The 3 Most Common Intermittent Fasting Mistakes

Intermittent fasting is an effective way to improve digestion, lose weight, and gain lean muscle, but there are three mistakes that many people run into when trying to get results with intermittent fasting:

The High-Fat Diet: Lose Weight Fast Without Feeling Hungry

Want to lose ten pounds in two weeks and never feel hungry? Eat plenty of FAT and exercise for just 12 minutes a day, says nutritionist and personal trainer Zana Morris.

Are you desperate to lose weight but constantly hungry when dieting?

Does the thought of going to the gym fill you with dread?

A new diet promises to avoid all of this – while allowing you to eat foods traditionally banned on weight loss plans.

Called The High Fat Diet, it claims to facilitate up to 10lb of weight loss in just 14 days. Read more

6 Reasons Why You Can't Out-Exercise a Bad Diet

The belief that if you can eat and drink as much and whatever you want if you exercise enough is still popular, but here are six reasons why it isn't true.

Sure, you could eat whatever you wanted in high school and stay thin as a rail. But unfortunately you’re not 17 anymore, and even if you work out ‘round the clock, you can’t transform your body if you constantly give in to cravings, high-fat foods, and sweet treats. The truth is, flat abs are made in the kitchen and no amount of cardio and crunches can sculpt a sleek physique if you maintain an unhealthy diet. Read more

Are You Eating Enough Protein?

Liz Bennett says that not eating enough protein cn sabotage your weight loss results.

A common misconception about weight loss is “eat less, lose faster”. This belief might lead you to make drastic (and potentially dangerous) changes in your diet…changes that can actually backfire and sabotage your weight loss efforts. Read more

The Aztec Seed That Can Help You Lose Weight

Chia seeds are high in nutrients, low ub calories, and hitting the mainstream.

Just a year ago, you would only have found chia seeds in health food stores, but the tiny, super-healthy seeds have gone mainstream — and can now be found in virtually every supermarket. Read more

Why Diet Soda Causes Weight Gain

If you're trying to lose weight or prevent diabetes, drinking diet drinks may sabotage your efforts.

People who drink diet sodas over regular sodas are more likely to be overweight or obese, but scientists weren't sure why. The theories fell into two camps: one, something inherent to artificial sweeteners causes weight gain or two, diet sodas imply a diet and heavy people are more likely to be on one.

While we can't discount either quite yet, put down one more point for the first theory. A new study from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel reveals that artificial sweeteners may have a deleterious effect on our gut bacteria. Read more

Low-Carb Diets Beat Low-Fat for Weight Loss: Study

A new study has found that low-carb diets not only beat low-fat diets for weight loss, but contrary to the researchers' expectations, are  also better for lowering the risk of heart disease.

A low-carbohydrate diet is better for losing weight and may also be better for lowering the risk of heart disease than a low-fat diet, according to a new study.

While low-carb diets have outperformed other diets when it comes to weight loss, some researchers feared they might be worse for heart health because they tend to be high in fat.

The new study shows that with proper nutritional counseling, people can lose more weight and lower their risk factors for heart disease on a low-carbohydrate diet, said the lead author, Dr. Lydia Bazzano of Tulane University in New Orleans. Read more

How to Eat Man Food and Lose Weight

If you need to shed a few pounds (or more), but dread the thought of "dieting,"  Justin Hastings reveals how to eat man food and still lose weight.

When you hear the word “diet” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

If you’re like most men, you probably think about tiny portions of bland, boring diet foods. A small chicken breast with some steamed broccoli. Plain oatmeal. Cottage cheese. And, of course, salad. Lots and lots of salad. Read more

2 Big Meals Daily Better Than 6 Small Meals

Two hearty meals each day are better for you than six small meals: Eating a big breakfast and lunch helps control weight and blood sugar levels.

Struggling to lose that spare tyre around your waist? Tuck in, say scientists.

A big breakfast and a large lunch is better at controlling weight and blood sugar levels than six small meals a day, researchers claim.

A study found that two hearty meals rather than constant snacking is best for people with type 2 diabetes – but could also benefit anyone trying to slim. Read more

Want to Lose Weight Without Going Hungry? DON'T Snack

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Snacking between meals leads to increased abdominal fat storage, but eating larger portions at mealtimes does not, the researchers say.

