Fat Loss 4 Idiots Review - Fat Loss-Belly Fat - And Diet Program

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Looking For a Great Italian Sauce Recipe?

Here’s one that my 104 year old Sicilian great grandmother taught me. Sunday Gravy Never Tasted So Good.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-cup olive oil
1 28-ounce can tomato puree
1 18-ounce can tomato paste
1-teaspoon dried basil
1-teaspoon oregano
1-teaspoon salt
1/4-teaspoon crushed anise (or 1/2-teaspoon whole)
2 tomato paste cans of water (see note)

Sauté onions and garlic in oil in a large pot. Cook until golden. Add rest of ingredients. After sauce starts to boil, lower heat to a simmer. At this time add a pinch of baking soda which will cause sauce to foam. Remove foam with spoon. Cover pot and let cook for 2 to 2.5 hours. Recipe can be doubled and then frozen for future use. One half-hour BEFORE sauce is finished cooking -add meats such as meatballs, pork or Italian sausage for flavor. If using ground beef, cook separately and drain off fat and then add to cooking sauce.

NOTE: More water may be needed if sauce becomes too thick.

Looking for a Great Italian Meatball Recipe?

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

1 pound combined beef, veal, pork (must be fresh)
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Romano Locatelli Cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic - minced
1 tablespoon salt

Preparation

(All mixing is done be hand)
In a large bowl mix beef/veal/pork with eggs. Then add bread crumb, cheese, and salt. Finally add minced garlic in stages. Add a little then mix. Add some more, then mix. This way all the garlic does not end up in one meatball. Now, it’s time to roll up the balls. Average size is roughly 2 inches in diameter. I usually get around 18 to 20 meatballs per pound.

IMPORTANT! Do not cook meatballs in your pasta sauce! Meatballs cooked in sauce loose their flavor. The real key to a tasty meatball is cooking the them in an oven. So, heat oven to 375. Place meatballs on a rack - then on a cookie tray.

Bake for 12 minutes on one side then 10 minutes for the other.

I freeze the meatballs in bags and take out what I need per dinner. I just drop the meatballs into the sauce as if heats up.

Buon Appetito!

Paul Altobelli is an internet marketing specialist experienced in strategic planning, lead generation, website development, search engine optimization, internet sales and marketing program development. He also loves to cook. For more of Paul’s italian recipes visit http://www.paulaltobelli.com or email Paul directly at pda@paulaltobelli.com

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Altobelli

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Trans Fat: Avoid This Cholesterol Double Whammy

When it comes to fat, trans fat is considered by some doctors to be the worst of them all because of its double-barreled impact on your cholesterol levels. Unlike other fats, trans fat — also called trans fatty acids — both raises your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your “good” (HDL) cholesterol.

A high LDL cholesterol level in combination with a low HDL cholesterol level significantly increases your risk of heart disease, the leading killer of men and women. Learn more about trans fat and how to avoid it.

Trans fat in your food

Commercial baked goods — such as crackers, cookies and cakes — and many fried foods such as doughnuts and french fries — contain trans fats. Shortenings and some margarines also are high in trans fat.

Trans fat used to be more common, but in recent years food manufacturers have used it less. Since January 2006, manufacturers in the United States have been required to list trans fat content on nutrition labels. Manufacturers in other countries have taken similar steps. As a result, some companies have changed their manufacturing process to use little or no trans fat.

In the United States, the labeling requirement has a caveat. Trans fat that amounts to less than 0.5 grams per serving can be listed as 0 grams trans fat on the food label. Though that’s a small amount of trans fat, if you eat multiple servings of foods with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, you could exceed recommended limits.

Trans fat and cholesterol

Doctors worry about trans fat because of its unhealthy effect on your cholesterol levels — increasing your LDL and decreasing your HDL cholesterol. There are two main types of cholesterol:

  • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL). LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol transports cholesterol throughout your body. LDL cholesterol, when elevated, builds up in the walls of your arteries, making them hard and narrow.
  • High-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL, or “good,” cholesterol picks up excess cholesterol and takes it back to your liver.

