Yes To Sensible Eating, No To Dieting

By Kevin Petersson

Much has been written on the search for the perfect figure, the ultimate physique. Personal preferences aside, the main aim of most people striving for a finer physique is to strip off the fat. Some of them also set out to build muscle, whilst others couldn’t give a monkey’s about that side of things, especially the ones wanting to lose weight “for good.” That’s a mistake and we know it; the people who just take off the pounds shed muscle and fat proportionately, creating a smaller frame for themselves. The problems don’t disappear and their physique remains as mediocre as it was before.
None of this is wise, but I think “going on a diet” is a much more serious mistake. Do people still believe that will get them somewhere? 

I don’t give two hoots if I’m coming across as some eternal non-conformist. “Going on a diet”- what’s all that about? Aren’t we on one the whole year round or something? Dieting is about eating at times during the day which are more or less regular, even if we decide on the spot what we’re having. You may use any number of terms for this: improvisation, anarchy, stupidity, how should I know! But that the type of diet for a bodybuilder and one with which the body acquires all the nutrients to survive and perform essential functions.
Little by little, the meaning of the word “diet” has become distorted in language use today. Somebody tells us they’re on a diet now, it implies they’re either not eating as much, the diet consists of specific foods only, or that they’ve cut out some food or other from it. Their approach is all wrong but I can live with that. Furthermore, when people eat less, normally, for the sake of their appearance (let’s not mince words – to look leaner) then nutrition-wise, their diet becomes the scene of tremendous atrocities. To top it all, none of their endeavours pay off; the only things sure to improve are the odds of destroying their health.
The wish to shift excess body fat is perfectly reasonable; but wanting to see off in three months, what’s built up over years, isn’t. Less still is the wish for the “efforts” undertaken during this brief period to sort things out permanently. Your head must be up in the clouds to think you can take it all off as quickly as possible, lapse back into old ways once the “diet” is over and expect that to be the last of it you’ll ever see again. Now nutritional habits, they hold the key to the physique you want; the observation and application of basic dietary principles to suit aims and needs. This would also be a diet- how can deny it! -but not one as most people understand the term.
It’s not especially difficult to devise a diet. In fact, it’s fairly simple. Obviously, you’ll need a basic understanding of nutrition, but that’s not hard to acquire. Knowledge of how food affects the body is also necessary. Then it’s a question of matching it all with your requirements and, rightly so, your tastes. Drumming up a high level of motivation and keeping it that way is all part of the pursuit; but once you’re armed with the relevant knowledge and apply it well, the finest developments can be achieved with less of a struggle. Dieting doesn’t mean you have to do without things, go hungry…

IS THE SOLUTION TO EAT LESS?
Well, it’s the one most people think will solve (all) the problems. Supposing you did have the courage (better said maybe, if you were stupid enough) to go for ages without eating much, you’d get nothing but aggro for your pains. Not a single solution would there be to be found.
It’s true that if you eat little, you’ll slim down, but the weight loss will only be short-lived. More importantly, the fat, which we want rid of, won’t be the thing to disappear.
The human body’s top priority, above all others, is to survive. To ensure this it has developed a set of mechanisms, more powerful than you imagine, with which it can adjust to the circumstances. Modern day life gives them no reason to spring into action, but it only takes one factor to set them off.
We haven’t always had so much food and such variety. Our forefathers never ate on the regular basis we do: they didn’t have the choice. To make up for shortages, their bodies formed a layer of fat which was to be used, as necessary, in times when food wasn’t available. It’s this capacity to store fat which has enabled mankind to survive up to the present day.
We still have it. The problem is that it no longer saves us from starving to death, but makes us overweight instead, leaving us to suffer the additional complications.
The point I wish to make clear with all this is that severely reducing how much we eat will set the body’s alarm bells ringing. The body will interpret the shortage as a phase in which food is scarce and go on the defensive, parting with as little fat as possible; the very last thing we want. Since muscles aren’t crucial for our survival, the body ravishes them for the materials to proceed with vital functions. This is the reason why some people never see their weight come down, no matter how little they eat.
Not eating much isn’t the same as consuming few calories. We can eat little, but still provide the body with more calories than those it needs. If the diet is high in fat, the body will acquire more than twice the amount of calories than if we were to eat mostly proteins and carbohydrates.
The long and short of it is plain to see: not eating isn’t the best way to cast off fat; it isn’t even the one to lose weight either.

