What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein from foods processed from wheat and grain species including barley and rye.  It helps rise dough and improves texture in bread.

Gluten acts as a stabilizing agent in:

Barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut, wheat, triticale

Pizza, bagels

pie, pastries

ice cream

ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, salad dressing

Alcohol

sauces, soups

Imitation meats

To test if you affected by gluten or are gluten intolerant, Get rid of these foods for 3-4 weeks and then incorporate them back into your diet to see if you notice a difference.

But don’t we need the fiber found in gluten?

Considering there are many foods that contain fiber such as practically every single fruit, nut or vegetable, we simply don’t need gluten.  We need to look past the government’s recommendation of grains at the foundation of the food pyramid and look at reality.  Scientific research should dictate what we eat, not some kind of authority.

Are you saying gluten going to make me gain weight?

Yes, kind of.  Especially if you are eating too much gluten,.  Not all calories are created equal.  A calorie from fresh organic food is healthier then a donut or bagel.  If you simply learned to cut gluten, exercise, and cut out liquid calories(soda, frapachinos, excessive alcohol), you will lose fat rapidly assuming all other things remain the same.

Basically, foods with gluten tend to be high in calories so cutting them out can help with weight loss like beer, pizza, burgers, or pancakes.

Lectins are bad too.

Lectins are carb-binding proteins and are present in plant and animal products as they serve to protect against pathogens and parasites.  They bind with sugars but are bad for our digestion as they stick to the intestinal lining and wreak havoc.

Foods high in lectins include Grains and Soy so eliminating these primarily will go a long way.  Cutting down on dairy products will also help.

But Back to Gluten:

Gluten is probably “ok” to eat for the majority of the population, but for people with celiac or gluten sensitive individuals, it can be bad.

The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten. (iv) These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatorybowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, (v) and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric (vi) and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, (vii) schizophrenia, (viii) dementia, (ix) migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). (x) It has also been linked to autism(ix)(Hyman).

Commit to gluten free options:

Vegetables, brown rice, seeds and nuts, along with meat, fish, eggs.  Try to adopt to other whole grains and flours that lack gluten, such as buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, millet, teff, sorghum, and wild rice.  Consuming a wide range of grains gives more nutritional variety to your diet.

Remember, eating gluten free foods can still lead to weight gain when eaten in excess just like anything else.  Gluten free diets aren’t a substitute for abandoning other diet principles and exercise.

References:

Mark Hyman, MD: Gluten: What You Don’t Know Might Kill You

http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/gluten-free-weight-loss

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/lectins/

The perfect cardio program trains your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates or muscle.  Beginner exercisers need to gradually work to the point where they can become better conditioned.  To learn more, check out this video.

For example, through scientific vo2 breathing tests a beginner, age 50 burns fat calories when his heart rate is between 70-78% of his maximum heart rate.

Note: Maximum heart rate can be measured by following equation

220 – (age 50 years) = 170 (max heart rate)

The test showed that he burnt 7 calories per minute, 5 calories from fat at this heart rate.  When he increased the intensity, he burned between 8-9 calories per minute but only 1.5-2.7 calories came from fat.  This happened because he couldn’t burn fat calories at a high intensity because his aerobic base wasn’t optimal.  He was reaching his anaerobic threshold too easily and this meant that exercising too intensely wasn’t helping him burn fat calories.

*Aerobic base: the fastest pace you can perform while breathing aerobically with oxygen.  For the 50 year old above, his aerobic base was between 119 beats per minute and 132 beats per minute heart rate.

*Anaerobic threshold:  the point where energy is derived from nonoxygenic sources rather then oxygenic sources during exercise.  Glucose and carbohydrates are depleted rather then fat.  For the man above, his Anaerobic threshold hit around 138-148 beats per minute.

This kind of program will gradually increase your fat burning abilities so your Aerobic base and your Anaerobic threshold are virtually identical in intensity.  For the beginner, perform 30 minutes a week 3 times a week.  If you miss a workout Alameda, do the workout when you can rather then skipping it and stick to the program.

Alternate between 65%-70% and 85% heart rate

Weeks 1-3

1 min at 65%-70%

2 min at 85%

Weeks 3-6

1 min at 65%-70%

1 min at 85%

Weeks 6-9

1 min at 65%-70%

2min at 85%

Note:  If you don’t have access to a breathing vo2 test in Alameda.  Your body has a built in indicator.  It’s called the talk test.  Basically, perform your cardio to the point where talking is easy but you are still pushing yourself.  This will be about your aerobic base.  To find your anaerobic threshold, increase the intensity so that talking is difficult, but still manageable.

**Another way to keep track of your body’s exertion is to buy a heart rate monitor and alternate between 65%-80% of your maximum heart rate.

Its not a solid number because it depends on age, height, gender, activity rate, diet and temperature.

So this begs the question, can we actually increase our resting metabolic rate?  Yes we can.

But it’s not as much as you might think.  Here are the facts.

The Journal of Applied Physiology (3) conducted a study over 18 weeks and found that in the first 1-8 weeks, men gained 2.8 pounds of muscle and the average daily metabolic rate rose by 263 calories a day..

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If you do the math and divide the increased metabolic rate 263 by the increase in muscle, this gives us the number of about 94 calories per pound.  This sounds great, but when we look closer at weeks 8-18, we see that the men gained another 1.8 pounds of muscle mass but their metabolic rate didn’t increase at all this time.

Researchers think that regulation and balancing of the sympathetic nervous system are partly responsible.
So, What is the “real” metabolic rate of muscle?

In the book Ultimate Fitness:  The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health, Gina Kolata spoke with Professor Claude Bouchard an expert researcher in genetics and obesity.  Bouchard explains that compared to certain organs, muscle actually has a low metabolic rate if it’s not being worked or activated.

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Organ or tissue             Daily metabolic rate
Adipose (fat)                         2 calories per pound
Muscle                                    6 calories per pound
Liver                                        91 calories per pound
Brain                                        109 calories per pound
Heart                                       200 calories per pound
Kidneys                                  200 calories per pound.

