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CHARLOTTE BURGESS was shamed into losing weight after posting a mortifying holiday snap on Facebook.

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After being tagged in a less-than-flattering photo, Charlotte Burgess lost an impressive 7st in just 10 months.

The photo, taken of her wearing a swimming costume, reduced Charlotte to tears and she demanded her boyfriend Danny delete it from Facebook.

This prompted the mother-of-one to go from 18st and a UK size 22 to 11st and a UK size 10.

The 25-year-old said: Ive never looked or felt better, and in building my self-esteem I have saved my relationship.

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Charlottes weight gain began when she became pregnant in 2015 and in just four months she had piled on 3st.

This meant Charlotte had to be induced and have her son early as she was too obese to carry him full-term.

I was anxious because we have a history of miscarriage in the family. I told myself it was good to eat for two, but I was eating for four at least, Charlotte admitted.

I was too tired to cook after work so I always got a takeaway and Danny would come home with a large bar of chocolate to make me smile.

My midwife told me I was now clinically obese. I was ashamed but I just ate more to feel better.

My blood pressure and blood sugar was through the roof.

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High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage right now and for good reason. Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein and your body uses protein to build and repair tissues.

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Because of her high sugar intake, this led to gestational diabetes and at her five month scan the sonographer raised concerts about the size of her baby.

By 37 weeks, Charlotte was 18st 5st heavier than she was at the start of her pregnancy.

The baby, Harley, was a healthy 8lb when born, and even after birth Charlotte fell into a vicious cycle of takeaways and convenience food from being too tired to cook while looking after a newborn.

This caused Charlotte to shy away from mothers groups because of her weight, and her and Danny didnt have sex for five months after the baby was born.

PHOTO-FEATURES

After Charlotte saw the photo on Facebook, this was the motivation she needed to change and she signed up to the Cambridge Weight Plan.

Within five weeks, she was down 2st: I knew it was so important to get Harley on healthy foods from the start so while I was steaming broccoli for me I was pureeing it for Harley.

Finally I felt like a good mum leading by example.

Read this article:
Obese woman SHAMED into losing weight you won't believe what ... - Daily Star

WANT to lose weight and fast? Follow these top tips to tone up in time for your summer holiday.

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With the hot weather finally here, many Brits will be wanting to shed a few pounds.

Especially because, losing inches around your waist not only makes you feel better, but also improves your health.

As you are your body in skimpier outfits you might be worried youve left it too late.

But there are some simple way you can shed a few inches in just a matter of days.

Follow these three top tips to melt away stubborn belly fat faster:

20 fat-burning foods that help you lose weight

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Avacodo - includes monosaturated fatty acids that are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat

1. Cut calories

If you want to lose the pounds and the inches from your waist,you need to burn off more calories than you consume.

One pound of fat has 3,500 calories, so if you cut calories by 500 to 1,000 calorie a day tough diet or exercising you can lose 1-2lbs a week.

Losing more than this is not recommended as it can lead to los of muscle, rather than fat.

2. Change your diet

Counting your calories is important when it comes to weight-loss but so is the type of food you eat.

If you want to shed the pounds quickly cut out all alcohol and refined carbs such as white bread and sweets.

Instead, eat a diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables, chicken, fish and refined carbs like oats and lentils.

Swap unhealthy snacks for various nuts and seeds, rice cakes and carrots with hummus.

You should also stay away from foods high in salt, as sodium can cause abdominal bloating.

If you find it too hard to quit booze altogether, here are nine low-calories alcohol swaps.

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3. Keep fit

The other main component when it comes to losing weight is exercise. If you currency dont do anything start with low impact exercise like walking and swimming.

If youre already quite fit try going for a run three times a week jogging is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories.

Swap up cardio exercise like boxing and running with weight-training. Building muscle will help you burn fat faster.

If youre more worried about your man boobs than your stomach fat, here are four easy ways to banish moobs for good.

See the original post here:
How to lose inches off your waist in just a few days three top weight loss tips - Daily Star

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts Friday evening, and most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims will be observing. This means there's a good chance you might encounter someone a friend, a co-worker, the barista making your latte at Starbucks, your child's teacher who is celebrating Ramadan.

But what is Ramadan, exactly? And how can I make sure I don't accidentally offend my Muslim friends and acquaintances during Ramadan?

We've got you covered: Here are the most basic answers to the most basic questions about Ramadan.

Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims the Prophet Mohammedreportedly said,"When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained."

Muslims believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Quran, Islam's sacred text, to Mohammed, on a night known as "The Night of Power" (or Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic).

During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset. It is meant to be a time of spiritual discipline of deep contemplation of one's relationship with God, extra prayer, increased charity and generosity, and intense study of the Quran.

But if that makes it sound super serious and boring, it's really not. It's a time of celebration and joy, to be spent with loved ones. At the end of Ramadan there is a big three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr, or "the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast." It's kind of like the Muslim version of Christmas, in the sense that it's a religious holiday where everyone comes together for big meals with family and friends, exchanges presents, and generally has a lovely time.

