Proactol and Vitamin Absorption (Part 4)

Supplements which block the absorption of fat are effective at treating obesity because fat has significantly more calories than other nutrients. Indeed, 1 gram of fat has 9 calories, whereas 1 gram of protein or carbohydrate has just 4 calories. However, fats are required for the absorption of certain fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A or E. As a result, some fat blockers also block the absorption of essential vitamins. For instance, the popular fat blocker, Alli, reduces the absorption of Vitamin E by a whopping 60%.

To find out whether Proactol’s active ingredient, NeOpuntia, also interfered with the absorption of vitamins, researches performed a straightforward test using a gastrointestinal model. Researchers created a mixture of sunflower oil, which contained typical daily amounts of vitamins A and E, and they added NeOpuntia to the mixture to see if it affected vitamin absorption.

Scientists found that NeOpuntia did not bind to these

fat soluble vitamins

. This suggests that NeOpuntia, unlike many other fat blockers, doesn’t interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. Go to Proactol web page right now.

3 Super Foods that Burn Belly Fat

3 Super Foods that target Belly Fat Fast

Research found that dieters who fill up on these foods that burn or target belly fat helps women reduce abdominal fat by up to 50 percent.

Mushrooms: Women who enjoyed a mushroom-based lunch ate 400 fewer calories throughout the day compared with those who ate a meat dish, according to a study at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. Follow-up research confirms that a daily cup serving of mushrooms instead of an equal portion of animal protein can help women shed 10 pounds of belly fat in two months.

Edamame: Consuming two daily servings of soy foods such as edamame or tofu helps target abdominal fat at the cellular level, note researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their studies show that soy activates fat burn inside cells, stimulating weight loss within 72 hours, without calorie restriction. Plus, it cuts the production of new abdominal fat by 57 percent.

Beans: Eating 1 cup of protein- and fiber-rich beans daily cuts the risk of an expanding waistline by 23 percent, say scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additional research shows the same daily dose can help dieters more than double abdominal-fat reduction. Plus, preliminary studies suggest that bean fiber binds to fat-storing toxins in the intestinal tract, speeding their elimination from the body.

20 days on track. A record!

I am pretty sure that this is a record for me - 20 days!
I have had a few days where I have been over my calorie limit, but on average I am making the grade each week. I was really pleased I had a sneek peek yesterday at the scales, and I hope that on Friday they will be kind at last.

I guess the way I am tracking my progress might be very boring/annoying/anal for most, but I am actually enjoying it. The "Today I ate:..." thing is getting a bit pants, but I think its a good idea of the food I ate for a whole month and that's quite a good achievement. I can always go back and copy it if I need to shift some lard in the future. Good for reference if you know what I mean.

It's getting annoying only because I am tracking my foods twice. I do it once on Livestrong and then I put it down again on here. I wish I was able to cut and paste, but it doesn't work like that sadly.

This is what I get for yesterday if I copy and paste:

Food Item Servings Cals Fat Cholest Sodium Carbs Sugars Fiber Protein


Smash Smash Instant Mash 1.75 187 2g 0mg 4mg 36g 1g 2g 6g

Tesco Skimmed UHT Milk 3.00 210 1g 0mg 0mg 30g 30g 0g 20g

Oscar Mayer Hot Dog 1.00 130 12g 35mg 540mg 1g 0g 0g 5g

Tesco Organic Medium Cheddar Cheese 0.30 123 10g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g 0g 8g

Tesco Tomatoes (tin Chopped) 2.00 34 0g 0mg 0mg 6g 6g 2g 2g

Nestle Aero Bubbles 1.00 192 11g 0mg 0mg 21g 20g 0g 2g

Nestle Kitkat Chunky 1.00 260 14g 10mg 45mg 32g 25g 1g 3g

Tesco Plain Flour 0.40 134 1g 0mg 0mg 28g 1g 1g 4g

Dairy Crest Willow Spread 1.00 71 8g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g 0g 0g

Tesco Courgette 1.00 18 0g 0mg 0mg 2g 0g 0g 2g

Onions 1.00 64 0g 0mg 6mg 15g 7g 3g 2g

Yellow Bell Pepper 1.00 20 0g 0mg 0mg 7g 4g 2g 1g

egg 1.00 70 5g 215mg 65mg 1g 0g 0g 6g

Hellmann's Mayonnaise 3.00 270 30g 15mg 270mg 0g 0g 0g 0g

Totals: 1,783 93g 275mg 930mg 179g 94g 11g 60g

Which is pretty bloody useless.
I guess I could edit it a bit... I might give it a go. Trouble is it doesn't split it into meals, but I guess if I am doing it day on day, I can remember to wort that out.
 
anyway, off to work now. had my lunch:
 

A yummy 2 egg cheese omlette with big salad and mayonnaise. that will keep me full until I get in and help myself to some lentil curry I have prepared in advance. Mmmm.

yesterday

Yesterday i had a bit of a crisis. I hadnt had much to eat all day, so that might have been the reason, but who knows. Maybe it was the comedown from the weekends happiness... dunno

I felt horrible in the evening. I wanted to have some pleasure.

