How to Lose 20 pounds

I am sure that you have heard the age old saying “You Are What You Eat” Research shows that a Raw Food Diet will help to increase energy levels and boost your immune system. Eating Whole, Live, plant-based food will boost your energy and help you to lose weight fast. Obesity is an epidemic in North America, 66% of the population is either overweight or obese. This is largely due to the amount of processed, and animal based products that we consume. Eating these disease-causing, processed, man-made foods is detrimental to our health, causes low energy levels and as a result of this unhealthy sedentary lifestyle, people in North America are getting fatter and fatter…

But there is hope. You have a choice, as to what you put in your body and your food choices are paramount for reaching your health and fitness goals. Yuri Elkaim’s book, Eating for Energy, is a great resource that has helped me to embrace raw food and to eat more organic, plant-based foods. From this change in diet, I have noticed an increase in my energy levels, which has helped me make it to the gym more often and with recovery as well.

Eating for Energy was written to empower you with amazing insight into how your body operates at the cellular level and how every single food you put in your mouth either enlivens or drains you!

The aha moments for me was in the statement “Germ is Nothing, the Environment is Everything“ As Yuri explains, that the pH of your blood and your body’s reserve of enzymes has everything to do with how you feel and your health.

Your blood needs to be at a pH of between 7.35 – 7.45 for you to live. Right away you can see that your blood must be slightly alkaline. This is absolutely critical for normal enzyme function, oxygen transport, and pretty much every other process that involves the blood.

Dr. Linus Pauling, a 2-time Nobel Prize recipient, was the first to show that cancer cells cannot grow in alkaline environments! This is a very significant finding.

Another interesting fact, I found in this 359 page book was, How Acid Can Make and Keep You Fat. You see when you eat alot of meat and dairy products, this produces an acidic environment, in your body. The body’s natural defense to this excess in acid is to store it in your fat cells, to protect your organs. If your body is acidic, it will require more fat to store the excess acid.

Reading Yuri’s book also opened my eyes to another fact as well, milk is Not a good source of calcium. In-fact drinking milk will cause you to have a calcium deficiency. The optimal calcium to phosphorus ratio is 2:1, a ratio commonly found in plant-based calcium sources such as sesame seeds and green leafy vegetables. Cow’s milk, on the other hand, has a very high protein content which shifts the calcium to phosphorus balance to a 1:1 ratio. Upon ingestion, your body is then required to tap into its own calcium reserves to compensate for this mineral imbalance!

I also found this very interesting, on page 58, when enzymes are discussed: “If you consume high amounts of enzyme-void foods (ie. cooked foods) then you force your body to spend more energy on devoting its enzymes to digestion and less energy on producing metabolic enzymes for other bodily functions!

The main point is that “cooking kills enzymes and life. Cooked food is dead food!”

Yuri makes many Bold claims, but backs them up with scientific research and case studies which validate his claims. Yuri Elkaim’s believes that we can prevent and/or deal with 95% of all sickness and diseases through excellent nutrition, regular exercise, and stress management. And his goal is to live to be 200 years of age!

Tags: Eating Raw Food to lose 20 pounds fast

Apr 14

Intermittent Fasting for weight-loss

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There are a lot of diets that do work, in the short term. Every diet will work if it recommends some form of caloric restriction. And if you follow a calorie restricted diet you will lose weight, guaranteed. In the book, Brad presents the reasons why he feels that most diet plans are not necessary, too restrictive and ultimately too complicated to work long term. Brad’s philosophy is more a way of eating that can ultimately grow into a way of life, rather than just another diet.

I am sure that most of you have heard of ‘fasting’ (voluntarily not eating food for varying lengths of time) which is done to detoxify the body and give the digestive system a break. Brad Pilon, has done alot of work comparing fasting and exercise & claims that they have a very similar effect on the body. The premise is based on the fact that when you exercise, your insulin levels drop, similarly, when you fast, your insulin levels drop. Furthermore when you exercise, your growth hormone goes up; they also increase when you fast as well.