Despite the hardship of fasting for a whole month, most Muslims (myself included) actually look forward to Ramadan and are a little sad when it's over. There's just something really special about knowing that tens of millions of your fellow Muslims around the world are experiencing the same hunger pangs, dry mouth, and dizzy spells that you are, and that we're all in it together.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars or duties of Islam, along with the testimony of faith, prayer, charitable giving, and making pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims are required to take part every year, though there are special dispensations for those who are ill, pregnant or nursing, menstruating, or traveling, and for young children and the elderly.

The practice of fasting serves several spiritual and social purposes: to remind you of your human frailty and your dependence on God for sustenance, to show you what it feels like to be hungry and thirsty so you feel compassion for (and a duty to help) the poor and needy, and to reduce the distractions in life so you can more clearly focus on your relationship with God.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating any food, drinking any liquids, smoking cigarettes, and engaging in any sexual activity, from dawn to sunset. That includes taking medication (even if you swallow a pill dry, without drinking any water). Chewing gum is also prohibited (though I didn't find that one out until about halfway through my first Ramadan after converting oops).

Doing any of those things "invalidates" your fast for the day, and you just start over the next day. To make up for days you didn't fast, you can either fast later in the year (either all at once or a day here and there) or provide a meal to a needy person for each day you missed.

Muslims are also supposed to try to curb negative thoughts and emotions like jealousy and anger, and even lesser things like swearing, complaining, and gossiping, during the month. Some people may also choose to give up or limit activities like listening to music and watching television, often in favor of listening to recitations of the Quran.

During Ramadan, Muslims wake up well before dawn to eat the first meal of the day, which has to last until sunset. This means eating lots of high-protein foods and drinking as much water as possible right up until dawn, after which you can't eat or drink anything. At dawn, we perform the morning prayer. Since it's usually still pretty early, many go back to sleep for a bit before waking up again to get ready for the day (I certainly do).

Muslims are not supposed to avoid work or school or any other normal duties during the day just because we are fasting. In many Muslim countries, however, businesses and schools may reduce their hours during the day or close entirely. For the most part, though, Muslims go about their daily business as we normally would, despite not being able to eat or drink anything the whole day.

When the evening call to prayer is finally made (or when the alarm on your phone's Muslim prayer app goes off), we break the day's fast with a light meal really more of a snack called an iftar (literally "breakfast"), before performing the evening prayer. Many also go to the mosque for the evening prayer, followed by a special prayer that is only recited during Ramadan.

This is usually followed by a larger meal a bit later in the evening, which is often shared with family and friends in one another's homes throughout the month. Then it's off to bed for a few hours of sleep before it's time to wake up and start all over again.

(Note: There are good reasons for only having a small snack to break your fast before performing the evening prayer and then eating a bigger meal later. Muslim prayers involve a lot of movement bending over, prostrating on the ground, standing up, etc. Doing all that physical activity on a full stomach after not having eaten for 15 hours is a recipe for disaster. Just trust me on this one.)

Some of you may be thinking, "Wow, that sounds like a great way to lose weight! I'm going to try it!" But in fact, Ramadan is actually notorious for often causing weight gain. That's because eating large meals super early in the morning and late at night with a long period of low activity bordering on lethargy in between can wreak havoc on your metabolism.

But if you're careful, you can avoid putting on weight, and you may actually lose a few pounds. One meta-analysis of scientific studies on the effects of Ramadan fasting on body weight found that "[w]eight changes during Ramadan were relatively small and mostly reversed after Ramadan, gradually returning to pre-Ramadan status. Ramadan provides an opportunity to lose weight, but structured and consistent lifestyle modifications are necessary to achieve lasting weight loss." [Italics mine.]

So just like with any other extreme diet plan, you may lose a few pounds, but unless you actually make "structured and consistent lifestyle modifications," you're probably not going to see major, lasting results.

For religious matters, Muslims follow a lunar calendar that is, one based on the phases of the moon whose 12 months add up to approximately 354 days. That's 11 days shorter than the 365 days of the standard Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the Islamic lunar calendar moves backward approximately 11 days each year in relation to the regular Gregorian calendar.

So that means that the first day of the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, moves backward by about 11 days each year.

This has a large impact on how people experience Ramadan from year to year. When Ramadan falls in the winter, it's much easier to fast: the days are shorter, which means you don't have to fast as long, and it's colder out, so not being able to drink water all day isn't as big of a deal, because you're not sweating as much.

Conversely, when Ramadan falls in the summer (as it has every year since I converted, because of course), fasting can be brutal. In many Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa, summer temperatures can reach levels usually reserved for the deepest bowels of hell.