A high LDL cholesterol level is a major risk factor for heart disease. If your LDL is too high, over time, it can cause atherosclerosis, a dangerous accumulation of fatty deposits on the walls of your arteries. These deposits — called plaques — can reduce blood flow through your arteries. If the arteries that supply your heart with blood (coronary arteries) are affected, you may have chest pain and other symptoms of coronary artery disease.

If plaques tear or rupture, a blood clot may form — blocking the flow of blood or breaking free and plugging an artery downstream. If blood flow to part of your heart stops, you’ll have a heart attack. If blood flow to part of your brain stops, a stroke occurs.

Cholesterol levels are expressed as milligrams per deciliter of blood, or mg/dL:

LDL targets

  • 160 mg/dL is considered a high LDL.
  • 130 mg/dL and lower is a good target for most healthy people.
  • 100 mg/dL is the target if you have other risk factors for heart disease.
  • 70 mg/dL is the target if you already have heart disease.

HDL targets
With HDL cholesterol, higher is better. HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from your body. Higher levels of HDL are associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

  • 40 to 50 mg/dL is normal for healthy men.
  • 50 to 60 mg/dL is normal for healthy women.
  • 40 mg/dL and lower for men or women is considered risky, and the lower the value, the greater the risk.

Avoiding trans fat

The good news is trans fat is showing up less in food, especially food on grocery store shelves. If you eat out a lot, however, be aware that many restaurants continue to use trans fat. Trans fat is often a part of the oil restaurants use to fry food. A large serving of french fries at some restaurants can contain 5 grams or more of trans fat.

Some restaurants put nutritional information on their menus, but most aren’t required to list trans fat content. But, things may be changing. New York City recently banned trans fat from being used in restaurants.

How much trans fat you can consume without any negative impact on your cholesterol level is debatable. However, there’s no question you should limit trans fat, according to the Food and Drug Administration and the American Heart Association (AHA).

In the United States, food nutrition labels don’t list a Percent Daily Value for trans fat because it’s unknown what an appropriate level of trans fat is, other than it should be low. The AHA recommends that no more than 1 percent of your total daily calories be trans fat. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, that works out to 2 grams of trans fat or less.

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Red Yeast Rice, Fish oil Fight High Cholesterol

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A regimen of supplements and lifestyle coaching is just as effective as statin medication for reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, and more effective in helping people lose weight, new research shows.

People with high cholesterol who took red yeast rice and fish oil daily and received counseling on diet, exercise and relaxation techniques showed the same 40 percent drop in LDL cholesterol seen among people taking 40 milligrams of simvastatin daily, Dr. David J. Becker of the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s Chestnut Hill Hospital and colleagues found. And they pared off an average of 10 pounds over 12 weeks, compared to less than a pound for patients taking the statin.

Becker has run a lifestyle program for people at risk of heart disease for 13 years. “People had a uniform desire to get off statins, and when they did their cholesterol was only going down maybe 5 percent at most,” he told Reuters Health. The cardiologist decided to launch the current study after seeing many patients have success in lowering their cholesterol with red yeast rice and fish oil.

With a grant from the state of Pennsylvania, Becker and his team randomly assigned 74 patients to receive 40 milligrams of simvastatin (Zocor) daily along with printed information on lifestyle changes, or to three capsules of fish oil twice daily and 600 milligrams of red yeast rice daily along with the 12-week lifestyle program.

LDL cholesterol levels fell by 42.4 percent in the red yeast rice group and by 39.6 percent in the simvastatin group, not a statistically significant difference. Triglyceride levels didn’t change in the statin group, but fell 29 percent in the red yeast rice group, probably because they were taking fish oil, according to Becker and his team.

People in the red yeast rice group lost an average of 4.7 kilograms (just over 10 pounds), compared to 0.3 kilograms (less than a pound) in the statin group.

Red yeast rice comes from fermenting red yeast with rice. Known as hong ku, the substance has been used as a medicine and food garnish in parts of Asia for centuries, Becker said. It contains a substance called monacolin-K that is nearly identical to the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin (Mevacor), as well as several other monacolins that may also have cholesterol-lowering properties.


