Ketogenic Diet

Albeit no place close was widely known as they were in the 90's the point at which the Atkins diet was apparently inescapable, low-starch ketogenic eating methodologies are still profoundly viewed in many circles as compelling, viable weight loss diets. The following tips will help you in maximizing your success on a ketogenic diet.

1.) Drink huge amounts of water.

While on a ketogenic diet, your body experiences serious difficulties retaining as much water as it needs, so staying appropriately hydrated is significant. Numerous specialists suggest that men allow at least 3 liters of refreshments every day, while the figure for ladies is 2.2 liters on daily basis. A good indicator of proper hydration is the color of your urine.. On the off chance that your urine is clear or light yellow, you're in all probability legitimately hydrated. Keep a jug of water with you wherever you go!

2.) Don't overlook the fat!

Basically, our bodies require fuel to work. When we reduce our carbohydrate intake, particularly to levels that instigate ketosis, our bodies require another fuel source. Since protein is not an efficient source of energy, our bodies swing to fat. Any fat you eat while in ketosis is utilized for vitality, making it extremely hard to store fat while in ketosis. Pick sound, unsaturated fats as frequently as could be expected under the circumstances: nourishments like avocados, olives, nuts, and seeds are perfect.

3.) Find your carb confine.

The greater part of our bodies are distinctive. Some dieters will need to adhere to a strict low-carbohydrate diet that involves consuming less than 20 grams per day of carbs. Other dieters will find that they can serenely remain in ketosis while expending 50, 75, or 100 grams of starches. The best way to know without a doubt is experimentation. Buy Ketostix or any brand of ketone urinalysis strips and discover your sugar limit. On the off chance that you find that you have a touch of squirm room, it will make adhering to your diet much less demanding.

4.) Be brilliant about alcohol.

One of the immense parts of the ketogenic eating routine is that you can drink alcohol while on it without throwing your weight loss far off course. You can drink unsweetened alcohols like vodka, rum, tequila, gin, bourbon, scotch, cognac, and liquor, alongside the intermittent low-carb bear. Utilize low-carb blenders and drink a lot of water to remain hydrated, as aftereffects are famously awful while in ketosis. Remember, calories still count, so don't go over the edge. All things with some restraint.

5.) Be tolerant.

While the ketogenic diet is known for quick weight loss, particularly in the early phases of dieting, weight loss is dependably a moderate, tedious process. Try not to blow a gasket if the scale doesn't demonstrate weight loss, or shows slight weight increments, for a couple days. Your weight shifts everyday (and for the duration of the day) based upon various components. Bear in mind to utilize measurements like how your garments fit or body measurements to see progress beyond what the scale display.

Keeping Your Healthy Food Lifestyle, And Your Dignity, In Challenging Social Situations

Sharing food is one of the most basic ways that human beings bond with one another.

We celebrate our religious holidays with food.

Family get-togethers center around food.

We get to know potential romantic partners by going to a restaurant to eat food.

When we have an office party: food.

When we have a block party: food.

Rites of passage are brought to a close by gathering around food.

Our first bond with another human being is developed through food: the mother breastfeeding her infant.

But food can also be a basis of social conflict, especially when you start saying "no" to unhealthy food, partly because of our strong attachments to each other.

There's the family conflict, such as, "Why aren't you eating my chocolate cake, I made it just for you?"

There's the unspoken friendship conflict: "If you don't want to make me uncomfortable, you will keep eating the same food we are used to eating with each other."

And there's the silent vampy conflict. "I don't like her thinking she's better than me with all those healthy food choices she's making."

Because food is so social, it can be hard to make choices that are different from the choices of people around us.

Some people might be supportive when you make that important shift from unhealthy to healthy eating habits. Some might even be inspired by your choices and decide to follow suit.

Other people might take your choices as personal to them. They react as if your healthier food choices are a negative reflection on the choices they are making.

The "dark side" to food as a medium for social bonding is that it is loaded with social judgements. People judge themselves and each other for what they eat.

And it's not just "healthy versus unhealthy" kinds of judgements.

If you say "no" to a food that to symbolizes love or friendship to the person offering it, they might not think you are saying no to the effects of the food on your body. They might assume you are saying no to what the food symbolizes to them.

Complicated stuff to deal with, especially given the fact that making the transition to a healthy food lifestyle is already hard enough.

But dealing with the social complications around food doesn't have to do you in. You don't have to cave to social pressure, and you don't have to isolate yourself from people who have unhealthy eating habits.

You just need to remember how loaded the topic of food is to some people, and prepare for it in advance.

Usually all it takes is having a few prepared explanations for your food choices.

