The Fad-Free Diet Plan

People who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

FORGET quick-fix diets - lose weight by simply improving your daily eating habits.

START THE DAY WITH BREKKIE

Breakfast eaters are more likely to maintain a healthy weight. Include a source of protein such as an egg or baked beans and a low-GI food such as wholegrain toast or low-fat yoghurt. Protein-rich foods and lower-GI carbohydrates provide important nutrients and also help keep you full for longer.

REDISCOVER HOME COOKING

By learning to cook at home using healthy ingredients you’ll boost your nutrient intake. And studies have shown that cooking stir-fries, roasts and casseroles using protein such as beef and lamb means you’ll put more vegies on the plate as well.

EAT MORE FRUIT AND VEG

Build up to the recommended five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit every day. Fill half your dinner plate with vegies and eat fruit as a snack.

BE PORTION AWARE

Over the past 30 years, the amount of food on our plates has increased - along with our waistlines. Shrinking portion sizes is a sure-fire way to lower calorie intake.

MODERATE YOUR TREATS

Many women say sugary treats and takeaways are their weakness, which makes it more difficult to eat well. You don’t have to cut out any food, just moderate your intake. Cut back to a square or two of chocolate a day or a takeaway once a week.

CHOOSE HEALTHIER DRINKS

Too much alcohol can lead to excess calories and poorer food choices. If drinking, try a wine spritzer or light beer, or ask for a smaller glass.

KEEP A FOOD DIARY

This helps you become more aware of what you’re eating and drinking, and identifies any problem areas. Research suggests this is one of the best ways to change your eating habits and lose weight.

BE A MINDFUL EATER

Pay attention to hunger levels and how much you’re eating. Turn the TV off and focus on the taste of food, as well as how full you feel.

RECRUIT A SUPPORT TEAM

Everyone needs support to maintain healthy habits. Find at least one person - a friend, family member, work colleague or health professional - who will support and cheer you on.

CHOOSE HIGH-NUTRIENT FOODS

Wholegrain breads and cereals, fruit and vegies, lean meat, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts and low-fat dairy fit the bill.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/the-fad-free-diet-plan/story-fneuzkvr-1226620925676

10 Commandments of the Real Mediterranean Diet

A traditional Mediterranean diet has been shown to have significant health benefits. But can you follow it if you live nowhere near a Greek island?

 

We're always being told a traditional Mediterranean-style diet is an incredibly healthy way to eat.

As well as its proven benefits in preventing heart attacks and promoting a longer life generally, it has specifically been shown to help ward off diabetes as well as bowel and prostate cancers. (And it was the only eating plan achieving the maximum score of five out of five in the ABC Health & Well being guide to weight loss diets, reviewed by nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton.)

But adopting a truly Mediterranean approach to eating, especially that which stems from the island of Crete in Greece, is not as simple as many cookbooks would have us believe.

While plenty of recipes are promoted as Mediterranean, they aren't necessarily the ones research has shown to be so good for us, says Associate Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos, from La Trobe University in Melbourne. In fact in most cases they're not, she says.

That's because cookbooks tend to focus on festive foods and desserts from the region, says the head of La Trobe's department of dietetics and human nutrition, who is an expert on the Mediterranean diet.

"When people think of the Mediterranean diet, they always think of the souvlaki and the yiros and all the other meat dishes," she says.

But the diet, made famous by the ground-breaking health studies dating back to the 1960s, was a peasant diet that was largely vegetarian, she says.

"It was a poor man's diet. There wasn't a lot of meat. There was a bit of fish because fish was more available... but primarily they subsisted on plant foods and legumes as they main source of proteins," Itsiopoulos says.

"[There were] lots of casseroles where in a serve you would get 60 to 70 grams of meat but lots of vegetables. So the casserole was filled with peas and carrots and artichokes and zucchini and then there's a salad on the side. There was half a kilo of fruit and half a kilo of vegetables eaten per person per day."

The 10 commandments

 

Itsiopoulos, also an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, is compiling a cookbook based on the exact meals she has used in numerous studies showing the diet's protective effects against diabetes and heart disease.

In addition to the recipes, she has developed "10 commandments" of the Mediterranean diet which can help you get a handle on what it involves. (These can also be used to apply the health-giving principles of the Mediterranean diet to other kinds of cuisine, she says.)

