Foods to Avoid - Poor Breakfast Choices

When attempting weight loss, a lot of folks think that skipping breakfast will save them some calories. They would rather save them so later in the day they can eat some fat and calorie laden treat that they would rather have. But, these food choices probably fall in the category of foods to avoid.

The biggest mistake you can make is to skip breakfast. After a night of sleep, your body needs some good nutrition as it has gone its longest without eating in a twenty four hour period. So, having something healthy to eat before running out the door in the morning is a must. However, there are some breakfast foods to avoid. You need to be aware of three types of foods that will cause weight gain.

The first foods to avoid category is low fat foods. They are usually advertised as a low fat food as there main selling point. You have to realize that the term low fat should never be associated with health food. An avocado is extremely healthy, but is loaded with fat: a very healthy fat that the cells of your body need.




When a food that's advertised as a low fat breakfast food attracts your interest, be sure to read the ingredient label. Foods that lack healthy fats are usually devoid of flavor. So, in order to make up for that, the food manufacturers add sugar, lots of sugar. That low fat food can actually lead to weight gain because of all that sugar.

Another category of breakfast foods to avoid is certain breakfast cereals. Again, when choosing any kind of cereal, you have to look at the label very closely to see what is really in the box. If you see huge amounts of sugar, you will want to avoid that brand. Commercial breakfast cereals are really a poor breakfast choice! They are typically over processed and devoid of real nutrition. A better choice would be plain oatmeal. Don't buy the instant stuff! Get the steel cut oats, organic if you can. Take the time to boil some water and simmer them for five minutes. Add some fruit, cinnamon, or honey if you want the oats to be sweeter. Now that's a good breakfast choice!

And finally, don't fall for choosing the breakfast muffin over a donut, or worse. Thinking a muffin is a healthier choice can be a big mistake. It can contain as much fat and sugar as the donut, it's just not deep fried. A store bought muffin, one that is loaded with fat and sugar, can contain as many as four hundred calories.

You must eat breakfast every day! But, be sure to eat breakfast at home! Choose foods like organic eggs, yogurt, fruit, organic oatmeal, or sprouted grain toast with nut butter. These are the kinds of foods that get your day off to a great start! And choose organic varieties of these foods as much as you can afford to!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Franz_Williams/1256002

The 10 Best Fat Burning Eating Tips

If you want to get more from your diet by burning fat while feeding your muscles, here are 10 eating tips to burn more fat. Though these tips focus on healthy eating habits, keep in mind that proper exercise is also an important factor to burning fat.

1. Eat frequent meals - You should feed your body every 2 to 3 hours with small, nutritious meals. This will keep your blood sugar stable and allow your body to burn more of its fat reserve. Small meals can include sugar free yogurt, soup with meat and veggies, sandwiches, protein shakes, fruits and vegetables, beans or any other food that is free of white flour or sugar.

2. Eat more protein with fewer carbs -This type of diet is proven to be most effective at burning fat. Protein feeds the muscle and foods that are low in carbs tend to burn a higher percentage of fat.




3. Eliminate sugary treats - Elevated blood sugar prevents your body from burning excess fat. Eliminating sugary treats goes a long way to helping you burn fat. If you're a "sugar- holic" then give yourself one free day where you eat anything you want. Have your sugary treats on your free day and eliminate those treats the other six days a week.

4. Eliminate bread, pasta and white rice - Bread and pasta are usually made from white flour products which are notorious for spiking blood sugar level resulting in excess insulin secretion. This all but eliminates your body ability to burn excess fat in the presence of too much insulin. Brown Rice and whole grain pasta are okay but still keep these foods to a minimum when trying to burn fat.

5. Eliminate white potatoes - Unfortunately potatoes tend to spike blood sugar which needs to be avoided when dieting to burn fat. As contrary as this may sound, sweet potatoes are OK in moderation because sweet potatoes elevate blood sugar slowly compared to white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are very nutritious and considered a super food.

6. Eliminate sugary drinks - This should be a "no-brainer" because regular soft drinks are full of sugar and calories. Think of sugary sodas as liquid candy. Diet sodas and other low calorie beverages are acceptable.

7. Drink at least 10 cups of water each day - Strive for 16 cups but settle for 10 cups per day. Staying well hydrated helps your body burn more fat and rid itself of waste products.

8. Increase intake of high fiber foods - Start with high fiber cereal in the morning. Consider using soy milk which is high in fiber and protein. Fruits and primarily vegetables are high in fiber along with beans and nuts. High fiber foods require more calories to digest, increase bowel movement and considered the types of foods that burn fat.

9. Cut visible fat from meats - You save lots of extra calories by trimming away excess fat from your meat. Less fat means less calories and allows your body to burn a higher percentage of fat.

10. Eat celery and carrot sticks with low fat dip - This is a great low calorie snack food that makes you feel great and helps burn more fat. There's been some debate that celery can be considered a "negative calorie" food because it may require more calories to digest than its actual caloric content. Use low fat and low calorie dip to add more taste.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dan_Burley/95104

4 Strong Stomach Workouts For A Flatter Stomach

Many people go all out with a stomach workout routine for one goal only: to get the flat stomach that they've always dreamed of. While a flat tummy certainly looks good on anyone, have you ever considered what good it does? Sure it looks good, but so what? After all that exercising, your stomach should not only look good but should also be toned and strong. Instead of just working on the outer abdominals, you should also strive to build up the strength of your core abdominals. How do you do that? Simple. Take a look at the following exercises. They can help you in building strong muscles in your abdomen. As always, do be reminded that you should always consult a professional before beginning any physical exercise routine, and always go through a warm-up session to avoid any injury.

Toning your torso

Get on all fours, with your knees and hands on the floor. Keeping your stomach pulled in towards your spine, extend your left arm in front of you. Now, while keeping your left arm stretched out, extend your right leg behind you. Switch hands and legs and repeat the entire set. When doing this, keep in mind not to let your pelvis sway. Keep it in position. Simple isn't it?




Butt burner

Lie on your back. You can use a towel or a mat to cushion your spine. Now bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor and put your arms by your sides. Squeeze your butt and lift your pelvis off the floor, making sure that the rest of your body stays in line. Try to raise your pelvis to a 45-degree angle, so that your upper body is a straight line from your head to your knees. Hold this position for about five seconds. Now slowly lower yourself back to the floor. Repeat for an entire set.

Crunchless crunch

Theoretically, this is a simple exercise. However it can be a bit tricky to do. What it does is make you use your lower abdominals muscles to pull your belly button toward your spine. First, either lie on your tummy or kneel, depending on which is the more comfortable for you. You can try it both ways and decide which you like better. Now, relax your body and try to move your belly button inwards towards your spine using only your lower abdominal muscles. Hold this position for ten seconds or longer if it is too easy for you. Your objective is to hold the contraction until you can no longer feel it, or until you feel that your other muscles are doing more work than the transverse abdominus. If you feel either of this, then it's time to let the contraction go.

Scissor kicks

Lie on the floor and place your hands under your butt, while keeping your back to the floor. Now slowly raise one leg up to about 10 inches, and then slowly lower it back to the floor. As you are lowering your leg, raise the other one. Repeat this routine for an entire set. Now make sure that you maintain proper control as momentum can disrupt your routine. Make sure that your upper body stays on the floor throughout the whole routine.

The above are but some of the exercises targeted to building strength in your abdominal muscles. For more exercises look for those that work out your core abs especially your transverse abdominal muscles. Many of Pilate's components can also help you achieve stronger abdominal muscles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Juzaily_Ramli/22199