Belly Fat Increases With Age

 Belly Fat Naturally Increases as You Age

As you get older, your body changes how it gains and loses weight. People experience a declining metabolic rate, or the number of calories the body needs to function normally. On top of that, menopause further complicates the metabolic process for some people. Science tells us to eat less every year we get older. Also, we should be losing weight every year we get older. Unless you read about the body and how it works as you age, You won't understand why eating less is important. 

"If women gain weight after menopause, it's more likely to be in their bellies," Michael D. Jensen, MD, chair of the Mayo Clinic Obesity Specialty Council in Rochester, Md., told Health. 

In menopause, the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone slows down. Lower estrogen levels may play a role in weight gain after menopause.

Weight gain may also be caused by metabolism slowing down with age, less-healthful eating habits, and being less active. In addition, you lose muscle mass as you age, so you use fewer calories. This is true for both men and women. 

You can't fight aging, but you can adopt lifestyle changes that keep your weight in check. It comes down to exercising more and eating a healthy diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. It's true "you can't fight the calendar" but you can fight your body age. Your calendar age and your body's age are not the same. Depending on your activity level and the food and drink that you consume, you  maybe younger than your calendar age or you can be older. 

Science believes that adding body fat as you age is about the number of calories you consume. The paragraphs above science tells us that it is normal that your body doesn't need as many calories to maintain normal body functions. That means if we don't cut down on the calories your body will store more fat if you're eating the same amount of calories.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

About Beer And Weight Loss

I'll tell you the story in case you haven’t been following. A reader sent me a note asking if you can drink beer and still lose weight. And my response was “yes” with a but connected. Beer in itself doesn’t add fat to your body. Too Many calories add fat to your body.

When a heavy person in a restaurant or bar is sitting near you drinking beer you might immediately think that they must drink a lot of beer to have a beer belly like that. Not so. Calories are calories and many people overindulge which will cause a beer belly but it’s not always from drinking beer. I used to work with a guy who would drink 6 or 8 cokes every day. I never saw him drink water, he always drank coke.

You might not know it but the average American will drink half their daily calories. They might eat 1800 calories a day and think they're cutting calories but they consume another 1800 or so calories in drinks every day. Cokes, sweet tea, coffee with cream and sugar, and all those designer drinks at the coffee shop all add up, and if you add alcoholic drinks like wine and beer or hard liquors it's easy to go way over your ability to burn those calories. 

Any trainer or weight consultant will always encourage a client to stop drinking calories and drink more water. That is some of the best advice I can give anyone trying to lose weight.

I saw someone today running through the park for a workout, but he was seriously overweight. I thought if I could stop the car and talk to him I’d tell him not to run. First, you can’t run off fat when you are too heavy to run. Yes, you can be too heavy to run. Being overweight puts stress on your hips and knees and running will only increase the pressure on those joints and can cause damage.  Biking is better for your joints. Search the internet for tips on "biking to lose weight".

Walking is a good choice and cheap. One hour of extra walking daily will help you lose weight and make you healthier. Walking more will lower blood pressure, lower your resting heart rate, and help strengthen your joints. But if you really want to get in shape you have to change your diet. Start counting calories and count carbs. Depending on your size, 1500 to 1800 calories a day is all you need and only half those calories should be from carbs and those carbs should be from fruits and vegetables and grains. The other half of your daily calories should be from protein and fats from plants. No calories from drinks and no processed foods. Eat all fresh foods and you will reduce your calories and your carbs. 

Stay away from food in boxes, cans, bottles, and prepackaged foods. Stop drinking calories. Follow those easy tips and you will lose weight.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

The Mediterranean Diet Is Still The Best

 I’ve wrote about The Mediterranean Diet several times and I still think it’s the best way to eat. Yesterday I wrote about saturated fats and that minds are changing and that in moderation saturated fats aren’t harmful. Of course, everyone doesn’t go along with that, but almost all research shows that the diet or the way people eat in the Mediterranean region of the world could be the healthiest diet. In spite of body fat, these people have managed to avoid heart disease and any other types of coronary diseases.