The commandments are:

1. Use olive oil as the main added fat (aim for around 60 mls /day);
2. Eat vegetables with every meal (include 100g leafy greens and 100g tomatoes, and 200g other vegetables/day);
3. Include at least two legumes meals (250g serve) per week;
4. Eat at least two servings of fish (150-200g serves) per week and include oily fish:for example Atlantic and Australian salmon, blue-eye trevalla, blue mackerel, gemfish, canned sardines, and canned salmon. Canned tuna is not as high in the important fish oil omega-3, but still a good choice to include in your fish serves.
5. Eat smaller portions of meat (beef, lamb, pork and chicken) and less often (no more than once or twice a week);
6. Eat fresh fruit every day and dried fruit and nuts as snacks or dessert;
7. Eat yoghurt everyday (about 200g) and cheese in moderation (about 30 to 40 grams per day);
8. Include wholegrain breads and cereals with meals (aim for 3-4 slices of bread per day);
9. Consume wine in moderation (one standard drink a day, which is about 100 mls), always with meals and don't get drunk. Try and have a couple of alcohol free days a week;
10. Have sweets or sweet drinks for special occasions only.

Some recipes for a typical day's meals on a traditional Greek Mediterranean diet can also be found here.

A healthy switch

 

Itsiopoulos admits it's quite a different eating style to the one most Australians have today. But her experience introducing the diet to novices has been positive.

One study involved feeding traditional dishes, prepared and cooked by her team, to Australians who had type 2 diabetes. (It turned out to help them control the disease). Some enjoyed the experience so much that they wanted the recipes at the end of the study.

"We had middle aged people of Anglo-Celtic origin who'd never eaten eggplant in their life and they ate this dish and said it was their favourite," she says.

Interestingly, while the people in the study were not restricted in the volume of food they ate – they were told to eat until they were full – they didn't gain weight.

They also reported "a very positive change in well being, in mood and in the levels of energy they had."

A diet for busy lives?

 

But what if you have to prepare all the meals yourself? Is this an eating style the time-poor can adopt? Itsiopoulos insists it is.

It's true some of the casseroles have up to 20 or 30 ingredients if you count all the herbs and spices. However, modern day conveniences like slow cookers make preparing these meals easier than was once the case, she says. Meals like simple bean soups are quick and easy to make.

"You do have to be prepared. It doesn't take a lot of effort to pop leftovers in a container for lunch at work the next day but you've got to plan for it the day before. Something like a stuffed tomato or pepper, or a layered vegetable dish, you make on the weekend because it's a bit fiddly."

Most of the dishes are suitable for preparing ahead and freezing and she suggests enlisting the help of older children to prepare vegetables and even make themselves some of the simpler meals.

But taking time to "be in touch with food" and make at least some recipes from scratch, is an important part of any healthy eating style, Itsiopoulos believes. (Research has shown takeaway and restaurant meals, and even ready-made meal bases such as sauces, are almost always higher in unhealthy ingredients like fat and salt.)

"That's a culture you have to build in your family. It doesn't belong to any particular ethnic background."

What about the dairy?

If you think the Mediterranean diet looks a little low on dairy foods, you're right. It's certainly lower in dairy than is currently advised in the National Dietary Guidelines (which recommend 2.5 to four serves of dairy foods every day (preferably low fat), depending on your age and sex. A "serve" is equal to a glass of milk, a tub of yogurt or two slices (40 g) of cheese.)

But traditional Greek Mediterranean populations got calcium from other sources: sardines and other small fish which were eaten with their bones, and from leafy greens (which contain only a little calcium but the large volume of the greens eaten meant the amount added up).

Slow-cooking meat, including chicken, with bones also causes calcium to leach out of the bones, Itsiopoulos says, and this is then eaten as part of the dish.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/stories/2013/04/15/3737114.htm#.UYYnl0qyong 

How to Change Your Mindset to Lose Weight

Weight loss is a simple mathematical equation and should be easy. But it's not. Even though the theory is basic, calories in versus calories out, it requires you to change your lifestyle and create new habits. It is a mental battle, not just a physical one. Often people set themselves up for failure before they even begin to try to lose weight by setting extreme goals and expecting to never fall off the wagon. If weight loss was easy, more than 60 percent of the nation would not be obese. To change your mindset to lose weight, start with small goals and create new, lasting habits.

