Weight Management Tips

Fat Makers, Fat Burners, and Energy Boosting Fat Fighting Snacks

Fat Makers

High-Fat & Carbohydrate Meals or Snacks - breads and breadings, cakes and cookies, candies, Corn Syrup, Fructose, Refined Sugar, crackers and snack chips, fried foods, frostings, mayonnaise and salad dressings, ice cream, puddings and shortenings. Have no more than 10 to 20 grams of fat per day, depending on your weight.

Stuffing Yourself - even with Low-Fat or Non-fat Foods. The rush of extra calories is going to switch on excess insulin, resulting in less fat burning and more fat storage. Sugar, including corn syrup, brown sugar, dextrose, maltose, cane syrup, maple syrup, honey and fruit juice are all simple carbohydrates that give you energy, but add on those extra pounds and inches, while preventing fat burning.

Low-Fiber or No-Fiber Meals or Snacks - low fiber or no fiber meals and snacks, along with highly processed packaged foods, and too much sugar and starch in your diet, will stimulate the production of the hormone insulin, which can begin to play a huge role in the fat making process.

Loosing Muscle Tone - muscle is 37 times more metabolically active than fat. Don't loose your muscles, because they burn calories and eat up the fat as an energy source. Building muscle will force you to loose weight.

Alcohol - no more than two drinks per day. Alcohol increases your appetite, which means you eat more and gain more. One drink equals the calories of about a gram of fat, and dramatically triggers high levels of insulin, which can stimulate the conversion of those calories into fat. Two of any kind of alcoholic drink, reduces fat metabolism by 36%.

Skipping Meals or Snacks - when you're hungry, you burn less calories and you tend to eat too much and too fast, by the time you get to the next meal. More frequent eating of smaller meals, reduces cholesterol by 15% and reduces the fat producing hormones Cortisol by 17% and Insulin by 28%.

Concealed Dehydration - water performs a crucial role in the fat burning, fat forming and fat storage processes. When you don't drink enough water, your body will secrete the hormone aldosterone, which causes tissues to hold on to almost every molecule of liquid, including toxic disease causing wastes, and this may cause fat deposits to increase.

Inactivity - whenever you are inactive for more than 60 minutes or so, it's likely that your body is sending an ancient signal to your brain to decrease fat burning and increase fat making. The same is true if you lay around after a big meal.

Poor Quality Sleep - if you are sleep deprived, you tend to eat 10% to 15% more calories, in an attempt to prop yourself up. And, if you're just grabbing whatever food is available to reboot your system, it's likely you'll favor unhealthy foods that are high in fat and/or sugars.

Mismanaged Stress - when we are reacting to stress rather than meeting it and growing from it, many of us overeat, consuming foods high in fat and refined sugar, and also skip exercise. Studies report distress related triggering of the "starvation response" -- that is, an unconscious tendency to store food, as if our bodies were preparing for famine. Not only that, distress sets fat making processes into overdrive, so we end up storing a great deal of added body fat.

Fat Burners

All Meals should be less than 500 Calories and All Snacks less than 250 Calories, with no more than 20% to 25% of those Calories from fat.

Quick Start Your Morning Metabolism - turn on the lights and WAKE UP. Exercise for 5 to 10 minutes. (Like, 10 to 50 jumping jacks.) Work up to increasing your heart beat to an extra 20 beats per minute. Take Vital Life Nutrients (VLN) for breakfast with a piece of fruit OR a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal and a piece of fruit OR just have a Low Fat, Low Carbohydrate, High Fiber Snack. This will increase your metabolic rate all through the day, to assist in burning extra calories and stored fats and giving you energy.

Eat Low-Fat, Low Carbohydrate, High Fiber Snacks - see the list of suggested snacks below. Eat 2 to 4 Snacks each day, spaced at 2 to 3 hour intervals, between your main meals. High Fiber helps absorb fats and carbs before they digest and turn into more fat.

Drink Water and Other Fat Fighting Drinks - the perfect hunger quencher. Drink 8 to 12, 8 ounce glasses of water or herbal or decaffeinated teas, each day. Avoid all caffeine, as well as, all regular and diet sodas, they greatly inhibit weight loss and can cause breast cancer and osteoporosis. Sufficient water is absolutely essential to flush out the fats and diseased toxins that are being released within your body. For optimal health, look into a water treatment system and never buy bottled water again!

Active Minutes of Low Intensity Aerobics - research proves that moderate aerobic exercise will not only make you look and feel better, but it will greatly extend your life expectancy. Sneak in activity throughout the day.