When you're eating a Mediterranean style diet you won’t be counting calories. You’ll be swapping bad fats for good ones like olive oil instead of butter. Fish and poultry instead of red meat. Fresh fruit instead sweet desserts. You’ll be filling up on veggies and beans. You can snack on nuts instead of candy or chips.

The idea is to eat thinks that are nutritious, thinks that add value to your diet. Stay away from processed foods. Eat real food and not manufactured food. It’s easy to follow the chart. If you stick to the foods on this pyramid and avoid everything else, you’ll get the energy back that you thought was gone forever. After a few months you’ll notice the fat will start to disappear.

As you can see, there’s broad choices in each category. The largest number of choices are in the “Daily” category. You want to eat as many of these every day. You notice that fish, poultry, eggs and sweets only one time a week and red meat or pork only once a month.

If you remember your ancient history, this is the way Greeks and Romans ate. One more thing that might surprise you, They didn’t use sugar and little salt, they seasoned food with spices. Today their diet has changed a little because of the Northern European influence, but the variety of foods to choice from is mind-boggling. Italy and Greece are only two of the Mediterranean countries. Turkey, France, Spain and Morocco just to name a few, make up a large diverse food culture with 1000’s of great recipes that all pretty much follow the same food guidelines.

The people of this region ate this type of diet for centuries. Meat was not always available, and farming became important to the whole region. So the foods you see in the Daily category are foods that came from their farms.

You have to change the way you think about shopping. For instance, salads aren’t made with lettuce in the Mediterranean region, you would use veggies and beans, like Spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and a crumbly cheese like Feta. Top with olive oil and lemon or wine vinegar.

Bread is important to the diet but only whole grain. Don’t mistake whole wheat for whole grain, there not the same, you want 100% whole grain. And the same with pasta, buy the 100% whole grain pasta. I know that some stores don’t have a big selection, but keep looking, with all the people looking for gluten-free everyone is starting to get more selective about the food their buying. Food is not getting cheaper and if you have to pay more at least get the kind of food you want.

Eating the diet of the Mediterranean people won’t shed pounds fast but you will become a healthier you and the extra body fat will gradually drop off. The amount of physical activity you do will make a difference in how quick the weight comes off. There’s no room for a cheat day with this diet. You don’t have to starve yourself, eat all you want, just stick to the chart and you’ll lose weight and get healthy.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Could Obesity Be Passed Through Genes

 This is a topic that comes up a lot. Is Obesity hereditary? This post on Medicinenet.com explains how it affects genes. I believe that as genes are passed down and the parents are obese that obesity may be likely but that said, I also believe that a child will learn eating habits from the parents and those habits learned at an early age will stay with you for life. 

It’s the subconscious that is learning from birth on and the child may not have any conscious memory of it but it’s part of the thought pattern for ever. So, I think that obesity or eating habits are something that the subconscious learns from birth on. Read this post and you decide.

A man’s weight may affect the function of important genes in his sperm in ways that could be passed on to his future children, a new, small study suggests.

Researchers found that sperm from normal weight and obese men differed in how some genes were turned “on” or “off.” And the differences were seen in gene regions linked to brain development and appetite control.

The Danish scientists said the findings may offer one biological explanation for why heavy dads often have heavy kids.

“At a basic level, most people know that overweight parents often have overweight kids,” said Anthony Comuzzie, a spokesman for the Obesity Society and a researcher at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, in San Antonio.

“That’s not all genetics, of course, but a good part of it is,” said Comuzzie, who was not involved in the new study.

However, he added, it may be more complicated than the set of genes you inherit. The current study tackled “epigenetics” — chemical mechanisms that determine whether a gene is active or dormant at certain times.

Research has shown that epigenetic patterns can be altered through behavior, including diet and exercise. And like genes, epigenetic patterns can be inherited.

Scientists are just beginning to understand how it works, but research in insects and rodents shows that parents’ epigenetic “marks” can affect the health of their offspring.

