7 Side Effects of Soda

The BAD effects of soda!  Please share.  #teamVPT

Marty Ozaeta
Velocity Performance Training
831-601-6529
Marty@VelocityPerformanceTraining.com

6 Worst Soups in America

Soup may be the ultimate comfort food. It’s warm, it’s nourishing, and you don’t even have to chew it. No wonder Mom made it whenever you were sad, cold, or just plain under the weather.


But here’s a dirty little secret: A lot of soups out there aren’t comfort food at all. They’re discomfort food. That’s because they can make for a lot of discomfort every time you step on the scale, test your blood pressure, or try to squeeze into last year’s swimsuit. Everybody likes a nice, rich broth, but some soups are the Donald Trumps of food: too rich, too thick, and ultimately, full of nonsense. (And like the Donald, some are pretty darn salty, too!)

So whether you’re watching your weight, your blood pressure, or just your general health, take a second look at what’s in your bowl. Here’s how to spot a bad bisque, quick!

6. WORST LEGUME-BASED SOUP

Amy’s Organic Soups, Indian Dal Curried Lentil (2 cups/1 can)


460 calories
16 g fat (2 g saturated)
1,360 mg sodium

Dal is a healthy staple throughout the Indian subcontinent, but in Amy’s version, these legumes are awash in fat. Each can contains more than a full tablespoon of vegetable oil, which contributes nearly a third of the total calories. Switch to Amy's Light in Sodium Split Pea, instead. It cuts calories and sodium by more than half and provides a hunger-crushing 12 grams of fiber.

Eat This Instead!


Amy's Light in Sodium Split Pea Soup (2 cups/1 can)

200 calories
0 g fat (0 g saturated)
660 mg sodium

5. WORST POTATO SOUP

Pacific Natural Foods Organic Rosemary Potato Chowder (2 cups/1 container)


460 calories
16 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,460 mg sodium

Pacific’s soup may be natural and organic, but with this much cream, it's certainly not light. With an escalated calorie count and half a day’s saturated fat, this chowder seems like it should be served from a fast food window. In fact, you'd take in fewer calories if you ate a McDonald’s 4-piece Chicken McNuggets with small fries.

with small fries.


Eat This Instead!

Pacific Natural Foods Organic Butternut Squash Bisque (2 cups/1 container)

220 calories
7 g fat (3 g saturated)
1,020 mg sodium

4. WORST SEAFOOD SOUP

TGI Friday’s New England Clam Chowder


500 calories
18 g saturated fat
1,560 mg sodium

When it comes to chowder, it's all about region: Manhattan-style relies on a tomato base, whereas New Englanders prefer a far fattier cream base. That detail makes all the difference, as evidenced here by Friday's 500-calorie chowder. Switch to Manhattan or, when at Friday's, this Chicken Noodle instead and you cut the saturated fat load by more than 80 percent!

Eat This Instead!


TGI Friday's Chicken Noodle

250 calories
3 g saturated fat
1,240 mg sodium

3. WORST CHOWDER

Au Bon Pain Corn Chowder (large)

510 calories
26 g fat (12 g saturated)
1,640 mg sodium

The other problem with chowders: They can be weighed down by high-calorie dairy ingredients. Milk and half and half sit atop this one's ingredient list, followed shortly thereafter by heavy cream and butter. The result is a bowl of soup that swallows up 60 percent of your saturated fat allowance for the entire day. Get your Tex-Mex fill for fewer than the half the calories by switching to the Southwest Vegetable Soup instead. Make a trade like this for lunch every day and you'll lose more than half a pound each week!


Eat This Instead!


