There probably isn’t one part of the body more frustrating than our stomachs.  I mean come on; it’s got to be the hardest place to get definition and tone, yet one of the most noticeable on our entire body.  Just the title of this program is bound to draw attention, “Abs Diet”.  Anyways Men’s Health magazine is doing a major advertising push for the system currently, so I decided to look into it.
This program uses 3 key principles as the basis for their program.  The first two have to do with your diet and the foods you eat; while the final one is an exercise program designed to give you the abs you have always wanted.

Anyways this “diet” rather than focusing on cutting out certain foods, and reducing food intake; actually recommends eating 6 “meals” a day and including “12 Power Foods” as the staple of your diet.
6 meals may seem like a lot however it is very important to eat multiple small meals throughout the day.

This has to do our energy intake and usage; the typical person will eat 2-3 good sized meals throughout the day; the problem is that we end taking in a lot more calories than we will need for several hours, and our bodies don’t know what do with this excess energy; which may actually slow our metabolism.  However by eating smaller meals and snacking in between, allows our body to only just a few extra calories at any one time; this ensures that your metabolism runs at the optimum rate, burning calories and fat.
Several research studies have been cited to support this claim (see below).

“Researchers at Georgia State University developed a technique to measure hourly energy balance — that is, how many calories you’re burning versus how many calories you’re taking in. The researchers found that if you keep your hourly surplus or deficit within 300 to 500 calories at all times, you will best be able to change your body composition by losing fat and adding lean muscle mass. Those subjects with the largest energy imbalances (those who were over 500 calories in either ingestion or expenditure) were the fattest, while those with the most balanced energy levels were the leanest.

So if you eat only your three squares a day, you’re creating terrific imbalances in your energy levels. Between meals, you’re burning many more calories than you’re taking in. At mealtimes, you’re taking in many more than you’re burning. Research shows that this kind of eating plan is great — if your dream is to be the next John Candy. But if you want to look slimmer, feel fitter, and — not coincidentally — live longer, then you need to eat more often. In the same study, subjects who added three snacks a day to three regular meals balanced out their energy better, lost fat, and increased lean body mass (as well as increased their power and endurance).

In a similar study, researchers in Japan found that boxers who ate the same amount of calories a day from either two or six meals both lost an average of 11 pounds in 2 weeks. But the guys who ate six meals a day lost 3 pounds more fat and 3 pounds less muscle than the ones who ate only two meals.” (http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=weight.loss&category=abs.diet&conitem=a72a99edbbbd201099edbbbd2010cfe793cd____)

The Abs Diet promotes their 12 Power Foods, as the key to the success of their system.  These foods are: Almonds and other nuts, Beans and legumes, Spinach and other green vegetables, Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese), Instant oatmeal (unsweetened, unflavored), Eggs, Turkey and other lean meats, Peanut butter, Olive oil, Whole-grain breads and cereals, Extra-protein (whey) powder, Raspberries and other berries.  For more information on the individual ingredients please click here for the full article.

(http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=menshealth&channel=nutrition&category=abs.diet&conitem=b72a99edbbbd201099edbbbd2010cfe793cd____&page=1)

The final part of this three step diet plan is the ever present exercise.  The Abs Diet exercise recommendations follow 3 simple principles, focusing on muscle, Circuit Training, and Compound Exercises.  Focusing on muscles doesn’t necessarily mean that you are looking to be a body builder; but, by creating new muscle your body burns more and more calories allowing you to start getting rid of that extra fat.  Circuit training not only keeps your workouts short but elevates your heart rate and keeps it up Compound exercises are ones that work several muscle groups together, improving the effectiveness of your workout.

So combining this recent research and exercise program with their 12 Power Foods the Abs Diet claims to be able find you the six pack you’ve only dreamed about.  The Abs diet system is built upon solid principles of diet and exercise; however, there really is no need to go out and purchase the system.  Taking the principles discussed you can simply create your own diet using the different foods and ideas discussed within the articles and websites.

Who would have thought that sleeping in might actually help you lose weight!?!?

I always thought that a lack of sleep just meant that I would be tired. However, recent research is showing a direct correlation between how much we sleep and our weight.

In fact, The National Sleep Foundation’s “2008 Sleep in America Poll” found a direct correlation between a person’s BMI and sleep habits. The study showed that people who are considered Obese (BMI: 30+) are more likely to spend less time in bed, and sleep less than 6 hours on workdays, than people considered to be average weight (BMI: 18.5 – 24.9).

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/atf/cf/%7Bf6bf2668-a1b4-4fe8-8d1a-a5d39340d9cb%7D/2008%20POLL%20SOF.PDF

Scientists are currently speculating that this is due to an as yet unproven link between sleep and the endocrine regulation of energy homeostasis. Recent studies have shown that a reduction of sleep decreases the levels of Leptin, and conversely increases Ghrelin levels.

Leptin, is produced by adipose tissue, and signals the brain when we are full (satiety). Ghrelin, on the other hand, produced by the stomach, and pancreas, stimulates our appetites, causing us to eat.

A recent study published in the “Journal of Sleep Research” studied nine healthy normal-weight men on three separate nights with varying amounts sleep (7 hours, 4.5 hours, and then total sleep deprivation). The study found that while Leptin levels were unaffected, Ghrelin levels as well as a general feeling of hunger were elevated with the reduced amounts of sleep. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez)

So there it is the better and more you sleep the better your chances of actually achieving your weight loss goals are. However, be warned just the opposite is true; the more sleep you miss; the greater the chance of those pounds you so painstakingly lost finding their way back. So Early to Bed and Early to Rise, will not only make you healthy wealthy and wise, but has once again been proven true.

For many of us sleeping can be a difficult thing.  Sometimes we can lie in bed for hours trying to fall asleep.  I personally like Ambislim PM as it is both an all-natural sleep aid and a diet pill.

Ambislim PM has been formulated to not only give you an amazing night’s sleep, also some of the best non-stimulant fat-burners have been included to make the most out of your sleep.

Is there such a thing?

So having been an athlete for most of my life I have gone through the ups and downs of various workouts and such trying to find just the right combination of exercises for me. As life has continued to get faster and faster with college and such I have struggled to find the time and motivation to Workout.

However something that seems to be constant if you want to get the most out of your busy schedule is to make sure you push yourself. Success of short workouts entirely depends on you not necessarily doing certain exercises but pushing yourself to the very edge of your limits.

So whatever you decide don’t just do it just to do it, do it to the limit.

I recently read an article entitled “you are not what you eat”. Now this articles main theme seemed to at first be knocking down on all the different diets and such out there. However, it ended up being something entirely unexpected. It was a very understanding look at why some people lose weight easily and others just can’t seem to shed even the fewest pounds.

The first thing the author did was point just how many different genes we know about that can have one effect or another on weight loss. So with the literally hundreds of different genetic combinations possible there isn’t just one diet/diet pill that will help everyone lose weight.

Another gem I discovered was that “dieting doesn’t work. Now what I mean by that is these temporary diet changes that we make don’t ever produce lasting results. The reason for this is that these fad diets are designed to shed weight, but once it’s gone you go back to the same old routine that added those extra pounds in the first place.

So the take away lesson in this is not to despair if your neighbor’s miracle diet doesn’t work for you. Or maybe your best buddy eats whatever he wants and doesn’t gain an ounce but you cheat just once it’s immediately visible. So stick with it and keep in mind that it isn’t hopeless it just might take more work that the person next door.