Introduction
Carbohydrates play a key role in athletic performance – particularly as an energy source. Carbohydrate, in the form of glucose,
does not only fuel active skeletal muscle, but it is also a metabolic fuel for nerve cells and red blood (1). Elite athletes
and exercise physiologists do not solely view carbohydrates as a fuel source, but also study the effects that carbohydrates
have on physique/body composition. Because of advances in nutritional biochemistry, it has been learned that various types
of carbohydrates affect the body differently. Amazingly, some types of carbohydrates are preferentially converted to fat,
raise blood glucose levels to high physiologic levels, and are linked to health problems such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc.
(2,3,6,9). Other types of carbohydrates, such as disaccharides and polysaccharides, are not converted to fat easily and are not
considered to be deterrents to good health. Relative to dietary carbohydrate, this article will discuss the differences between
the glycemic index and the glycemic load. Because of its practical application relative to food intake, professionals in the human
performance industry should consider the glycemic load of a food when designing meals, planning recovery nutrition,
and creating specialized diets to enhance body composition.

The Glycemic Index
The glycemic index was developed by researchers from the University of Toronto approximately thirty years ago, and was
primarily used as a tool for diabetics looking to control their blood glucose (blood sugar) levels (7). Today, many other nondiabetic
individuals are also using this index as a way to choose foods to eat for health, weight loss and performance. Relative
to weight loss, several scientific studies have been conducted with the primary intervention being the glycemic index values
of various diets (4,10,11). Specifically, the glycemic index is a numerical ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods based on
their potential to raise blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that are high on the glycemic index (>70) are quickly digested and
absorbed. These carbohydrates tend to cause a rapid rise in blood glucose and in most cases a quick rise in insulin. Conversely,
carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index (~55 and below) are more slowly absorbed and subsequently cause
a relatively small increase in blood sugar and insulin. Hence, the glycemic index allows an individual to indirectly estimate
both blood glucose and insulin levels which is not only important for diabetics, but is also important for anyone looking to
control body weight or when determining what type of carbohydrates to ingest prior to and following exercise bouts.

Determining the Glycemic Index of a Food
Researchers measure out a portion of food that contains 50 grams of carbohydrate. For instance, 4 slices of bread, 1 1/4 cups
of rice, 1 1/2 pounds of carrots, and 2 medium apples each contains about 50 grams of available carbohydrate. A food is fed
to a group of test subjects and their blood sugar responses are measured. The test subjects’ blood sugar response to the food
is then compared with their response to eating 50 grams (about 3 tablespoons) of pure glucose. To illustrate this point, oatmeal
will be used as an example. Oatmeal on average is approximately 49 on the glycemic index. When plain oatmeal that
contains 50 grams of carbohydrate is eaten, it will produce an increase in blood sugar approximately 49% of that obtained
when the same amount (i.e. 50 grams) of straight glucose is consumed.

Foods That Have a High Glycemic Index
Generally speaking, foods that rank high on the glycemic index include products made from finely ground flours like bread
and baked goods; processed breakfast cereals (Corn Flakes®); candy (i.e., jelly beans), and baked, mashed, and French fried
potatoes (5). Foods that rank lower on the glycemic index include most vegetables and fruits; sweet potatoes; legumes; minimally
processed whole grains such as thick-cut oatmeal, oat bran, barley, pasta; and dairy products (5).

Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load
The glycemic index is not the only tool that can be used to determine the blood glucose response to a particular food item.
The glycemic load uses the glycemic index as well as the actual amount of carbohydrate (i.e. the serving size) to determine
the overall effect that a carbohydrate-containing food has on blood sugar and subsequent insulin values. As mentioned
earlier, the glycemic index compares different food sources that contain carbohydrates of the same quantity (i.e. 50 grams of
glucose is compared to 50 grams of carbohydrate in oatmeal). However, this is not always practical or realistic because many
foods are not consumed in 50 gram (1.76 ounces) portions. The glycemic load is calculated by multiplying the amount of
carbohydrate in a given serving of food by the glycemic index of that same food and then dividing that number by 100.
For example, a boiled potato has a glycemic index of ~101 and a Mars® candy bar has a glycemic index of ~65. However,
the average serving size of a baked potato is about 150 grams (5.3 oz) and contains 17 grams of carbohydrate. Conversely,
a Mars® candy bar serving size is only 60 grams (2.1 oz) but contains 40 grams of carbohydrate. The boiled potato has a
glycemic load of 17, while the Mars bar is 26. Thus, even though the potato has a higher glycemic index, the Mars® candy
bar has a greater effect on blood glucose than the potato even though the size of the Mars® candy bar is less than half that of
the potato. Dr. Jeukendrup, a respected sports nutrition researcher, reports that foods with a glycemic load of > 20 are high,
11-19 are medium, and < 10 are low (8). The following table lists some common foods with their corresponding glycemic
index and glycemic loads.

