Boost Your Metabolism

Your metabolism rate is based on several factors, including age, gender, amount of muscle versus fat, and activity level.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just wanting to maintain your sleek physique, boosting your metabolism to a higher rate is always a good idea. There are several ways to give your metabolism an extra push — including exercising early in the day — but eating can also be a factor in its elevation.

When you're hypothyroid, fatigue, difficulty losing weight, or continued weight gain can all be attributable to a drop in the metabolism that frequently accompanies hypothyroidism. Even after your hypothyroidism is properly treated with thyroid hormone replacement, you may find that your metabolism has not bounced back to where it was before. This sluggishness in your metabolism can leave you feeling exhausted, and finding that you can't lose weight, despite a healthy low-calorie diet.

Increasing your metabolism means your body burns calories at a higher rate. So if your metabolism is high, it’s burning calories even when you aren’t working hard at the gym. A sluggish metabolism can cause you to gain weight, because you’re consuming more than your body is burning.

Here are some ways you can help revive and boost your metabolism.

1. Make sure you eat breakfast.

2. Eat the majority of your food earlier in the day.

3. Don't starve.

4. Eat smaller meals more frequently.

5. Get enough aerobic exercise.

6. Build muscle with weight training or resistance exercise.

7. Water, water, water!!

Ice Cream and Weight Loss

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a weight loss ice cream? As the summer looms ahead of us, it seems natural to want to enjoy a sundae or a cone of your favorite frozen treat. If you're trying to lose weight though, it's difficult. Most diets suggest that you eliminate all junk foods...and that includes ice cream. Which is a big bummer.

But the truth is that you can still eat dessert and lose weight--you just have to make smart choices about the desserts that you do choose to eat.

Hot new research reveals that ice cream, when eaten as part of a healthy diet, may actually melt away fat, helping you lose weight quicker than if you abstained! Plus a dish a day helps you get healthier in other ways according to Marsha Hudnall's book, THE ICE CREAM DIET.

A key benefit of ice cream is the calcium it provides. Only 4% of women over 50 meet the daily 1,200 mg goal. The average female calcium intake is only 652 mg. Less than one third of men reach these same goals.

How does calcium help you lose? A diet low in calcium shuts down your body's fat burning ability, say experts. When your body doesn't get enough calcium, it triggers fat cells to store fat and get bigger.

Several studies have shown that a diet high in low-fat dairy has increased the amount of fat lost and lowered the amount of fat storage causing quick weight loss. ncreasing your calcium intake by eating low-fat high calcium source dairy foods.

The recommended amount of calcium for women is 1,000 to 1,300 mg per day.
The recommended amount of calcium for men is 1,000 to 1,200 mg per day.

Coffee and Sleep Disorder

Coffee is one of the most popular hot drinks around the world. It has been subject of research and has been attributed to be beneficial to fight several diseases. Some internet sites are selling Magic Powder Coffee, an instant coffee, marketed as sexual aphrodisiac. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged consumers to stop consuming this magic coffee powder as it poses risk to lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.

Caffeine is a drug. Coffee contains caffeine, and about 90% of Americans drink coffee, many of them pour more than 300 milligrams of caffeine into their systems every day. Caffeine is a mild stimulant. It makes you more alert by fending off sleep. It's the most widely used drug in the world and is contained in many foods and also in numerous stay awake medications like No Doz.

Never forget, however, that caffeine is a drug. It has, on occasion, even been considered a drug of abuse. Although it can keep you awake and make you feel more alert, it does not necessarily improve your performance.

Like other drugs, including alcohol, you may think you're doing great at a task, but a later check could reveal errors in thinking. These errors are caused by the disorientation and irritable headaches of something called coffee nerves.

Unfortunately, as it is a drug, it may not be good for your health. it can lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms including headache, irritability and nervousness.

Trouble Losing Weight After Many Weeks

After a few weeks of dieting many people start to experience trouble losing further weight. Most problems start to occur when the body has had time to adapt to a new diet, exercise or a change in lifestyle. Its important to understand possible reasons why these problems occur, because having trouble losing weight often leads to a lowered motivation to exercise and a lost interest in becoming healthier.

Though you may be asking why nothing you've tried seems to work, there's a bigger question you may need to answer: Do you really want to lose weight? If you said yes, let me ask you another, perhaps more difficult question: Are you doing everything you need to do to lose weight? Take some time to think about that and then rank the importance of losing weight on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being most important and 10 being least important). Now, think of a typical week in your life and figure out how much time you spend doing the things necessary for weight loss.


Try the following tips when having trouble losing weight

1. Keep active with regular exercise

2. Do not starve yourself when attempting to lose weight

3. Lower calorie intake gradually, lowering calories to much too soon doesn't give you much adjustment when weight slows

4. Consume plenty of low calorie, high fiber foods

5. Consume more natural foods high in complex carbohydrates and reduce highly processed foods loaded with extra fat, sugars and salt

6. If doctor approves try weight training to help the body hold on to lean weight while losing fat

7. Try to change workout routines and gradually challenge the body to adapt to higher levels

8. Don't train too hard too soon, gradually build up intensity levels as fitness levels increase

9. After a few weeks of exercising try to work the whole body during each workout to boost calorie burning

No Meat For Weight Loss

Vegetarians and people who eat less meat tend to take in fewer calories, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. So lowering the amount of meat you eat could help you lose weight in the long term. In fact, a study of 400,000 people cited by the BBC suggests that eating meat is linked to putting on weight. The key is to reduce meat intake and replace it with healthy alternatives. Match that with a generally healthy lifestyle, and you could lose weight by not eating meat.

Going vegan does NOT require any special combinations of rice and beans. That's an old wive's tale. Just follow these simple recommendations from the American Dietetic Association:

* Choose a variety of plant-based foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds.
* Minimize intake of foods that are highly sweetened, high in sodium, and high in fat, especially saturated fat and trans-fatty acids.
* Use a regular source of vitamin B-12 and, if sunlight exposure is limited, of vitamin D.

It's really no more complicated than eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes animal products.