Items you will need

• Scale
• Notebook or journal
• Pen or pencil

 

1. Weigh yourself and record your weight and what size you wear currently in a journal or notebook. Also write down what you were wearing, time of day and the day of the week so you can weigh yourself under the same circumstances whenever possible.

 

2. Set realistic weight-loss goals. Write down the total number of pounds you want to lose, or what size you would like to wear. Then set small weekly weight-loss goals of 1 to 2 pounds each week to slowly get you to your ideal weight.

 

3. Monitor your food intake daily. Write down everything you eat and drink, including the amounts. This will hold you accountable to what you are eating and help you look at times you may overeat. You can also write down how you were feeling at the time.

 

4. Plan your meals the day before, or plan a week at a time. You can do this even if you have a family if you are the one who plans the meals. If you don't, sit down with the member of the family who does the meal planning so you can be involved.

 

5. Make small, healthy changes to your diet. For example, if you don't eat breakfast, start your day with a healthy meal that includes fat, protein and carbs, such as yogurt and fruit or a whole-grain cereal with milk. Make a healthy breakfast a habit and then change another meal.

 

6. Talk to your physician about your weight-loss goals. Listen to his recommendations and what your weight says about your health. Write down health goals as well as weight-loss goals to improve quality of life.

7. Add exercise to your week. Make it an appointment and don't break it. Start with as little as 10 to 15 minutes of walking three times per week and slowly increase your activity. Try new things or classes to make exercise fun and so it becomes a habit.

 

8. Join a weight-loss group, or team up with a friend or family member to lose weight. Lean on each other and talk about your struggles with weight loss. If necessary, consider seeing a therapist who specializes in eating disorders.

 

Tips

• Take one day at a time to reach long-term goals.
• Read through your goals daily to remind you of why you are trying to lose weight.
• See your physician regularly to monitor changes in your health, not just your weight.
• Forgive yourself if you don't meet every small weight-loss goal.

 

Warnings

• Don't weigh yourself more than once a week.
• Don't use food or skipping workouts as a reward.
• Avoid drastic measures that you can't maintain.

 

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/change-mindset-lose-weight-9868.html 

The Truth About Exercise and Your Weight

If you've been working out and eating fewer calories but your extra pounds won't budge, you may be wondering why that seemingly simple strategy isn't working.

The truth is you may need a reality check about what to expect from exercise.

1. Exercise is only part of the weight loss story.

There's no getting around your tab of calories in and calories out.
The obese patients Robert Kushner, MD, clinical director of the Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity, treats often tell him they're not seeing the results they want from exercise.
"They will say, 'I have been working out three days a week for 30 minutes for the past three months, and I have lost 2 pounds. There's something wrong with my metabolism,'" he says.
Kushner tells patients that exercise is very good for them, but for weight loss, he emphasizes starting with a healthy diet. "First, we've got to get a handle on your diet," Kushner says. "As you're losing weight and feel better and get lighter on your feet, we shift more and more toward being more physically active. Then living a physically active lifestyle for the rest of your life is going to be important for keeping your weight off."
Other experts have had success including physical activity early on. But they stress that the amount of exercise is key.

James O. Hill, PhD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver, says it's easier to cut 1,000 calories from a bloated diet than to burn off 1,000 calories through exercise. "But there are many, many studies that show that exercise is associated with weight loss when done in enough volume and consistently," he says. "It depends how much you do."
For Pamela Peeke, spokeswoman for the American College of Sports Medicine's "Exercise is Medicine" campaign, fitness is a crucial part of a weight loss program, but it's for reasons that go beyond calorie burning. She praises its mind-body benefits, which will help with motivation over the long haul.
Peeke asks her patients to start walking as a way to "celebrate" their bodies with activity. "For years, they've blown off their body," Peeke says. "By them actually using their bodies, they can begin to integrate them back into their lives and not use them  as a source of torture or torment or shame."

2. Exercise is a must for weight maintenance.

 

"I come back to this over and over and over," Hill says. "You can't find very many people maintaining a healthy weight who aren't regular exercisers. What we find is that people who focus on diet aren't very successful in the long run without also focusing on physical activity."

