Drink Water Before Breakfast to Lose Weight

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"Study shows water accelerates the metabolism and encourages weight loss Losing a few pounds or simply keeping in shape is often not only a question of strict dieting and working out as often as we can find the time for it. A healthy attitude towards food, moderation and a few easy tricks that all of us can do also come extremely in handy in our never-ending struggle against the extra pounds. Drinking a glass of water before breakfast is one of those tricks, experts tell us.

The importance and many benefits water has on our body can truly never be stressed enough. Hydration is key both in terms of our health and the appearance of our skin, so we should all start drinking more water throughout the day. Yet it can also help us lose weight, a new study comes to show, by accelerating the metabolism and helping our body “wash” the fat away more easily.

The study included premenopausal overweight women who started drinking water before breakfast in increasing quantities. The more water they drank, the more their weight loss efforts were sustained, results have shown. The conclusion can only be one: a glass of water (approximately eight ounces) in the morning before breakfast, coffee or tea is just what the doctor recommends for excellent health and a slim figure.

“After sleeping for seven to eight hours your body needs water as well as food – being slightly dehydrated can actually slow down your metabolism. Before downing your latte, green tea, or juice, have a glass of water because […] well-hydrated cells not only work better, but they help you flush out fat.” FitSugar also recommends, based on the findings of the latest study.

Nevertheless, if losing weight is not on our radar right now, water also has countless other benefits. For starters, it keeps the skin on the face well hydrated, thus protecting it from the winter cold and the harsh spring winds. Since the skin is made of 70% water, beauticians recommend about 8 glasses a day for a glowing, healthy and irresistible countenance, the kind no cream – no matter how expensive – can get." (Softpedia News)

Fewer Calories = Low weight regardless of proportion of carb. Protein, fat

Heartwire (WebMD) posts,

"People lose weight if they eat fewer calories, regardless of where those calories come from [1]. That's the upshot of a two-year study by Dr Frank Sacks (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA) and colleagues, published in the February 26, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine."

"Research has looked at whether carbohydrate is more satiating than fat, or whether protein is more satiating than carbohydrates, or whether overeating fat puts more fat in the belly than overeating carbohydrates, etc," Sacks explained. "So what's concerned colleagues of mine on the nutrition guideline panels in the past is the possibility that if we say that a 40% fat diet is okay, that maybe that would lead to weight gain. But where this study is going to be helpful is in saying 40% fat, 20% fat, it doesn't matter. If people can maintain a calorie deficit no matter what type of diet they were on, they're going to lose weight."

"Diet Details

The diets tested in the study included the same types of foods, but in different proportions, and were tailored to patients such that overall calorie consumption was reduced by approximately 750 calories per day, with each diet including a different macronutrient composition:

• High-fat, average protein: 40% fat, 15% protein, 45% carbohydrate.
• High-fat, high-protein: 40% fat, 25% protein, 35% carbohydrate.
• Low-fat, average protein: 20% fat, 15% protein, 65% carbohydrate.
• Low-fat, high-protein: 20% fat, 25% protein, 55% carbohydrate.

Participants were advised to exercise for at least 90 minutes per week, at a moderate level, and were offered counseling sessions every eight weeks, with group sessions held weekly or biweekly over the course of the study.

In all, 80% of subjects completed the trial, and 14% to 15% of subjects managed to lose at least 10% of their initial body weight. Subjects randomized to different groups reported similar degrees of satisfaction, hunger, and satiety. All the diets reduced risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease at six months and two-year follow-up. At the two-year mark, the low-fat diets and the highest carbohydrate diet fared better than the high-fat diets and low-carb diet in terms of reducing LDL cholesterol. By contrast, the lowest carbohydrate diet improved HDL-cholesterol levels more than the highest carbohydrate diet. All of the diets produced slight improvements in blood pressure and decreased the number of patients with metabolic syndrome. All, with the exception of the highest carbohydrate diet, decreased fasting serum insulin levels."

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Study: Proximity to fast-food restaurants linked to stroke risk

You wont believe this, "Living close to a fast food restaurant can increase your chances of stroke." Don't get panicky of course, if you are not eating fast food you are not risk. think again.... when you will pass by the restaurant, wont you grab a snack.. yes you might...(CNN) reports -- "A person's risk of stroke is associated with the number of fast-food restaurants near their residence, according to a study presented Thursday at a stroke conference in San Diego, California.

Fast-food restaurants may be associated with stroke risk, a new study says. Some say there's not enough evidence.

Researchers led by Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor counted 1,247 strokes caused by blood clots in 64 census tracts in Nueces County, Texas, which includes Corpus Christi, from January 2000 through June 2003.

They also mapped the county's 262 fast-food restaurants and then adjusted for socioeconomic status and demographics and found a statistically significant association.

"The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast-food restaurant," the authors wrote in a poster presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference.

