Hunger hormones

I would like to briefly mention some hormones (we will call hunger    hormones    for simplicities    sake)    that basically tell your brain how much your eating and what your body fat levels are. These    hormones    include insulin,leptin,ghrelin,peptide YY, neuropeptide Y (NPY), cortico-tropin releasing hormone (CRH) and, cholecystokinin (CCK). All of these hormones respond to food intake and send messages to your brain to tell you what is going on.
Numerous regions of the brain are involved with the regulation of food intake and energy balance. For our purposes we will only
focus on the regions that are considered most important in regards to the hunger hormones. The arcuate nucleus (ARC), which is readily accessible to circulating hormones, is considered the primary hypothalamic site of food-intake regulation. Two main neuronal subsets located in the ARC which is readily accessible to circulating hormones, is considered the primary hypothalamic site of food-intake regulation. Two main neuronal subsets located in the ARC are
responsible for relaying information about energy balance from peripheral hormones to various regions of the brain and are classified as either orexigenic (appetite stimulating) or anorexigenic (appetite suppressing). Neurons expressing neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related protein (AGRP) are orexigenic, while those expressing proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and cocaine- and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) are anorexigenic.

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If I can turn around my life and become a master of my body, then I know you can too! Whether you’re enslaved to food cravings, plagued by bowel troubles or battling high cholesterol or high blood pressure, hemp hearts taken regularly will change your life for the better! You’ll feel terrific and look your very best, and you owe it all to one tiny seed!
Hemp Detoxifies the Body & Reduces Junk Food Cravings
Hemp is high in the natural antioxidants Vitamin E, Vitamin C and chlorophyll. In addition, Hemp is a whole food containing complete and cholesterol-free protein. Proper protein intake is important in balancing our blood sugar, thus reducing cravings for sugar and
other quick energy junk foods.
 Hemp Burns Fat & Builds Muscle
Hemp is recognized by the World Health Organization as having a perfect 3:1 balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids for optimum health. These fats stimulate the body’s natural thermogenic system which actually burns fat. The Essential Fatty
Acids in Hemp also help muscle recovery and growth.

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If you're like most people you probably ate too much and slacked on anything 
that resembled exercise over the holidays. Here are 10 simple and effective ways to get your body feeling better than ever in no time at all.


Buy a Sack of Lemons
If you make only one trip off of the sofa today, make it a trip to your
local health food or grocery store to buy a sack of lemons. Yes, a sack. Once you get home, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a tall glass of water and drink immediately. This one step will help you to quickly reset your body chemistry.
 Load Up on H²O
Drink at least 10 more cups of water throughout the day, preferably with lemon juice added to each. Lemon juice breaks down acid waste in your body and restores your blood and tissues to slightly alkaline levels. Put simply, it means you're flushing out toxins and excess fat -- both of which are acidic -- from your body!
Breathe Deeply
Take a few deep breaths. Oxygen will not only energize your brain but it will quickly help to balance the chemistry of your cells -- and healthier cells mean a healthier body.
Take a Walk
I encourage a second trip off of the sofa. Boost your oxygen levels even further by bundling up and heading out for a brisk walk. Exercise helps to quickly oxygenate your body. More oxygen in your blood means its better equipped to nourish every organ and tissue, which increases energy, mental clarity, let’s guilt go and moods alter.
Turn to Peppermint Tea
Instead of reaching for a caffeine jolt from coffee or cola drink some
peppermint tea. Research shows that peppermint provides a quick boost of energy and unlike caffeine, it's isn't addictive and won't send your energy levels plummeting a few hours later.
Eat Your Veggies
Make vegetables the focal point of your lunch and dinner meals. Okay, I know you're probably cringing right now, but if you absolutely hate broccoli, don't take it out on the entire veggie kingdom. Who wouldn't enjoy some delicious mashed sweet potatoes or rich guacamole?
Take an Almond Break
Snack on raw, unsalted almonds every few hours. Not only are they loaded with calcium, magnesium, protein and other important nutrients, their high fibre and protein content help to stabilize blood sugar levels. Stable blood sugar levels tell your brain that it's okay to start breaking down fat stores to help you slim down.
Smoothie Nation
Enjoy a delicious smoothie instead of a sugary snack or breakfast. Start with some almond milk instead of dairy to help rebalance your blood chemistry quickly. Add some frozen berries, and a heaping
teaspoon of green powder like barley juice, spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, or any blend available from your local health food store. In addition to containing loads of vitamins and minerals, green powders contain chlorophyll, which research proves eliminates toxins from your body, protect against cancer, and even defends your genetic material against damage!
Go Greens
Eat at least one large salad per day. Avoid store-bought dressings full of rancid oils, preservatives, additives, and sugar. Try my blueberry dressing- it's fast and delicious. Add 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or organic hemp oil, 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), 1/3 cup of raw apple cider vinegar, a pinch of Celtic sea salt, and 6 drops of Stevie or a 1/2 teaspoon of raw unpasteurized honey. Blend with a hand blender or cover with the lid and shake the container well. Pour over a plate of greens or grated veggies. Store the
remaining dressing in the fridge.
Take a Cue from the Vegetarians
Cut back on your meat consumption. Choose beans, fish, or raw nuts or hemp seeds instead of acid-forming meat. While fish like wild salmon may be acid forming in your body, it provides the essential fatty acids needed for a healthy brain, immune system and overall good health. Add beans to soups, stew, chili or high fiber wraps, or make them into delicious dips for a high-fibre, high-protein, and
high-nutrition source of energy.