And in some northern European countries such as Iceland, Norway, and Sweden (where, yes, there are Muslims), fasting can last an average of20 hours or more in the summer. (And in a few places above the Arctic Circle, the sun never actually sets in the summer. In these cases, Muslim religious authorities have decreed that Muslims can either fast along with the closest Muslim country or fast along with Mecca, Saudi Arabia.)

There's a reason "Ramadan start date" is one of the most-searched phrases right now. That's because Muslims around the world do not know when exactly Ramadan is actually supposed to start. If you Google it, you'll see there's a little disclaimer under Google's answer that says "Dates may vary":

That also has to do with the moon as well as disagreements about science, history, and tradition, plus a bit of geopolitical rivalry.

The beginning of each new month in the Islamic calendar starts on the new moon. Which means the month of Ramadan starts on the new moon. Simple enough, right?

Wrong.

If it's been a while since your high school astronomy class, here's a reminder of what the phases of the moon look like:

Back in Mohammed's day, in sixth-century Arabia, astronomical calculations weren't as precise as they are today, so people went by what they could see with the naked eye.

Since the new moon isn't actually super visible in the night sky (as you can see above), Muslims traditionally waited to start fasting until the small sliver of crescent moon became visible. There's even a saying attributed to the Prophet Mohammed about waiting to start the fast until you see the crescent. (Some people think this is why the star and crescent is the symbol of Islam, but the crescent was used as a symbol long before Islam.)

This method was a bit messy, though, since things like clouds or just the difficulty of spotting the moon in some locations often led to different groups starting their fast on separate days, even within the same country. Each community, village, or even mosque within the village might send its own guy out to look for the crescent, with rival groups arguing over whether the other guy really saw it or not.

Today, however, we have precise scientific calculations that tell us exactly when the new moon begins, and we don't need to wait until someone spots a tiny crescent in the sky. (In fact, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Islam, "The need to determine the precise appearance of the hilal [crescent moon] was one of the inducements for Muslim scholars to study astronomy.")

So, problem solved! Except that some Muslim scholars believe we should still wait until the slight crescent moon is visible in the night sky, because that's what Mohammed said to do and that's the way we've always done it.

Others argue that Islam has a strong tradition of reason, knowledge, and science, and that if Mohammed were around today he'd choose the more precise scientific calculations over sending the guy at the mosque with the best eyesight outside to squint at the night sky.

To make things even more fun, some argue that the whole world should just follow the official moon-sighting decrees of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and the location of its holiest sites. But not everyone thinks that's such a swell idea especially rival countries like Pakistan and Iran, which balk at the idea of treating Saudi Arabia as the ultimate authority on anything having to do with Islam.

All this means that each year Muslims around the world get to experience the delightful lunacy of "moon-sighting fighting." Indeed, it's such a familiar feature of Ramadan that there are memes about it:

For the most part, no. Both Sunni and Shia Muslims fast during Ramadan. But there are some minor differences for instance, Sunnis break their daily fast at sunset, when the sun is no longer visible on the horizon (but there's still light in the sky), whereas Shia wait until the redness of the setting sun has completely vanished and the sky is totally dark.

Shia also celebrate an additional holiday within the month of Ramadan that Sunnis do not. For three days the 19th, 20th, and 21st days of Ramadan Shia commemorate the martyrdom of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed who was both the revered fourth caliph of Sunni Islam and the first "legitimate" imam (leader) of Shia Islam.

Ali was assassinated in the fierce civil wars that erupted following the death of Mohammed over who should lead the Muslim community in his stead. On the 19th day of the month of Ramadan, while Ali was worshipping at a mosque in Kufa, Iraq, an assassin from a group of rebels who opposed his leadership fatally struck him with a poisoned sword. Ali died two days later.

Ali is a hugely important figure in Shia Islam. His tomb in nearby Najaf, Iraq, is the third-holiest site in Shia Islam, and millions of Shia make pilgrimage there every year. Although Sunnis revere Ali as one of the four "rightly guided" caliphs who ruled after Mohammed's death, they do not commemorate his death or make pilgrimage to his tomb.

In some Muslim countries, it is a crime to eat and drink in public during the day in the month of Ramadan, even if you're not Muslim.

Of course, this is not the case in the United States, where we enjoy freedom of (and freedom from) religion. And most American Muslims, myself included, don't expect the non-Muslims around us to radically change their behavior to accommodate our religious fast during Ramadan.

I've had friends and co-workers who have chosen to fast along with me out of solidarity (or just because it seems "fun"), and that was sweet of them, but it's not something I ever expected people to do. (Plus, they usually last about four days before they decide solidarity is overrated and being thirsty for 15 hours is not even remotely "fun.")

All that said, there are things you can do and not do to make things a little easier for friends or colleagues who happen to be fasting for Ramadan. If you share an office with someone fasting, maybe eat your delicious, juicy cheeseburger in the office break room rather than at your desk, where your poor, suffering Muslim co-workers will have to smell it and salivate (if they even have enough moisture left in their bodies to salivate at that point).

