eating to lose weight is the worst solution for weight loss that you could choose. Not only will you not lose weight this way but you put your health in danger.
Studies have proven that if you lose weight in a slow and steady manner, you are much more likely to permanently keep it off. You should aim to lose an average of one to two pounds per week. A well-balanced diet, which consists of NO LESS than 1200 calories per day, should be followed. Adding a cardio activity three to five days a week will greatly increase your ability to lose weight. Be smart and stick to a healthy weight loss plan and you will be able to lose the weight you want.

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What Are the Stages of the HCG Low Calorie Diet?

The purpose of the HCG diet is not just to limit your calorie consumption. It is meant to accomplish several objectives. The first is to make sure you lose substantial weight during the diet period. Second is to prevent potential HCG diet side effects from making your life miserable. Third is to affect a long term solution to your weight problem.
The HCG diet is made up of progressive stages culminating into a permanent diet designed to prevent your weight problem from recurring. The diet proper lasting 23 days is preceded by a full month preparatory period. This period is spent on activities meant prepare your body for the diet. Light exercises and cleansing of the body of toxins are recommended.
You are not to immediately proceed to the second phase, which is the diet proper, after the preparatory period. For three days before you begin the diet, you are encouraged to splurge on your favorite calorie foods. The reason for this is really very logical. The HCG diet is very low-calorie and it won't do to have you run out of energy midway through the program. The additional calories you get from the calorie load-up ensure proper energy level is sustained throughout the duration of the program.
The second phase as already mentioned is the diet proper. This is the most important part of the HCG program. For the next 23 days you are to consume not more than 500 calories a day. The foods you are allowed to consume are those rich in fibers and proteins. You are also to drink lots of liquids. The nutritional content of the diet is crucial to the success of the program. It is responsible making the HCG hormone, which you are to absorb daily the same time you are observing the diet, work for you. This hormone has been proven capable of changing the focus of the metabolism of the body from fat storing mode to fat burning mode. It also has the ability to control hunger pangs. These powers are the reason you rapidly lose weight without a lot of hardships. No exercises are necessary and HCG diet dangers prevented.
Both the diet and HCG have vital roles to play in the program. While you can lose weight on the diet alone, it's uncertain you can survive the diet without the powers of the hormone. What's makes the hormone even more effective is you can adjust the amount you can absorb to correspond to your requirements. There are no HCG side effects to worry about since the hormone is human produced. Both men and women, in fact, have it.
The last phase of the diet program is the maintenance diet meant to deter your weight problem from coming back. After the 23 day diet period, your daily food consumption will be carefully observed and the food combinations that do not lead to increased weight will be your permanent diet. Basically, it will be similar to the detox diet but with more calories added to meet energy requirements.

To learn more about hcg diet dangers please visit hcgdietdangersinfo.com. This website has complete information about HCG side effects and how you can deal with them.

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How to Lose Weight and Start Living

Ok, let me first tell you that I know exactly what you are going through. There are so many weight loss and dieting programs out there that it has become virtually impossible for us (aka any average joe or sally) to decipher which products are good and which are just plain bad.
I am here to help steer you on the right path. In this article, I hope to explain to you how to really burn fat and why you aren't already. Ok, sound good? Let's begin.
So first things first, in order to lost weight (and FAST) you need to know a couple of things. First, you need to know which foods are preventing you from burning fat. Second, you need to know which foods help you burn fat. Thirdly, you need to know what combination of foods will help you burn fat the quickest.
That's all! You do not need to starve yourself (remember, do not every starve yourself because that will only make your body want to conserve its fat, not get rid of it) or count calories. You just need to learn how to eat the right kinds of food. That's basically why I titled this article, How to Lose Weight and Start Living. You don't have to "diet" to lose weight.
As you probably already know, sugar is the enemy when it comes to losing weight. That's not new. But, what may be surprising to you is this: many foods that are deemed "healthy" also contain sugar, and because we eat them, thinking they are good for us, they actually prevent us from losing weight. Foods like whole wheat bread, whole grain crackers, and even butter substitutes like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter are preventing us from losing weight, even though they are supposed to do just that.
And even more surprising, fat is actually good for you!! I know, shocker! Eating good fat will actually help you lose weight, while eating bad fat only helps you store weight.
Hopefully, this insights are helpful! Good luck!

Daniel N. is a Squidoo-er who loves to play tennis and listen to music. Please visit my new weight loss lens at: http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-lose-weight-and-start-living to learn where I learned these amazing insights!

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