Super Foods for Your Weight Loss Plan

Reverse the fat storage process.

Superfoods really countermand the aging process and keep you healthy. Making shifts to your diet are much more than just making you fat or thin, they can produce the difference between living a high-energy life and development of chronic diseases. Super Foods are not just vague promises, they are facts backed up by research. A nutritious diet integrating a mixture of super foods will help you hold your weight, fight back disease, and live a richer life.

Good For You Oils

Good oils, such as olive oil, sesame seed oil, flaxseed oil, grape seed oil and canola oil. Maximize the health benefits, by using good oils properly.

Keep oils in a dark bottle in the refrigerator.

Don't overheat good oils during cooking.

Cook the food not the oil. Use a small amount of oil - warm it - add the food - bring up to cooking temperature. This preserves the oil's properties

Good For You Beets

Beets bundle tons of flavor underneath their scratchy exterior. Beets are naturally more sweetish than any other vegetable. A great source of folate and betaine, beets are one of the best sources. Folate and betaine function together to lower the body's blood levels of - homocysteine - an inflammatory compound that can harm the body's arterial blood vessels and increase the body's risk of heart disease.

The natural pigments - called betacyanins that give beets their color have been tested to be potent cancer fighter.

Eat beets raw, not from a jar or cooked. Heating Up beets lessens their antioxidant power.

Packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, beet' leaves and stems are edible. Wash thoroughly and slice off the stems just below the point where the leaves start.

Good For You Garlic

Garlic is stupendous for our body. Garlic slacks up the blood vessels and may help oneself fight cancer. Garlic is fantastic for the good bacteria in your intestines.

Good For You Cabbage

One cup of chopped cabbage has just 22 calories, and it's heavy with valuable nutrients. Sulforaphane tops the list.

Stanford University scientists verified that sulforaphane encourages your levels of these cancer-fighting enzymes higher than any other plant chemical. Sulforaphane increases your body's production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals and reduce cancer risks.

Good For You Tomato sauce

Lycopene is found in tomatoes.

Found in tomatoes and used in many antioxidant dietary supplements, lycopene is a powerful antioxidant of the carotenoid group.

Eating tomato sauce or paste with healthy oil is better than plain tomatoes. Raw tomatoes are fine but the addition of a little fat with it will help you absorb it easier

Good For You Guava

Guava is an obscure tropical fruit that gets sweeter toward the center.

Guava is high in lycopene, an antioxidant that fights prostate cancer, than any other plant nutrient, including tomatoes and watermelon. 1 cup of Guava provides 688 milligrams (mg) of potassium, 63 percent more than in a small banana. And guava may be the ultimate high-fiber food with almost 9 grams of fiber per cup. You can eat the whold thing, from rind to seeds. It's edible and nutritious. The guava rind has more vitamin C than your average orange.

Good For You Spinach

Jam-packed with nutrients, spinach is the most miraculous thing for your eyes. Spinach is better than carrots for eye health A lot of macular degeneration can actually be nullified by eating this food that is wealthy in carotenoids and folic acid.

Good For You Swiss chard

According to Harvard researchers, lutein and zeaxanthin protect your retinas from the damages of getting older. Both nutrients amass in your retinas, where they absorb the type of shortwave light rays of light that can damage your eyes. A little bit bitter and salty, this plant is native to the Mediterranean. A half cup of cooked Swiss chard offers a huge quantity of both lutein and zeaxanthin, supplying 10 mg apiece.

Good For You Raw nuts

Nuts should be eaten raw and stored in the refrigerator to maximize the benefits of the healthy oils contained in nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts. Heating nuts damages the healthy oils they contain.

Good For You Cinnamon

Cinnamon helps moderate your blood sugar, which in turn regulates your hazard of heart disease. USDA researchers found that people with type-2 diabetes who consumed 1 g of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks (about 1/4 teaspoon) significantly minimized not only their blood sugar but also their triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Cinnamon's active ingredients, methylhydroxychalcone polymers, increase your cells' ability to metabolize sugar by up to 20 times. Sprinkle the cinnamon in your spice rack into your coffee or on your rolled oats.

