Weight Loss Research

From the first time I stumbled upon Metabo Speed XXX something just didn’t sit right. Now at the time I was not entirely sure what was not sitting right, but I decided dig in a little to this so called celebrity diet pill.

The first thing I did was look into their so called celebrity “testimonials”. They have two major celebrities listed specifically for Metabo Speed XXX; Oprah Winfrey, and Bette Midler. However the biggest problem I had was the Oprah “testimonials” actually had no place where Oprah or Bette Midler actually said that she used Metabo Speed XXX, in fact all heresay and rumor had been published in some magazine.

So I guess we can overlook slightly shady word of mouth advertising as I mean they never actually say anywhere that they have actually endorsed their product. In fact, all over their website they have the following disclaimer:

“* These celebrities have been associated with products we sell, or specific ingredients contained within our products. This does not imply that they either endorse or promote any of these products unless otherwise specified.”

Again nothing overtly wrong with this otherwise they wouldn’t exist but come on that seems just a little wanting to me especially when their website is covered in pictures of these so called “beautiful people”.

Also as a side note it appears that a lady who says they pulled her picture off the internet made up a false name and wrote their own testimonial for a product she never used is currently suing them.

Anyways let’s have a look at the ingredients:

35 mg of calcium and 25 mg of Phosphorous administered in the form of dicalcium phosphate are included in their blend. However from what I could find there doesn’t appear to be that much in the way of weight loss benefits associated with calcium although there was one study I could find where certain forms of Phosphorous were beneficial to weight loss however these types were left out of the formula.

800mg of Guarana Extract:

This is your good ole standard caffeine by a fancier cooler sounding name. Definitely we know that caffeine is one of the few substances out there with a long standing reputation within the diet supplement industry. So here is a average ingredient with a cooler sounding name. (an average cup of coffee contains 102-200 mg of caffeine, Mountain Dew Cola has about 54 mg…)

200 mg of Bitter Orange Extract:

Once again they have taken what is probably the most misleading name to make you think it is some new or exotic ingredient when in fact it is again a very common ingredient, Synepherin. There is definite promise for this product as a fat burner, however there are limited results and studies to base any claims on.

160mg Proprietary Blend:

Now, this is the companies way of nicely saying we aren’t going to tell you how much of these are in our product. This blend includes the following in undisclosed amounts of; Green Tea, Korean Ginseng, Garcinia Cambogia, white willow bark (basically herbal aspirin), Bee Pollen, and Cellulose. Now while none of these are bad ingredients in fact several including Green Tea are great additions to any fat burner. However, the quantities of these that can be included are nowhere near enough to provide any type of noticeable benefits.

So while Metabo Speed advertises itself as the fat burner of the stars I have serious reservations regarding a company that uses these rather misleading advertising schemes to sell their pills. If a company were to just put the best ingredients into a pill and sell as such wouldn’t that be better?

Low fat this, reduced fat that, no matter where you look something is always advertising low to no fat content. So what exactly is the benefit of all these low fat products? People are always talking about eating less fat and I guess a lot of people figure that by reducing the amount of fat you eat you are naturally reducing the amount of fat in your body.

So for the basics:

Foods contain different combinations of calorie-containing nutrients. Carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram. Alcohol provides about 7 calories per gram. Fat provides 9 calories per gram.

So essentially what a low fat diet is attempting to do is to identify the typical highest source of calories in a typical person’s diet and then to reduce it thus reducing the amount of calories needed to burn.

As I have done research into all of the different diets and such most of them are all variations on a similar theme. Cutting calories.

So what you have to consider when looking at all these different fat diets is what the most effective way for you to cut the calories you need.

Some key points for you to consider:

• Can you maintain it indefinitely?
• Does the diet fit your Budget?
• Are the components easy to get a hold of, or do they require orders that may require time to receive?
• Does it maintain the recommended daily dosage of various nutrients?