Au Bon Pain Southwest Vegetable Soup (large)

250 calories
7 g fat (1 g saturated)
580 mg sodium

2. WORST VEGETABLE SOUP

Cosi Tomato Basil Aurora (large)


597 calories
54 g fat (33 g saturated, 3 g trans)
1,701 mg sodium

Tomato soup is one of the good guys, right? While typically this is true, a single bowl of Cosi's bisque will saddle you with more than 1.5 days' maximum allotment of saturated fat, not to mention a dangerous glut of trans fat. Here are a few foods than contain less saturated and trans fat: Burger King Triple Whopper, 13 Taco Bell Steak Nacho Cheese Chalupas, and an entire medium-sized pepperoni pizza from Domino's. Switch to the Moroccan Lentil Soup for less than half the calories and an impressive 15 grams of fiber. Cosi's soups tend to be on the salty side, though, so stick to a regular serving size to keep the sodium levels in check.

Eat This Instead!


Cosi Moroccan Lentil Soup (regular)

238 calories
4 g fat (0 g saturated)
1,225 mg sodium

1. WORST STEW

Panera All-Natural Sonoma Chicken Stew with Mini Dry Jack Biscuit


630 calories
34 g fat (20 g saturated, 1 g trans)
2,030 mg sodium

Panera’s chicken stew sinks to the bottom of this list thanks to its precipitous calorie count, a full day's saturated fat, and nearly a full day's worth of sodium. This stew fares poorly across every major nutritional category, which makes it the worst bowl in America. Switch to the Garden Vegetable Soup instead, which delivers three times the fiber with a mere fraction of the calories.

Eat This Instead!


Panera Low Fat Garden Vegetable with Pesto

150 calories
5 g fat (1 g saturated)
930 mg sodium

IDEAS CARRY MOODS

IDEAS CARRY MOODS


Thomas Huxley said, "The great end of life
is not knowledge but action."

"The greatest sin against success is in not doing wrong; it's in doing nothing!

There is a powerful tendency to procrastinate, to forget, to lose interest, to get lazy, to get discouraged, to get rusty.

There are often side interests which slow us down or get us off the track.

With inactivity,we soon lose confidence in our ability.

We either lie down, it down, or fall down on the job.

A little emotion injected into the heart and mind of men is a great motivator.

A soldier might prepare himself for battle by reading war stories and thinking thoughts of heroism and patriotism.

Remember this:

"Ideas carry moods. We can change our mood by changing our ideas and imagination.

Gather motivational material that will give you great thoughts and great ideas and teach you how to motivate yourself."

-Marty Ozaeta

The Best and Worst Foods at the Gas Station

Sure gasoline is expensive, but it’s nothing compared to the cost of the snacks you grab on your walk to the register. Individually packaged treats might be easy on your wallet, but you can be sure they’re taking a massive toll on your waistline. And what’s worse is that most of this junk is so low-octane that it doesn’t even touch your hunger. It’s like sugar in your gas tank—literally. That’s why I've compiled this list of foods to avoid at the convenience store along with the best alternatives for fighting hunger. Read on to learn how to keep your engine revved high.

Worst Crunchy Snack

Lay's Classic Potato Chips (1 oz)

160 calories
10 g fat (1 g saturated)
2 g protein
170 mg sodium

Why waste calories on nutritionally void chips when you can get 16 extra grams of protein for the same amount of calories?

Eat This Instead!

Fried Pork Skins (1 oz)

160 calories
10 g fat (4 g saturated)
18 g protein

Worst Hunger Fighter

Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bar Peanut Butter

190 calories
7 g fat (1 g saturated)
180 mg sodium
5 g protein

What do you think keeps all that granola together? Sugar.

Eat This Instead!

Jack Link's Original Beef Stick

110 calories
9 g fat (4 g saturated)
6 g protein

Worst Cheese Cracker

Cheez-It (1 single-serve package)

180 calories
9 g fat (2 g saturated)
290 mg sodium
More oil = more fat = more calories. Any questions?

 Eat This Instead!

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cheddar (1 100-Calorie package)

100 calories
3.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
170 mg sodium

Worst Sweet Pastry

Hostess Pudding Pie (1 package)

520 calories
24 g fat (12 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
45 g sugars Packed with 75% of your day's saturated and trans fat allowance.

Eat This Instead!