Hill warns that people can be "wildly successful temporarily" at losing weight through diet alone. But there's plenty of data that show that those people regain the weight if they aren't physically active.
Timothy Church, MD, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. says, "When it comes to weight, you can't talk about diet alone, and you can't talk about exercise alone. You absolutely have to address both issues at the same time."

3. Food splurges may undo your efforts.

Exercise may not buy you as much calorie wiggle room as you think.
"The average person overestimates the amount of activity they're doing by about 30% and underestimates their food intake by about 30%," says Kathianne Sellers Williams, a registered dietitian and personal trainer.
"When' I'm looking at people's food and activity logs, sometimes things just don't add up," she says. "People think, 'Oh, I just did 60 minutes at the gym' or 'I just did 30 minutes at the gym' and think that counteracts a lot of what they're eating. But the reality is our food portions are huge."

Plus, Peeke says, you have to look at all the other calories you ate or drank that day and how sedentary you were apart from your workout.
"The rest of the day, you're sitting down and you're also eating other things," Peeke says. "How are you going to burn that stuff, let alone this extra little treat that you just thought you wanted?"
It's hard to accurately estimate how many calories you burn working out, Church says. "If it is a hard workout," he says, "you kind of intuitively think, 'Wow! That's cool! I just put enough in the bank for two days!' and you really haven't."

4. Exercise machines may not tell the whole calorie story.

Treadmills and other exercise gear often have monitors that estimate how many calories you're burning.
Kong Chen, director of the metabolic research core at the National Institutes of Health, says those displays are "close, but for each individual they can vary quite a bit."
Chen suggests using calorie displays on exercise equipment for motivation but not as a guideline to how much you can eat.

"It doesn't matter if the display says 300 or 400 calories. If you do that every day or increase from that level, then you've achieved your purpose. But I wouldn’t recommend feeding yourself against that," Chen says.
Those machines don't account for the calories you would have burned anyway without exercising.
"It isn't 220 calories for those 40 minutes of exercise versus zero," Kushner says. "If you were sitting at work or playing with your kids, you’re probably burning 70 calories during that period of time. You have to subtract what you would burn if you didn't exercise. So the overall calorie burn becomes much less."

5. One daily workout may not be enough.

Your best bet for your weight -- and for your overall health -- is to lead a physically active lifestyle that goes above and beyond a brief bout of exercise.
"It's not just about 30 minutes of exercise," Chen says. "It's about fighting the sedentary environment."
"The message isn't that the 30 minutes on the treadmill isn't good," Hill says. "It's that the 30 minutes on the treadmill isn't going to make up for 23-and-a-half sedentary hours." Hill encourages people to weave activity throughout their day. "Do something to move and make it fun," he says.
Chen also recommends setting realistic expectations and taking "small steps all the time" toward your weight goal.

As much as calories-in vs calories-out matters, don't forget about stress, sleep, and other factors that can affect your weight, Williams says. "We need to look at someone's total lifestyle, not just whether someone hits the gym," she says. "Weight and obesity are really multifactorial, and it really simplifies it just to break it down to nutrition and exercise. Those are really big pieces but definitely not the only pieces."

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-and-weight-loss-five-truths

De-Stress for Weight Loss

Let’s face it: we all get stressed. Unfortunately, it is just a part of life, and unless we know how to handle it, stress can affect our productivity, happiness, and even our waistline.

When we are stressed, we tend to eat whatever is in front of our faces (or worse: we may go looking for indulgences), lose motivation to exercise and end up sacrificing sleep (as well as our sanity)! All of these can inhibit weight loss.

 

Recent studies conducted by the National Institute of Health found that women with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol ate more, slept less and gained more weight than the women with lower levels. Don’t let these stats get you stressed though, there are many simple things you can do to de-stress and keep that weight off for good.

Eat Right, Stress Less
The fact that “stressed” is “desserts” spelled backwards does not justify downing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s at the end of a stressful day. Countless studies show that what we eat greatly influences the impact stress has on our body. Here are some foods to help fight stress:

• Omega-3s in fish, walnuts, flax and chia have been shown to help fight depression linked to stress.
• Foods high in potassium like bananas and potatoes help control blood pressure, which will help keep cortisol (stress hormone) levels low.
• Whole grains, black beans and nuts are all high in magnesium, which sends a signal to our muscles to relax.

