Omega 3 Fish Oil and Weight Loss

By: David McEvoy

A lot of people still don't know there are fat burning foods that can actually increase the number of fat calories your body burns each day? These are known as free foods and are generally low in calories; in fact some of these foods are so low in calories that your body actually burns more calories metabolising them, than the total amount of calories in the food it's self.

Although fat burning foods are important for anyone who wants to lose weight and keep it off for good, they're vital if you're one of these people who find it hard to lose weight. No matter how much exercise you do or how hard you diet, your genetics and metabolic make up play a vital role in determining how fast and how much weight you lose.

Genetic differences also affect how much weight you gain when you eat too much. One study of 12 groups of identical twins was overfed for 100 days. One set of twins gained 29 pounds. A second set, however, gained only 13 pounds even though both sets of twins were overfed with the same number of calories. Of course, fat burning foods won't compensate entirely for genetic differences this ultimately comes down to a balanced calorie controlled eating regime and excersie. They will however make fighting fat a lot easier in the long run.

Types of fat
There are two types of fat "good fat" and "bad fat"

Actually there are 4 types of fat: Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, Saturated and Tran's fat, but they can still be catorigised as good and bad.

Monounsaturated (good fats)
Monounsaturated fats are considered good fats and are said to help reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure and to help control diabetes.

These good fats are found in food like; olive oil, peanut oil, cashews, canola oil, hazelnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, pine nuts and chicken fat.

Polyunsaturated (good fats) omega 3 and omega 6
Polyunsaturated fats are also considered good fats and are said to reduce triglycerides, inflammations and tumour growth. They also help to improve immune function and help protect against sudden death from heart disease.

Polyunsaturated fats can be broken down into two categories: Omega 3 and Omega 6

Omega 3 is found in foods like Canola oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, hempseeds, salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna, sardines, and herring.

Omega 6 is found in foods like safflower oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, nuts, beans and soft margarine.

Saturated (bad fats)
Saturated fats are bad fats; they raise cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact they are twice as potent at raising your bad cholesterol levels as polyunsaturated fats are at lowering them. It is difficult to eliminate these fats from your diet but one way to reduce them is to choose fat free milk and other dairy products.

Saturated fats can be found in foods such as meats, whole milk, cheese, palm and coconut oil.

Trans (bad fats)
Tran's fats are the ugly fats; they raise bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower good cholesterol (HDL). They increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Tran's fats can be found in foods like crackers, cookies, cakes, shortening, margarine, hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils that have been subjected to heat-damage during cooking.

Omega 3 fish oil and weight loss
A recent study that was published in the international journal of obesity, researchers want to find out if by supplementing the diet with omega 3 fish oil (good fat) would increase the number of fat calories burned in a single day.

The two groups were fed exactly the same diet apart from one group were fed 6 grams of fat in the form of butter, olive oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil, the other group were given 6 grams of omega 3 fish oil.
The fish oil group were given 8 capsules per day, 2 in the morning, 3 at lunch and 3 in the evening.

The Total daily intake of omega 3 long chain fatty acids was 1.8 grams. The outcome of the test results were fairly conclusive.

The table below shows you the changes in fat oxidation, body fat, and metabolic rate after three weeks for the groups with or without fish oil

	With fish oil	Without fish oil
Measurement of body fat	-2 pounds	-0.7 pounds
Measurement of daily metabolic rate	1775 calories	1710 calories

These results show that the group who were supplementing with fish oil burned about 1.1 milligram of fat per kilo per minute. This is roughly 26% higher than the other group who weren't supplementing with the fish oil.

One of the key reasons as to why omega 3 fish oil has such a powerful effect on fat metabolism is that the insulin levels were 50% lower when subjects used the fish oil. Insulin is a hormone that reduces the use of fat for fuel, while also promoting fat storage in the presence of excess calories.

Insulin increases the activity of an enzyme known to promote the storage of fat.

Insulin inhibits the action of hormone sensitive lipase, which is responsible for breaking down stored fat and preparing it for use as energy.

Insulin also activates an enzyme, which, along with fatty acid synthesis, is responsible for converting carbohydrate into fat.

Simply put, high levels of insulin make it less likely that your body will use stored fat as a fuel source. The drop in insulin levels when subjects used the fish oil would have allowed more fat to be used for energy.

