Fitness and Freebies Blog

Fitness and Freebies Blog

Thirty ways to trim 100 calories

Did you know that if you take in 100 fewer calories a day, you can lose up to 10 pounds in one year? Little changes can make a difference. Sometimes, it’s easier to tackle small steps instead of trying to make a lot of big changes all at once. Try these simple suggestions to see how easy it can be to cut back. If you add a little exercise to burn off 100 extra calories a day, you can increase that 10 pounds to 20.

  1. Use 2 tablespoons of light whipped butter instead of 2 tablespoons of regular butter.
  2. Substitute 2 tablespoons of chicken broth for 1 tablespoon of oil when sauteing or stir-frying.
  3. Choose smaller bagels instead of larger ones.
  4. Top waffles or pancakes with fresh fruit and a dollop of yogurt instead of maple syrup.
  5. Use salsa instead of cheese dip with chips.
  6. Better yet, try raw veggies instead of the chips!
  7. Use low-fat yogurt, fat-free sour cream or cottage cheese instead of regular sour cream or mayonnaise in dip recipes.
  8. Use mustard instead of mayo on a sandwich.
  9. Substitute Canadian bacon, turkey bacon or sausage for regular bacon or sausage.
  10. Eat fresh fruit instead of dried fruit or fruit juice.
  11. Choose thin-crust instead of thick-crust pizza.
  12. Order coffee with skim or 1 percent milk instead of cream or regular milk.
  13. Choose sorbet or sherbet over premium ice cream.
  14. Have low-fat microwave popcorn instead of an equal amount of boxed caramel popcorn.
  15. Try diet hot cocoa mix instead of the regular milk chocolate mix.
  16. Order a sandwich on whole-wheat bread instead of on a bagel, croissant or large roll.
  17. Ask for oil and vinegar with your salad instead of regular dressing. Be generous with the vinegar and just put on a drizzle of oil.
  18. Order a broth-based soup or a salad instead of a side of fries.
  19. Order a cup of minestrone or vegetable soup as an appetizer. Skip the garlic bread.
  20. Choose minestrone and other broth-based soups over cream-based soups.
  21. Choose red sauce over cream-based sauces on pasta.
  22. Select an appetizer as your main entree.
  23. Choose soft tacos instead of crispy tacos.
  24. Choose spring rolls instead of fried egg rolls.
  25. Choose 1/2 to 1 cup steamed rice rather than an equal amount of fried rice.
  26. Replace 8 ounces of fruit juice or soda with water.
  27. Order dressing on the side and dip your fork first into the dressing, then into your salad.
  28. Choose light beer or wine spritzers instead of frozen or fruit-based drinks.
  29. Use cooking spray instead of butter when making a grilled cheese sandwich.
  30. Leave the cheese off of sandwiches and hamburgers.

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June 28th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | no comments

Too Many Calories?

How many calories do you need?  That is a loaded question with a lot of variables. Your age, sex, type of work, physical activity, all come into play. There is no one answer for this question.

Currently, experts recommend a 2000 calorie a day diet for everyone, but this could be unrealistic for many of us. There is no reason why you should get too concerned if you go a few hundred or even a thousand over this limit, especially if you are a very active person. Of course, if you go over by 5,000 then you can worry.

Note: Some people do need to be concerned with their caloric intake. For example, people who are on a diet because of heart problems should be very focused on their diet. Also people with sugar problems would fall into this category.

However, if you don’t have a health concern, you need not go crazy watching every calorie you take in. Although, if you are eating from the drive through lane every day, that could be a problem. Basically, just use common sense and understand where your calories are coming from. If you are eating 3,500 calories and they are mostly from healthful foods and you are not gaining excess weight, you’re doing alright. If, on the other hand, your food intake is mostly from candy and deep fried foods, then you should be concerned.

If you are eating 1,500 calories alone of fruits and vegetables, that is better than eating that in fat. Isn’t it all the same? Not really.  It isn’t the same because the calories are coming from a good source. They are coming from things that are good for you. The fruits and veggies will help you out in many ways. They will also help you fight off cancer and heart disease. This isn’t true if you are over eating on fats and sweets.