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Fat is your friend not the enemy. Again, let's get back to the fat phobia epidemic. Here an all-too familiar scenario: My client is venting her frustration about not being able to lose weight. I know she's been working hard, is dedicated to her workouts and extremely aware of her diet. She's eating what appear to be all the right foods--plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole-grain products,  and the occasional grilled chicken breast. Still, she just can't seem to make any noticeable progress. What could be the problem? You may be surprised to learn this client may be too concerned about her diet, especially her fat intake. That's right...Fat. Viewed as "bad" and to be avoided at all cost, fat has become the pariah of the food pyramid in the last several years. The myth abounds that eating fat will directly and immediately result in fat deposits on the hips and thighs and around the middle. Eating fat has even taken on a moral value as many people have begun to equate the amount of fat they consume each day with how little willpower they have. What has been lost in the equation, however, is that eating too little fat can cause serious health problems and lead to an unhealthy obsession with food.
 Why We Need Fat
 Fat is as critical a component of the diet as carbohydrate, protein or water. Fat supplies our bodies with essential fatty acids that can be found only in food. These essential fatty acids help manufacture hormones and nerve cells and are important for carrying and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat also helps maintain healthy skin and hair; two of the telltale signs of a lack of fat in the diet are dry, brittle hair and scaly skin.
The simple rule for rating fats is: fats that are liquid at room temperature are more unsaturated than fats that are solid at room temperature. The lower the temperature that a fat becomes solid, the less saturated it is. Wanna know more...Chapter 6 in my book tells all!

Caught in the net?
If you have tried one of the low-carb diets, you already know that another problem with shopping for low-carb foods is the new jargon that leaves many consumers more than challenged. What does ‘net carbs’ actually mean? How about ‘Effective Carb Count’ and ‘Net Impact Carbs?’ Since there is no official definition for ‘net carbs,’ it’s hard to come up with a true definition. But in general, they’re defined as total carbohydrates minus the carbohydrates used in the product that don’t affect blood sugar – like fiber or sugar alcohols. Indeed, these terms were originally coined as a way that diabetics could distinguish carb-containing foods that have less impact on blood sugars.After we eat carbohydrates like starch or sugar, blood sugar (glucose) rises as insulin is released to move the glucose into the cell (a necessary process to produce energy to run the body, by the way). But when starch and/or sugar are replaced with fiber, glycerine, sugar alcohols like sorbitol or xylitol, or sugar substitutes, the product contains fewer carbohydrates that affect blood sugar. To get the net carbohydrate value, manufacturers subtract the grams of fiber, sugar alcohols and glycerin from the product’s grams of total carbohydrates.
Here’s how a popular low carb candy bar figures its net carbohydrates:
25 g. total carbohydrate minus 11 g. fiber, 3 g. sugar alcohol and 9 g. glycerine = 2 net carbs.