People in the red yeast rice arm of the study were taking the equivalent of 10 to 15 mg of lovastatin, Becker said. “This lovastatin dosage is quite small, yet the effects we saw with the red yeast rice were akin to those one would generally see with a much higher dose of lovastatin.”

“However, it is not risk-free, and it must be used carefully and in conjunction with your physician.”

If more studies bear out the current findings, he added, the supplement/lifestyle intervention he and his colleagues tested could offer an alternative to people with high cholesterol who don’t want to take statins, or who can’t tolerate the drugs. However, he added, people who actually have heart disease should stick with statins, because they have been shown to reduce mortality.

Becker noted that a recent analysis by ConsumerLab found red yeast rice products varied sharply in their potency, and some were contaminated with a toxic byproduct called citrinin. “This paper is a call for better regulation of this supplement as well so that we know consistently what’s in it,” he said.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

(source: mayo clinic)

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Soy Protein Doesn’t Lower Cholesterol

Eating foods with soy protein has been promoted as a way to lower cholesterol, but a new study finds it has no significant effect on cholesterol levels.

The findings “do not support the current health claims for soy protein in a general population,” said study author Peter R.C. Howe, director of the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre at the Sansom Institute for Health Research at the University of South Australia in Adelaide.

He’s referring to the health claims approved for soy foods in both the United States and the United Kingdom that link daily consumption of 25 grams of soy protein to a reduction in heart disease risk through a lowering of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol.

Howe’s team studied 35 men and 58 women, average age 52, who had mildly high cholesterol levels. He assigned each participant to rotate through one of three diets for six weeks each. Each diet had varying amounts of soy protein and isoflavones, substances in soy that some experts say may have cholesterol-lowering powers.

One diet contributed 24 grams of soy protein and 71 milligrams of isoflavone equivalents, one had 12 grams of dairy protein and 12 of soy protein, with 76 milligrams of isoflavones. The dairy diet, which served as the control, had 24 grams of dairy protein without isoflavones.

Howe’s team measured each person’s blood cholesterol — LDL, HDL and trigylcerides — at the start of the study and after each six-week diet.

They found no significant effect of the diets with either 24 grams or 12 grams of soy protein on LDL levels.

In his research, Howe also looked closely at whether a person’s ability to maximize the body’s response to soy protein had a better cholesterol-lowering effect. These people are termed “equol producers” because of their above-average ability to make equol, a substance produced in the intestines as a metabolite of a potent soy isoflavone called daidzen. Equol is thought to inhibit LDL.

When Howe compared the cholesterol-lowering effects of those who were equol producers with those who were not, he found no differences.

Howe’s study was confined to those with mildly high cholesterol; he said it may have an effect on those with higher cholesterol levels. And the soy diets did lower triglycerides, a blood fat, by 4 percent.

The findings were published in the August issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Even though the study found no effect of the soy protein on LDL cholesterol, Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, called the research interesting. One facet he finds especially intriguing, he said, is the finding that equol producers have no benefit either.

After a series of studies on soy and its effect on cholesterol, the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee, of which Sacks is vice-chairman, reviewed the evidence and issued an advisory, saying there is “nothing special” about soy or isoflavones for improving cholesterol and that the heart association doesn’t recommend isoflavone supplements.

However, “there are other benefits to soy foods,” Sacks said. They are healthy due to high levels of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals. But, he added, “forget soy protein for lowering LDL.”

source

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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3 Tips to Lose Inches Off Your Waist

In order to lose inches off your waist you need to control the urge to eat high calorie, convenient food. Our modern diets are full of highly processed foods which offer little nutritional value and fat intake exceeds recommendations. People are also on average getting less than twenty minutes of exercise each day, combine this with poor food choices and it’s no wonder that you want to lose inches off your waist!