Good For You Pomegranates

Pomegranates may help fight cancer and change the way your arteries age. Pomegranates have some promising health benefits. Pomegranates are a fortified antioxidant.

Good For You Purslane

Think of purslane as a great substitute or addition to lettuce. Purslane leaves and stems are crisp, chewy, and succulent, and they have a mild lemony flavor.

The FDA classifies purslane as a broad-leaved weed, it's a common vegetable and herb in China, Mexico, and Greece.

According to the researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio, purslane has the highest measure of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant. Having 10 to 20 times more melatonin, an antioxidant that might curb cancer growth, purslane has more melatonin than any other fruit or vegetable tested by the researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Good For You Goji berries

About the size of a raisin, these fruits are chewy and taste like a blend between a cranberry and a cherry.

These powerful berries have been used as a curative nutrient in Tibet for over 1,700 years. Tufts University researchers discovered that Goji berries have one of the highest ORAC ratings, a method of gauging antioxidant strength, of any fruit.

And although modern researchers set about studying this ancient berry only lately, they've determined that the sugars that make goji berries sweet cut back insulin resistance, a risk factor of diabetes, in rats.

Found in specialty markets, mix dried or fresh goji berries with a cupful of plain yogurt, dot them on your oatmeal or cold cereal, or enjoy a fistful by themselves.

Good For You Dried plums

Dried Plums equals Prunes

Containing neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids that are particularly good at combating the superoxide anion radical, prunes are a yummy source of antioxidents that battle cancer. The superoxide anion radical induces structural impairment to the body's cells, and such impairment is considered to be one of the underlying causes of cancer.

Good For You Pumpkin seeds

The piece we throw away is the most healthy piece of the pumpkin. Pumpkin seeds are a great souce of magnesium. French researchers recently found that men with the highest quantities of magnesium in their blood have a 40 percent lower danger of early death than those with the lowest levels. Eat pumpkin seeds whole, shells and all, the shells are a healthy source of fiber. Roasted pumpkin seeds hold in 150 mg of magnesium per oz.. Add pumpkin seeds to your usual diet and you'll easily score your daily objective of 420 mg recommended by the USDA. Look for pumpkin seeds in the health-food or snack section of your market store, beside the peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds.

Our diets composed of processed foods are killing us in the US. Our bodies are not fashioned for the overabundance of food obtainable, rather, we are fashioned hard-wired for starvation. Our bodies are fashioned to eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and wild-game, not fast-food, sodas, white flour, and sugar. Super Foods are not just about preventing chronic disease. Making the right food picks everyday will help prevent future chronic ailments. Most scientists concur that at least 30 percent of all cancers are directly related to diet. It's not just cancer that is nutrition connected, about half of the cardiovascular diseases are connected to diet as well.

Weith Loss Plan - Diet

Weight Loss Plan - Pre - Post Workout Eating

Whether I am planning to take an aerobics class or strength training, my pre-workout diet is key to getting the most out of the session and my weight loss plan.

My aerobic and strength training diet has 2 parts - Pre-Workout and Post-Workout.

Pre-Workout starts 3 hours before my session.

Three Hours before session:

I choose foods that contain a majority of complex carbohydrates, moderate amounts of protein, and low amounts of fat. Foods high in fat, protein and fiber take longer to break down than other foods. Low Glicemic Index foods are good for the pre-event meal because they break down slower and providing a slow sustained release of glucose during exercise maintaining blood sugar levels for a longer period of time.

Pre-Workout foods should contain 90 to 200 grams of carbohydrates. Carbs are foods that can be converted to energy for the body the the most quickly. Carb types vary from complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, and starches), containing fiber to simple sugars (juice, desserts, and sweets).


Pre-Workout Hydration – I take in 16 to 24 ounces of sports drink/water one to two hours prior to your competition. Proper hydration will keep your body cells functioning at their peak. Dehydration can lower ability to perform, severe dehydration can result in the organs shutting down. Competitors or those engaged in exercise are already dehydrated by the time they feel thirsty. fluid replacement should begin before feeling thirsty. Drinking water a few minutes prior to working out and continuing to drink during the exercise will help maintain blood glucose levels. Intake four to eight ounces of fluid immediately before starting the exercise. If you are within 2 to 3 hours of a competition eat a snack or decrease the size of your planned meal.