It all suggests that we inherit more than a “random mix of genes from our ancestors,” said lead researcher Romain Barres, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark.

Instead, he said, people may also receive “a biological imprint of their [parent’s] behavior and lifestyle.”

For the study, published online Dec. 3 in the journal Cell Metabolism, Barres and colleagues analyzed sperm from 10 men who were obese and 13 men with a normal weight. The investigators found that the two groups showed different DNA methylation patterns in their sperm — including in gene regions linked to appetite control.

Comuzzie explained it this way: “You can have two genes that are structurally identical. But they will not function the same way if they have different DNA methylation patterns.”

To see whether obesity, per se, could be the reason for the differences, the researchers next studied a group of severely obese men undergoing weight-loss surgery. They found that the drop in weight post-surgery caused a “dramatic” change in DNA methylation in the men’s sperm.

“That finding is really intriguing,” Comuzzie said.

But a big unknown, he added, is what the epigenetic patterns in sperm ultimately mean for a man’s children.

“To what extent do these patterns get passed?” Comuzzie said. “Does the pattern get ‘reset’ in the zygote [fertilized egg]? We don’t know.”

“We have not investigated the offspring of the men we studied,” Barres said.

But his team is now working with a fertility clinic to study epigenetic differences in unused embryos, created with sperm from men of various weights. (In Denmark, fertility clinics must discard unused embryos after five years, and they can be used for research.)

For now, Comuzzie said, the findings suggest that it’s not only women who need to be conscious of their lifestyle and health going into pregnancy.

“Dad does matter, too,” he said.

Barres agreed. “Our results might help change pre-[pregnancy] behavior for parents-to-be,” he said.

So, the way I see the results is that further studies have to be done. Studies that follow these people after the child is born and then to follow the child to see how the child develops. To my knowledge to one is doing further studies at this time.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

The Science Behind Weight Loss

 Don't dismiss this post thinking that it's a boring article that I don't need to read. For years I did that very thing. I realized after years of making weight loss mistakes, that maybe I need to read up on weight loss. I found out it's not really rocket science. 

Yes, I went for years yo-yoing from 190 to 175 knowing all along that I should be 160. Finally, after I retired, I decided it was time to lose my fat. That's when I finally realized it wasn't weight that I need to lose, it was my fat. I put away the scale. It took we a long time to realize that if I lose inches around my waist, I will look and feel better. 

I tried several diets, but when you lose weight by simply cutting back on the same food you're eating, you may lose weight, but you aren't losing fat. 

Here is where the science comes in. People that are thin and have very little fat can eat everything because they have a very active metabolism. And why Is that you might ask? Because their body mass [which is muscle tissue vs. body fat] is 75% to 85% muscle mass and only a small percentage of body fat. That high percentage of muscle mass is what keeps your metabolism running faster than someone with a low percentage of muscle mass and a higher percentage of body fat. 

The calories you eat create energy and more muscle mass will require more energy. To lose fat you want your body to burn your body fat for energy. You do that by eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet. 

So, what does that look like. Here comes the hard part. First, you won't starve. You need to stock up on chicken breasts and frozen or fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. You want to stay away from sugar. Anything that has sugar or any sweeteners and don't add sugar to anything. Salads are good, but no bottled dressing. Use lemon juice from fresh lemons. Natural foods are good but any food that comes in bottles or cans should be avoided. Also, don't consume any dairy products and don't drink anything with calories. Preparing your food will also be a little different. Avoid adding any gravy or sauces to your food. You can use salt or other spices because they have no calories. 

The next part of the program is doing some extra activities to help activate your metabolism. Extra walking should be enough to stimulate your metabolism. About one hour extra walking every day. One haft hour in the morning and one-half hour in the evening. 