Over the years diet pills with Phentermine has been very popular and widely used. It may be common to find diet pills with an amphetamine-like compound that enables the weight loss process. Often times amphetamine-like compound is used to help suppress appetites and help lose weight. Phentermine or similar amphetamine-like compounds works as an appetite suppressant by stimulating the release of brain chemicals, which reduce sensations of hunger. In fact, it seems that these types of diet pills are quite effective in suppressing appetites.

Although these pills have an effective appetite suppressing results in your diet, it can also produce some scary side effects. Some common side effects include increased heart rate, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, palpitations, restlessness, irritability, nervousness, insomnia, and also cause physical and psychological dependence. Some less common side effects include hallucinations, seizures, severe headaches, blurred vision and vomiting. Unfortunately, the scariest side effect is that it can lead to dangers to your heart.

The most recent mention of this drug in diet pills was from “Fen-Phen.” In the early 1990s, there were 24 reported cases of heart valve disease from Fen-Phen users. Studies later revealed that over 30% of users of Fen-Phen were prone to abnormal valve findings. FDA pulled this drug from the market, but did not require the diet pill industry to remove phentermine from diet pills. It leaves one to wonder whether is it worth it to risk so much for trying diet pills. Having phentermine diet pills does not necessary mean that it will cause these side effects, but in my opinion it may not be worth the risk.

Ok, so we understand that exercise is an integral part of any plan to lose weight however there is always the inevitable question of what sort of work-out will work best to supplement your diet.

There are probably just as many different exercise theories as there are diets to choose from. Once you decide that you need to exercise you must also decide what your goals are in exercising.

Goals are the most important aspect of any diet or exercise routine. If you don’t set out to accomplish something you can easily become bored or frustrated with it after only a short time.

There are always people who say that to lose weight you should only do cardio workouts (i.e. running, swimming…). Others tout the benefits of a purely weightlifting workout.

My personal opinion is that a balanced combination of both cardio and weightlifting.

Shoulders Chest Arms Back Legs

DAY 1 (30-60 min)

Chest

Incline Bench

Decline Bench

Flat Bench

DAY 2 (30-60 min)

Legs

Leg Press

Leg Extensions

Leg Curls

DAY 3 (30-60 min)

Cardio

DAY 4 (30-60 min)

Back/Shoulders

Wide Arm Pull-Ups

Lat Pull Down

Shoulder Press

DAY 5 (30-60 min)

Arms

Bicep Curls

Tricep Extensions

Dips

DAY 6 (30-60 min)

Cardio

For the weightlifting portion of this I recommend depending on your goals sticking to a 4 sets of 8-10 reps. This amount of reps and sets will help your body to better burn calories and create lean muscle which will help increase your metabolism thus helping your body to better dispose of eaten calories.

The cardio portion of the workout should be your opportunity to pick an exercise that you enjoy, sort of a break from the workout. However, it is important for you to find an activity; be it biking taking a walk/a run, playing basketball, whatever. The important thing is to have an activity that increases your heart rate and helps you take a break from the grind of weightlifting.

Anyways the most important part of any workout is for you to have a goal and find a way to keep yourself motivated.

Lose weight fast, and feel great don’t we all just want to do that? However the big question is; how do we go about doing that. The first thing we always hear about are these strange things called detox diets. What the stated theory behind these is that your body over time builds up these “toxins” and can’t get rid of them. This causes you to become “toxic”. Some of the symptoms that can indicate your toxicity are:

• Always Tired, Sluggish or Lethargic Feeling

• Difficulty concentrating and paying attention

• Seem to always have a cold

The list of possible signs of toxicity seem nearly limitless but above are just a couple of the major ones. Now the question is what do these symptoms have to do with weight loss and can a detox diet really help?

Well many detox diets advertise that using them you can lose lots of weight really quick and on top of that solve many of these tiredness issues and such that plague ninety percent of people it seems.

What Do Detox Diets Consist of?

The first thing that to understand about a detox diet or regimen is that theymust be used for short term only (usually 7-10 days). So because of the short nature of these diets they tend to be very intense as diets go.

