Fitness Tip: Does FAT FREE really mean it’s good for you? – Many foods are touting that they are fat free and people are buying them left and right, but what lies beneath the hidden truths of these so called FAT FREE Foods…Fat free foods, when eaten in excess, will still be stored as fat!

Fat free cookies and crackers are made up of a whole lot of SUGAR! Yep, the secret is out! Sugar is just as fattening of a substance than fat itself, when eaten in excess.

Exercise of the day: The Band Front Raise Single Arm is a great shoulder isolation movement with the use of contraction generating exercise bands.

Choose the Diet Strategy that Helps You Lose Weight and Feel Great!

Both a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet such as the popular Atkins program and a low-fat, high-carb diet appear to help people lose pounds over the course of a year.

But as for mood? Only the low-fat diets will result in long-term improvement in mood.

People on both diets consumed roughly the same number of calories.

Both an energy-reduced, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet are equally effective for achieving weight loss in overweight and obese individuals, a research scientist

Both dietary patterns also had similar effects on the cognitive domains assessed, which were working memory and speed of processing. However, the conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat weight-loss diet was shown to have more positive effects on mood compared to the very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet.

The study was the first to show both long-term weight loss and improved mood.

This study looked at one factor, and prior studies haven’t focused on psychological factors. This is a great study focusing on something very important.

Other studies have found short-term improvements in mood in people who lose weight on different diets. And the new study also found such improvements over the first eight weeks of dieting.

But few studies have looked at long-term mood changes among people who lose weight.

Health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, tend to advocate higher-carb, low-fat diets. But many overweight and obese people are propelled toward the high-fat diets such as Atkins, “Livin’ La Vida” and “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” perhaps because of quick initial weight loss.

For the new study, 106 overweight and obese adults, who averaged 50 years old, were randomly assigned to one of two diets — a low-calorie, low-carb, high-fat plan or a high-carb, low-fat diet — for one year. Both diets restricted calories to about 1,433 to 1,672 a day.

A year later, average weight loss was about the same in each group: 30.2 pounds.

After the first eight weeks, participants in both groups showed mood improvements, but that lasted only in the low-fat group. After a year, the mood of those in the high-fat group returned to what it had been before they started dieting.

The exact mechanism for the observed effects on mood still remains largely unknown. However, if the mechanism for the return of mood toward more negative baseline levels following weight loss with a very low-carbohydrate diet is related to this diet being so far removed from normal dietary habits, then a very low-carbohydrate diet may be best recommended for individuals who habitually consume low amounts of carbohydrate foods in their diet.

More carbs can increase serotonin concentrations in the brain, whereas added fat and protein can reduce concentrations. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in mood.

Altered mood has been shown to influence interpersonal behavior and, therefore, the consumption of a very low-carbohydrate diet may have psychosocial consequences for interpersonal behavior and relationships. I am not entirely clear as to the effects of mood on long-term weight loss; however a recent review article … suggested that one of the factors that may pose risk for poor long-term weight maintenance may be ‘eating in response to negative emotions and stress.’

Therefore, since negative mood may promote overeating, this suggests that consumption of a very low-carbohydrate diet over an even longer period beyond one year may have implications for maintaining dietary habits and weight loss maintenance.

Fitness Tip: A Work Sheet That Works – Keep a work sheet on your fridge and use it to write down every item you eat during the day. Most of us have no idea how much we are consuming. We often take a bite here and there without even noticing.

Exercise of the day: The Band Lunge is your effective lower body leg exercise move that allows you to perform the ultimate exercise while on the road.

Fitness Tip: Sugar, Sugar, Sugar – Often people think by drinking fruit juices or eating low fat fruit made snacks, that they are cutting out or eliminating sugar in their diets. The facts are that some fruit juices have more sugar than a soda. Reduction of sugar is important for good quality health and weight management. Always check out the sugar content of anything you put in your mouth; even if you think it might be healthy for you.

Exercise of the day: The Band Reverse Wood Chop is an awesome full body exercise movement with the use of your exercise bands.