Residents of neighborhoods in the 75th percentile of fast-food restaurants had a 6 percent increased risk of stroke compared with residents of the 25th percentile of such eateries, according to the study, which was paid for by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke."

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Boost your memory by reducing calories in your diet

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Boost your memory by reducing calories in your diet
Posted by JS PS on Sunday, February 22, 2009 Under: Healthy Lifestyle
I have been suggesting for ages that if nothing kills one, then eating might kill him one day. What not you can get by eating more. you know very well about all diseases, excessive eating might lead to. "CNN reports
"Having a senior moment? A new study suggests that cutting calories may help.
Cutting down on calories could help women retain their memory, according to a study conducted in Germany.

I have been suggesting for ages that if nothing kills one, then eating might kill him one day. What not you can get by eating more. you know very well about all diseases, excessive eating might lead to. "CNN reports
"Having a senior moment? A new study suggests that cutting calories may help.
Cutting down on calories could help women retain their memory, according to a study conducted in Germany.
Older adults who cut down on the amount of calories they consume get a two-for-one special: weight loss and better memory.

Healthy women ranging in age from 50 to 80 who reduced their calorie intake by 30 percent for three months not only lost weight, but their scores on verbal memory tests also shot up by 20 percent, according to a study conducted by Dr. Agnes Floel and her colleagues from the University of Munster in Germany, who published the results in the January issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"The results seem pretty dramatic," said Mark P. Mattson, a senior investigator at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Bethesda, Maryland.

"Even though the number of subjects in the study was not really high, they had really high, statistically significant improvements in their performance on the memory test," added Mattson, who studies caloric restriction and the brain in his role as chief of the Cellular and Molecular Neurosciences Section at the NIA's Laboratory of Neurosciences. He was not involved in Floel's investigation."

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How To Be Healthy

I found these useful tips on how to be healthy on wikihow and they are really very true.....
1. Counting calories is annoying, so instead of doing that, just eat the portion size and when ordering a large portion of something, save the rest of it for another meal. The food will not disappear!

2. Some foods, like celery and gum, help you burn calories by chewing.

3. Snacking on vegetables fills you up quicker than snacking on sugar substance and tastes better, too.

4. Too much sugar is the devil. Too much soda is the devil. Avoid the Devil by drinking water and staying away from sweets. Those are bad for you.

5. Eat fruits when craving something sweet. The thought of fresh fruit may not sound as satisfying before you bite into it but it actually is more satisfying than junk food. And then your mind craves the real foods again not the junk.

6. Jog up and down stairs in your house if there is no park close to where you live.
Make an attempt to walk to work or school if it is not too far away. You can do this everyday or just twice a week.

7. Pack your lunch instead of buying one out(Save money as well as Health).

8. Never skip a meal. It can really mess with your metabolism. It will also cause you to overeat later on in the day and that makes you fat.

9. Drink lots of water to help keep you hydrated.

10. Make sure you are getting enough sleep as little as it seems 7 and a half hours of sleep is just right.

11. Try to have a good serving of each food group a day.

12. Eat yogurts as they contain many wonderful healthy beneficial bacteria that strengthens the ammune system. Make sure it is the kind with the fruit in the bottom or plain yogurt.

13. Become more aware of what you eat. Try to eat sugars 20 minutes before proteins and heavy starches like potatoes, breads and pastas. Otherwise it takes the sugars too long to digest and they ferment in the stomach and can cause bloating and fatigue."

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An hour's Calorie Burn in just 20 minutes.sd

As always curious about how to get more done in less time. I found out this wonderful article in Yahoo health.....

Pulse Training


In just 20 mins you can burn calories of 1 hrs workout time.


you must be thinking this is some kind of gimmick.

Nope this is not..Fortunately this is true....

"Pick any cardio you like (running, swimming, the elliptical trainer). Warm up for 2 minutes at a moderate pace, then sprint for 30 seconds at the highest intensity you can muster. Slow down and do 90 seconds at a catch-your-breath recovery pace. Repeat eight times. You'll torch more calories in less time, while you burn fat faster. Follow this cardio session with a few of the following fast firmers for a total-body workout in less than 30 minutes".(Yahoo Health)


Tighten your tummy: 10 to 12 crunches on a stability ball.


Firm up legs: Stand on left foot, hands on hips, and bring right knee to hip level in front. Then bend left knee and hop to right, landing on right foot. Do 10 reps


Boost your bottom: Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on waist. Shift weight to left foot and lift heel of right foot so you're resting on toes. Bend left knee and sink hips back, keeping weight off right foot (toes stay on ground). Rise up. Do 12 reps on left leg, then switch legs and repeat.

Bare amazing arms: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with feet hip-width apart. Raise arms, palms down, out and slightly forward to shoulder height. Slowly lower them behind you so weights almost touch. Do 12 reps.

 Slim all over: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Keeping legs as straight as possible, bend forward and walk hands out until they're under shoulders. Do two push-ups, then walk hands back and stand. Repeat twice, doing four push-ups, then six.

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