Fatso to Muscles

You seen them advertise on bill-boards, afternoon television commercials, and celebrity gossip magazines. They seem to be making tens of millions or even hundreds of million a year by selling their product to desperate consumers that want to lose weight. Yes, I’m talking about weight loss supplements or to be more specific, weight loss pills, so the question is: does it work?

After work, you drive home and passed a few bill-boards along the way. It’s a little over 4 P.M. when you get home, and you turn on the television to see what’s new, but instead, the first thing you saw was a late afternoon commercial about a product that you’ve seen a thousand times. You turn off the television and pick up a celebrity gossip magazine that your girl friend left a few days ago. You start flipping through the pages and yet again you seen this familiar product.

If not millions of people, hundreds of thousands, buy weight loss supplements for the simple fact that they want to lose weight…the fastest and easiest way possible. The advertisements on bill-board, televisions, and magazines claim how their tested products work and it can also work for you too.

Look, it’s not a secret that we want to look go, but sometimes we sacrifice our health just to lose some weight is just dumb. I have to admit; I have bought weight loss pills before, and have used many different brands, and the result was still the same as it had been before.

Two things that I’ve notice when I was on one of the products: The first was, when I had used their product, during my dosage, I felt my heart racing like never before, especially during my exercises. I had been a little concern because I had heard some negative things about using Ephedra, but I didn’t seem to worry that much at the time. And during that time, Ephedra wasn’t illegal yet.

The second was, I worked out during the evenings, and so I would take it around 6-7 P.M. I had taken the recommended dosage that the label provided and I had never had a good night sleep. I was usually tossing and turning in my bed most of the time until 4 or 5 A.M. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t fall asleep. So I had to dump the whole bottle of pill because those were the negative things that I had experienced.

However, even though I had those negative experiences, I have to admit that I did lose some weight during a course of a few weeks that I had been on it. But after a few months, the weight that I had previously lost had came back.

There are not short cuts in losing weight permanently except for surgery. But even after surgery, the persons’ body will never be as conditioned and healthy as the same person that exercised to his or her weight loss.

In the end, weight loss pills may help us to lose some weight but will never give us permanent results unless we take the supplements for rest of their lives. And don’t forget, the side effect that contributes to taking weight loss pills far exceeds the benefits of losing weight

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When I turn on the television these days, I see that there are more and more weight lose products. I don’t watch T.V. that much anymore, but when I do, there seems to be a special about the new weight loss product, and it seems to be very common now. But one thing is for sure, I am tired consumers and companies blaming each other about how their product don’t work and how consumers fail to follow everything.

Since Summer is approaching, there are many advertisements about weight loss book, six-pack equipment, and fat burning pills. I’m guilty of buying more than a few of those products in the past, but that was when I didn’t know anything about the science of fitness and nutrition.

And they exist because we buy into the idea that some book, machine, or pill is the easiest and fastest way the lose weight. We are so desperate to look like those models they have on the infomercial, that we will practically believe almost everything those companies are saying that we buy into their products.

I am not here to say that all products sold on the media is useless, but it is only some of them. Most people that watch those weight loss products miss the whole point of the product. Which is they don’t follow the guide lines that the weight loss product had provided for you.

Most consumers that do buy into those products fail because they fail to follow the diet part of the plan, which is the most important part, and discredit the companies. Look, the companies have some blame to it, but mainly it was yours. Because you fail to follow everything the product said to do.

The reason for this is because the products being sold on television emphases too much on their product and not on the diet part. They only speak a little about the diet part of the product and fail to emphasizes the diet part to be the most important part. It is also in the companies best interest to sell their product and NOT use words like “diet” too much because they know that most people are don’t want to go on diets because going on a diet means sacrificing unhealthy foods that we all love.

There is a strict diet that comes with almost all weight loss products and that is: eat healthy or eat right. Now what does that mean to most of us? Well, if you understood the science of nutrition, what that means is eat foods that have the most nutritional value for us but have the fewest amount of calories.

Losing weight is not easy and fast, but if you know the science behind weight loss, then it could be easier and faster than if you didn’t. Here’s the truth to losing weight…you ready? You have to burn more calories than you consume or have a calorie deficit. That’s it! Plan and simple right?