The ballpark number is being discovered as measurement methods in science improves..

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Another expert, Robert Wolfe, Ph. D, Chief of Metabolism and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Texas Medical branch, says, “every 10-kilogram difference in lean mass translates to a difference in energy expenditure of 100 calories per day, assuming a constant rate of protein turnover.“

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This converts and equals to a little less than 5 calories per pound..

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Fortunately, exercise will increase protein turnover and increase protein synthesis and breakdown which increases caloric burn after exercise..

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Studies also show that the more muscle you have, the more muscle you can activate and this increases the amount of calories you burn after exercise(6).  This is because recovery is caloric expensive as glucose and fat stores need to be refilled and protein levels built up.  This all requires energy and calories..

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So while the resting caloric burn of muscle isn’t extraordinarily high, there is an burn afterwards.  This is a great reason to increase the frequency and intensity of workouts rather then duration.

Weight bearing exercises will improve your body in a many ways.  With a well designed program, you will burn calories both during and after your workout.  Additionally, if you don’t lift weights while you are dieting, much of the weight you will lose will come from muscle as well as fat.

References
1. Poehlman, E.T., Denino, W.F., Beckett, T., Kinaman, K.A., Dionne, I.J., Dvorak, R., & Ades, P.A. (2002). Effects of endurance and resistance training on total daily energy expenditure in young women: a controlled randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 87, 1004-1009
2. Pratley, R., Nicklas, B., Rubin, M., Miller, J., Smith, A., Smith, M., Hurley, B., & Goldberg, A. (1994). Strength training increases resting metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-yr-old men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 76, 133-137
3. Van Etten, L.M., Westerterp, K.R., Verstappen, F.T., Boon, B.J., & Saris, W.H. (1997). Effect of an 18-wk weight-training program on energy expenditure and physical activity. Journal of Applied Physiology, 82, 298-304
4. Wajchenberg, B.L. (2000). Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue: their relation to the metabolic syndrome. Endocrine Reviews, 21, 697-738
5. Wang, Z., Heshka, S., Zhang, K., Boozer, C.N., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2001). Resting energy expenditure: systematic organization and critique of prediction methods. Obesity Research, 9, 331-336
6. Smith, J., & McNaughton, L. (1993). The effects of intensity of exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and energy expenditure in moderately trained men and women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 67, 420-425

NASA scientist Ray Cronise runs the blog http://hypothermics.com/category/blog/ .   His thesis is: Diet, Exercise, and Thermal Load (environmental conditions) are ALL important.

Cold exposure and fat loss results depend on how large the temperature difference between your body and the environment and how fast heat (calories) is leaving your body(and time).

Water is 24x more conducive and effective then air in this process.  40F water is a lot more drastic than 40F air due to the increased heat capacity and thermal conductivity of water. A change of only 2-3 degrees down in water is equal to many more degrees in air.  Swimming WILL positively affect your body’s heat loss and will trigger hunger. Resist the urge to over eat and you’ll lose fat faster, guaranteed.

Even in water at competitive pool temperatures (82F/28C) you are losing heat at great rates as the water temperature is far below body temperature (98F/37C). This is why hypothermia in air sets in below 32F/0C and in water sets in below 60F/15C.

In other words, you don’t have to sit in a tub of ice water to reap benefits.  Make it more comfortable by making small changes.  If you do try to expose yourself to cold temperatures, try to go from cold to colder rather going from a warm place to an extremely cold place and use caution and know the limits of the human body.

One thing that everyone seems to agree on is that all humans respond to cold by increasing metabolic rate.  The reason for this brings us to the subject of BAT (brown adipose tissue).  Just find ways to get cold living in east Oakland.

What’s BAT?  It turns out that there are two main sources of adipose (fat) tissue in your body.  The white adipose tissue (WAT) is what you see in piece of meat and jiggling in the mirror.  It’s the kind of fat we are all trying to lose.

Brown Adipose Tissue is actually “the good fat” and although no one can increase the amount he or she naturally has, it’s an active part of the energetic side of your metabolism. Think of all fat as flammable gas.  BAT is simply gas with a match causing everything to burn.  The secret is that a cool environment causes these matches to light and burn and creates a high “caloric utility bill”.

Just as important, try to keep out of POSITIVE heat situations (saunas, bikram yoga, or hot tubs).  You may or may not have much BAT and if you do, it will contribute to a measurable expenditure of energy when activated by cold.

Basically, we naturally preserve heat.  When you are hot your body runs efficiently, but when you’re cold, your body has to work harder and burns more calories.  It’s not about being freezing.  It’s just about being cooler over time.  If you can get comfortable with cooler temperatures, the cumulative affect will be substantial.  Ray studied peer reviewed articles and came up with these tips from much research.

Ray’s tips straight from his online report

1.  Write it down what you eat in a small notebook, moleskin notebook.

2. Eat no more then the size of your fist of protein every 3 hours.
3. Eat small meals and drink water with it to make you feel full.  Try ice water.  It will only burn 134 calories for your body to cool a gallon of ice water but over time, weeks, months, it adds up.
4. Shower in cool water.  Not cold mind you.  Just try around the temperature of a swimming pool 82-84F.  Turn down the heat a little.  Also, stop wearing hoodies, sweaters, pants, heavy covers unless you need them.  Turn off the thermostat.
5. Carry layers don’t wear them unless you need them.
6. Wear a hat, gloves, ear muffs first.  Remember, your body naturally neglects the extremities even when the temperatures are just cool(not even cold yet).  Try this rhyme, “gloves before sweater will make you look better.”  If you start shivering, put on the sweater.

7.  Avoid too much sun exposure, Bikram yoga(sweating isn’t real weight loss), general hot activities.

8.  Put a pack of ice on your neck for 30min while watching tv or working.   This is where most of your BAT is located and can be activated.  Tim Ferriss’s experiment found this to be 60% as effective as 20 minutes  full body ice bath and a whole lot less painful.

