Stress-Eat in Style

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Stress Eat, Josh BezoniSo many of us struggle with stress eating. The struggle of daily life can feel overwhelming and in an attempt to cope, we stuff our mouths and stomachs with fatty comfort foods. Yet, this only exacerbates the issue. As stress mounts, our waistlines expand and our self-esteem shrinks—but what if there were a way to eat and lose pounds? What if there was a way to eat comfort foods that make us feel don’t just make us feel comfortable, but make us feel better?

There is! Seriously. Here are some fantastic healthy alternatives to traditional ‘comfort foods:’

Oatmeal: Oatmeal has carbs, a LOT of them. Carbs tell your brain to make serotonin. Serotonin=happy hormone. Therefore, if you eat oatmeal, you will be happy. Though this is a simple explanation for why oatmeal is such an awesome substitute, it is more or less the extent of it. Oatmeal also coerces a steady blood sugar response, which one, is great for your waistline and metabolism, and two, means steady serotonin.

Oranges: The beloved fruit of Florida decreases cortisol levels in humans. Cortisol is the body’s number one stress hormone. So more oranges equal less stress. Plus, oranges have been proven to reduce blood pressure levels when people are subject to stressful circumstances.

Turkey: The staple of Thanksgiving boasts an amino acid that goes by L-tryptophan, and L-Tryptophan also triggers serotonin release which means it triggers happy for you.

Salmon: Salmon and many other types of fish have a very large count of omega-3 fatty acids. Although ‘fatty acids’ may not exude undertones of fresh, healthy, nutrition, these do. In fact, they incite a reduction in stress levels when consumed in appropriate servings. According to a study published in none other than the respected Diabetes & Metabolism, omega 3s prevent cortisol events from peaking. Another study conducted in Michigan went so far as to say that omega 3s decrease anxiety by an astounding 20%.

Avocados: Everyone’s new favorite food has wonderful nutritional benefits when consumed in moderation. Their high potassium content helps reduce stress-induced spikes in blood pressure. Although bananas may get all the credit for potassium, avocados actually have more!

These are just a few foods that provide a tremendous alternative to more generic comfort foods. The next time you open the freezer to look for a gallon of ice cream, consider eating something that not only tastes good, but is good for you.

Double Fat Loss Today

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Josh Bezoni, Diet, Fat LossWhen we are first being taught about nutrition, the Food Pyramid always springs to the forefront of conversation. Claiming that grains (made up of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta) make up the base of the food pyramid, it was thought we were supposed to receive an astounding fifty percent of our diet from carbohydrates.

Crazy! It’s this sort of fattening advice that perpetuates nutritional misperceptions which relegate people to an unhealthy lifestyle, condemned to believe they are doing the right thing and properly monitoring their diet when, in reality, they are actually making losing weight more difficult, more frustrating, and downright exhausting. What’s the most ridiculous part of all this? We know better.

Fortunately, government agencies and the United States educational system have released massive updates to the outdated policy; it’s just slow to take effect. In fact, the USDA is rightfully now recommending that half of your diet come from fruits and vegetables, and only 30% should come from grains—much better advice. Not to mention, the ‘experts’ are now also suggesting that protein makes up about twenty percent of our diet, a fantastic increase from the nearly nonexistent portion that was advised before.

All this said, there are still some considerable improvements to be made even to this new and improved My Plate System (the new and improved version of the Food Pyramid). For one, it does not really allot for healthy fats like nuts, oils, and organic dairy products—think butter and cream. These sorts of fats are a vital part of any diet, and most certainly should not be eaten sparingly. In actuality, you should be consuming about 25% of your calories through these open fats.

In regards to grains, I would chop it down to size and say they should only make up about 15% of your diet. There are only two meals a day where you should even consider eating grains, anyway, and those are breakfast and the meal after your workout. The reason for this is that research has proven glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity are at their highest during these two points in the day.

With respect to protein, let’s beef that up to at least 35%. By increasing protein, you will have an increased thermic effect of feeding (which means you burn more calories just by eating protein), have better blood sugar control, see a decrease in body fat, and witness a significant increase in calorie-burning lean muscle.