Bottom line: If you are healthy, base most of your diet on good-for-you foods to get the most bang for your calorie buck and you should be alright. If you are looking to lose weight, you’ll find that healthful fruits and vegetables can be very satisfying while low in calories.  Junk food and fried fast foods are the dieter’s downfall; avoid whenever possible. Happy eating!

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June 12th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | no comments

The Best Natural Weight Loss Supplements

Hundreds and thousands of individuals shed weight problems by natural way without the fear of any side effects. By drawing the power of natural herbals and supplements, you can also lose your weight considerably.

Natural weight loss by means of herbals and supplements is often effective as well as safe, if you make use of it avidly. By natural weight loss, you not only loose unhealthy and needless weight, but also ensure to safeguard your body during the process.

Natural weight loss supplement is very effective in the process of reducing the calorie consumption and thereby increases the chances to reduce substantial weight. Before you visit to your closest pharmacy for any natural weight loss supplements, consider a few guidelines while selecting weight loss supplements. For instance:

  • Avoid ephedra: A few natural weight loss supplements contain constituents such as ephedra alias ephedrine that links to several illnesses and side effects. Sometimes, it may cause seizures, stokes, and heart attacks.
  • Avoid Addiction: Natural weight loss supplements that include amphetamine may trigger withdrawal symptoms, while you decide to stop the medicines. Sometimes, you may develop addiction of these pills making it unable to discontinue these medications. The long term usage of any weight loss pills results in the development of various side effects.

Natural Way to Cut Down Your Weight
If you are confused to decide the best natural weight loss supplement, check out these: 

Hoodia GL: You can consider this diet capsule to get rid of your obesity problems naturally. Recently, researchers have found that supplements in Hoodia GL features high potential to reduce an individual’s weight significantly. It has the capacity to restrain your appetite by up to 2000 calories each day. It has all the organic and natural constituents and is the outcome of a research lasting three decades by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa.

Dr. Approved Relora: Another most valuable natural weight loss supplements to reduce your weight. You have no doubt heard about the link between the stress hormone cortisol and weight loss. Excess stress, may lead to high cortisol levels that stimulate your appetite, with the end result being weight gain or difficulty losing unwanted pounds. Relora is a much less expensive, yet effective alternative to these popular diet pills that has been proven to reduce cortisol levels.

Healthy Weight Formula: Healthy Weight contains a full range of B vitamins including Niacin and Folic Acid. The B vitamins are key to producing energy from nutrients consumed, helping break down carbohydrates and metabolizing carbs as well as fat.

For more weight loss supplements, many Dr. Approved, visit the BellyBytes.com Weight Loss Wisdom section of BellyBytes.com.

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June 2nd, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | no comments

Can water help you lose weight?

Many people are very skeptical of the suggestion that water can play very effective role in helping them achieve weight loss. Very few people realize that a large proportion of our body is water. Naturally it plays a very important part in our existence. 75% of the lean muscle tissues are water, over 80% of blood is water, body fat and bones account for over 20% of water each. Is it surprising then that water plays a very important role in how our bodies function?

Of course, drinking water alone is not going to help you lose weight. If you desire to lose weight in a gradual but sure way, eating right and drinking right are the two major components of the natural weight loss method.

Remember that “bad” fats are the main culprits causing excess weight – eat “good fats” that provide essential fatty acids; eat Salmon, Mackerel, Herrings, and Sardines. They help regulate blood pressure, prevent blood clotting and lower risk of heart failure.

Good proteins help you in suppressing cravings for food. They are essential in building muscles. Low fat milk products such as skimmed milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and fish are “good“ proteins.

Carbohydrates such as beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are consumed by the body slowly and hence they are natural hunger-suppressants; they are also moderate on fats and calories.

Eat adequate fiber food. Good fiber foods do not contribute much of calories and they are filling. They thus help in suppressing hunger. Moreover fiber does not get digested by the body and while passing through the body it attaches to some of the fats and proteins that we eat; thus they are taken out of the system without being digested! Apples, figs, broccoli, strawberries, brown rice, beans, bran and nuts are good fiber foods.

Water plays two important roles in helping you lose weight. Cravings for food are felt when the body dehydrates; if water is consumed in reasonable and adequate measure it suppresses hunger pangs. Liver provides stored fats for energy; water helps metabolism allowing kidneys to flush out waste. Many people will find it surprising that drinking cold water can burn the extra fat in the body; if you drink ice cold water it uses over 60 calories a day from the body – thus the body has to burn over 420 calories a week to raise the temperature of the ice cold water to the body temperature. What a way to beat that excess fat!

