Category Archives: Lose Weight Fast

From dealing with the cravings of comfort food to battling the ice-cold wind as you head out for work, winter can be a difficult time for a lot of people. The sun no longer greets you in the morning and the darkness looms in as early as 4 in the afternoon.

Hence, for most of us, the winter season is all about getting the bare essentials done and heading back to the comfort of cosy bed and blanket as soon as possible. As the temperature drops, it becomes harder and harder to go outdoors, let alone working out and making healthy food choices.

If you too find it increasingly difficult to be active and stay on the path of fitness during the winter season, be rest assured that you are not alone. Winter weight is a REAL thing and we tell you the four most common reasons for the same.

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Weight loss: Why is it harder to lose weight in winter? We tell you the truth - Times of India

With new fad diets making waves in the weight loss space, its quite normal for us to start following them randomly. But no fancy diet can be your answer to those stubborn extra kilos. There is no magic potion for weight loss. The key to a successful battle against the bulge is eating mindfully. Consistently. Yes, consistency is crucial here. In order to make sure that you are able to follow a healthy diet regularly, it needs to be customised to your taste buds. One way of accomplishing this is including healthy version of the foods you love in your meal plan. Adding soups to your diet can be a good weight loss strategy, suggest experts and research. This is because they are healthy and nutritious.

According to some estimates, having a low-calorie-dense soup makes you feel full in lesser number of calories. This definitely helps you in your battle against the bulge. not only enhances satiety but also reduces the need for additional energy intake, thereby aiding in weight loss. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that starting your lunch or dinner with soup led to weight reduction of 3.8 kgs in 10 weeks on an average.

Having soups filled with fibrous veggies makes you eat less during your lunch or dinner, bringing down your calorie intake. Experts also suggest that including soups in your diet also reduces the risk of health conditions that make it difficult for you to lose weight. If you want to lose a lot of weight, replacing your dinner with a bowl of soup may also help. However, consult a nutritionist before taking any such move.

Vegetable soups can bolster your weight loss mission. They are loaded with essential nutrients like vitamins, fibre, minerals, etc. Here are a few yummy and healthy options for you to try.

This hot and quick liquid meal is not only healthy, its yummy too that makes you full in fewer calories. Thats how you are able to shed hose extra kilos.

1 bunch spinach leaves1 tsp olive oil4-5 black peppercorns teaspoon jeera1 medium-size onion1 piece ginger3 garlic cloves100g paneer1 tbsp lemon juiceSalt to taste

Blanch the spinach leaves in warm water. Drain the hot water and dip them in cold water.

Heat the oil in a pan, adding cumin seeds and peppercorns to it.

Fry till they start to change colour. Add the onions and saut.

Add ginger and garlic and saut till they turn golden.

Take a cup of water to puree the spinach leaves.

Dunk cubed paneer and add lemon juice.

Add salt to taste.

Serve hot.

We all know that almond, like other nuts is a brain booster. However, there are reams of research that have proven the weight loss benefits of this nut as well. So, heres a lip-smacking almond soup recipe for you that will keep you warm and melt your fat.

15 to 20 almonds (badam)3 cups white stock2 tbsp butter1 tbsp plain flour (maida)3/4 cup milk2 drops almond essence2 tbsp fresh creamSalt and freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch)to taste

For Garnishing2 tbsp roasted almond (badam) slivers

Soak almonds in warm water for 10 minutes. Peel off the skin and blend in a mixer using 2 tbsp of water until smooth. Keep the paste aside. Heat butter in a deep non-stick pan, add plain flour to it and mix well. Cook on a medium flame for 30 seconds. Pour white stock, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure that you keep stirring it continuously. Now, blend milk, almond paste, almond essence, fresh cream, salt and pepper to it. Mix it well and cook on a medium flame for 4 minutes while stirring occasionally. Garnish with roasted almond slivers. Serve hot.