Really, just by lowering grain consumption, you will improve your body’s capacity for processing carbohydrates, and then when you increase your protein intake, you can nearly DOUBLE your fat loss. It’s that easy.

Time to Place Whey by the Wayside

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If you’ve ever even thought of lifting weights or undergoing any sort of weight training regimen, you have probably thought about purchasing the most fundamental supplement to ever grace the vitamin industry, whey protein. Known for its incredible popularity and its supposed ability to foster a more rapid development of stronger, more resilient muscle fibers, its negative associations often, all-too-often, in fact, slip under the radar.

So, in light of these aforementioned negative associations, I would like to elaborate. There are, in reality, two major hindrances to whey protein as a product:

Whey Protein Absorption: According to a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, the rate of protein absorption is eight grams every hour. While there are certainly a variety of factors that contribute to this, the single largest influencing factor is undoubtedly the fact that the whey is not broken down into small enough peptides by our body’s natural enzymes in order to be absorbed in time, and if the protein is not absorbed in time, then it essentially useless.

Whey protein can only be absorbed efficiently over the course of 1.5 hours, so even if a particular protein has 60g in a single serving, only about 12-20g of that 60 will be put to good use. That means the vast majority of the rest of that whey protein is bound to be excreted, nutritious value and all. It’s wasted.

Insulin Release Associated with Whey: Let’s play a game. If I presented you with a serving size of generic white Wonder bread, and a serving size of standard whey protein isolate, and asked which if these causes a greater spike in insulin, what you say? Would you choose the well-touted, known to be terrible for you, nutritionally devoid white bread, or the muscle and nutritional supplement, whey protein? Remarkably, the answer is…you guessed it! Whey protein.

As outrageous as it seems, whey protein actually causes a greater spike in insulin than white bread. According to a study published in Nutrition & Metabolism as of 2012, the specific amino acids in whey protein actually emulate beta cells to such a degree that they secrete more insulin than a similar serving of carbs from white bread.

Of course, I am only referring to insulin release in this scenario. Obviously, when taking into account nutritional value as a whole, white bread is no match for whey protein. Yet, that said, there really is no ignoring the fact that your fat-burning capability is noticeably afflicted when there is a presence of excess insulin; so ideally, choosing foods with a lower insulin response is preferable.

The fact is that whey protein is by no means the best supplement around despite whatever its incredible popularity might suggest. The next time you’re shopping around for strength training supplements, I’d recommend you check out time-released proteins where your body is able to absorb the nutritious value of whatever you’re consuming over an extended period of time, and then you will be able to gain the most out of what you buy.

The Breathing Exercise that Eats Belly Fat

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In the swirling chaos of our daily lives, stress often rises to the surface and influences our mood, our attitude, and our hormones. When we try to compartmentalize this mental duress, it soon becomes physically apparent, whether we like it not. In fact, it can incite inflammation, accelerated aging, poor judgment, bad decisions, and impaired slumber. Put frankly, stress makes you fat, sick, dumb, and weak.

For example, scientists at the University of California at San Francisco have found a proven association between cortisol (the stress hormone) and belly fat content. Yet, despite this terrible news being proven (we all knew it was true anyway), there is something we can do to take control of our lives and our own fitness. We are not subject to the whim of inevitable stress.

Essentially, you can combat stress and relax through something called “deep belly breathing.” When engaging in “deep belly breathing,” you are able to overcome your body’s stress response, decrease your cortisol production, and bolster your melatonin creation (the sleep hormone that also protects against aging). Alright, alright, now here’s how you do it:

  1. Sit or lie down in a dark and quiet room. Place the palm of your hand on your stomach.
  2. Take a deep, slow breath through your nose and pay particular attention to how your stomach rises and falls underneath your hand.
  3. Exhale. Slowly, and for as long and steadily as possible (like, for at least five seconds). Breathe out until your lungs are entirely devoid of air.

And that’s it! Just repeat steps one through three every night for at least a week and I promise you will not only feel better and more energized, but you’ll even notice your waistline shrinking! Yet, that’s not all. There’s actually another trick that has been proven to burn 400% more fat when used, and it takes less than a minute!