I guarantee you will find these top 68 foods at the grocery store at a good price and organic.  I have found these to be most convenient and healthy due to pesticide reasons and general nutritional quality and balance.

Don’t throw away all your hard work at the gym by eating bad.

These foods are in my kitchen and they should be in yours too.  Now throw away all your junk rather then eating it!

1                   Quinoa

2-3               Brown rice pasta or brown rice bread.

4-5               Couscous, quinoa

6-10             Legumes: Black beans, red beans, lentils, peas

11-12           Sweet potatoes, little red potatoes

13                 Yams

14                 Organic Chicken grass feed

15                 Organic Ham or Deli Ham

16                 Cheese(raw and grass fed.  Cheese is fine in limited amounts.)

17                 Cottage Cheese(good protein source on the fly.  Mix with apple sauce, yum)

18                 Goats yogurt(Good alternative to other yogurts, add jam, berries, nuts)

19                 Grass fed beef

20                Organic Turkey or Grass fed

21                 Steak sirloin

22                 Pork tenderloin

23                 Shrimp

24                 Crab

25                 Tuna(limit the amount bc Mercury levels)

26                 Lamb

27                Cage free eggs

28-29          Whey Protein powder, casein protein power

30-31          Brown rice or wild rice

32-33          Oatmeal, or Oat bran

34                 Spinach

35                 Broccoli

36-45          Seeds/nuts, almonds organic, macadamia, walnuts, pecans, cashews, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flaxseed

46                 Kiwi

47                 Banana

48                Grapefruit

49                Oranges

50               Avocado

51               Asparagus

52              Spinach

53              Garlic

54              Unions

55              Artichoke

56              Zucchini

57              Carrot

58              Tomato

59-61       Raspberries, blackberries, cranberries

62              Watermelon

63              Beets

64             Cauliflower

65              Eggplant

66-67      Yellow squash or butternut squash

68             Figs

Building your mental and your internal motivation and strength is a vital step in your fitness journey.  People don’t realize that they often set themselves up for failure before they even BEGIN their quest for better health and fitness.

If you want to Try fitness and you want to “give it a shot”, you aren’t going to get maximum results because you aren’t going to put in the work.

Here is why.  Anyone who told you that you can make a big positive change in your life(or your body) without working for it is trying to sell you something.  You are just deluding yourself into thinking that you will achieve a body that you are proud of

Here is the honest truth; no one cares about how hard you work in health or fitness or anything else.  Only You know how much effort you put into being a success and looking awesome.  The person who has an amazing body had to make a few sacrifices to look like that.

In fitness and any self improvement process, its YOU against YOU, you are your greatest competition.  I also recommend finding a role model who has similar genetics as yours but who has accomplished a higher level then yourself.  This way, there is something to strive for without making excuses.

In addition to making excuses, people also limit themselves by thinking(believing self limiting thoughts) in a manner which does not allow them to reach their true potential.  For example, if you believe your genetics are slowing you down, how will these beliefs empower you to utilize all your skills, abilities, and resources?  Will it become and excuse?

If you believe that working hard in the gym is silly, if getting fit and healthy is low on your priority list, If you believe that you have to starve yourself to get fit, these are all examples of self limiting beliefs.

The foundation of the level of success that you will or will NOT achieve will be based
upon your rules, beliefs, values, and standards.  So create good ones or at least better ones.

Here is an example of a rule:  I will eat 2500 calories, 6 meals a day, equal portions, with lean proteins, complex carbs, and a little fat.

What has to happen for this journey for health and fitness to be a 10 experience?  If you arent excited about your goals (1-10 scale),Then you wont have the emotional and mental strength it takes.

Its got to be sweet enough. Know the world is fair, no excuses.  Find a role model.  Find someone you DONT want to be like(anti role model).  What level do you want to be at?  Its your choice. Find as many reasons you can to take the action.  Short term, medium, long.  How does this add to your dream life?

Alcohol is a vasodilator and it actually speeds up your heart rate and after just you’re first drink and if abused regularly, will lead to liver damage.  If you drink for a year straight excessively and on a regular basis, the damage can be frightening:

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS: Heavy drinking causes a drop in testosterone levels with men, and causes testicular shrinkage and            impotence. With females, menstrual cycles can be disrupted and fertility is affected. Some studies show that women who drink up to five units of alcohol a week are twice as likely to conceive as those who drink 10 or more.

BRAIN: Over time, alcohol causes permanent damage to the connection between nerve cells. As it is a depressant, alcohol can also  trigger episodes of depression, anxiety and lethargy.

HEART: Small amounts of alcohol (no more than a unit a day) can actually help protect the heart, but heavy drinking leads to chronic high blood pressure and other heart irregularities.

BLOOD: Alcohol kills the oxygen-carrying red blood cells, which can lead to anemia.

CANCER: Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to an increase in the risk of many cancers. Cancer Research UK warned how growing alcohol use is causing a steep rise in mouth cancer cases.

PANCREAS: In addition to all this, just a few weeks of heavy drinking can result in painful inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis. This results in a swollen abdominal area and can cause nausea and vomiting.  This will not help you people looking for Alameda weight loss resolutions.

Alcohol has 7 calories per gram.  This is 3 calories more then carbs and proteins!  It contains only empty calories because it has no nutritional value.  Alcohol also is catabolic which means it breaks your body down during its natural chemical and metabolic processes.  Alcohol will not help you lose weight so lose the beer belly for optimal weight loss.

Alameda, if you’re having problems losing weight, consider cutting back on your alcohol intake to achieve the weight loss.  If you are a regular drinker, this really is something you will get amazing results from.  I’m not saying stop drinking because drinking a little occasionally can help stress levels, help your heart, and add to fun in life(just a few drinks per week max). But if you do drink alcohol, drink water in the meantime to cause a sense of fullness and to limit dehydration. It will help to limit the effects that alcohol will have on your metabolism.