This is one of the easiest soups that you can whip up this winter. Garlic helps you fight obesity by boosting metabolism and suppressing hunger.

2 tsp finely chopped garlic1 cup chopped and boiled mixed vegetables (French beans, carrots, green peas and cauliflower)1 tsp oil1/4 cup finely chopped onions2 tbsp cooking rolled oats2 tbsp chopped coriander(dhania)Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pour oil in a non-stick pan, heat it and add garlic and onion to it. Saute them on a medium flame for about 2 minutes.Add all the veggies, 3 cups of water, salt and pepper to the pan. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring continuously.

Now, add the oats and coriander. Simmer on a medium flame for another 1 minute.

Serve hot.

Published : December 27, 2019 5:55 pm | Updated:December 27, 2019 5:59 pm

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Are you on a weight loss mission? Whip up these soups this winter - TheHealthSite

We're frequently told that the key to weight loss is simple - just eat less and move more. Yet with obesity rates as they are, it's clear that for many people, it's really not that simple at all.

There is, of course, another option for those who are seriously obese or overweight and conservative methods alone haven't worked - and that's weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric or metabolic surgery.

This type of surgery is available on the NHS, for people who meet certain medical and weight criteria, but it's also available privately, at a cost of around 4,000-8,000.

But why is surgery sometimes deemed necessary, and what does it involve? Here, metabolic surgery pioneer Professor Francesco Rubino, lead of The London Bridge Hospital Metabolic and Bariatric Centre, part of HCA Healthcare UK (hcahealthcare.co.uk), and chair of bariatric and metabolic surgery at King's College London, shares his views...

Why can it be so hard for some people to lose weight and keep it off?

"Severe obesity is a disease, not a lifestyle choice. Research shows that when we lose weight by diet, our body reacts by activating mechanisms that defend against that. In fact, hunger-stimulating hormones typically increase after diet-induced weight loss and our body also tends to reduce the amount of energy it utilises, making it difficult to maintain weight loss in the long-term," says Rubino.

"These effects are not under control of our willpower and are ingrained in our biology. This explains why people who try diets almost invariably regain weight at some point. This isn't necessarily a lack of self-discipline, or a person's fault, as most people think, but the result of the way our biology works, defending a set, narrow range for body weight. In people with severe obesity, this set point is too high but the mechanisms that normally defend against weight loss are still working and powerful, thus frustrating voluntary efforts to lose weight by eating less and exercising more."

What is weight loss surgery?

There are different variations of weight loss surgery. The two most common are gastric bypass surgery, which divides the stomach into two smaller pouches and re-routes the small intestine, and sleeve gastrectomy surgery, a procedure that removes part of the stomach and shapes it as a tube or 'sleeve'.

"They were originally designed to reduce the size of the stomach but they actually change the physiologic mechanisms that regulate appetite, satiety and sugar metabolism," Rubino explains. "There isn't a single procedure that fits everyone's needs. Different procedures have different actions, which may result in different potential to improve metabolic conditions associated with obesity, beyond weight loss," he adds. "Hence, the choice of procedure needs to be thoroughly discussed with a specialist and must be tailored to the individual patient's need."

Why is weight loss surgery so effective?

"In the 1950s, when bariatric surgery was first introduced, understanding of the functions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract was quite rudimental - it was considered a mere digestive organ. So it made logical sense to think that by physically limiting the size of the stomach, or bypassing large portions of the intestine, one would be able to reduce the amount of food you can eat or the calories the body can absorb. Research over the last two decades, however, has shown this isn't true," Rubino explains.

"The GI tract is a complex, sophisticated endocrine and metabolic organ, something akin to a computer - some call it the 'second brain' - that receives input from the food we eat and sends signals to other organs to regulate body weight as well as sugar metabolism. Signals from the gut can inform the brain about calorie intake and accordingly regulate hunger and satiety. Other signals reach the liver and pancreas, where they can influence the production or action of insulin.