When you have a situation when Insulin levels drop & growth hormones increase, you have free fatty acids being released from your body fat and into your blood-stream. And this causes increased fat burning. Fasting and exercising put your body in very similar metabolic states, that center around burning fat as a fuel.

Brad’s whole program is based on the principle of using fasting and exercise together to maximize fat loss. Brad’s book is 73 pages of concise, helpful information. Essentially, he recommends that you throw in 1-2 fasting periods into your week.. By adding these 24 hour fasting periods, you can create an equivalent of a 25% reduction in calories. The key to making Eat Stop Eat work for you is self-control. After you have completed your fast, it is important that you go back to eating as you normally would. I have been incorporating this into my fitness training, once per week, beginning every Sunday after lunch.

If you think about it, doing a 24 hour fast isn’t really that hard, you are just missing supper on 1 day and then breakfast on the next. Missing these 2 meals puts your body into a state of ketosis (our bodies are using fat for energy) In Brad’s book, he states that the last 6 hours or so of the 24 hour fast are when we burn the most fat.

Tags: Fasting to lose 20 pounds fast

Apr 12

7 Foods that Will strip-away your Abdominal Fat

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I stumbled upon this program a few months ago, which is definitely worth mentioning. It is an entire program centered on losing body fat and being able to see your abs. There is a fella by the name of John, who was obsessed with trying to get a firm, flat stomach. So in his late thirties, he tracks down a world renowned fitness trainer, Mike Geary, and develops a program dedicated to sculpting your body, so you can see your abs and training your mind to adopt a healthy lifestyle. After reading Michael D. Geary’s 117 page book, I had a few aha moments and gained some valuable insights as to what I was doing wrong and some key pointers on how to improve my training, especially when it comes to losing body fat and working on those abs.

One of the really cool insights I gained from reading Mike Geary’s book was regarding your relative leanness, or body fat % and that most people who workout already have a reasonably developed set of abdominals, what they really need to focus on is reducing their body fat, if they want to see their abs. For men that body fat percentage needs to be bellow 10-11% and for woman, the body fat percentage needs to be bellow 16-19% body fat to really bring out their abs.

click on image to learn more

In the book, Mike recommends training your abs hard for ~ 5-10 min at the end of your workouts 2-3 day’s/ week. Mike lists the 7 ab exercises to avoid doing and the 14 ab exercises to focus on. He even includes 8 structured ab training programs on page 33-35, which are awesome!

The Program is geared towards doing full-body workouts to get lean. As studies have shown that intense weight training workouts stressing large muscle groups of the body result in an increased Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) for up to 1-2 days following the workout (potentially even greater than 48 hours), whereas a steady pace cardio workout only elevates your RMR for 1-2 hours following your workout. If you’re working out 3-4 times per week utilizing the full-body training style, you’re essentially increasing your RMR 24/7.

Mike also recommends, variable intensity physical training compared to steady state endurance training, for many reasons, a few of them being: improved cardiovascular health, improved immune function, reduced risk for joint wear and tear, increased residual metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life’s every day stressors.

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Apr 05

What the heck is a Kettlebell?

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I first read about Kettlebells in a fitness magazine a few years ago and wondered what this cannonball shaped chunk of Iron was all about?

I then found this really cool site that has alot of information (books and DVD’s) from a former Russian Military Commander, that is in crazy good shape. I purchased a few of his books and DVD’s and went through the material. This guy was ripped and super strong. But his physique was not that of a big pumped up body builder, but rather a chiseled, muscular build, that was forged using the Russian military preferred fitness tool, the kettlebell , which builds “Functional strength” and conditioning.

I was impressed. So I bought a kettlebell, from this site, the shipping was ridiculous, for this 16 kg chunk of iron, but I still remember the day when I got it in the mail, I was so exited. Spending a couple of months learning kettlebell moves and reading about kettlebells and didn’t have a kettle bell to train with….

So over the last couple of years, I found a local fitness store that sells kettlebells and purchased a few more.

I have a 12kg, 16kg, 20kg, 24kg & a 32kg Kettle Bell.