Hostess Snoballs (1 snoball)

180 calories
5.5. g fat (3.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
23 g sugars

Worst Trail Mix

Planters Trail MIx Nut and Chocolate (3 Tbsp)

150 calories
9 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
12 g sugars
20 mg sodium
A high chocolate-to-nut ratio makes this mix a lackluster choice.

Eat This Instead!

Emerald Trail Mix Berry Blend (3 Tbsp)

120 calories
6 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
11 g sugars
Best in Health & Fitness,

Marty Ozaeta

Velocity Performance Training

www.VPTBootCamp.com

www.VPTForAbs.com

VPTraining10@yahoo.com

831-236-3423

The Best and Worst Cereals

The average American consumes more than 160 bowls of cereal a year, so picking the right box could mean knocking 15 pounds off your waistline yearly and infusing your diet with massive doses of vital nutrients. Use my bowl-by-bowl breakdown to find the perfect cereal for you. My criteria: the highest ratio of fiber to sugar, along with a respectable calorie count. Sidle up and grab a spoon!

24. The Best Cereal: Fiber One Original

60 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
14 g fiber
0 g sugars
The gold standard. Add sweetness with a bit of fresh fruit.

23. Great Cereal: Organic Smart Bran

90 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
13 g fiber
6 g sugars
You’re getting 52 percent of your daily fiber in every bowl.

22. Great Cereal: Shredded Wheat Original

 

160 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
6 g fiber
0 g sugars
This one-ingredient cereal is the real breakfast of champions.

21. Great Cereal: Kashi GoLean

70 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
5 g fiber
3 g sugars
Low-cal, high-fiber, and a reasonable amount of sugar.

20. Great Cereal: Grape-Nuts

200 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
7 g fiber
4 g sugars
A small serving of these breakfast pellets should carry you until lunch.

19. Great Cereal: Cheerios

100 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
3 g fiber
1 g sugars

It’s hard to beat the ubiquitous yellow box and its admirable balance of fiber and sugar.

18. Great Cereal: Kix

110 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
3 g fiber
3 g sugars

As far as the sweet cereals go, this is about as good as it gets.

17. Good Cereal: Autumn Wheat

180 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
6 g fiber
7 g sugars

A semisweet bowl without the risk of a sugar spike

16. Good Cereal: Wheaties

100 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
3 g fiber
4 g sugars

Sure, they get athletic sponsors, but still lose out to a lot more nutritionally stacked cereals.

15. Good Cereal: Kashi Go Lean Crunch!

Honey Almond Flax

100 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
4 g fiber
6 g sugars

Lose half the sugar and this would be a superlative cereal.

14. Good Cereal: Corn Flakes

100 calories
0 g fat
1 g fiber
2 g sugars

The calorie count is okay, but the second ingredient is sugar. And where’s the fiber?

13. Good Cereal: Life Cereal Original

120 calories
1.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
2 g fiber
6 g sugars

Seemingly harmless, but Life could do without the Yellow #5.

12. Fair Cereal: Raisin Bran

95 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
3.5 g fiber
8.5 g sugars

Raisins are sweet enough naturally, so why coat them in sugar?

11. Fair Cereal: Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats

Maple & Brown Sugar

95 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
2.5 g fiber
6.5 g sugars

For a sweetened cereal, Mini-Wheats at least deliver some fiber.

10. Fair Cereal: Rice Krispies

130 calories
0 g fat
>1 g fiber
4 g sugars

Fiber is cereal’s one true virtue, so why start your day with a bowl all but devoid of it?

9. Fair Cereal: Smart Start Strong Heart

110 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
2.5 g fiber
8.5 g sugars

Don’t be lured in by the buzzwords. This is anything but an intelligent start to your day.

8. Fair Cereal: Quaker Natural Granola

Oats, Honey & Raisins

210 calories
5 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
5 g fiber
13 g sugars

Most granolas are only a small step above sugary kids’ cereals.

7. Bad Cereal: EnviroKidz Organic Koala Crisp

 

110 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
2 g fiber
11 g sugars

Don’t let the flowery label lead you astray--this cereal is no good.