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Here are 100 fat loss tips covering all the bases including protein intake, nutrition, fitness training, fat burning supplements and everything in between you could imagine.   All in the quest for you to gain six pack abs and toned bodies! .

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Protein .fat loss tips

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1. Get LEAN protein like chicken, turkey, pork, quoina, eggs, beef, most poultry and fish, low fat cottage cheeze, tuna, steak, lean ham.

2.  Eat ample amounts of protein, should be at least 1.5 grams per pound of muscle or lean bodyweight. (need to know your bodyfat).

3. Get more protein on days you are working out to better repair your muscles..

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4. Don’t skip breakfast and get some protein.  Even if you are going to a gym in Alameda. When you skip it, your body thinks its gonna starve so it hangs on to fat and burns muscle for energy. Remember, the last time you ate was about 10 hours ago. If you skip breakfast, you are going 18 hours without eating!

5. Try eating a meal 1-1.5 hours before the workout(example: a protein shake and a light meal). Lots of people do it right after a workout but food takes a while before it makes it to your blood stream. A post workout meal may be utilized best if it is actually taken BEFORE the actual workout..

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6. Take a Whey Isolate Protein shake as a meal replacement.  Isolate has less lactose.  Trust me, there are gonna be many days in your life when you will need a quick meal(fast food) but wont have the time to buy or cook something. Make sure you have a back up plan that contains all the nutrients you need.  Its going to be really useful before you go to an Alameda gym.

Some good brands include:

- Muscle Pharm MuscleGel Shot – Met-Rx meal replacement

- Labrada lean body packets – EAS Myoplex original.

7. Avoid high fat proteins like too much of cheese, hotdogs, hamburgers, bacon, bratwurst. Cut out fat. Carbs and protein contain 4 calories per gram. Fat contains 7 calories per gram.

8. John Romano writes for a site called RX muscle. He gets people to atchieve sub 10% bodyfat and to lose those last 5-10 pounds of fat.

Depending on your lean body weight you should get between 4-10 ounces of protein every 3 hours.If you have 100lbs of lean muscle(lean bodyweight not fat) you should get 4 ounces and if you have 220lbs of lean body weight then you should get 10 ounces of  protein.  Your first meal MUST be within an hour of waking.

He takes creativity OUT of the equation for meals and only has 5 options for meals.  You must stick to the details for the result at least 6 days a week and eat nothing else.  But you can enjoy unlimited amounts of Spinach, Asparagus, Brussel sprouts,Kale, Collard greens, Broccoli rabe, Broccoli/cruciferous vegetables.

Option 1:  50 grams of whey protein isolate and half a cup of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter.

Option 2:  4-10 ounces of cooked, white, nonfatty fish (no salmon, mackerel, etc.) + half a cup of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter.  Acceptable fish include lean tuna, white fish, bass, catfish, pike, whiting, and flounder.

Option 3:  4-10 ounces of cooked turkey or chicken + half a cup of nuts or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Option 4:  4-10 ounces of cooked fattier protein: red meat, ground beef, fatty fish, or dark poultry + one tablespoon of olive oil or macadamia oil.

Option 5:  Five whole eggs.

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9. Healthy fats like should be eaten before all meals in small quantities to help with the glycemic response your body has as well. It will also help you feel full and prevent you from overeating. Examples include Brazil nuts, Almonds, Avocados, Walnuts, olive oil, omega 3, fish oil.  Don’t eat transfats: Onion rings, frozen fish sticks, kfc chicken pot pie, burger king hash browns, fast food crap, microwaved meals, etc.

10. Eat almonds to lose weight? Yep! In a study published in 2003, researchers found that subjects lost more weight when consuming almonds compared to complex carbohydrates. Almonds are known to lower the risk of heart disease, maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Almonds contain fiber, protein and fat and are great at satisfying your appetite. A study involved 65 overweight people. The group of dieters who ate 3 ounces of almonds each day dropped 18% of their weight in 24 weeks. The dieters who ate the same menu but without the almonds, averaged a drop of only 11%.

Reference: Wien MA, Sabat JM, Ikl DN, Cole SE, Kandeel FR. Almonds vs complex carbohydrates in a weight reduction program. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Nov;27(11):1365-72..

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Carbohydrates:  Fat loss tips.

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11. Replace some of your carbs and fats with protein instead. Protein burns twice the calories during digestion then other foods do.

12. Don’t eat too much high calories sweet stuff like donuts, candy, cinnamon bread, pastries.. Go to a Alameda gym instead!

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13. Don’t eat white stuff. This includes breads, rice(even too much brown is bad), cereal, potatoes, pasta, tortillas, and fried food with bread. Even 100% whole breads and pastas should be limited in the diet.

14. Reduce your carbs but without going into ketosis. Ketosis is carbohydrate deprivation and will make you feel sluggish, dehydrated and will hinder your mental processes. Basically, it will KILL your metabolism and you go backwards in your journey for fat loss..

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15. Eat only natural sugars. Stay away from all others. Examples include beets, honey, fruit, cane, maple syrup, milk or grain. If you have to eat sugar at all, eat the Raw brown sugar.

16. Don’t eat much fruit. Its loaded with sugar you don’t need. Limit eating fruit to once a week..

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17. Eat Legumes Best legumes are: Lentils and black beans. With pinto beans, red beans and soybeans coming in second. Its crucial to get legumes because when you cut out carbs you don’t get the calories from veggies and this saps all your energy. Legumes provide the calories you need without the fat storage problems carbs create.

18. Always swap rice for vegetables at restaurants even if you have to pay the $1-3 extra..

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19. Dont cut carbs out completely. Complex carbs should make up for 55-60% of your total caloric intake. The key is to get the right kind(discussed in another tip).

Calories and food amounts:  Fat loss tips.

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20.  Don’t eat XtraLarge meals. You dont have to get 6 meals a day even though many health experts say differently. You just need to eat the right kinds of foods. But in general, eat within an hour of waking and try to eat something every 4 hours.