"This explains why gastrointestinal - bariatric/metabolic - surgery is so effective in inducing and maintaining weight loss, and also why it can dramatically improve other metabolic diseases, especially type 2 diabetes. Research has clearly shown bariatric surgery reduces or abolishes the very mechanisms that normally resist weight loss. In fact, the changes in hunger and satiety hormones that follow bariatric surgery are exactly opposite to those elicited by dietary interventions."

Is metabolic surgery really just a lazy way of losing weight?

"Some argue that diet and exercise, rather than expensive surgery, should be used to treat diabetes or severe obesity. This idea is both ill-conceived and ill-informed. In fact, there's definitive evidence that where surgery is indicated by current guidelines, lifestyle interventions alone are no longer sufficient to achieve adequate disease control," says Rubino. "On the other hand, in people with mere overweight or mild, uncomplicated obesity (BMI under 35 without other metabolic disease), surgery isn't indicated and isn't a replacement for a healthy lifestyle, which can still be effective in preventing progression towards more severe obesity.

"Hence, suggesting lifestyle interventions and not surgery should be the way to treat severe obesity is at odds with both scientific evidence and logic. Suggesting use of only lifestyle interventions in people with severe obesity (a full-blown disease) is tantamount to suggesting one should use lifestyle changes instead of surgery or chemotherapy to treat cancer."

Who can have the surgery?

There's a range of criteria for having weight loss surgery on the NHS. These include having a BMI of over 40, or having a BMI of 35-40 if you've already developed health complications that may improve with weight loss. Patients will need to be committed to long-term healthy changes after the surgery too.

"Recent clinical trials have shown that in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, metabolic surgery is more effective than any other available therapy," says Rubino. "Currently, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and international guidelines recommend metabolic surgery be considered to treat type 2 diabetes patients and those with a BMI of 30 or over. However, only 0.2% or less of eligible patients have access to such surgery."

Who shouldn't have the surgery?

A number of factors can deem people unsuitable for surgery too, including: "People who don't suffer from severe obesity or its complications. Bariatric surgery is generally safe but this doesn't mean it's an appropriate or proportionate approach to deal with less severe overweight levels, where lifestyle changes have been shown to prevent progression toward severe obesity or diabetes in many patients," says Rubino.

"Also, people who are candidates for surgery but would be unsafe to operate on. Though bariatric surgery is less life-threatening than obesity or diabetes, it's still major surgery and requires general anaesthesia," he adds. "And people with conditions that can undermine compliance with nutritional supplementation. Bariatric surgery can alter the absorption of certain vitamins and micronutrients, so patients need to rigorously take nutrient supplements, lifelong."

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What is weight-loss surgery and when do you need it? - Wales Online

Our Lady of the Lakes surgical weight loss program was named a Comprehensive Center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Our Lady of the Lake has held this accreditation since 2010. Accreditation verifies that the program at Our Lady of the Lake meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care, according to a news release.

In addition to the program reaccreditation, Dr. Mark Hausmann and Dr. Brent Allain with Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge were also designated as verified surgeons by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.

Receiving this accreditation demonstrates our commitment to providing our patients with the most innovative weight loss surgery options along with compassionate, personalized care and comprehensive support services, said Dr. Mark Hausmann, medical director of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Service at Our Lady of the Lake. Our Lady of the Lakes skilled team provides patients with the surgical services needed to help them achieve their weight loss goals and maintain them long-term.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 93 million adults in the United States are affected by obesity and that number continues to increase. The disease of obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions that are commonly associated with it, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, among other health risks, the release said.

To learn more about weight loss services at Our Lady of the Lake, visit ololrmc.com/weightloss.

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Our Lady of the Lake receives national accreditation for weight loss program - The Advocate

For all those people who cant make it through their day without multiple cups of coffee, a new study suggests that the extra caffeine could help with weight loss.

The study from University of Illinois scientists analyzed the impact of caffeine on rats.

