Will Chewing Gum Make You Lose Weight or Gain Weight?

Nutrition

by Anthony Alayon

When it comes to chewing gum and weight loss, many believe that gum is fattening or can cause you to not achieve your fitness goals.  However, this is not the case as chewing gum does not have nearly the amount of calories to cause you to gain weight.  But being that there is a ton of misconception floating around the internet and media about this topic, I decided to write an article and tell you exactly why it is not unhealthy  to chew gum and how it can help you lose weight if you apply a cool technique that I will show you in a minute.

So before I show you my cool trick on how to lose weight by chewing gum, I wanted to break down a few of the most common ingredients that I have found in chewing gum and show you why they will not make you fat.  With that being said, the most common ingredients found in gum are as follows:

Chewing Gum Ingredient #1: Softeners

Softeners are what makes the gum nice and moist.  If softeners were not an ingredient, the gum would likely become too hard to chew.  A common softener includes glycerin.  Glycerin is not bad for you as long as large quantities are not consumed.  There has been debate as to whether glycerin is classified as a carbohydrate or not, but for the purpose of this article and chewing gum, there is not a problem with it when it comes to losing weight.

Chewing Gum Ingredient #2: Sweeteners

These are the ingredients found in chewing gum that make it taste sweet.  Now here is where you will want to look at the back of the label.  I suggest that you pick a gum that has all natural sugars in it.  There are some companies that use aspartame and corn syrup as sweeteners.  As long as you do not chew a pack of gum a day, these sweeteners will be ok.  However, ALWAYS try to stick with sugars as the preferred sweetener as it is all natural and is the healthiest of all the sweeteners mentioned above.

Chewing Gum Ingredient #3: Flavorings

This is the ingredient that gives gum its unique flavor.  For example, spearmint, peppermint, fruit, orange, etc. are all common flavors that one can buy at a local convenience store or gas station.

Chewing Gum Ingredient #4: Gum Base

This is the ingredient that makes your gum appear as a stick of gum.  Without it, you will likely not have gum that is chewable.

So now that you have the 4 main ingredients to chewing gum, I would now like to tell you my little known trick to losing weight while chewing gum.

The trick is to chew gum after you eat a meal!  So for example, after you eat breakfast and lunch, chew a piece of gum as you normally would.  What studies have shown as well as my experience with using this method is that you are not as hungry and do not have the cravings that you normally would.

Now this trick may not work for you but I always carry gum with me and chew it after a meal and it has proven to keep my appetite in check.  However, the results are not so drastic that you will lose 10 pounds in a month but it can help to prevent any unnecessary snacking that can kill your weight loss progress.

Important Note: As a reminder, always try to purchase gum that has all natural ingredients.  If some ingredients are synthetic, it will not make a huge difference but just be conscious of this and look for the all natural ingredients I mentioned above for the best options.

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The 3 Things KEEPING You From a Flat Belly

Nutrition

The 3 Things KEEPING You From a Flat Belly by coach josh
www.7daybellyfat.com

Doctors agree that internal belly fat is the most deadly kind of body fat there is. Studies show it dramatically increases the chance of illness such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and even depression (suicide).

And if that wasn’t bad enough, that dreaded belly bulge makes us look unattractive and it can demolish our self-esteem and confidence to boot.

But, what makes this situation even more frustrating is the fact that belly fat is considered by many to be the most stubborn and impossible weight to penetrate and burn. It’s like the “Fort Knox” of body fat. Here’s why:

PROBLEM #1: Your Hormones Are Out of Whack: Chronic stress causes your body to release a fat-storing hormone called cortisol. The more cortisol your body releases, the more belly fat you store. Plus, eating the wrong foods causes the fat-storing hormone insulin to skyrocket, while a fat-burning hormone called glucagon gets turned off. (Hello, belly fat!)

PROBLEM #2: Your Belly-Burning Furnace Is Busted: When you want to lose a lot of weight, you should cut calories for long periods of time, right?

WRONG.

Cutting calories magnifies nutrient deficiencies in your body. This results in severe cravings as your brain sends emergency “low nutrient signals” to your stomach to eat more food.

Problem is, most people end up eating more “nutrient-dead food” which causes cravings to completely spiral out of control. (If you feel hungry all the time, now you know why.)

