It is not easy to figure out which diet is correct.

To get started on your quick fat loss diet read the following 5 simple tips.

The frist thing that you have to look at is caloric intake.

How many calories do you consume at one day?

You can get formulas almost anywhere with a small research that you can use to find out how many calories you supposed to have per day.

Lower your caloric intake by only 15-20%.

Cutting calories radically should not be a part of your quick fat loss diet.

Correct nutritional requirements are a necessity when you follow a quick fat loss diet.

Protein, carbohydrates and fats have to be eaten each day in certain amounts.

45% Carbohydrates, 35% Protein and 20% Fat have to be eaten every day, spread out all through the day.

Space out your meals each day.

You need to eat more often on a quick fat loss diet than just the three square meals that you are probably used to.

Eating 5-7 smaller meals every 2-3 hours is what you have to aim for each day.

You will have a lot of negative effects on your body through a quick fat loss diet if you eat only 1-3 times.

Drink more water, simple and plain.

If you want to reshape your body and lose weight, you have to realize that the intake of water plays an important role in achieving these goals.

You will become dehydrated if you do not drink enough water.

Decreased physical performance is just one of the adverse effects of dehydration.

Increasing exercise is probably the most important step in the diet of your quick fat loss.

It is essential that you start exercising as soon as possible if you have not exercised already.

When you are trying to lose weight, you can not only reduce your calorie intake and do nothing else to achieve your goals.

If you have more lean muscle mass, your body burns fat faster.

Lean muscle mass is built through exercise.

A quick fat loss diet requires both cardio exercise and weight training.

Choosing a diet plan suitable for a rapid fat loss incorporates many factors.

A quick fat loss diet includes all the factors mentioned as some of the main keys to achieving your goals.

A quick fat loss diet incorporates all the factors, but there are many more factors you have to think about too.

To learn much more about fatburn and weightloss CLICK HERE!.

How do carbohydrates work FOR us?

Carbs are stored in our muscles and used for energy. They provide great minerals, vitamins, and fiber that our bodies need to function properly without fatigue. The human body could not function correctly without complex carbohydrates like rice, pasta, beans, wheat and vegetables to act as our fuel. They are generally low in fat and high in fiber, so they release energy at a slow steady rate, and leave no fat behind.

How do carbohydrates work AGAINST us?

When you eat simple carbohydrates like honey, refined sugar, milk, candy, fruit juice, fruit and molasses you are gaining fuel for your body. But these carbs break down quickly, and this is why we get a quick burst from sugar. Since these usually have larger amounts of fat, and they spike blood glucose levels, they leave this fat behind when they are burned off, and contribute little or no fiber and vitamins to your body.

How do carbohydrates work for dieting?

When you eat foods high in carbs, you get a rise in blood sugar. This blood sugar causes the body to produce insulin which carries nutrients and vitamins to your cells. Your cells then use this sugar for energy. Simple carbs have high amounts of sugar, complex carbs have every little. So you can see that simply by replacing simple carbs with complex carbs in your diet, you will carry less sugar/fat to your cells. Less fat in, less to burn off.

How do carbohydrates work to build muscle?

Carbs provide the main fuel for muscular exertion. Proteins and fats can also be used by your muscles, but they must be converted to carbs first. That is why a proper diet should have more complex carbs than fats and proteins. Glycogen in your muscles and glucose in your bloodstream can both be used for energy production. Since the glycogen is already located in your muscles, it is quickly burned to use as fuel. When your body needs to use glucose instead, part of your energy is burned up actually absorbing the glucose into the muscles before it can be burned. And where does this magical glycogen come from? That’s right, carbohydrates.

There is no doubt that carbs are very important in you diet. But portion size, type of carbohydrate, and exercise are all very important if you are going to be a slimmer, healthier you.

Did you know that 70% of Americans are overweight and 25% are obese? Do not risk your health any longer. If you are ready to take your understanding of carbohydrates and their role in your health to a whole new level, CLICK HERE.

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Exercise Recovery – What Works Best?
Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
www.myFitterU.com

The human body operates most efficiently when it is in balance, or has achieved a state known as homeostasis. As such, optimal recovery means that all body systems have returned to the state they were in before exercise (homeostasis). However, for most avid exercisers, recovery is a limiting factor. The better you can recover, the sooner and better you can train. The process of recovery (regeneration) gets less attention than it should. Every person should have a systematic plan that includes recovery activities on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. The following are simple tools that you can implement to help your body recover better between exercise bouts.

Cool-down

After exhaustive exercise, don’t stop and rest immediately. You can speed up the removal of lactic acid from your muscles by continuing to exercise at a low intensity for 10-20 minutes. Cooling down can help reduce the feeling of stiffness that often occurs after a workout and is especially important if your next training session or event is scheduled a few hours later.

Stretch

Static stretching before exercise puts you at risk for damaging the very tissues you are trying to protect and as such should be avoided. Research has shown that stretching causes lengthening of the tendinous fibers within the muscle-tendon unit. Such lengthening causes the tendon (or passive) component to lose much of its shock absorbency, thus, placing the muscle fibers at greater risk of trauma. However, stretching after exercise may help minimize muscle soreness and may even help prevent future soft tissue injuries. Thus, before activity, more active-type stretching routines that promote range of motion and increased blood flow are recommended. Conversely, after exercise, the emphasis should be on passive or static stretching to allow the muscles to relax and return to their resting lengths.

