Does a Crash Diet Work?

Crash diets promise quick and efficient weight loss, but the real question is Does a Crash Diet Work.

Crash diets are diet plans that severely reduce calories, are nutritionally restrictive, and are supposed to promote quick weight loss. Often these diets focus on one or two food groups and are not intended for long-term lifestyle changes. Most Crash Diets have a calorie count of less than a 1,000 calories a day. Long-term, this can be dangerous and create issues throughout the body.

Does a Crash Diet Work? Crash diets can be temporarily effective for people who have no personal control and are easily tempted by food (underscore “temporary”).  Temporary means no more than one week. Crash Diets, when set up properly are not really crash diets at all, they are shred diets. Meaning you will shred and drop some weight quickly because it shocks the body. Again this should be very temporary just to get the weight loss process going, to curb cravings, and begin the process of seeing portions for what they should be. This type of plan should not be maintained beyond 7 days.

DOES A CRASH DIET WORK?

Crash diets can have many risks due to their nutrient deficiencies. These diets make it difficult to get a sufficient amount of calcium, vitamin D, or iron and other important nutrients. If this type of plan is followed long-term it can cause permanent damage to the organs by not providing them with their required fuel. If there is too much fluid loss, you can damage your electrolyte level, and become easily dehydrated, and when this happens you may experience cramping, fainting, and even heart failure.

Another issue with a Crash Diet is the slowing of the metabolism. Our bodies are extremely efficient machines and will slow down and lower its resting metabolic rate in order to survive longer if the calories or nutrients are too low. When this happens for long periods of time our bodies begin to cannibalize its own lean muscle tissue for nutrients to maintain itself. Slow metabolism will create a decrease in energy and you will feel sluggish, have ashy skin, and other issues. This will have a negative effect on your home and work life, and your ability to workout will be non-existent.

Another negative factor of a Crash Diet is its effect on your emotional and mental state. When on a crash diet, irritability, depression, and lack of patience begin to set in. Sleep patterns are disrupted and in severe cases it can cause full blown insomnia. Again this will affect your workouts, because it is during rest that the muscles recover.

Does a Crash Diet Work? The answer really is NO. When you return to a rational eating plan, your body will store everything you eat, as it thinks it has been starving for the last few weeks, and as a result support rapid weight gain.

The answer is, as it has been for centuries, a decision to change has to be greater than to stay the same. To lose weight you must make a lifestyle change. You have to have motivation and discipline to stick to a well-rounded clean eating plan. Though you can kick off with a 7-day shred plan that is a well-balanced 900-1200 calories, you must bump that up to me 1,400 to 3,000 calories depending on your needs for long-term success at weight loss, muscle building, or other goals. These calories should be split up over 5 to 6 meals a day and have a proper balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

DOES A CRASH DIET WORK?

If you combine this with 30-45 minutes of intense exercise you will be speeding up your metabolism.

Does a Crash Diet Work? Not if you want your New Year’s resolutions to come to fruition. Stay off the crash diet / fad diet merry-go-round. Commit to choosing your health and making a lifestyle change.

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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Shake up your snacking with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. You can use Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on sandwiches, with vegetables, or in a salad. Garlicky Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is absolutely delicious, takes but a few minutes to prepare, and requires no cooking. Be the one who shows up at the party with this healthy dip everyone is sure to love.

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 10 servings, each serving approximately 3 Tbsp.

Ingredients:
1 (15-oz.) can Garbanzo Beans drained, rinsed
½ (12-oz.) jar roasted red peppers (not packed in oil), drained
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and coarsely chopped, stems discarded
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:
1. Place beans, peppers, rosemary, and garlic in in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth.
2. Slowly add oil, blending constantly until blended.

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

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Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition

One of the most frequent questions when people start a new nutrition program is how to handle portion control. That is why the new Master’s Hammer and Chisel Program uses a color-coded container system that makes portioning nutrition a breeze. Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition makes nutrition balance and portion control easy and intuitive. No hassle of calorie counting, and you always know you are getting the right nutrition for the results you desire. If it fits in the container and is on the approved nutritious food list, you get to eat it!

