Lifestyle Changes that can Help in Losing Belly Fat

A lot of people are wondering how they can lose the annoying fats in the tummy that make their stomach bigger. Both men and women of all ages are aiming to lose those unwanted belly fats to make them look better, healthier, and more attractive. Having those belly fats that other people refer to as “spare tires” will surely lower one’s self esteem.

Belly fats or spare tires are present in both men and women. Men have beer belly which is usually the result of alcohol intake, while women have pot belly which appears saggy and usually common among women after giving birth. Annoyingly, these spare tires are difficult to remove. So, how can you remove those unwanted belly fats to get a flatter abs? Here are some lifestyle changes that you might want to consider in order to lose those unwanted fats.

Limit your alcohol consumption – People call it “beer” belly because of frequent alcohol intake. If you really wanted a flatter abs, then you should limit your alcohol intake. In general, alcohol doesn’t contain any nutrients and it simply adds empty calories to your body. The key to this is moderation. Limit your alcohol consumption and your belly fat will diminish.

Avoid eating junk foods – We all know that eating junk foods is bad for the health. However, a lot of people are still indulging into unhealthy junk foods. Junk foods are refined carbohydrates, sugary treats, and salty snacks. These foods will not only increase your blood sugar levels but it will also reduce the ability of your body to burn fats.

Avoid refined foods – Refined foods are those made with refined flour or white flour. These are present in pastas, white bread, cakes, and donuts. These foods will cause bloating, indigestion, and unwanted fat in the tummy. Instead of opting for these foods, it would be much better to choose healthier options such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grain.

Stop midnight snacks – As much as possible, refrain yourself from eating late at night. Whether you are reading a book or watching television before sleeping, you should avoid eating snacks before bedtime because you will only add up to the fats that are stored in your tummy.

Keep your body moving – It is always important to exercise so that the excess calories will be burned. You can’t get rid of your tummy fats if you will not exercise. Opt for more physical activities rather than sitting at the couch.

What are the Foods that can Suppress the Appetite?

Because of the increasing rate of obesity, people should be aware of the ways on how to prevent gaining too much weight.

In general, one of the factors that can cause obesity is sedentary lifestyle. People who do not exercise or move their bodies are more likely to gain excess weight that those who are doing physical activities.

Aside from sedentary lifestyle, diet can also greatly contribute to weight gain. People who love to eat unhealthy and fatty foods would definitely gain too much weight in no time. It’ll be too late before they realize that they have become overweight and it is already difficult for them to lose all those excess pounds.

There are some people who have difficulties in controlling their cravings; thus, they require appetite suppressants. In general, there are numerous dietary supplements and medicines that can suppress the appetite; however, it would also be much better if you will eat foods that can already suppress the appetite so that you will have more control over your unhealthy food cravings.

There are a lot of foods that can suppress the appetite and some of these foods include the following:

Apple - apples are fiber rich foods which can make you feel full after eating. A study in Brazil proved that women who eat at least three apples per day have significantly lost weight.

Flaxseeds - flaxseed oil is popular for being a plant source of omega-3 fats; however, raw flaxseeds are much better especially for the suppression of appetite. Flaxseeds can be added to salads or sprinkled over to vegetables.

Salad - most dieters would often eat salad because it can help in losing weight. This is generally true because eating salad before eating meals will make you feel full and eat less. Salads made of vegetables are high in fiber; thus, making you feel full and curb your cravings.

Pine nuts - these nuts contain the highest amount of protein on any nut or seed. Pine nuts contain pinolenic acid which stimulates two powerful appetite suppressing hormones to signal the brain that you are not hungry anymore.

Consuming these foods can help in suppressing the appetite in order to prevent gaining excessive weight.

Simple Tips on How to Maintain Your Weight after Weight Loss

Losing weight is definitely a fulfilling goal. After your weight loss efforts, it feels good that you’ve had positive results and your weight is now in the ideal ranges. However, your efforts should not stop here. Just because your weight is now ideal doesn’t mean that you can go back to your old eating habits and splurge again.

Once you have lost weight, it is necessary to maintain it so that your weight loss efforts won’t be useless. Actually, the long term success rates of diet are very low and only a few dieters who have achieved weight loss are able to maintain them. So, if you want to maintain your weight, you might want to consider some of these tips.

Take things slowly. While you are dieting, it is necessary that you lose weight slowly and not rapidly. The longer it takes for you to lose weight, the more you will able to maintain it.

Don’t be too strict on yourself. Do not limit yourself to eating foods that you like for at least once a week. If you will avoid eating such foods, you are more likely to crave for them and eat more.