Conclusion
Any good doctor or nutritionist will tell you that the best way to get any nutrient is to eat a very balanced diet. In the case of Omega 3 oil this would be in the form of fish, sadly due to the pollution levels found in our oceans today eating large portions of fish every day is not advisable.
The frustrating truth is that there will never be an easy quick-fix method of losing weight that is safe and simple. However, with a little research into the workings of the body, it becomes clear that there are many small things you can do which add up over time to aid weight loss and make you feel better about yourself. Taking a fish oil supplement is a good idea for anyone wanting to make positive steps towards weight loss.

Author Bio
Dave Mcevoy is an award winning personal trainer with over 20 years experience, he also runs a high quality health supplement website. www.mind1st.co.uk

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Low-Fat + Exercise = Weight Loss

By: Christopher Ayu

Reducing your saturated fat intake is only part of the healthy body formula. You need to burn more calories than you consume in order to avoid having that excess food stored as body fat. That's where exercise comes into play.

These exercise tips can get you started on the road to losing weight and keeping it off:

• Always check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. This is especially true if you have, or are at risk of having, heart disease, diabetes, or you are seriously overweight.

• Practice moderation by beginning with light and low impact exercises like walking, and gradually increase your intensity as your body begins to become conditioned to increased activity.

• Aim for at least 30 per day of light cardiovascular activity each day. You don't have to do all 30 minutes at once. You can spread it out over the day if you want to.

• Easy to do exercises include walking instead of taking the car on nearby errands. Take the stairs instead of the escalator when you're going to the office or shopping at the mall. Take a walk during lunch time.

• Start doing things that are both fun and provide exercise. Gardening, bike riding, window shopping downtown.

• You can make exercise more enjoyable by wearing headphones and listening to music, or doing your exercises with a friend.

Here are some dietary tips that can change, or save, your life:

These foods have been linked to various health conditions including cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Not all of these foods have been linked with all of these conditions, but each of them are worth avoiding when possible.

• High in saturated fats, these foods should be avoided at all costs: All saturated fats and oils found in butter, lard, palm and coconut oil, bacon grease.

  Replace these foods with: Soft margarine (no fat kind), olive, safflower, soy, corn, canola, and peanut oil.

• These foods contain trans fatty acids and/or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and should be eaten only in very limited quantities: Hard margarines, most snack crackers, most cookies, corn and potato chips, shortening.

• These meats contain high levels of fat and can cause serious arterial blockage and heart conditions. They should be eaten very sparingly: corned beef, pastrami, pork and beef ribs, beef steak, ground meat, most frankfurters, pork sausage, bacon, liver, kidney, and processed deli meats.

  Replace with these foods with skinless chicken or turkey, turkey or chicken frankfurters, ground turkey, occasional lean beef, veal, pork, lamb, fish, and vegetable dishes including beans, peas, pasta, or rice.

• Try not to eat more than 2 oz of meat, fish, or poultry per day. Replace the rest of your meal with healthy vegetables, pasta and rice.

• Be careful of fat that's hidden in dairy products. Drink either fat-free or 1% milk. Replace other dairy products like cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and snack cheeses with their no-fat or low-fat versions.

• Avoid eating high fat snack crackers, cake, cup cakes or muffins, and replace them with low-fat baked versions.

Author Bio
Christopher Ayu is the webmaster and content provider of www.swim-wear-in-style.com. He does research on the subject and this is one of the many articles posted on his site on health-and-fitness.

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Eat Healthy and Lose Weight

By: Christopher Ayu

If you accept the analogy that our bodies are like an engine, then it follows that this engine will perform better if it receives the type of fuel that it was designed to run on. In years gone by, before artificially processed and manufactured foods, our bodies normally received the correct nutritional balance every day.

As more and more families saw both the husband and wife holding down jobs outside the home, the dynamics of eating, exercise and nutrition began to change. "Convenience" and "fast foods" became the norm, and farms were gradually replaced by processing plants. Today, the average meal is so laden with artificial preservatives and saturated fat that our bodies are starving for the ingredients that they need, and overflowing with the ingredients that they don't need.

This nutritional imbalance manifests itself through weight problems, skin problems, tiredness, disease, and overall poor health. Although this problem has reached pandemic proportions, you can reverse the effects of poor diet in your own life if you truly want to.

Garbage In - Garbage Out

While this phrase may have been coined for the computer industry, it's very relevant when it comes to our own body. Every moment that we are alive, our body is busy manufacturing the chemicals, fluids, proteins, and tissues that are required to keep us healthy. Food, or rather the nutrition that is derived from food, is what the body depends upon to handle all of these tasks.