6. Bad Cereal: Frosted Flakes with Fiber, Less Sugar

110 calories
0 g fat
3 g fiber
8 g sugars

The sugar decrease is minimal and the fiber offering is nothing to write home about.

5. Bad Cereal: Trix

120 calories
1.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
1 g fiber
10 g sugars

Let the rabbit have them for you; they’re no good.

4. Bad Cereal: Froot Loops

110 calories
1 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
3 g fiber
12 g sugars

The sugar rush will throw you for a loop.

3. Bad Cereal: Lucky Charms

110 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
2 g fiber
10 g sugars

A rainbow of artificial colors with a pot of sugar at the end.

2. Bad Cereal: Honey Smacks

100 calories
0.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
1 g fiber
15 g sugars

The fiber-to-sugar ratio is alarming—this is essentially a bowlful of pure sucrose.

1. The Worst Cereal: Golden Crisp

110 calories
0 g fat
<1 g fiber
14 g sugars

Sugar is the first ingredient. Enough said!
 

BEST:
Fiber One Original

GREAT:
Kix, Cheerios, Grape-Nuts, Kashi GoLean, Shredded Wheat Original, Organic Smart Bran

GOOD:
Life Cereal Original, Corn Flakes, Kashi Go Lean Crunch!, Wheaties, Kashi Autumn Wheat

FAIR:
Quaker Natural Granola, Smart Start Strong Heart, Rice Krispies, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Raisin Bran

BAD:
Honey Smacks; Lucky Charms; Froot Loops; Trix; Frosted Flakes with Fiber, Less Sugar; EnviroKidz Organic Koala Crisp

WORST:
Golden Crisp

Best in Health & Fitness,

Marty Ozaeta

Velocity Performance Training

www.VPTBootCamp.com

www.VPTBlog.com

www.VPTForAbs.com

VPTraining10@yahoo.com

831-236-3423

 

15 Biggest Nutrition Myths

Angelina’s jealous that Brad’s still secretly in love with Jennifer! Tom Cruise keeps Katie Holmes trapped in a crazed religious complex! And aliens are manning the toll booths on a Nevada freeway! How do I know these things are true? Because I read them in the tabloids at my local supermarket.

The supermarket is rife with less-than-accurate reporting, and not just in the checkout-lane newspaper racks. Walk the aisles scanning food labels and you'll see the fallout from millions of lobbying and advertising dollars spent to posit faulty claims about health and nutrition. You'll find row upon endless row of foods that promise—explicitly or not—to improve your life, flatten your belly, and make you a happier person. The fact is, many of these foods do just the opposite. Learn how to separate fact from fiction and you might finally shed the habits that are silently sabotaging your chances of losing weight. But I must warn you: The truth can hurt.

MYTH #1: High fructose corn syrup is worse than table sugar

Whether or not added sugar is bad for you has never been in dispute. The less sugar you eat, the better. But whether HFCS is worse than plain ol' table sugar has long been a contentious issue. Here’s what you need to know: Both HFCS and table sugar, or sucrose, are built with roughly a 50-50 blend of two sugars, fructose, and glucose. That means in all likelihood that your body can’t tell one from the other—they’re both just sugar. HFCS’s real sin is that it’s supercheap, and as a result, it’s added to everything from cereal to ketchup to salad dressing. Plus it may be affecting your health in ways not yet fully understood by the scientific community. Is it a good idea to minimize the HFCS in your diet? Absolutely. It’s best to cut out all unnecessary sugars. But HFCS’s role as nutritional enemy #1 has been exaggerated.