UNDERSTANDING THE MASTER’S HAMMER AND CHISEL PORTION NUTRITION

The plan comes with six colored containers that represent six groups of foods that our bodies need for balanced nutrition. When you see how simple this nutrition plan is, you will see why it is changing people’s nutritional lifestyle, and doing it with ease.

The Green Container is for Vegetables. The vegetables can be cooked or raw, sliced or chopped. Examples of foods from the approved food list are lettuces, kale, squash, peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Remember it is what fits in the container, so you can really squish the lettuce into the container and create one awesome salad!

The Purple Container is for Fruit. Obviously fruit like berries, grapes, and cherries can easily fit into the container, but larger fruits like watermelon, apples, oranges, and fruits with pits, like peaches, will need to be cut up so you can put them into the container to make sure you are getting the right amounts.

The Red Container is for Protein. This container is used for any meat protein, but also for yogurt, eggs, tofu, or shellfish. Some proteins have specific instructions in the food list guide.

The Yellow Container is for Starch and Grain Carbohydrates. This container is for rice, beans, sweet potatoes, and whole-grain pastas. When it comes to foods like sprouted grain bread, waffles or tortillas that won’t fit well into a container, the allowed amounts are in the food guide.

The Blue Container is for Healthy Fats. Healthy fats include avocados, nuts, cheese, and hummus, to name a few. Again, what you can fit in the container, you get to eat.

The Orange Container is for Seeds and Dressings. The orange container is the smallest, which is why it is used for most calorie-dense foods like seeds, olives, coconut, and approved dressing recipes.

Teaspoons. Teaspoons are also a measurement of use in the nutrition program. Teaspoons are used for oils and butters. A teaspoon is not provided with the system, as most people have one in their kitchens.

Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition and how to use the containers will create greater results in your fitness and health program since 80-85% of the results come from the kitchen. The best part of this plan is you will not have to count calories or worry about macro-nutrient percentages, because the easy to use portion control system does it for you. The first step is to use the nutritional guide’s caloric equation formula to figure out approximately how many calories will need each day based on your goals. Once you figure out your daily calorie need, use the calorie chart to see how many containers of each color you get to eat each day.

UNDERSTANDING THE MASTER’S HAMMER AND CHISEL PORTION NUTRITION

Another great feature of this nutrition plan is you can mix and match foods of the same category to fill a single container, allowing you to create a greater variety. For example, if you don’t want to use a whole green container for spinach, you can fill it halfway with spinach and half with carrots. Two foods, one green container.

As convenient and transportable as the containers are, remember that you don’t have to eat out of them. Actually it is recommended that you really use them to measure your food and then empty them onto a plate or into a bowl so you can have a great presentation of your food. The better the presentation of food, the more satisfied you will feel when you have finished eating.

Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition makes it easier to stay on track and focused on your nutritional goals. Often when people begin this program, they find that they’re full even before they’ve finished their portions for the day. The reason is healthy food has more volume than low nutritional foods and junk food. If you find this is the case for you, only eat what you can, but make sure to eat from all the containers instead of just filling up on your favorite kind and avoiding what you like the least. You still want to be balanced with all your food groups.

This system truly creates moderation and a sense of awareness about what you are eating. After you’ve completed this program, you’ll have a good idea of how many fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats you should be eating every day.

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What Can Quercetin Do for You?

What Can Quercetin Do for You? It has been determined through sports science and nutritional research that quercetin can do quite a bit for your performance during exercise. Quercetin is a bioactive compound and phytonutrient. Phytonutrients give fruits and vegetables their color. Quercetin is found in apples, onions, and other fruits and vegetables that have a yellow color or yellow hue. This flavonoid has been found to have many benefits for humans. When Quercetin is used in products it will give a yellow color to the supplement. The brighter the yellow, the more pure the quercetin. Beachbody Performance Energize and Hydrate are two of the best supplements on the market that contain quercetin. Their day-glow yellow color proves that the quercetin is very pure.

