Welcome to Diet Tips

Ketosis and health

Ketosis is a biochemical condition that occurs when the body produces ketones at a higher rate than it produces glucose.



Ketone bodies provide energy for the body's needs when there is a total food restriction, carbohydrate restriction, and/or long enough physical effort.



So, ketosis is a natural body's state. It switches the body from the biochemical mode when carbohydrates are used for fuel to the 'fat burning' mode when to produce the ketones, body's fat is being released.



The dangerous state is keto-acidosis, not ketosis, and it can happen in people with diabetes.

Cholecystokinin and dieting

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a hormone known for its strong influence on many bodily functions. It controls bile secretion, stomach and intestinal movements, body's defences against cancer - even mental health!



American Journal of Physiology published an article showing that lacking CCK can cause obesity, high blood sugar levels, and diabetes. There's evidence that CCK reduces the size of meal eaten even by very hungry people. (Neuropeptides. 33(5):387-99, 1999)



Since 2000, CCK is sold as appetite controlling supplement in health food stores or online.

Fast weight gain in fast growing children

Any kind of diet for a child has to be supervised by a pediatrician. However, gaining weight fast is not unusual for fast growing kids and for any person whose diet limitations were canceled.



The first thing to do is to figure out what kind of weight is gained - fat or so called lean body mass, which is mostly muscles and bones. A possible reason is water retention, which also calls for your doctor's attention. The usual suspects, if there's no kidney or heart problem, are junk foods, salty and spicy foods - they are never appropriate for children.

Beer and weight loss

It is agreed upon between dieters and dietitians alike that beer is a weight loss enemy. The problem can be in quantities.



If you drink beer, for instance, twice a week and, say, have three pitcher every time (which is not unusual) - it's summing up to 2361,6 Cal. a week or 9446,4 Cal. a month. If you don't limit the rest of your calories, the beer you drink twice a month can easily make you gain about 2.7 lbs of fat every month.



Here's nutrition information



1 small pitcher (32 fl oz) contains:



Calories 393.6

Carbohydrate 35.52g

Protein 2.88g 6%

Alcohol 34.56g

Calorie restriction plus exercise to burn the fat

To lose 1 pound of body fat, one should create a calorie deficit 3,500 Cal. For example, if your goal is to lose 2 pounds a week, you should create a calorie deficit 7,000 Cal. a week or 1,000 Cal a day.



Burning off 300 extra Cal. through exercise and taking in 700 Cal. less than your body needs, theoretically, you will burn the desired 2 pounds a week.



Practically, it does not always work this way. For example, your calorie intake is mostly carbohydrate calories, and your exercise is only aerobic exercise (walking, running, swimming, etc.) - than your appetite will be increased proportionally the energy you spend exercising and it'll be very hard on you to stick to the 700-Cal. deficit.



If, however, you do weight lifting and limit your carbohydrate intake, the calorie deficit you need for your goal can be not 700 but only 400 Cal. and your appetite will be decreased so you can eat all you want - but you want less and the 300-Cal. intake limitation comes naturally!

Make Just One Change at a Time

There's always something new to try when it comes to dieting. A good strategy is making small changes and giving it enough time to see results. Only when there's no results, go make another change. Note that under 'results' in dieting we mean any beneficial effects - inches loss, fitness improvement, health and/or mood improvements, etc.

Here are a few changes that usually makes sense to consider.

1. If you tried to reduce fat in your diet without any progress, try to increase your fat intake while cutting down on refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, potato, etc.)

2. If you tried a low carb diet and failed, try to introduce "good" complex carbohydrates like whole grains, legumes, and berries to your daily meals.

3. If you tried to exercise OR to diet separately, try to do these things together: research showed that this is a win-win combination. Not only it's much more efficient for weight loss, but the health benefits are great even if your scale didn't budge.

4. If your exercise routine included only aerobics workouts, add strength training: it'll help to build more muscles thus enhancing your metabolism.

5. If you did too much of aerobics, slow down a little bit: this type of exercise is shown to shift your metabolism into somewhat economic mode.

Whats the best way to consume tuna?

Canned tuna is quite OK. How to have it depends on your way of eating.



If you are watching fats in your foods, take the water-packed cans and have it with herbs, lemon juice, or in salad with onions, including green onions, etc.



If you watch the carbs, take olive oil-packed or have the water-packed with full-fat mayo, or oil-base'd dressing, boiled eggs, etc.