21. Lower your calories till you notice you begin to lose weight. Don’t over do it and don’t starve..

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22. EAT. If your caloric intake is below 1200 then you aren’t getting enough calories. Research with 26 thousand men and women found that its impossible to get the 26 vital nutrients with less then 1200 calories a day. Any less then 1200 calories will not help your long term goals.  Especially if you are exercising at Alameda gyms.

23. Learn to count calories somehow. If you don’t keep track somehow on a basic level, you are gonna start binging and lose control at some point..

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24.  Get Fiber from foods such as: Veggies, nuts, and some grains and fruits. Fiber cant be broken down by your intestines and this means you will simply (dump) out many of these undigested calories. Fiber also helps with cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

25. Eat fiber before a meal. This will keep you from overeating and cause a sense of fullness..

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26. Stay away from frozen or processed foods loaded with sugar, calories salt, and chemicals.

27. Read food labels, menu nutrient facts, etc. Look for calories, fat, carbs, protein, salt, sugar, etc..

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28. Drink more water. Drinking water will make you feel full without eating any calories and the simple digestion of water burns calories. Better yet, water has ZERO calories. 8 glasses a day is an absolute minimum. Drinking water helps the liver and kidneys work so that you can burn fat all day long. Drinking water before a meal will also prevent you from overeating.

29. Eat the same meals again and again. Try to create a few templates and include the following foods only.

30. There are over 50,000 products in the average grocery story.  But only a handful of them wont make you fat.  Here are a few that provide the best in lean proteins, the best in carbohydrates and the best veggies.

For Maximum Effectiveness, Include the following foods only:

Veggies-  Asparagus, peas, broccoli, green beans, spinach, tomato(a fruit), dark green lettuce, green beans, sauerkraut, cucumber.

Lean proteins- Egg whites, chicken breast or thighs, beef, fish.

Legumes- Lentils(dal), black beans, pinto veans, red beans.

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31. Best legumes are Lentils and Black beans. But feel free to get red beans as well, or pinto beans in moderation. If you are doing the diet on Veggies, Lean Proteins, and Legumes, you need to eat a good amount of LEGUMES to get your caloric intake to stabilize your basil metabolic rate..

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32. Don’t drink calories. You can drink zero calorie flavored water packets from your local grocery, tea, black coffee, and things like this that have zero to no calories. But don’t drink milk, soy, soft drinks, or fruit juice which are all loaded with sugar.  Not gonna help your gym efforts.

Eat Naturally tips and tricks: Fat loss tips

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33.  Eat close to nature, or organic(if it doesn’t grow in nature you generally shouldn’t be eating it).

34. Eat lots of plants and animals. Cavemen didn’t have muffin tops or beer bellies because they didn’t eat muffins or drink beer.. Alameda gym goers shouldnt either.

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35. Get Antioxidents. As nature intended in the form of berries, legumes, tomatoes, or broccoli. It helps recovery from a workout (lactic acid soreness) by getting oxygen to the working muscles with antioxidents. Remember, muscle burns fat.

36. Drink Lemon juice(use half a lemon squeezed) in the morning with warm water and in water before meals. Lemon juice before meals helps with digestion by increasing acidity in the digestive system. This helps absorb calcium, which is stored in fat cells. Research shows that the more calcium there is in a fat cell, the more fat is burned. Research shows that 3 tablespoons of lemon juice helps decrease the glycemic effect of carbohydrates by 10%..

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37. Eat fermented stuff. The famous Dr. Weston Price found that one common element in healthy communities was fermented foods consumed daily. Fermented foods contain high levels of healthy bacteria(Bacteroidetes). Healthy people have high amounts of bacteroidetes which can be found in foods like sauerkraut, cheese, unsweetened plain goats yogurt, fermented tempeh. Try to find something healthy that you like and add it to your weekly diet. Getting these foods(bacteria) will help with fat absorption and fat metabolism(burn).

38. Eat Cinnamon, 1-1.5 teaspoons spread out throughout the day helps decrease glucose levels and aids in fat loss (Saigon, also known as cinnamomum loureiroi or Vietnamese cinnamon).

39. Eat some Apples Alameda: Apples aid digestion and promote weight loss. Apples contain a extremely high amount of pectin. Pectin helps limit the amount of fat absorbed by your cells and decreases appetite..

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40. Add some heat! Get some Chile Peppers: Chile Peppers have something called Capsaicin which is a active chemical that elevates body temperature(Thermogenesis). One study from Oxford University showed that adding three chili peppers (in the form of pepper sauce) to a meal caused the body to burn 10% more calories than normal without doing anything else.

41. Spread some mustard on your meal: Mustard from mustard seeds has shown to temporarily increase the metabolism. At England’s Oxford Polytechnic Institute, researchers found that it increased metabolic rates by 25%. Simply by adding mustard to a meal, subjects burned off at least 45 extra calories in 3 hours after a meal..

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Nutritional tricks.fat loss tips

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42.  Take a cheat day. There are no boundaries! Eat as much of WHATEVER you like but limit to ONE day a week. The body responds very well to this type of eating and it ensures that your metabolic rate doesn’t down shift from extended periods of caloric restriction.

43. During cheat days where you eat a lot, get a high fiber and a high protein Breakfast(30 grams min), no more then 500 cal. It will decrease your appetite for the rest of the binge day.

44. Plan your meals if you have a busy lifestyle. Don’t make the excuse that healthy food isn’t convenient. MAKE IT CONVENIENT by some kind of planning.. Kind of like going to the gym.

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45. Avoid alcohol. Did you know alcohol has 7 calories per gram? Cut it out if you want to lose fat. Alcohol is catabolic meaning it breaks down muscle(your fat burning tissue).