MYTH #2: Sea salt is a healthier version of regular salt

Everyday table salt comes from a mine and contains roughly 2,300 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon. Sea salt comes from evaporated seawater, and it also contains roughly 2,300 milligrams of sodium. That makes them, well, roughly identical. Advocates point to the fact that sea salt also contains other compounds like magnesium and iron, but in truth, these minerals exist in trace amounts. To obtain a meaningful dose, you’d have to take in extremely high and potentially dangerous levels of sodium. What’s more, traditional table salt is regularly fortified with iodine, which plays an important role in regulating the hormones in your body. Sea salt, on the other hand, gives you virtually zero iodine. The bottom line is this: If switching from table salt to sea salt causes you to consume even one extra granule, then you’ve just completely snuffed out whatever elusive health boon you hope to receive. Plus you’ve wasted a few bucks.

MYTH #3: Energy drinks are less harmful than soda

Energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, and Full Throttle attempt to boost your energy with a cache of B vitamins, herbal extracts, and amino acids. But what your body’s going to remember most (especially around your waistline) is the sugar in these concoctions; a 16-ounce can delivers as much as 280 calories of pure sugar, which is about 80 calories more than you’d find in a 16-ounce cup of Pepsi. What’s more, a University of Maryland study found energy drinks to be 11 percent more corrosive to your teeth than regular soda. So here’s the secret that energy drink companies don’t want you to know: The only proven, significant energy boost comes from caffeine. If you want an energy boost, save yourself the sugar spike and drink a cup of coffee.

MYTH #4: Diet soda is harmless

The obesity-research community is becoming increasingly aware that the artificial sweeteners used in diet soda—aspartame and sucralose, for instance—lead to hard-to-control food urges later in the day. One Purdue study discovered that rats took in more calories if they'd been fed artificial sweeteners prior to mealtime, and a University of Texas study found that people who consume just three diet sodas per week were more than 40 percent more likely to be obese. Try weaning yourself off by switching to carbonated water and flavoring with lemon, cucumber, and fresh herbs.

MYTH #5: Low-fat foods are better for you

As it applies to food marketing, the term “low fat” is synonymous with “loaded with salt and cheap carbohydrates.” For instance, look at Smucker’s Reduced Fat Peanut Butter. To replace the fat it skimmed out, Smucker’s added a fast-digesting carbohydrate called maltodextrin. That’s not going to help you lose weight. A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that over a 2-year span, people on low-carb diets lost 62 percent more body weight than those trying to cut fat. (Plus, the fat in peanut butter is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat—you’d be better off eating more of it, not less!)

MYTH #6: “Trans-fat free” foods are actually trans-fat free

The FDA’s guidelines allow companies to claim 0 grams of trans fat—even broadcast it on the front of their packages—as long as the food in question contains no more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. But here’s the deal: Due to an inextricable link to heart disease, the World Health Organization advises people to keep trans fat intake as low as possible, maxing out at about 1 gram per 2,000 calories consumed. If your cupboard’s full of foods with almost half a gram per serving, you might be blowing past that number every single day. The American Journal of Health Promotion recently published an article urging the FDA to rethink its lax regulations, but until that happens, you should avoid all foods with “partially hydrogenated oil” (meaning, trans fats) on their ingredients statements.

MYTH #7: Foods labeled “natural” are healthier

The FDA makes no serious effort to control the use of the word "natural" on nutrition labels. Case in point: 7UP boasts that it’s made with “100% Natural Flavors” when, in fact, the soda is sweetened with a decidedly un-natural dose of high fructose corn syrup. “Corn” is natural, but “high fructose corn syrup” is produced using a centrifuge and a series of chemical reactions. Other "natural" abusers include Natural Cheetos, which are made with maltodextrin and disodium phosphate, and “natural advantage” Post Raisin Bran, which bathes its raisins in both sugar and corn syrup. The worst part is, you're likely paying a premium price for common junk food.

MYTH #8: Egg yolks raise your cholesterol

Egg yolks contain dietary cholesterol; this much is true. But research has proven that dietary cholesterol has almost nothing to do with serum cholesterol, the stuff in your blood. Wake Forest University researchers reviewed more than 30 egg studies and found no link between egg consumption and heart disease, and a study in Saint Louis found that eating eggs for breakfast could decrease your calorie intake for the remainder of the day.

