Health and Nutrition FAQ

What are the health effects of being overweight or obese?

Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Breathing problems
• Arthritis
• Gallbladder disease
• Some kinds of cancer
• Problems getting pregnant

But excess body weight isn’t the only health risk. The places where you store your body fat also affect your health. Women with a “pear” shape tend to store fat in their hips and buttocks. Women with an “apple” shape store fat around their waists. If your waist is more than 35 inches, you may have a higher risk of weight-related health problems.

How long does it take to lose one pound of body fat?

The answer is a simple math equation. You must burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of body fat. If you burn 500 more calories than you eat for seven days, you will lose one pound of body fat in a week. If you burn 1,000 calories more than you eat for seven days, you will lose two pounds of body fat. The key is to know how many calories are going in and out each day so you can accurately track your progress.

Is skipping breakfast bad?

Your metabolism is one of the best natural calorie burning tools you have in your digestive system.  It takes 6-8 hours to absorb and fully digest a meal. This requires a ton of energy (calories burned).  If you eat dinner at 7:00 p.m., your digestive tract will be functioning until around 3:00 a.m.  Now if you get up and eat again a few hours later the whole process starts over.  But, if you don’t, two things will occur. First, your digestive system will lie dormant until you eat again, probably a full nine hours later.  This causes you to lose a large part of you basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns on its own).  Second, your body thinks it’s starving and will slow the rest of your metabolism down as a survival instinct. The end result is that you burn fewer calories naturally, making it harder for you to lose weight.

What’s the fastest speed I can lose weight?

You can lose up to two pounds per week.
If you go faster than that, you are either doing something unhealthy or temporary.

Do I need carbohydrates?

High-complex carbohydrate foods are the best and sometimes only food sources of many essential nutrients, including:

• Fiber
• Vitamins C & E
• The majority of B vitamins
• Carotenoids and other beneficial phytochemicals
• Potassium
• The majority of trace minerals

A diet that is low in or deficient in any of these nutrients leads to many health problems, including increased risk for osteoporosis, high blood pressure and heart disease. A diet low in carbohydrates its a very very BAD IDEA. It is extremely detrimental to the body and extremely bad for your metabolism. You may see that you are loosing weight fast, and that may make you happy, but what your are really loosing is water. A low carbohydrate diet is considered to be diuretic, you are not loosing fat but water, so very very DUMB! Sorry but it is true.

Your body really needs carbohydrates. Essentially at least 40% of your diet should come from carbohydrates. They key is to know the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates which are not created equal.

The ones to avoid are simple or refine carbohydrates such as sugar, white pasta, white rice, and white bread. Refine grains have been removed of their fiber, vitamins, minerals and their entire grain kernel as well as the B vitamins, that is why most simple carbohydrates have to be enriched. These foods are easy to digest, they will increase your blood sugar and cause you insulin to spike so stick with complex carbohydrates as much as possible.

How many carbohydrates should I eat a day?

The FDA recommends that you get 50% of your calories from carbohydrates.  The NAS (National Academy of Science’s) Institute of Medicine, based on thousands recent of scientific studies, recommend a slightly different approach.  They recommend that adults get 45-65% of their calories from carbohydrates.  But, they both agree on the kind of carbs you should eat.

Whole grains, starchy vegetables, beans, soy foods, green vegetables, and fruits–foods served as nature grew them–are the carbohydrates that pack the highest nutritional octane. They’re rich in compounds that support good health, including fiber, nutrients, and phytochemicals. A dietary pattern based on these foods lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and many major cancers.

Highly processed carbohydrates, which are stripped of their nutritious germ and fiber, are another story. Unhealthful diets often contain too many carbohydrates processed into concentrated forms (corn syrup, white flour) that provide calories and little else. The bottom line: when you fill up with carbohydrates do with nature reliably pumps, complex carbs.

Is a high protein diet efficient for weight loss?

This goes back to one of the previous questions.

High-protein diets induce a quick drop in weight primarily through loss of body fluids caused by the diuretic effect of eliminating most carbohydrates. Glycogen, the form of sugar used by the body for energy, is lost from the muscles as well, sometimes causing fatigue. In general, some of these diets also induce ketosis, a metabolic condition associated with low blood levels of insulin and resulting when the body is deprived of dietary carbohydrates. Sustained ketosis also causes a loss of appetite, which may lead to lower total calorie intake.

