Weight loss diets

Green tea based weight loss plans are increasingly becoming popular means for inexpensive and natural weight loss. Not to mention that unlike many other diets it is simple too. Green tea is just like any other tea and is drunk usually without milk or sweeteners. If you do not like the taste you can purchase green tea extract.

This tea’s popularity is based on research has shown that it helps to reduce weight by stimulating the body’s thermogenesis process. This is a physiological process that is known to increase the expenditure of energy and the oxidization of fat in the body. Many compounds found in plants have this effect. But the one special thing about green tea is that it does not increase the heart rate, and is therefore believed to be safer than diet pills such as ephidrine that also work by stimulating thermogenesis.

For overweight people that have or are at an increased risk of developing hypertension and other cardiovascular problems, this weight loss tea is a good choice as it does not put pressure on the heart. Obviously due to its effect on the heart, ephidrine is not usually recommended if you are in this group. But green tea is considered a safe option. It also allows such an individual to gradually increase your exercise levels without increasing their risk of heart problems.

Weight loss can be effected from two ends: one way is by eating less (consuming fewer calories) while the other is by increasing expenditure of energy (using up more calories). Green tea falls in the later category. It works by increasing output by as much as 4%. Research points that this is caused by the high quantity of catechin that is in the tea and its extract.

The tea is not only good for weight loss. In addition it has the benefit of containing powerful antioxidants that may be beneficial to your health in many ways, which include strengthening the immune system and protecting against disease.

Like other forms of tea, green tea contains caffeine so you should cut out coffee and other forms of tea while you are taking it. Decaffeinated green tea is not an option either as the chemical processes that is used to remove the caffeine may destroy the beneficial properties of the plant.

Though it has its effects, you will still need to exercise control in what you eat. If you eat more to compensate for the calories that are burnt by the tea, you will not lose any weight. In fact, by just keeping the same calorie intake that you have now and adding green tea should result in gradual weight loss and better energy levels over a few weeks. You can of course increase the speed of this by reducing calorie consumption and/or increasing exercise.

It can be incorporated into a weight loss plan as a simple, easy and inexpensive means of improving the impact of the weight loss program. And with the wide choice of tea and extract, there is something for nearly everyone. Being natural and relatively safe, you should consider green tea weight loss to help keep the weight off permanently.

Popularity: 9%

Teas for weight loss are some of the popular weight loss supplements available in the market today. Stores all over sell slimming tea, dieter’s tea and others but all of them are actually the same. And though they appear to be effective, what is not obvious may actually harm you.

One of these non-obvious effects of drinking dieter’s tea is the frequent bowel movement. It tends to give people the feeling of body cleansing. You may get toxins out of your body but it isn’t exactly the only thing that slimming tea actually does to the body. Slimming tea contains herbs which are natural laxatives. Such herbs include aloe, senna, rhubarb root, cascara, buckthorn and castor oil. These are products which are derived from plants and have been used since the ancient times because of their potency in treating constipation and to inducing bowel movement.

For example cascara, castor oil and senna are substances which are widely recognized as laxatives available over the counter. Some types of their preparations are even regulated as drugs.

Scientific studies show that diarrhea induced by laxatives does not result to significant amounts of calories taken out of the body. The reason for this is that laxatives do not act on the small intestines where most of the calories are absorbed. Instead, they work on the large intestines.

If taken in large amounts for prolonged periods, these disguised laxatives can end up affecting fat absorption of the body. This may lead to greasy diarrhea and even loss of weight. However you should not count on this process to lose weight.

The deliberate abuse of laxatives is common practice among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia nervosa, who use them to purge food they have eaten.

While weight loss cannot be guaranteed by overdosing on laxatives, it may for sure cause permanent damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the weakening and softening of the bones, a condition known as osteomalacia.

Drinkers of slimming teas may actually patronize the product because they are less expensive and taste better than other laxatives sold in the market. Other people, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa drink dieter’s tea because they work fast and produce watery stool and having loose consistency.

Although they may are not known to interfere directly with the woman’s menstrual cycle and fertility, women should watch out if drinking these slimming teas causes them to rapidly shed off weight. It is also not safe for pregnant women to be taking in laxatives of any kind. Wise and responsible herbalists also discourage the use of senna and other herbal products with laxative properties for pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive.

Whats more, the labeling of slimming teas in the market today can be absolutely misleading. For instance, you will find them commonly referring to the laxative qualities as “natural bowel cleansing properties”. They will rarely specifically use the word “laxative”. Some even use the term an even more misleading term, “low-calorie” on their labeling. These products in fact, contain essentially no calories nor nutrients whatsoever; unless of course, if they are sweetened.

Whether as a direct abuse of laxatives or used as slimming tea, adverse effects generally occur when taken in more than or longer than recommended. Such effects include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding, electrolyte disorder and dehydration as well as injury and worse, death. It was also reported that excess use of stimulant laxatives cause severe constipation and pain for long periods (even as long as decades) due to the colon losing its function. It can eventually led to the surgical removal of the colon altogether.

Popularity: 10%

You likely know your metabolism is linked to your weight. But do you know how?

Common belief holds that a slim person’s metabolism is high and an overweight person’s metabolism is low. But this isn’t usually the case. Weight isn’t necessarily directly linked to metabolism.