The lists of do not’s for the various detox diets will greatly outweigh the list’s of do’s. What this means is that for the short time you are on the diet you diet is regulated to an extreme.

For example most diets require a strict menu of raw vegetables, fruit, fruit, juices, and water. However, you are supposed to avoid pretty much everything else that is processed or cooked, contain sugar and so forth. As you can imagine this list could be quite extensive when not regulated by generalities.

Also many different detox diets include the use of natural laxatives and similar products to help clean out your system. This alone can cause some discomfort aside from the restrictive diet.

Detox And Weightloss:

Now relying on a detox diet to help you achieve long lasting weight loss would be a huge mistake. For starters the average detox diet only lasts about a week maybe a little longer.

Also the fact that you are losing weight so quickly I mean some detox diets boast as much as a pound a day and more sometimes. To maintain that kind of weight loss for any length of time is just dangerous as well as the fact that as soon as you start eating food again you gain a lot of it right back. So preparation for a special event presents definite possibilities.

Also there are claims that a detox diet can help a person’s metabolism to better deal with the calories that you eat.

Do They Really Work?

This question really seems to be very dependent on who you ask. Looking on a few of different ask a doctor sites on the web most doctors are of the opinion that they really have no health benefits. In fact one doctor suggested the reported increased overall feeling of wellness was just a side-effect of the low low calorie intake that is a result of the restrictive diets.

However I was raised in a household where I was taught that just because “stupid” doctors couldn’t figure out why it worked or didn’t think it worked didn’t make their word law. So I have seen many things work that I have been told wouldn’t or that doctors couldn’t explain so I guess it is left up to you to figure out for yourself who you’re going to believe.

I personally feel that this whole detox idea really has merit as long as its not carried to extremes.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” a phrase many of us have grown up hearing our parents repeat this phrase over and over. So let’s look at whether or not this “most important meal” can really help us lose weight or not.

There have been many studies and speculation about what exactly the benefits are of a healthy breakfast. First let’s take at what the proven benefits of eating a healthy breakfast are. People who make it a matter of course to eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

• Consume more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol
• Have better concentration and productivity throughout the morning
• Control their weight
• Have lower cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease

So why exactly would someone be more likely to do the above if they are eating breakfast. These studies tend to show that people who are mindful of their diet tend to be people who are more conscientious about diet than otherwise.

There have also been many studies relating the statistics of our growing overweight and obese population as it relates to falling numbers of people who eat breakfast. In recent years there has seen a marked decrease in the people who eat breakfast and an increase in overweight and obese popularity.

So what constitutes a healthy Breakfast?

A traditional breakfast should consist of at least 3 of the following:

• Fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits and vegetables, 100 percent juice without added sugar
• Grains. Whole-grain rolls, bagels, hot or cold whole-grain cereals, low-fat bran muffins, crackers, or melba toast
• Dairy. Skim milk, low-fat yogurt cups or low-fat cheeses, such as cottage and natural cheeses
• Protein. Hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter, lean slices of meat and poultry, or fish, such as water-packed tuna or slices of salmon

Now for those of you that feel like a slightly less than traditional breakfast feel free to experiment with other types of foods as long as you combine the needed groups together.

Now despite hard facts, a well balanced breakfast can only help especially when trying to lose weight it is better to eat more smaller meals instead of one or two big meals.

So enjoy BREAKFAST!!!!

Alli review

Alli is a FDA approved, over-the-counter weight loss product produced by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Alli is a reduced strength version of Xenical, a prescription drug used to treat obesity. The Alli program has two parts, the Alli capsules and an online action plan to help you lose weight gradually. The Alli capsules are designed to promote weight loss by decreasing the absorption of the fat that you eat. By implementing a good reduced calorie, low-fat diet, and taking Alli capsules, it can help you limit the total number of calories that you take in every day.

How it works?

Alli works to block fat absorption in the intestine. Alli reduces the lipase enzyme which is necessary for the absorption of fats in the small intestine and stomach. This prevents the enzyme from breaking down the fat while it is in your digestive tract. Undigested fats are not absorbed and continue through the intestine and are eliminated through bowel movements. This may result in a reduced caloric intake, and therefore, weight loss.