These diets have not been documented to deliver on their promise of sustained, long-term weight loss. In addition, these types of diets can be very detrimental to the body in many different levels.

Studies have consistently shown that successful, maintenance of weight loss occurs most often when people follow a nutritionally sound diet and increase physical activity to burn more calories than they consume.

What can interfere with your metabolism?

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down of larger molecules to harvest energy and anabolism, which uses energy to construct components of cells such as proteins and nucleic acids.

Things that can interfere with your metabolism:

Being obese, YO-YO diet, processed foods ( such as trans-fatty acids, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, additives, colorants, MSG (monosodium glutamate), artificial sweeteners and flavors), having a sedentary lifestyle, pesticides in our food, toxins in our environment, not enough sleep, cigarettes and drugs.

Super foods that could restore your metabolism and could feed your fat-burning hormones
Legumes (such as lentils, chick peas, beans, especially red), Allium vegetables (such as garlic, leeks, chives, scallions and shallots), berries, colorful foods and vegetables such as dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach), nuts and seeds (such as almonds and walnuts), cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage), whole grains, organic dairy, organic meats and organic vegetables.

How do I lose weight off my butt, thighs, or stomach?

The process of losing weight anywhere (butt, thighs, stomach) is the same. There isn’t an exercise in the world that will take excess body fat off an area of your body you consider a problem spot.

When you lose weight it comes off all over the body in equal amounts. As your body uses stored body fat as energy it draws equally from all these areas.

Loosing weight from an selective especial place in the body it s just simply impossible not matter what your trainer, nutritionist etc may say. It just is simply biologically impossible. At the cellular level the usage and storage of fat is not selective. It doesn’t matter what exercises you do or for how long!

How are trans-fatty acids harmful?

In clinical studies, TFA or hydrogenated fats tended to raise total blood cholesterol levels. Some scientists believe they raise cholesterol levels more than saturated fats. TFA also tend to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol as well as increase the risk of heart disease.

A 2 percent increase in trans-fats in your diet increases your chance of heart disease by 23 percent as well as increase your chances of metabolic syndrome by 25 percent. Trans-fatty acids also increase your body’s inflammation.

There is no safe limit of this ingredient. When looking at a nutrition ingredient list in a nutrition label look for anything with partially hydrogenated oil, or hydrogenated oil. If this is an ingredient don’t bother getting the product! this ingredient also triggers FAT-STORING HORMONES, so beware.

Is high fructose corn syrup bad?

High fructose corn syrup contains a good deal of “free” or unbound fructose.  Research indicates that this free fructose interferes with the heart’s use of key minerals like magnesium, copper and chromium. Among other consequences, HFCS has been implicated in elevated blood cholesterol levels and the creation of blood clots.  It has been found to inhibit the action of white blood cells so that they are unable to defend the body against harmful foreign invaders. Commercial fruit juices and any products containing high fructose corn syrup are more dangerous than sugar and should be removed from the diet.

In addition, HFCS contributes to FAT STORING. It is the most evil refined grain of all. It increases triglycerides and interferes with leptin from working in the brain.

FYI HFCS it is not good in moderation, like they make it to be on TV commercials. This is what the food industry wants you to believe because it is a very lucrative business. HFCS it’s cheaper than sugar. The fact is that HFCS can not be digested by the small intestine, because it is such a foreign substance it has to go to the liver to be digested. I suggest you stop HFCS consumption. It is a very bad bad ingredient.
Honey vs sugar

One tablespoon of table sugar or sucrose contains 46 calories, while one tablespoon of natural sweetener honey has 64 calories. Though honey may have more calories, we actually need to use less of it since it is sweeter than table sugar. As a result, you may in fact consume even less amount of calories that you would with sugar.

Table sugar is sucrose, which is made up of two molecules bonded together. When we eat table sugar, our stomach has to use its own enzymes to separate the molecules apart before we can use the sugar’s energy. Honey is quite different. The bees have added a special enzyme to the nectar that divides the sucrose into glucose and fructose — two simple sugars for our bodies can absorb directly.