Here is a picture of me using the 32kg kettlebell, a few months ago, that’s over 70 pounds, in 1 hand, pushing and swing all about…

Let me tell you, if you are pressed for time, there is no better tool out there, in my opinion, than the kettlebell that will kick your ass & leave you breathless… You see you must keep your core tight, to properly execute the kettlebell exercises and swing this evil chunk of iron around…

Key for developing ‘Functional Strength’

The kettlebell is very unique & one of the only pieces of fitness equipment that will give you both a cardio workout, core workout & leave your muscles aching for days after you use it…

Tags: How to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks

Apr 05

It Works!

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To be honest, I was a little skeptical, and like most husbands, I dismissed my wife’s praises for this company and their products. As I have stood by her for over the last decade or so, but not seeing much of a change in her body. My wife has tried dozens of fad diets and workout programs. We even hired a personal trainer a couple of years ago, but nothing has helped her to reshape her body or to yield any significant results.

Her original goal was to lose 20 pounds, so she made some new friends and had a few of these wrap parties… I didn’t think much of it, and was just glad that she found something that made her happy and got her out of the house ; )

But now, I am amazed! I tell her nearly every day, how Hot she is & she is happier than ever. She is still doing these wrap parties and sharing her great success with her growing base of envious and curious friends.

The results speak for themselves. So if you are interested in losing inches of unwanted body fat and slimming down, then these products are worth a try.

My wife was able to lose over 50 pounds in the last few months and has dropped from a size 14 to a size 8! She was able to do this by practicing the strategies outlined on this website and using the ‘It Works’ line of products. But be warned, after a few months of using the Ultimate Body Applicator , you will have to spend a fortune! (As your cloths will no-longer fit you and you will have to buy a whole new wardrobe…)

She has had so much success with the ‘It Works’ product line, that she has become a distributor and has her own website dedicated to helping others reach their weight loss goals. If you’re interested, take a look, she would be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Tags: quickest way to lose 20 pounds

Apr 05

Lose 20 Pounds From Your Belly

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There are a lot of fad diets that all claim to be able to help you lose belly fat. The reality is that only exercise and an improved diet will help you to trim your belly down and help you improve your health. If your belly is the area that most concerns you, then you can certainly use a few targeted steps to help you lose 20 pounds quickly from your midsection.

If your belly has 20 pounds of fat to lose then all of the crunches in the world aren’t going to do much in the way of helping you to get rid of that fat. They certainly can’t hurt, but your best bet is to focus on muscle building aerobic exercises that will burn off calories from your entire body, including your belly.

Combine your aerobic workouts with weight training and other strength training workouts. This combination has proven to be more effective at burning abdominal fat and help you to lose 20 pounds a lot faster than aerobic exercise alone.

Keep a food diary to track how much food you are eating, consider tracking your eating habits prior to trying to lose 20 pounds so that you can be acutely aware of just how many calories you are eating every day. It may surprise you to learn just how much you are really eating. Your food diary will also help you to be able to better understand how many calories you need to cut out of your diet in order to see any weight loss.

Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and switch out the refined grains you have been eating for whole grain options. Heart healthy and filled with more fiber than other food choices, these types of foods can help you to lose 20 pounds quickly by changing your blood glucose levels.

The Importance of a Routine to Lose 20 Pounds

Humans are creatures are habit and routine, which is why our hectic lifestyles can often lead to unhealthy eating habits and weight gain. For someone who needs to lose 20 pounds, it is very important to establish a good routine in order to train your body to lose the weight you need to lose. So how can you do that? How can you adjust your routine, or establish a routine that supports your healthy lifestyle?

Get plenty of rest at night, at least 7 hours if you can. This will give your body the energy it needs to take on your day.
Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, getting up early and going to bed at a reasonable time will help you to establish a good routine and ensure you have plenty of hours in your day to achieve your fitness goals.
Eat breakfast, every day. Even if you are not particularly hungry, then you should at least ensure you have a piece of fruit to fuel your body. Eating breakfast is an important part of any weight loss routine.
Eat your lunch and dinner at approximately the same time every day, so that you can ensure your body is not left starving between meals. When your body is allowed to go too long between meals, you’ll find it a lot harder to stave off hunger, and find yourself reaching for the unhealthy snacks.
Try to hit the gym or get your workouts in at the same time so that you have less of an excuse to skip your workouts.