By having a prepared explanation for your consistent "no" to certain foods, you can safely make your way through a social minefield by presenting your explanation in a way that minimizes some people's tendency to interpret your choices as personal to them.

For instance, let's say you are visiting your parents, who think refined sugar is one of the great inventions of the modern world, and Dad is pushing pie.

Dad: "You don't want a piece of your mother's pie? She spent all afternoon making it!"

You: "I know, it looks so good. I ate so much of her delicious dinner, though. I'm so full!" (Slight lie - it wasn't that delicious, and you're not that full.)

Dad: "Well, here, just a small piece."

You: "Well, I want to eat it when I can appreciate it, so not right now, or it won't taste as good as I know it is. I better take some home with me instead. So anyway, dad, I heard that you got a new... !"

If you're not comfortable with a polite lie, then find your sliver of truth to present. Just frame it in a way so that it makes people feel safe, and they'll be less likely to think your choice is a reflection on them.

Of course, they shouldn't take it personally. But reality isn't what it "should" be. It's what it is.

People are the way they are. To keep their emotions out of your personal eating choices, it's good to have a strategy for every social situation.

If you are sticking to the carrots and hummus at the office party because everything else is loaded with sugar and chemicals, you could briefly explain to anyone who asks you why you aren't trying the amazing hydrogynated-oil-high-fructose-corn-syrup delight, that you've noticed sugar makes you feel tired, and you want to see if you start feeling better if you cut back on it.

This explanation keeps the problem and solution all about you. Not about weight. Not about will power. Not about "good food" and "bad food." Not, "Are you crazy, do you know what's in that stuff?"

Especially nowadays - when junk food abounds, and people everywhere are struggling with their weight - food can be a very emotionally loaded topic.

Unless you want to engage with people about your "strange" healthy food choices, just come prepared with a brief, impersonal explanation for your refusal of certain foods, one that both honors your choices and deflects intrusive reactions.

When you prepare in advance, dealing with the complicated social dynamics around food can be sort of like bringing an umbrella when it looks like it might rain. With just a little forethought, you can have a totally different experience in challenging weather.

Andrea Sasefran is the founder of Step into a New Epoch, and the author of the forthcoming book, The Food & You Solution. She offers private coaching and energy healing to women who want to end their unhealthy eating habits, binging, and food cravings

Is Your Weight Gain Caused by a Calorie Imbalance or Gut Breakdown?

I see clients every day who have struggled for years to achieve a healthy weight. They have tried every diet on the market with at best minimal results. And so often they also live with chronic digestive issues. Their stories almost always include some or all of the following: a history of the Standard American Diet, regular antibiotic usage as a child or into adulthood, a period of time on the birth control pill, over-the-counter or prescription medications for reflux, constipation or diarrhea.

What do the statistics tell us? (data from the National Institutes of Health)

230 million Americans are overweight or obese.
63 million suffer from chronic constipation.
61 million experience chronic heartburn.
2 million live with inflammatory bowel disease.
15 million (some estimates say anywhere from 25-45 million) suffer with irritable bowel syndrome.
What does this prevalence of digestive issues have to do with the epidemic of overweight and obesity?

Research supports the idea that a breakdown in the gut may be a cause for an increase in weight. One animal study published in Science Translational Medicine found that changes in gut bacteria impacted weight loss. Another study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism looked at a specific gut microbe and the impact that had on an individuals being overweight or lean. It is not fully understood, but one hypothesis is that the imbalance in gut bacteria may lead to inflammation and potentially impact the body's usage of insulin.

Weight gain may not be as clear a sign of gut breakdown, but the chronic digestive disorders impacting millions and millions of Americans certainly tells us there is a problem in the gut.

Why the gut breakdown in the first place

Antibiotics do a good job of destroying bacteria, but unfortunately will destroy good bacteria that you need for a healthy gut.
The birth control pill is used in many cases for hormonal regulation to minimize symptoms. Estrogen is recognized as a factor in impaired gut barrier function and increased inflammation.
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can inflame the intestinal lining causing weakening in the spaces between cells of the intestine.
The Standard American Diet consists of pro-inflammatory compounds and lacks antioxidants and many other nutrients the prevent and control inflammation. Excess sugar and inflammatory fats are two specific components of the diet that create increased inflammation in the gut.
Are you on fire?

A tremendous amount of time and energy is spent focusing on calorie control, grams of carbs, protein or fat while disregarding other symptoms. These chronic digestive symptoms may lead to an understanding of inflammatory processes that may be impacting weight gain as well. This inflammatory process is like a fire burning inside you - leading to symptoms which may include weight gain. If you answer yes to any of the questions below you may have chronic inflammation.