Unlike honey, table sugar lacks minerals and vitamins (hence it’s been often called empty calories), they draw upon the body’s nutrients to be metabolized into the system. When these nutrients are all used up, metabolizing of undesirable cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher cholesterol and promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid on the organs and tissues. That is why it is not uncommon for fat people to suffer from malnutrition and many other health related problems. So the message is, honey vs sugar, if you are watching your weight, honey will be a smarter choice than sugar.

Are artificial sugars OK?

Artificial sugars may put you at grater danger than sugar for metabolic syndrome.
When we eat sugar the body registers sweetness and calories, when you eat artificial sweeteners your body registers the sweetness but not the calories, so guess what? You tend to make up for it.

People with diabetes may use artificial sweeteners because they make food taste sweet without raising blood sugar levels. But keep in mind that some foods containing artificial sweeteners, such as sugar-free yogurt, can still affect your blood sugar level due to other carbohydrates or proteins in the food. Some foods labeled “sugar-free”, such as sugar-free cookies and chocolates, may contain sweeteners, such as sorbitol or mannitol, which contain calories and can affect your blood sugar level. Some sugar-free products may also contain flour, which will raise blood sugar levels.

EXERCISING AND WEIGHT LOSS

What are the benefits of exercising for diabetics?

Exercise is beneficial for all people with diabetes because it helps lower blood glucose levels. As a result, people with type 1 diabetes may need less insulin, and people with type 2 diabetes may be able to control their diabetes without medication.

However, exercise requires careful planning and monitoring, particularly for people who take oral medication or insulin to control their diabetes. These individuals may need to make adjustments to their medication and food intake to prevent blood glucose levels that are too low (hypoglycemia) or too high (hyperglycemia) during exercise

How can exercise lower blood pressure?

Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.

Becoming more active can lower your systolic blood pressure, the top number by an average of 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). That’s as good as some blood pressure medications. For some people, getting some exercise is enough to reduce the need for blood pressure medication.

But to keep your blood pressure low, you need to keep exercising. It takes about one to three months for regular exercise to have an impact on your blood pressure. The benefits last only as long as you continue to exercise.

Even though flexibility and strengthening exercises such as lifting weights are an important part of an overall fitness plan, it takes aerobic activity to control high blood pressure. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym every day to benefit. Simply adding moderate physical activities to your daily routine will help.

Does muscle burn more calories than fat?

Yes. It’s estimated that a pound of muscle burns between 20 to 80 extra calories per day. Fat burns essentially zero calories. Thus, adding muscle can help you burn more calories and lose more weight.

How much exercise should I do?

Experts recommend 30-60 minutes of exercise per day. The 60-minute suggestion is based on the National Academy of Science’s ideal recommendation for people who are trying to lose weight. But you’ll get real health benefits (and burn lots of calories) even if you don’t work out that much — especially if you haven’t been exercising at all up to now.

While 30 minutes of physical activity is considered enough to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, even 10 minutes a day will do you good. Remember that you don’t have to do all your exercise in one session: A 30-minute aerobics workout in the morning, a 20-minute walk after work, and 10 minutes of mopping the floor after dinner can do the trick. (Don’t forget to include some strength training and stretching in your workouts, too.)

Should I lift weights?

Check with your doctor. Lifting weights will not only help you lose weight, but maintain the loss.

Here’s why:

Muscle keeps your metabolism up, burning calories, fat, and glucose (sugar).
When you lose weight, up to 25% of the loss may come from muscle, resulting in a slower metabolism. Weightlifting will help preserve or rebuild any muscle you lose by dieting.
Muscle helps you with aerobic exercise. The stronger you are, the better you will be at any aerobic activity. Weight training improves your body’s muscle-to-fat ratio (you end up with less body fat and more muscle), which improves both your health and your fitness level. Gaining muscle will help you look better as you define and tone your physique :-)

Does exercise help you lose weight?

Exercise alone does not necessarily make you lose weight, but it will help you to slim down and reshape your body by decreasing fat and increasing muscle. Regular exercise:

• Helps you burn calories that you have consumed during meals
• Helps combat muscle loss that can occur when you lose weight
• Builds up your muscle tissue
• Increases the amount of calories that you burn. The more muscular you are, the more calories you burn. This is a VERY, VERY good thing :-)

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