Alli unfortunately does not differentiate between the blocking of saturated fats and poly and monosaturated fats. If you are already on a low fat diet and eating healthy, taking Alli may only inhibit the lipase enzyme to absorb good cholesterol lowering poly and monosaturated fats.

The Effects of Alli

Alli is taken up to three times a day. Because of how Alli works, GlaxoSmithKline PLC recommends that you eat no more than 15 grams of fat with each meal. Eating higher amounts of fat can cause unwanted effects, such as urgent bowel movements, diarrhea and gas with oily spotting. Yeah I know that sounds disgusting, but there numerous reported cases of worse side effects.

Alli can help you lose weight, but the weight loss likely won’t be great. In fact, the makers of Alli suggest that there is a gradual effect of weight loss. The makers of Alli also suggest that it will only supplement your normal diet and exercise by helping shave a few more pounds from the weight loss due to diet and exercise. Alli attributes its main effect in weight loss to the consumer’s diet and exercise.

The worst part is the suggested and documented side effects of Alli. By taking Alli, you may experience urgent and irregular bowel movements. These side effects can include:

• Gas with an oily anal discharge
• Loose stools or diarrhea
• More frequent bowel movements
• Hard-to-control bowel movements

These bowel changes result from the undigested fat going through your digestive system. You can limit the side effects by eating a low-fat diet. However, eating above 42 grams of fat a day, or about 15 grams per meal, you may crap your pants, literally. The makers of Alli suggest that these are just treatment effects and it is an indication that Alli is working and signaling users that they are not living by the Alli program guidelines. Users have made the following complaints:

“(I)’ve pooped my pants 3 times today, and sorry to get descriptive but it even leaked onto the couch at one point!” (Can you tell why these are anonymous complaints)

It can strike any time — even in the early hours of the morning. One user writes: “(Y)a know how when you start moving around in the morning ya pass a little gas. Well, I did and then went into the bathroom and to my horror I had an orange river of grease running down my leg.”

Fellow cheaters advise each other on the best clean-up methods, and some even suggest using panty liners or Depends. One frugal user noted, “I’m thinking that infant diapers might be a cheaper way to go, just use them as a large pad.”

“I think it’s utterly revolting, frankly,” Drewnowski says. “It controls your life — you focus on it all day. It’s like walking around with a colostomy bag.”.

I leave it up to you to decide, but this does not seem like the right diet pills to take. There are much more effective methods of weight loss that do not involve worrying about when you might have an accident in your pants.

Alli starter packs, which includes reference guides, a daily journal and one month’s supply of medication, is about $60. A refill pack with a 40-day supply of capsules is about $75.

High Protein diets (such as the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet) appear to be one of the latest fads to hit the market. However I personally upon hearing the term “High Protein Diet” think more of body builders and people looking to gain weight rather than those looking to lose weight.

So there has been some recent research done, stating that diets with higher protein content may be better able to curve appetites. Now researchers aren’t exactly sure what exactly it is about protein but the current research shows that there is a definite possibility that further research will yield more conclusive evidence. So let’s take a closer look at the possible benefits and other side effects of a high protein low carbohydrate diet.

Well researchers have postulated that by taking 10-35% more protein to your diet and by still paying attention your calorie intake you can supplement your diet. The benefits behind doing something like this is that it will make you better able to resist the urge to overeat and better stick to your diet.

By cutting out carbohydrates and eating a high protein diet you can rapidly lose weight however most of the weight will be due to water weight because carbs can cause your body to retain water so by cutting out the carbs you can cut weight quickly however once you start eating carbs again you will most likely gain the weight back.

A word of warning though is that for people with kidney disorders a high protein diet can be potentially dangerous as the kidney is crucial in removing the waste from excess protein consumption.

Also some of the extreme diets can have negative effects on both bone strength and heart health as high protein diets tend to be high in fat and cholesterol and low in calcium that is crucial for your body.

