From the category archives:
Body Fat
Growing taller with IGF-1 – First, what is “IGF-1″? We’ll get to that in a minute.
We’ve all heard about big and tall stores. We’ve all seen tall, fat, and muscular people. Dr. Phil: Tall and Fat. Queen Latifah: Tall and Fat. Penn Gillette: Tall and Fat. Why is this? Why is there a correlation between your stature and your muscle plus fat size. The answer lies in Insulin and Insulin like Growth Factor-1. Insulin and IGF-1 are both highly anabolic. We know their role in muscle growth. We know that they cause proliferation and differentiation of cells in addition to increasing nutrient uptake. We know especially that we can be tall with IGF-1. IGF-1 increases cellular proliferation and differentiation. Mesenchymal stem cells in the resting zone of the growth plate and chondrocytes in the other zones are too cell types. For irregular bones, IGF-1 increases proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts as well (irregular bones grow a little bit differently than long bones).
The answer lies most likely in that people who are both tall and fat have enhanced sensitivity to insulin. Making it easier for them to grow taller, put on fat mass, and put on muscle mass. Now this has nothing to do with having a fat and slow metabolism, it has to do with your cells being more or less sensitive to insulin. Insulin makes you store food instead of excreting it.
Now, you might be wondering, well not everyone is tall and fat. Well, there are a number of causes of tall stature. Take Michael Phelps. Long Arms but short legs. Why is this? Both arms and legs are long bones(it makes sense to have long torso but short appendages or vice versa because they grow by slightly different mechanisms ie. chondrocytes vs. periosteum + osteoblasts). The answer is that there are local factors in the growth plate. Michael Phelps could just have less stem cells in his legs or his arms. It could be any number of local growth factors.
Short and fat people? Well, just because you have higher insulin resistance doesn’t mean it can’t be overcome. So, yes there is likely a mutual cause between being tall and fat. The cause lies in increased sensitivity to insulin and IGF-1.
Growing taller with IGF-1 can be done.
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Unfortunately there is no way, other than with rigorous fitness training, diets that work, or a cosmetic surgery procedure such as liposuction, to actually “remove” or “cure” cellulite. However, there may be ways to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Cellulite creams use combination’s of ingredients that work by tightening the surface layer of the skin. Not only do they work on the surface of the skin, they penetrate the top layer to work as a diuretic. This tightening and diuretic effect can give the appearance of tighter, more smoother skin, thus reducing the unwanted visual effects of cellulite.
However, one must realize that cellulite creams are not a miracle cure, and any results will take time. Most of these creams clearly state that results may be noticed only after a period of continuous use.
There are countless numbers of products available to the consumer, and all of them make the same or similar claims of effectiveness. Most creams contain one or more of these three active ingredients:
Caffeine – a diuretic and stimulant that works to increase circulation, and blood flow. This increased circulation and blood flow helps to break down and eliminate the cellular fluid that contributes to cellulite.
L-Carnitine – an amino acid involved in the metabolism of fat which increases the body’s ability to burn fat and store less fat. L-Carnitine also decreases the over all amount of body fat storage cells.
Vitamin A – supports and repairs the connective tissue in the dermis layer of the skin. It is thought that the fat that causes cellulite is allowed to invade the dermis layer because of defects in the connective tissue structures.
There are a large number of topical preparations, such as Revitol Cellulite Solution that purport to be able to reduce the appearance of cellulite. However, the broader scientific community is yet to fully support these claims of effectiveness.
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Is there really such a thing as fat burning foods? Well, you’ll be surprised that the answer is yes. It is often said that if a person wishes to lose weight, he or she would need to cut down on their food intake. So the idea of food that actually help burn away fat is indeed amazing. However, there are many misconceptions when it comes to these kinds of food. The most common of which would be the fact that food itself is the one that does the burning. This is not true at all. Whilst it does actually help, you would still need to maintain a healthy diet and follow an exercise regime.
Which food items are included in the list of fat burning foods? Well, those that are naturally high in fiber and are low in calories always top the list. Basically, they fill you up quite quickly and are able to satisfy your cravings without adding further calories to your body. Also included on these lists are green vegetables. In fact, these are the same types of food that could actually help lower your bad cholesterol levels thus helping you prevent diabetes and common heart diseases.
So how would you be able to use these fat burning foods when it comes to trimming down? Well, it is quite simple. First off, you have got to completely change the way you eat. Choose the healthier and fat burning options instead. Consume less fat, less sugar whilst balancing everything by increasing your fiber intake. Drink plenty of water and natural juices instead of carbonated drinks. Needless to say, you would need a major dietary overhaul and a lifestyle change if you really wish to lose weight and keep the pounds off.
So there you have it, just some of the things that you should know about fat burning foods and how they would be able to benefits your weight loss goals. Remember, too, that fitness exercises, fitness training, and sound workout plans are also a vital part of weight loss.
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A cellulite diet and sound fitness training regimen is the best way to begin cellulite treatment. We all know more or less about cellulite and its underlying nature, but this subcutaneous fat gives a woman the lumpy appearance that apart from spoiling the looks decrease muscle fiber strength with fatty tissue pushing through them. Regaining the strength requires getting rid of fat, which also helps in getting rid of cellulite.
