The role of hormones

Hormones are messengers to your cells, and most hormones are secreted by glands. There are receptors on each cell to receive these messengers, so that the cells know how to respond. Persistent belly fat, low energy, brain fog, and low libido are a few of the signs that your hormones may be out of balance, and bringing the lesser known hormones into balance will also improve the balance of the other hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, DHEA, and adrenaline.

Growth hormones promote protein synthesis and fat burning, and help to shift your body from burning glycogen to burning fat. With adequate growth hormones, your body will burn fat instead of sugar and your insulin sensitivity will improve. When you are hungry and you refrain from eating, your body stimulates growth hormones.

Insulin and growth hormones do not coexist well. When your insulin is high, your growth hormones are low, and vice versa. Insulin is secreted by your pancreas in response to sugar in the blood, but it also promotes fat storage. Even if your goal is to gain weight, learning to work with your insulin can help you to gain muscle weight rather than fat, since body fat and energy levels are controlled by insulin.

Insulin stores sugar, and overeating or eating too often causes your body to go into fat storage mode. Unless it is necessary for you to eat many times a day, eating meals less than an interval of 5 to 6 hours causes elevated levels of insulin in your body all day.

When insulin is out of balance, it causes insulin resistance, and your cells no longer respond to the insulin hormone. Even though sugar usually gets a bad rap, flour, high fructose corn syrup, refined foods, excess carbohydrates, processed foods, hydrogenated oils, and oxidized fats all contribute to increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. When insulin is working well, it is possible to bring your hormones into balance.

The role of the hormone leptin in fat burning

Leptin is a protein hormone that regulates energy intake and expenditure, and is produced by your fat cells, not by a gland.  Leptin partners with insulin, and exists in direct proportion to the number of fat cells in your body. It signals your brain that you are full and to stop eating. Excess fat causes leptin resistance when your hypothalamus (which regulates your appetite and metabolic rate) turns off its receptors for leptin, causing your brain to think that you are hungry. Then your hypothalamus sends a message to your thyroid to go into starvation mode, which slows down your metabolism.

When you eat, sugar goes into your blood stream and triggers insulin release. Insulin enlarges your cells and releases leptin, which signals the pancreas to reduce insulin. When your insulin levels are reduced, leptin goes to work to keep you burning to fat. Eating meals too close together causes constant high levels of insulin, which continues for about three hours after eating. Insulin barely gets down to normal levels before it shoots back up again, so leptin does not have a chance to burn fat. Waiting 5 to 6 hours between meals helps this process work normally, and triggers your liver to release fat to burn. If you find it difficult to go at least 5 or 6 hours without getting hungry between meals, it is a sign of a hormone disruption.

The role of the hormone glucagon in fat burning

Insulin triggers your body to store fuel, but another hormone, glucagon, triggers burning fuel and keeps your blood sugar stable between meals. Glucagon is secreted by your pancreas when your blood sugar falls too low. Glucagon triggers your liver to release fat and to convert stored sugars into glucose to release into your bloodstream.

The role of the hormone ghrelin in fat burning

Ghrelin is a hormone and amino acid that is produced mostly in the stomach lining and pancreas.  Eating suppresses ghrelin production, and ghrelin is responsive to leptin and insulin. When you are hungry, your stomach produces high levels of ghrelin, which stimulates your appetite and growth hormone production, which promotes fat burning and muscle sparing.

How to keep your hormones in fat burning mode

By learning to listen to your body and understanding the role of hormones, especially the less commonly discussed hormones in fat burning, you can build more muscle and lose fat more easily. By adjusting the amount of time between meals and the timing of meals, getting plenty of rest, and eating sensibly, you can turn your body into a healthy, fat burning machine.