Snacking is worse for your health than three big meals a day, warn researchers.

They found snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods increased abdominal fat and fatty liver, but eating larger portions did not. Read more

11 Ways to Kick-Start Your Metabolism for Weight Loss

Trying to lose weight for summer Christina Sarich reveals eleven ways to naturally boost your metabolism for weight loss.

Winter time is one of the worst times to try to keep fit since we tend to travel, bundle up indoors to stay out of the cold weather, and over-eat, but there are some natural ways you can kick-start your metabolism to lose weight and achieve a fit body. Many of the herbs and natural remedies below are also great for your overall health, so why not add them to your list, today?

Here are 11 ways to naturally boost your metabolism. Read more

The Best Times to Eat Meals for Weight Loss

A new study reveals the best times to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you want to lose weight - and you need to make sure you're up by 7am.

All slimmers want to maximise their potential weight loss by eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones.

According to research, however, the key to success lies in the timing of meals.

A survey has pinpointed the best times to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner if you want to shed as many pounds as possible. Read more

Ketogenic Diet Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Numerous Aging Markers

The ketogenic diet can turn you into a fat-burning machine and slow aging to a crawl, says Joseph Mercola.

We are just beginning to understand the biological intricacies of aging. A growing body of research is challenging the belief that aging is beyond your control, prompting scientists to begin thinking about ways we can slow our aging clocks to a slow crawl.

Although this is a relatively new branch of science, there are some factors that appear to be key in controlling how quickly you age. One major factor seems to be insulin signaling and the metabolic “engines” you have running day to day, which are largely controlled by the foods you eat. Read more

Getting Fit? It Only Takes a Minute

High-intensity interval training is not only effective and time-efficient, it's also less boring than traditional workouts.

There was an odd thing happening in the Equinox Gym, the newly opened temple of fitness that occupies part of what was once the Biba building on Kensington High Street.

Alongside the honed and toned hard bodies pounding the exercise machines, in among the glistening biceps lifting weights only marginally less substantial than a new Routemaster bus, a sudden reversal of evolution appeared to be taking place. The several million years it took for man to walk on two feet had, in less than an hour, been wiped out. After no more than 45 minutes in the place, I was no longer capable of standing upright and was reduced to crawling about on my hands and knees.

That is what happens when you engage with the latest fitness craze to arrive here from the United States: you feel it to the point where you end up barely able to stand. But the temporary return to primitive perambulation is worth it, or so its advocates insist. The rewards are substantial. Read more

Top 5 Supplements to Supercharge Fat Burning

Eating less and exercising is the only way to lose weight, but these five nutritional supplements can boost the fat-burning process. 

Getting rid of body fat can be a long process. You might be eating right and exercise, but the body fat is just not coming off quickly enough.

As we get older, our metabolism slows down, which makes it harder to convert fat into energy. One key to lowering your body fat by boosting the rate at which your body burns calories is to use metabolism boosting supplements. One of the following supplements may even encourage your body to favor fat as your energy source.

I use all the supplements below to achieve optimal fat loss. As usual, please consult a holistic or sports nutritionist or doctor before making major changes to your diet. Read more

Weight Loss: 8 Practical Steps

Margaret outlines eight practical steps - no diet pills or magic solutions - for weight loss.

Reducing or losing weight is a topic I get a lot of questions about. Many of you already know that I don’t believe in diet pills or magic solutions that simply melt off excess weight without proper changes in diet and exercise.

That being said, let’s talk about weight loss. As we age our metabolism begins to slow and it becomes harder to take off that extra weight. What I notice in particular is that our habits become more ingrained and we get busier so that we don’t have the time to do what we know makes us lose weight. Here are some steps that will help. Read more

Intermittent Fasting: for Fat Loss, Muscle Gain and Health

Most of us in the modern world sit down for three - or more - meals a day every day. We take regular meals for granted, and sometimes act as if missing a meal will lead to dire consequences. But did you ever stop to consider whether this is how humans are really meant to eat? Considering how many health problems many people have related to eating too much food - obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease to name a few - it may be time to re-think our dietary habits.