Everything that we consume is used, stored, or discarded by the body. The body's particular nutritional needs can vary widely depending upon what's going on inside and outside of us at any particular time. Our body makes decisions on whether to burn carbs or fat based upon our immediate energy needs, how long it has been since our last meal, and the general condition of our health.

The body burns fuel in a very specific order. Alcohol is burned first because our bodies have no way to store it for later use. Protein is burned next, then carbohydrates and, finally fat.

Because fat is consumed last, and the average person has a diet which is rich in fat, our bodies store the fat away to be used at a future time. How is this fat stored? You guessed it; it's stored as fatty tissue. And that's why we call being overweight "fat".

These excess fat stores not only affect our physical appearance, but they have a tremendous impact on our overall health. Study after study has shown that excess fat in our diets are directly linked to these medical conditions:

• Increased risk of developing certain cancers.
• Increased risk of arterial and heart disease due to elevated cholesterol levels.
• Increased risk of stroke.
• Increased risk of Diabetes.
• Increased risk of Liver disease.
• Direct impact on the body's immune system.

Doesn't it just make sense to avoid these unnecessary health risks by reducing the amount of fat that we consume every day? Of course it does.

Author Bio
Christopher Ayu is the webmaster and content provider for www.swim-wear-in-style.com This is one of the many article posted on his site on health-and-fitness.

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Eat More Pectin For Successful Weight Loss

By: Lee Dobbins

Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to not feel so hungry all the time when you are trying to lose weight? Well there is a way and it's not some new fad either, it's something that's natural, has no adverse side effects and might be sitting right in your fridge - fiber.

One type of fiber that you probably already have been eating is called pectin. Pectin is found in fruits, such as apples, strawberries, and peaches, along with vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes and beans. Pectin is a carbohydrate that has no calories.

Pectin is a great source of fiber, which we all know is important for a healthy diet. Aside from helping you feel full longer, pectin can help to cut cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It may even aid in the prevention of colon cancer.

Pectin can help you lose and maintain your weight because it causes the stomach to empty more slowly. As a result, after eating pectin, you feel satisfied longer. This means that you will eat less, which will lead to weight loss. And if you think you'll have to be gobbling down hundreds of apples or guzzling pectin drinks, think again - research has shown that as little as a single teaspoon can help you to feel satisfied.

Where Can You Get Pectin?

Thankfully, you won't have to drive miles out of your way to get your supply of pectin because it is sold right in your local grocery store. It comes in a powder, which may be known as Sure-Jel, or a liquid, known as Certo. Derived from grapefruit and apples, pectin is usually found with the baking supplies in most supermarkets.


How To Take Pectin

You can mix pectin with orange juice, water, or soft drinks. It has no taste so shouldn't affect the taste of the beverage you mix it in. It is best to increase your intake gradually to let your system adjust to the added fiber. Start off with a teaspoon a day and then gradually add more in to a max of 3 teaspoons a day. You can also add pectin to broth or soups, applesauce and even baked potatoes.

Author Bio
Lee Dobbins writes about Low Carb and Low GI eating as well as other weight loss issues. Visit www.lowcarb-resource.com for more articles on healthy dieting.

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How to Handle Constipation

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A case of constipation usually means that you've had one or fewer bowel-movements in a typical day. This might happen because you've just changed your diet from bad food to good food. Your body has to adjust to the different food, so you have to give your body time to get used to it.
Another common cause for constipation is dehydration. If you don't take in the proper amount of water every day, you will have trouble with your colon being unable to push waste out.
What is so bad about being constipated is all that awful stuff that your body naturally gets rid of stays in side you. This causes discomfort, fatigue, and even weight retention. This condition is like a buildup of poison inside of you: it can cause problems if you let it go too long. So what can you do when you're constipated to correct the situation? I have some natural and healthy suggestions for this.

	Drink more water. You should be taking in about half your body's weight in fluid ounces of water. This means that if you weigh 230 lbs, you should be drinking 115 ounces of water daily.
	Use flaxseed as an additive to your meals. You can mix a tablespoon of it into your food to give you more fiber ( to help get you moving) and Omega 3s as well.
	Raw food is important. This means you should eat one piece of fresh fruit or raw veggies. Your system will benefit from the natural ingredients in raw foods that are usually lost when they are cooked.
	Begin your day with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix it in water and add some Cayenne. This mixture will stimulate your system and help clear out your colon.