Try to remember not to offer them a bite or a sip of what you're eating, because it's sometimes hard for us to remember that we're fasting and easy to absentmindedly accept and eat that Lay's potato chip you just offered us. But if you do, it's okay. We're not going to get mad or be offended (unless you're doing it on purpose, in which case, what is wrong with you?).

If you're having a dinner party and you want to invite your Muslim friends, try to schedule it after sunset so they can eat. Muslims don't drink alcohol or eat pork, but we usually don't mind being around it. (Contrary to popular belief, we are not scared of or allergic to pork; we just don't eat it. It's not like we're vampires and pork is garlic.) But do let us know if there's alcohol or pork in something so we don't accidentally eat it.

If you want to wish your Muslim friends or acquaintances a happy Ramadan, you're welcome to just say, "Happy Ramadan!" That's not offensive or anything. But if you want to show them you made an effort to learn more about their religion, the standard Ramadan greetings are "Ramadan kareem" (which means "have a generous Ramadan") or "Ramadan mubarak" (which means "have a blessed Ramadan").

Even something as simple as learning one of those expressions and saying it with a smile to your Muslim friends will go a long way toward making them feel comfortable and welcome.

Because terrorists are assholes.

Go here to see the original:
Ramadan 2017: 9 questions about the Muslim holy month you were too embarrassed to ask - Vox

THESE five foods will help your body burn stubborn fat fast.

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If you want to transform your body youre going to have to work hard at the gym and curb your diet sorry but its true.

However, there are some ways you can cheat the weight-loss process. Certain foods promote gut health and therefore could help you beat the bulge.

Bacteria and other organisms that live in our guts can affect our hunger signals and cravings as well as our tendency towards weight gain.

In fact, this is one of the subjects of a new book by Dr Michael Mosley called The Clever Guts Diet.

Here nutritionist Cassandra Barns reveals five foods that could be good for your gut and potentially help you drop some pounds.

20 fat-burning foods that help you lose weight

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Avacodo - includes monosaturated fatty acids that are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat

1. Sauerkraut

A traditional fermented food; raw sauerkraut naturally contains millions of friendly bacteria.

It could even be better for us than the average probiotic supplement or yoghurt drink, as the species and strains of bacteria in natural fermented foods tend to be much more varied.

Make sure the label says raw or unpasteurised, because the friendly bacteria will be destroyed if the sauerkraut is pasteurised.

GETTY

2. Fermented Foods

Miso is another traditional fermented food from Japan. Its fantastic used to make sauces and dips, and added to stews, stir-fries or soups, as it gives them that delicious umami flavour.

Again, choose an unpasteurised miso for the active bacteria and the gut health benefits; and if youre using it in hot dishes, add only towards the end of cooking.

"Try Clearspring Organic Japanese Brown Rice Miso Unpasteurised.

3. Oats

Oats are one of the foods that naturally contain prebiotic fibre. Prebiotics are substances that help nourish the friendly bacteria in your gut and increase their numbers.

Try Nairns Scottish Porridge Oats, which are also certified gluten-free. Whats more, oats provide slow-releasing carbohydrates that can help manage your blood sugar.

Certain vegetables and fruits are also great sources of prebiotics, such as onions, Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus.

GETTY

4. Green tea

In addition to probiotic and prebiotic foods, its thought that flavonoids could be good for your gut bacteria too.

According to Dr Mosleys research, consuming lots of flavonoids could help you avoid regaining weight after a diet.

Flavonoids are found in vegetables and fruit especially berries and other dark-coloured types and also in green tea. Matcha tea in particular is thought to contain the highest concentration of flavonoids compared to other green teas: try Clearspring Organic Matcha Shots.

5. Dark chocolate

Yes, really! Dark chocolate contains flavonoids similar to those found in green tea, and its part of the heart-healthy, gut-healthy Mediterranean diet.

But you need to go for high-cocoa, low-sugar dark chocolate to get any benefits. To go one step further, try raw dark chocolate.

Its made from raw cacao, avoiding the roasting process that may reduce the content of natural flavonoids in standard chocolate.

I like Ombar 90% Raw which contains a smaller percentage of cacao but also has added Lactobacillus acidophilus, one of the types of friendly bacteria that live in your gut.

Continue reading here:
How to lose weight fast: Five gut-boosting foods that will help you burn fat fast - Daily Star

WITH summer on the way many people are thinking about getting slimmer, but if the gym gives you the creeps then try this instead.

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Making one simple lifestyle change can help you burn an extra 700 calories per week and it doesnt involve dieting or pumping iron.

Going for a 20-minute walk is all you have to do to blast 100 calories, so by adding a stroll into your daily routine you could be well on your way to getting lean.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that you should do a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise per week to stay healthy.

But a recent survey by walking charity Living Streets found that nearly half (45%) of Brits are reluctant to make even a 20-minute journey on foot.