Pre-Workout Meals - Should be primarily high in carbohydrates. Carb loading is necessary if you are engaging in nonstop workouts for more than 90 minutes. Carb loading is performance enhancing in marathons, hiking, biking, or other constant workouts.


Post-Workout Meals – This meal is critical. The post-event meal provides the nutrients to recover from working out and replenish the energy lost from training. After working out your metabolism is racing and can use more nutrients at once and not store it as fat. The post-event should be your largest meal.


Eating to get the most out of a workout requires planning. For any person, planning the pre-Workout , post-Workout , food and fluid intake is vital to reach peak performance and get the most out of your weight loss plan.

Atkins Diet - Phases

Atkins Diet - Phases

The weight loss program is set up into four phases.

• Induction
• On-going Weight Loss
• Pre-Maintenance
• Lifetime Maintenance

Atkins Diet - Induction

For the induction phase (approximately 2 weeks) carbohydrates are restricted to 20 grams per day. Only leafy, green carbohydrates are allowed. Cheeses, meats, oils and creams are the bulk of this phase. Alcohol and caffeine are not allowed during induction. The ketosis state starts and causes calories to be burnt at a higher rate, usually producing the largest amount of weight loss throughout the diet.

Atkins Diet - On-going Weight Loss

Cheeses, meats, oils and creams are still the main focus of Atkins, but carbohydrates are increased weekly by approximately 5 grams. If there is an increase in weight or weight loss stops, it is advised to decrease your intake of carbohydrates. This phase is continues until you're within 10 pounds of your desired weight.

Atkins Diet -Pre-Maintenance

Following the Atkins Glycemic Ranking, carbohydrate intake is again increased. The goal is to find level of carbohydrates that can be eaten while maintain the desired body weight.

Atkins Diet - Lifetime Maintenance

Lifetime Maintenance is maintaining the desired body weight while trying different amounts of carbohydrates. Varying the types of carbohydrates to determine how much of each food can be consumed without affecting body weight.

Atkins Diet – Exercise

Walking is one recommended exercise to maintain fitness levels while on the Atkins Diet. Walking is aerobic and will encourage the body to utilize fat for fuel.

Weight Loss Plan Review - Atkins Diet

Review - The Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet is based on keeping the body in a state of ketosis. Ketosis causes the liver to convert fatty acids into energy instead of using carbohydrates.
I’ve worked the Atkins Diet and lost 34 lbs. I lost weight until I got off the weight loss plan and returned to my bad eating habits. The diet lets you intake fats and proteins, but limits carbs to encourage your body to enter a natural state of ketosis. The human body then starts breaking down fat cells to use as a source of nutrition. Fat and protein will leave you feeling more satisfied and hold your hunger between meals.

Dr. Robert Atkins, the author, explains the theory behind the Atkins Diet: your body's main source of energy is from carbohydrates. If you significantly decrease your intake of carbohydrates, it forces your body to utilize your stored fat for energy.

The Atkins Diet Advantage program offers pre-packaged low-carbohydrate to make meal planning quick and convenient.

Studies are continuing to determine how the Atkins Diet affects weight for more than one year. Studies were conducted on the Atkins Diet for 1 year indicated measurable fat loss.

Details of the Atkins Diet program are written in an easy to follow format in the Diet Revolution and the New Diet Revolution, by Dr. Atkins

Continue on to 4 phases of the Atkins Diet

Weight Loss Plan - Keep Your Fat Burning Furnace Roaring

How to develop a weight loss plan to lose fat fast

If your weight loss plan includes looking lean and cut then thinking of your body as a machine that needs fuel can benefit your weight loss goals. Having a nice display of muscle details throughout your physique while not looking sinewy and washed-out is the goal of most women. There are weight loss programs that are shocking by how quickly you can reach your goal. Thinking of your body as a machine that needs fuel, can make your endeavor a success.