• Eat omega-3 fatty acid rich foods. Omega 3 fats help your hormones to function efficiently. Chia seeds, algae, walnuts, krill oil, fish oil, and cold water fish are high in omega-3 but low in omega-6. It is best to keep a ratio of 2:1 of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, but a 1:1 ratio is better.
• Avoid eating at least three hours before bedtime, or five hours if you have a heavy meal.
• Gradually increase the amount of time between meals, even if it is only 5or 15 minutes at a time.
• Wait at least an hour after exercise to eat, especially carbohydrates.
• Eat greens and cut down on carbohydrates for meals, especially early in the day.
• Wait 5 to 6 hours between meals to eat again (but don’t let this lead to binge eating at meals).
• Get plenty of sleep. Sleep deprivation slows down your growth hormone production.
• If you must snack between meals, avoid carbohydrates and fats by eating something that is digested quickly such as a green smoothie or green drink

The survey found the increase in numbers despite the risks associated with surgery and other invasive weight loss techniques. For instance, bariatric surgery could lead to risks such as internal bleeding, blood clots and even death. In addition, less invasive procedures like gastric binding are associated with major complications following surgery. Many patients have had their bands removed due to these complications.

Even so, researchers found that benefits far outweighed potential risks. A large majority of reports that were surveyed document the metabolic benefits of bariatric surgery. That is why people suffering from morbid obesity are willing to undergo bariatric surgery in spite of the associated risks.

Researchers believe that one of the reasons behind higher numbers of bariatric surgery could be greater exposure to less invasive laparoscopic surgical methods like gastric binding, which makes people more willing to accept bariatric surgery.

For this study, data on weight loss surgeries was taken from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the period ranging from 2003 to 2008. At the start of the study period, weight loss surgeries accounted for 20% while by 2008, this had jumped to more than 90%. In 2008 alone, approximately 125,000 surgeries were performed.  It was further noted that the in-house mortality rate associated with these procedures fell from .21 to .10 percent in the same period.

Although the study involves the embryos of cows, experts opine that the kind of saturated fatty acids that the embryos were exposed to is similar to that found in the ovaries of overweight, obese or diabetic women. Therefore, a comparable environment could have a similar effect on the human embryo and hamper its normal development too.

The study was conducted by scientists at the University of Antwerp, who said that bovine eggs were chosen for the study because cows could be induced to develop metabolic disorders that contributed to reduced fertility (as is the case of diabetes in human beings). Thus, the similarity to the condition of human embryo is very high.

Preceding the study, experts already knew of the detrimental effects of fatty acids on the developing egg within the ovary. However, this was the first time a study established the impact of fatty acids on a living embryo. The embryos were exposed to the conditions eight days after fertilization, by which time it had already developed 70-100 cells. Following exposure, the embryos displayed elevation in glucose metabolism and changes in metabolism of lactate, glucose and oxygen. In addition to changes in metabolism, the research also found that the embryos showed indications of being under elevated degrees of cellular stress, which could ultimately lead to decreased chances of survival of the embryo.

Diabetic, obese and overweight people metabolize larger quantities of stored fat, which results in higher levels of fatty acids in the ovaries. Previous studies have shown that high levels of fatty acids in the ovaries could be toxic to pre-ovulated eggs. The current study shows the detrimental effects of elevated fatty acid concentrations on the growing embryo too.

Metabolism
Metabolism in itself is simply the body breaking down food and drinks to produce energy. Doing this and other basic functions such as breathing, repairing cells and pumping blood all require energy. The rate in which the body uses energy for these functions is known as the basal metabolic rate (BMR). These functions burn about 60 to 75 percent of the calories the average person uses in a day.

Determiners of metabolism
The major determiners of the BMR are body size, sex and age. The main reason men, younger people and those with larger bodies burn more calories naturally is because they all tend to have more muscle mass. With everything else being equal, one kilogram of muscle burns about 73 more calories a day than a kilogram of fat does.

Exercise and metabolism
While one cannot change their age or sex, they can influence the rate in which their body burns energy by converting fat to muscle mass through exercise. The higher rate in which muscles consume energy combines with the calories burned in workouts to make exercise critical to any weight loss program.

Through cardiovascular activity that includes 30 minutes or more at an increased heart rate, people get a metabolism boost that can last for hours after the exercise has been completed. Furthermore, the body must expend more energy to repair itself after all exercise.

Eating and metabolism
The frequency, quantity and what one eats also influence metabolism. For those looking to increase their metabolism rate, skipping meals, particularly breakfast, is a bad move. When someone misses a meal, the brain signals the body to slow down and reduce the rate it burns calories. It also makes one feel lethargic and reduces performance.

Instead, one should eat more frequent but smaller meals throughout the day (but not too late in the evening). This keeps the body burning calories at a normal rate, increases energy levels, stimulates digestion and has been shown to suppress appetite overall.

