Protein deficiency often occurs when you’re on a liquid diet. Even if the liquid diet tells you to go for protein shakes; you would require around 3 – 4 servings to make up for the protein that you’re missing through normal food intake! The interesting fact is that most liquid diets don’t cover protein at all; not even through protein shakes. This results in impairment of muscle tissue repair for which the protein is mostly responsible. But protein deficiency is just the start of your problems! Another problem is that you’re not taking any fiber. No fiber in the diet means that you’ll somehow or the other, mess up your normal working of the GI tract. You can either have serious constipation or you will either have Diarrhea at one stage of the diet. Another problem with liquid diets is that you will be constantly hungry. Even if you consume large proportions of juices, you will still end up with an empty stomach. Here’s the medical reason why:

Your stomach has a one way valve that connects it with the small intestine (Lower end). This valve is called Pyloric Sphincter (Fancy name for a stomach valve!). The great thing about this valve is that it closes when the stomach is full of food. More accurately, it closes when there is solid food in the stomach that needs to be broken down before it is sent to the small intestines. On the other hand, liquids having density closer to water pass right through this valve. Your hunger signals are partially dependent on how stretched your stomach valves are. Since most liquids will pass right through when you’re on a liquid diet, your stomach will be empty pretty much all the time. Thus, the hunger signals will persistently bother you!

The only upside (If any) to these liquid diets is that you get plenty of vitamins and minerals since you are mostly consuming vegetable and fruit juices. Other than this fact, I don’t see any other upside to liquid diets. They may come with extravagant meal replacement drinks and sludge but this isn’t a permanent solution to the problem of weight loss. This makes liquid diets unrealistic and impractical.

So, what should you do if you’ve never worked out In your entire life? What should be the starting point? Well, first things first; you need to get yourself checked by a physician. Try to get your vitals checked and the basic tests. Also discuss your plans with your doctor and supply all relevant information including the conditions you have and the medication you’re taking for it. Also share all the details of your workout plan with your doctor.

The second step is to start with something you like doing. Running for hours can be mind-numbingly boring for some people while others seem to fancy it. The activity you choose should be something you can engage in everyday. It can be anything from gardening to rock climbing! As long as it interests you and as long as it gets your heart rate up, you’ll be fine with it. Also, take into account any medical disability that you might have. If you have joint problems or if you’re very overweight, you start with activities such as swimming. So start with something comfortable and interesting that doesn’t scare you away in a matter of days (or injure you).

Always start slow. This is always better than rushing into a workout plan, doing it vigorously for the first three days and spending the next two weeks in bed, injured. If you’ve never done this before, you may want to start by short workout sessions. As you progress and get over the initial muscle soreness and fatigue, you can extend your sessions further. This can serve as a good measure of the progress you’re making.

Don’t do it solo. Get a partner that helps you motivate and keeps you steadfast on your daily routine. Although there’s no medical evidence pointing out that working out in pairs is more fruitful but it is always nice to have someone that’s going through the same phase as you are. So get off the sofa today, plan it all out and start with a weight loss routine and stick to it.

This is where soup diets come in handy. Most of the soup diets tell us to bring together the things we eat normally, add water to them, blend them, and make a soup/sludge out of them. This may seem like a disgusting idea but medically speaking, it works! What happens is that the additional water you blend with the food becomes properly mixed with the food, forming a homogenized solution. Now, our stomach is smart but it’s not smart enough to filter out water from such a uniform sludge/solution. The result is that the stomach has to keep the water along with the food in the stomach for longer where it has to do further work on the mixture. This keeps the stomach fuller for longer hence delaying the onset of hunger by a considerable amount of time. This way, soup diets definitely work.

Another factor to consider is that the soup diet should contain all the healthy food groups you need daily. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, seeds, whole grains and a bit of dairy. A blended version of all these food groups would taste really disgusting so you’ll have to play it smart when you choose to mix different things in a blender or in a cooking pot. Many diets come with good recipes that make great healthy soups but some soup diets are fad diets which have much exclusion. Try to stay away from such fad diets as they don’t work in the long run.

You don’t even have to follow a particular diet. Get creative, mix all the stuff you would eat for a particular meal in a blender or cooking pot, add water, and you can have your very own soup! Cooking skills do apply!

