Why skinny people don’t like fat people?

As we focus on losing weight and getting rid of the extra fats, we sometimes stop to wonder, why is there a bias against the fat person?

Being fat is unhealthy. That has been proven beyond any doubt. Interestingly, there was an article released in the HBES Journal (Human Bhaviour & Evolution Society) that talked about research in this area.

Apparently, our body’s immune system is programmed to avoid germs and other unhealthy things. For example, when you smell rotting food, you feel nausea and avoid it. In a similar way, the immune system reacts when it sees rashes and lesions.

That particular research seem to indicate that obesity seems to be lumped together with some of these perceived diseases. It might be that being fat is considered “socially contagious” and the body reacts to that by “rejecting” the image.

Much as you would not happily chew on rotting food (your body will reject that), your protective immune system attempts to draw you away from a perceived threat (obesity). They claim that this new evidence indicate that aversion to fat people could be an evolved response – a part of survival.

Whatever the truth may be, our daily experience tells us that there is a bias against fat people. It could be explained by any reason, but a bias is never good.

For fat people, the dangers are very real. Losing fats is an important consideration to live a healthy life. Either consider diet, exercise or some other form of therapy and get the fat level down to a more manageable level.

Recipe - Fresh Pineapple-Alfalfa Sprout Juice

I found this very nice recipe over at NurtureYourOwn.com and I thought it would be interesting for you to try it this month.

Incorporating raw sprouts into your diet has many health benefits. Also, pineapples are considered very good for colds and flu, so in this times of many health concerns, a pineapple recipe is definitely an interesting one.

Sweet & Healthy Pineapple-Alfalfa Juice

(serve 4 -6)

Ingredients
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored
1/2 lb. fresh alfalfa sprouts
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cups water
honey to taste
ice to taste

How to Prepare
Place all the ingredients into a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Strain and discard the pulp.
Add ice and honey.

Will taking diet soft drink be a better choice?

In recent times, diet soft drink has become popular, then unpopular in our quest to lose fats. So, the question is, does taking diet soft drink help or hinder our efforts to lose weight?

As we all know, carbonated soft drinks contain an average of 150 calories in each can. If you consider that most meals should be around 500 – 800 calories (depending on which meal and what diet you are on), then you should be alarmed that a can of carbonated soft drink can account for more than 20% of your calorie intake per meal.

Most diet soft drinks tout ZERO calorie as their selling point. Some of course are “low calorie” instead of zero. This is good, right?

If we stick strictly to the calorie counting aspects of our diet, yes, this is good. Considering that carbonated soft drink contain caffeine, which is addictive, what about the diet versions?

Most diet soft drinks are targeted at the “health conscious” consumer. Hence, they usually tout “caffeine-free” as one of their selling points.

How then do these diet soft drinks taste so sweet if they do not contain the 9 spoons of sugar that give carbonated soft drinks the high calorie count?

Diet soft drinks use artificial sweeteners. One of the most common is aspartame. Since its approval for use in 1974, this artificial sweetener has been the subject of many controversies. But recent tests have shown that at current consumption levels, aspartame is safe as there is a large enough margin between what is consumed and what is considered harmful.

The other artificial sweetener that has recently gained approval is sucralose. This is supposed to be 600 times as sweet as sugar. It has been found that this has very little side effects and it has been approved for use recently. It has its share of side effects including enlarge thymus and some believe it a trigger for migraine.

Overall, it is better to break the habit of carbonated soft drinks, as this will achieve the same results (reduced calorie intake) without the unpredictable side effects of artificial sweeteners.

Is Calorie Counting an accurate way to lose fats?

Here is a real surprise for those of us striving to lose fats and lose weight by counting calories – there might be something not quite right about the calories we are counting.

What is going on?

Most of the time, when we go shopping, we check the food packages for their calorie content. From there, we calculate how much we need and how much we ought to be taking. It seems that experts have recently began to question the accuracy of these numbers.

In fact, there have been concerns that the numbers might be as much as 25% off. This is quite serious. If our calorie intake for the day is 2,000 calories, 25% is equal to 500 calories. That is almost one full breakfast off.

How did this happen?

Modern calorie counting is based on the experiments of Wilbur Olin Atwater, a well known scientist in human nutrition. He invented a machine known as the respiration calorimeter which aided studies in food analysis, dietary evolution, work energy consumption, and digestible foods.

Using this, he quantified the metabolic release of energy by foods and hence, could create a measure of the intake and output of food. It is from here that the concept of food calories first originated.

Today, many people have been arguing that this 100-year-old method is no longer accurate given modern knowledge. By burning the food and measuring the amount of heat generated, the caloric unit of food was taken. However, many believe that this is an over-simplification of the metabolic process and is no longer accurate.

Because we chew food and then put it through the digestive system, the human body is much more efficient in extracting energy from food compared to the primitive method of simply burning it. This issue is still not resolved, but the reality is that calories might be actually under-stated, giving the possibility of taking in more calories than intended.

One way to avoid this is to eat healthy foods, plan your diet in terms of good food groups and exercise regularly. In this way, you will not need to be too concerned about counting individual calories.

Why soft drinks help you to gain weight very quickly?

There is a hidden enemy for those of us trying to lose fats and lose weight. It is a hidden enemy because it is so innocent. It does not even look like fats. In fact, even if you read the label, it will not mention fats as one of its contents.