REGULAR EATING PATTERNS
One of the fundamental rules of dieting is to divide the total daily calorie count into at least five meals per day. This is the prime approach to making sure that, approximately every three hours, the body receives nutrients rather than be forced to break down muscle tissue. Furthermore, it’s the most fitting one to keep a cap on the type of hunger which makes our temper almost permanently foul and, worse still, the temptation to eat whatever and “fill our load” greater to resist. It’s easier to eat sensibly and diminish the craving for fatty foods or sugar ones if you keep yourself go hungry.
The preparation of more meals from those you enjoy each day doesn’t mean a larger intake; just that the food is more evenly divided up. The fact that the portions are small doesn’t matter. If we eat regularly at certain times during the day, the body detects a schedule and understands there’s no need for it to amass foods in any form. The added advantage is that the calories can be absorbed when digested.
The important thing, and let’s get this clear, is that these are five meals (or six if you can manage it) in which the food has been carefully selected, not made up of any old junk. We’re not talking about the traditional breakfast, lunch and tea with a little of what takes our fancy nibbled in between either. That would seriously jeopardise our mission. The tendency is to abuse the privilege, thinking we can let ourselves off with a “smidgen” of this or that. One of the most common ways to wreck your diet is with a “smidgen” of pizza, of deli food or of sugary ones. The bad news is the body absorbs them all; the thought of them as one, to put it simply, is far from soothing. 

VARIETY
The secret to making any changes to your diet successful ones is variety. To live on just artichokes or grapefruits – to take two examples of “diets” with which incredible developments are a “dead cert”- is more than unproductive; it can also be dangerous.
When you want shot of fat then your body must expend more calories than it expends in the day. But you can’t just launch it into it. The easy-does-it approach must be taken. Allow me to remind you that it’s not about going to vast lengths and dismissing shed loads of kilos…to revert back to the things you were doing before. Get it straight from day one: the developments pursued mean a total overhaul of eating habits, not completion of one of the Twelve Labours of Hercules, followed by a snooze. It’s got to be little by little; not too hurried, but not letting up for rest either.
There’s no need to blast anything enjoyed on a regular basis off the menu right away. Phase it out instead. Otherwise, the body will take defensive measures, leading to those catastrophic consequences we discussed earlier.
You can provide the body with all the carbohydrates it depends upon by eating wholegrain cereals, green vegetables, legumes, pasta, rice, root vegetables and potatoes. In terms of proteins, some of the options open to us are chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, white fish, tuna, salmon and a decent powdered protein isolate. There’s no need to become too preoccupied with the fats. The finest sources are cooking oils coming from plants, pulses, and specific fruits (like avocado), though there is enough merely in those foods listed. All of these, plus a few of your own personal desire, are enough to comprise the most varied, nutritional diet, with the appropriate number of calories to gradually discard fatty tissue and let those muscles you’ve battled so hard for blossom.

FLEE FROM EXTREMES
A lean muscular physique won’t come to you in the matter of days; it won’t even come in months. Since the excess baggage has built up over the years, it makes no sense whatsoever to wish to “get with it” in just a few weeks. These sudden transformations will do the body no good at all. Furthermore, they don’t last long. We’re not tuning up for a specific time and day like those gearing up for competition. We want to be in ship-shape condition everyday.
I’m sure, however, that most people don’t need to shed as many kilos as they reckon they do. Anyone of them is likely to see a sensational turnaround with a mere loss of 4kg-8kg (9lbs-17lbs). I’m telling you, don’t get all het up and want to shift it all in four days. Make the changes gradual and the developments will stay around for longer. They’ll be safer too. 

SOME GENERAL TIPS
In addition to these recommendations, there are other things to think about when modifying your diet. The main one is salt intake. Salt will cause the body to retain water, bringing about that swollen look, but that’s not the main problem with it. The worst thing about salt is that it bumps up blood pressure and can lead to kidney problems. It’s better to use herbs. There are no calories in them and their different tastes and aromas will “spice” up meals. For the sake of your health and your appearance, steer clear of salt whenever you can.
The case is the opposite in that of water: you’ve got to drink plenty of it. Water doesn’t slim down or fatten up as such, but the body depends upon it to function as it should. Hydration is fundamental. It’s thanks to water that the body can flush out waste and toxins. No matter who you are, you must drink three litres per day. Don’t, however, drink more than one or two glasses during meals: the extra glasses will dilute gastric juices, dragging out digestion for longer than the case ought to be.
If in the list of different sources of protein I missed out milk, it’s because milk isn’t the “marvellous” drink some places would have us believe. One of the main reasons is its high lactose content, a simple sugar which adds more fat to the body than is good for us and is home to a water-retaining enzyme.
A further type of food, of which the health benefits are a myth, is fruit. There’s no doubt that it’s an astounding source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and even pure water, but it’s also one of fructose, a sugar which, unless it’s consumed before exercising, will quickly turn to fat. Fruit doesn’t have to be completely dismissed from the menu, but definitely must be eaten in the early stages of the day, increasing the odds that the fructose will be used up as energy. Apples and citrus fruits are the most suitable choices.
If there’s one food which must be avoided at all costs (and I’d say this anyway) it has to be sugar. This nutrient has been promoted as an unsurpassed source of energy, but let me tell you it’s not simple sugar they’re on about. Sugar is to blame for more cases of obesity than fat itself, above all, due to its easy digestion and effect on insulin levels. To avoid fattening up and, more importantly, to lower the rise of heart conditions, or others such as diabetes, stay away from sugar of all forms.
None of this means fats are perfect. There’s a place in the diet for unsaturated forms, but not for saturated ones. Not only will the latter form more fatty tissue, but also harm the body. This also goes for fast food such as hamburgers, pizzas and pre-prepared foods. The manner in which they are prepared destroys the nutrients, turning them into nothing more than great, big mound of fat. 