It can certainly be difficult to get yourself into a good routine, but the sooner that you establish your routine, you’ll be able to find yourself able to lose 20 pounds quickly, a lot quicker than if you were to try to fit your fitness goals into your current routine.

Tags: How to lose 20 pounds in a month

Apr 05

Including Kettlebells To Lose 20 Pounds

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If you want to continue to shape and tone your body while you lose 20 pounds, there are a few targeted workouts that you should consider incorporating into your workout regimen. The kettlebell might look like a funny addition to your home gym, but they are actually incredible strength building tools. Let’s take a better look at these oddly-shaped iron weights.

Kettlebells are cast-iron weights that closely resemble a bowling ball with a looped handle on the top of them. Like other weights, they can range in size from 2lbs to 100lbs. Devotees of the kettlebell have said that even the lower weighted kettlebells can offer a rump-kicking workout that is rather impressive as it requires the whole body to work during a workout routine. This type of core strengthening workout engages multiple groups of muscles all at the same time; allowing for a whole body strengthening routine during a relatively short workout session.

Unlike other strength training workouts that are recommended to help people to lose 20 pounds, and target only certain groups of muscles at one time, a kettlebell workout can get you burning a lot more fat a lot faster.

Before you pick up kettlebells and start working out at home, it is important to get at least some guidance to using them. It would truly hamper your weight loss and fitness efforts if you were to sustain an injury during your workout. There are many online videos that can provide guidance, and you should call your area gyms to find out if there are any kettlebell trainers onsite who will be able to help get you started.

Kettlebells can help you to lose 20 pounds a lot faster than traditional weights can, and can help you to continue building muscle and toning your body long after the excess weight is gone.

Tags: how to lose 20 pounds fast, lose 20 pounds quickly

Apr 05

Converting To Vegetarianism to Lose 20 Pounds

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A lot of people who have made the switch to a vegetarian lifestyle have found that they don’t just meet their weight loss goals and lose 20 pounds, but they often find that they feel healthier and all around better for the switch. Converting to vegetarianism is by no means the best choice for everyone, but it can sometimes be an excellent method of dropping weight and seeing an improvement in your overall health.

So just what are the benefits to vegetarianism? And how can they help you to lose 20 pounds?

First and foremost is the fact that a lot of meat and dairy products are heavily processed. This processing often fills the products with chemicals that are designed to preserve them, but can also make them a lot harder for our bodies to digest. It is a lot harder to lose 20 pounds when your body is struggle to process and digest the foods you are feeding it.

Vegetarians tend to eat a healthier selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, versus fat-laden fast or convenience foods that contain meat.

Because a lot more energy is needed to digest meat, it can leave individuals feeling sluggish after eating. This can definitely be a factor in blowing off a workout. A vegetarian diet contains foods that are easier to digest and can even provide an after-eating energy burst.

Plant based foods are often very high in fiber, which will help the digestive process, and also help the elimination process. This is something not everyone wants to talk about, for obvious reasons, but it can truly help to improve your health. A high fiber diet can definitely help you to lose 20 pounds fast.

There are many other benefits of a vegetarian diet, including a lowered risk of Type 2 Diabetes, lowered cholesterol levels, decreased risk of cancer, and so much more. And, of course, losing 20 pounds from converting to a healthier lifestyle will also provide your body with great health benefits.

Apr 05

Eating Organic To Lose 20 Pounds

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If you are not ready to switch entirely to a vegetarian lifestyle then you might find that making the switch to organic foods is an easier transition when you are working to lose 20 pounds. Just how can organic foods help to encourage your weight loss?

Typically, organic foods are a lot healthier than other foods that have been treated with pesticides, chemicals, antibiotics, and so many more artificial ingredients. By making the switch to organic, you will be eating fruits and vegetables that were grown without the aid of artificial pesticides and fertilizers that contain potentially toxic ingredients. You will also be eating meats, eggs, and dairy products that are produced without artificial hormones and antibiotics.

