Protein, Beans and Fat-Burning "Diets"

Now I've never been one to talk positively about diets. If you've read some of my posts before you'd likely know that I'm not a fan of diet schemes that claim you can lose weight and get a flat stomach.
The simple reason for this is that the creators of these "miracle diets" will often twist the truth in order to make sales.
The truth is that no diet is going to give you a flat stomach forever. The mere word "diet" refers to eating habits that are not usual. If you want to get 6 pack abs, lose stomach fat or just lose some weight, you will need to keep a few things permanently in your life in order to keep your level of health, fitness etc.

One of those things is a quality source of protein. Protein is a macro-nutrient and one of the most essential nutrients in the body in terms of maintaining lean muscle mass and burning/preventing fat.

So how do beans weigh up on the protein scale? Well a couple of essential things you should know about beans and fat-burning:

1. Not all beans were created equal - some contain a much richer source of protein than others.
2. Raw is usually best, but in this case (you have to cook beans to make them edible) cooked beans are much more beneficial in terms of nutritional value than canned beans.
3. Organic is always the way to go. Especially with varieties such as soy which are often otherwise GM foods that are scientifically proven to contribute to cancer growth.

Beans can take a lot of heat in nutrition circles for apparently being carb-rich and "starchy" but I beg to differ. Although beans do contain carbohydrates unlike meat, they also contain loads of extra nutrients such as flavanoids and are a rich source of daily fiber.
Like everything though, I would recommend bean consumption in variety and moderation. 

Bean protein source types:

• Soybeans - 36.5% protein. Also contains isoflavones, omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol reduction properties. Avoid GM soybeans.
• Black-eyed peas - 30% protein. 60% daily dietary fiber intake.
• Pinto beans - 28.1% protein. Also contains molybdenum which is beneficial for numerous human functions such as protection against tooth decay.
• Kidney beans - 24% protein. Also contains various vitamins
• Garbanzo beans (chick peas) - 20% protein. Rich in many vitamins and minerals
• Navy beans (baked beans) - 13% protein. 19 other vitamins and minerals
• Adzuki beans - 7.5% protein.

All beans are generally high in protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates and iron, they offer a great source of variety for protein intake and for beneficial carbohydrate sources.

One thing I love is any of these beans cooked with chili, tomato, peppers, onion and mexican spices topped with loads of avocado served with some fresh garden greens. That is a great lunch which will literally explode your fat burning potential and help you get a flat stomach faster.

Incorporating beans into your diet will give you yet another secret weapon with which to fight belly fat.

Hormones & Getting a Flat Stomach

Now I go on about this topic for one reason and one reason only:
It is one of the biggest problems people encounter regarding fat loss and getting a flat stomach!

I kid you not, hormones play a vital role in weight loss, fat loss and just about everything that goes on in your body.

I've written about xenoestrogens before and how they tilt the balance of hormones in your body to make your entire system more estrogen dominant. Well, this is just one of the causes of hormonal imbalances that makes it so hard to get a flat stomach.

The other major cause for hormonal upset other than xenoestrogens in food and chemicals is the production of excess estrogen in the body, usually due to an unbalanced diet containing too many synthetic "foods" and not enough real, raw, vitamin-packed, antioxidant-loaded, fresh, organic meat and veg.

To ensure that you have an easier time with fat loss and your goal to get a flat stomach, it's 100% necessary to eat well by adding variety to your diet. Get the right advice on your food and it can really be easy to make the necessary changes to start reaping the benefits within a week or less!

Image courtesy of http://k21st.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/neurons1.jpg

Belly Fat's Bestie (Trans Fatty Acid)

Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) are a type of unsaturated fat which is not essential and does not promote good health. The basic science behind trans fats is that they are really bad for you.

Just about every country in the world has recommended massive reduction of trans fats from the human diet to trace amounts (which occur naturally).

What you have to watch out for, as someone who wants to get a flat stomach, is any packaged goods that contains "partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils", "hydrogenated vegetable oils" or "shortening. These are the major culprits which will feed your belly fat and make it more stubborn than ever.

Trans fats are thought to be extremely difficult or impossible to metabolize by the human body, which makes them a permanent threat to your success in losing belly fat and getting 6 pack abs. The only reason companies use partially hydrogenated oils is to increase their profits and you know they are not thinking about reducing your belly fat problem! On top of the belly fat problem, trans fats will also increase your LDL (bad cholesterol), give you hormone imbalances and have been strongly linked to heart disease.