• Daily exercise
• Internal bodily processes E.g. Breathing, respiration, digestion
• Maintenance of lean muscle mass
• Thermogenesis – Conversion of calories to heat energy

Thermogenics work by increasing thermogenesis throughout the body. This way, you burn more calories by creating more heat energy. Thermogenics have the ability to increase our metabolism by 5 – 10%. Typical substances that are labelled as thermogenics include coffee, green tea, chocolate, Capsaicins, Guarana, MaHuang and white willow. The important thing to understand is that thermogenics may partially help you in losing weight but you can’t rely too much on them. Of course, taking a serving of green tea 2, 3 times a day will elevate your calorie burn and give your metabolism a little boost but you still need to do the hard work of exercise, training and fitness. As always, there are no shortcuts when it comes to weight loss. You didn’t gain the extra weight in a week so you won’t be able to shed it off in a week as well.

Thermogenics come in different size and shapes. Some are available in their natural form like Black chocolate, coffee, Oolang tea or green tea. There are commercially available supplements as well that contain caffeine, guarana and MaHuang. The problem with supplements is that they contain very high doses of such chemicals. I wouldn’t suggest these supplements as they can cause serious problems such as excessive sweating, irritability, hyper-activity and in some cases, even heart palpitations. A better option would be to utilize what nature has to offer us. A very good anti-toxin is green tea and it is also a credible thermogenic. A cup of green tea in the morning before your workout can kickstart your day with an increased calorie burn. Coffee is an alternative too. Thermogenics usually work best right before a workout. They are also known to curb appetite.

Another side effect of thermogenics that you should know is insomnia. Try to use thermogenics before 4 – 6pm in the evening. Preferable time is early in the morning. This way, the thermogenics won’t disrupt your sleeping cycle. If you’re really bent on using thermogenic supplements, my recommendation to you is to start with a small dose early in the morning and observe the effects on your body throughout the day. If there weren’t any effects, you may increase the dose slightly, the next day and continue to increase it on daily basis until you find your sweet spot. Also be sure to cycle these supplements for a limited duration. Cycling supplements means that for example, you use the supplement for 2 weeks and then stay off it for 1 week. Cycling is important in thermogenic supplementation otherwise your body counteracts the supplement and builds tolerance. This tolerance build-up in the body can decrease the effectiveness of the thermogenic supplement used for weight loss.

Metabolism as a whole can be thought of all as a sum of all the energy expenditure and absorption throughout our body. Commonly, metabolism is considered as the number of calories you burn throughout the day. In this regard, metabolism is the sum of energy used:

• For internal bodily processes such as digestion, respiration
• For maintaining core body temperature
• For maintaining your lean body mass
• In physical activities performed throughout the day E.g. Running, lawn mowing.

You metabolism is also dependent on your genetics. If your parents were on the heavy side, living a sedentary lifestyle, chances are that your metabolism may not be as fast as a 200m hurdles runner! But the great thing about metabolism is that it can be changed. Firstly, it can be improved by daily exercise. Exercise is a great tool for burning calories and creating ‘Healthy Chaos’ in your body. To overcome this ‘Healthy Chaos’ your body burns excessive calories. This way, not only do you burn calories during your exercise time, but you also continue to burn calories after your workout. Second way to improve metabolism is through gaining lean muscle mass. Maintenance of lean muscle mass requires more energy than maintenance of fat. Consider weight training 3 times a week to improve on your lean body mass. This will improve your metabolism as well.

As I always say, don’t pin you weight loss on a single cause. Metabolism consideration is just a small part of the bigger picture. There are many other things to consider during a weight loss regimen; for example, nutrition. Metabolism may worry you as a term that is quite often associated with weight loss but the important thing to understand is that your metabolism is just fine! Thin people don’t necessarily have a higher metabolism than people who are obese. It’s not your metabolism that’s making you fat; it’s your ravenous appetite and your lack of exercise that’s playing a major part! – Metabolism and weight loss.

Kick-start the metabolic engine
An early wake-up call means that you’ll start your metabolic engine earlier than usual. This means that you will get an additional 2 – 3 hours during which you’ll be burning calories. This is similar to getting a 20 meters head start in a 200 m hurdles! So, wake up in the morning, have a little healthy snack and start exercising. As a result you will burn more calories throughout the day.