Change your eating habits. As much as possible, change your unhealthy eating habits and select a diet plan that is healthy for you.

Exercise regularly. As always, exercise is important especially if you are aiming to lose weight. If you will exercise regularly, you will be able to maintain your weight and build up muscles while burning those excess calories.

Check your weight regularly. Once you are able to lose weight, the goal is to stay to the ideal ranges. Thus, it is important to check your weight regularly.

Stick to your good habits. Once you have lost your weight, do not throw off the good habits that you have done, but rather embrace it in your life. Those habits should already become a part of your lifestyle so that you will be able to maintain your ideal weight.

Overweight Individuals also have Overweight Friends

As the saying goes, “birds of the same feathers flock together”, a recent study in Southern California found out that overweight youth are twice as likely to have overweight friends.

Researchers from the Institute of Prevention Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have found out that overweight individuals also have overweight friends, based on school surveys.

The link between social networks and obesity is already expected; however, it is quite surprising how strong the peer effect is and how it starts early in life.

Recent data had shown a connection between overweight adults  and their social peers; however,  a more recent study was conducted on adolescents and showed the same results despite a stronger statistical model used.

According to researchers these findings will certainly raise health concerns because when children started to mingle only with people who have similar weight status, then it can cause a reinforcement of a negative behavior which causes obesity.

Aside from finding out that overweight adolescents have more overweight friends than normal weight friends, the researchers have also found out that overweight girls name more friends but are less likely to be labeled as a friend unlike normal weight girls.

Because of this findings, the researchers are suggesting that interventions should be done before it can lead to a greater social stigma. Parents and teachers should be sensitive enough to recognize that obesity in adolescents can also bring social consequences and that many behaviors related to obesity can be developed.

Rapid Cartilage Depletion Associated with Obesity

Apparently, obesity is a risk factor for serious irreversible conditions such as heart diseases, cancer, and stroke. However, studies have linked obesity to rapid cartilage depletion. This study will be published in the August issue of Radiology.

Researchers have actually isolated the risk factors for rapid cartilage loss. Demographic factors and MRI-based risk factors were identified. The researchers have also identified increased BMI or body mass index as the non MRI-based predictor.

The cartilage that covers the knees are called as tibio-femoral cartilage. This is a flexible connective tissue which protects and covers the bones of the knee. Damage to this connective tissue can be caused by injury, misalignment of the joints, and a degenerative condition called osteoarthritis.

Actually, osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis which affects approximately 27 million Americans. This fact is according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage to break down, leaving the joints without any cushion. This causes the bones to rub each other which causes pain and eventually, loss of mobility.

Osteoarthritis is a slow but progressive condition. Early identification of risk factors can prevent the condition from happening. One of the risk factors associated with osteoarthritis is obesity. Aside from that, obesity is also linked to rapid cartilage depletion, which means that it can aggravate the condition of osteoarthritis.

Because of the linkage of obesity to cartilage loss and osteoarthritis, it is necessary to treat obesity. Balanced diet and regular exercise can help in weight loss, but if you are having difficulties in losing weight, taking weight loss supplements can help.

Scientists have Proven a Connection between Obesity and Diabetes

A university study that was conducted in Australia has found out that a proven connection between obesity and the onset of diabetes type 2. Because of these findings, new drugs can be developed in order to prevent the occurrence of the disease.

The team of researchers were led by Associate Professor Matthew Watt at the Monash University. The results of their study were published on the journal entitled, Cell Metabolism for the month of July.

The researchers have found out that fat cells are releasing a novel protein called pigment epithelium-derived factor or PEDF. This protein would activate a series of events leading to the onset of diabetes type 2.

According to the researchers, once PEDF was released by the fat cells, it enters the bloodstream. PEDF causes the muscles and the liver to become desensitized to insulin causing the pancreas to produce more insulin as a compensatory mechanism.

Because of the attempt of the pancreas to compensate, the workload of the pancreas is increased. Eventually, the pancreas will slow down or stop producing insulin which results to type 2 diabetes.

Based from the researchers’ observation, the more fat cells a person has, the more the body becomes less sensitive to insulin; thus, more amount of insulin is needed in order to maintain regular levels of blood glucose.

The researchers also claimed that aside from discovering the effects of PEDF to the development of type 2 diabetes, preventing its release can also help in preventing the development of diabetes.

Long before, scientists are suspecting a strong connection between obesity and diabetes. With the discovery of PEDF, this could be a big breakthrough on how to prevent type 2 diabetes. The results of this study will also benefit patients with type 2 diabetes. Weight loss should be stressed to obese people in order to prevent the development of such diseases.