If you cook, this recipe seems to suit any diet and is simple:



Tuna Steaks Recipe



4 tuna steaks

flour (for dredging)

salt & pepper

3 tablespoons butter

juice of 2 emons

2 more lemons, quartered



Makes 4 servings



Dredge tuna in flour, salt and pepper. Melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook the tuna until lightly browned on both sides. Add lemon juice and cook a minute or two longer.



Garnish with lemon wedges.



Any fish is high in protein!

Emotional Eating

Emotional eating, or stress-eating, can be due to several reasons calling for different ways to fight it.

1. If you crave sweets, go on a low carb diet. Research and anecdotal evidence show that on a low carb diet, the 'sugargolics' stop eating sweets during stress or boredom

2. If you are reaching for any piece of food, ask yourself: is it really food that you want? Can a hug or a phone call do the trick?
Take a warm aromatic bath, watch your favorite movie, go shopping for pleasant things like perfume or flowers.

3. If you MUST eat, have healthy snacks read: baby carrots, string cheese, celery sticks, sliced apples with a pinch of cinnamon and vanilla, plain yogurt or even sugar-free dark chocolate.

4. Search lifetips.com for relaxation techniques.

Low Sodium Diet

Though sodium is a very necessary part of the diet, taken in excess, it can be harmful because it leads to water retention and increased blood pressure. Avoiding salty foods or cooking with excess salt allows you to experiment with more flavorable spices in your dishes.

What Is Healthy Diet?

Is there such thing as healthy diet? Depends on a definition. If the word 'diet' is used to define any way of eating, there of course can be such thing as healthy diet. However, we usually mean that dieting is eliminating some foods or food groups from our menus or limiting calories in order to lose weight.

As it comes to calorie restriction, there's scientific evidence that such a measure can prolong life and hinder the process of aging. This effect is more prominent when the diet is started earlier in life but recent research showed that even after the age of 65, restricting calorie intake by 25% reduced the risk of Altzheimer's disease. Biological markers (some specific proteins in body's tissues) that dieters seemed to appear longer their calendar age.

Eliminating some food groups can be beneficial or not depending on foods. Nobody benefits from refined carbohydrates and cutting down on them showed improvement in important health characteristics including insulin sensitivity, "good" cholesterol levels, and blood pressure.

Eliminating fats is altogether another thing. Even saturated animal fats are not nearly as bad for you as dietitians used to warn us, leave alone unsaturated plant and fish fats.

The bottom line is, the current diet trend is to make it sure that we have enough of good foods on the plate. It's important to remember that when we reduce calories, we automatically reduce essential nutrients.

How to Choose a Diet in Three Steps

There is a lot of advice on choosing a diet but is you need a set of simple basic steps, here they are.



1. First, access your frame type. Encircle your wrist with your thumb and middle finger. Hold it tight just around the wrist bones. Your hold may be:



1) loose - you have a small frame;

2) your finger and thumb may just touch - your frame is medium;

3) they are not able to meet - your frame is large.



Now you have to multiply your height inches above 5 feet by 6 and add 106 to the result. This is an average ideal weight in pounds for your height, this number is correct if you have a medium frame. For a small frame, you individual ideal weight maybe up to 10 lb. below the average. For a large frame, it can be up to 10 lb. above the overage.



Divide your real weight by your individual ideal weight. If the result is between 1.00 and 1.10 - congratulations! Your weight is ideal.

If it is between 1.11 and 1.20 - don't worry too much, but keep in your mind that you are marginally overweight

If the result falls between 1.21 and 1.30, you are overweight and have to think about it seriously

If the result is 1.31 and above, you are obese and perhaps in need of medical help



2. Calculate how many calories you can have and still lose weight. If you are a woman, check this tip: http://diet.lifetips.com/tip/112571/diet-and-weight-loss-tips/tips-about-diets/calorie-intake-for-women.html to figure it out.

For men, this is how to calculate:

Step 1. Take your desired weight (lb); Multiply by 6.22

Step 2. Take the result of Step 1; Add 660

Step 3. Take your height (in); Multiply by 12,7

Step 4. Take your age; Multiply by 6.8

Step 5. Take the result of Step 3; Subtract the result of Step 4

Step 6. Take the result of Step 2; Add the result of Step 5



3. Choose a diet that will be ">right for you: http://www.diet.lifetips.com/tip/114130/diet-guide/lifestyle-and-diet-tips/which-diet-is-best-for-you.html

Eating well but not gaining weight

Desirable weight gain is often a problem for naturally thin people. Though we are constantly being told that the weight gain recipe is calories in should be greater than calories out, it isn't that simple. It depends on how many calories go in and how many calories are being burnt.