The human body is programmed to head the fat to certain key regions and stomach is the first one of them. The degree varies with the genetics and lifestyle though it’s not entirely true that cellulite forms only in overweight people or just through a sedentary lifestyle. It’s not the pills that drive cellulite away; a proper cellulite treatment is getting the body active and inducing proper eating habits.
So, decreasing fat consumption is the first step towards reducing and controlling cellulite on the stomach. A diet low on saturated fats is thus paramount; so off with all processed foods, all the hydrogenated oils, bacons and other fatty meats and high-fat milk, cream and the likes. High protein must come in (chiefly lean meat); these are slower to digest, so are raw vegetables – together, they lead to suppressed hunger. However, decreasing fat intake to around 5% of the present consumption at once may give rise to a reeling head and lowered energy levels; it’s better taking things down by 5% to the aforementioned 5% over a span. It shall also help in decreasing fat evenly.
However, it’s also true that these lumpy deposits of body fat comprise toxins i.e. metabolic wastes; so flushing the toxins away is the next part. Water flushes toxins and also triggers metabolism; fitness exercises, on the other hand, apart from taking the metabolic rate higher, also boosts the lymphatic drainage that clears the toxic wastes better. Together, they make the cellulite on the stomach fades faster.
Exercises in short, intense bursts burn excess calories, generate muscle cells and burn the fat; consequently, they stem the deposition of fat and reduce the volume of formation. It stops the fat cells from gathering around and later the muscles burn fat even at the resting phase. That’s what is generally termed a high metabolism.
Starting off and maintaining a proper diet structure – often called a cellulite diet – is a great aid towards fighting cellulite. A healthy diet shall inevitably stop toxins and unwanted calories from getting pumped-in to the system, so greasy, deep-fried foods must give way to natural and organic variations, including distilled alcoholic beverages being replaced with the fermented ones and then, to fresh fruit juices with the pulp not removed. That’s fiber for the stomach aiding in the bowel movements.
That’s the hard way to fight cellulite away and maintain the achievements; however, there’s no harm if the holistic approaches are combined with cellulite creams with aminophylline, theophylline or the likes. It must not comprise any artificial hormone but with l-lysine, l-arginine and L-carnitine, it’s bound to strengthen the muscle fibers, increase collagen and make the fat-burning process more effective.
For more severe problems with cellulite, laser treatments are recommended, though melting the cellulite under the skin is just stepping into the game. Unless the diet and exercises are induced, the ‘bad fat‘ won’t take much long to return.
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Belly fat burning workouts, like cycling or sprinting, work but as you age it becomes harder to recover from that kind of strenuous activity. Also, it’s been proven that slower, more steady cardiovascular exercise will more effectively burn fat.
Here’s a story from one of our guests:
“After a thorough checkup, I was told by my doctor that I had to cut down on my calories if I wanted stay out of the danger zone. My blood pressure was good but climbing. I was also getting to be border line on the cholesterol levels. Something which on the surface seems catastrophic happened that caused me to lose weight fast. I had an accident.
The phrase “It’s as easy as falling off a ladder” was not cute or funny the day that I actually did. I fell from the top of an eight foot ladder on to my garage floor. The good news was that the concrete broke my fall. My wrists and left shoulder were in such bad shape that I had to stop strength training for three months. That’s when I discovered that I could adopt a fat burning program and lose 15 pounds of fat in 30 days without exercising. Here’s what I discovered.
You burn fat better when you focus on steady repetitious activities that are slow and steady. I took to walking and simply cut sugar and bread from my daily eating program. I started walking for 30 minutes a day and during the first few days, I found that even this activity was too strenuous for my shoulder as I kept trying to go faster instead of taking an easy pace.
I learned that the best fat burning speed was sub aerobic. That meant I had to be able to breathe easily and take a steady pace that kept my heart rate and breathing comfortable for an extended period. That’s where the real secret came in to play.
I began to burn more fat when I started eating water based vegetables and clean protein six times a day. Removing bread and pasta worked wonders for my metabolism. I began to see results within the second week of walking. I was losing between a half a pound to a pound a day.
The eating pattern was not very difficult once I started. There were never any feelings of hunger although I often get cravings for certain foods now and then. The daily walks went from 30 minutes to 60 to increase the fat burning potential of my daily routine. As my shoulder and wrists improved I toyed with the idea of strength training but was cautioned to allow the healing process to run its course.
Within a month of starting my walking routine, I had dropped 31 pounds of fat. I stopped over eating by altering my eating pattern. Eating six small meals kept my metabolism high and my blood sugar stable. There was no pressure to stuff myself because I always felt full from my last small meal.
The secret is in evenly distributing your meals and removing excess carbs from your diet. I miss my intense fat burning workouts but this was great at age 50. I did not have to concern my self with injury. The combination of a steady walking program and a painless change in diet can create a fat burning furnace in your body. You can lose 15 pounds in 30 days.