Another study published in the Journal of International Medical Research illustrated that people who used the same aforementioned trick actually managed to lose 20% of their body fat in only 12 weeks. If you want to burn 400% more fat than you would otherwise by dedicating a simple minute, check out this neat and easy to understand video.

We All Have Our Cheat Days

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Alright, I’m just going to go ahead and say it: we all have our cheat days. There. I’ve admitted it. Nothing to be ashamed about. We’re all humans, and naturally there will be times where we will get cravings that unfortunately will lead us to ditching our diets and overeating. That said, there is such a thing as “strategic cheating” or “overfeeding,” which basically allows you to eat all your favorite foods and still help you accelerate your fat loss. You see, after you overeat your metabolism runs at full speed and you can use that to your advantage! I call it my new Post-Cheat Day diet breakthrough. It’s a three-day eating program that will allow you to burn all that fat and calories consumed during your cheat day. The way it works is by controlling a fat-storing hormone called insulin. Here’s how.

The first day of the program will be your Protein Shake Day. Don’t consume anything but healthy protein powders with almond milk. Drinking nothing but shakes will help your stomach shrink naturally. That way you will get fuller and more satisfied with less calorie intake. For example, I’ll consume 4 shakes throughout the day (every 3 hours or so). Each shake should be high in protein (15-20 grams), have no artificial sweeteners, and low in carbs (less than 5 grams).

Day two will be your Protein and Veggie day. It consists of five mini meals, again about every 3 hours or so. The goal of this day is to increase your fiber intake dramatically and cleanse your bloated digestive track. Each meal should have lean protein sources like fish, turkey, chicken, or lean beef. Make sure these proteins are either broiled, baked or grilled – not fried! The meal can also have low-fat cottage cheese, eggs, and vegetables. Stay away from heavy veggies like corn, which is really a starch. You want to stick to veggies like lettuce, peas, green beans, asparagus, peppers, carrots, etc. Skip the fruit as well. Remember these have a sugar content to them. Not eating heavy carbs will make your body burn off the extra food you ate during your cheat day. Yey!

Your third and last day will be your Splurge Day. The goal here is to keep your metabolism burning at maximum speed. And after enduring day 1 and day two, you will be hungry for some of those heavy carbs. Therefore, split your day with five small meals consisting of lean meats, veggies, and about ½ cup of high energy carbs to 3 of the 5 mini meals. These high energy carbs can be beans (black, pinto, kidney, lima), sprouted grain pasta or bread, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, barley, quinoa, and wild rice. The point is to stick to  slow-absorbing carbs that will most likely not get turned into body-fat once consumed. Lastly, for one of those five meals, splurge yourself eating whatever you want. The trick will be to not overeat and to not make it your last meal of the day. So, eat whatever you want, but keep it a mini meal.

In terms of beverages, stick to water, green tea, or coffee sweetened with stevia. After you’re done with the three-day program, repeat the cycle again until you lose all those extra pounds you gained during your cheat day(s) and then you’ll be back on track!

 

LOSE Weight with a Cheat Day

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Naturally, when we are surrounded by the ones we love we want to eat what they eat. No one wants to worry about their caloric intake or their excess carbohydrates when they are relaxing around a low-key tailgate or barbecue. I mean, just let me eat my bacon-wrapped cheeseburger, right? Who possibly diets as a lifestyle without ever cheating? I’ll tell you. No one; and that’s because cheat days don’t have to be bad for you. They can actually help you to LOSE weight. Really. Here’s how I do it following a day of excess:

Day 1: Take a protein shake day.

During this day I only consume healthy protein powders mixed with almond milk to cleanse my system and reinvigorate my muscle fibers. This actually, and naturally, “shrinks” my stomach so that in the succeeding days I am less hungry overall. My appetite decreases. For the record, I eat four shakes about three hours apart give or take.

Day 2: Eat protein and veggies.

Throughout the course of the day I eat about five very small meals, also three hours apart. The meals are composed of solely low fat, lean protein. Occasionally I’ll add some cottage cheese and eggs but I generally like to keep each of these meals pretty restrictive in terms of size. Although, I will include healthy fats like coconut oil and/or organic butter for a little flavor. There’s no reason food has to taste bad just because you’re dieting!