Conclusion
While both the glycemic index and the glycemic load provide information relative to the impact that carbohydrates have on
the blood sugar and subsequent insulin response, the glycemic load is a more practical scale for reasons mentioned above.
It is also important to realize that both glycemic index and glycemic load only refer to the food eaten alone. When fat or
protein from other foods are added to a meal containing carbohydrates, the total impact of either score goes down. In conclusion,
since carbohydrate intake and its effects on the blood glucose/insulin response are important for the hard training
athlete, one should consider utilizing the glycemic load to assist in making carbohydrate food choices.

References

Bill Campbell, PhD, CSCS

Cortisol is a hormone in a group of steroids commonly referred to as glucocorticoids. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland as a part of your daily hormonal cycle. However, it is also a key hormone involved in the body’s response to stress, both physical and emotional.  Cortisol increases blood sugar levels, increases blood pressure, and suppresses the immune system, which is part of the body’s fight-or-flight response that is essential for survival. Your hypothalamus, via the pituitary gland, directs the adrenal glands to secrete both cortisol and adrenaline.

Does stress affect eating, weight, and where fat is distributed on the body? This is a question that has begged an answer from experts for many years. The body makes cortisol to help us handle stress. When stress goes up, cortisol levels go up. And it's often repeated that obese people have higher cortisol levels than lean people.

Cortisol has widespread actions which help restore homeostasis after stress, including increasing production of glucose from protein to quickly increase the body’s energy during stressful times.

However, cortisol has a two-fold effect on fat. When the stress first occurs, fat is broken down to supply the body with a rapid source of energy. When we experience something stressful, our brains release a substance known as corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which puts the body on alert and sends it into "fight or flight" mode. As the body gears up for battle, the pupils dilate, thinking improves, and the lungs take in more oxygen. But something else happens as well: Our appetite is suppressed, and the digestive system shuts off temporarily. CRH also triggers the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which help mobilize carbohydrate and fat for quick energy. When the immediate stress is over, the adrenaline dissipates, but the cortisol lingers to help bring the body back into balance. And one of the ways it gets things back to normal is to increase our appetites so we can replace the carbohydrate and fat we should have burned while fleeing or fighting.

Your body assumes you have just physically exerted yourself, for example running from a lion, and need to restock your reserves by eating a lot of carbohydrates or fatty food that can easily be stored as fat. In reality, you are probably still sitting in your car or at your desk, still fuming and stressed out.

This is where the potential second effect of cortisol comes into play.  Experts now believe that the problem for many of us is being in a constant state of stress. Exposure to cortisol over the long term can lead to weight gain, as your appetite and insulin levels are continuously increased.

It is generally suggested that stress-induced cortisol weight is usually gained around the waistline, because fat cells in that area are more sensitive to cortisol. The fat cells in your abdomen are richer in stress hormone receptors, are particularly sensitive to high insulin, and are very effective at storing energy – more so than fat cells you would find in other areas of the body. This is the most dangerous place to gain weight, as it can lead to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease.

If we do accept that chronic stress and elevated cortisol may be factors in weight problems, what can you do if you want to reduce cortisol?

First, focus on becoming stress resistant. One of the best things to reduce stress and improve insulin sensitivity, for example, is getting regular exercise. Exercise not only helps promote weight loss by burning calories, but is also beneficial because it helps neutralize stress and its effects, which in turn helps you keep weight off.

Second, practice stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises. Improving time management can also be essential to reducing stress in one’s hectic lifestyle.

Third, how a person perceives stressful situations is also important. n. Hence, stress makes life difficult, but our reaction to it is important as well.