Have you been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease?
Do you struggle to achieve a healthy weight?
Do you have ongoing muscle and joint aches and pains?
Do you feel fatigued, where you have to take a nap after work?
Do you regularly have constipation, diarrhea or both that is interfering with your life?
Do you experience brain fog where it seems more difficult to solve problems or easily complete simple tasks?
Do you have asthma or allergies?

Is Your Support Group Helping Your Weight Loss Efforts?

Do your friends and family support you in your new weight loss and healthy lifestyle decisions? A strong support group can be the difference between success and failure in the weight loss game! From my own personal experience, my support group has made all the difference, especially when I wanted to give up!

When you are forming your support group make sure that you have the following types of roles in your group: emotional support and practical. Don't be afraid of taking advantage of your support either, after all that why they are there in the first place!

Start building your support group

If you don't already have a support group, then start with those closest to you like your friends and family. Also you can use the opportunity to spend a bit of time with them.

For example:

You can use your friends in the emotional position by venting to them when you are feeling frustrated. And you can use your loved ones for more practical purposes by doing some exercise with their support by you.

Expect un-supportive behaviours

It is only natural for some people to feel threatened by your change in lifestyle; I suppose some people don't like change! When you make the decision to change your lifestyle and lose some weight you might have to make some sacrifices along the way like skipping drinks after work with friends to go to the gym instead.

And guess what, a lot of your friends aren't going to like that! Just let them know that even though you are making a couple of changes, your feelings for them haven't changed!

A few extra tips

1. Stay in the loop. When we mess up on our weight loss goals it is only natural to feel a little embarrassed, especially when you are accountable to someone else! But don't be shy, that is exactly why you have support, they are there help you through the tough times!

2. Learn your 'teammates' positions. If someone in your support group is going through a tough time, maybe switch their position to practical instead of emotional by exercising with them instead of venting to them. Learn who is best in what role and who is interchangeable!

3. Return the favour. A support group is all about give and take! Make you are giving back to the group as much as you are taking.

4. Partner up. Find someone in your group who you can actively share stories and weight loss goals with!

5. Expand. Expand you support group as much as possible by attend as many networking events as possible, active family gatherings, local exercise classes and community events!

Making lifestyle changes and losing a bit of weight can be a real challenge! That is why forming a support group is so vital to weight loss success; find those who lift you up, and those who try bring you down, move on. Just remember to be a team player and to support those around you!

Justin has been a part of the weight loss industry for a number of years, first as a consumer and now as a teacher. In his own words he says, "I used to be overweight until people started making rude comments and that is when decided that enough is enough, and lost the weight for good!" He has been at his goal weight for the last 10 years and has never looked back!

Is Your Gut Leaky Making You Fat And Sick

A leaky gut sounds kind of alarming, but it is more common than you would think. It's not about food and liquids gushing out of your small intestine to who knows where, but it's all about a microscopic change in the wall of the small intestine.

If your proteins are not properly broken down in the acid environment of the stomach the no further digestion occurs in the alkaline atmosphere of the small intestine.

These partially digested proteins can then enter the blood stream through the leaky gut and the response is an inflammatory or allergic reaction.

Leaky gut or its technical term dysbiosis is caused by a change in the health of the wall of the small intestine. The microscopic pathways which allow amino acids, water and other nutrients to pass naturally into the blood stream.

But when the gut is leaky larger molecules of undigested food can move into the blood stream. The difference could only be seen through a microscope, so it's not as scary as you might imagine, but the health implications are serious.

Asthma, allergies, skin problems, headaches, joint and muscle pain are the tip of the ice berg.

Leaky gut can be caused by any number of things.

Alcohol, anti-biotics, Bali belly, over cooked barbequed foods, stress, junk food, in other words all the foods and drinks we know to be unhealthy, plus some things which are unavoidable.

The process is that the good bacteria in the gut is diminished making way for less desirable bacterial inhabitants. The wall of the intestine becomes covered with things like dust and gluten and toxins and this aggravates the tissue leaving it open to irritation which results in leaky gut.

Prolonged illness or a diet deficient in amino acids is also a cause. Some people when they first adopt a vegetarian diet miss out on important amino acids

The repair process is done over several weeks, but the first thing to do is to give your gut a rest by backing off on the offending foods and drinks.

A bit of rest and recreation goes a long way in allowing your gut to recover. Aloe Vera will soothe the gut and perhaps a protein shake with pre-digested branched chain amino acids, which ensures delivery into your blood stream.

By solving leaky gut it can make a big difference in your overall health and is the first step in your vital health recovery