MYTH #9: Eating junk food helps battle stress

You’ve been there: Stressed out and sprawled across your sofa with one arm elbow deep in a bag of cheese puffs. In the moment, it can be comforting, but a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that people who consumed the most highly processed foods were 58 percent more likely to be depressed than those who ate the least. Your move: Find a healthy stress snack. Peanut butter and Triscuits do the trick, or check out the next myth …

MYTH #10: Chocolate is bad for you

Cocoa is a plant-based food replete with flavonoids that increase blood flow and release feel-good endorphins. Plus, it contains a healthy kind of saturated fat called stearic acid, which research has shown can increase your good HDL cholesterol. But here’s the rub: When most people think of chocolate, their minds jump immediately to milk chocolate, which contains far more sugar than actual cocoa. Instead, look for dark chocolate, specifically those versions that tell you exactly how much cocoa they contain. A bar with 60% cocoa is good, but the more cocoa it contains, the greater the health effects.

Myth #11: Granola is good for you

Oats are good for you, and the same goes for oatmeal. But granola takes those good-for-you hunks of flattened oat, blankets them in sugar, and bakes them in oil to give them crunch. The amount of fat and sugar added to each oat is at the discretion of food processors, but you can bet your last cup of milk it’s going to far sweeter and more fatty than a bowl of regular cereal. Take this example: A single cup of Quaker Natural Granola, Nuts & Raisins has 420 calories, 30 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of fat. Switch to a humble cup of Kix and you drop down about 90 calories, 2.5 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of fat.

MYTH #12: Bananas are the best source of potassium

Your body uses potassium to keep your nerves and muscles firing efficiently, and an adequate intake can blunt sodium’s effect on blood pressure. One 2009 study found that a 2:1 ratio of potassium to sodium could halve your risk of heart disease, and since the average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day, your goal should be 6,800 milligrams of daily potassium. You’re extremely unlikely to ever reach that mark—and never with bananas alone. One medium banana has 422 milligrams and 105 calories. Here are the sources that earn you roughly the same amount of potassium in fewer calories: * Potato, half a medium spud, 80 calories * Apricots, 5 whole fruit, 80 calories * Cantaloupe, 1 cup cubes, 55 calories * Broccoli, 1 full stalk, 50 calories * Sun-dried tomatoes, a quarter cup, 35 calories

MYTH #13: Oranges are the best source of vitamin C

Far more than a simple immune booster, vitamin C is an antioxidant that plays a host of important roles in your body. It strengthens skin by helping to build collagen, improves mood by increasing the flow of norepinephrine, and bolsters metabolic efficiency by helping transport fat cells into the body’s energy-burning mitochondria. But since your body can neither store nor create the wonder vitamin, you need to provide a constant supply. An orange is the most famous vitamin-C food, and although it’s a good source, it’s by no means the best. For 70 calories, one orange gives you about 70 micrograms of vitamin C. Here are five sources with just as much vitamin C and even fewer calories: * Papaya, ¾ cup, 50 calories * Brussel’s sprouts, 1 cup, 40 calories * Strawberries, 7 large fruit, 40 calories * Broccoli, ½ stalk, 25 calories * Red Bell Pepper, ½ medium pepper, 20 calories

MYTH #14: Organic is always better

Often, but not in every case. Organic produce is almost nutritionally identical to its conventional counterpart. The issue is pesticide exposure—pesticides have been linked to an increased risk of obesity in some studies. But many conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are very low in pesticides. Take, for example, the conventional onion: It’s got the lowest pesticide load of 45 fruits and vegetables tested by the Environmental Working Group. Also in the safe-to-eat-conventional group are avocados, sweet corn, and pineapple. In general, fruits and vegetables with impermeable skins are safe to buy conventional, while produce like celery, peaches, apples, and blueberries are better purchased organic.