46. Eat Slowly!! To burn fat, control glucose, and aid digestion. If you are a compulsive food shoveler, eat a third of your meal and wait 5 min between thirds. Chewing more then usual will help you with this process and will help you to burn more fat. You are eating slow in small bites over a long period of time and this allows your body to digest things well instead of storing it as fat. Eat slow. If you eat fast, there is a mechanism that doesn’t go off until you have eaten too much already. Eating slow allows your body to feel full before you over eat.

Weight lifting/muscle toning: Fat loss tips

47. Lift weights 2-4 times a week. Muscle tone burns fat. Period.

48. Work the big muscles. Working things like your butt, chest, back, and abs is great because these are large muscle groups. Working large muscles means large caloric burn.

49. Gain more muscle and work these muscles regularly. Any time you work the muscles, you are gonna have a big after effect on your metabolism for fat burning that you don’t get with traditional cardio exercise like walking..ÂYou dont have to go to the gym, but you do have to work your muscles somehow.

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50. Working your legs with weights has special benefits even when compared to cardio. One study showed: that 30 minutes of leg presses, reverse lunges, leg curls, and leg extensions(3 sets of 10 reps) elevated the metabolism for 48 hours after the workout while the 30 min of cardio only elevated the resting metabolism for 4 hours. Iv seen this work in the real world as well here in Alameda.

51. Don’t over train at the gym. If you train a muscle group too much or too often, your just gonna get weaker and less effective in general. Plan your workouts, develop a training program, vary your training, get a coach. If you don’t know what you are doing, work each muscle once a week to keep things simple. No more, just work extremely hard.

52. Do 60-80 seconds of squats, followed by 60-80 seconds of wall pushups(or incline) exercises right before a meal. This should help to beat meal induced insulin release to the punch and flip the switch on natural biology so that the food(glucose) is siphoned to muscle tissue rather then fat storage cells..

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53. Work hard in the gym. Although this seems obvious, its apparently not in reality. It takes a special kind of focus to get the results that you want. No one got an amazing body or accomplished a great physical feat by haphazardly playing around or by strolling from exercise to exercise.

Cardiovascular exercise: Fat loss tips

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54.  Take the stairs. Don’t drive around the parking lot for 30 min so you can park next to the door.  Try to incorporate exercise even in unplanned life.

55.  Run/Bike/Swim at a super challenging rate and time yourself ONCE a week. Go all out 100% with intervals of fast and slow for about 10-20min and track your progress in a journal for increased performance. Just do these sprinting sessions to once a week to keep things realistic.  Alameda, ya need to work hard on cardio just once a week.  Its not so bad.

56. Walk/Bike/Swim/WHATEVER you enjoy at a slow rate 3-7 times a week for an hour at a slow pace. This will make sure you burn those extra calories you would otherwise store as fat..

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57. Split up your cardio so it doesn’t seem so boring. Do 30min of walking in the morning and then 30 min of cycling or swimming in one day. Don’t do it all at once.

58. Do Cardio after you do weights to burn more fat. Scientists have also reported that fat-burning was maximal during the first 15 minutes of cardio following the weight workout, so hit the stationary bike, elliptical machine or treadmill after you lift, even if its for just 15 minutes. I recommend warming up 10 min before your workout as well. Aim for about a 10 minute warmup and then 15 minutes afterwards with slightly more intensity during the last 2-5 minutes for optimal fat burn...

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Supplements for weight loss:  Fat loss tips

59.  Take a fat burners will allow you to get a bit leaner then you already are. But if you aren’t lean, its not worth the effort. Only use these if you are really close to your goal weight and body fat percentage and only use them for a short period of time. Try PAGG. The next 4 tips.  Its a sustainable and healthy fat burning stack that should be followed 6 days a week for 2 months. Every 2 months, take a week off(very important for health and effectiveness)..

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(PAGG fat burning supplement stack, see Tim Ferriss 4 Hour Body)

60. (PAAG)Policosanol is a good supplement and is an extract of plant waxes. It helps increase good cholesterol(HDL) and decrease bad cholesterol(LDL). It will help lower your overall cholesterol up to a hundred points in many documented cases. By itself, it wont help fat loss much but together with Alpha-lipoic Acid(ALA), Green tea flavanols, and garlic extract it should have a strong positive effect. Try 6 days a week, 20-25mg a day only once a day before bed.

61. (PAGG)Alpha-Lipoic Acid(ALA)- is a potent antioxidant and helps you store the carbohydrates you eat in muscle or in your liver as opposed to in fat. The second ingredient in Ferris’s PAGG cocktail. It is found naturally in very small amounts in meat organs(liver), broccoli, spinach. Try 100-300mg with each meal 6 days a week.

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62. (PAGG)Green Tea Flavanols(EGCG)- Also known as Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a catechin and flavanol found in green tea. Just like Alpha Lipoic Acid, it helps inhibit Glut-4 recruitment in fat cells so that ecvess carbohydrates are stored in muscle instead of fat. Although still a theory, it appears to increase death of mature fat cells thich means that people with weight problems dont have the problem of keeping their previous number of fat cells forever and thus making it easier to stay fit in the long run.

Optimal amounts should be about 325 miligrams 3-4 times a day 6 days a week. After you stop seeing fat loss results increase to about 1,000 miligrams a day 6 days a week. Take decaffeinated green tea extract pills unless you wanna live on a caffeine high. Take a supplement rather then drinking tea continuously. If you are taking meds, check to see if this supplement has an effect on the one you are on as it will have an effect on some cancer meds..

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63. (PAGG)Garlic Extract(Allicin Potential, S-Allyl Cysteine)- Allicin reduces atherosclerosis and fat deposits according to many recent studies on animals and seems to have the same effect on humans. It is a compound found in garlic and the aged garlic extract (AGE) is the best know type with high allicin potential that includes all constituent parts. Try 200mg before each meal and before bed.

64. Take a Whey protein, preferably one with branched-chain amino acids(found in many protein powders). They are essential in making protein. They include leucine, isoleucine, and valine which signal protein synthesis in muscle.