I had 3 kitkat chunkys. All in a row. they were yummy as I was eating them, then afterwards I felt horrid. I logged it all in the livestrong plate, and I knew I could have them, so at least I was in control, but I still felt bad.

If I have a controlled blowout though, it limits the damage so its better. I had only had 2 banana's and some salad and chips for my meals, so no damage done. I also chose to eat just 3, rather than blow out over the top of my calories.

So its the control that makes that little butterfly above move down the scale, which it did this morning. It was all I needed to give me a boost and keep on track. I knew that sticking to the plan would eventually bring rewards, its just not possible to eat less and gain weight. So I look forward to it moving some more and me keeping it together.

I'm a good girl

So, bet you're all dying to hear if I stayed on track yesterday at the anniversary do?

Ok, I know you're not, but I am going to tell you anyway.

I dun good!

I had porridge for breakfast
I had a scone with cream and jam for lunch and a glass of champagne
For dinner we went to an Italian, and I had olives for my starter whilst everyone else had garlic bread with cheese, a chicken caesar salad  for dinner (low of dressing thank goodness and I gave the chicken to DH) and I had the smallest bit of mum and dads cake for desert - it was the same size as 2 of my fingers. On the way home I had a packet of crisps and a bottle of yazoo milkshake.

I consumed 2100 cals! YAYAY

Today I feel really sick for some reason. I dunno why. I have had 2 bananas today so far and I think I will make a lentil curry for myself tonight after work. Mmmm 

Breathing Exercises for Weight Loss

The Breathing Exercises that burn 140% more fat than jogging and keep metabolism elevated 24/7

Oxygen-boosting techniques: If you maximize the oxygen reaching your gut, you'll double your absorption of fat-burning nutrients. And if you rebalance your pH, you'll burn more stored fat for fuel.

Discover why enhanced oxygen intake is so slimming and how you can do this to lose weight in record time.

Oxygen Deprivation Alert!
More and more women are increasingly getting shortchanged when it comes to oxygen circulation. The result: weight gain, fatigue and mental fogginess.

When the first study revealed that women could get slim with focused breathing, the medical community scoffed. Although it was well recognized that breathing produces physiological changes conducive to weight loss, the lab results seemed too amazing. And when research at Los Angeles's University of Southern California found that deep breathing helped subjects burn 140 percent more calories than riding a bike, some wrote it off as unbelievable. After all, we breathe 24/7, yet we keep gaining.

Now three findings promise to forever silence the snickers, and help millions of women lose weight in record time.

1. The levels of atmospheric oxygen have steadily declined, thanks to pollution and climate shifts. And while a drop of .002 percent per year may not sound major, the impact is dramatic.

2. The chronic stress of modern life alters breathing patterns, causing 90 percent of us to take short, shallow breaths. These truncated breaths don't flood the body with oxygen- a requirement for weight loss.

3. Our habit of sucking in our tummies sabotages slimming. The reason: Rounded belly breather are needed to oxygenate the body.

The good news: Now that weight-loss experts are aware of the various components that are preventing oxygen-induced weight loss, they've been able to pinpoint the oxygenating strategies or breathing exercises that will:
• Turbo Charge metabolism
• Flush fat-trapping toxins
• End weight-sabotaging fatigue.

Why enhanced breathing exercises are so slimming!

1. Oxygen optimizes slimming nutrients. The digestive tract is lined with tiny fingerlike projections called intestinal villi. Their task: to absorb calcium, iodine, essential fats, amino acids and dozens of other metabolism-boosting nutrients. But to do this effectively, intestinal villi require a great deal of oxygen- more than most tissue in the body.

And when oxygen is in short supply (as it is for almost 90 percent of women, thanks to shallow breathing), the ability of villi to absorb nutrients plunges by as much as 72 percent, according to research at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. But when oxygen intake improves, nutrient absorption is enhanced within minutes, boosting metabolic rate by as much as 30 percent, says nutritionist Marc David, author of The Slow Down Diet.

2. Oxygen ups levels of fat-burning energy. Steady weight loss and high energy are dependent on the quick conversion of food and fat into tiny packets of usable energy called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, explains clinical nutritionist Susan M. Lark, M.D., coauthor of The Chemistry of Success.

But in order for this to happen, cells need to be bathed in fluid that's slightly alkaline (a pH above 7). Oxygen is alkaline, notes Dr. Lark. So deep breathing keeps cells oxygenated, helping the body to easily maintain an ideal pH. And that's the key to optimal ATP production, she adds.