Instead, weight is dependent on the balance of total calories consumed versus total calories burned. Take in more calories than your body needs, and you gain weight. Take in less and you lose weight. Metabolism, then, is the engine that burns these calories.

Metabolism: Converting food into energy

Stated simply, metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories — from carbohydrates, fats and proteins — are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.

The number of calories your body burns each day is called your total energy expenditure. The following three factors make up your total energy expenditure:

• Basic needs. Even when your body is at rest, it requires energy for the basics, such as fuel for organs, breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, plus growing and repairing cells. Calories expended to cover these basic functions are your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Typically, a person’s BMR is the largest portion of energy use, representing two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories used each day. Energy needs for these basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren’t easily changed.
• Food processing. Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts for about 10 percent of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body’s energy requirement to process food stays relatively steady and isn’t easily changed.
• Physical activity. Physical activity — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement — accounts for the remainder of calories used. You control the number of calories burned depending on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities.

Metabolism and your weight

It may seem logical to think that significant weight gain or being overweight is related to a low metabolism or possibly even a condition such as underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). In reality, it’s very uncommon for excess weight to be related to a low metabolism. And most people who are overweight don’t have an underlying condition, such as hypothyroidism. However, a medical evaluation can determine whether a medical condition could be influencing your weight.

Weight gain is more likely due to an energy imbalance — consuming more calories than your body burns. To lose weight, then, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories, increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity, or preferably both.

Influences on your calorie needs

If you and everyone else were physically and functionally identical, it would be easy to determine the standard energy needs. But many factors influence calorie requirements, including body size and composition, age, and sex.

• Body size and composition. To function properly, a bigger body mass requires more energy (more calories) than does a smaller body mass. Also, muscle burns more calories than fat does. So the more muscle you have in relation to fat, the higher your basal metabolic rate.
• Age. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight. Metabolism also slows naturally with age. Together these changes reduce your calorie needs.
• Sex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight. This is why men generally have a higher basal metabolic rate and burn more calories than women do.

Burning more calories

Your ability to change your basal metabolism is limited. However, you can increase daily exercise and activity to build muscle tissue and burn more calories.

Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking daily for 30 minutes or more, is an excellent way to burn calories. Strength training exercises, such as weight training, also are important because they help counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories, muscle mass is a key factor in weight loss.

Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for weight loss, any extra movement helps burn calories. Look for ways to walk and move around a few minutes more each day. Lifestyle activities, such as gardening, washing your car and even housework, burn calories and contribute to weight loss. Taking the stairs more often and parking farther away at the store also are simple ways to burn more calories.

Don’t look to dietary supplements for help in burning calories. Products that claim to speed up your metabolism are likely to offer minimal benefit and may produce undesirable or even dangerous side effects. Dietary supplement manufacturers aren’t required by the Food and Drug Administration to prove their products are safe or effective, so view these products with caution and skepticism.

Though your metabolism influences your energy needs, it’s your food intake and physical activity that ultimately determine your weight.

Popularity: 4%

Millions of people are still looking for miracle products that would help them combat their weight loss problems. This is why there are thousands of weight loss supplements and diet pills promising overnight results. Dropping those extra pounds is very hard so people take products that would provide an extra boost. One of those supplements is the Super CitriMax weight loss tablet.

Super CitriMax(R), InterHealth Nutraceuticals’ patented weight loss ingredient.
CitriMax is an extract from Garcinia cambogia, a South Asian fruit. It contains Hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which has been found to boost metabolism, block deposits of fat, and contain appetite.

Super CitriMax works without stimulating the central nervous system, so it does not cause changes in heart rate and blood pressure or interfere with sleep, as do many popular diet aids such as caffeine and ephedra. Super CitriMax is a safe, all-natural dietary ingredient available in a variety of quality weight loss products.
Take note, however, of the difference between CitriMax and Super CitriMax. The latter has a higher percentage of HCA that can be absorbed by our body better.
Since it all-natural, Super CitriMax does not pose the risk of harmful side effects like insomnia, nervousness, and rapid heart rate. But even if a product is safe, it does not necessarily mean that it is effective.

So the question is: does Super CitriMax actually work?

As with any weight loss process, you still have to exercise and watch your diet. However, taking a supplement such as Super CitriMax will help speed up this process. The product works by blocking the enzymes that convert carbohydrates into stored fat. It also helps your body store your energy in the form of glycogen. This will then turn off the hunger signals from our brain.

Clinical studies reveal that Super CitriMax weight loss tablets are safe and effective. The results of the studies show that it naturally suppresses the appetite and inhibits the storage of fat without having any effect on our nervous system. Moreover, Super CitriMax weight loss tablet increases the levels of serotonin in our brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects appetite control, mood, and sleep. Many emotional dieters have, in fact, reported that Super CitriMax has helped them decrease their cravings for fatty foods when they are emotionally unstable. In addition, they felt an increase in energy as well as experienced better moods and sleep patterns.

Eight-week clinical studies show that using Super CitriMax allowed the male and female test subjects to reduce their appetite, burn fat, and reduce weight as much as three times greater than those who were merely on dieting and exercise. They were also able to keep healthy cholesterol levels throughout the duration of the study.

Popularity: 12%