Workout quality
You’re fresh in the morning (Unless you got wasted last night!). This means that the quality of the workout will be top notch. It may take a while your wear off the sleep but generally, AM workouts have a better quality than PM workouts when you’re carrying your daily load of stress and physical trauma. Also, something about waking up early in the morning will make you feel rejuvenated and energetic throughout the day. This has a direct connection to your body’s biological clock that actually likes waking up in the morning to soak in light. This biological clock is triggered by light and plays an important part in your sleep and wake cycles. So, set your alarms an hour in advance and feel the difference!

Better Sleep quality
Some people tend to work out too close to their bedtime (1 – 3 hours prior). This can seriously affect the quality of sleep (Or sleep onset). When you put your body through physical exertion, the body goes into a state of frenzy. Your BP gets elevated your breathing pattern changes, your core temperature increases. It takes time for the body to return to its normal resting state. This means that working out too close to your bedtime can cause sleeping issues so a better alternative is to work out in the morning.
Beat the rush hours

Beat the Rush Hours
Whether you’re into jogging or weight training or Yoga or swimming, waking up early means that you’ll have the gym/running track/the road/the swimming pool to yourself. This means that you can actually do more in less time. You won’t have to stand in line for your turn or bump into hundreds of people at the jogging track or get stuck in a traffic jam on the way to your gym. Make the most of this time when everyone’s enjoying their slumber!

To answer this, let’s take a brief look at the concept of body composition. You may weigh 130 lb but have a fat percentage of15% or you may weigh exactly 130 lb with a fat percentage of 35%! The latter category puts you in the obese column whereas the former makes you underweight! Your weight and your body composition are equally important. The secret lies in the calorie expenditure. Fat requires no calories for maintenance. This means that you’ll be burning no extra calories if you have extra fat in your body. On the other hand, lean mass requires calories for maintenance. For example, the 130 lb, 15% Fat percentage may burn up to 200 more calories than its 35% body fat counterpart, by doing absolutely nothing! This means that lean mass gives a free pass to consume extra calories daily, as a result, it prevents you to gain weight in the form of fat. You basal metabolic rate is also dependent on the percentage of lean mass our body has. Greater your BMR, greater the number of calories you burn by doing absolutely nothing!

Considering all the arguments stated above, muscle mass is an essentiality even for women. The obvious benefits of muscle mass include greater strength and the ability for greater physical endurance and performance. Another important benefit is that muscle mass gives your body, a great shape. For example, nicely toned thighs; every women wants them. Muscle mass can greatly improve your outlook while keeping you healthy from inside.

Lastly comes the question, how to gain muscle mass? The basic idea is simple – create a muscle overload by lifting weights. Consider including weight training in your exercise routine 3 times a week. During these weight training sessions, try to lift heavy weights that keep you in the 8 – 12 repetitions’ range. Alternate between the muscle groups you work out and stick to a healthy diet during your exercise regimen. This is however a simplified version of ‘What you should do?’. All of this discussion leads us to the conclusion that muscle mass is very beneficial for women.

Different types of exercise have different advantages. Cardiovascular exercises like running, swimming, aerobics training and even cycling are rated high as good potentials for weight loss. But if you’re interested in Yoga, you may go for it and still see results. Yoga may not be as effective as the cardiovascular routines I’ve just stated but it has many other advantages that these routines seem to miss. First, Yoga works on your flexibility. It is an excellent exercise to stretch, turn, twist and mold your body into different forms. This means that you’ll be working on all parts of the body (Unlike running where the major part is played by your legs). Another advantage is that Yoga works on your weak spots; spots that are missed by other exercises; lower back, neck and even fingers are taken care of, in Yoga. This way, Yoga can prevent your body from multiple injuries like chronic back pain, muscular tension in the legs, problems in the groin (Various other sports injuries).

To conclude; if Yoga is something that makes you jump off your bed every morning and onto your workout mat, then go with Yoga. It does require a great deal of physical exertion and hence it can be used for weight loss. If you’re a beginner, you may need time to get used to the bending and twisting required by Yoga so your weight loss may be very slow. A good solution would be to mix things up. Alternate between cardiovascular training and Yoga daily, this way you can be benefitted by all the advantages of Yoga and also increase the rate of your weight loss.