After about a week of dieting, your body is genetically programmed to fight back by lowering the hormones responsible for keeping your metabolism humming along (like the calorie-burning thyroid hormones). At the same time, it will increase the “hunger hormone” leptin. (Double whammy.)

As a result, your weight loss will come to a screeching halt, lickity split.

At this point, to keep burning fat you’ll be forced to reduce your calories even lower, and/or do MORE exercise. (Not fun… I’ve been there.)

PROBLEM #3: Your Food Is Laced with Obesity Additives: GIANT food manufacturers make BIG bucks creating “Frankenstein foods” that are stripped of belly-burning nutrients and stuffed full of dirt-cheap, artificial preservatives that make your belly bulge.

I call these chemicals Obesity Additives and studies show:

* They cause a mineral imbalance that results in bloating and excess water weight.
* They addict us by altering brain chemicals called neurotransmitters – just like the street drugs cocaine, morphine and nicotine do!
* They cause pounds of “toxic waste” to accumulate in our digestive tracks. (Believe me, that belly bulge or “pooch” is not all belly fat.)

Those are the 3 BIG obstacles keeping you from EVER getting a flat belly. But don’t worry: there is a real SOLUTION

If you are working with the Alive Experience there issue should be disappearing, if your not…well.

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Five DIRT CHEAP Protein Sources

Nutrition

Posted by Joel Marion

If you’re looking to transform your body, then protein is perhaps the most important macronutrient you could ever have on your side.  It’s the macro with the highest thermic effect of feeding (i.e. you burn calories by eating it), it helps you regulate insulin by causing the secretion of insulin’s antagonist, glucagon, and it provides the vital building blocks for building muscle and recovery.

BUT, it’s also typically the most expensive macronutrient, and THAT’S the problem I’m here to solve today with the below 5 DIRT CHEAP protein sources:

#1 – Eggs. A dozen eggs provides 72 grams of protein for about $1.69.  At that rate you can even go Organic and have an extremely inexpensive meal.

#2 – Whey. At anywhere from 50 cents to $1 for 20 grams you just can’t go wrong.  One of the purest, most bioavailable protein sources available.

#3 – Beans and Lentils. A can of beans or lentils packs about 45 grams of protein (and fiber!) for about a buck!

#4 – Cottage Cheese. 48 grams of protein ready to eat out of the container for $1.69 – not too bad!

#5 – Tuna. Perhaps the cheapest of all lean protein sources, a can of tuna yields approximately 42 grams of protein for just under $1.

Getting your daily protein requirements (I recommend about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass daily) doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive by any means; in fact, it can be DIRT CHEAP by getting a good portion of your daily protein from the above sources.

Feel like I saved you at least 5 bucks on your next daily grocery run?

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7 Muscle-Building Mistakes to Avoid

Nutrition, Training

You diet. You exercise. So why is your gut still hanging over your belt? Because of these common pitfalls

By: Myatt Murphy

You’ve put in the time. The sweat. Maybe the tears when you don’t see results. Quit blubbering. It’ll be fine.

Entering the weight room is the first step toward building muscle, but it’s not the last. What you do before, during, and after a workout can either negate your hard work or elevate your growth to a new level.

“Your personal habits, your social life, even which exercises you choose to do can take away from what you’re trying to build,” says Jeff Bell, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist and the owner of Spectrum Wellness in New York City. Bell and other experts helped us pinpoint seven factors that sabotage results. “Add them up and they could be why your muscles have nothing to show for all your time served,” Bell says.

Eliminate these seven saboteurs, then watch your muscles grow—with nothing holding them back.

Skipping Basics

Plenty of lifters believe that doing isolation exercises like chest flies and leg extensions is the only way to make their muscles grow. But basic moves such as bench presses and squats force several muscle groups to work together, imposing more stress on your body for bigger gains.

“Your body reacts to all that stress by having the anterior pituitary gland issue more growth hormone to compensate for the extra effort,” says Allen Hedrick, C.S.C.S., head strength-and-conditioning coach at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Of course you need variation, but don’t abandon basic moves in favor of intermediate isolation exercises.

Fix it: Write down the exercises in your routine to see what percentage of them are compound moves. “If it’s not in the range of at least 40 to 50 percent, then you’re doing too many isolation exercises,” says Bell.

Lunchtime Hoops

Playing sports too often can sidetrack your muscle-growth goals. Muscles typically need 48 hours of rest to adapt to the stresses placed on them during exercise. “Engaging in extra activity also makes your body more likely to use any excess calories it has for fuel, and not for rebuilding itself,” says Bell.