Keep in mind, however, that just because something is lower in carbs doesn’t mean it’s lower in calories. As I said earlier, carbs are often are replaced with fat, which may actually increase the calorie content. The low carbohydrate candy bar above contains 220 calories, only 10 calories less than a similar, regular (and better-tasting, in my opinion) candy bar! Not that low-fat convenience foods are any better. Many replace the fat with sugar. Snackwell’s low-fat cream-filled sandwich cookies are 55 calories each and boast 10.5 g. carbs. But an Oreo – a real one – is only 47 calories and 6.7 g. carbs! Another ploy of low-fat snack foods is the inclusion of phony fats like olestra that can send your gastrointestinal tract into a tizzy, causing abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
One of the biggest pitfalls of ‘diet’ foods – whether low-carb or low-fat – is the mindset that they’re ‘free.’ But, as we’ve seen, many of these prepared foods actually contain more calories than the original, and if they’re high in sugar alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol, they can have a laxative effect when eaten in large quantities.
 Personally, I have a problem with any diet that focuses on one food group or nutrient at the expense of others. Carbohydrates are essential to the body, and severely restricting carb-intake for more than a brief period can result in nausea and fatigue, and poses a risk to kidney function. Of course, if you’re insulin resistant, have diabetes or some other blood sugar control challenge, it’s important to manage your carbohydrate intake. But, for most of us, there’s more to choosing healthy foods than their carbohydrate count. Research shows that a diet rich in whole foods like fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates (whole grains and legumes) are the best choices for long, healthy lives at healthy weights.
 How do carbs affect the body?
Let's use the example of a person that just wakes up in the morning with nothing in their belly. The first thing you consume is a glass of juice, which is all carbohydrate. The response in your body is for a sudden rise in blood sugar, because you're on an emptystomach and you've eaten nothing besides the simple carbohydrate. What follows is a rebound hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. This peak and valley is what we try to avoid with carbohydrates, and you can avoid the surge and decline by drinking your juice with other foods, especially foods with fiber and whole grains. So if your breakfast was a glass of juice, an egg, and two pieces of whole-grain toast, the rise in blood sugar will be slower and steadier, as will the fall in blood sugar. The slow increase and slow decrease of a complex meal will take you from breakfast to lunch without hunger, whereas, the sharp fall and sharp rise is often associated with hunger, and leads to overeating. So a diet that has foods with a low glycemic index (that's mostly the good carbs with lots of fiber) do not cause rapid increases or decreases in blood sugar and are more capable of on controlling calories consumed.
 Explain the glycemic index. I always hear about it in talks about carbs. Where can I find it?
 Ah, yes my favorite web site, www.glycemicindex.com has the glycemic index of foods and great explanations. In a nutshell, processed carbs tend to have higher glycemic loads than unprocessed ones, and they result in a quick jolt of blood sugar that often times leaves you very hungry when the blood sugar drops. This cycle of eating simple carbohydrates leads to frequent eating and overeating of total calories. By consuming carbohydrates with a lower in the glycemic load, for example, steel cut oats, whole-grain fiber bread, or fresh berry fruit, fibrous green vegetables, the load is less, you feel more satisfied, not as hungry, and tend to eat fewer calories.
Want more dirt on dieting jargon...are you caught in the net trying to make sense out of low carbs, net impact...more tips in my e-book!

Brief Evolution on Fat:

During most of our evolution being fat up to a point was beneficial. People never knew what food availability was going to be like. Their bodies begin to adapt as they stored the food theyconsumed efficiently. They basically learned to survive with an abundant amount of food half of the time while literally consuming minimal amounts of food the other half. These circumstances resulted in a body that could slow down metabolic rate for the purpose of survival.
The ability to store body fat helped humans survive through winter by providing their bodies with heat and storing calories. Being
fat was necessary to survive. On the other hand being lean meant quick death in times of famine and cold. I often joke with my clients in regards to the above statement (inside joke: if a famine ever comes lean people will be the first to go, while the majority of society will live forever).
In today’s society under most circumstances it is not necessary or recommended to be fat. Being overly fat can potentially lead to serious side effects.
Women have a harder time losing fat on average than men. Numerous factors can contribute to this situation. Women have lower metabolic rates, lower levels of lypolytic hormones, higher levels of lipogenic hormones, and they seem to adapt to weight
loss faster than men. From an evolutionary standpoint this all makes sense. Women were responsible for giving birth so they had to be efficient at survival (in relation to storing body fat for heat and energy during winter months when food availability was limited).
Stay with me here, more on the evolution of the fat, I will reveal all my research, tips and more...

  Getting rid of cellulite Aka 'TheCottageCheeseButt'  with diet & daily exercise:

Cellulite diet

The most important considerations for a cellulite diet and for your health in general is good nutrition, reduce or eliminate organ meats, heavy dairy, avoid toxins in your food and to drink plenty of water to flush toxins and detoxify your body.

A healthy diet should be high in antioxidants and include adequate raw low glycemic fruits, vegetable, whole grains, fiber at least eight glasses of water a day. Make sure your diet contains sources of Lecithin, such as eggs and consider lecithin granules as a condiment choice.

Essential fatty acids are also important so instead of unhealthy fats like margarine and butter, consider the healthy fats found in hemp, olive, flaxseed,  and walnut oils, as well as oil from cold water fish.

Other natural foods and supplements beneficial to treatment of cellulite are grape seed, pomegranate, Q10, vitamin C and magnesium, amino acids, glucosamine, ginger, evening primrose oil, cayenne and kelp.

Cellulite exercise

Cellulite exercises like yoga and deep breathing can help you shape up your self-image, smooth out imperfections, relax and feel good. This type of exercise also helps keep you fit for life.

There are many cosmetic and medical procedures that are thought remove or lessen cellulite such as spa body treatments, skin brushing, dermal fillers, massage and even the extremes of lymphatic drainage, iontophoresis, microdermabrasion, lasers, peels and liposuction.