Click through our gallery on the best ways to burn calories without exercising

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Chew gum - A super-easy way to burn some extra calories is popping a few pieces of gum now and then. The act of chewing keeps your jaw muscles moving, andnot only will you be burning caloriesyoull stop yourself from consuming more calories.

In a bid to encourage more people to get up and moving, the charitys chief executive Joe Irvin is encouraging the British public to add walking onto their daily routine as part of National Walking Month this May.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Online, he said: There's no doubt that keeping active is good for our health, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to start spending hours in the gym.

Everyday walking is a great way to improve your health and the way you feel

At Living Streets, we believe that everyday walking is a great way to improve your health and the way you feel.

"That's why we are urging everyone in the UK to join our #Try20 campaign this May.

Walking for 20 minutes a day can make a huge difference to the way you feel and cuts your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and depression.

By making this small step you will experience a big difference, both physically and mentally."

Here Joe shares five benefits of going for a stroll every day:

1. Burn calories

Many people are surprised to learn that walking is a very serious form of exercise. Although you may not feel like you are working very hard, walking is actually a low-impact aerobic exercise that burns calories effectively.

The number of calories that you burn while walking will depend on your weight and the distance you walk.

You can calculate roughly how many calories youve burned walking a mile at a slow walking speed by multiplying your weight in pounds by 0.49, or for brisk walking multiplying it by 0.57.

The average person takes 20 minutes to walk one mile so in just 20 minutes you could burn off over 100 calories.

If youre looking for a more intense walking-workout, adding an incline will burn significantly more calories than walking on a flat terrain, so try taking the stairs instead of the escalator or climbing the steep hill that you usually avoid on your walk to work.

This added incline will turn up the body's work rate increasing calories burnt, whilst toning your lower body. Give it a go, you will be surprised.

Good news dieters! The 23 foods that contain NO calories because you burn more than you consume as you eat

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APRICOTS - Calorie content: 12 kcals per apricotEating apricots is said to help reduce the risk of strokes, and heart attacks. They're also full of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre, which all promote good heart health

2. Get your heart pumping

The heart, like all other muscles, needs physical activity to keep it in good, working condition.

Regular exercise can help to improve your overall heart health and avoid many of the risk factors associated with heart and circulatory disease.

We should all aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week to keep our heart in a healthy state. Moderate intensity means that you should feel warm and a touch breathless, but still be able to hold a conversation.

Going for a brisk walk is a moderate intensity exercise that will get your heart pumping and increase your cardio exercise, without even having to visit the gym.

Try to walk energetically, adding in hills and spurts of speed walking, if you want to increase the intensity.

If you are looking to lose that belly fat, try these simple easy to follow tips that will help you on the road

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Eat every three hours - Passing on breakfast will send your body into starvation mode, meaning your body starts to store everything youve eaten as fat, and youre midsection is the first to suffer the consequences

3. Up your energy

Naturally you will get a lot more out of your day when you have more energy; and a brisk walk is one of the most effective, natural energisers around.

Walking strengthens the circulation of blood around the body and increases the oxygen supply to all your cells, helping you to feel much more alert and alive.

In fact, scientists have concluded that one of the best ways to beat fatigue and boost energy is to exercise more not less.

Try walking for 20 minutes on your lunch break or 20 minutes in the evening before you have dinner to make sure that you feel energised and get the most out of your day.

4. Free your brain

Anxiety, stress and depression are all mental health issues that are becoming increasingly common in todays hard-working and busy society.

Whilst many people look to medication to treat these issues, walking is a free "home remedy" that can also help.

This is because walking releases chemicals called endorphins which interact with the receptors in your brain, reducing your perception of pain and, thus, helping to boost your mood.

In fact, recent studies have shown that a brisk walk is just as effective as antidepressants in mild to moderate cases of depression, stress and anxiety.

Even if you dont suffer from these mental health issues, and are just feeling a little tense after a busy day at work, walking is the perfect way to zone-out, de-stress and rid yourself of all the negative thoughts in your mind. So for positive mental health walkings an absolute must.

The quickest ways to kick start your body fat weight loss

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CLEAN UP YOUR DIET - It's true what they say, you can't out-exercise a bad diet. And abs are made in the kitchen. So the first step to any fat-loss plan starts with improving your diet. First, cut out processed foods, fake sugars and refined carbs.

5. Offset serious health issues

If youre looking for a more serious reason to start walking, then consider the benefit that walking can have on your life-span.

Statistics show that physical inactivity now rivals smoking as one of the UKs biggest health problems, and the WHO says that inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality contributing to 6% of deaths globally each year.

If these figures arent enough to encourage you to get active, then consider that walking for 20 minutes a day can also help to reduce the risk of several serious illnesses, such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, asthma, dementia, strokes and even some cancers, including breast, bowel and womb cancer.

Continue reading here:
How to lose weight by doing this ONE thing every day and it doesn't involve the gym - Daily Star

THESE five foods will help your body burn stubborn fat fast.

GETTY

If you want to transform your body youre going to have to work hard at the gym and curb your diet sorry but its true.