I've always recommended to stay away from any "over-processed" foods and these are specifically the foods that contain trans fats which will make it extremely hard to get a flat stomach.

Don't get caught up in the fat "hoo-haa". Fat is an essential part of any human diet. The trick is to avoid the synthetically produced, over processed fats and go for the natural, pure fats that are not going to cause health problems and to eat them in moderation.

Image courtesy of http://en.epochtimes.com/news_images/2007-10-16-trans-fats300-72022076.jpg

Dandelion The Exotic "Secret Weapon" Against Stomach Fat

Now you might recall a post I did recently on the "magic silver bullet" for weight loss which basically suggested 4 things to combine to give you optimum fat loss results. Well, today I want to focus on one thing which I call a "secret weapon" against stubborn tummy fat because it simply isn't known very well among people who want to get a flat stomach fast.
Honestly though, there are tonnes of "secret weapons" out there which will help you lose fat but the only way to get really great results is to combine methods, giving you a additive fat-burning effect. The trouble many people have is finding "secret weapons" that work within their particular lifestyle.

So, anyway, this one is the infamous dandelion (leaf) tea. The reason I say infamous is simply because it sounds cool, but the reason I suggest dandelion tea is because it is a powerful fat loss aid which will, like many other teas, accelerate your basal metabolic rate, increase your fat metabolism, remove trans fatty acids (belly fat's best friend) and remove cholesterol build up which will leave you fitter, healthier and happier in both the short and long-term.

Dandelion contains a significant amount of vitamin A and potassium, as well as moderate amounts of vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. It can be used for it's loads of health benefits and even aids in reducing water retention.

I also think that dandelion tea tastes awesome. It's a great as a coffee replacement especially if you need to cut down on caffeine but still get a buzz in the morning. Try drinking up to 3-4 cups per day and watch the amazing benefits of dandelion leaf tea unfold as you get a flat stomach.

Image courtesy http://home.messiah.edu/~jp1301/images/Dandelion_sun.jpg

How To Get A Flat Stomach For Women - Without Sit Ups!

So most women want a flat stomach right?
Most women think that crunches and ab workouts will get them a flat stomach and I just want to make it clear that this is 100% false.
Crunches won't give you a flat belly!
What will help you to get a flat stomach?

1. Weight training
2. Including fat burning foods in your diet (such as cinnamon and cruciferous vegetables)
3. Excluding nasty fat-storing foods and hormonally messy ones (such as trans fats and refined carbohydrates)
4. Targeted, functional ab workouts - Read that carefully. NOT situps.

Heaps of women I come across have concerns about getting bulky if they do any weight training. Well, the good news is, you won't get bulky if you're using the right techniques.

The bad news is... What am I thinking, there is no bad news!

But, you will have to do some weight training if you want to get a flat stomach. Not only will it boost your metabolism, strengthen your bones, increase your heart stroke volume and decrease blood pressure but it will physically alter the composition of your body from fat storage to lean muscle mass storage - NOT bulky, masculine muscles.

Fat burning foods are easy to include in your regular eating. Try sprinkling cinnamon on your breakfast, eat loads of fruit and vegetables (especially cruciferous vegetables which have a thermogenic fat-burning effect) and drink special types of teas to stimulate fat loss.

Excluding the nasty foods also becomes easy if you know which ones to eliminate and how you can replace them. Especially bad are the energy-rich, nutrient-poor white, refined, wheat-based products like pastas and breads.

Making sure you are working towards getting a flat stomach during your workout is also pivotal and I will explain that in greater detail in a future article as soon as possible.

Until then, work to your own accord on those 4 steps mentioned above to get a flat stomach and have sexy, flat, six pack abs.

Expert Fitness Advice - The #1 Difference

Now you may have read my post the other day on top 10 fitness tips which went through some of the best in the fitness industry and what their apparent #1 tip was.

Well, right now I want to summarize that into a #1 most important thing to do for fat loss and to lose stomach fat, get a flat stomach and 6 pack abs if that's your goal. This #1 difference is not only relevant to fitness goals but anything that you want to succeed in really.

So, what's the very most important thing that will more often than not be the defining factor in your success of failure to get a flat stomach?
Is it the exercises you do? The time of day you exercise or eat? The foods you eat? The equipment you have access to? Whether or not you have social support?
Now these things are all important, but the number 1 difference in fat loss is much simpler...