References

1. Talbot S, Kramer W. The Cortisol Connection. 1st ed. Berkeley, CA: Publishers Group West, 2002.
2. Epel ES, McEwen B, Seeman T, Matthews K, Castellazzo G, Brownell KD, Bell J, Ickovics JR. Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosom Med. 2000 Sep-Oct;62(5):623-32.
3. Smart JL, Tolle V, Low MJ. Glucocorticoids exacerbate obesity and insulin resistance in neuron-specific proopiomelanocortin-deficient mice. J Clin Invest.2006 Feb;116(2):495-505. Epub 2006 Jan 26. Erratum in: J Clin Invest. 2006 Mar;116(3):842.
4. Salehi M, Ferenczi A, Zmoff B. Obesity and Cortisol Status. Horm Metab Res 2005;37:193-197.
5. Prezio JA, Carreon G, Clerkin E, Meloni CR, Kyle LH, Canary JJ. Influence of Body Composition on Adrenal Function in Obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1964;24:481-485.
6. Streeten DH, Stevenson CT, Dalakos TG, Nicholas JJ, Dennick LG, Fellerman H. The diagnosis of hypercortisolism. Biochemical criteria differentiating patients from lean and obese normal subjects and from female on oral contraceptives. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1969;29:1191-211.
7. Jessop DS, Dallman MF, Flaming D, Lightman SL. Resistance to glucocorticoid feedback in obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001;86:4109-4114.
8. Hellman L, Nakada F, Curti J Et al. Cortisol is secreted episodically by normal man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1970;30:411-422.
9. Chalew SA, Nagel H, Burt D, Edwards CR. The integrated concentration of cortisone is reduced in obese children. J Pediatr Endocrinal Metab 1997; 10: 287-290.
10. Chalew SA, Lozano RA, Armour KM, Zadik Z, Kowarski AA. Reduction of plasma cortisol levels in childhood obesity. J Pediatr 1991; 119: 778-780.
11. Strain GW, Zumoff B, Kream J, Strain JJ, Levin J, Fukushia D. Sex difference in the influence of obesity on the 24 hr mean plasma concentration of cortisol. Metabolism 1982: 31: 209-212.

What are Triglycerides?

Triglycerides are the form in which most fat exists within the body. Triglycerides in the blood are derived from fats eaten in foods or are made in the body from other sources like carbohydrates. Triglycerides can accumulate on the walls of the arteries and contribute to buildup of atherosclerotic plaque.  Elevated blood triglycerides are involved in the deadly Metabolic Syndrome that pre-disposes individuals to Type 2 Diabetes and it is related to Vascular Complications.

Triglycerides are the major constituent of "Abdominal Fat".  Excess blood triglycerides induce an accumulation of undesired body fat ( especially in the visceral Abdominal Region). Abdominal obesity is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, dementia, and a host of chronic inflammatory diseases.

The American Heart Association website says triglycerides levels up to 100 MG/DL are safe, but Optimal fasting triglycerides are UNDER 100 MG/DL of blood. More recent studies are suggesting that fasting triglycerides should be even lower.

source: life extension study on Tocotrenols

Hormones are the most powerful molecules in our bodies, controlling the function, growth reproduction, metabolism, and repair of every cell. Our bodies require optimal hormone levels, just as they require optimal levels of essential vital nutrients: vitamins, fats, amino acids, and minerals.

Hormone levels are generally optimal in our early twenties but begin to decline at a rate of 2% per year after the age of 30. Hormone levels decline because our glands and the parts of our brain that control our glands deteriorate with age. This age-related hormone loss is natural, but it is not adaptive; it is destructive. It is one of the mechanisms of aging.  It is Mother Nature’s way of canceling us out by deterioration and death.

Hormone loss has been shown to contribute to many of the disorders and diseases that we suffer as we age – diabetes, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, fatigue, loss of muscle strength, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, cognitive decline, increased cholesterol levels, loss of libido, depression, and some cancers. Many have additional non-age-related hormone insufficiencies or imbalances due to hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction, endocrine gland failure, hormone resistance, and metabolic disorders.

Women are more so affected by hormonal disorders because their complex hormonal system is adapted to produce and feed babies; not to optimize their vitality as it is in men. Women lose vital sex hormones in perimenopause and menopause, and they have a much higher incidence of thyroid insufficiency and cortisol insufficiency (fatigue, aches, anxiety, depression, allergies, and autoimmune diseases).

Progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone are three sex hormones whose names are known by women and are extremely important when considering hormone optimization.  There are also further hormone optimization considerations. 

