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If you can't stop thinking of chocolate, that's a clue you need to change your eating plan. Popular fad diets like the Cookie Diet —which sounds delicious but is actually a very restrictive low-calorie eating plan — can help with short-term weight-loss. The problem is they're hard to maintain. Diets that reign on deprivation can contribute to psychological stress as well as disrupt normal body functions. Sadly, these restrictive plans rarely breed long-term success, and instead, they are like magnets, attracting overweight consumers to buy products and buy into programs that provide little … [Read more...] about Hangry and Thirsty? 6 Signs it’s time to fire your diet

  What is Metabolism? Metabolism is a reference to all the chemical reactions that occur within your body. More specifically, your metabolism is the sum of all energy transformations associated with each chemical reaction in your body. This is the reason why metabolism is commonly discussed from a fitness, exercise, and weight loss perspective, because it ultimately represents your body's regulation of energy or, in other words, calories. Keep reading to learn more about metabolism. Important Concepts Related to Metabolism To understand how metabolism works, it is first helpful to … [Read more...] about Metabolism – What is yours doing?

  Men who get plenty of aerobic exercise may delay the onset of age-related high cholesterol, potentially lowering their risk for heart disease, a new study suggests. Researchers followed thousands of men over several decades, periodically drawing blood to test their cholesterol and then making them run on treadmills to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness. Men who could run longer and faster – signs that their bodies more easily deliver oxygen to muscles – also had lower cholesterol. "The benefits of physical fitness in improving cholesterol levels are greatest in young to … [Read more...] about Men who exercise may delay age-related high cholesterol

It's one thing to notice an uptick in appetite if you've been training hard at the gym, or if you're pregnant or PMS-ing. But when you always feel like a bottomless pit for no obvious reason, then something's definitely up. "Hunger is the physiological need for calories, water, and salt, and it's driven by a mix of factors, including your diet, appetite hormones, and emotional factors, such as stress," says Maggie Moon, RD, a Los Angeles-based nutritionist and owner of Everyday Healthy Eating. Figuring out why you can't stop shoveling it down is important, because excess hunger can tip you off … [Read more...] about Why you are constantly hungry

  It's the ultimate diet dream: you burn more calories eating food than that snack itself contains. That's the idea behind negative-calorie foods, the most famous of which include celery, cucumbers and apples. Does this magical food really exist? Or like the unicorn, is it merely a myth? Unfortunately, a quick Google search of the term only adds to the confusion. While, negative-calorie foods do exist in theory, a diet comprised only of these foods is unsustainable, and likely lacking in nutrients. The Myth, the Legend When asked if negative-calorie foods exist, Krissy Ruddy, a … [Read more...] about The Truth About Negative-Calorie Foods

Physical activity that makes you puff and sweat is key to avoiding an early death, a large Australian study of middle-aged and older adults has found. The researchers followed 204,542 people for more than six years, and compared those who engaged in only moderate activity (such as gentle swimming, social tennis, or household chores) with those who included at least some vigorous activity (such as jogging, aerobics or competitive tennis). They found that the risk of mortality for those who included some vigorous activity was 9 to 13 per cent lower, compared with those who only undertook … [Read more...] about Working up a sweat: It could save your life

  Coronary heart disease is when the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed due to a buildup of plaque. If a blood clot forms over the plaque then the risk of heart attack is raised, as the artery can become completely blocked. Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of premature death worldwide. "For more than 60 years it has been known that there is an inverse relationship between height and risk of coronary heart disease," explains study leader Prof. Sir Nilesh Samani, British Heart Foundation professor of cardiology at the University of Leicester. However, … [Read more...] about Short people are ‘at greater risk of coronary heart disease’

Making small, consistent changes to the types of protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods we eat may have a big impact on long-term weight gain, according to a new study led by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University. The results were published on-line in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Based on more than 16 years of follow-up among 120,000 men and women from three long-term studies of U.S. health professionals, the authors first found that diets with a high glycemic load (GL) from eating refined grains, starches, and sugars were … [Read more...] about Choice of protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods may have big effects on long-term weight gain