Well, if it’s so easy then why do most people have a hard time doing it or know about this? Well, it’s the simple fact that we’re lazy. Because to have a calorie deficit, we have to exercise right and eat right, or in other words…hard work and sacrifices.

So you see…it’s not the media fault that most of those product fail, it’s your fault that you’ve failed to realize that it takes hard work and a little dedication in-order to lose weight.

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I live in Los Angeles and it is one of the biggest and thriving cities in the United States, and probably in the world since we have one of the larges population with all kinds of cultures. With a large population here, there are so many foods that so many cultures bring, which makes it a wonderful place to live if you love food. But most foods that are prepared and cooked in restaurants are typically unhealthy for us, and even at home, we tend to eat unhealthy. Because how food is prepared and cooked contributes to the extra calories we take in, and over a period of time, we start to gain weight or become fat.

Foods that are prepared and cooked may not be as sanitary and healthy for us as you may think. I have a friend that works as a waiter/food preparer at a local restaurant I live close by and he tells me that some foods are weeks old and foods that are dropped on the floor will most likely never go to waste. And also, you better be nice to the waiter or you’ll find some additional sauce that went with you meal.

I love food, and I love that fact that I live in Los Angeles which have many wonderful cultures that share and contribute their food in the giant melting pot we live in. But we all should be aware that eating out and even eating at home of how our food is prepared and cooked so that we can cut more calories we don’t need.

We should avoid eating too much sugary, oily, and starchy foods in our diets. Because too much of foods with more nutrients that we need, will contribute to our weight gain.

A lot of food that is prepared in restaurants are fried, baked, and broiled and in using these techniques, it requires a lot of oil and grease. So if you’re on some sort of weight loss goal you want to reach, it is even harder to do so if you were to consume foods that were prepared that way.

Last Sunday, my brother got some food at a local cafe around my house, and the food that was bought had so much oil in it, I could taste the oil and not the flavor. The food had so much grease in it I couldn’t finish it and had to get rid. Afterward, if there was any correlation, I had a little head ache. Maybe it was the extra grease in my system or maybe I wasn’t feeling well that day, but whatever it was, I didn’t feel good after I finished my food.

And even if it was the grease that gave me a head ache, the amount of oil in the food was unhealthy and will contribute to my weight gain if I ate food like that everyday. The meals that I had diffidently was prepared with a lot of oil and in turn can be unhealthy for us in the long run.

These days, we tend to eat out more and more. I eat out too, don’t get me wrong, but not as often as most American do. I only eat out once or, if I’m lucky, twice a day in a week, which makes it easy for me to manage how much calories I take in during the week. Because since I don’t count that day, which is Sundays, I can eat what ever I want. It is my off day.

But for the rest of the 6 days, I prepare and cook my own food at home. I love to cook, and also, it’s another way to relieve stress that had been built up in the beginning of the day. I usually cook during the evenings and prepare my meals for tomorows’ consumption.

The advantages of preparing and cooking my own meals are my choice of seasoning and how it is made: I can put as little or as much seasoning in my food as I wish and knowing that will help me reach my goal in weight loss or better…a six-pack. I could avoid extra sodium, sugar, and additional oil that I could control as to the restaurants preparing my food.

I am for living life to the fullest, but since you’re on a weight loss journey, I believe that knowing how the foods is prepared and then cooked would help you reach your milestone in life, which is weight loss. After-all, you are what you eat.

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All of us that attend school or go to work are busy and have a fast paced schedule; we have appointments or classes to go to, paper-work and projects that needs to be turned in to our bosses or professors, and people we need to meet in-order to move up the social ladder. Those are just a few objectives on a plate of daily activities we need to accomplish. So who has the time through out our busy lives to stop and eat a healthy and nutritious meal? We can, however, eat healthy and nutritious if we prepare our meals the night before and save some money while doing so.

A few years ago, I was working just under 40 hours a week and attending classes at the local junior college, and had been so busy with work, school, and projects I had to finish, I literally had very little time to sit down and prepare a meal throughout the day.

I couldn’t go home even if I wanted to because it would take time out of my day. Even though it was a 20 minute drive, I would have to take the time to prepare the food and cook it then eat it, which of course took at least another 20 minutes. So if I was to eat two more meals a day, lunch and dinner, I would have to go home twice and waste 80 minutes, not to mention another 20 minutes each time to drive back to work or school.