Fix it: “Pull your cardiovascular activity back to the bare minimum—20 minutes, three times a week—to see what effect it has on your body,” Bell says. If cardio is indeed stealing your muscle, you should begin to notice strength improvements—being able to lift more weight or complete more repetitions—within 2 to 3 weeks. If your primary goal is to increase muscle size and strength, and not necessarily to build your overall health, try pulling back further. Can’t miss a game? During your workout, ease up on the muscles you use most in your extra activity so they have more time to recover.

Smoking and Drinking

You know smoking is stupid. You know you’re gambling with cancer, stroke, and other health issues. But did you know you’re also sabotaging your strength training?

“Smoking places carbon monoxide in your system, which prevents your muscles from getting as much oxygen to use for energy,” says Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D., a clinical professor of medical psychology at Duke University. “The less oxygen your muscles have to draw from, the less efficient they are at contracting, which can limit their capacity for work.”

As for alcohol, it can cover your abs with a layer of lard and interfere with hormones that help build them. “Drinking alcohol on a regular basis can also keep your testosterone levels lower than usual and decrease muscle mass,” says Swartzwelder.

Fix it: Quit smoking, and don’t worry about becoming a cold-turkey butterball. “Getting in at least 30 minutes of exercise three or four times a week not only helps control body weight, but can also produce positive psychological effects that might diminish the need to smoke,” says Swartzwelder. Drinking moderately (two drinks or less per day) won’t harm testosterone levels and can actually improve your cardiovascular health, he says.

Starvation

You need to eat after your workout. Right after a session, your body is hustling to convert glucose into glycogen so your muscles can repair themselves and grow. “If you don’t eat after exercise, your body breaks down muscle into amino acids to convert into glucose,” says John Ivy, Ph.D., chairman of kinesiology at the University of Texas.

Fix it: After you work out, eat a high-carbohydrate meal—and don’t forget the protein. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that a four-to-one carbohydrate-to-protein ratio can provide 128 percent greater muscle-glycogen storage than a high-carbohydrate drink alone. (They used Endurox R Recovery Drink in the study.) For even greater results, have a sports drink before and during exercise.

Craig Ferguson

If you don’t get enough deep sleep, your muscles can’t recover. Moreover, says Catherine Jackson, Ph.D., chairwoman of the department of kinesiology at California State University at Fresno, when you work out on insufficient sleep, you exercise at a lower intensity than you realize—but you feel as if it’s high. So your muscles are less likely to receive enough stress to grow.

Fix it: Go to bed and wake up at set times every day, even on weekends, to keep your sleep cycles regular. Avoid caffeine—and perhaps exercise—for 4 to 6 hours before bedtime. Elevating your heart rate before bed can interfere with sleep, Jackson says.

Sugar

Sugary drinks like soda can fool your body with a blood-sugar spike, making you prone  to skip “other, nutrient-dense foods you could be eating,” says Bell. If your sugar habit limits your intake of muscle-building amino acids, it will sap the fuel you need for your workouts, says New York City-based celebrity trainer Steve Lischin, M.S., C.P.T.

Fix it: Water and low-sugar sports drinks are your best bets. But sugar hides elsewhere. “Watch out for dried fruits, certain nutrition bars, and even ketchup,” Lischin says.

Thirst

For the active man, eating about a gram of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight helps build muscle—if the protein is processed correctly. “A high-protein meal has a slight diuretic effect,” says Lischin. When the body uses protein for energy, it has to remove the nitrogen component of the molecule to turn it into glucose. “This requires plenty of water,” he says.

Fix it: Drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day and divide your protein among five or six small meals throughout the day. “Eating an average of 25 to 30 grams each meal is ideal,” says Lischin. “Not only will you put less stress on your kidneys, but you’ll also utilize more of the protein you’re ingesting by giving your body only as much as it can use each time.”

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Handbook for Life and Living 2011

Weekly Motivation
Handbook for Life and Living
HANDBOOK 2011

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a
beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that
is manufactured in plants..

4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games

7. Read the bible more than you did in 2010.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes’ walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

12. Don’t have negative thoughts on things you cannot control instead
invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don’t overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her
mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are
simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Last but not the least:

40. Please Forward this link to everyone you care about.

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