Grapefruit Weight Loss

The grapefruit is a sub-tropical citrus tree mostly grown for its fruit which was originally given the name as "forbidden fruit " of Barbados. These evergreen trees are usually 5-6 m tall, although they can reach 13-15 m. The leaves are dark green, long (up to 150 mm) and thin. It produces 5 cm white four-petalled flowers. The fruit is yellow-orange skinned, largely oblate and ranges in diameter from 10-15 cm . The flesh is segmented and acidic, varying in color depending on the cultivars, which include white, pink and red pulps of varying sweetness.
Now you might wonder what will be the effect of grapefruit on weight loss?
According to researchers at Scripps Clinic in California, eating half a grapefruit before each meal may help you lose weight up to one pound a week. Grapefruit is low in calories, low in sodium, high in potassium and high in fat burning enzymes helping weight loss in different ways. As the food in low calories is very much helpful for weight loss, so grapefruit also plays some vital role. Also a low sodium intake helps in flushing away excess water weight caused from high sodium foods. And, the fat-burning enzymes present in grapefruit help in increasing the fat burning process which is the main aim of weight loss.
The research at Scripps Clinic in California was led by Dr. Ken Fujioka, MD. He studied the importance of grapefruit in weight and metabolic factors, such as insulin secretion. Of the 100 men and women who participated in that "Grapefruit Diet" study, it was found that on average, those who participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost 3.7 pounds, while those who drank a serving of grapefruit juice 3 times a day lost 3.3 pounds. From the research, Dr. Fujioka concluded that grapefruit helps to regulate insulin, a fat storing hormone. And anything that helps in loweing insulin help people to lose weight. Thus, Grapefruit reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss.
Another advantage of eating grapefruit is it's high water content. Water covers almost 90 percent of grapefruit. And eating any food with high water content can help you lose weight (see more on Water Weight Loss)
This is my diet plan that can work out for you.
Breakfast:
1. Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. juice (unsweetened)
2. 2 eggs any style
3. 2 slices of bacon
Lunch:
1. Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. juice (unsweetened)
2. Salad with any dressing
3. Meat any style and any amount.
Dinner:
1. Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. juice (unsweetened)
2. Salad with any dressing OR a red or green vegetable cooked in butter or spices.
3. Meat or even Fish any style cooked any way.
4. Coffee or Tea (1 cup)
Bedtime Snack:
1. 8oz. glass of tomato juice or 8 oz cup of skim milk.
This is it. Drink grapefruit diet, lose weight and stay healthy forever!!!

Green Tea Weight Loss

Recently there's been a lot of news regarding green tea and weight loss. But is there any scientific basis for green tea weight loss (see more on Weight Loss) claim?
Does green tea really work or it is just the hype?
I have gone through many websites and finally gathered some useful information that you might look into. There are mainly 5 proven ways that green tea may assist you in weight loss.
1. By Increasing metabolism:
According to the study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, green tea can raise your metabolism which means rate of calorie(energy) burning process is higher and rate of weight loss will be also higher(see more on increasing your metabolism). The research had also concluded that over a 1 day time(24 hour period), green tea extract increases the metabolic rate by 3-4%. These slimming effects of green tea are probably because of high concentrations of polyphenols found in the green tea. That means green tea increases the energy expenditure and helps your body to burn more fat.

2. By Inhibiting fat digestion and absorption:
Studies have shown that green tea extract can inhibit the fat-digesting lipase enzymes found in the stomach and pancreas. When these fat-digesting enzymes are inhibited, consumption of excess fat calories can be avoided, thus assisting in weight loss. Reportedly, green tea has also been found to improve the way that your body makes use of fat.

3. By regulating the body's glucose:
Green tea has also been found valuable in regulating the body's glucose by slowing the rise in blood sugar, specially after a meal. As a glucose regulator, green tea prevents high insulin spikes, which leads to fat storage. Further, green tea also slows down the action of amylase(a digestive enzyme). Amylase diffuses starch into carbohydates, which is the main cause why blood sugar level rise after a meal. Thus by slowing down amylase's action, green tea helps in weight loss.

