Archive for the ‘Health and Fitness’ Category

Our ancestors evolved in a period where human beings had access to only certain kinds of foods.  These were typically vegetables or fruits, or a few types of meat (usually meat which is lean in fat).  Back in our “caveman” days we were hunter-gatherers, which consumed the freshest meats, vegetables and fruits every day.  As a result, modern researchers have designed a new diet called the “Paleo” diet which is designed to take people back to these more humble beginnings.  The paleo diet is designed around what our ancestors typically would eat, and is specifically made to encourage people to eat healthy in order to be healthy.  By switching the foods we eat back to what humans originally ate, we’re more likely to live longer and healthier than we otherwise would, according to research.

What is the Paleo Diet Based On?

Since this diet is based upon the foods ancestors of humans ate, basically all refined sugars, processed foods, and packaged foods are prohibited.  Only foods which we have historically eaten for eons are permitted.  For example, foods such as deli meats, chicken wings (fried), sausages, bacon, pepperoni, etc are not considered to be foods mankind had much previous access to before the modern era.  The Paleo diet’s food list actually allows for most meats, just not many of these processed and bulk manufactured things.  Foods such as fresh sirloin steaks, fish, or chicken are permitted because they’re more natural.

Fundamentals of the Paleo DietFarming was only developed some 10,000 years ago.  Prior to that humans lived in groups of hunter-gatherers and were specifically as “scavenger” type of species.  Certain types of whole grains, for example, are really not very good for us as a result.  Many parts of the Paleo diet recommend a completely gluten-free daily intake as well as this is what is most natural.  Beyond wheat, things like corn, barley, millet, rye, rice and oats are not permitted on the diet.  You also wouldn’t be permitted to eat anything that’s made from these ingredients as well.  A more natural thing that our ancestors had access to was food they could gather from plants, which includes hanging fruits, berries, other types of natural fruits that haven’t been cultivated and changed for centuries.

While there are limits to what you can eat on the Paleo diet, there’s also many foods which are permitted as well.  Many vegetables, fruits and meats are allowed.  Though our ancestors did not have access to dairy products typically, they did have access to eggs.  Eggs are a great protein that you can eat as part of this diet.  You can make omelets, for example, with freshly harvested vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers or mushrooms.  Fruits such as berries, oranges, grapefruits, etc. are also all allowed on this diet.  Carrots as well, whether cooked or uncooked, are also allowed.  Really just about all vegetables of fruits are permitted.  Our ancestors typically acquired their fats from meat, but most animals available for hunting are quite lean.  Vension, and lean steaks are permitted, as well as rabbit, fish, and chicken.  Previous generations of humans all had access to these types of foods in some abundance.

The best part about these types of food is that they give you extremely high levels of energy, but also aid in digestion.  You not only feel full and satisfied for long periods after eating them, but your energy levels will rise considerably more than from carb heavy foods.  Carbs were rare in humanity’s diet until the advent of farming some 10,000 years ago.  Carbohydrates can be complex and can actually turn into fats without our body, which is why we crave them so much from an evolutionary perspective.  However, carbs are also less natural than the lean meats and vegetables we would have commonly eaten in the past.

Healthy eating and weight loss are topics covered in basically every health magazine each month, television shows and self-help seminars.  It’s certainly something people continue to struggle with.  There are many ways to tackle these problems and get healthy, from new diets or exercise methods, or even proven weight loss aids like the HCG diet.  However, people rarely are able to achieve long term success.  This stems from fundamental problems in a person’s expectations for weight loss, and also their motivations.  Many people, once they reach their goals, will go right back to their old habits.  Addressing this is of paramount importance if people will ever succeed losing weight. Few doctors really recommend foods that are high in fat and high in fiber, but recent research has shown them to be particularly useful.  Healthy fats are not your enemy, if taken in moderation, such as fish oil or flax seed oil.  The worst thing isn’t fat, it’s carbohydrates, which are converted into sugars in your body and cause you to feel lethargic and carry with them the risk of diabetes and other chronic conditions.  There is a movement to switch over to what’s called the Mediterranean diet, which is somewhat similar to the “caveman” diet (sometimes called the Paleo diet).  This removes all of the high-carb, white flour and processed foods from the person’s diet and has proven to be highly successful in weight loss studies.

If you employ this “Paleo” diet, about 40 or 50 percent of your daily caloric intake will come from high-fiber carbohydrates, and 20 to 25 percent from proteins.  The other 30 to 35 percent will come from healthy fats.  This is the diet our ancestors used to eat, and what we evolved to be especially capable in processing efficiently.  This includes foods like fish, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, healthy oils (olive for example).  You not only get more fiber into your diet, but you are a lot healthier at the end of the day through cutting out these processed carbs.  Reserach has shown a reduction by 29% in the risk of heart disease for every 10grams of fiber you have per day.  This also lowers your cholesterol as well.

Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes

Avoid the Diabetes DiagnosisA majority benefit of the Mediterranean diet or the Paleo diet is the ability it has to offset a person’s insulin resistance, and can actually prevent diabetes.  A person can develop diabetes through weight gain as well as excess sugar within your diet.  However, if you cut out many of these foods not only will you lose weight but you will also achieve fantastic health benefits as well.  These diets can even cut a person’s risks of heart disease, stroke or kidney failure.  By eating healthy fats, proteins and fewer calories each day a person builds up their pancreatic health which helps them avoid many of these bad symptoms that often accompany diabetes.  There’s even many studies that indicates a person’s risk of developing this disease later in life drops considerably if a person is on such a diet regimen.  If you have high levels of blood sugar a lot, even if you’re not diabetic, your body responds by making excessive amounts of insulin.  This has many negative long term results, such as sclerosis of the arteries in many patients.

Many people have bought into the whole low-fat, low calorie diets.  However, though these do work, many people cannot sustain them for long.  A good way to maintain weight loss once you’ve lost it is to switch over to a diet that’s proven to work like the Paleo diet.  This method has proven itself in many studies as both a powerful and particularly effective diet program.  In addition to this, however, if you do choose a proven method like the HCG diet and achieve great results, you need something to sustain you afterwards.  Not only is this kind of diet fairly straightforward (cut out processed, starchy and unnatural foods) there is really no strict limitations that will test your resolve or your patience with this method.  It’s just changing up your diet to eat as naturally as possible.

The most popular weight loss treatment in the world today is the HCG diet, without a doubt. More people are using it than any other weight loss method ever before. There are all kinds of reasons for this behavior, not least of which is the powerful effects it gives users who take the hormone each day. Scientists have identified many benefits to HCG that are unknown in any other weight loss technique, but it’s simply a natural hormone that allows this to occur. The hormone is produced by women during the pregnancy, or their monthly menstrual cycles. However, it’s use as a weight loss aid has a much more brief history than it’s use in other applications. It’s also been used as a fertility treatment for many years.

Dr. A.T.W Simeons famously discovered the use of this natural hormone in weight loss through a study around 50 years ago on patients attempting to lose weight. On several thousand patients, he noticed that those on a diet lost far more weight than those using placebos and dieting. This slowly evolved into a full blown study, where he researched the effects and benefits of long term HCG use. At the time, he used injections to deliver the hormone to patients. Most people would lose 25 to 40 pounds of fat per regimen of the program (lasting up to 43 days per instance). In the modern program, many people are choosing to take in pure hcg drops, rather than these more traditional and painful methods. These oral drops are placed under the user’s tongue and allowed to be absorbed into the soft tissue in the mouth, which makes for a much better method of administration for the majority of users.

A 3 Phase Protocol Designed For Results

Happy Woman with Fruit on HCG DietThe unfortunate reality of losing weight on any method, whether it’s been shown to work in studies or not, is that it takes some sacrifice. Individual sacrifices were minimized as best as possible on the HCG diet (at least at the time it was formed), though the modern method makes some key changes that make it even easier to stick to. However, regardless of the method used, the protocol is broken down into 3 phases to maximize the success of the user, and make the results stick.

  • Phase One – This phase really doesn’t involve too much in the way of time, lasting only 2 to 3 days at the start of the program. Users begin taking HCG, and go on what is often called the “gorging” phase of the protocol. During this period they eat foods that are high in fat, and low in carbohydrates, with the ultimate goal to boost the lipid uptake of cells. When the caloric intake is then reduced, the fat cells will expel stored fat much more rapidly.
  • Phase Two – The primary phase of the HCG diet is actually the second. This is when a person drops their caloric intake either to 500 calories per day (Dr. Simeons original method) or 700 per day. During this time users will lose the bulk of the weight they shed on the HCG diet. The hormone has the huge benefit of boosting metabolism and decreasing appetite, allowing this to be possible without severe stress to the user. Additionally, strict guidance is given for what foods can be eaten, with certain goals such as 100-150 grams of protein with lunch and dinner to facilitate more rapid weight loss. This phase will last from 23 to 57 days depending on the protocol followed and the duration chosen.
  • Phase Three – This is often called the “maintenance phase” of the protocol, and lasts indefinitely, baring a return to the HCG diet. Users are to maintain a 1500 calorie per day diet after halting the 2nd phase of the protocol to ensure that the weight does not come back afterwards. The diet is fairly restrictive, but much less so than the protocol itself in the first two phases. If exercise is added to this phase, calories can be adjusted up accordingly.

Overall health is a challenge to maintain over a lifespan, and we often find that we cannot achieve the results and keep them forever. At some point, we’ll all struggle to maintain our weight and our overall health. That’s when we may need outside help, we may try crash diets, or it may because an endless cycle of obesity where the person cannot get back to their normal weight again. That’s where it’s so important to find a solution that not only works, but is attainable.