There have been a lot of studies conducted that demonstrate a link between the hormones in meats and dairy products to hormonal imbalances in those who consume these products. If you have a hormonal imbalance, you are going to find it a lot more challenging to lose 20 pounds quickly, because your body will be, in effect, fighting against your weight loss.

Organic products can certainly sometimes be a little bit more on the costly side, but you could consider them to be a good investment in your good health. Eating organic foods is not just a fad diet that will help you to lose 20 pounds fast, but it is a maintainable lifestyle change that can have a positive impact on your overall health.

A lot of people also report that there is a noticeable taste improvement in organic foods over those grown using pesticides and hormones, which is an added bonus as you embark on your healthier lifestyle and endeavor to learn how to lose 20 pounds fast.

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Apr 05

How to Lose 20 Pounds Fast With Juice Fasting

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We all know that diet and exercise will help us to attain our weight loss and fitness goals. Juice fasting, however, is one additional method that can be incorporated to help you lose 20 pounds fast. Just what is juice fasting, what does it entail, and what results can you see? Let’s explore juice fasting so you can better understand it and the benefits you may see.

As a detox and fasting diet, the individual attempting to lose 20 pounds, or more, will drink only juice. Seems simple enough, right? But this doesn’t mean to go pick up a carton of OJ at the store. The juice that is consumed during the fast will contain only freshly juiced vegetables and fruits like carrots, apples, broccoli, kale, and so much more.

To embark on your own juice fast to lose 20 pounds fast, all you will need is a good quality juicer and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Typically your juice should have a 2:1 ratio of vegetables and fruits. This means that for every two vegetables in your juice, you will need one fruit.

There are a lot of great things that can be added to your juice as a part of your juice fast, including some of the following that may surprise you.

Brussels sprouts
Bell peppers
Wheatgrass
Kale
Sprouts
Parsley
Lemons
Tomatoes
Dandelion leaf
Peppermint

A juice fast can provide your body with the nutrients it needs and also help to cleanse your body of toxins, accumulated sodium, and generally flush your body out of things that have no business being there. How long you do your juice fast is entirely up to you, but it is typically done for a few days or as a means of kick starting off a weight loss program.

Juice fasting can help you to lose 20 pounds fast by helping your body purify itself and also to very often help reset your taste buds away from the junk foods that so many of us are almost addicted to.

Drinking Water To Lose 20 Pounds

How much water do you drink right now? We’ve all heard that it is important to drink plenty of water, but just how can increasing your water intake help you to lose 20 pounds?

When we drink water, it serves the dual purpose of hydrating our bodies and also helping to flush out toxins and excess sodium that might have accumulated in our cells. When we are dehydrated, and many of us are without being aware of it, we often reach for snacks or other food items instead of drinking a glass of water. We know we need something, but we often fail to recognize that we need to just drink a glass of water!

Drinking plenty of water, especially cold water, can help to fill our bellies between meals and snacks. Instead of reaching for a cupcake or an apple, reach for a glass of cold water and you’ll find that your sweet craving quickly dissipates. If drinking water on its own isn’t your favorite thing to do then you could try adding a few drops of lemon juice, or even one of the sugar free flavor additives that are readily available.

Just how much water should you be drinking, on average? We’ve all heard that 8 glasses a day is what our bodies need, but it should really be calculated based upon your current weight and your activity levels. Typically, you should drink an ounce for every half pound of your weight. So if you weigh 160lbs, then you need to drink up to 80oz a day. For someone who is morbidly obese, 300lbs for example, in order for them to see any weight loss, they will need to drink 150oz of water. This may seem like a lot of water to drink, but that is a lot of body mass to keep hydrated.

When you need to lose 20 pounds, your first step in the right direction should be to pick up a glass of cold water and down it. Drink water versus soft drinks or coffee, even sugar free soft drinks contain high levels of sodium and caffeine, which can lead you to retain water and gain weight.