Raspberry Ketones -15 to 30 minutes before each meal, take our raspberry ketone supplement, which promote fat burning and energy

Fat Fighting Lunches Eat - a sensible low fat, low carbohydrate, high fiber lunch, but don't stuff yourself. High Fat meals cause fatigue. Avoid simple carbohydrates and include more fresh veggies, legumes and whole grains. For your sweet tooth, Health Valley makes a good low fat, low carb cookie and brownie.

Stop Stress When it Begins - Stress inhibits fat burning. Breathe deep, relax your face and hands, shift you attention away from the problem, deflect stress with physical activity, get around someone you really like or that makes you laugh and keep looking on the lighter side of life.

Quick & Easy Muscle Toning - 15 minutes of strength training, 3 to 4 times a week, will help you burn the most calories, loose the most weight and it lowers LDL cholesterol. A pound of fat only requires 2 calories per day to maintain it, but muscle requires 75 calories. Muscle burns calories 24 hours a day, even while you're asleep.

Catch a Late Day, Second Wind After Work - before heading home, slow things down and get in a good laugh with a coworker, do a few twists, turns and bends to waken your body. On the way home listen to some upbeat music that you can sing along with.

Eat Dinner Early - no later than 6 -00 or 3 to 4 Hours before Bedtime. Play soothing music and eat slowly. A 10 to 30 minute walk, 30 minutes after dinner, will help recharge your metabolism to burn more calories, even while you're asleep. (Follow the lunch suggestions with the Vital Life Nutrients or if you eat a low fat meal, be sure to eat your fruit and protein portions first. If you must have dessert, delay it for at least 1 to 2 hours.)

Get Deep, High Metabolism Sleep - don't go to bed hungry, have a warm cup of tea or a VERY light snack. Don't cover up so much. If you sleep cooler, your body will burn more calories by trying to keep you warmer.

Energy Boosting Fat Fighting Snacks

• A variety of fresh cut raw vegetable and fruit pieces with three whole grain crackers, served with a nonfat dip or dressing
• One cup of low fat or nonfat yogurt sweetened with fruit juice or Prescribed For Life's Sweet'n It
• A half cup of 1% or nonfat cottage cheese with fresh or unsweetened frozen or canned fruit
• One thick piece of 100% whole grain bread topped with nonfat cream cheese and 100% all-fruit preserves or jam.
• A whole rye cracker or bagel with nonfat cream cheese or nonfat cream cheese and a piece of fresh fruit.
• A whole wheat English muffin with all fruit preserves and nonfat cream cheese.
• A whole wheat English muffin with nonfat Mayo and a thin slice of part skim cheese, such as Jarlsberg light Swiss.
• A Health Valley Fat-Free whole grain Muffin or Snack Bar.
• A low fat whole oats granola bar, low in sugar
• One to three of RyKrisp, Wasa Crispbread, Scandinavian style bran crispbread or another whole rye cracker with all fruit preserves and/or nonfat cream cheese.
• A whole grain bagel with one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of Coconut Oil Mayo and two slices of turkey breast.
• A whole grain bagel with one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of Coconut Oil Mayo and two thin slices of part skim cheese, such as Jarlsberg light Swiss.
• A Nature's Choice Whole Grain Fat-Free or Low Fat Snack Bar
• One to three whole grain cookies, such as Health Valley Fat Free Cookies or Brownies.
• One to three fat free rye or other 100% whole grain crackers spread with fat free bean dip
• One cup of nonfat plain yogurt with fruit - fresh or unsweetened, canned or frozen
• A half cup of nonfat old fashioned whole oats granola with skim milk, almond milk or yogurt.
• A quarter cup of nonfat ricotta cheese topped with a handful of nonfat whole oats granola
• Four ounces of nonfat frozen yogurt
• Eight ounces of tapioca pudding, made with almond or skim milk.
• One cup on nonfat or low fat bean, lentil or vegetable soup, such as Progresso, Pritikin or Healthy Choice products.
• One piece of whole rye or whole grain bread with one teaspoon of nonfat Mayo and two ounces of water packed albacore tuna
• Eight ounces of unsweetened orange juice with a small low fat whole grain muffin
• One celery stalk stuffed with one tablespoon of nonfat cream cheese or cottage cheese
• One apple or other fresh fruit with three whole grain crackers
• Sliced fruit and berries mixed into a half cup of nonfat plain yogurt or nonfat cottage cheese.