As the body ages, one problem is that the rate at which fat is broken down by muscle tissue tends to drop as we get older. This is known as basal fat oxidation. As fat oxidation drops, fat burning slows down and fat increases. What can be done to prevent fat-oxidation rates from cratering? Improve muscle mass. Researchers recently studying a large sampling of average women, aged 18 to 73, the monitoring group established that the best anticipator of the decline in fat-burning was the deficit of muscle volume not aerobic capacity. Losing muscle volume causes the calorie-reduction to die down much more hurriedly, compared with progressing age or poor fitness. Everyone can hold in check or even take back the disposition for fat oxidation to decrease with age simply by building up their tissues. Maintaining high fat-burning rates would make it hard to develop a big stomach or thunder thighs and would increase athletic ability.

Strength training two to three times a week for 30-45 minutes will create a stronger, leaner you.

To get really leaner, or even ripped, in the least amount of time, eating smaller portioned meals more often throughout your day is a much more effective method.

Spacing meal breaks every 2 1/2 to 3 hours provides a host of metabolism-enhancing benefits such as:

Better appetite control
Increased glycogen storage in the liver and muscle tissues
Adequate nutrient stores in the body to adequately fulfill the body's minute to
minute fuel demands.
Improved gastrointestinal transit time from the stomach to the tissues.

You should eat whether you feel hunger or not.
Hunger signals a deficit of nutrients. You always want to ready to supply their body’s needs when it comes to adequate cellular nutrition.

Increase your good carbohydrate eating.
A strict intake of baked potatoes or white rice isn’t a good thing. Vary your diet by eating more foods that metabolize slower - yams, sweet potatoes, brown rice and assorted grains.
Increasing intake of salads and vegetables. Vegetables require more energy to process, a few vegetables require more energy to process than the energy they contain.

To keep your body working optimally, vary your carbs.
To keep your body working, change your intake of carbs. take in the usual amount of carbs your diet calls for on day one; on the next day, lower carb consumption by 250 calories (62.5 grams), on day three, increase carbs by daily level by 250 calories, day four, return to your standard intake of carbohydrates. For additional surprise to your fat-burning furnace, suddenly drop your carb intake by 500 calories every once in a while. A weight loss plan that keeps your body guessing will keep your body from going into a state of homeostasis.

Increase your aerobic furnace by varying the intensity of your aerobic workouts. Warm-up first then, add a few short high speed burst to take your heart rate up higher for a minute or two. Then slow down and recover at your normal pace. Interval training adds variety, burns more calories, doesn’t allow your body to sink into a training rut, and increases your overall fitness level.

Stay hydrated.
Muscle mass is 70 percent water. If you want a lean, hard body, plenty of water is key. Water is essential for protein conversion and carbohydrate uptake. The chemical conversion of carbohydrates to muscle energy cannot take place efficiently without ample water. Without water, muscle cells won’t load with glycogen or deliver amino acids to muscle tissue. The process of mobilizing fate – hydrolysis – requires enough water to break down fat, much of which is stored just under the dermis. Hydrolyzing the fat just under the skin gives the lean, defined look desired by athletic people.

Intake enough protein each 24 hour period.
To limit muscle mass loss get enough protein delivered evenly throughout the day. A good way to estimate the right amount of protein to eat daily use sane body weight at which you think you would look good if you were lean. Multiply that number by 0.8 grams. For example, 170 pounds, the daily intake is 136 grams of protein, which translates into 27 grams of protein per meal if eating 5 meals per day.

Stop dieting.
Statistics prove that dieting has both physiological and mental results. Starvation is a signal for the body to preserve fat. Food deprivation has been known to prompt binge eating in previously average people.

Alter your workout schedule.
Mentally, the same workout, week after week, can lead to cause burnout and boredom. Physiologically, the body needs change to avoid hitting a wall and diminishing results. Change the workout a little after 4-6 weeks. Vary the type of activities in your workout, vary the order of your exercises, the intensity and reps of your workouts.

Combining these suggestions into your weight loss plan, keeps your fat furnace burning.

Weight Loss Plan

My weight loss plans include getting in as much walking as possible and researching the different weight loss plans, how effective are they at weight loss, how long does the weight loss stay off, and finding a weight loss plan that fits my lifestyle.