Over the course of four weeks, rats were given caffeine extracted from mate tea, synthetic caffeine or coffee. The rats ate a diet that contained of 40% fat, 45% carbohydrate and 15% protein and had caffeine equivalent to four cups of coffee.

According to the findings, the rats gained 16% less weight and accumulated 22% less body fat than decaffeinated alternatives.

The authors of the study wrote that the findings suggests that caffeine may offset some of the negative effects of an obesogenic diet by reducing the storage of lipids in fat cells and limiting weight gain and the production of triglycerides.

Considering the findings, mate tea and caffeine can be considered anti-obesity agents, said Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia, a co-author of the study and director of the division of nutritional sciences at the University of Illinois. The results of this research could be scaled to humans to understand the roles of mate tea and caffeine as potential strategies to prevent overweight and obesity, as well as the subsequent metabolic disorders associated with these conditions.

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Four cups of coffee a day may help weight loss, according to study from University of Illinois scientists - MassLive.com

The evidence just keeps growing in favor of intermittent fasting and not just for weight loss.

Studies and clinical trials have shown the eating regimen has broad-spectrum benefits for health problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and neurologic disorders, researchers wrote in a new review of research in humans and animals.

The paper was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The powerful health effects appear to come from the body flipping a metabolic switch during fasting or shifting away from using sugar as its main source of energy and instead converting fat for fuel when a persons stomach is empty.

But most people still eat all throughout the day and miss out on the health benefits, said lead author Mark Mattson, adjunct professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The evidence is accumulating that this metabolic switch triggers a lot of signaling pathways in cells and various organs that improve their stress resistance and resilience, Mattson, who has been practicing intermittent fasting for 30 years, told TODAY.

If you eat three meals a day plus snacks spaced out you may never have that metabolic switch occurring.

Many patients ask their doctors about intermittent fasting, but the physicians themselves are often not up on the science, which has rapidly progressed, he added. Medical schools still arent teaching future doctors about the benefits, but Mattson is hopeful that will change with time.

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When a person depletes his or her sugar energy stores during fasting, fats are released from fat cells and converted to ketone bodies by the liver.

Ketone bodies arent just an energy source, but also have a potent signaling function. The body responds by activating certain pathways that boost beneficial processes like autophagy, a mechanism that helps to regenerate cells. These pathways are untapped or suppressed in people who overeat and are sedentary, the review noted.

When a person switches between a fed and fasted state, it stimulates responses that boost mental and physical performance, plus disease resistance, the authors wrote.

Were adapted through millions of years of evolution to respond to reduced food availability in ways that one, enable us to get food, but two, increase our ability to resist various types of environmental stress, Mattson said.

Studies in humans show intermittent-fasting helps reduce obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and inflammation. It can improve verbal memory, executive function and global cognition in adults with mild cognitive impairment.

No studies have yet determined whether intermittent fasting affects cancer recurrence in humans, but research in animals has shown it reduces the number of spontaneous tumors during aging.

The weight-loss factor is also a major draw: Intermittent fasting can help people slim down without having to count calories, so psychologically it seems a little easier, Mattson said.

There are three most-widely studied types of intermittent fasting:

A lot of people who try to switch to intermittent fasting dont realize it takes a while to adapt, Mattson noted. They may experience hunger and irritability at first, but those side effects usually disappear within a month.

Ease into it, the review advised. For daily time-restricted feeding, start with an eating window of 12 hours, then gradually reduce it to ten, eight or even six hours over several months.

For the 5:2 plan, start by eating about 1,000 calories one day a week for the first month, then try it for two days a week for the second month. Limit those two fasting days to 750 calories each for the third month and, ultimately, 500 calories for the fourth month.

Always check with your doctor and a nutritionist before starting an intermittent fasting regimen.

Companies are now working on a wrist device that would let people monitor their ketones and know in real time whether the metabolic switch has occurred, Mattson said. Once people try intermittent fasting, many see a host of benefits and never go back to three meals a day just like him.