Although high-protein diets generally aren’t harmful, they may increase the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis. High-protein diets may also limit other healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. In addition, many high-protein foods — such as meat, milk, cheese and eggs — are also high in fat and cholesterol. So choose your protein sources wisely. Good choices include fish, beans, lentils and low-fat dairy products.

Have you ever looked for the miracle pill that will help you lose weight with nothing to do other than remembering to take your pills? However just about every time you did you found a little disclaimer on just about every website telling you that maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine are crucial ensure results. Kind of frustrating to say the least when all you want is to just lose a couple of pounds, but here they are telling you that their pill is less than perfect.

Let’s take a look at why exercise plays such a critical role in the weight loss arena. I mean couldn’t you just restrict what you eat and still lose weight?

Well for starters there was a recent 6-month study done in which one group simply cut their calories by 25% and the other group only cut calories by 12.5% but then burned the other 12.5% of the calories through exercise. Surprisingly what was discovered is that the two groups surprisingly (researchers originally guessed that the diet and exercise group would lose more weight) both groups lost the same amount of weight (https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/AN01619). Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should just work to cut out calories and totally disregard exercise.

The first reason why this doesn’t mean that you should just worry about diet and totally disregard exercise stems from the fact that in many cases it is easier to burn calories rather than exclude them from your diet completely. Exercise could mean the difference between having dessert on that special occasion and having to do without. So for starters a regular exercise program can help you have a less restrictive diet as you only have to cut out the calories you aren’t burning from exercise.

Besides just the obvious dieting benefits in allowing you to eat a little more than you usually would without exercise or even just supplementing your cut calories it also provides many far reaching and important health benefits. Among some of them are just an overall increase in well-being, plays a strong role in the prevention and reducing the risk of several diseases (including: type II Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Osteoporosis, and Certain types of Cancer), as well as strengthening your heart and lungs.

While exercise is not essential to lose weight it is important enough to the other aspects of your life and it will help you lose weight and live a healthier life.

The American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (think brisk walking or swimming) five days a week or at least 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (such as running) three days a week, plus strength training exercises twice a week. Of course, the more active you are, the greater the benefits. If you can’t set aside time for a longer workout, try 10-minute chunks of activity throughout the day.

In today’s market of ever changing fads there are literally thousands of different products and diets all claiming to help people lose weight and feel better. The is and has always been which one is right for me or even will they help me. Our bodies are extremely complex machines and weight loss cannot be attributed to just one factor. For example some of the key factors that can affect our weight include such things as; obviously diet (including types of food, and just simply overeating), stress (surprised?), genetics, our individual activity level (i.e. how active we are, how much we exercise, and even whether we take the stairs of the elevator). So for advertising agencies to claim that just one pill will work for everyone is a bit of a stretch. In fact its downright impossible.

So what are the different kinds of pills out there?

For starters there are pills that are what are known as fat blockers. Now losing weight just using these pills is highly unlikely as all they can do if block x grams of fat per meal. What they are very useful for is when you are dieting but want to go on a date to a fancy restaurant or even just want to eat your favorite meal; these pills can help mitigate the effects of that so called “cheat meal”.

Another popular type of pill are the so called fat burners. Basically these are pills that by including ingredients such as caffeine (in various forms), green tea, and other various stimulants. Again some people have lost tons of weight using these pills.

Another type are the appetite suppressants, these pills use various supplements to convince the brain that it isn’t hungry working on the theory that if you just simply eat less you will lose weight. So again for some people this will work but not for everyone.

Another popular weight loss supplement type is detox pills (detoxifying). These are another of the keys that can affect your weight is that toxins can build up in your body causing you to gain weight so they have developed these pills to “cleanse” your body of these harmful toxins allowing your body to resume normal functions and for many people allowing their regular diet and exercise to be more effective.

So depending on the various factors that cause you to be overweight will depend on what diet pill works best for you. However there really is no substitution for good old diet and exercise, which is why so many companies recommend you do that in conjunction with taking their supplements. So the key to weight loss is to find what works for you.