Carbohydrates

The muscles are primed for quick restoration of their carbohydrate fuel reserves (glycogen) immediately after exercise, so don’t wait too long to start eating foods and drinking beverages rich in carbohydrate. Fruits, energy bars, and sports drinks all contain large amounts of carbohydrate. From a nutrition standpoint, post-exercise is one of the only times where you want to be consuming high-glycemic index foods for they will stimulate a quicker release of insulin and, thus, carbohydrate storage in the muscles. Ideally, these fuels should be consumed as quickly as possible upon finishing your exercise session.

Protein

Most forms of exercise lead to the breakdown of proteins within the muscles. This breakdown-repair process stimulates the muscles to rebuild and become stronger. Moreover, some of our muscle proteins continue to be broken down during the recovery phase after exercise. For a faster buildup of muscle proteins during recovery, include a small amount of protein in the foods you eat. Milk, cheese, eggs, whey protein shakes, sandwiches, nuts (almonds, walnuts) and energy bars provide carbohydrate and protein. Look for easily digestible protein sources (such as the ones listed above) following strenuous exercise. Avoid saturated fats.

Fluids

Replacing lost fluid is crucial to the recovery process. Having adequate fluids within your body promotes the removal of toxins and waste from your muscles. Top off your supply of fluids by drinking before exercise, continue to hydrate every 15 or 20 minutes during a workout, and replace any body weight lost during exercise by drinking while you recover. Remember, 1 L of water is equivalent to 1 kg of body weight. Therefore, if the difference between your pre- and post-exercise weight is 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) you would want to rehydrate with 1.5 L of water to bring your body fluid back to homeostasis. Before, during, and after exercise, the rule of thumb is that if you’re thirsty, it’s too late! Therefore, be sure to have a water bottle throughout the day to sip on. On a daily basis (at rest), the number of ounces of water you should be consuming should equal half of your body weight (in lbs). Thus, if you weigh 200 lbs, then you want to be drinking 100 ounces of water (almost 3 L).

Salt

Your body loses water and minerals – mostly sodium chloride, some potassium – when you sweat. Drinking water alone during exercise and recovery will make it difficult to replace body fluids rapidly because much of it will pass through the kidneys to become urine. Replace the salt along with the water to counteract dehydration. If you have to compete again within a few hours, consider sports drinks that contain water, sodium chloride, or fruits such as bananas which are high in potassium. Add extra salt to foods at mealtime if you are susceptible to cramps. Consider using condiments, sports drinks, and fitness waters instead of salt tablets.

Damage Control

Inflammation, swelling, and muscle soreness are possibilities following strenuous exercise. To minimize the effects, consider cold packs around joint areas, alternating cold and hot whirlpool baths, and the use of specially designed magnets to speed the recovery process. Light massage is also a good option for promoting toxin removal from the tissues and reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A study by Hilbert et al. showed that a 20 minute massage 2 hours following exercise helped to reduce the intensity of soreness 48 hours post-exercise in subjects who underwent 6 sets of maximal eccentric hamstring contractions. Minimize foot contact with the ground. Engage in light activities that increase blood flow while not taxing the nervous system. Swimming, cycling, walking, and light jogs are alternatives, but minimize foot contact with the ground.

Sleep

There is plenty of evidence to show that lack of sleep can have an adverse affect on training and competition. You might get by for a day or two with inadequate sleep, but it will catch up with up sooner or later. If you haven’t monitored your sleep habits already, determine how much sleep you need each night to ensure full recovery. It’s not eight hours for everyone – could be less, could be more. Then try to establish a routine that will allow you get what you need to perform well.

Sleep is divided into 1.5-hour time cycles. If you can time sleep cycles in increments of an hour and a half (1.5 hours, 3.0 hours, 4.5 hours, 6.0 hours, 7.5 hours, 9.0 hours), you have a better chance of waking up refreshed. The idea is to awake at the top of the cycle instead of at the bottom. And don’t dismiss the power of a 20-30 minute nap during the day. The journal Sleep highlighted a meta-analysis done on studies looking at the effects of sleep deprivation on performance. The researchers found that overall sleep deprivation strongly impairs human functioning. Moreover, they found that mood is more affected by sleep deprivation than either cognitive or motor performance and that partial sleep deprivation has a more profound effect on functioning than either long-term or short-term sleep deprivation.

Also be aware that overtraining can impair your body’s ability to fully rest and regenerate. A study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise revealed that female swimmers who trained excessively showed a higher incidence of sleep disruptions.

In sum, there are several measure that you can take to better your recovery between exercise sessions. Remember that a combination of the several of the aforementioned tools should be implemented for best results.

Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
Creator, Fitter U

References:

Safran, M. et al (1989). Warm up and muscular injury prevention: an update. Sports Medicine, 239-249.

Hibert, J. et al (2003). The effects of massage on delayed onset muscle soreness. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 37: 72-75.

Pilcher, J & Huffcutt, A. (1996). Effects of sleep deprivation on performance: a meta-analysis. Sleep, 19(4): 318-326.

S. Taylor et al. (1997). Effects of training volume on sleep, psychological, and selected physiological profiles of elite female swimmers. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 29(5):688-693.

About the Author

Yuri Elkaim is a world-renowned fitness, nutrition, and weight loss expert. He is the creator Fitter U and Treadmill Trainer, author of Eating for Energy, and the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for men’s soccer program at the University of Toronto. His trademarked 12-week Fitter U iPod workout program has been helping thousands of people around the world get in shape and lose weight fast without the cost and inconvenience of hiring a trainer. Go to www.myFitterU.com now to get your FREE Fitter U workout and “How to Get Fit and Lose Weight Fast” report!