And don’t forget about snacking. Eating breakfast and small meals throughout the day can keep your mood steady. Foods can also help protect against damage caused by stress, keeping us glowing from the inside out. Colorful fruits and veggies like carrots, spinach, apples and berries are rich in phytonutrients that help protect our cells from the damage that stress can cause. Filling up on the right foods will not only help fight stress, but keep you on the right track for weight loss, as well—win, win!

Hit the Mattress
We know it’s not exactly easy to fall asleep, or even stay asleep when we are stressed, but it is one of the most important factors in weight loss. A recent study conducted by Kaiser Permanente found that people trying to lose at least 10 pounds were more likely to reach that goal if they had at least 6 hours of sleep each night and had lower stress levels.

So sleep more to lose weight? While it may sound too good to be true, it is for real. A lack of sleep can set off a cascade of hormonal imbalances, which can ultimately lead to an increased appetite. The greater the appetite, the more we will eat, and the more likely we are to gain weight. A lack of sleep can also leave us feeling groggy and more likely to make poor decisions at mealtimes. But, that doesn’t mean you should ditch the daily workouts and healthy diet in favor of more sleep. Rather, make a good night’s sleep part of your day – everyday! And not just for your waistline, but for your sanity. Proper sleep will make you feel more alert and focused so that even the most stressful days are a whole lot easier to endure.

Get Up and Move
Like peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, and spaghetti and meatballs, exercise and stress relief go hand in hand. Not only does a daily workout burn calories and increase overall health and well-being, but it also boosts endorphins, which can relieve stress and distract us from our worries. Although commonly referred to as a “runner’s high” these feel-good endorphins can also be experienced during an outdoor hike or a good kickboxing session.

When released, they can turn even the worst day into a feel-good day. Regular exercise can also improve mood, self confidence, combat depression and even help us sleep better at night, which can aid in weight loss as well. A double reason to get moving! Daily exercise can also help prevent diseases like obesity and heart disease, ultimately giving us less to stress about.

Meditate More
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years – and there’s a reason why! It has been proven to reduce stress, help with sleep problems and combat depression. This is good for the mind and the body. And the best part is, its absolutely free. All you need is your mind and a quiet place.

This small amount of peace in your day can help you relax and even help you deal with more stressful situations in the future. But remember, don’t get caught up in meditating the “right way.” This can only cause more stress, so do what is best for you. This might be a quiet stroll through the park or a hot bubble bath. Just keep your mind full of positive thoughts, and you will soon become your very own meditation master.

http://healthnews.ediets.com/diet-weight-loss/de-stress-for-weight-loss.html

Coke Cola and Its Horrific Affects on the Body!!!

Virtually everywhere now you will be subjected to products which can contribute to the deterioration of the human immune system.

 

Each year Americans drink the equivalent of nearly 600 cans of soda (soft) drink each containing an average of ten, yes that’s 10, teaspoons of refined white sugar.Similar per capita data exists for Australia.

Every day the Coca Cola Company sells in excess of one billion cans of soft drink on Planet Earth. Each can contains an average of ten teaspoons of pure refined white sugar along with a range of other nefarious chemicals, most shown to lead to premature death as a result of numerous avoidable illnesses. (Put aside the affects of aluminium mining for the moment)

Here is what happens to your body for a full 60 minutes after you have consumed a can of Coca Cola. This is frightening so hold onto your seat:

In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavour allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes : Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

40 minutes : Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes : Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centres of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

60 minutes : The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

>60 Minutes : The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that were headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

>60 minutes : As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pee’d away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

The source of this information is nutritionresearchcenter.org

But there is more.

 

Let’s take a look at some of the other major components of a can of soft drink:

Phosphoric Acid: This can interfere with the body’s ability to utilise calcium, which may lead to osteoporosis ( and thinning of bone density) and softening of the teeth.

Sugar: It is a proven fact sugar can increase insulin levels, which may lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and other side effects. Most soft drinks include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar. Take the Ayurvedic approach- a balance of sweet, sour and savoury. Sugar is also know to ‘feed’ the acidic needs of cancer related fungus and bacteria. Have cancer ?? Remove all high GI related sugars from your diet.

Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soft drinks. There are nearly 100 documented health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures.

Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks can cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion and may cause breast lumps, birth defects, and perhaps some forms of cancer.

I see dozens of people each week, most looking for easily obtainable solutions to health issues. My response comes from my Integrative Nutrition training ; find balance in diet and focus more on the re-schooling the body’s gene nutrition with not only healthy ALKALINE based foods but also concentrated antioxidant based Superfoods and drinks.

But I hope that Coke information scares the living day lights out of you.

Its time to come home to your pure and perfect self.

http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/live-in-my-skin/all-things-organic/organic-certification/coke-cola-and-its-horrific-affects-on-the-body/  

4 Reasons You Don't Have The Body You Want

BEFORE AND AFTER: Change your habits in order to change your body.

Photo Credit iStockPhoto.com

Your diet is clean. You have a pantry full of supplements and haven't missed a training session in six months. Yet you still don't have the body you want.

This is a common dilemma. There’s a tendency to blame genetics or look at magazine covers and assume those folks are taking something not readily (or legally) available. But there actually are four reasonable explanations for why you are not progressing the way you’d like to be.

 

You're in a bad relationship

Bad relationships lead to stress, and there are few things worse for your body composition than stress.

This applies to much more than romantic relationships. Overbearing parents and in-laws, an abusive boss, and needy co-workers, friends, and acquaintances, can stress out your system and cause you to hold onto fat, especially in the abdominal region.

Cutting bad relationships can be difficult – sometimes impossible. You’re pretty much stuck with the parents and in-laws, and unless you switch jobs, the boss and co-workers aren’t leaving either. But make an effort to cut as many toxic people out of your life as possible and you will be happier and healthier for it.

 

You're Intolerant

This one is a real kick in the pants. You eat everything you’re supposed to - eggs, fish, lean meat, gluten-free whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables - and yet, you can't shake those last five pounds of fat.

You could have a more stealth version of a food allergy: a food intolerance. Such an intolerance causes inflammation in the body. Not a full-blown, swollen-faced allergic reaction, but low-level inflammation that keeps your system from running smoothly.

If your system isn't running correctly, dropping fat is the least of your problems. Eggs, nuts, soy, wheat and dairy are the "Big Five" when it comes to food intolerances but you can be intolerant to anything from garlic to parsley to pineapple to eggplant. And, chances are, the more you eat something (and people tend to eat the same things when on a fat loss plan) the more likely your body will become intolerant to it. I told you it was a kick in the pants.

Things such as food intolerance tests (performed through blood work) and elimination diets can identify the culprits. Eliminating these foods might be all you need to jump start your training program.

You're Polluted

Remember Britney Spears? She wasn’t exactly a rocket scientist, but she might have been on to something when she sang, “You’re toxic!”

Environmental toxins -pollution, cigarette smoke, cosmetics, metal tooth fillings, prescription drugs, and mercury in fish – are stored in fat cells, and have the potential to wreak havoc on your body.

Since your body is smart, and prioritizes survival over ripped abs, it refuses to use these fat cells for fuel. Doing so would release these toxins into general circulation. Essentially, you are holding onto these fat cells so the toxins don't make you ill.

So how do we get rid of these unwanted guests, become less toxic, and drop that last chunk of stubborn body fat? You could take measures ranging from infrared saunas, detoxifying foot baths, chelation therapy, all the way to liver and GI tract detoxifying diets. These methods can help you remove metals and toxins from your system.

Such measures can be fairly dramatic depending on the source of the toxicity. Consult a specialist before taking on any type of intervention, to determine what, if anything, is appropriate.

 

You're not working hard enough

Just because you’ve been working out consistently doesn’t mean you are getting the most out of your training. If showing up is half the battle, the other 50 percent is the effort you bring to the gym.

Most people do not realize what their bodies are capable of enduring. Are you leisurely working on a cardio machine while reading a magazine or talking on the phone? Do you continue to do the same workouts long after your body has adapted to them?

If so, take a look at the folks in your gym who appear to be getting results. Chances are, they’re pushing themselves, working at a furious pace, and continually undertaking new regimes.

There’s a reason those people have better body compositions than you do. It’s not by accident or genetics; they’re busting their asses – and you can too.

You’ve already done the hard part by dedicating the time and showing up. Now just commit to working harder.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/557600-4-reasons-you-dont-have-the-body-you-want/