Fitness Tip: Don’t be Fooled with Diets – Most people are completely confused when the word diet or nutrition is used. Your body needs to have nutrients replaced, whether through foods being eaten or supplementation. Do you remember what you learned in elementary school about the four major food groups? As an adult, eating balanced healthy meals from these four food groups still applies. It is extremely important to remove the “junk food” from your meal plan and stick with healthy balanced foods. If you do not like certain things such as fruits and vegetables, be sure you are taking a supplement to get the nutrients you definitely need.

The Cheat Meal should be an Integral Part of Your Diet and Exercise Program…Here are some strategies.

I love to look forward to a weekly cheat meal, but it can easily get out of control and can lead to a whole day or whole weekend binge if you are not careful. Though very occasionally it’s OK to have a whole day binge (holiday’s, vacations, etc), 14 times out of 15 times I eat normally for breakfast and lunch and at dinner—I let it fly. As long as you limit it to just one meal per week, it will not have any negative effect and you have something fun to look forward to each week. Try to eat something bad that is very, very good—ie: the best pizza, fried chicken, ice cream, burger or baby back ribs that you can find! My current favorite is a slab of baby back ribs at Baby Blues Bar-B-Q – in Venice. Mmmm!

From my experience, this meal actually helps you to continue weight loss by sending signals to your brain/body that these foods are not that rare and it’s OK to use your body fat stores for energy (my progress is always better when I have a cheat meal). Also, timing is important, it’s better to have a cheat meal at dinner because after that you will go to sleep—having a binge at lunch can easily lead to a binge dinner too…believe me it happens.

Good cheating!

—Michael Arnone is the TigerFit Blog Health and Fitness Writer & Fitness Ambassador for Tiger Fitness Los Angeles.
TigerFitnessLA.com TigerFitPersonalTraining.com TigerFitBootCamp.com TigerFitBlog.com

Want to Lose 10, 20, even 50 pounds – and keep it off forever? Adopt these ultimate weight loss strategies now!

You already know that thousands of fad diets and rapid weight-loss scams promise quick and effortless weight loss results. But the basis of every successful, permanent weight-loss strategy still includes a healthy, low-calorie diet combined with a comprehensive exercise program. You must make permanent changes to your lifestyle and stop your bad habits in order to lose significant weight and permanently keep it off. So, how do you make your lifestyle changes permanent?

The 6 Ultimate Strategies:

1. Decide to Be Healthy

Permanent, lifelong weight loss does not just “happen”, it is a conscious decision that takes time and effort. Weight control requires focus and an enduring commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Be sure that you are ready to take on permanent lifestyle changes and that you are making this choice for all the right reasons. Nobody and nothing else can make you lose the pounds. The fact is, outside pressure — from family, friends and mates — makes you much more likely to resist change. The only reason for you to make diet and exercise changes must be to make yourself healthier and happier. While you are creating new lifestyle changes, it is important to try and resolve related problems in your life. Changing your habits takes a lot of mental and physical energy, so make sure you are not distracted by life issues that can derail your progress. Success timing is the key to your success. Be sure you are prepared to take on the serious challenges of weight loss and lifestyle change.

2. Choose Your Support System Wisely

Help yourself lose weight by taking complete responsibility for your lifestyle choices. However,  that does not mean that you must do everything by yourself. When you need an extra push, get support from your mate, friends and family. Choose people you know who really want you to be successful and who will keep you on track. Better yet, choose people who care about your feelings and challenges, will workout with you, and who share the priority you have placed on creating a healthy lifestyle.

3. Steady Short-Term Goals Win the Race

When you are deciding what results you would like from your new eating and exercise program, be completely realistic. Successful, long-lasting weight loss is a slow and steady process. Healthy weight loss translates to 1 to 2 pounds per week. In order to accomplish this, you will need to burn between 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume every day, by eating a low-calorie diet combined with regular exercise. Create “action goals,” like working out on a regular basis, instead of “end-result goals,” such as losing 40 pounds. By making steady changes to your habits, this will become your foundation for permanent weight loss. Again, make sure that your action goals are attainable, focused and measurable, for example, you’ll jog for 45 minutes a day, 4 days a week.

