Ditch the Fads, Embrace Science: Your Guide to Weight Loss

Trying to shed some pounds and feeling lost in a sea of diet plans? You're not alone! But forget the crash diets and unrealistic expectations. Science has your back, and understanding how your body works is key to achieving – and maintaining – a healthier you. Let's talk food! Diet isn't just about deprivation; it's about making smart choices about what you eat. Think colorful fruits and veggies, lean protein like chicken or fish, and whole grains like brown rice or quinoa. These powerhouses pack in essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that keep you feeling energized and satisfied. Processed foods, sugary drinks, and excessive fats might taste good in the moment, but they won't do your body any favors in the long run. Now, calorie restriction might sound scary, but it's actually pretty simple. It just means burning more calories than you consume. Think of it like your body's bank account – when you spend (burn) more calories than you deposit (eat), you start dipping into your fat reserves, leading to weight loss. But remember, balance is key! Starving yourself won't do you any good. You still need enough calories to function properly. The cool thing about weight loss is that it's a science experiment happening right inside you! Calories in, calories out – that's the basic equation. But your body is more than just a calculator. Metabolism, genetics, hormones, and even your muscle mass all play a role in how you burn calories. Knowing these factors can help you personalize your approach for maximum weight loss success. So, why bother with all this? Well, the benefits of a balanced diet and healthy calorie restriction go far beyond the number on the scale. We're talking a stronger metabolism, a lower risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, even sharper thinking and more energy throughout the day! Plus, feeling good about what you eat translates to feeling good overall, laying the foundation for a healthier, happier you. Reaching your weight loss goals takes more than just willpower. Here are some real-world tips to keep you on track:
-Set SMART goals: Aim for gradual, sustainable weight loss- slow and steady wins the race! -Food diary detective: Track what you eat to identify patterns and make informed choices about your portions.
-Fuel your body, not fads: Focus on whole, unprocessed foods to give your body the nutrients it needs to thrive.
-Portion patrol: Be mindful of how much you're eating, especially calorie-dense foods.
-Hydration hero: Water is your friend! Drink plenty throughout the day to stay full and support your metabolism.
-Move it or lose it: Exercise isn't just about burning calories; it's a key player in overall health. Find activities you enjoy and get your body moving!
Remember, weight loss is a journey, not a destination. Embrace the science, listen to your body, and focus on making lasting lifestyle changes. You've got this!

Read More

Fat Gene Do You Have It?

Mutations within the gene FTO have been implicated as the strongest genetic determinant of obesity risk in humans, but the mechanism behind this link remained unknown. Now, an international team of scientists has discovered that the obesity-associated elements within FTO interact with IRX3, a distant gene on the genome that seems to be the functional obesity gene. The FTO gene itself appears to have only a peripheral effect on overweight.
The study appears online March 12 in Nature.
"Our data strongly suggest that IRX3 controls body mass and regulates body composition," said senior study author Marcelo Nobrega, PhD, associate professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago. "Any association between FTO and obesity appears due to the influence of IRX3."
Tests on mice showed IRX3 interacts with FTO even though its locality on the genome is a long way away.
An analysis of a human genetic database then found the same thing happens in people which was confirmed in experiments on human cells in the lab.
Using data from 153 brain samples of Europeans the researchers then discovered the mutations to FTO affecting body weight are associated with IRX3 expression.
Obesity-related FTO variants enhanced the expression of IRX3 but did not seem to play a direct role in this interaction themselves.
To verify the role of IRX3, the researchers engineered mice without the IRX3 gene. These mice were significantly Slimmer than their normal counterparts. They weighed about 30 percent less, primarily through reduced fat.
The decrease in weight gain occurred despite normal levels of calories intake and physical activity. When fed a high-fat diet, mice without IRX3 retained the same weight and fat levels as on normal diets. Normal mice fed a high-fat diet gained almost twice as much weight. Fat cells in IRX3-deficient mice were smaller, and increased levels of brown fat were observed. In addition, these mice were better able to process glucose.
"These mice are thin. They lose weight primarily through the loss of fat. But they are not runts," said co-author Chin-Chung Hui, PhD, professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto. "They are also completely resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity. They have much better ability to handle glucose, and seem protected against diabetes."
IRX3 is  coding for a protein that regulates other genes and is present both in and outside the brain, in organs and cells such as fat cells.
Professor Nobrega and colleagues are currently investigating how IRX3 interacts with genes and molecules it regulates and hope to identify targets for the development of drugs against obesity and diabetes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of Chicago Medical Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Read More

3 Major Weight Loss Myths Exposed !

It is not surprising  to hear there is a great deal of confusion around nutrition. In fact, many people reading this article will have only a scant idea about the different food types and what our body actually needs to keepin good shape.

One of the simplest systems I’ve encountered is this. If the food tastes good, then it has to be ‘bad’ for you! And then there’s its counterpart, “If the food tastes ‘bad’ then it must be ‘good’ for you”. You may identify with these views, or some closely related version! Nutrition for some folks has been reduced to a concept of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ with little else.

Some common weight loss myths that people believe – which aren’t true!

Myth #1: Cutting down on portion size is the best way to lose weight. Not on its own. If you attempt to lose weight by just eating less, you are likely to gain the weight back. Lasting results will come from changing the types of foods you consume, not just the amounts.