To understand What Can Quercetin Do for You?, you first must have a better understanding what it is and what it can do to benefit you and your performance during workouts.

WHAT CAN QUERCETIN DO FOR YOU?

Quercetin can help enhance your immune system. Quercetin may have antiviral benefits, and help fight oxidative stress, which in turn can help regulate immune function, and reduce your chances of developing illness when you are training hard.

Though quercetin can help with these immune functions, it does this best when combined with specific nutrients.  When combined with vitamin C and Omega-3 fatty acids it has a greater impact on the reduction of oxidative stress.

Quercetin can also help decrease Inflammation. It has been known to be high in anti-inflammatory properties following exercise. Scientists have seen that when quercetin is combined with green tea (another powerful flavonoid), a reduction in inflammation takes place immediately after exercise. This is a huge benefit since acute inflammation slows recovery, and contributes to DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

Quercetin increases energy. It increases energy by supporting mitochondrial biogenesis. Mitochondria produce the energy that powers the cells in the body. The more mitochondria, the more energy. More energy, the greater physical output one will have. This means the body will be faster, stronger, and perform better.

WHAT CAN QUERCETIN DO FOR YOU?

What Can Quercetin Do for You? Anyone who engages in exercise should seriously consider having quercetin as a part of their supplementation plan. Quercetin when combined with the other nutrients that are important to your body will help boost your performance and protect your body from unnecessary damage. Get your performance and body in top form by using Energize and Hydrate from the Beachbody Performance Line. These two products have the right amount of Quercetin, and the other nutrients needed to have peak performance and recovery.

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Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year

Each year many of us set resolutions for the new year and don’t see much change.  If done correctly you can set Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year and have a dramatic ripple effect on your health, and happiness.

RESOLUTIONS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR NEW YEAR

Smile More Often: It’s a well known fact that the simple act of smiling can make you happier and healthier, even if your smile is forced. According to the facial feedback hypothesis, smiling activates the release of dopamine, endorphins and serotonin, neurotransmitters that help reduce stress and elicit positive emotions. Plus, smiling can be contagious. When you smile, you are more inviting, attractive, relaxed and sincere to others. Choose to Smile Often!

Have a Health and Fitness Regimen: Regular physical exercise and a healthy nutritional diet cannot only help with weight management, but also can reduce stress, fight disease, improve your mood, and improve your energy levels and sleep. Regular exercise and eating healthier can also help you appear be a better leader.

Schedule Personal Time: YES… Schedule personal time. With our busy lives most of us don’t personal time, so schedule it. Evidence suggests that the most productive people are not the busiest but the best at prioritizing their free time. So schedule time for personal passions, family, and other activities that are important to you.

Only Commit to Things You Can Do: Many people want to say maybe to things, or yes, even when they know that they will cancel when it comes up anyhow. Don’t do this! If you can’t make it to dinner with your friend next week don’t say maybe in fear of disappointing them, just say you can’t. Not overextending yourself will save you time and consternation down the road. Plus, when you can actually commit, the person knows you mean it and it will mean something to them.

Use Your Calendar: The best way to stay on top of your goals is to be relentless about your calendar. Managing things to do, things that are important to you, your deadlines, and more will keep you organized, and ensure that you prioritize your most important tasks. Remember that your schedule and calendar should include time with family and friends, reading, personal hobbies, workouts, and all the other things that are important to you and your health.

RESOLUTIONS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR NEW YEAR

You will be amazed how these guidelines can be the Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year. When you create your personal to-do list and make it as important as your work to-do list, you begin to create balance. Those these are Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year, it is important to re-evaluate everything you are doing on a weekly and monthly basis. You may want to consider setting up reminders for re-evaluation as well. You can create change in your New Year.

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