A lot of people I know have tried it and like it and have stuck with it, he noted.

A. Pawlowski is a TODAY contributing editor focusing on health news and features. Previously, she was a writer, producer and editor at CNN.

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Is intermittent fasting good for you? Regimen boosts weight loss, disease resistance - TODAY

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) On the day after Christmas, many are feeling stuffed with some even thinking about diet resolutions for the new year. New research surfaced Thursday on a diet thats growing in popularity that has people abstaining from food for extended periods of time.

Its called intermittent fasting. Theres now more evidence that it can help not just weight loss but has benefits that include lower cholesterol and reduced stress.

So people might be thinking about trading holiday feasting for fasting.

Intermittent fasting diets see people stop eating for extended periods of time that triggers metabolic switching, where cells use up their fuel stores and convert fat to energy flipping a switch from fat-storing to fat being used for fuel.

The diets are growing in popularity. Google searches for them have quadrupled in the past three years.

I was 360 pounds, Donate Franklin said.

Franklin, a fitness trainer, credits a lot of his weight loss to intermittent fasting and careful food choices.

I have peanuts in a shell. I have some quinoa made quinoa with beans, theres some sausage, cilantro, tomatoes, green onions, Franklin said.

There are two basic intermittent fasting diets:

One, only eating during a six-hour period and fasting for 18 on a daily basis.

Second, weekly fasting, eating on two days and fasting for five.

There doesnt seem to be any negative impact on the short burst of fasting, UNMC College of Public Health Dr. Paul Estabrooks said.

Intermittent fasting has been shown to help with weight loss and improve conditions like diabetes and heart disease and even boost memory and brain functioning.

But research has shown many people cant sustain fasting diets because theyre hungry and irritable common side effects that usually pass after a few weeks.

Another issue with fasting diets is, in the periods when people are allowed to eat they tend to go overboard because theyre so hungry.

An important note you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet.

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Study: Intermittent Fasting Appears To Have Many Health Benefits, Also Helps With Weight Loss - CBS Philly

by: Nancy Dell, Registered Dietitian

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) You would think the more exercise you do, the more calories you burn, and the more weight you would lose. But this may not be the case.

Studies show, couch potatoes need to move to lose weight. However, if you are already very active, increasing your exercise may not increase the calories you burn all day.

Researchers from City University of New York followed over 300 people for a week. They measured how much activity they did and how many calories they burned for the day. They found that people who did little activity saw some increase in the calories they burned all day when they increased their exercise.

However, people who were already really active did not burn more calories for the day when they increased their exercise. Somehow the body adapts when you do too much exercise so you do not burn extra calories.

More research is needed to find what level of exercise is just enough to burn calories and lose weight efficiently without wasting your time doing too much.

But at this point researchers say aim for an hour of exercise or a 2 mile walk a day. If you are trying to lose weight, you also need to adjust your diet.

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Food for Thought: Exercise and weight loss - WWLP.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A local doctor has gained weight intentionally in order to inspire others to lose weight in the new year.

Jeff Cremonte, a doctor of physical therapy, started the Facebook group Drop with Doc. This is the online community where Cremonte and others will go on a weight loss journey starting Jan. 1.

Cremonte, a normally active and healthy person, wanted to show people the process of losing weight and all the components that go into weight loss and improving ones lifestyle overall.

He said many patients who want, or need, to lose weight get the diet and exercise lecture from their doctor, who is typically a very healthy, active person that isnt going through a similar lifestyle change.

I decided I wanted to do something to address that dissonance between the average health care provider and the patient, Cremonte said.

I think sometimes as a healthcare professional, we can kind of be up on a pedestal and its hard to get the patient to directly buy in.

While hes fit and healthy now, Cremonte was overweight as a child and young adult and went through his own weight loss journey when he went to college and started studying health and medicine.