MYTH #15: Meat is bad for you

Pork, beef, and lamb are among the world’s best sources of complete protein, and a Danish study found that dieting with 25 percent of calories from protein can help you lose twice as much weight as dieting with 12 percent protein. Then there’s vitamin B12, which is prevalent only in animal-based foods. B12 is essential to your body’s ability to decode DNA and build red blood cells, and British researchers found that adequate intakes protect against age-related brain shrinkage. Now, if you’re worried that meat will increase your risk for heart disease, don’t be. A Harvard review last year looked at 20 studies and found that meat’s link to heart disease exists only with processed meats like bacon, sausage, and deli cuts. Unprocessed meats, those that hadn’t been smoked, cured, or chemically preserved, presented absolutely zero risk.

Hope you enjoyed,

Marty Ozaeta
Velocity Performance Training
www.VPTBlog.com
www.VPTForAbs.com
www.VPTBootCamp.com
VPTraining10@yahoo.com

20 Habits That Make You Fat

#1: Eating "low-fat"

It sounds crazy, but stop buying foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free. Typically, they save you only a few calories and, in doing so, they replace harmless fats with low-performing carbohydrates that digest quickly—causing a sugar rush and, immediately afterward, rebound hunger. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that meals that limited carbohydrates to 43 percent were more filling and had a milder effect on blood sugar than meals with 55 percent carbohydrates. That means you’ll store less body fat and be less likely to eat more later.

#2: Not seeking nutrition advice

Good news here: By reading this, you’re already forming habits that can help you shed pounds. When Canadian researchers sent diet and exercise advice to more than 1,000 people, they found that the recipients began eating smarter and working more physical activity into their daily routines. Not surprisingly, the habits of the non-recipients didn’t budge.

#3: Sleeping too little or too much

According to Wake Forest researchers, dieters who sleep five hours or less put on 2½ times more belly fat, while those who sleep more than eight hours pack on only slightly less than that. Shoot for an average of six to seven hours of sleep per night—the optimal amount for weight control.

#4: Eating free restaurant foods

Breadsticks, biscuits, and chips and salsa may be complimentary at some restaurants, but that doesn’t mean you won’t pay for them. Every time you eat one of Olive Garden's free breadsticks or Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you're adding an additional 150 calories to your meal. Eat three over the course of dinner and that's 450 calories. That's also roughly the number of calories you can expect for every basket of tortilla chips you get at your local Mexican restaurant. What's worse, none of these calories comes paired with any redeeming nutritional value. Consider them junk food on steroids.

#5: Drinking soda—even diet!

The average American guzzles nearly a full gallon of soda every week. Why is that so bad? Because a 2005 study found that drinking one to two sodas per day increases your chances of being overweight or obese by nearly 33 percent. And diet soda is no better. When researchers in San Antonio tracked a group of elderly subjects for nearly a decade, they found that compared to nondrinkers, those who drank two or more diet sodas a day watched their waistlines increase five times faster. The researchers theorize that the artificial sweeteners trigger appetite cues, causing you to unconsciously eat more at subsequent meals.

 

#6: Skipping meals

In a 2011 national survey from the Calorie Control Council, 17 percent of Americans admitted to skipping meals to lose weight. The problem is, skipping meals actually increases your odds of obesity, especially when it comes to breakfast. A study from the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people who cut out the morning meal were 4.5 times more likely to be obese. Why? Skipping meals slows your metabolism and boosts your hunger. That puts your body in prime fat-storage mode and increases your odds of overeating at the next meal.

#7: Eating too quickly

If your body has one major flaw, this is it: It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s had enough. A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that slow eaters took in 66 fewer calories per meal, but compared to their fast-eating peers, they felt like they had eaten more. What’s 66 calories, you ask? If you can do that at every meal, you’ll lose more than 20 pounds a year!

#8: Watching too much TV

A University of Vermont study found that overweight participants who reduced their TV time by just 50 percent burned an additional 119 calories a day on average. That’s an automatic 12-pound annual loss! Maximize those results by multitasking while you watch—even light household tasks will further bump up your caloric burn. Plus, if your hands are occupied with dishes or laundry, you’ll be less likely to mindlessly snack—the other main occupational hazard associated with tube time.