The second problem associated with high protein diets is related to your GI tract. Since most high protein diets include limited or no fiber, the food you eat finds it really hard to move through your GI tract. This can start problems like constipation and increases the risk of colon cancer. To add to these problems is the increased fat intake which most of these diets recommend (Atkin’s diet can be seen as an example). Fat doesn’t improve your food’s movement through the small and large intestines. It even slows the rate of absorption of macronutrients and micronutrients. The result is exacerbation of your constipation.

High protein diets also lead to nutritional deficiencies. Since you’re not consuming any vegetables and fruits, you’re missing out on all the vitamins and minerals. High protein diets may recommend supplementation but it is just not the same as eating actual fruits and vegetables. Macro nutritional deficiencies results as well since you’re limiting your carbohydrate intake as well. This means that you will have reduced glycogen and blood sugar levels most of the time causing you to feel listless and lethargic. During workout or exercise, muscle cramping can result as well.

Another important adverse effect of high protein diets is that it may compromise your ability to think clearly. The brain is always hungry for glycogen which comes from carbohydrates. A reduced level of glycogen means that your brain may not function as brilliantly as it does in the presence of simple and complex sugars. Body can also switch to fat reserves for fuelling its glycogen levels but nothing beats simple sugars in the blood stream. So, cutting it short, high protein diets in the long run may compromise brain function.

A good idea is to use such diets for good head starts. Recommended time period could be anywhere between 7 days and two weeks. But this is the maximum period you should go for. Even during these inductions periods, try to include some fiber in your diet. Maybe a few green, leafy vegetables to help your digestion process? Remember, a little carbohydrate never hurts no one! This is pretty everything that can be summarized about High protein Diets for weight loss.

Keep a food journal, it’s obsessive but it works.
Food journals are very important when it comes to identifying the hidden calories you consume without noticing. A soda, bag of pretzels; they all add up to your total caloric intake. Keeping a food journal will give you a reference of how many calories you’re consuming during the day. Hopefully the guilt that results, will keep you from overeating.

Juices are too healthy! Go with whole fruits.
Juices are calorie dense. Don’t eat 4 oranges worth of calories in a glass of orange juice, rather, eat the whole fruit. The pulp will help your GI tract while you’ll feel fuller for longer. So, juices are off the table and whole fruits are on the table!

Running or jogging can do wonders!
Running or jogging is a very good source of calories burn. For example, if you’re running 5km in 30 – 35 minutes, you’re easily burning around 300 – 400 calories! That’s just the calories burn during the exercise; let’s not forget the post-running calorie burn!

Eat as many raw vegetables as you can.

Anytime you feel hungry, don’t hesitate to munch on raw vegetables. Raw vegetables are high volume low calorie food and there’s no way you can overeat raw vegetables. Also, they’ll provide you with essential minerals and vitamins so you don’t have to pop a multi-vitamin pill.

Be aquatic and lose weight!
Swimming burns a lot of calories. If it’s summer and you have privileges to a swimming pool, go with swimming. It is a full body workout.

Having breakfast like a king isn’t a very smart thing to do.
The in-fashion thing to do is to have a grand breakfast, a moderate lunch and a meager dinner but try not to go over-board with your morning extravaganza. Have a moderate breakfast rather than stuffing your gut with everything present in your refrigerator. Some people consume way too many calories while misinterpreting the popular saying.

A hint of chocolate never hurts anyone
A small serving of dark chocolate (~10 – 15g) during a strenuous workout will give you an instant boost! So go for it if you feel like giving up during your exercise.

Post-dinner walk is a must.
There’s nothing like a post-dinner walk that starts to consume the bucket-load of food you just consumed! Go for a walk before bedtime to make sure your body doesn’t turn into a food to fat conversion machine.

Proteins for the win!
Proteins keep you full for longer so don’t shy away from good sources like eggs, fish and chicken. Protein shakes are a good option as well.

There’s no such thing as ‘overtraining’ so stop whining.
There’s no such thing as ‘over training’ or ‘over exercise’ unless you have a medical condition. Your body was made to run, swim, hunt, jump and climb trees! Sadly we don’t do that anymore but our body is still capable of doing it. So play hard and enjoy the pain!