However, there are some ways you can cheat the weight-loss process. Certain foods promote gut health and therefore could help you beat the bulge.

Bacteria and other organisms that live in our guts can affect our hunger signals and cravings as well as our tendency towards weight gain.

In fact, this is one of the subjects of a new book by Dr Michael Mosley called The Clever Guts Diet.

Here nutritionist Cassandra Barns reveals five foods that could be good for your gut and potentially help you drop some pounds.

20 fat-burning foods that help you lose weight

1 / 20

Avacodo - includes monosaturated fatty acids that are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat

1. Sauerkraut

A traditional fermented food; raw sauerkraut naturally contains millions of friendly bacteria.

It could even be better for us than the average probiotic supplement or yoghurt drink, as the species and strains of bacteria in natural fermented foods tend to be much more varied.

Make sure the label says raw or unpasteurised, because the friendly bacteria will be destroyed if the sauerkraut is pasteurised.

GETTY

2. Fermented Foods

Miso is another traditional fermented food from Japan. Its fantastic used to make sauces and dips, and added to stews, stir-fries or soups, as it gives them that delicious umami flavour.

Again, choose an unpasteurised miso for the active bacteria and the gut health benefits; and if youre using it in hot dishes, add only towards the end of cooking.

"Try Clearspring Organic Japanese Brown Rice Miso Unpasteurised.

3. Oats

Oats are one of the foods that naturally contain prebiotic fibre. Prebiotics are substances that help nourish the friendly bacteria in your gut and increase their numbers.

Try Nairns Scottish Porridge Oats, which are also certified gluten-free. Whats more, oats provide slow-releasing carbohydrates that can help manage your blood sugar.

Certain vegetables and fruits are also great sources of prebiotics, such as onions, Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus.

GETTY

4. Green tea

In addition to probiotic and prebiotic foods, its thought that flavonoids could be good for your gut bacteria too.

According to Dr Mosleys research, consuming lots of flavonoids could help you avoid regaining weight after a diet.

Flavonoids are found in vegetables and fruit especially berries and other dark-coloured types and also in green tea. Matcha tea in particular is thought to contain the highest concentration of flavonoids compared to other green teas: try Clearspring Organic Matcha Shots.

5. Dark chocolate

Yes, really! Dark chocolate contains flavonoids similar to those found in green tea, and its part of the heart-healthy, gut-healthy Mediterranean diet.

But you need to go for high-cocoa, low-sugar dark chocolate to get any benefits. To go one step further, try raw dark chocolate.

Its made from raw cacao, avoiding the roasting process that may reduce the content of natural flavonoids in standard chocolate.

I like Ombar 90% Raw which contains a smaller percentage of cacao but also has added Lactobacillus acidophilus, one of the types of friendly bacteria that live in your gut.

See original here:
Five gut-boosting foods that will help you lose weight - Daily Star

health

Dont hide your insecurities under big clothes! We have compiled 12 simple ways to slim down in summer, and feel good inside and out...

Whats not to love about summer? Its the season of relaxing vacations and outdoor activities. You might have lazed around or eaten a lot of junk during the winters, but fortunately summer is here and its time to shed off those extra pounds you added over the winter. It is being noticed that people tend to lose more weight during summers. Remember a weight loss plan is made up of 80 % diet plan and 20 % workout plan. Therefore, you ought to control your diet. Eat a light dinner at night. Make sure that you eat your dinner at least 2 hours before you go to sleep. Weve got some no-fail tips for you to lose weight, and feel more confident in summers...

1. Go organic: The first diet tip is to cut down the food you eat and go organic, which means eating more salads, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid oil, butter, ghee, cheese, and other fattening dairy products. Switch to green tea, mint tea or lemon tea, any tea is fine as long as you do not add milk and sugar to it.

2. No water weight: As winter season is dry, some quantity of water is stored in body to prevent dehydration. This is also a reason why we gain more weight in winters than in summers. But in summers, body sweats a lot thus body lose weight. You can drink more water without fears and lose weight easily in summer.

3. Stay away from temptations: Get temptations out of the home or office. This will limit those emotional binging moments. Stock up with fruits, veggies, yogurt, and other. Making small changes will help you reach your goals. Instead of ice cream, go for frozen yogurt. Replace your potato chips with baked chips.

4. Banish bloating: Take a tip from brides-to-be by abstaining from bloating foods, like beans and artificial sweeteners, for the next two weeks. Learn more bloating foods to avoid here. You can also use your meals to fight bloating, so fill your plate with summer fruits like watermelon, pineapple, papaya and peaches.

5. Soup delight: Experts say that soup is a great appetite suppressant as it has combination of liquids and solids that bust hunger. Eating soup before meals can help lower total calorie intake by about 20%. You can make it your main meal too!