Humans lived for many thousands of years as hunter-gatherers. Their food supply fluctuated according to the availability of game and what plants were in season. They simply weren't able to eat three square meals a day every day. Yet, many hunter-gatherer societies were tall, with strong bones and teeth, and lived long, healthy lives if they weren't killed in accidents or natural disasters.

It may be that missing a meal once in a while is natural and good for us. Intermittent fasting is an eating style that tries to apply that idea for better health and longevity. Caloric restriction is the only scientifically proven way to extend life. Many people, however, find that reducing the size of their meals difficult. Most people discover that just skipping a meal or two altogether is actually easier, which is what intermittent fasting involves.

Here are a few of the health benefits of intermittent fasting that scientific studies have found:

• Reduces excess weight
• Lowers diabetes risk
• Decreases cardiovascular disease risk factors.
• Improves mental function
• Protects against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
• Cuts cancer risk

Intermittent fasting can be done many different ways since all it really means is skipping a meal or two occasionally, but here are three popular methods:

One method is to do a 24-hour fast once or twice a week. That does not mean not eating for a whole day. It means not eating until 24 hours after your last meal - in other words skipping breakfast and lunch the next day. For example, if you finished dinner at 7 pm, and the next day was a fasting day, you wouldn't eat again until 7 pm the next day. This method was popularized by Brad Pilon in his book Eat Stop Eat.

Another method is to cut back to two meals a day, usually by skipping breakfast. Many people do this anyway, either because they're not hungry, or they don't have time. Many people find that skipping breakast and then having two good meals later in the day allows them to restrict calories without feeling deprived. Mike O'Donnell recommends this method in the 2 Meal Solution.

The newest method is almost not a fast at all. A method called the 5:2 diet recommends just cutting your calories on two days out of the week. Users of this method gain most of the benefits of other types of intermittent fasting, including cutting their cancer risk, with this 5:2 method of calorie restriction.

In all of the above methods, you can eat normally on your non-fasting days. This is what makes intermittent fasting easier for most people than dieting. They don't feel constantly deprived because once the fasting day is over, they can eat what they want.

As healthful as intermittent fasting is for most people, it isn't for everyone. Children under 18 should not fast, nor should diabetics, nor pregnant or lactating women. If you have any doubts, of course, check with a doctor. With those exceptions, intermittent fasting is a health practice that seems to improve the health of just about everyone, not just those who need to lose weight.

Don't Become a Processed Carb Addict

Brain imaging study confirms the addictive nature of carb-rich processed food, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola.

A staggering two-thirds of Americans are now overweight, and one in four are either diabetic or pre-diabetic.

Carb-rich processed foods are a primary driver of these statistics, and while many blame Americans’ overindulgence of processed junk foods on lack of self-control, scientists are now starting to reveal the truly addictive nature of such foods. Read more

Do You Have Difficulty Losing Weight?

Christina Sarich lists eleven foods that cleanse your body’s fat and toxin processor, the liver.

The liver is essential for so many things, but most importantly, it is one of the most vital internal organ to support weight loss and help us to detox from the millions of poisons in our air, water, and soil. Without the liver, and bile produced by the organ, we simply couldn’t lose weight, no matter how much we exercised or ate sensibly. This is because the liver helps to create and process special enzymes called lipase that digest fats – and guess where most of the toxins in our bodies are stored when they aren’t running through our bloodstream – you guessed it – in our fat! It is essential to include detoxifying foods every single day to naturally have a liver cleanse diet. Read more

Is Your Workout Making You Fat?

It's time to rethink the traditional gym routine and learn the new rules of fitness.

You log countless hours in the gym, following a traditional routine that dutifully alternates between strength and cardio, but you still can't achieve the kind of arm definition you see in the magazines. And why are those love handles still there? If this sounds familiar, then you're about to discover why your workout isn't nearly as effective as you think. For years experts have maintained that heavy lifting and cardio are the keys to building muscle and blasting fat, but the latest exercise science is turning conventional wisdom on its head. It's time to learn the new rules of fitness. Read more