65. Caffeine is the main ingredient in many diet pills. Caffeine is far more effective (about 30% more) at burning fat if it is done right before the gym and will have a greater effect if it is used exclusively at these times only because if you get too much, the effect and benefit is less.

66. Glutamine: helps neutralize the catabolic effects of cortisol which forms during and after training. Cortisol breaks down your muscle protein (and ultimately your muscle tone) so glutamine helps promote muscle growth which in turn will burn fat.

67. Vitamin B6 helps the effectiveness of glutamine to regulate the bad effects of cortisol so its a good supplement to implement alongside Glutamine. Again, with the end idea of maintaining muscle tissue and burning fat..

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68.  Alameda: For proper recovery make sure you get a good multi-vitamin(should be a time released one).

69. Chromium Picolinate- Studies by Dr. Gary Evans at Bemidji State University in Minnesota found that athletes taking 600mcgs recorded the following information during a 6 week test (including workouts).

- Men gained 3.5 pounds of muscle and Women gained 2.7 pounds of muscle tone.

- Regulate blood sugar 2 ways.

1- Clears excessive blood sugar from the blood stream and into muscle, and assists insulin in carrying out its function with smaller amounts of insulin being produced from the pancreas.

2- Shuts down excessive insulin production to protect necessary levels of glucose remaining in the blood stream, creating a balanced blood sugar level.

- It caused muscle cells to take up more than twice as much branched chain amino acids leucine, Iso-leucine, and Valine, than in the control group. This resulted in constant blood sugar levels in the blood stream and sparring muscle from being broken down to liberate stored blood sugar(gluco-neogenisis).

70. Carnitine is a water soluble vitamin made in the liver from amino acid precursors. Because carnitine is water soluble and heat sensitive, losses can occur during cooking. This can have potentially serious side effects to vegetarians who are highly active since plant sources have only small amounts of carnitine.

Carnitine plays an important role in fat metabolism and reduction of triglycerides when a dosage of three grams are administered daily. Because of these benefits of the nutrient. It is useful to help with heart disease, certain physiological disorders, fat loss, and athletic endurance. Carnitine is administered clinically in conditions of ketosis in individuals what are on high protein diets to eliminate ketone bodies which in extreme cases can be life threating.

71. Omega 3 Get a good fish oil supplement. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that daily doses of oil containing omega-3 fatty acids, combined with moderate exercise like walking for 45 minutes, can result in significant weight loss.  But taking the oil without exercise, or exercising without taking the oil, does not result in any weight loss, according to researchers from the University of South Australia..

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Herbs for: fat loss tips

72.  Celery and celery seeds are used in weight-loss diets where it provides low-calorie dietary fibre bulk. Celery seeds are also a great source of calcium, and are regarded as a great alternative to animal products.

73. Evening Primrose(herb)- is highly concentrated in gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), a member of the omega-6 family that is essential to fat loss.

In 1979 a GLA study was conducted using 38 people. According to In-House Pharmacy, half of the group took four Evening Primrose oil capsules per day for eight weeks. This group lost an average of 9 pounds. Primrose activates brown fat, which are specialized fat cells, is the function of Evening Primrose oil. Brown fat cells make up 10 percent of the body’s fat and are responsible for burning calories. The heavily GLA-concentrated oil of the plant seed speeds up brown fat which is already responsible for burning 25% of the bodies calorie burn..

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74. Comfrey(herb)- May have fat burning effects as the mucilage created by comfrey delays the emptying of the stomach and slows or reduces after meal peaks of glucose and insulin.

75. Chickweed(herb/tea)- Chickweed is full of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and potassium. It serves as a good tonic for the circulatory system, helping pull toxins out of the blood and dissolve plaque in the blood vessels. It is also believed to have an overall cleansing effect on the body which in turn helps boost the immune system and increases energy. Chickweed tea is also said to be effective at helping to dissolve fatty tumors, removing them from the body. With fat in general, Chickweed is said to be very effective as both a fat burner and an appetite suppressant. It has become a popular addition to much herbal based fat burning supplement..

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Lifestyle fat loss tips

76. Reward yourself for all your gym efforts. Do something nice for every amount of pounds you lose or percentage of fat lost. Go shopping, go on a date to your favorite restaurant, buy that toy that you have always had your eye on. Up the ante a little.

77. Focus on the deficit. By this I mean calorie deficit. If you are exercising more but you accidentally start to eat more, there will be no deficit. And, if you are eating less but exercising less, the result will be the same. The key is to eat less and to exercise more but its not always this simple. Keep it more focused by looking at the calorie deficit.

78. Meditate- I’m not a huge yoga buff or meditation expert. My definition of meditate its the ability to create a calmness and peace in mind despite any outward circumstances. I think its important in fitness and fat loss because it helps you stay focused on what you really want rather then getting caught up in the moment and making bad decisions that don’t steer you towards your goals.

79. Make a list before you go shopping. Eating well starts with buying the right foods. Personally, I do 90% of my shopping at health conscious stores like Trader Joe’s and Wholefoods or other health stores in Alameda. These stores are usually just as affordable but they are organic and they have less junk in the isles.

80. Come up with a 12 week goal. Planning too far in the future generally doesn’t work. 3 months in advance is a good place to start because it requires daily action and you still wont get discouraged because your goal will not seem too far in the future. Lose 20 pounds in 3 months.

81. One key is to have a VISION of the future. Every successful person at anything visualized themselves as a success before they actually were. Don’t get caught up in the past or present problems or on being perfect. Take action today by creating a vision that excites you.

82. Get support at the gym: This can be your personal trainer, significant other, Doctor, friend, etc. Anyone who is going to celebrate with you and keep you accountable and motivated for your workouts..

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83. Be consistent. Remember Alameda. The basic key is diet and exercise. Focus your attention on these.

84. Don’t use the scale. The tape measure is the best way to track your progress. This is because you may lose fat but the scale wont always reflect this(because muscle is about half the size of fat in equal weight). Just make sure you measure the chest, hips, navel, and thighs. Make sure you are consistent with where you put the tape measure and the methods you use in measuring..