6. Sensible eating: A great way to start adjusting to healthy eating is to not go mad all at once. As opposed to eliminating foods, try substituting it instead. When it comes to rice and pasta, opt for brown versions, as they are higher in fibre. The same goes for bread - swap the white bread for some whole meal; it tastes so much better with less calories! Try to eat fruit in between your meals to stop snacking on food that arent helping your waistline!

7. Emotional eating: There are days when we just feel down and dont want to do anything but eat a tub of ice cream, devour a cake, or order a deep-dish pizza and watch our favourite movies. The key to dealing with emotional eating is to consciously take control of the situation. When youre just about to delve into whatever youve chosen, walk away and run a bath, paint your nails, or simply step outside, take a few deep breaths and ask yourself if you really want to eat it.

8. Ditch the juice: Fruit juice is a higher sugar, lower-nutrient version of its source - and it contains less fiber, too. Besides, plenty of the nutritional goodies in fruit are concentrated in the skins, which tend to be lost in juicing. If you want apple juice, eat the apple, and have a glass of water with it.

9. Change your coffee order: While coffee itself is no bad thing, the dairy and sugar that go into it can be real calorie traps. For the next few weeks, swap your usual latte for black coffee, green tea and herb tea. You may well find that after six weeks, the milky, frothy lattes you once adored have lost their allure... this is the brain retrain youre after: a change of mind to change your shape.

10. Say hello to homemade cooking: People think that if they go to the gym they can eat whatever they want. WRONG! If you seriously want to shape up for the summer, you need to say goodbye to fast food. When you eat out, many of the foods you are ingesting are cooked in butter or other fattening ingredients, which is exactly the stuff you want to stay away from. Therefore, your best bet is to prepare and cook your own food.

11. Get good sleep: Get into a routine that includes exercising, scheduling your meals and working on your sleep patterns, and try to avoid using your phone while in bed. If you sleep well, then the metabolism of your body will be good which will in turn help you to burn your extra calories faster.

12. Summer workouts: Naturally, summer heat itself burns body fats and calories at a higher rate. As you are easily losing weight you also tend to do workouts to make weight loss very effective. Opt for the best summer workouts to lose weight faster; sweat a lot, drink a lot and lose weight easily.

Original post:
How to lose weight in summer - The News International

It sounds counterintuitive, but the fat found in coconut oil can actually help your body burn fat, says certified nutritionist and naturopathic physician Bruce Fife, author of The Coconut Oil Miracle and president of the Coconut Research Center. How? The saturated fat found in coconut oil and palm kernel oil is made of different fatty acids than other oils (think seed, canola, and avocado). These medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) take another route through the digestive system and end up competing with glucose to become the body's preferred energy source, according to Dr. Fife. When cells use MCTs instead of glucose for fuel, the body's metabolism is boosted for up to 24 hours, says Dr. Fife. That means you'll burn calories even when you're sitting at your desk, driving, or watching Netflix.

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But what about all the bad things you've heard about saturated fat? While the American Heart Association has long recommended a diet low in saturated fats to prevent heart disease, an editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine last April seems to have shattered the myth that saturated fats clog arteries. In fact, a 2004 study that still holds true today found that, in postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease, a "greater intake of saturated fat was associated with less progression of atherosclerosis [plaque build-up in artery walls] whereas carbohydrate and polyunsaturated fat intake were associated with greater progression."

Women who have a high total cholesterol (TC) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "the good cholesterol") ratioan indicator of high cardiovascular disease riskcan "replace refined carbohydrates with healthy high fat foods, such as coconut oil, to rapidly drop" that ratio, says Dr. Fife. He recommends using organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil, which has the least amount of processing. However, if you can't stand that coconut taste or smell, opt for a refined versionbuying organic will ensure it was refined using steam, not chemicals.

Here are five ways to get started using coconut oil for weight loss:

Coconut oil satiates your hunger for longer periods of time compared to other fats. Just adding it to your breakfast, by stirring a spoonful into your coffee, for instance, "will keep you satisfied longer," says Dr. Fife. "You'll have less of a tendency want to snack between meals, and when the next meal comes around you won't be so starving you overeat."

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Introduce coconut oil to your diet by using it as a substitute for margarine, vegetable oil, and/or olive oil. Or simply eat a tablespoon at a time, increasing the amount until you feel satiated and are still losing weight without going over your calorie limit.

One way to kick-start weight loss and end yo-yo dieting is to trick your body into thinking it has enough fat already so it stops storing it. We need fat in our diets to lose excess weight and keep it off, according to Dr. Fife. Fats help build cell membranes, certain hormones, and connective tissues, among other things. Low-fat diets encourage the body to burn sugar for energy, but high-fat diets give it the energy and building materials it needs to begin building and repairing with fat instead of storing it.

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Liquid coconut oil can be added to salad dressing or homemade mayonnaise to help digestion and maximize nutrient uptake, says Fife.

When making white rice, adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to the boiling water for every half-cup of rice may reduce the number of calories your body takes in by 50 to 60 percent, according to research presented at the 2015 National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. The trick is to let the coconut-oil water and rice simmer for 20 to 40 minutes, then refrigerate it for 12 hours.