Day 3: Binge Day

This is the fun one. On the third day after a cheat day I’ll dive into some thicker carbs over the course of my five mini-meals. However, I will also make sure to include an additional half-cup of “high-energy” carbs through slow-absorbing mediums to take care those carbs that are not converted into body fat. Then, I’ll eat one, just one, splurge meal, and obliterate whatever I want. There’s no holds barred. I just make sure to not get overly full. Basically, it’s a mini meal that’s just a little smaller. I also ensure that this binge meal is not my last food of the day.

By following these rules, I not only get back on track to losing whatever extra weight I may have gained from my cheat day, but my metabolism is actually accelerated. This way I lose weight even faster than I was before my cheat day. Sometimes, our metabolisms begin to plateau in the way of speed when it becomes too used to the same diet. So when you switch it up a bit, it has to adapt and thus runs at optimum efficiency.

Anyway, I hope these tips and tricks help you to capitalize if you fall a little off-track. Good luck!

Set Your Food on Fire

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Josh BezoniIt is a proven fact that certain foods will fix a “mangled metabolism”. This happens once you begin to increase your calorie burning furnace instead of hurting your metabolism lets talk about how you can set those calories on fire!

Honestly, there are a lot of seriously flawed “diet point system” that claim to give you the room to eat whatever you want given the fact that you do not exceed your allotted amount of points, these systems are seriously defective

The Calorie Myth™

All calories aren’t created equal. The truth? calories from different types of food act extremely different once they get inside your body.

“Thermal Burn” VS. “Thermal Duds”

Here’s an example: Your metabolic rate increases by approximately 5% as a result to eating fatty foods. In summary, every 1,000 calorie of fat eaten, your body will burn about 50% of its own calories in order to process waht you ate. Carbs on the other hand… when you eat carbphydrates, your metabolic rate increases by a maimum of 10% (less for carbs like sugar, which is easily digested, and more for high fiber choices.) Esentially. this mieans that your body uses 100 calores to digest and utlize 1,000 calories of carbs. Get it? It’s all a numbers game.

Protein has the highest thermal burn of all foods, increasing your metanolism by up to 30%. For every 1,000 calories of protein that you eat, your body uses about 300 calories to digest and process. For every 1,000 calories of proteing that you intake you are only recieveing about 700, as a result you now have 300 free calories.

Check  out 15 Foods That Kill Belly Fat FAST by Josh Bezoni of 7DayBellyBlastDiet.com

Also remember that the “Thermal Burn” of some natural foods is so high they wont even register on the calorie scale. These are what we should considere “FREE Foods” that you can practically eat non-stop without gaining an ounce. I am in no way sugesting that you eat only protein in order to fix your mangeld metabolism, however eating specific Thermal-burning meals throughout the day can be helpful.

The Proper Cheat Day

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Cheat days come a dime a dozen during a proper diet. Regardless of the circumstance, weather it’s a family vacation, a holiday, a birthday, hanging with friends or just your weekly “cheat day”.

What if there was a way to strategically cheat on your diet with all your favorite foods but still allow your body to accelerate your fat loss. What if the plan consists of a 3-day eating program that allows you to burn-away maximum flab and calories in minimum time? How is this possible? By controlling that horrible fat-storing hormone called insulin.

Here’s How It Works:

Day 1: This day should be dedicated to consuming nothing but healthy liquids filled with protein.

Feeding your body only shakes helps you naturally shrink your stomach. Drinking shakes should be a natural thought process and the way you “staple your stomach”.

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Day 2: This day should be committed to protein and vegetables.

5 small meals are acceptable but should consist of nothing but protein sources i.e. fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef (broiled, baked, or grilled), low-fat cottage cheese and eggs, and vegetables like lettuce, cauliflower, peas, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, squash, zucchini, okra, green/red/yellow peppers, carrots, spinach, kale, celery, etc. (No corn, it’s way to heavy!)

Try cooking your vegetables in healthy fats such as organic butter or coconut oil. A salad is also a great alternative for those who like their vegetables raw.

Day 3: This is your Splurge Day.