And I didn’t want to eat out that often, even though I had to, because most fast food restaurants were not as healthy for me as I wanted it to be, even the salads. Sure, if I would not put the salad dressing that came with it, but even then, it would be costing me a fortune to eat out.

So I began making my own meals; I had prepare my food the night before, 3 to 4 meals, in their own plastic containers and had put them in one of those red coolers. I would carry it out to my car along with my book bag and head off to my function, whether if be work or school.

With making my own meals, the meals I had prepared, I could decide what ingredients go in, and with that, I could reduce sodium, sugar, and fats. In addition, I had full control of how much I had. Because when eating out, especially these days, restaurants give you a huge amount of food. And if you don’t eat it all, you feel it would go to waste. And even if you bagged it for later, there is no place to put it except your car and by the end of the day, the hot sun would spoil it when you take it home.

Even though I would be saving some money, it was a hassle preparing a few meals for the next day for my consumption, and I did that at least 5 days a week. But overall, it was better because I could control what goes in my food and how much money I had saved by not eating out so much with the busy schedule I had.

Overall, It was well worth it. If not all of you, most of you understand that eating healthy is beneficial to our health; we need nutrition in our bodies so we can function properly. So with poor nutrition, it can take a toll on your body over the course time.

In the beginning, preparing meals for the next day had been a pain in the butt, but after a while I had gotten use to it and it was a routine to me, along with the twenty something things I had to complete during the week. And the benefits of eating healthier and saving money at the same time, was a win win situation for me. So if I could manage to do it, so can you.

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It seems like a common drink now; most people seem to replace coffee with energy drinks. I prefer energy drinks than coffee, that’s if I need it though. I know some people drink it for the taste alone and don’t care for the energy part. Others drink it for the energy it provides. Some say it increase awareness and focus, others say it get you wired and hyper so you are not tired. So are energy drinks good for you?

Coffee was once the popular drink in the mornings. It still is, but more and more people are choosing energy drinks than coffee. It seems to be popular among the younger generation. Some people like the taste of energy drinks, while others drink it for the buzz it gives. I’ll have a can of energy drink if I really need it.

When I drink it, it is usually during the end of the day because I need a boost of energy in-order for me to work out harder. I’ve found that it gets me wired. It could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your body and how it response to all those chemicals. I am pretty healthy so I don’t worry that much about it; however, for the people that are not in decent shape and need a boost of energy, you should consult with you physician before drinking consuming anything that will give you some sort of energy.

All energy drinks have either all or a combination of three substances: Caffeine, sugar, and herbal stimulates. Most of us know what caffeine generally does; it gets us wired and alert. That’s why a lot of people drink coffee in the mornings or if they seem to need it probably throughout the day.

Energy drinks also have sugar; a lot of sugar. And we know what sugar does to us as well, it also gets us wired and alert. That’s why most of us drink coffee in the mornings because we’ll be half awake or half asleep if we don’t. You also have to remember that too much sugar isnt’ good for you.

And then there are the herbal stimulates. So many herbal products in one can of energy drink. Companies representing the energy drinks claim that the herbal stimulates are not bad for you, but are they good though. We, however, don’t really know if it’s good or bad for your health. So let’s see.

According to Brown University, ” Individual responses to caffeine vary, and these drinks should be treated carefully because of how powerful they are. Energy drinks’ stimulating properties can boost the heart rate and blood pressure (sometimes to the point of palpitations), dehydrating the body, and, like other stimulants, prevent sleep.”

However, an article from HealthNews.com states that, “Taurine is an amino acid that supports brain development and regulates water levels and mineral salts within the blood. Taurine has long been thought of as an antioxidant and is common as a dietary supplement. The amino acid is found mostly in proteins such as fish, meat, and breast milk.”

(Taurine is found in most energy drinks you see in the convenient stores).

Now we’ve heard from both sides. You just have to be cautious about what you put in your body. If you are not sure, consult you doctor first before consuming anything that will stimulate you body and mind.

But from what I’ve found or felt, some energy drinks gets me amped and ready to push harder than if I didn’t. It may be because it could be a placebo or it could be because it has ingredients that gets you wired. I also felt like I could run faster and longer or push harder and heavier if I do use it. So be cautious of what you take and don’t take this post to be professional advice.

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