As we see here water plays an important role in you lose weight; it is a natural appetite suppressant, it helps in dieting and generally a major component in natural weight loss practice.

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May 15th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | one comment

Satiety Smoothies

Have you heard of these or better yet, tried them? If you’ve tried them, please do leave a post and say how you liked it!

Satiety smoothies are meant to help you fight fat because they say they make you feel full on a few calories.  I’ll mention three popular brand names, but any snack with a mixture of protein, fiber and healthy fat will work, as that is basically what these smoothies are made of.  The key is in sticking to 200 calories or less.

Brands of Satiety Smoothies

Lightfull Satiety Smoothies - These are selling for around $2.79 each at Whole Foods Markets nationwide in the U.S.  They contain five grams of fiber and five grams of protein, with 90 calories a serving and only a half-gram of fat.  The drink claims to keep you full for two to three hours.  These are good for pre or post-workouts due to the high amount of muscle-building protein.  The Cafe Latte has a wonderful coffee flavor.

Satiatrim — These are sellling for $40.00 for a case of 27 at www.satiatrim.com.  Satiatrim claims that one of these will keep you feeling full for up to four hours, PLUS it will help you eat 20 percent less than you normally would at your next meal.  There’s only 50 calories a serving, with 3-1/2 grams of fat (could be partly what helps you feel full longer and eat less later).  Three of those 3-1/2 grams are the heart-healthy kind, too.  Chocolate seems to be the most favored flavor.

Slim-Fast Optima Shakes Slim-Fast is selling these for $6.69 per six-pack at grocery stores nationwide. These shakes promise to control your hunger for up to four hours.  They contain five grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein, with 190 calories per serving and six grams of fat.  This shake provides 50 percent of your calcium and 100 percent of your vitmain C (daily) needs.  If you like super-sweet, try the Strawberries ‘n Cream.  If not so sweet, the French Vanilla.

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May 11th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | no comments

Are Slimming Pills Dangerous For You?

It is a human tendency and need to fix a problem as fast as possible and the same is with over weight people, as they naturally want an instant remedy to lose weight. Many people, especially younger women believe that the easier way to lose weight is by using slimming pills.

People who take slimming pills feel that they have total control over their actions and they will stick to their recommended dosage. In reality, it is not true. People have started increasing the amounts prescribed, as they wish to speed up their weight loss expectations. Slimming pills are often the last resort to help people, who are grossly overweight and need to lose some weight, or struggling to lose some more.

Many health professionals agree that slimming pills do help many people. However, it is an emergent trend that the general public feel suspicious that these pills may have some side effects too. Certain slimming pills, if consumed without prescription can be dangerous. The most popular slimming pills are Reductil, Xenical.

These pills are available through proper prescription only. Xenical works as a fat buster and hence, less fat is absorbed in the body. Reductil is quite effective as a slimming pill, but is best for severely overweight or obese people.

The pills mentioned above are a good option for weight loss. However, you cannot assume that these pills are magical pills. These pills will not help you to reduce weight overnight. It may take months or may be years before you visualize a weight change in you. Slimming pills does not come with a tag of calorie-controlled diet. So, before you buy any slimming pills, remember to consult your physician.

Mild Disadvantages:

Xenical slimming pills come with some side effects, although these effects are gentle and avoidable. The common side effects include a sudden bowel movement, oily stools, and repeated bowel movements. There are also complaints of losing control over bowel movement by many people.

Another popular and preferred slimming pill is Alli, which is quite responsible of giving diarrhea, anal leakage and various other side effects to its several users. This slimming pill is proved to help reduce just 1 pound.

Actually, this pill unites with fats present in the body and takes them out of the digestive system, making it impossible to digest properly. On the other hand, it also obstructs all those necessary fats that are required by the body to remain healthy.

Hence, it becomes a necessity to consult your doctor before starting to intake such slimming pills.  Or, you could try a product that is clinically proven, safe and approved by the FDA called  Proactol™



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May 7th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | no comments

What Are The Top 10 Diets?

Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet is the most admired of the top 10 diets. This low-carbohydrate diet encourages the elimination of carbohydrates from your diet. The diet can work, and you can munch as many fats and proteins you want. However, before starting this diet, study a bit to know the suitability of this diet for your body.

South Beach Diet
This diet is one of the most successful of the top 10 diets to lose weight. It is not a low-fat or low-carb diet. Instead, it focuses on consuming the correct amount of fats and carbs. The diet depends on the glycemic index. It limits the intake of carbs in the initial two weeks and then re-introduces those carbs with a low glycemic index. You need to eat three healthy meals daily, along with some snacks, provided they are healthy enough.

Cabbage Soup Diet
It is also one of the effective of the top 10 diets. The diet contains insignificant amount of calories. You will observe instant weight loss, if you stick to cabbage soup diet for a week. The more soup you consume, more pounds you drop.

Grapefruit Diet
This is the finest weight loss diet for obese people. The advantages of this diet arrive from the addition of grapefruit to a low-calorie and low-fat diet.

SlimFast Diet
This is also one of the superior of the top 10 diets. The diet restores your breakfast and lunch meals, with two SlimFast shakes, and puts ahead for a usual meal for dinner. These low calorie shakes will help you to lose weight.

Other Superior Diets:
Subway Diet
It is also a well-known diet of the top 10 diets. The low fat content in the Subway sandwiches assist you to lose weight.

The Beverly Hills Diet
This diet reaps the benefits of the natural chemical reaction of foods when consumed to lose weight. The diet is quite strict, as protein needs to go with proteins and carbohydrates with carbohydrates only. The diet is exceptionally restrictive, but motivates rapid weight loss.

3-Day Diet
This is also one of best of top 10 diets. The diet can be ideal to lose weight, if you can follow a three-day meal plan without wandering from it.

Apple Cider Vinegar Diet
This is one of the sensitive diets of the top 10 diets. Hence, you need to follow it carefully. It is a low-calorie diet, which stimulates quick weight loss.

Negative Calorie Diet
This is one of the ultimate types of diet among the top 10 diets to reduce weight. It includes addition of healthy vegetables to your diet as much as possible.
 

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April 29th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | no comments

Can water help you lose weight?

Many people are very skeptical of the suggestion that water can play very effective role in helping them achieve weight loss. Very few people realize that a large proportion of our body is water. Naturally it plays a very important part in our existence. 75% of the lean muscle tissues are water, over 80% of blood is water, body fat and bones account for over 20% of water each. Is it surprising then that water plays a very important role in how our bodies function?

Of course, drinking water alone is not going to help you lose weight. If you desire to lose weight in a gradual but sure way, eating right and drinking right are the two major components of the natural weight loss method. 

Remember that “bad” fats are the main culprits causing excess weight – eat “good fats” that provide essential fatty acids; eat Salmon, Mackerel, Herrings, and Sardines. They help regulate blood pressure, prevent blood clotting and lower risk of heart failure.

Good proteins help you in suppressing cravings for food. They are essential in building muscles. Low fat milk products such as skimmed milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and fish are “good“ proteins.

Carbohydrates such as beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are consumed by the body slowly and hence they are natural hunger-suppressants; they are also moderate on fats and calories.

Eat adequate fiber food. Good fiber foods do not contribute much of calories and they are filling. They thus help in suppressing hunger. Moreover fiber does not get digested by the body and while passing through the body it attaches to some of the fats and proteins that we eat; thus they are taken out of the system without being digested! Apples, figs, broccoli, strawberries, brown rice, beans, bran and nuts are good fiber foods.

Water plays two important roles in helping you lose weight. Cravings for food are felt when the body dehydrates; if water is consumed in reasonable and adequate measure it suppresses hunger pangs. Liver provides stored fats for energy; water helps metabolism allowing kidneys to flush out waste. Many people will find it surprising that drinking cold water can burn the extra fat in the body; if you drink ice cold water it uses over 60 calories a day from the body – thus the body has to burn over 420 calories a week to raise the temperature of the ice cold water to the body temperature. What a way to beat that excess fat!

As we see here water plays an important role in you lose weight; it is a natural appetite suppressant, it helps in dieting and generally a major component in natural weight loss practice.

