Sunday, April 29, 2007

Weight Loss With Acupuncture | Can Acupuncture Help You Lose Weight?

In recent years, more and more people are trying out acupuncture to lose weight. Just what is acupuncture? How can acupuncture treatment help you lose weight?

Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been around for about 5,000 years. It is the practice of inserting very thin needles to stimulate pathways or meridians in the body to treat many illnesses and diseases especially to relieve pain from chronic disorders.

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners or TCM physicians claim that acupuncture can help you to lose body fat by making you feel full and so will eat less. This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patient’s weight loss program.

Acupuncture treatment can also be used to raise your metabolic rate and help you to burn more calories to speed up weight loss. Some Chinese medicine practitioners say that acupuncture stimulates the production of a hormone called endorphins and this hormone helps to lower body fat, insulin and lipid levels in the bloodstream thus less insulin is converted into body fat.

Acupuncture is not a miracle cure for obesity. TCM physicians often stress that to achieve good weight loss results from your program and maintaining your weight, acupuncture treatment alone is not enough. To lose weight effectively and keep the fats off permanently, acupuncture treatment must be combined with healthy eating habits and regular exercises.

Before you begin your acupuncture treatment, your Chinese physician will conduct a medical examination on you by checking your pulse and examination of your tongue to ensure that you are suitable for acupuncture weight loss treatment. This is because TCM is a holistic branch of health care and do not just specifically target the ailment or medical complaint. So an investigation into other reasons why a patient is obese is necessary to solve the problem holistically.

If you want to lose weight naturally and without drugs, why not try TCM acupuncture for your weight loss program?

About the Author:
Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer. His coaches actors, international pageant winners and fashion models. More of his articles at Lose weight and transform your body now and Singapore personal trainers
Article Source: http://www.freearticlesdirectory.com

Saturday, April 28, 2007

How to Lose Weight Without Feeling Hungry, Tired or Deprive

  1. Understand that this is going to take time. You gained weight over a period of time; you must lose it over a period of time. There is no quick solution to losing weight and keeping it off.
  2. Take a week to two weeks to determine your current eating patterns. Figure out how many calories you are eating per day to maintain your current weight. Figure out the ratio between carbohydrates, fat, and protein. For instance, what percentage of your daily intake is carbohydrate? What percent is fat? What percent is protein?
  3. Once you have determined your current eating patterns or your “set point” to maintain your current level of weight, you can begin to manipulate your intake of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat in order to lose weight without feeling deprived.
  4. First, try to limit your calories by only 5%. So, if you need to consume 2500 calories to maintain your current weight, try cutting out only 125 calories per day. You won’t lose weight overnight, but you will lose weight over time and you won’t feel hungry, tired or deprived. This needs to be a lifelong commitment, it has to be something you can do every day for the rest of your life. If you try to starve yourself or cut out too much at once, you will eventually fail to keep the weight off. If you do it gradually, you will have a good chance to stick with it and succeed.
  5. When you get close to your goal weight you may have to do more than just cut out calories. You may need to increase exercise. You may need to increase your percentage of protein and decrease your percentage of carbohydrates.

The HealthFitCounter can help you establish your set point and help you monitor your daily intake of calories, carbs, protein and fat.

About the Author:
Renee Kennedy
Added: Tue Oct 25 2005
To find other free health content see e-healtharticles.com

Friday, April 27, 2007

Eating for Fast Weight Loss: 5 Proven Ways to Look and Feel Great Through Diet

Smart eating is the key to healthy fast weight loss and a better-looking, more energetic body. Here are 5 proven guidelines concerning what and how to eat for fast fat loss results.

Are you interested in fast weight loss, more energy, and a better-looking body? No matter what anyone tries to tell you about losing weight quickly, remember this: what and how you eat is 80% of the solution. Forget the "fat-burning" pills, fitness gadgets, and extreme workouts -- fast, healthy weight loss can only be achieved through "smart" eating.

With that in mind, here are 5 proven diet guidelines for dropping body fat, boosting your energy, and looking great fast:

1. Learn to limit or avoid processed carbs.

Almost anything not found in nature is going to hinder your weight loss progress. To change your body quickly, you really need to focus on eating only natural "good" carbs, such as: fresh or frozen vegetables, fresh fruits, sweet potatoes, lentils, dried beans, oatmeal, whole-grain rice, etc. (Note: Avoid breads and cereals as much as possible -- even whole-grain versions -- when trying to lose weight quickly.)

2. Never let yourself get hungry.

For most people, that means eating a large, healthy breakfast and then eating (or "snacking") every 3 hours throughout the day. Self-discipline and willpower will only take you so far. If you never get hungry you won't need to fight the urge to eat high-fat, high-sugar food as often.

3. Keep healthy food with you at all times.

Consider keeping a small cooler in your car filled with healthy meals and snacks. Good "fat loss friendly" snacks include things like: fresh veggies with low-calorie dip, fresh fruits, raw or roasted nuts and seeds, beef jerky, hard-boiled eggs, low-fat cheeses, olives, lean cold cut meats, etc.

4. Protein is vital.

If fast weight loss is your goal, make protein the "center" of your diet. Try to include some protein in most, if not all, of your meals and snacks. A high-protein diet speeds fat loss by boosting your metabolism and controlling blood sugar and insulin levels. Also, eating protein every few hours will help keep your energy levels stable and minimize hunger cravings. Good protein choices include: poultry, lean beef, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, cottage cheese, and whey protein powder.

5. "Healthy" salads can really help.

To lose weight as quickly as possible, try to eat at least 1 or 2 "healthy" salads per day. A "healthy" salad is one that contains only fresh lettuce, vegetables, fruits, and good fats. Adding meats and cheeses is ok as long as they're of the low-fat variety. Stay away from high-fat and/or high-sugar salad dressings, as well as fatty cheeses and fried or high-fat meats. The best salad dressing for fast weight loss is probably virgin olive oil mixed with apple cider vinegar. Both of these substances are ultra-healthy and may help to boost body fat loss.

About the Author:
Jamie Clark is a health and fitness writer for http://FreshHealthyUseful.com. To learn more about fast, healthy weight loss be sure to sign up for his free report at http://www.LookGreatFast.com today!
Submitted on 2006-11-10
Article Source: http://www.articlesarea.com/