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For more in-depth advice on how to use coconut oil for weight loss check out The Coconut Ketogenic Diet.

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5 Ways You Can Use Coconut Oil to Lose Weight - WomansDay.com (blog)

AN amazing new invention can help you shape up without diet or exercise.

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Serving up your meals on this magical piece of crockery can help you slim down without even trying.

Diet experts believe that a special crinkly plate could help slimmers battle the bulge because it tricks the mind into thinking it holds a lot of food.

The plate has ridges and troughs which reduce the dishs surface area so it secretly slashes the amount of food that can be piled on to it.

When you look at the platter from above, it appears the same as any other plate so slimmers will still enjoy the appearance of a full meal.

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APRICOTS - Calorie content: 12 kcals per apricotEating apricots is said to help reduce the risk of strokes, and heart attacks. They're also full of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre, which all promote good heart health

Product designer Nauris Cinovics, from the Art Academy of Latvia, believes the plate could help dieters shed pounds and he plans to test his theory in a trial of 100 people.

Obesity experts agreed with the clever designer, saying the plate could be a useful weight loss tool and act as an alternative to choosing smaller plates.

Our brain takes at least 20 minutes to receive the message that we should feel full

Dr Paul Christiansen, from the University of Liverpool's school of psychology, said: "This seems like a good idea.

"If people think they have eaten a full plate of food, they will feel more satisfied. Many people think you have to finish the food on the plate.

"If you can satisfy the perception that they have a nice big portion on their plate, they will think they have eaten a full meal.

"For 'plate clearers' if you can feed the perception that you have a reasonable amount of food, they may eat less."

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Professor Charles Spence, a behavioural psychologist at the University of Oxford who specialises in the perception of food and taste, added: "This is definitely a nice idea.

There are a number of ways of tricking the eye, from use of smaller plates to make it look like there is more, through heavier bowls.

"The crinkle plate seems to provide much same impression, though I do worry how you get the bits out that fall in crevices."

The folds and dips in the revolutionary dish are also designed to slow down the speed of eating.

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Avacodo - includes monosaturated fatty acids that are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat

Nauris said: "My idea is how to make food appear bigger than it is.

"If you make the plate three-dimensional, with the ridges and troughs, it actually looks like there is the same amount of food as on a normal plate, but there is less of it.

"You are tricking the brain into thinking you are eating more."

The inventor has also come up with a heavy cutlery range to slow down eating, including a knife, fork and spoon weighing 1.3kg each.

Nauris said: "We tested this and it took 11 minutes to finish a meal with this cutlery, rather than seven minutes.

"Our brain takes at least 20 minutes to receive the message that we should feel full, so if we eat really fast, we think we need more food.

"If we eat slowly, the message that we're full gets through sooner, so we eat less."

Continue reading here:
How to lose weight without trying this hack can help you trick yourself into eating less - Daily Star

THESE breakfast foods could help kick-start your metabolism.

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Youve heard it all before, but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

Eating within an hour of waking up helps get your metabolism het going and gives you the energy you need to crack on with the day.

So what are the best breakfast foods for fitness fanatics wanting to lose weight and bulk up?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and eating it could help battle the bulge and manage it long-term.

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There are so many breakfast options: Read here to see the most healthy ones

Porridge is a great morning mea because oats are among the healthiest grains on earth. Theyre a gluten-free whole grain and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants.

Studies show porridge oats can aid weight loss and help reduce risk of heart disease. The slimming food also fills you up meaning you wont need a mid-morning snack before lunch.

But how can you make your daily bowl of goodness even better? Just add one of the five health-boosting extras below:

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1. Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the world. New research, by the Texas Woman's University, found they inhibit the development of fat cells in people who eat them regularly.

To avoid them spoiling you can grab a 400g bag of frozen blueberries for just 2 from Tesco.com.

2. Whey protein

Adding Whey powder to your porridge is a simple way of introducing more protein into your diet. Protein helps repair muscles after a workout and can also repress appetite.

Simply add a few scoops to your porridge along with some milk or almond milk and stir well to avoid clumps.

The ldnmuscle.com website has a great selection of delicious flavours.

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3. Cinnamon

Using this spice adds some flavour to your porridge, but its also good for your waistline.

Adding cinnamon to your food multiplies your body's ability to metabolise sugar by a factor of 20, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

4. Raisins

Adding a handful of raisins to your porridge really spices up your oats. And a study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, found they are as effective at fuelling exercise as energy bars.

5. Yoghurt

Yoghurt can speed up weight loss by blocking the ability of your cells to store fat while encouraging your body to retain lean muscle tissue.

Eating yoghurt also slashes your risk of getting diabetes by 28%, according to research published in the journal Diabetologia.

See the rest here:
Healthy breakfast ideas: Five porridge toppings that will help you lose weight - Daily Star

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