One thing you must realize is that weight loss cannot be confined to just one area of the body and any expert who tells you otherwise is offering false promises. There is no magic pill, exercise, food or anything else that will help you lose inches off your waist and only off your waist. Fat loss will occur all over the body if you start doing the right things - regular exercise and changing your eating habits. Usually the first place you put on weight will be the last place you lose it from so keep on going even if at first you aren’t noticing the kind of results you are looking for. Perseverance is key in weight loss and if you are determined and stick to it you will lose inches off your waist!

I now want to offer you 3 nutritional tips to help you lose inches off your waist, feel better and look great! So lets get started…

1. Be sure you are eating enough fruit and vegetables - listen to the 5-a-day advice!
Fresh fruit and vegetables should be a staple of anyone’s diet, especially if you want to change your body shape and lose inches off your waist. They contain a whole host of different vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals that are known to provide health benefits and control weight. Fruit and veg are low in fat and calories and a good source of dietary fiber; helping provide you with extra energy and focus for the day. Because they are low in calories we can eat a lot without consuming excess energy and the fiber content helps to keep you full for longer meaning far less food needs to be eaten to feel satisfied helping you lose inches off your waist.

One other great benefit of eating regular portions of fruit and veg is the fact that they are naturally low in sodium - something that cannot be said about most of the processed foods a western diet often contains. This facet alone will help reduce weight, the average person may be holding as many as 5 pounds of excess water due to the high intake of sodium! So start eating more fruit and vegetables on a daily basis and you’ll be off to a great start, helping you to lose inches off your waist!

2. Cut out ALL the soda!
Fizzy drinks and sodas are one reason that waistlines have increased over the last few decades, they should be completely eliminated from your diet if you are serious about wanting to lose inches off your waist. A regular can of soda can contain 150-200 calories which quickly adds up. The recommended daily intake of calories is 2000 for women and 2500 for men so those cans of pop, in many cases, can be responsible for nearly half of your recommended calorie intake! Some of those ’super-sized’ drinks can contain as many as 410 calories and over 35 teaspoons of sugar - disaster if you want to lose inches off your waist! Sugar isn’t the only weight loss ‘culprit’ - sodas also contain high levels of sodium and we already know what that does to your weight

3. Boost your protein intake whilst cutting down on carbs.
The amount of protein western people consume is normally very low in comparison to the amount of carbs they eat. In order to lose inches off your waist you should start to curb the carbs and boost the protein intake, thus bringing the percentage of each closer together which can help fat loss. Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle which in turn boosts your metabolic rate - protein is more difficult for your body to process that either carbohydrates or fat and so simply by eating it you are burning more calories. So choose lean cuts of meat such as chicken and turkey and try to have a portion of protein at every feeding opportunity in order to lose inches off your waist.

Well there you have it, utilize these 3 nutritional tips and you WILL lose inches off your waist quickly and easily. For more sensible, no nonsense information on weight loss, health and fitness visit Extreme Weight Loss - it’s completely free and is a superb resource for anyone looking to lose weight and feel great! I hope you enjoyed this article, good luck!

You now have some of the knowledge needed to lose inches off your waist but wait - there’s more! Discover the hidden fat loss secrets that the top fitness professionals want to keep for themselves by visiting Fat Burning Tips. By doing so you will be ready to create the body you have always dreamed about.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Depp

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6 Steps To Weight loss Success

Make your weight-loss goals a reality. Follow these proven steps

You probably know that hundreds of different fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. But the foundation of every successful weight-loss program still remains a healthy diet combined with exercise. You must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits to lose significant weight and keep it off.


How do you make those permanent changes? Follow these six strategies.

1. Make a commitment

Permanent weight loss takes time and effort. It requires focus and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you’re ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

No one else can make you lose weight. In fact, external pressure — often from people closest to you — may make matters worse. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself.

As you’re planning new weight-related lifestyle changes, try to resolve any other problems in your life. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change your habits. So make sure you aren’t distracted by other major life issues, such as marital or financial problems. Timing is key to success. Ask yourself if you’re ready to take on the challenges of serious weight loss.

2. Get emotional support

Only you can help yourself lose weight by taking responsibility for your own behavior. But that doesn’t mean that you have to do everything alone. Seek support when needed from your partner, family and friends.