As with any dieting plan, sugars and processed foods should be avoided. They make it difficult for the body to maintain a steady blood sugar level and this in turn leads to more energy being stored as fat. Furthermore, these foods tend to be low in nutritional value and quick to digest. The best foods to eat include lean proteins such as in egg whites, lean turkey and white fish. Spicy foods have also been shown to provide a temporary metabolism boost.

Since the metabolism process needs water to work effectively, drinking lots of water, especially cold water that the body must burn energy to warm up, also helps. Green tea is another good liquid source and has other added health benefits.

Sleep and stress
Lack of sleep and too much stress also have negative effects on metabolism. One should sleep 7-8 hours a night and take steps to avoid stress.

Some people put too much emphasis on metabolism and often use it as an excuse for weight gain. In most cases, weight gain can be attributed primarily to eating too much and exercising too little. However, all these steps to boost metabolism do have at least some effect and other health benefits. Understanding metabolism thus can boost one’s overall health if they are dieting or not.

Set goals and track progress
Every weight loss program should start with setting goals. The goals should be aggressive yet achievable. People need to think about all the health, appearance or any other reasons they might have for losing weight. Who does not want to look slim and be healthy? Post anything to motivate and track progress such as before and after pictures or charts in a place where they can be seen throughout the day.

Avoid fads and quick solutions
The old adage that anything that looks too good to be true probably is certainly applies here. Real, long-term weight loss is rarely achieved by missing meals, following fad diets or through pills. In fact, actions like avoiding meals or fasting will slow metabolism and are some of the worst things anyone trying to lose weight can do. Be wary of any tips on how to lose weight that promise too much.

A metabolism free lunch
While it all boils down to burning more calories than are consumed, there are ways to make the calories burn more quickly. This is best done by gaining muscle since muscle takes more energy to maintain. Studies have shown that every pound of muscle makes a person burn an extra 50 calories a day. So, by putting on 10 pounds of muscle, one can burn an extra 500 calories a day. Muscle tone looks nicer too.

Other ways to help boost metabolism are to not skip meals but have smaller meals throughout the day. While the effectiveness of these and other ways to boost metabolism should not be relied on too much, they do fit into an overall diet plan.

Avoid extremes
Deliberately skipping meals and starvation diets are not the only extremes to be avoided. For example, some people try to eliminate fats from their diets. However, the body needs fats for processes to include absorbing vitamins. Slow, steady and balance should be the goal.

Include exercise
Trying to lose weight without exercise is like trying to learn to drive without ever getting behind the wheel. Exercise has various benefits from calories burned in workouts to those consumed from having more muscle mass. Counter-intuitively, it also suppresses appetite. There are of course physical and mental benefits too. There is no reason it cannot be fun though. From dancing to hiking, there are countless exercises to choose from and they can be done alone or as group activities. Even if it starts with just walking, exercise has to be included in any weight loss plan.

Read about nutrition
Lots of mistakes are made about dieting simply because many people really do not know food and nutrition very well. Eating is an activity that will last a lifetime so it is important to know about calories and nutrition regardless of if one is on a diet or not. Take advantage of all the information available on the internet for free. Find good, reputable sites and read up on nutrition. It will certainly come in handy in more ways than one.

Avoid simple carbohydrates
Not all carbohydrates are created equal. Simple carbohydrates are far more likely to be converted to fat than complex ones. Know what foods contain the right carbohydrates.

Fluids and fibers
Lots of water is good for the body and helps suppress hunger. Fiber works in a similar way in that it has been shown to have health benefits even though it does not contain nutrition or calories. Taking longer to digest, it reduces appetite too.

Use these losing weight tips to set realistic goals for a long-term approach for better health and a better figure.

Weight gain and eating at night
Currently, the exact link between eating at night and weight gain is unclear, and many argue that a calorie of energy is the same no matter when it was consumed. There is certainly some truth to this, and people should be wary of promises by marketers or others they can make calories not count. However, weight loss and gain is not quite as simple as that.

The human body is evolved to be active primarily at night and has lower rates of metabolism then. Studies on mice have shown that those given exactly the same diet when mice are normally inactive gained much more weight than those who were fed when at the opposite time even though other factors were kept constant. Studies on people, while not as conclusive, point in the same direction.