It might not be what you want to hear but it's commitment.
In all honesty, if someone is committed to a task like getting 6 pack abs for example, they will follow through no matter what it takes or what costs may be involved physically, emotionally or financially.

So why then do so many people fail with their health and fitness goals? It's because they lack commitment.
We have so many resources at our fingertips these days, especially with the internet allowing all sorts of information to be instantly transferred.

So for your sake, not mine, re-check your level of commitment to your goals. Are you sure about what you want? Have you got it written down? That's always a big test of someones certainty of their goals. If you're 100% sure about it then I guarantee you will get there.

Image courtesy http://www.slimdownfitness.com/resources/eva_photo%5B1%5D.jpg

Xenoestrogens & Making Fat Loss Work

Hormones are one of the least understood functional aspects of losing weight and losing belly fat. People will often think that the roles of hormones are as simple as estrogen: women, testosterone: men but it is much more complicated in reality.The fact is, regardless of your sex, you will produce very similar hormones, just in different amounts. The problem with the estrogen hormone is becoming more and more apparent to many people as we generally start to put on more and more weight and experience various other undesirable health symptoms such as osteoporosis and the dreaded "man-boobs". The key thing to realize here is the massive link between the estrogen hormone (including xenoestrogens) and health problems, ultimately including stubborn fat.
Xenoestrogens are synthetic, chemical substances which behave like estrogen hormones in the body. Exposure to these chemicals, then, leads to a massive array of problems in the body including belly fat. These substances, I might add, have only been in existence (as commercially produced, industrial chemicals) for about 70 years and during that time the population of our western world has steadily gotten fatter.
So, how do we avoid xenoestrogens becoming a problem?

• Give up conventional meats and switch to organic (especially poultry) as they are a large source of xenoestrogens. This is a hard step to take for many people simply because of the exorbitant costs of organic meats but make this step and it will make a huge difference.
• Avoid parabens (in lotions)
• Stay away from insecticides, pesticides and lawn care products
• Switch to an organic diet in general and you will reduce xenoestrogen exposure by 50% or more
• Never heat food in plastics in the microwave and avoid the use of soft plastics wherever possible as harmful xenoestrogens leach out of these plastics (like cling wrap) and into your food
• Check out this list of xenoestrogens and make any necessary changes (the ones I've mentioned above are the major ones that will make the biggest difference to your results with fat loss)

One of the main issues with fat loss and losing belly fat is hormonal imbalances and it's generally due to xenoestrogens for the large part. Take these out of the equation and losing weight will be much easier. You'll feel fresher, have more energy and get better results with losing belly fat and get a flat stomach faster.

Image courtesy of http://dr89015.com/hormone.htm

Some Typical, Fat Melting Replacement Foods

So I established yesterday about how important foods are in reaching your health and fitness goals. Just as a recap though (and to stress the importance of this) it will be approximately 80% food and 20% exercise that gets you to your goal of a flat, sexy stomach.

I don't want to discredit exercise though as that is where your toning happens and is also vital in increasing your health and fitness.

What I want to mention about this though is that we have a big, fat problem.
70% of the US population are overweight or obese. Even more alarming is the rapid decrease in the age of overweight children. We are, as a society, getting fatter.

And if 80% of the problem is coming from foods, what can we do about it?
Well, most people dread the mention of calorie counting and diets so I'm not going to mention them further (although if you're diligent enough, calorie counting can help you lose weight). What I will suggest is that you take 3 vitally important tips away from this reading today:
1. Reduce your "processed food" intake - This is a simple thing really. Just don't buy as much canned and pre-packaged food as you usually would. By replacing these processed foods with more natural, raw foods, you are effectively reducing your exposure to all kinds of additives, sodium being the most common and what you eat to replace the packaged foods is likely to give you other health benefits too!
2. Don't fall for "diet" products - Manufacturers aim to make huge profits so they will do anything to convince you that their "junky" foods are going to help you lose weight and you will probably willingly believe them if it means you can enjoy the products. Don't fall for it. So called "diet" or "lite" products more often than not, do more damage than good to your results.
3. Integrate other foods into your eating - Over time you should aim to try something new each week. Try out "healthy" foods and see what you can do with them. Even if you can't stand the taste of them (grow up), if you want real results, integrate foods you wouldn't usually eat into your regular diet. Some good foods include nuts, seeds (eg. sesame seeds), green vegetables, herbs and legumes.

I hope you got something out of that one. Take away those 3 points and apply them and you'll be flaunting your sexy abs in no time. Remember the 80/20 rule!