Pick people who you know want only the best for you and who will encourage you. Ideally, find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time exercising with you, and share the priority you’ve placed on developing a healthier lifestyle.

3. Set a realistic goal

When you’re considering what to expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. To do this, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day through a low-calorie diet and regular exercise. Losing weight more rapidly means losing water weight or muscle tissue, rather than fat.

Make your goals “process goals,” such as exercising regularly, rather than “outcome goals,” such as losing 50 pounds. Changing your process — your habits — is the key to weight loss. Make sure that your process goals are realistic, specific and measurable, for example, you’ll walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

4. Enjoy healthier foods

Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without giving up taste or nutrition. Cutting back on calories is easier if you focus on limiting fat.

To lose weight, talk to your doctor about setting these daily calorie goals:

Your current weight in pounds Daily calorie goal
Women Men
250 or less 1,200 1,400
251 to 300 1,400 1,600
301 or more 1,600 1,800

Very low calorie diets aren’t a healthy long-term strategy. Fewer than 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,400 calories for men aren’t generally recommended. If your calories are too low, you run the risk of not getting all of the nutrients you need for good health.

5. Get active, stay active

Dieting alone can help you lose weight. Cutting 250 calories from your daily diet can help you lose about half a pound a week: 3,500 calories equals 1 pound of fat. But add a 30-minute brisk walk four days a week, and you can double your rate of weight loss.

The goal of exercise for weight loss is to burn more calories, although exercise offers many other benefits as well. How many calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise — such as walking — for more than 30 minutes most days of the week.

Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for losing fat, any extra movement helps burn calories. Lifestyle activities may be easier to fit into your day. Think about ways you can increase your physical activity throughout the day. For example, make several trips up and down stairs instead of using the elevator, or park at the far end of the lot.

6. Change your lifestyle

It’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even several months. You have to include these behaviors into your life. To do that, you have to change the behaviors that helped make you overweight in the first place. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine.

After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. Simply admitting your own challenges won’t get you past them entirely. But it helps in planning how you’ll deal with them and whether you’re going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you’re planning to change your life. It won’t happen all at once, but stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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The Truth About Belly fat

Belly fat is the most frequently asked question by women, and of course they want the fastest and quickest way to lose it. There are many articles and diets out there that claim they can help you lose unwanted belly fat but it can be very overwhelming.

Belly Fat is very common these days. The truth is, the reason most people have belly fat is due to three main things. Belly fat is stored energy. To get rid of the layer of fat you need to burn more energy (calories) than you eat.

Belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, which in turn is linked to our eating and exercise habits. Insulin is released when we eat; it moves digested sugars from our blood into our cells. Belly fat is worse for your health than fat in your butt or thighs. Yes, belly fat tends to trigger your liver to release its stored fatty acids — raising your cholesterol levels. Belly fat is one of the easiest to gain - one big dinner before going to bed is enough to gain belly fat. If after the big dinner you spend some days on your normal diet and don’t eat excessive quantities of food, the negative effects of the big dinner will not stay for long.

Belly fat is bad for everyone but, it can have dire consequences especially for men. The amount of abdominal fat one carries is a sure indicator of heart disease risk.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Saturated Fat

Saturated fat is the main culprit, but cholesterol in food is also a problem. Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol is the main reason for high levels of cholesterol and a high rate of heart attacks in the United States.

Saturated fats and animal cholesterol in the food intake can raise blood cholesterol to significant amounts. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as pork, beef, whole milk, cheeses, ice cream, egg yolk and foods that are made out of these products. Transfatty acids are found in margarines, commercial baked goods and in processed and fried foods.

Saturated fats include animal products like beef, pork, whole milk, ice cream, cheeses, egg yolks, and other foods that are made out of these products. Transfatty acids are mostly present in margarines, processed and fried foods, and in commercial baked goods. Saturated fats are generally contained by almost all processed food. Coconut, cocoa and palm oils are included.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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High Cholesterol

High cholesterol levels generally pose a serious threat to your health. For example, high cholesterol levels have been shown to lead to an increased risk of heart disease.