4. Re-Discover Healthy Food

By adopting a new eating program that encourages weight loss you must lower your total calorie consumption. But reducing your calories does not mean giving up flavor, fulfillment or even simplicity of meal preparation. You can immediately lower your caloric intake by eating a lot more plant-based foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. A variety of foods is the key achieving your weight loss goals without having to give up either nutrition or taste.

5. Move-it, Move-it, Move-it!

Dieting by itself can help you lose weight. Removing 500 calories from your daily caloric intake can help you drop about one pound per week: (3,500 calories equals one pound of body fat). However, when you add a 55- to 65-minute vigorous walk 4 days per week, you can actually double your weight loss. The goal of exercise is to burn more calories for weight loss, but exercise offers many, many other healthful benefits. However many calories that you burn is dependent on the duration, frequency, and intensity of your workout program. The the best ways to lose body fat is through interval training (combining walking and sprinting) and aerobic training (such as walking or jogging) — for more than 40 minutes for most days per week. Though regular aerobic exercise is optimal for fat loss, all types of movement helps burn calories. A variety of lifestyle activities makes it easier to fit exercise into your day. Create strategies that help you increase your physical activity throughout your day. Example: take extra trips up and down stairs, park farther away from your destination and take walking meetings at work.

6. True Healthy Lifestyle Change

Temporarily eating nutritious foods and exercising for just a few weeks or even several months will not create permanent weight loss. You have to adopt these behaviors permanently into your lifestyle. In order do that, you must to change every behavior that contributed to making you overweight. Lifestyle changes begin with taking a truthful look at your dietary habits and daily exercise routine.  Examine your individual challenges to weight loss and design a strategy to slowly alter habits and feelings that have sabotaged your past weight loss efforts. Admitting your own challenges will not get you past them entirely, but it will help you plan ahead, control them and help you finally succeed in permanent weight loss. You probably will have the occasional setback. Instead of giving up, start fresh the very next day. Never forget that you are making important lifestyle changes and it will not happen all at once. Just stick to your healthy new lifestyle and soon your long-term results will all be worth it.

—Michael Arnone is the TigerFit Blog Health and Fitness Writer & Fitness Ambassador for Tiger Fitness Los Angeles.
TigerFitnessLA.com TigerFitPersonalTraining.com TigerFitBootCamp.com TigerFitBlog.com

Click to check out How Alexis Lost 50 Pounds of Body Fat
While Being a Busy Mom with 2 Very Active Boys! >>

Fitness Tip: Weight Loss Real Facts – To lose weight you should cut out 500 calories per day. All you have to do is bump up your activity and shave off a few calories. To increase activity* every day: jog for 25 minutes (225 cal.), swim for 30 minutes (230 cal.) or bike for 45 minutes (233 cal.) To lose calories, cut out: 1 small order of French fries (210-290 cal.), 1 individual size bag of chips (304 cal.) or 1 medium (24 fl. oz.) soda (291 cal.) *Calorie burning estimates are based on a 170 pound person.

Exercise of the day: Ball Hamstring Curl – The Ball Hamstring Curl is your answer to toned and tight hamstrings as you use your exercise ball to help build a strong lower body.
Click Here to see it in action!

Fitness Tip: Visualize Clearly and Often – Design your new body in your mind first. You cannot achieve your idea of the perfect body if you don’t have an idea of what the perfect body means to you. Take 10 minutes when you are sure not to be disturbed by people or phone calls, get comfortable, fully relax, and then begin to dream about what you will look like when you have achieved your goal. Be specific, what will your calves look like, your legs, your butt, your lower back, your stomach, your chest, your upper back, your shoulders, your neck and your face. Then review this image as often throughout each day as possible (never less than 3x/day).

Exercise of the day: Ball Tummy Flattener – The Ball Tummy Flattener is the perfect fitness ball movement to help tone and tighten your midsection area.
Click Here to see it in action!