You Renewed – 6 simple weight loss tips

1. Rise and chow
If you think skipping breakfast will help you shed a few pounds, think again. Not eating a morning meal can actually trick the body into thinking it is starving, which makes it hold on to fat or cause you to eat more during the day. To keep your metabolism revved and blood sugar levels steady, eat breakfast within 45 minutes of rising. The healthiest choices contain a balance of fat, protein, and carbs, such as oatmeal with a handful of nuts or a veggie omelet.

2. Combine carbs
If a carbohydrate wasn’t grown, picked, or harvested, don’t eat it. That means shunning refined breads, pastas, cakes, and pastries, and choosing good carbs like brown rice, sweet potatoes, or an apple. And while you’re at it, try to never eat a carbohydrate by itself. Simply adding a bit of good fat, such as olive oil or lean protein will slow digestion, steady blood sugar, and keep the body from storing fat.

3. Drink up
Even if all you did was start drinking more water you would likely lose weight. That’s because the body needs to be fully hydrated in order to maintain a healthy metabolism. Try drinking about 1/2-ounce (15 ml) of water per pound of body weight every day, and see the difference.

4. Eat more
If eating more often in order to lose weight sounds too good to be true, listen up. Your body needs calories in order to burn fat. So, to turn your body into a fat-burning machine, eat small meals throughout the day. Ideally each mini-meal should consist of lean protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates. For example, 4 ounces (113 grams) of chicken, 1 cup (150 grams) of brown rice, and a green salad.

5. Get pumped
You’ve heard that muscle weighs more than fat, but did you know that muscle burns more calories? That’s right, building lean muscle through weight training causes the body to burn more calories throughout the day. When combined with regular aerobic exercise, weight training can help you lose more weight.

6. Cheat a little
You know what they say about all work and no play—well, that goes for weight loss too. Giving up all the foods you love can backfire and sabotage your efforts. Be sure to allow yourself a day each week when you indulge in conservative amounts of your favorite foods. Remember, a serving should be about the size of an average apple.

Top Five Additives to Avoid

These days one needs a PhD in order to decode an ingredient list on some foods. There are more than 3,000 substances approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the purpose of preservation, coloring, texture, increasing flavor and more. While some additives pose no proven health threat, there are approved additives that are poorly tested and possible dangerous to your health.


Artificial colorings. Whether it’s Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, or Citrus Red 2, food colorings are used to give color to foods with little nutritional value such as candies and sodas. Food colorings have been linked to the increase risk of cancers, tumors, allergic reactions and a possible contributing factor to hyperactivity in some children. Eating wholesome nutritious foods is one easy way to avoid these colorings.

Artificial Sweeteners. Aspartame (NutraSweet), Acesulfame K (Sunett), Saccharin (Sweet N Low), and Sucralose (Splenda ) may pose health risk. Some animal studies have shown long term consumption of artificial sweeteners can cause increased cancer risk. Sucralose (Splenda) claims to be a no calorie sweetener but actually it is not calorie-free. One cup of Splenda contains 96 calories and 32 grams of carbohydrates, which is substantial for people with diabetes.

A recent study by Purdue University found that rats given yogurt sweetened with saccharin (an artificial sweetener) consumed more calories and gained more weight than rats fed yogurt sweetened with glucose (a natural variety of sugar). This led researchers to believe that foods with artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin and aspartame lead to greater weight gain than the same foods sweetened with high-calorie sugar.

Although we consume about 65 pounds of sucrose (table sugar) per year, consuming moderate amounts of sugar may be better for our health than consuming artificial sweeteners.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Propyl Gallate. Used to help prevent fats and oils from spoiling, animal studies suggest that it might cause cancer. If a brand you commonly buy uses these additives, look for a different variety, as not all manufacturers use these preservatives.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG). Used as a flavor enhancer in many packaged foods, including soups, salad dressings, sausages, hot dogs, canned tuna, potato chips and many more, MSG can cause allergic reactions including headache, nausea, weakness and possible sudden cardiac death, according to Dr. Russell Blaylock, an author and neurosurgeon.

Food manufacturers may try to hide MSG based ingredients by using chemical names you may not recognize. You need to look for all of the following terms, as they all contain MSG:
Autolyzed yeast
Calcium caseinate
Gelatin
Glutamate
Glutamic acid
Hydrolyzed protein
Monopotassium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate
Sodium caseinate
Textured protein
Yeast extract
Yeast food
Yeast Nutrient

Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite. Prevents botulism in meats. Imparts the red color in cured meat (without nitrite, hot dogs and bacon would look gray) and adds a characteristic flavor. Linked to cancer in lab animal; adding nitrite to food can lead to the formation of small amounts of potent cancer-causing chemicals (nitrosamines), particularly in fried bacon. Several studies have linked consumption of cured meat and nitrite by children, pregnant women, and adults with various types of cancer. Look for labels that say “Nitrate-Free.”

Advice: Avoid processed foods by choosing fresh, nutrient-packed, whole foods. Not only are they additive free but they are generally low in fat, sugar and sodium.

Quick Energy Guide for Long Bike Rides

If you’re planning on a bike ride that will last two or more hours, you need to keep your muscles fueled so you don’t “bonk” on the ride. Just the other day I did a 50 mile ride with some of my old friends and I was surprised by how little some of them ate. After the ride we headed over to a pizza joint for some re-fueling, and a couple of comments I overheard were something like, “Yea, near the end of the ride I was running out of energy.”

Here are a couple of tips for your next bike ride:

Fill your tank before starting out: Glycogen is the fuel needed by the muscles. Be sure to consume a carbohydrate meal, about 200 – 300 calories, one to two hours before your ride.

• Sugars: Simple carbohydrates – fruits, gels.


• Starches: Complex carbohydrates - corn, rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals, give a longer lasting energy but do not go to the muscles as fast.
  

(Remember that proteins, fats and foods that contain high amounts of fiber take more time to digest and require more oxygen to be converted into usable energy.)

Keeping fuel in your tank: 30 minutes into your bike ride, sustain your energy levels by consuming 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour by using a fluid replacement drink or consuming gels, bars, fruit or fig bars. In addition to your sports drink, consume one to two bottles of water per hour, so you can sweat enough to keep cool.

Refilling your tank: Replenishing glycogen storages as quickly as possible after your ride. Experts have suggested a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1, consisting of 200 – 300 calories for optimal fuel replacement.