Cremonte, of Grand Rapids, has a bachelors of clinical exercise science from Grand Valley State University and a doctorate degree in physical therapy from Duke University.

A lot of other providers who are maybe currently really fit or maybe have never struggled with weight loss or gain, they dont really understand the real-life difficulties that people that are actually overweight have to go through, Cremonte said.

Over the past three months, Cremonte has changed up his diet and exercise habits significantly and has now gained approximately 22 pounds. Before, he was eating nutritious, low calorie foods and working out four to five times a week.

Now, hes eating more calorie-dense foods on an unregulated schedule and works out two to three times a week. He said hes had to force himself to eat more than usual and consistently feels uncomfortable.

The 26-year-old doctor stands at 5 feet 10 inches and currently weights 187 pounds, up from his former weight of 165 pounds.

I just feel fatigued all the time, my joints hurt more, I get out of breath quicker, a lot of stomach discomfort, my feet hurt, Cremonte said. What I did was definitely unhealthy. I was so confident in what Drop with Doc has to offer people that I was willing to put my body on the line.

Those who join the Facebook group will start to see Cremontes posts beginning Jan. 1. He said the first phase of the program will be setting a behavioral goal.

We cant always control how much weight falls off our body, Cremonte said.

We can control our habits, our behaviors, our actions that will eventually get us the results that we want. So, for example, right now Im eating terribly, Im not exercising and so for my goals over the next couple months I want to start going to the gym more.

Over the course of the next several months, the Facebook group members will be educated on advertising schemes, meal tracking, goal setting, nutrition and more.

They will also have access to Cremonte, who provides individualized, preventative healthcare through his business, Leap Health. The online program runs through Memorial Day, May 27.

Cremonte wants to lose a pound a week or one and a half pounds every two weeks until he loses the 22 pounds. He said that measurement is a healthy way to lose weight over time, but he tries to not have his clients focus on numbers as much as habits over time.

My body, right now, is addicted to this kind of unhealthy lifestyle, Cremonte said. Our bodies have this defense mechanism where it wants to maintain the current, so its going to be a lot of work.

Many people are already in this state and thats exactly the reason why Cremonte chose to intentionally change his lifestyle, so he could go through the ups and downs alongside his clients. Because of it all being online, the Facebook group will allow Cremonte to reach an even wider audience.

More than 70 people had joined the Facebook group as of Friday, Dec. 20.

What a productive use of time, Cremonte said. Now I can help hundreds of thousands of people all at the same time. What an incredible use of technology.

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Doctor intentionally gains 22 lbs to lose it with weight loss group - mlive.com

The "Rolling in the Deep" singer posted to her Instagram a few festive photos from a Christmas party, but the Grinch friend she posed with was hardly the focus of attention. Fans were quick to point out Adele's considerable weight loss, which she flaunted in a silky Reformation gown. She looked stunning, but the massive reaction raised an issue with how modern society generally responds to weight loss.

There's a lot of concerning implications that can arise with complimenting someone for losing weight, whether directed at a celebrity or a member of your family. First, this reinforces the stereotype that thinner people are inherently more desirable and attractive. There's the false implication that losing weight is synonymous with good health, as well as infinite ways to become thinner dangerously: eating disorders, substance abuse, and dangerous fad diets among them. Praising someone for losing weight, however well-intended, propagates fat shame and implies that individuals are worth most at their thinnest.

Adele has spent her entire career championing plus-size (but actually average-size) women. Before eventually singing to XL, she reportedly had a strict policy for her potential record labels: Under no circumstances would she be encouraged to lose weight. But of course, that hadn't made her immune to negative comments on her body. In 2012, Karl Lagerfeld called the singer "a little too fat." "I've never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines," Adele responded. "I represent the majority of women and I'm very proud of that."

No matter her size, Adele remains one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Let's leave weight out of the conversation.

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Adele and the Dangers of Praising Weight Loss - Popdust