But even if you do have high cholesterol right now, you can still do something about it, with changes in diet and activity levels.

To reduce high cholesterol level problems, it can be helpful to know exactly what cholesterol is. Read our explanation of what cholesterol is here.

It is also important for you to know exactly what your cholesterol levels are. That way you can keep them at a healthy level prior to problems developing. Your physician will be able to perform tests to give you the readings.

If you prefer not to visit your doctor you may be able to get a home testing kit, depending on where you live. Whatever else you do, if you’re worried that you may have high cholesterol it pays to have it checked out.

If you have soft yellow skin near your eyes that can sometimes be a symptom of high cholesterol. Don’t ignore such warning signs.

There are may treatments and options these days, for treating high cholesterol levels. Anyone thinking about treatment for high cholesterol should consult with their physician and follow his guidance.

A research study has shown that high levels of cholesterol can even increase how fast prostate tumors grow, so it’s even more important to know your ldl and hdl levels.

If you have had the tests done and the results say you have high cholesterol you really should think about making some serious changes in your lifestyle. Even small changes can pay big dividends and as well as reducing your cholesterol levels those changes could give you increased energy and zest for life.

Remember that the total level of cholesterol is important, but the ratio between hdl and ldl cholesterol (the ‘baddie’) is even more important.

If you’re looking for supplements to help lower high cholesterol levels, there are natural supplements available these days. They can even be more effective than prescription medications and they generally have no side effects.

Statins, drugs that are given on prescription to help lower cholesterol, appear to have several side effects like headache and tiredness, as well as cramping and stomach upset, so you may want to consider a natural alternative. And always check with your physician before embarking on any supplementation program.

It’s probably worth having the tests done every 3 years or so to make sure you know where your cholesterol levels are. With high cholesterol it pays to keep an eye on the numbers

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Discover How To Reduce Your Fat Belly

Is a Fat Stomach Unhealthy?

Yes. For people with a BMI of 34 or less, a fat belly is regarded as an additional health risk. Fatty tissue which is stored around the stomach and abdomen (sometimes called intra-abdominal, or visceral fat) carries a greater health risk than fat located in the lower body around the butt and thighs.

Some health studies show that abdominal fat leads to raised blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, insulin resistance syndrome (metabolic syndrome X) and heart disease. Because of this, some experts believe that waist circumference and fat-distribution is more important than your actual weight in predicting future health risks.

What Causes a Fat Belly?

Where we store fat (surplus calories) is largely a combination of gender, age and genetic inheritance. Men tend to store fat around their middle (apple shape), whereas women typically store fat around the pelvic region, hips, butt and thighs (pear shape). However, women are prone to develop an apple shape in mid-life, after menopause. This is because the female hormones are present in smaller amounts and so their shape tends to become more ‘male’.

NOTE: To understand how surplus food calories from carbohydrate, fat or protein are converted to body fat and stored in adipose tissue cells, see How to Get Rid of Your Belly Fat.

Stress and Stomach Fat

Some health studies show that abdominal fat can develop as a result of stress. This is because the hormone cortisol is released during stress, and a high level of cortisol in the body appears to stimulate the storage of fat around the belly and abdomen. Researchers at Yale University studied 60 women and found that the more stress they were under, the more fat they stored around their stomachs. So it appears that a fat belly is most likely to develop in stressed men of any age, and older stressed women.
How to Prevent a Fat Belly?

If you are prone to store fat around your middle, the healthiest solution is to maintain a normal weight. By matching your calorie intake to your calorie needs and prevent weight gain, you will prevent the development of any excess fat.
How to Reduce a Fat Stomach?

However, if you already have a fat belly, the best option is to follow a healthy weight loss diet, combined with fitness exercises such as aerobics (to burn extra calories) and a stomach-toning workout to help tighten and strengthen abdominal muscles. That said, reducing a fat stomach takes time - especially if you are an apple-shape. Despite what commercials say, there is no diet-plan or type of exercise that can “target” your fat stomach. So please don’t get impatient. Your fat belly will disappear, I promise.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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