Each day nearly 200 hormones and hormone-like substances course silently through your body, acting as chemical messengers secreted by nine major endocrine glands (adrenals, thyroid, parathyroid, ovaries, hypothalamus, pancreas, thymus, pituitary, pineal) and other organs.  These hormones affect every cell in your body, helping to determine whether you’re hot or cold, hungry or full, calm or stressed, alert or sleepy, and naughty or nice.  Whether you’re asleep or awake, hormones also build bone, regulate your menstrual cycles, and direct myriad other essential functions. 

So keeping your hormones in balance, in an optimized state, is vital for day-to-day good health.

Estrogen dominance generally occurs when a body has too much estrogen in relation to progesterone and testosterone. It can cause a host of problems and health conditions such as:

• Prostate problems
• Man boobs
• Impotency
• Male patterned baldness
• Weight gain
• Low libido

Men too, not just women, can suffer from estrogen dominance.  As men age, their estradiol levels gradually rise, whereas their progesterone and testosterone levels gradually fall. The hormone balance changes. These gradual changes lead to reduction in testosterone benefits and eventually to estrogen dominance. That is, his estradiol effects emerge since his testosterone level is not sufficient to block or balance them.  The “beer belly” seen on the aging male is typically a sign of estrogen dominance.

Estrogens from plant estrogens and environmental sources, also known as xenoestrogens, produce hormonal stimuli that can contribute to inappropriate growth of mammary tissue cells.  In men, estrogen dominance stimulates breast cell growth and prostate hypertrophy.  Since the male prostate is the embryonic equivalent of the uterus, it should not be surprising that estrogen dominance is also a major cause of prostate cancer.

We are constantly assaulted by estrogens in our environment from the food we eat and the chemicals we use.  Estrogen mimickers in the form of food/plants (phytoestrogens) and chemicals (xenoestrogens), can mimic the action of estrogen produced in cells and can alter hormonal activity. Exposure to xenoestrogens is a concern for everyone, and those with an estrogen dominance condition should be particularly concerned about avoiding xenoestrogens.

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring estrogenic compounds that are found in a variety of foods, herbs, spices.  Their chemical structure resembles estrogen. These compounds are generally weak estrogens, in comparison to real estrogen and xenoestrogens, but in a body that is already experiencing too much estrogen, adding more may contribute to the problem.

Some of the strongest phytoestrogen containing substances are soy, the lignans found in flax seed products, red clover, black cohosh, chasteberry, and dong quai. Soy includes soybeans, soy milk, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, roasted soybeans, soy granules, miso, and edamames.

Key points to reducing estrogen dominance:

• Avoid chemical sources of estrogen (xenoestrogen)
• Avoid food sources of estrogen (phytoestrogens)
• Cleanse the liver
• Exercise
• Reduce stress
• Balance hormones
• Metabolize excess estrogen (DIM, Calcium D-Glucarate)
• Do not heat food in plastic
• Drink out of glass containers, not plastic or Styrofoam

Human chorionic gonadotrophin, or hCG, is a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women. There are many speculated benefits associated with the use of HCG such as weight loss.  However, the medical community does agree that there are some benefits to hCG in the treatment of certain conditions, including infertility and various problems related to hormones.

HCG is a water soluble hormone produced by the placenta. It is found in the urine of pregnant women, primarily during the first trimester of pregnancy. It is part of a class of glycoprotein hormones, which include FSH (follicle stimulating hormones), TSH (thyroid stimulating hormones) and LH (luteinizing hormones). It contains both alpha and beta amino acids.

HCG can help to increase an infertile woman's chances of becoming pregnant, and it can help women suffering from irregular menstrual cycles. It also aids in the production of testosterone and sperm. Finally, male children who are born with cryptorchidism (an abnormality in the testes present at birth) are aided by hCG.

More than 50 years ago Dr. A. T. W. Simeons became interested in how a pregnant woman could lose weight during pregnancy and still deliver a healthy baby. While researching this occurrence he found that the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) to be responsible. This hormone is produced by the body in abundance during pregnancy, causing the mothers adipose fat to liquefy in levels more than sufficient to supply her bloodstream with nutrition around the clock to ensure the proper development of her unborn child.

Taking his research further, Dr Simeons studied the effects of hCG on weight loss. During his studies, it was noticed that when small doses of hCG were administered, without a diet and without weight loss, changes in body measurements occurred, hips and waist became smaller. At first it was thought that this was due to redistribution of water. Later it was established that it was adipose tissue fat that was on the move.

One pound of body fat stores upwards of 2000 calories. Once body fat is made fluid, nutrition can be released to the bloodstream, reducing hunger, and waste flushed from the system. Calories provided on an even consistent level improves metabolism. With diet, women were shown to lose weight at a rate of ½ to ¾ pounds per day and men at a rate of ½ to 1½ pounds per day.