#9: Ordering the combo meal

 

A study in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing shows that compared to ordering a la carte, you pick up a hundred or more extra calories by opting for the “combo” or “value meal." Why? Because when you order items bundled together, you're likely to buy more food than you want. You're better off ordering your food piecemeal. That way you won't be influenced by pricing schemes designed to hustle a few more cents out of your pocket.

#10: Facing the buffet

 

Cornell researchers found that when eating at a buffet-style restaurant, obese diners were 15 percent more likely to choose seats with a clear view of the food. Your move: Choose a seat that places your back toward the spread. It will help you avoid fixating on the food.

#11: Eating off larger plates

One study found that when given an option, a whopping 98.6 percent of obese individuals opt for larger plates. Translation: More food, more calories, and more body fat. Keep your portions in check by choosing smaller serving dishes. If need be, you can always go back for seconds.

#12: Putting serving dishes on the table

Resist setting out foods buffet- or family-style, and opt instead to serve them from the kitchen. A study in the journal Obesity found that when food is served from the dinner table, people consume 35 percent more over the course of the meal. When an additional helping requires leaving the table, people hesitate to go back for more.

#13: Choosing white bread

A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when obese subjects incorporated whole grains into their diets, they lost more abdominal fat over the course of 12 weeks. There are likely multiple factors at play, but the most notable is this: Whole grain foods pack in more fiber and an overall stronger nutritional package than their refined-grain counterparts.

#14: Taking big bites

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who took large bites of food consumed 52 percent more calories in one sitting than those who took small bites and chewed longer. By cutting food into smaller pieces, you can increase satiety and enjoy your food more thoroughly. A good general rule? The smaller your bites, the thinner your waistline.

#15: Not drinking enough water

Adequate water intake is essential for all your body’s functions, and the more you drink, the better your chances of staying thin. In one University of Utah study, dieting participants who were instructed to drink two cups of water before each meal lost 30 percent more weight than their thirsty peers. And you can magnify the effect by adding ice. German researchers found that six cups of cold water a day could prompt a metabolic boost that incinerates 50 daily calories. That’s enough to shed five pounds a year!

#16: Having overweight friends

Research from the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that when a friend becomes obese, it ups your chance of obesity by 57 percent. This probably has to do with the social norms that you’re exposed to. Rather than ditch a friend who starts to put on a few extra pounds though, suggest healthy activities that you can do together, and avoid letting him or her dictate the meal (“Let’s split the cheesecake!”).

#17: Eating too late

Your body can burn flab while you sleep, but only if it isn't too busy processing a full stomach. A new study in the journal Obesity looked at the sleeping and eating habits of 52 people over seven days, and it found that those who ate after 8 p.m. took in the most daily calories and had the highest BMIs.

#18: Not using a scale

Looking at your body weight reinforces weight-loss goals and makes it difficult to cheat your diet. When University of Minnesota researchers observed dieters who weighed themselves daily, they discovered that the routine of stepping on a scale helped those people lose twice as much weight as those who weighed themselves less frequently. Avoid being thrown off by natural fluctuations in body weight by stepping onto the scale at the same time every day.

#19: Drinking fruity beverages

Most restaurants and bars have ditched their fresh-fruit recipes in favor of viscous syrups made mostly from high fructose corn syrup and thickening agents. As a general rule, the more garnishes a drink has hanging from its rim, the worse it is for your waistline.

#20: Eating when emotional

A study from the University of Alabama found that emotional eaters—those who admitted eating in response to emotional stress—were 13 times more likely to be overweight or obese. If you feel the urge to eat in response to stress, try chewing a piece of gum, chugging a glass of water, or taking a walk around the block. Create an automatic response that doesn't involve food and you'll prevent yourself from overloading on calories.

Hope you ebjoyed :)

Best in Health & Fitness,

 

Marty Ozaeta

www.VPTBlog.com

www.VPTForAbs.com

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