Imagine two days of eating minimal calories. On the third day, eating 5 mini-meals is still a given. These meals also consist of the lean meat and vegetables mentioned above. But instead, each meal consists of about ½ of a cup of “high-energy” carbs to three mini-meals in the form of “slow-absorbing” versions that aren’t as likely to get converted to body-fat once eaten. Examples include: black/pinto/kidney/lima beans, sprouted grain pasta or bread, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, barley, quinoa, and wild rice. An alternative option would be fruits or heavier carbs”. Then for ONE MEAL on this day and  ONE MEAL only, you can have a SPLURGE meal and eat whatever you want. The one exception is, don’t allow yourself to get overly full.

Josh BezoniRemember, you are now on a smaller mini-meal diet. Also, try not to make your splurge meal the last meal of the day. You don’t want to go to bed on a full stomach. Remember what I told you about those horrible fat storing places?

After this 3-day cycle, simply repeat the cycle until you’ve lost the extra “baggage” and your diets back on track.

 

This article is based off information drawn from Josh Bezoni’s personal website.

3 Things to Never Do While Dieting

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It’s an unfortunate fact but of all the people who go on a diet, less than 5% succeed in actually losing weight and, more importantly, keeping that weight off. This is not particularly news though as many people know how difficult dieting is. Although, it doesn’t need to be. Once you know why people often fail at dieting, it all becomes so much easier and you will start to see those results you worked for. There are 3 things that people should never do while dieting and they are:

1. Being too strict with their calorie intake.

Our bodies are smarter than many of us give them credit for and they know when a person has began to change up the amount of calories they normally consume – and our bodies hate that. Heavily restricting calorie intake can trigger an interesting response from our bodies – “starvation mode”. This means that your body will start decreasing metabolism and holding onto fat stores as a mechanism to protect against starvation. Josh Bezoni

What is recommended is a more moderate calorie restriction although your body can still figure that out, which leads us to the next thing that we should never do while dieting.

2. Restricting calorie intake for more than one week.

Even moderate restrictions of calories can still send your body into starvation mode as it won’t take it long to figure out you are eating less calories than usual. Although not as worst as the first reason, this one leads to the dreaded fat-loss plateau, which is a primary factor in discouraging people from continuing with their diets. According to research, calorie restriction should be limited to 1 week at a time as that is how long it takes for important fat burning hormones to decrease due to calorie restrictions.

3. Depriving yourself of your favorite foods.

If you like pizza? Eat it. If you like ice cream? Who doesn’t? Eat it as well. But, of course, it should be done strategically and at most once a week. Cheating during your diet is normal, expected and it should be done. As stated in reason number 2, your results will be slowed, which can be discouraging, if you are too strict with how many calories you consume.

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.

How Do Obesity Additives Make You Fat

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Studies show:

  • Obesity additives with a hormone called Leptin (which sends a signal from our stomachs to our brains to tell us we’re full). Here’s an example: After a meal, your stomach is supposed to stretch as it fills with food, and send a signal to your brain that tells you to stop eating. But, Obesity Additives shut down this signal from your stomach to your brain, so you keep eating and eating resulting with dissatisfaction.
  • Some Obesity Additives create access weight by causing insulin to skyrocket in your body. As a result, insteadJosh Bezoni of storing the calories we eat as energy in our muscles, our bodies lock it away as fat in various areas—these include the areas under the chin and arms, on the belly, and on the hips and thighs.
  • Other Obesity Additives addict us and cause us to eat uncontrollably by altering our neurotransmitters. This way, you crave them uncontrollably and obsess about food all the time. 
With Obesity Additives it may seem impossible to loose weight. Failing to lose weight isn’t all your fault. 
These dangerous Obesity Additives are even hiding in dozens of foods within your kitchen. 

    • Salad dressings—including many low-fat and fat-free versions
    • Cereals, crackers, breads, chips, pretzels, pasta and macaroni and cheese
    • Condiments like ketchup, jelly, jams, syrups, gravies, and sauces
    • Dried, canned, and cured meats
    • Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables!!
    • Soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, and teas
    • Many pre-packaged diet foods and drinks
    • Hundreds of foods labeled low-fat, fat-free, and “diet”
    • And, of course, most junk foods, desserts, and fast foods

 

 

Check Out Josh Bezoni’s 15Foods that Kill Belly Fat, Fast!

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.