Due to lack of proven results and the government action, hCG injections lost popularity until they were revived in 2007 by Kevin Trudeau claiming that hCG injections were the cure to obesity and that the American Medical Association, FDA and other medical groups were part of a conspiracy to suppress the truth.

While shedding extra pounds helps to improve the overall health of a person on the hCG diet, additional benefits noted with hCG injections are normalized cholesterol levels, normalized thyroid gland and to balanced hormones while rebuilding the adrenal glands.

People that have arthritis, osteo arthritis, joint problems, cartilages damage or cervical problems experience a relief of pain and an overall improvement to the quality of life.
 

How do increased energy, increased metabolism, improved muscle tone, better health, stress reduction, and improved self-esteem sound? Pretty darn good right? You might wonder how exercise can lead to all of this.

Increased exercise leads to strengthening of the immune system, but again you do not want to overdo it because the exact opposite can occur if you do too much. We all suffer from this, others just know how to handle it better than others, but exercise lowers stress! It allows you to shift your thoughts to something other then what is stressing you, thus allowing pent up energies for productive exercise.

You can contour your body to the make of your liking by exercising and stripping off body fat and adding muscle tissue to areas of your body. When your body has more muscle to fat ratio, you will turn your body into a fat burning machine! With your body being able to use calories more efficiently, you will experience more energy. Now doesn’t this all sound good? Of course it does.

However, Americans take their health for granted, and usually wait until they are overweight, develop diabetes, get a stroke etc. to do something about it. It is never too late to start being selfish about your own well-being, start devoting 45-60 minutes a day to exercising and you will see a tremendous shift in your mood, spirits, energy, body, and self-esteem.

The JOURNAL of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism published a study in 2003 that found that the growth of obesity and Type II diabetes among Americans is directly related to physical inactivity. To avoid these conditions, it is important to stay healthy and be physically fit.

Exercise is a planned, structured, and repetitive physical activity. Fitness relates to the overall well-being of a person and includes exercise and a healthy diet. Both work together to control blood glucose levels, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and other conditions that may adversely affect the body.

Exercise and eating a balanced diet leads to a healthier body. The cleaner your diet is and the leaner your body, the more energy you are likely to have. When you are physically fit, you have more self-confidence. You know you look good and you show it.

When you are overweight, you have less energy, you cover yourself and you are less likely to meet to new people. You start to feel depressed and negative thoughts invade your mind. You will find that making changes in your life to include exercise and fitness will improve your overall well-being.

Today an ever expanding body of medical and scientific evidence documents the importance of proper diet and benefits of nutritional supplements for health maintenance and prevention of disease.  This growing mass of information has created a demand for proven effective natural food supplements.

The next era of nutrition will focus on natural occurring properties provided from plants, fruits, and vegetables which support good health. Nutraceutical is the new term used by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine to describe a highly promising area of health and medicine where newly discovered food/nutrition products have a proven effect on the human body. The Nutraceutical Industry has become a highly respected industry for supplement health.

In October of 1994, the President signed into law The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).  As a demonstration of public opinion, the DSHEA Act was written to empower American consumers to make choices about their own preventive health care programs.

A key intent in passing DSHEA was to improve the health of the American people through educational information to help them make better product choices.  The instruction of dietary supplements may systematically minimize the need for expensive drug therapy and thus reduce the country’s health care expenses.

Because of the DSHEA Act, a new industry has emerged based on non-toxic, functional food components standardized for higher quality and effectiveness.  Nutraceuticals are natural high quality standardized supplements proven to have pharmacological health benefits as validated by medical and scientific research.

The DSHEA Act allows for and encourages companies to provide truthful non-misleading scientific research of health benefits from specific dietary supplements to be made available.

An ever-increasing number of consumers are concerned with maintaining the quality of life by using the best effective natural products. They want to look and feel young, healthier, prevent sickness, and want to avoid becoming customers to the “sickness business.”  These consumers are only getting started with habits and lifestyle changes that promote a lifetime of wellness. 

The discovery of essential nutritional components from nature for the proper support of good health equates directly to the body's innate ability to sustain health and recover from disease – all from the support of improved nutrition.

The prefix "anti" means against, in opposition to, or corrective in nature. In order to understand antioxidants, it helps to learn what exactly these agents oppose and correct.

