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Diet and Exercise -
To lose weight and keep it off, some experts
suggest focusing on either diet or exercise. But an 18-month study found
that for the best results, both are critical. The 104 people followed
lost an average of 17 pounds and weight loss was influenced more by
changes in eating habits than by changes in activity level. Still, the
combination worked better than either alone, researchers report in
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Here's some tips on
burning fat.
Q: What is the Fat Burning Index?
A: This can get rather technical. To make it short, I adjusted the
formula that's been in use for decades among (surprise!) neurogists as
well as in hard-core bodybuilding subculture. I tried to make it usable
for calculation of the fat burning potential of foods and their
combinations and develop lists of "free" (I mean, having high Fat
Burning Index ™) foods and menus.You can read my article on the topic
here.
Q: OK. Then forgive me my "silly" question: What does it mean to "burn"
fat to start with?
A: You literally burn fat by increasing your body's heat production
through a process called thermogenesis. Your brain sends signals to the
fat pads to start the process. In experiments, if the nerve connected to
a certain fat pad was cut, this fat deposit wouldn't burn fat at all.
Q: What can increase heat production to burn more fat?
A: Caffeine and yohimbine are good thermogetics. Actually, all foods can
elevate your body temperature after a meal, but some do it better than
others. For example, refined carbohydrates produce more after-meal heat
than complex starches, high fat foods elevate body temperature more than
high fiber foods. However, refined carbs and the like will create more
energy that you can expect to burn through the enhanced thermogenesis.
Q: Is fat burning the ultimate means to loose weight?
A: Not at all! After losing some fat, your body weight "set point" will
try to force you intake and attempt to save more energy by making you
sedentary. Surveys show that successful weight losers walked for an
average of 80 minutes a day, 6 days a week - just to keep the weight
off.
Q: Why do they often include stress management in weight loss programs?
A: It might seem odd because it is true that mental or physical stress
does increase lipolysis. However, there is something involved in
stressful situations that overcomes the fat burning activity of stress,
for example, the well known overeating reaction associated with stress.
Q: Do sugar substitutes help in losing weight?
A: The answer is a firm no. The reason is your blood sugar level rises
as soon as you feel a sweet taste in your mouth, be it sugar or
saccharin, or any artificial sweetener for that matter. To provide this
rising, your body borrows some glucose from glucose depots - the liver
and muscles, then it strives to replenish the borrowed glucose, guess
how? Right! By encouraging you to eat more.
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