As we’ve discussed in the past, there are a lot of exercise methods and diet pills that claim to work. Though exercise and dieting are always a part of weight loss, most people who try to do these things on their own fail. Even the expensive prescription methods often fail to provide long-term success to users. Oftentimes they carry some major health risks as well, including the development of heart disease from their use. This is where a proven treatment that’s risk free, healthy, and allows for people to lose weight naturally would have the most impact.

African Mango Extract Capsules – Dr. Oz’s Miracle Pill

African Mango with Measuring TapeThere are a lot of natural weight loss methods, but most of them have never been tested clinically and proven to work. The African mango weight loss program uses a natural extract of a plant that has been shown to work in numerous studies at creating weight loss. Unlike Garcinia Cambogia, African Mango appears to be entirely appetite suppressing in its impact on the bottle. This extract comes from the family Irvingia Gabonensis, but is used orally to help treat obesity. This is now one of the most popular weight loss treatments in the world, both because of the fantastic results it offers without changing the person’s diet, but also because of its natural, side effect free nature.

African mango has garnered widespread support from physicians and researchers due to its unique impact on the body of users. It’s also become of great note by major figures such as Doctor Oz, who has done multiple pieces on its uses in weight loss for users. The impact this product is usually rapid, with most users seeing significant weight loss within a single month, but is also long lasting. The vast majority lose more than placebo groups by a significant amount, and also keep it off for much, much longer. Additionally, new research seems to indicate the other auxiliary benefits may be coming from its use daily such as increased energy and higher cognitive skills.

The HCG diet in comparison may generate better results for most users, but it also requires a 500 or 700 calorie per day diet program. With African Mango extracts, most users will experience excellent results (around 10-15 pounds of weight loss a month) but will do so with relative ease compared to these other methods. No change to diet is required, and in fact, studies have clearly shown that those that don’t change their diet at all will achieve the same success as expected. Of course, changing your diet will impact results too, but it’s not necessary for success. In that way African Mango offers a novel way to lose weight, but also one of the better ones for most users struggling with traditional methods.

Many people are struggling with their waistlines, and it’s never a simple task to get it under control. For millions of people weight gain is something that will remain a problem for the rest of their lives, but it is possible to change that. Though many people turn to prescription treatments, many times this can be a dubious proposition. Many of these methods, such as Phentermine or Orlistat, can cause a lot of auxiliary problems in the users as well. This risk is often not worth the few pounds of weight los they’ve proven to provide a month, and will do little for those that need to lose 20-30 pounds or more. What people actually need is a proven treatment that not only works, but does so through natural means with little risk of bodily harm. Beyond that, the ideal treatment will be one that provides significant weight loss to users immediately, and which lasts longer than traditional diet or exercise.

Garcinia Fruit BasketAs always, it’s advisable to discuss with a doctor before trying any new method of weight loss out for yourself. However, there are definitely methods out there which provide rapid weight loss naturally, without all of the health risks with prescription treatments. Though many are aware of the HCG diet program, this method does offer rapid weight loss, usually 20 to 30 pounds per month for most users. This is around 10 times higher than use with phentermine or other prescriptions. Additionally, HCG is completely natural and works well in nearly all users. However, the talk of the weight loss community is not HCG, nor is it diet or exercise, it’s Garcinia Cambogia. This natural weight loss aid has found huge support among physicians and researchers as studies have clearly shown it to be a powerful metabolic booster. Most users will lose the same high levels of weight as HCG, but they need only slightly modify their diet. Garcinia uses an extract from the Cambogia family of fruits, which have been clearly shown in numerous studies to not only boost metabolism and decrease appetite, but generate weight loss through a unique mechanism. This works so well, that many personalities have picked up on its use, including Doctor Oz on his television show.

How Garcinia Cambogia Works

The exact mechanism that allows the Cambogia family to produce these results is still somewhat of a mystery, but there is something particular in the extract of this fruit that allows it to function so well. Once a person takes in the extract orally, their brain is sent signals to increase hypothalamus production, which decreases appetite and increases metabolism. No one knows precisely why this occurs, but it’s been measured independently in studies. This allows people to quickly shed pounds, even weight they’ve stored for years, and is only found in a handful of other known substances (it’s thought to act in a similar manner to the HCG hormone).

The biggest benefit to using Garcinia Cambogia extract to help lose weight is the reduced side effects. To date, no studies have identified any real side effects as a result of its uses. This is a very rare advantage to even the natural treatments like African Mango extract or HCG. Only a handful of weight loss treatments come from natural origins (not being man-made) and actually provide weight loss with limited side effects. Garcinia Cambogia in a recent study was shown to boost weight loss to the order of 30 to 40 pounds over 90 days, well above any known prescription weight loss method (on par with very low calorie diets or strenuous daily exercise regimens).