3. Oxygen ushers out fat-packing toxins. Rapid removal of pesticides, preservatives and other toxins is essential for fast, easy weight loss, suggests research at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Scientists there discovered that as cellular toxin levels rise, the thyroid, adrenals and other weight-regulating glands become sluggish. Plus, in an attempt to protect these vital organs, the body forms additional fat as storage for toxins.

The good news: Up to 70 percent of toxins are easily converted into gases that are expelled through deep breaths, so proper breathing can dramatically lessen one's toxin load. In fact, according to studies at California's Sansum-Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, simply breathing slowly and deeply, to maximize the oxygen inhaled and the carbon dioxide and wastes exhaled, increases the release of fat-packing toxins by as much as fifteen fold.

4. Oxygen oxidizes existing body fat. The first step in breaking down stored fat is to combine it with oxygen molecules, or to oxidize it. Incredibly, research at the International Breath Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and elsewhere reveals that most people use less than 25 percent of their lungs' two-gallon capacity, which greatly short-changes weight-loss potential. But when people improve their breathing and maximize their oxygen intake, they more than double the amount of body fat they oxidize and burn each week.

5. Oxygen short-circuits stress hormones. Keeping the bloodstream oxygenated calms the entire central nervous system, lowering production of the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 50 percent in 10 minutes.

In fact, studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggest that women simply need proper oxygenation to avoid the leading cause of diet-sabotaging binges: cortisol over-production due to nonstop stress. When oxygen levels are high and the nervous system is calm, the pancreas responds by reducing its production of fat-storing insulin, explains David. The result: You are less likely to convert the food you eat into body fat!

Are you oxygen-deprived? Take this one-minute quiz to find out.
Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Slowly inhale and exhale through your nose four times. Which hand moved? Ideally, the one on your chest stayed fairly still, while the one on your stomach moved in and out. That's a sign of deep belly breathing, the type that maximizes oxygen intake. If only the hand on your chest moved significantly, that means you're breathing shallowly- a sign of oxygen deprivation.

The oxygenating techniques or breathing exercises that lead to weight loss.

Simply by increasing the amount of oxygen flowing through your lungs, you'll expel up to 70 percent of the fat-trapping toxins in your body. If you maximize the oxygen reaching your gut, you'll double your absorption of fat-burning nutrients. And if you rebalance your pH, you'll burn more stored fat for fuel.

While the biochemical chain reaction above is complex, getting the slimming benefits isn't. The techniques will bathe every cell in your body in oxygen. And unlike diets of old, the results kick in immediately!

Shift your body into metabolic overdrive with this simple breathing exercise.
It might seem silly to relearn how to breathe, but the following breathing pattern helped study subjects burn 140 percent more calories than riding a stationary bike! We now know that breathing, like aerobics, is a true fat-burning exercise, says nutritionist Marc David. If you want to lose more weight, you have to take in more oxygen, he says.

The proven strategy: 15 minutes of breathing exercises daily. These can be done in 5-minute sessions. 

This technique, called Oxycise, can be performed in any position, as long as you focus on your breathing the entire time.

Step 1. Inhale
Breath in fully and quickly through your nose, relaxing your stomach and face so you can take in as much air as possible.

Step 2. Lift
While holding your breath, tighten your abdominal muscles to pull in and lift your belly. Placing your hands on your tummy can help guide you.

Step 3. Tilt and squeeze
Tilt your pelvic area in and up. (Your shoulders should be slightly rounded.) Squeeze and lift up your buttocks ever so slightly.

Step 4. Exhale
Breathe out with resistance (as if blowing through a straw). Keep your head up and your shoulders relaxed, but do not relax your butt and belly until you've finished exhaling.

Speed your slim down with these oxygen-rich foods.

Source: First

The lost weekend

I said I'd post my driver's license pictures from the last twenty years today. I started to but after fighting with Photoshop for about an hour trying to crop them and change the blurriness I decided I'm just to tired and it's past my bedtime. Maybe later this week. They all look like mugshots anyway so I'm not sure why I want to post them. Some of them are really bad pictures. Especially the one where I weighed 240 pounds that was taken five years ago. I look like I'm wearing a fat suit.

My weekend was okay, but I worked both days. Saturday from home and today I went into the office. All I can say about that is "yuk". Not fun to work on the weekends. I want my life back.

My scales lured me back on to them today. Old habits are hard to break. I was actually down to 173.6. So I actually lost the 1.4 I gained plus another .4. In the big picture, that's really nothing. I still want to lose at least another thirty or more pounds, but I refuse to go on a "diet".
I like not being so stressed out by my eating. I even had a glass of wine yesterday without guilt. I'm cutting back a bit on my portion sizes. I know how much I should eat and this isn't a free-for-all where I can eat until I'm stuffed. The idea is still to lose weight, but not get so crazy about it. I don't want it to consume me like it has in the past.

I want to write more about the other eating guidelines, but right now, I can barely stay awake. Later, I promise.