SUPERB BACK-UP
If you make use of all the advice above, there’s every chance that, after a reasonable length of time, you’ll come by a solid, lean and muscular physique. Nevertheless, there are cases in which the developments still leave a little to be desired, cases in which a little helping hand will always be welcome. In such situations I’d suggest the use of a natural formula like LIPO-8-XT.
This ergoceutical is the contribution from International Cutting Edges of Science (ICES) in the struggle against body fat surplus to requirements. The first thing I must get clear, to quell any doubts or misgivings, is LIPO-8-XT only goes to work on the fat, never on the muscle. None of this is coincidence for this fat-buster has been entrusted with the sole mission of obliterating the fat beneath the surface. Eight ingredients, in perfectly calculated proportions, have been incorporated into the formula to make sure it hits the mark.
Yerba mate is the first of them, a plant of which the leaves are clipped and dried for preparation to produce the herbal drink mate. The plant itself grows in South America with the drink being common in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and, particularly, in Uruguay. Yerba mate is a gentle stimulant and boosts both the metabolism and thermogenesis.
The thermogenic effects are accentuated to perfection by the octopomine and theobroma in the formula, as are they by two further extracts: camellia sinnensis and cola nut. More commonly known as red tea, Pu Erh is taken from the leaves of the camellia sinnensis before they ferment. When it comes to tackling obesity, red tea is the one thought to be most effective of all as a result of its content in antioxidants and elements which protect the cardiovascular system. Camellia sinnensis is extremely purifying, and an excellent fat-buster.
Due to its origins in the west of Africa, cola nut grows in tropical regions and is works on fat metabolism. The cola nut, rich in caffeine, theophiline and theobromine, is a soft stimulant for the central nervous system. These three xanthine alkaloids operate by putting out of action the phosphodiesterases which hamper cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and, to a lesser extent, those which set about the same task on cyclic cytidine monophosphate (cCMP). The concentrations of both these second messengers which promote the employment of fat, therefore, become higher as a result.
E&Z gulggusterones are further ingredients in the LIPO-8-XT formula. Guggul is believed to bring down cholesterol levels and with good reason for they prevent the liver from synthesising it, making the break-down and disposal of cholesterol more straightforward. Guggulsterones have been discovered in one study to hinder the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad cholesterol), an unmistakable sign of their capacity to ward off arteriosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries. They’ve also been recognised to block cholesterol from fixing on to platelets or, to put it another way: to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).
But the work of the E&Z guggulsterones doesn’t end there; they encourage the production of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) too. The operation is bolstered by the N-acetyl-l-tyrosine in the formula, an amino acid and direct precursor of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4).
The final ingredient in this most complete of formulae is the unsurpassed Bioperine^TMextracted from the black pepper. The plant, which grows in special parts of India, is widely used in traditional medicine as a result of its capacity to aid digestion. The piperine within Bioperine^TM is a lively substance which acts on food metabolism, enabling the body to make better use of foods. Research illustrates it to be a unique substance for boosting the metabolism, as well as for promoting nutrient absorption. It doesn’t get any better than that.
LIPO-8-XT is a fabulous supplement for thrusting the metabolism, bulldozing fat and preserving muscle. When fat refuses to budge, looking like it’s there to stay, LIPO-8-XT is, without doubt, an exceptionally way to persuade it otherwise. 

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS
It takes nothing more than adherence to the suggestions above if you want to take of some excess pounds in a manner which is both natural and worthwhile. The advice is more than sufficient for developing a set of nutritional habits which can genuinely bring about the changes you want them to. You don’t even have to use LIPO-8-XT.
But those who can or care to give it a go will be much quicker to accomplish their target. We all have decisions to make and no matter which one it is, you can be sure to come out on top.