The catechins (polyphenols) in the green tea also suppress the passage of glucose into fat cells.A substance called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenol found in Green Tea, is credited for this effect. EGCG is similar to vitamin-E. However it is considered many times more powerful anti-oxidant than vitamin-E. As an anti-oxidant EGCG lowers cholesterol, prevents lipogenesis, promotes fat oxidation, encourages good health, also fight dental cavities and is an anti-carcinogenic as well as an anti-bacterium.

4. By boosting exercise capacity
It has also been reported that green tea enhance exercise endurance by increasing the utilization of fatty acids as a source of energy during exercise. An experiment regarding green tea and exercise capacity was performed by some Japnese scientists with mice. They noted that when these mice were given green tea extract, their exercise capacity increased substantially. Further, on camparing these mice with the other mice, they ran 28% longer before getting tired. Additionally, the supplemented mice displayed signs of increased fat oxidation. From these findings they concluded that Green tea boosts exercise (see more on Weight Loss Exercise) capacity and fat-burning ability ultimately helping in weght loss.

5. By reducing appetite
Accoding to some scientists at the University of Chicago, green tea causes to lose your appetite. They performed experiment with rats again. Green tea caused rats to lose up to 21% of their total body weight. Mice(rats) injected with a green tea extract lost their appetites and consumed upto 60% less food after a weekly(7 days) daily injections.

How much green tea should I drink?
Many experts argue about this. The opinion varies from expert to expert. Some say that drinking 4-5 cups of green tea per day can best help you lose weight. While some say that this much caffeine is too bad for your general health. But If you really want to give a shot, then go for it. It would be better if you talk to your doctor or dietician first to find the amount that would be right for you.

Should I drink the tea or can I just take a pill?
There are lots of green tea supplements in the town that you can take. Many people believe that drinking green tea is far better than taking the supplement if you want to get the full health benefits. One of the main drawbacks for weight loss is that one can't get the filling effect from the pill that he/she can by drinking green tea. I would recommend you to ask your dietician about this.
Is green tea weight loss permanent?
Everything in this world has some limits. Like with all other diets, you will be losing weight at the beginning of a green tea weight loss program and then reach a limit beyond which it is extremely hard to lose weight. But Green tea with its slimming effects can be one part of a healthy diet which helps you to maintain a healthy weight (see more on Weight Loss Management).

Smoking and Weight Loss

Chain smokers and people who have smoked for a long period of time often gain extra pounds after they quit smoking. The average weight gain is between 4.5 and 7 pounds, but a very small percentage of former heavy smokers gain 25 pounds or more! Unfortunately, most of the smokers often use this fact for continuing to smoke. But this weight gain isn't inevitable.

Following are some of the reasons why people gain weight after quitting smoking:

1.Metabolic rate falls:
The nicotine present in the cigarettes raises the metabolic rate of smokers, which increases the rate of calorie burning process(see more on increasing your metabolism). Now when you quit smoking your body metabolism decreases down to a healthy level. It may even slow down more before getting back to normal level. Meanwhile, due to the slow metabolic rate, your body will burn off fewer calories, which causes people to gain weight.

2.Changes in eating habits:
Besides the metabolic reason, another very important reason for increase in weight is due to change in your diet. Studies have shown that after quitting smoking, your appetite increase. People who have just stopped smoking are inclined to eat more because they search for other snacks as a substitute for cigarettes. Studies have also shown that after quitting smoking, your desire for sweet and fatty foods increases, and we all know that these sugary foods are rich in calories, which causes weight gain (see more on Weight Loss Diet).
Another reason for the inclination to eat more is because your senses of taste and smell imporve and then only return to normal. After quitting, studies have also shown that food tastes better.

3.Oral Gratification (Feeling the Need to Have Something in Your Mouth)
Most ex-smokers often say that after quitting smoking, they miss the feeling of having something in their mouth. So they start to eat some other snacks which fulfills their requirement. Some smokers keep their hands and mouth busy with objects like straws or toothpicks. While some chew foods like carrots, celery or even sugar-free mints.

Quitting smoking is difficult enough without the fear of gaining weight. The primary reason that people gain weight when they quit smoking is that they tend to eat more, and you can control that. If you can keep from turning to food in place of cigarettes, and make a few adjustments to your eating and exercise habits (see more on Weight Loss Exercise), you won't have to gain any weight at all.