Oral Bacteria may be Associated with Obesity

Obesity is now being considered as a worldwide epidemic because of the increase in the number of people who are becoming overweight.

Researchers have been considering the fact that obesity might be caused by an infectious agent, particularly an oral bacteria. Researchers have been studying about the possible causes of obesity in order to prevent the epidemic that is apparently increasing every year.

Researchers believe that this preliminary work may provide some clues between the connections of oral bacteria to the pathology of obesity.

In this study, the researchers are trying to compare the difference between the bacterial composition of the saliva of overweight women and non-obese women. J.M. Goodson and his colleagues have measured the bacterial composition of obese women and non-obese women. They have collected saliva samples for 313 subjects composed of obese women. The results of the salivary composition were compared against 232 healthy women who are not overweight.

DNA analysis was used to determine the bacterial composition and population in the saliva. Based from the data that the researchers have found, bacteria called Selenomonas noxia were present in almost 98.4% of the samples from the obese women. The levels of the bacteria present in the saliva were more than 1.05% of the total salivary bacteria.

Based from the analysis, the composition of bacteria in the saliva changes as the individual becomes obese. These bacteria may be an indicator that obesity is developing. Researchers suggest that there is a need for further research to be able to determine that oral bacteria really have something to do with the pathology of obesity.

Restriction of Calories in Diet will Help in Prolonging Life

According to studies, restriction of calories in diet will help in prolonging life. Diseases related to aging such as cancer can be prevented through eating a nutritious diet but with restricted calories.

The study about calorie restriction in diet was conducted for almost twenty years to rhesus macaque monkeys. The results of the study suggest that caloric restriction in the diet can slower the aging process among these primates. Aside from that, the researchers also found out that reduced calories in the diet will also reduce the risk of developing diseases that are related to aging which includes cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Survival is also increased.

Based from the study, the incidence of rhesus monkeys with cancerous tumors and heart related diseases are fifty percent lower in the group where calories are restricted unlike in the control group wherein the animals are allowed to eat anything.

Researchers also suggest that the restriction of calories also improve the mental health of the animals.

The results of the study have potential implications to humans; thus, further studies are needed.

Eating Fatty Foods can Trigger Hunger Hormones

A recent study suggests that eating fatty foods can trigger the hunger hormone called ghrelin.

Ghrelin is actually a hormone that is accumulated during fasting. However, it is also found to be in high levels right after eating. Ghrelin was called the hunger hormone because it stimulates hunger in the brain and results to increased food intake.

However, the production of ghrelin hormone is not that easy. It is very unique because it requires a fatty acid before it can be activated. Before, experts thought that the fatty acids that were in the chemical structure of ghrelin was produced by the body during periods of fasting. This was until researchers have found out that the fatty acids attached to the enzyme to form ghrelin actually came from the fatty foods that we ingest.

The study used mice as their subjects, and found out that mice with more enzymes for ghrelin formation who were given with fatty foods gained more fat than those who have fewer enzymes in their system. The main reason for this is because the brain of the mice do not receive signals that fat is in their system and it needs to be stored.

Aside from that, researchers have also found out that during fasting, the levels of ghrelin are flat; however, upon introduction of fats, levels soar. They concluded that if fats are not provided, the levels of ghrelin in the body will remain inactive. Researchers are looking in an angle wherein ghrelin won’t be activated so that obesity will be prevented. Further studies will be conducted regarding this matter.

Obese Adults have Greater Risk of Developing Pancreatic Cancer

We all know that obesity poses a lot of serious health conditions; however, researchers have found out another addition to the health conditions which can happen due to obesity.

According to research, young adults who are obese have higher risks of developing pancreatic cancer.

Statistically speaking, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of deaths related to cancer on both genders in the United States of America. Based from the evidences that were gathered by the researchers, they have found out that this rate has something to do with the increasing rate of adults who are becoming overweight or obese.

The study showed that those who were obese prior to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer have a poorer prognosis than those who are not obese.

Obesity can cause numerous health conditions but experts are still unable to explain its association with specific medical conditions. However, researchers tried to observe the relationship of the body mass index of a person to the development of pancreatic cancer and they found out that being overweight for a long period of time increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Young adults who are obese have an increased risk of having pancreatic cancer at an earlier time compared to those who are not obese but also have other risk factors.

Despite these results, the researchers admit that this study still needs confirmation; but it is apparent that obesity will do no good to the body. Experts suggest that as early as possible, obesity should be prevented. This can be done through proper diet and regular exercise.