Have you guessed what it is?

Soft drinks. Carbonated soft drinks, to be more precise.

The average can of carbonated soft drink contains 150 calories. They have no minerals and no vitamins. Of course, so-called “sports drinks” contain similar amounts of calories, but have added minerals. If you consider that most teenagers drink several cans a day, you will not be surprised that soft drinks account for 13% of their daily calorie intake. Adults are slightly better off, 9%.

Worse, many of these soft drinks contain caffeine, which has addictive properties. Can you see where this is headed?

Most of us take more than the required number of calories per meal. A full grown adult requires approximately 2,000 calories a day, give or take several hundred depending on your current weight and lifestyle. Just by simply drinking a can of carbonated drink at meal time adds almost 10% to your calorie intake. It is no wonder that those who love carbonated soft drinks find it so hard to lose fats.

All the extra calories taken in, are converted by the body into fats, stored for future use. This was part of our body’s survival system, when food was scarce. Today, it has become the mechanism by which most of use become obese.

So, simply by cutting your intake of carbonated soft drinks, you can cut your calorie intake by as much as 9% or more. How is that for quick results?

What are the effects of trans fats in our body?

One of the most important fact that has surfaced in recent times, is actually not so new. In our quest to lose fats, many people have studied the various effects of fats on our body.

Out of this quest, the very negative effects of Trans Fats became a matter of public speculation. In fact, Trans Fat is not a new discovery. As early as 1958, Dr Ancel Keys reported that such hydrogenated fats could be responsible for increased rates of heart disease.

In fact, the hydrogenating process was invented as early back as the 1902, where the first patent to create solid fat at room temperature was filed by the German chemist Wilhelm Normann. Then, Procter and Gamble bought the patent rights in 1909 and started marketing the first hydrogenated shortening, Crisco. Before this time, most fat consumed were from butterfat, beef tallow and lard. These, while sounding very fattening, are natural fats.

More recently, Dr Mary Enig proved in 1978 that the increased cancer rates could be associated with fat intake, but not if the fat taken was natural, animal fat.

It has taken a while, but in 2006, the FDA finally issued a ruling that all food labels had to show the levels of trans fats in addition to other fat content. This is a big step, as before then, trans fat was dismissed as being “inert” and therefore, harmless – which is quite far from the truth.

So, trans fats increase the bad cholesterol levels (LDL), increases risk of heart diseases and has been associated with increased rates of cancer.

The next time you pick up that junk food package, do take a look at the labels.

Lose Fats by Body Sculpting

What is the purpose of your attempt to lose fats? Are you trying to become healthier, or to look better, or both?

Most people would think of dieting, starvation, pill popping and several other strange ideas when they think of trying to lose weight. But here is a solution that can help you to lose those fats and at the same time, help you look better and feel better – body sculpting.

Well, actually, it is a rather fancy word for something that is really simple. You see, one of the safest, most long-lasting way for you to lose fats and maintain your weight, is the perfect combination of exercise and a sensible diet plan.

Please note, a diet plan is not a dieting plan. A diet plan tells you what to eat and how much of it to eat. A diet plan aims to provide you with nutrients, not deprive you of it. A dieting plan usually tells you what not to eat.

So, how can you expect to lose weight and lose fats if you eat?

A properly planned program can be both fun and beneficial. To give an example, if you take up kick-boxing, get a good trainer and follow the planned exercise regime and eating program, you will find the following results:

• You will first shed some weight, then gain some back as you build your muscles
• You will then start to lose unnecessary fats and lose weight as your body starts to adjust
• You will feel more alert as you exercise and eat properly
• You will be more able to enjoy life to the fullest instead of huffing and puffing your way through it

Body sculpting is nothing more than a set of exercises designed to help shape your body. More than that, it usually incorporates a diet plan that will help you to lose the fats. Different people have different preferences. If you love to have fun, try body sculpting instead of dieting.

How to count Calories for losing fats

One of the most common methods used in dieting, and especially if you are serious about losing fats, is calorie counting.

Many people attempt to control their weight and even to reduce it by counting calories. The question here is, why do so many people fail?

Failure has many reasons. In most cases, it is simply a matter of a lack of discipline to stick to the program. This really brings us back to the mindset. What was the original motivation for starting on the diet plan? If the motivation is not strong enough, or the mind is not convinced; failure is almost guaranteed.

Another reason counting calorie fails is a little funny. It is called denial. When we want something, our minds play tricks on us. When this happens, we make ourselves believe that we are taking less calories than what we are really getting. For example: the meal is 500 calories. Let’s say your plan is for 600 calories per meal. So, you have achieved. Then you take a diet soda, zero calories. Then a health snack, which is “insignificant”. And a cup of tea. Can you see how you can get misled when you miss out on the small items? Sometimes, we think we are taking a 500 calorie meal when it is actually more.

Then of course, one of the greatest failure of the calorie counting system – lack of knowledge. Sometimes, you simply do not know how many calories the stuff you are eating actually contain.

So, you need to create a very simple system that you design for yourself and which you can follow. Some people like gadgets and get sophisticated calorie counting software. But the same effect can be achieved by simply carrying a pocket guide on calories and a small notebook. Once you make it a habit, it will become a normal part of your life, and counting calories will never be a chore again.