Myth #2: Just cut out fat and you’ll lose weight. This approach to weight loss, popular in the 80s, simply doesn’t work for most people. Even if a food is labeled “fat-free,” it can still be high in calories from sugar and hidden carbs. Effective weight loss comes from being mindful of your total calorie consumption as well as your fat intake.

Myth #3: Cutting calories causes your body to go into starvation mode and slows down weight loss process. This is untrue. Your body’s resting metabolic rate can vary by about 15%. Nevertheless, eating too few calories and an inadequate amount of protein can make you lose precious lean muscle mass, which will eventually slow metabolism, for the long term. Ideally, stick to the calorie and protein amounts that are right for your body !

Read More

How Starving Your Body Can Make You Gain Weight

One of the things that prevent people from getting weight loss results that they aim for is that they may occassionally be starving their bodies.

There are two basic ways that this can happen. One is for it to be done inadvertently—like when you just get busy and forget to eat.

Another is when you think that by depriving your self from food you will speed up your results.
Regardless of how it happens, either scenario in this case is equally damaging. Although you will decrease the calories that you take in which may lead to some short-term weight loss, the point here is that you will be slowing down your metabolism.

What this means is that after the starving period is over, your body will hold onto the next meal you eat for dear life, expecting to be starved again.

If you allow starvation  to become a habit, you will actually be contributing to your own weight gain in the future.

Therefore, make sure that you are keeping your meals no more than 4 hours apart. As long as you do this, you will be supporting the healthy metabolism that you’ll need to lose the kind of weight that you’ve committed to.

To Your Best Body

Read More

An Important Distinction That You Must Understand

While this book is talking about losing weight, I want to be more specific than this, because I am really talking about losing fat rather than just weight.
As I mentioned earlier, it is possible to be overweight but to have a very low fat to body weight ratio at the same time, because you are carrying a great deal of muscle. In other words, it is possible to be healthy but weigh more than the ‘norm’.
There is a common myth that muscle weighs more than fat, but it doesn’t. Five pounds of muscle weighs exactly the same as five pounds of fat, but fat is far bulkier than muscle as you can see from these replica models:
Because fat is bulkier, if you are carrying too much fat, you will tend to look ‘lumpy’ and carrying too much fat brings increased risks to your general health and well being.
So, be clear about this. This book is about losing fat naturally, but if you want to replace that fat with muscle, that is fine - because what I am essentially focused on here is your health, well being and fitness.
It’s all about shedding fat, getting you as lean, fit and well as possible.
That point having been clarified, let’s move on.

Read More

Natural Weight Loss is a REALLY simple concept

The concept that underpins weight loss or indeed weight gain is a

very simple one.
Every human being at every stage of their life needs to take in a certain amount of energy in order to get through the day. This energy comes from the nutrition that we take in, in the form of the food we eat or the liquids we drink, and is generally measured in terms of calories or kilocalories. There is a slight difference between the specific meaning accorded to these two terms, with the latter being favored by professional nutritionists, but for the purposes of this post, I am going to use calories as an all-encompassing unit of food energy.
While every individual is different, you need a certain amount of food energy calories every day to satisfy your own personal energy requirements. These requirements will vary according to the amount of physical work you do, how much exercise you take, the speed at which your body burns the energy you are taking on board (your metabolic rate) and your general lifestyle.
However, at the end of the day, if you take on board the right amount of calories every day, your weight will stay stable and you will in general remain healthy.
If you take in too much energy, you will put weight on, but if you take in too little, you will see the opposite effect and lose weight.
It really is as straightforward as this.
You will see diet plans that recommend that you must cut down on your carbohydrates in order to lose weight, with other diet ‘experts’ on the opposite side of the fence who swear that the only way to lose weight is to reduce the amount of fats in your diet.
However, no matter what type of food you are eating for energy (which includes both carbohydrates and fats), you are going to keep getting fatter as long as you are taking in more energy than you burning. Thus, you will only lose weight if you are taking in less energy than you need.
That really is it. That is how you lose weight naturally – you ingest less energy than you need every day, and the fat will gradually fall off.

Read More

What is The Difference Between Overweight And Obese?

When someone is overweight, their weight exceeds the normal

standards for people of their height and age. However, because everyone’s weight must include their bones, muscles, fat and water content, it is possible for someone to be overweight without being obese. For example, a professional athlete or bodybuilder may well be overweight, but because the majority of the ‘excess’ weight that they are carrying is muscle tissue, they are not obese. Nevertheless, in the majority of cases, being overweight does equate to carrying too much body fat and often progresses to become clinical obesity. There are several ways of defining obesity, but the most common is by reference to what is known as ‘Body Mass Index’ (BMI) which is a mathematical formula that generates a numerical BMI based on an individual’s weight in kilograms divided by their height in meters squared. Hence, the mathematical formula for BMI is kg/m2. These figures can be converted into imperial measures (pounds and inches), but because the formula for doing so is somewhat complex, you should use this easy ready calculator taken from the consumer.gov statistics page to calculate your own ‘Body Mass Index’:

So, now you have a BMI figure, what does it mean? From the same web site, you can see the relationship between your clinical weight classification and the risk of weight related illnesses and disease:

The most common way of quantifying whether someone is obese or not is if their BMI is in excess of 30 points on these scales.

Read More