Within the human body, millions of processes are occurring at all times. These processes require oxygen. Unfortunately, that same life giving oxygen can create harmful side effects, or oxidant substances, which cause cell damage and lead to chronic disease.

Oxidants, commonly known as "free radicals," are also introduced through external sources such as exposure to the sun or pollution. Other mediums include stress, as well as things that people put into their bodies, such as alcoholic beverages, unhealthy foods, and cigarette smoke.

In much the same way as oxidation creates rust, causing a breakdown on the surface of inanimate objects, oxidation inside the body causes a breakdown of cells. Free radicals produced by this breakdown attack healthy cells, usually DNA as well as proteins and fats. This chain of events weakens immunological functions as well as speeding up the aging process, and is also linked to several diseases such as cataracts, various forms of cancer, and heart disease. Some studies indicate possible links to arthritis and several other chronic conditions.

Antioxidants, or anti-oxidation agents, reduce the effect of dangerous oxidants by binding together with these harmful molecules, decreasing their destructive power. Antioxidants can also help repair damage already sustained by cells.

Certain antioxidant enzymes are produced within the body. The most commonly recognized of these naturally occurring antioxidants are Superoxide Dismutase, Catalase, and Glutathione. Superoxide Dismutase changes the structure of oxidants and breaks them down into hydrogen peroxide. Catalase in turn, breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and tiny oxygen particles or gasses. Glutathione is a detoxifying agent, which binds with different toxins to change their form so that they are able to leave the body as waste.

Antioxidants are found abundant in beans, grain products, fruits and vegetables. Look for fruits with bright color – lutein in some of the yellow pigments found in corn; orange in cantaloupe, butternut squash and mango; red from lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon, and purple and blue in berries. So enjoy eating a variety of these products. It is best to obtain these antioxidants from foods instead of supplements. In addition, minimize the exposure of oxidative stress such as smoking and sunburn.

The Spectracell MicroNutrient Analysis assesses the function of specific vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other essential micronutrients within an individual's white blood cells (lymphocytes) to see if those micronutrients are functioning adequately.  This test can provide you with the specific information needed on which supplements you are deficient in and your antioxidant level. Over 31 vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants are evaluated.

One of the most important factors in weight loss is nutrition. In fact, eating a nutritionally sound diet is more than half the weight loss battle, considering that food intake directly affects the amount of fat and calories the body burns.

Most people believe that limiting themselves to an extremely low caloric intake or eliminating carbohydrates and living off of rabbit food will result in faster weight loss. The reality of it is that this approach can actually cause weight gain.  The exception in this case is the Dr. Simeon’s hCG diet, whereas the hCG actually allows your body to utilize the calories from the fat stores so your body is not put into starvation mode.

Extreme diets of any kind cause the body to go into what is often referred to as "starvation" or "survival" mode, in which it begins to store fat instead of burning it. This in turn causes weight gain as opposed to weight loss.

The good news is that eating a healthy diet is not hard, and it can completely eliminate this problem and turn the body into a fat burning machine. The key is to eat the proper foods and eat them at regular intervals throughout the day to boost metabolism and get those fat burning engines running.

A healthy fat burning diet consists of three main food groups – proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables. Eating the proper foods will ensure that the body is receiving all the vitamins and nutrients it needs to function properly.

Eating the right foods consistently throughout the day will provide the body with much needed energy to help it recover after workout sessions and continue burning fat as opposed to reaching that dreaded plateau that many dieters have trouble with when trying to lose weight.

The easiest way to incorporate healthy, fat burning foods into a well-balanced diet is to portion them out evenly across all daily meals. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so long as all the necessary servings of each food group are included.

One way to accomplish this is to include one serving each of a vegetable, protein, and carbohydrate of for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In between meals, eat one carbohydrate serving and one protein serving.

Fat burning proteins include eggs, whey protein or other protein powder supplements, salmon, turkey, chicken, milk, yogurt and flank or top round steak.

Fat burning vegetables include broccoli, salad greens, bell peppers of any kind, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, asparagus and mushrooms. Any of these make great choices for vegetable intake while offering enough of a variety to avoid getting tired of eating the same old foods.

Fat burning carbohydrates include whole wheat bread or toast, pineapple, grapes, bananas, grapefruit, apples, oranges, blueberries, strawberries and peaches.

Pair these nutritional tips with a solid 15 to 30 minute workout about three times each week and watch the fat and pounds start melting away.