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April 27th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | one comment

Fat Loss Made Possible

Generally people confuse weight loss with fat loss from the body. This is a serious misunderstanding. Well-being of a person depends on a certain amount of fat in the body. Fat is emergency storage of energy in your body. Indiscriminate fat loss from the body can be dangerous.

Clinically men are considered obese if their body fat level is over 25% and women are considered obese if their body fat level is over 30%; by this reckoning about 60% of population can be categorized as being obese.

A program for fat loss basically has two components; first, cutting down consumption of excess calories which cause a build up of fat in the body and secondly gradually burning off the excess fat the body has acquired in the past. Cutting down on intake of excess calories is a matter of observing healthy diet in a disciplined manner; burning off excess fat from the body is generally done by suitable exercises and it can be supplemented by some dietary practices. Some fat burner preparations are available on the market, but it is advisable to avoid them as far as possible.

Any program for fat loss must incorporate appropriate routine of exercises. Exercising you will undertake is not for building a six-pack body but to help burn the stored fat and at the same time maintain your health. Aerobic exercises and jogging are the barest minimum that you can include in your routines. Exercises increase the rate of metabolism which helps burn off the fat; muscles burn more calories than fat.  Proactol is a program that is clinically proven to work and utilizes this practice.

Healthy dietary practice would require consumption of appropriate amount of “good” proteins, “good” carbohydrates, and “good” fats. I have used the word “good” deliberately, to be able to clear certain notions people have regarding desirability of certain components of diet.

As I mentioned earlier, exercises are essential for general well-being and also for burning calories. Protein is essential in building muscles. Low fat milk products such as skimmed milk, cottage cheese, yogurt as well as fish are rich in proteins but are low on fat. So they are good proteins.

Similarly carbohydrates are essential for the body as source of energy. Beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains not only supply carbohydrates to the body but they are natural hunger-suppressants because body can consume them slowly. They are also moderate on calories and fats.

Contrary to popular belief certain fatty foods are very helpful to the body. Fatty acids the body can get from eating fish such as Salmon, Mackerel, Sardines and Herrings help regulate blood pressure, they can lower risk of heart failures, and they prevent blood clotting.

Fiber foods hardly contribute any calories, and they are filling. They are natural hunger suppressants. Moreover they are not digested by the body and while passing through the body undigested they help in carrying away some fats and proteins. Apples, beans, broccoli, brown rice, nuts and bran are good fiber foods. Eat adequate fiber food.

While trying to lose fat from the body, drink plenty of water - especially ice cold water. Water is a natural appetite suppressant and it is essential in the process of burning up the stored fat. It helps natural weight loss.

You will see it is possible to achieve fat loss if realistic practical steps are taken.

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April 24th, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | 2 comments

Think Before You Drink

Make your beverages work harder for you instead of derailing your diet. It’s now a known fact that sweetened drinks are the only specific food directly linked to weight gain.

Here are some tips to help you make smarter choices:

  • Drink more water. Tap, bottled, or sparkling. Make it more appealing by adding a wedge of lemon or lime.
  • Buy one 100 percent fruit juice. Instead of flavored drinks with added sugar. But limit juices to one or two four-ounce servings a day (or dilute with water).
  • Switch to fat free or low fat milk instead of 2 percent or whole milk.
  • Don’t keep soft drinks in the house. And order water, unsweetened tea or low-fat milk when eating out. if you can’t “kick the can”, switch to diet soda and limit to one or two a day.
  • Do the math. Those ubiquitous 20 and 24-ounce bottles of soda are really two to three servings. If you drink at all, multiply the listed calories by two or three.
  • Don’t make calorie assumptions — even water isn’t always calorie free in these days of specialty water.
  • Order coffee drinks with fat free milk and skip the whip. Whipped cream adds 60 to 100 calories and 6 to 11 grams of fat, depending on the type and size of your drink.
  • Request sugar free syrup for coffee drinks. Or, ask for fewer pumps of regular syrup; you will save 20 calories and 1-1/4 teaspons of sugar per pump.
  • Watch out for frozen coffee drinks that are more like milk shakes. Instead, order “skinny lattes”.
  • Scale back your smoothie serving size
  • Drink alcohol in moderation

 

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April 21st, 2008 Posted by fitnfree | Weightloss Wisdom | no comments