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85. Does your fat loss lifestyle have fitness lifeability? Fitness lifeability is a term meaning you can maintain it for the rest of your life with success. Make sure your approach has lifeability.

86. Are you having emotional, mental, spiritual problems? This may be a reason for your addiction to food. Find a way to deal with this BEFORE you try to lose weight and get fit.

87. Take your time to lose fat. If you are losing much more then 4 pounds a week you are probably losing muscle along with fat which will slow you down in the long run.  You are probably gonna burn out at the gym as well.

88. Set realistic goals. Losing 5 pounds a month. It may not sound like much. But when you do this for 6 months you’ve lost 30 pounds. Goal setting is crucial.

89. Don’t compare yourself to ANYONE. People usually look to others who are just out of their reach and its discouraging. You need to focus on yourself.

90. Don’t injure yourself at the gym. You aren’t gonna get fit and firm sitting in a hospital bed.

Little tricks: fat loss tips

91. Get cold! Place an ice pack on your lower neck/upper back 20 minutes at night. Its where insulin sensitivity is lowest. BAT(Brown adipose tissue) is highest in this area. Minus all the scientific explanation, the cold stimulates the BAT to burn fat and glucose as heat. Cold, can help you increase the amount of your (fat-burning) well, fat. This has been shown by studies to increase fat burn up to 60%. Short cold exposure; 20-30 min leads to fatty acid release to provide fuel for heat production through shivering. This same shivering could be sufficient to recruit Glut-4 to the surface of muscle cells, contributing to increases in muscle gain as well.

92. Get Sleep: it helps with growth hormone and melatonin which will help your body burn more calories and reduce cortisol levels. Basically, your body repairs itself when you are sleeping.

93. Play and Relax a little. Again, this has a lot to do with lowering cortisol levels. Lets face it, if you are always stressed out, your body isn’t gonna perform optimally.

94. Workout your MIND. Its much easier to let your body become lazy if your mind is lazy.

95. Get some sun. Just a little goes a long way. Try to go before 10am and after 4pm to eliminate skin damage. But the amount of Vitamin D you get from the sun is astronomically higher then anything you could ever eat and digest. Together with calcium, it helps digestion which aids weight loss.  There is no excuse here in Alameda.

96. Stretch your muscles Alameda gym enthusiasts. Stretching allows your body to work, move and repair itself and even allows the muscles to tone to their real potential.

97. Sit and stand with good posture. It helps you breath from your stomach which helps your health, oxygen consumption and protein digestion.

98. Have sex. Sex burns fat. On average you can burn about 150 to 300 calories during sexual intercourse. But different positions can actually increase the number of calories burned.

99. Laugh more often Alameda. Japanese researchers found that test subjects who watched a 40 minute comedy show versus others who watched a 40 minute boring lecture, the comedy watchers blood glucose levels were much lower. The researchers theorized that laughter alters brain chemistry in such a way that either slows down glucose entering the blood or increases the muscles assimilation of extra glucose.

100. Have a positive attitude always! Remember, if you think you can, you’re right. And if you think you cant, you’re right.  Oh, and if you don’t have a gym memberhip, GET ONE!

alameda gym

Natural Bodybuilder Skip Lacour

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Water is super important to organ function especially if you are interested in fitness.  It is especially important here in Alameda and Oakland where fitness and hot weather often go together.  Without it, none of your organs would be able to function optimally.

1. Water flushes out toxins and other waste products from the body. Water is especially important when following a “high protein” diet, as it helps remove excess nitrogen, urea (a toxic substance), and ketones. Its true for my Oakland fitness clients and its true for everyone. You need even more water to drink to help your kidneys do their work..

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2. Water will help metabolize fat(yes, it will help you lose weight).  Drinking water will make you feel full without eating anything and the simple digestion of water burns calories.  8 glasses a day is an absolute minimum(more if you are doing a fitness program).  Without enough water, the kidneys can’t function well. When this happens, some of the work is transferred to the liver. The liver metabolizes fat for energy. If the liver is doing some of the kidneys’ work, it burns less fat.. Attention Oakland residents looking to tone up.  Drink more water to lose fat.

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3. Water Reduces Fluid Retention.  Contrary to popular belief, drinking water can actually help you shed excess water weight. When water isn’t utilized, the body, thinking there’s a shortage, begins hoarding it. This water is stored in extra cellular spaces.  Fitness experts and bodybuilders know this and they drink EXTRA water when they prepare for shows when they need to appear toned and completely ripped.

4. Water can preserve your organs and assist their function.  Too little water, and your body steals it from organs such as the colon. When this happens, you  will experience constipation.

5. Your skin is the largest organ in your body.  Look Younger with Healthier Skin!(sounds like a supplement rather than a life essential): You will look younger when your skin is properly hydrated. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increase skin elasticity.

6. It aids digestion.  Water helps you digest fiber and healthy bowel movements and fights against constipation.
7. Water increases you natural energy because it regulates proper body temperature which is super important when you are working out.  Your heart will have to work excessively if its not hydrated, just like the rest of your organs.

8. Drinking water is good for sexual health.  Its true remember?  Water is good for all your organs.

9. Your brain is an organ so drinking water will help with your mental clarity as well..

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 The real secret is to make health and fitness a permanent part of your lifestyle.  Short term efforts of high intensity give you short term results.  I want you to treat fitness as a walk in life where you can still breath and smell the roses(and taste the cake).  Not a panicking sprint of frustration.;

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So, heres what you can do now to change your lifestyle permanently..

1.  Walk or jog for 30min Twice a week.

2.  Shop only at organic type grocery stores like wholefoods and trader joes.

3.  Drink water

4.  Lift weights twice a week at least.

5.  Dont eat out as much and dont eat till you cant anymore.  Eating as much as you possibly can is fine on Christmas and Thanksgiving day.  But not for the month before and after these holidays…  Come on, there are better ways to channel your stress and emotions(try working our for example).