Search Results for: blog you can trigger your weight loss hormone

Dieting and PMS: Blasted Hormones, Part II

Hormonal Imbalances Bring Out the Beast Unstable hormone levels are responsible for those awful symptoms that control PMS. Your estrogen levels go up along with your cortisol, or stress hormone. This little guy, cortisol, triggers a response that stimulates your appetite and you may become an eating machine. You desperately seek out what will satisfy this craving and this usually comes in the form of fat and carbs. Did someone say chocolate? How to Cope When you feel this uncontrollable urge, at the first sign, you need to eat something before it gets out of control. One good thing to … Continue reading →

Weight Loss Terms to Know

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We throw a lot of specific words around when we discuss weight loss issues. I thought it was high time we clarify them. Adipose Tissue: Body fat. Aerobic: The kind of exercise that get’s you breathing fast and heavy. Anaerobic: Exercise that uses muscles at high intensity and a high rate of work for a short period of time. Resistance training is a form of anaerobic exercise. Basal Metabolic Rate: (BMR) The number of calories your body needs to just exist, not move. Body Mass Index: (BMI) A number achieved through height & weight measurements. It is fairly inaccurate when … Continue reading →

Inflammation and Your Appetite

Are you suffering from inflammation? Inflammation is a condition where your immune system is kicked into overdrive by stress, lack of exercise, an unhealthy diet, or exposure to toxins. Your body wants to fight something off. Inflammation can lead to weight gain, arthritis, and heart disease. Why? In a healthy, normal weight person, the body produces a hormone called leptin to control appetite and metabolism. When body fat increases, leptin levels rise to tell the brain to decrease appetite and speed up metabolism. In an obese person, the body isn’t getting the message from leptin — it may not be … Continue reading →

Waiting for the Numbers to Drop

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Sometimes we think we’re doing everything right to lose weight. We eat right and exercise just like the pros tell us to but nothing seems to happen. I’ve been there. I know how frustrating it can be. You feel as though you are starving yourself and know that the workouts you are doing should be making your butt melt off but every morning you end up staring at the very same numbers on the scale. Nothing is happening and you’re about to dive into some ice cream to get over your feeling of inadequacy. Well, don’t touch that spoon! Here … Continue reading →

Alternate-Day Fasting

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Researchers at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology have reported that fasting or eating half as much as usual every other day may shrink your fat cells and boost mechanisms that break down fats. After studying the effects of alternate day fasting on mice for four weeks, they determined that alternate day fasting (eating whatever you like on one day and nothing with calories while increasing physical activity the next) helped the mice lose weight as well as subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin that causes things like cellulite in humans). They also found that mice who were … Continue reading →

The Benefits of a Low-Sugar Diet

This is not the cure all to weighing less, but substantially decreasing your sugar definitely will curb your appetite and help keep you steady all day long! But do you know how sugar affects you? We all know that a sugary breakfast or a sugary snack will certainly lead to a ‘crash’ later. . .but do you know why? Here’s the science behind eating a low sugar diet. I had for breakfast this morning a piece of whole wheat toast, yogurt and an apple. Right now as we speak, my digestive tract is busy doing what it does so well. … Continue reading →

Sleep & Your Success

It’s important to understand that sleep is an important ingredient. Periodically I like to talk about sleep here in the Fitness blog because too often as adults, overwhelmingly busy – we forget how important sleep is. But the truth is, sleep is as vital to your health as exercise and eating right. Studies Suggest Sleep Helps You to Lose Weight According to Michael Breus a Ph.D. and clinical psychologist, sleep or the lack thereof can be holding you back from losing the weight you want to lose. In his book, Good Night: The Sleep Doctor’s 4-Week Program to Better Sleep … Continue reading →

Understanding Lupus

Lupus got its name from the Latin word “wolf” because some people with lupus will develop a butterfly shaped rash across their nose and cheeks- it was thought that this rash gave them a wolf-like appearance! Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects connective tissues (such as joints and muscles) in your body. The immune system is supposed to distinguish normal body cells from those of invaders: in auto-immune diseases the body thinks normal cells ARE the invaders. This means that the normal immunity and defense systems have gone into over-drive and the body attacks its own cells causing tissue … Continue reading →

A Diet Without Restrictions?

I thought I had heard everything; and then, I read the story of Stephen Hawks who lost weight by keeping a stash of the foods he craved. The professor of health science, at Brigham Young University, lost fifty pounds and kept them off. In order to follow his plan, you have to be conscious of the choices you’re making. His concept is that binges can be avoided if you stock up on lots of the things you like to eat. If nothing is off-limits and you can eat sensibly, you will lose weight. My first thought was, “You have got … Continue reading →

Eating Intentionally

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I love Burger King. I love to start my day with a sausage, egg and cheese croissanwich, a large order of hash browns with plenty of salt and a large turbo coffee. Not only is it all very tasty but it is a quick breakfast when I’m in between the gym and errands. Although I love it, this is not a healthy way to start my day and it is an “accidental” way to stave off hunger when you’re a busy mother on the go. Unfortunately, having a breakfast like that negates all the work I’ve done at the gym … Continue reading →