Other effects of eating before bed
Whatever the exact link is, eating before one sleeps is certainly not a good thing to do. Even if there is not a significant difference in the way the calories are burned, eating at night causes other problems such as indigestion (since the connection between the stomach and the esophagus become horizontal when one lies down). Also, those who eat more in the evening eat less for the most important meal of the day: breakfast. They also tend to eat more overall. Finally, the body should be using sleep time to rest and recover from the day. Having to digest food at this time will therefore make sleep less restful.

To avoid these problems, it is advisable to avoid eating at least 2-3 hours before going to bed. Ideally, the last meal of the day should be smaller, low on concentrated carbohydrates and consist primarily of lean proteins and vegetables.

Ways to avoid eating before bed
Eating too much at night has psychological as well as physical causes. This makes it important for everyone to try different methods to find the ones that work best for them.

One simple method that will make dentists happy is to thoroughly clean one’s teeth right after dinner. The thought of dirtying teeth after they have been cleaned is one motivating factor that helps people refrain from eating

Since availability leads to temptation, avoid buying the kinds of snacks that are tempting to eat at night. While most cannot be bothered to go out for that late snack, it may be nearly impossible to resist if one is readily at hand. Those who really need snacks should buy nutritious foods that will do less damage.

Keeping busy also helps. Good hobbies have various benefits to include keeping the mind occupied and away from thoughts of food while more passive activities like watching TV will not.

Lighter exercise and stretching will also keep one occupied, less likely to eat and bring other health benefits.

While dinner and bedtime should be separated by 2-3 hours or more, move dinner to a later time than it would be otherwise if hunger makes it impossible avoid too many late night snacks.

Cold water, herbal tea (since it does not contain caffeine) or decaffeinated coffee are good ways to satisfy the stomach and keep it occupied until it is time to go to bed. Set aside a certain time to have one of these drinks in the evening and make it a daily event.

Eating smaller, more frequent meals during the day, starting with a good breakfast, has been shown to reduce appetite at night and has other health benefits. Meals should be kept at regular times whenever possible to avoid overeating and to keep the appetite regular.

Find a good meditation method and reflect on reasons not to eat in the evening. This will also help reduce anxiety.

It may take time, but keep a goal in mind and eventually it will be possible to train oneself not to eat too much before bedtime.

While people usually find putting on weight easy enough, taking is off is quite a different story! Many have tried to lose weight, but once they have excess poundage, taking it off and keeping it off can be quite a chore. However, a simple exercise like walking can put people on the path to be being thinner, healthier and happier.

Technically, losing weight is simply a matter of balancing the books as far as calorie consumption is concerned. If daily calorie intake is less than the amount required to fuel the body, then the dieter will lose weight. While this is obvious enough, it is difficult to put into practice. The best and healthiest way to achieve this calorie deficit is through a combination of diet and exercise. What is the best exercise to start off with? Of all the current activities, walking is the easiest method to add exercise to the equation and bring weight loss regardless of size, weight or fitness level. It is literally the best first step.

Here is how a combination of diet and exercise such as walking helps – the diet keeps the calorie intake under control, and the exercise ensures that the metabolic rate remains high so the body burns fat. Otherwise, the body tends to enter starvation mode by lowering the metabolic rate and trying to conserve energy when subjected to lower food intake. Walking is one of the easiest exercises that one can choose – the walker gets to set the pace, the terrain and the duration of the walk. Walking can be done outdoors or indoors on a treadmill. With the right attitude, it and can really be a fun, healthy, daily event-especially when done with friends. Walking, unlike the more vigorous weight loss option of jogging, has very little impact on joints and causes less fatigue.

Here are some tips to help stick to a walking routine:

* Take it nice and easy in the beginning
* Choose the walking trails well and vary the path to avoid monotony
* Find friends to walk together with
* Maintain a progress chart
* Get a good pair of walking shoes
* Walk with small weights when ready to increase the intensity
* Take in the surroundings and enjoy the view
* To save time and maybe even transportation costs, integrate walking into some daily activity
* Take off a day once a week to rest

Before you start off on a diet and exercise routine, it is a good idea to discuss it with a doctor to make sure that it is a safe choice.