Recently, sports and nutritional scientists figured out that eating more calories and spending more energy is a better condition for any kind of weight management: loss, gain, or keeping it stable.



Applying it to weight gain, important is not only have a nutritionally sound eating plan, but also to include strength training to your daily routine in order to gain muscle and revitalize your metabolism.

If Your Diet Fails

The "Rule of Thumb" is: if whatever you do doesn't work - do something different.



For instance, let's suppose that you tried counting and reducing calories and failed. Try counting and reducing carbohydrates instead. Failed again? Try counting and reducing fats. Try watching portions, try eating more meals daily but small ones, try going for fruit or even complete water fasts weekly.



If you don't do strength training - start doing it. If you do the weights but all the same for a long time - change the exercises.



If you, walk or jog or do any other cardio exercise for too long at the same pace, start increasing intensity and duration of it, or start swimming or hiking.



If you never paid attention to so called "calorie density" of your meals, try learning how to work with this very handy weight loss tool. The matter is, if you eat 200 Calories in the form of, say, white bread, you'll became hungry again sooner than if you ate same 200 calories as a bowl of salad with olive oil.



Practically speaking, fibery, bulky foods satisfy your hunger with fewer calories. So go for vegetables - raw, in soups, is salads, as main dishes, etc.



Best of all, try doing several things that are NEW for you simultaneously.

The Potbelly Syndrome: What It Is and How to Fight It

In 2005, the Basic Health Publications issued the book by Russell Farris titled "The Potbelly Syndrome: How Common Germs Cause Obesity, Diabetes, And Heart Disease" - from which title one can draw conclusions about the meaning of the term "Potbelly Syndrome".

Its symptoms are abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes - conditions well known to both medical professionals and the public. However, according to the author, not a health professional but artificial-intelligence researcher, the condition is caused by a germ resulting in chronic inflammation. This inflammation is believed to be initiated by the stress hormone cortisol, which stimulates appetite and slows down metabolism thus creating a vsious circle. "Each time we are attacked by a germ, our bodies start an acute phase response (APR) to kill that germ," writes Russell Farris

Solutions that Russell Farris offers are the following:

- Avoiding Stressors

- Building Stress Resistance

- Reversing the Infection-Cortisol Loops

The problem is not totally ignored by conventional medicine but it goes under a different name - Cushing Syndrome and is extremely difficult to manage but Russell Farris is optimistic:

"A healthy lifestyle, with exercise, vitamins, and a good diet, can delay the consequences of chronic APRs for a long time".

Diet pills - do you really want them?

There's no magic bullet when it comes to diet pills. There are generally the following types of diet pills:



1. Simply diuretic - they will make you lose a few pounds really fast, but all the loss will be water loss.



2. Metabolism enhancers or "thermogetics" - they will make your body to speed up all functions and burn energy even at rest, but they will make you restless, irritated, having attention and concentration problems, fast heart beat, maybe higher blood pressure, etc.



3. Appetite suppressants, with side effects similar to the above.



4. Laxatives. I leave it to you to imagine the consequences of such approach unless the laxative is just fiber supplement. Meanwhile, there are regular foods that would help you, sometimes fast, too.



Fibers create the zero-calorie bulk thus helping to stop eating every meal sooner because our brain, surprisingly as it is, reacts faster to food's volume than calorie content. There's less calories in bulky food, plate for plate, nevertheless it stops eating as effective.



Another food type, fat, reduces appetite AND increases resting metabolism without any pills! People on a high fat, low carb diet, could eat 300 Calories a day more and still lose weight. However, they didn't want to. They ate less than their fellows on a low fat diet because they were always less hungry.

Body Wraps Reduce Waist Circumference But Not Fat

Have you ever noticed that after swimming in the sea, the ring on your finger can become lose? Some people even lose their rings during swimming. This is because all body tissues retain some amount of water and the salt water around your body in the sea "sucks" your tissu's less salted water out of your body.

Some of the wraps work similarly, creating more 'osmotic' environment around them so the tissue water comes out and you lose inches.

You also could notice that the similar effect on your finger ring have coffee or tea as well as some foods like parsley, cucumbers, or watermelons. This is the principle used in another type of body wraps - not osmotic but active water removal.

Of course, none of them can make those body parts locally burn the under(skin fat. All you lose is water.