Latest Nutrition, Food & Recipes News

MONDAY, April 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The concept of counting calories to lose weight is based on a pound of fat being equal to 3,500 calories, so that cutting 500 calories a day means you should lose about one pound a week.

That’s not always true, however.

Many diets limit daily calories to 1,200, but this may not be the magic number for everyone. It could be too low for a very active man or too high for a sedentary woman to net a pound-a-week loss.

To determine the right calorie cap for you, it helps to know how many calories you’re currently eating. That’s your baseline number. Many people underestimate how much they eat each day, and dieters tend to underestimate this even more.

To find your baseline number, keep a food journal for a week, recording the calories in everything you … read more

Detox tips for weight loss are perhaps the ideal ways for weight loss in the market for they not only detox the body but also improve its health and induce weight loss. According to the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention, an average human being has about 116 synthetic compounds in his/her body. All the daily activities that we indulge in everyday expose us to a certain amount of toxin. These toxins may be absorbed from food additives, preservatives, smog, dry cleaners, heavy metals, pollution, non-organic foods, chemicals, pesticides etc. The absorbed toxins get stored in the fat cells, which the liver processes and converts into water-soluble molecules that are released through bowel movements. Here are some detox and weight loss tips for a healthy living.

Consume clean and filtered water

One of the foremost weight loss tips using a detox diet is consuming an … read more

Alice Fields lived by cardio for years—but she absolutely hated it. “I was getting up before sunrise and was running 5Ks every morning. It was torture. I wasn’t something I enjoyed at all,” Fields told People. Weight loss was a goal for the Melbourne, Australia native, and she thought cardio—paired with a super restrictive diet—was the key to shedding pounds. But 18 months ago, that all changed when the 24-year-old was introduced to powerlifting. Fields enlisted a coach to help her learn the proper powerlifting technique, and she also started a new diet focused on balancing rather than restricting her protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake. Not only did she like the sport more than her dreaded cardio, but the workout combined with her new diet regimen also helped her start to lose weight for the first time in five years. She told People she’s lost about 37 pounds in … read more

If you want to shed some pounds, but you’re not into the idea of a complicated diet with hard-to-remember rules, you’ve come to the right place. These four simple changes will help you lose weight fast, and get you back into your favorite jeans in no time. The best part: there’s no “cleansing” required.

Make veggies the star of your meals

Time to load up on those vegetables. I’m talking at least one to two cups (a cup is the size of a tennis ball) at each meal, even breakfast. In addition to being low in calories, veggies are rich in nutrients and high in both fiber and water. By making them the main component of every meal, you’ll eat fewer calories without sacrificing nutrition, and you’ll still feel full.

For breakfast, scramble a few eggs in extra-virgin olive oil, Italian seasoning, turmeric, and black pepper, with a handful or … read more

Watching the pounds fall off after staying true to a workout program and healthy eating plan is an amazingly gratifying reward. But for many people, a weight-loss plateau shows up at some point or another. Of course weight loss isn’t the only goal of sticking with a healthy routine, but if that’s your goal, it’s insanely frustrating when your results come to a screeching halt despite how much effort you’re putting in.

Hitting a weight-loss plateau sucks, but it’s also totally normal. And while you may jump to conclude you reached one because you weren’t working hard enough, or your willpower wasn’t up to par, it may be comforting to know that this phenomenon is a result of your biological needs trying to counter your efforts. And you’re more than capable of fighting back.

Why do we reach weight-loss plateaus?

Hitting a plateau is extremely common, and happens for many … read more

Jennifer Walczak, 29, 5’5″, from Bowmansville, N.Y.
Before: 215 lbs., size 18
After: 147 lbs., size 8
Total pounds lost: 68
Total sizes lost: 5

I was no stranger to overindulging; I routinely scarfed down wings and pizza during family takeout nights. I knew I was overweight, but in all honesty, my attempts to cut out unhealthy foods were halfhearted. That is, until my 2011 Florida vacation. After a week of cheesy, fried fare, not even my stretch leggings fit. On the flight home, the elastic band dug into my waist as I sat in a seat I’d had to squeeze myself into. I was mortified—even more so when I got home and realized I weighed 215 pounds.

Finding food balance

I could no longer ignore my poor eating choices, so I signed up for Weight Watchers. The program’s point system made planning healthy, portion-controlled meals (like chicken and veggie … read more

Felix Sanchez

Nicole Finkbeiner
33, 5’5″
Houston, Texas

Before: 170 lbs., size 10
After: 125 lb.s, size 0-2

Total pounds lost: 45 lb.
Sizes lost: 5

Hit the gym in style: Nicole is wearing the Sweaty Betty Resistance Workout Bra ($55, sweatybetty.com), and Power Run Capris ($90, sweatybetty.com).

Growing up as a competitive swimmer, I didn’t have to give my nutrition or workouts a second thought—my coaches planned everything for me. I stopped swimming my senior year of high school, in 1999, and suddenly had to figure out everything on my own. Without a program to follow, I went from six intense workouts a week to the occasional aerobics video. Add in frequent pizza dinners—I’m talking Papa John’s on speed dial—and my weight jumped by 40 pounds in three years.

Mom knows best
I honestly didn’t notice the weight gain, blaming the dryer for … read more

If your Instagram feed is anything like mine then it’s pretty saturated with food photos (with some cute babies, wedding pics and celebs thrown in). Those yummy snaps of kale salads, overflowing smoothie bowls or gooey chocolate brownies are more than just eye candy—they may actually change your diet choices, inspiring you to eat better (or worse). Now, new research is coming out showing some pretty good reasons to up to your Instagram game. Read more about the research from myself and Marissa Donovan, R.D. (as originally published in EatingWell magazine).

1. Self-Awareness

It’s not just other people’s photos that have an impact on your food choices. Instagramming your own lunch plate can certainly cause you to think twice before taking a bite. Food journaling is a tried and true weight-loss strategy, because it makes you more aware of what you eat. When I publicly shared what I ate in … read more