The benefits will be tremendous. It will take time, about 3 months to see measurable results. You can eat two hot meals a day, you won't gain weight. Eat all the fresh product you want and a chicken breast at every meal and that's okay. I know that can be hard for most of us. Some canned foods are okay. Canned fish in water is okay. Most canned foods have lost their nutritional value so eat fresh. Anything you can buy in cans or bottles or bags have added ingredients to flavor the food or replace lost nutrition. Additives in manufactured foods won't help you lose fat. 

To sum up the post, I learned the hard way, that losing body fat is about changing the foods you eat and the drinks you drink. People who are thin and have little fat don't have to watch their diet. But if you want to lose fat you have to eat differently. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Weight Loss And Working From Home

Many of us have been working from home the last couple of years. Working from home opens the door to many distractions. Distractions that you wouldn't have in the workplace.  It can actually cause stress and added pressure that can change and even hinder your work and your home life. 

I’m one of those staying home and for me it’s tuff staying away from the kitchen. I’m on a maintaining diet and while it’s pretty easy for me because my wife and I both eat the same thing. When there’s only two in the house, we just don’t buy the wrong things. But for a family with children living at home, I think it's almost impossible to work from home and stay on a weight loss diet.

Many of our neighbors and several of my readers are not in the same situation. When there’s 3 or 4 people living under the same roof, maybe it’s your kids, maybe it’s your parents, the diets will vary. I understand that cooking a meal will be challenging. If you’re staying at home now, this is the time to concentrate on making the changes in the household’s diet to accommodate everyone.

Use your time wisely and by using the internet you should be able to create a menu that is healthy for everyone and for those weight loss people, you don’t have to eat some of every dish on the table. You know what you should be eating and those foods like meat and vegetables should always be on the table. Have a variety of vegetables prepared so there’s something for everyone. And if you're the one on a diet, half your plate should be vegetables, one quarter meat, and one quarter rice or something similar.

Because my wife and I are pretty much house bound, we only eat one meal a day. I start the day with plain Greek Yogurt with frozen blueberries. We eat our main meal about 2 pm. At 6 pm I usually eat something lite like a protein shake or an apple.

One of the big challenges now is finding food that you want to buy. Most of the things on the shelves are the things other people don’t want. Looking for the right foods can be a real time consuming and here’s where it will take some work on your part to try and create healthy meals with the food you can find.

If you’re feeding kids remember peanut butter, milk (any milk ever chocolate milk), tuna fish, bread, and fruit (fresh or frozen). Kids love sandwiches and for a hot meal, hamburgers and chips. I wouldn’t buy ice cream. Make jello if they want something sweet. You can add a can of pineapple or dice up an apple.

I would try and keep everyone's diet as simple as possible using the least amount of money possible. Being house bound might last a while. Good Luck, try and stay busy and stay out of the kitchen as much as possible.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

The Secret To Losing Weight

 A lot of people who have tried to lose weight for years and have pretty much given up need to read about a woman who finally decided to lose weight because of her job. She wanted people to take her serious and wanted to lead by example.

Alerted to the health dangers of being overweight, Samantha Szabo changed her lifestyle and her eating habits. Now she’s 145 pounds lighter, and in better shape than she was in high school.

Originally published in Fitness Magazine

Name: Samantha Szabo

Age: 31
Height: 5’5″
Her Weight Before: 280
Her Weight After: 135
Pounds Lost: 145
At Current Weight: 1 year

Even at 280 pounds, Samantha Szabo considered herself athletic. “My weight didn’t stop me from playing sports; I told myself I carried it well,” says the Brooklyn physical-therapy assistant. But her career choice alerted her to the health hazards of being overweight, and she made changes that led to a 145-pound loss. “My energy level is higher; I move more gracefully — even my skin glows.”

Samantha grew up on a “meat and potatoes” diet, but softball, track, basketball, and soccer kept her weight around 150 as a teenager. After her mother’s death, her diet deteriorated. “I’d skip breakfast but chow down on chicken wings and beer at 10 p.m.,” she says. By 26, she weighed 250; a few years later she was up to 280. Around then, she was studying to be a physical therapist. “I started to wonder if patients would take advice from someone my size,” she says. “I decided to try to slim down.”

Samantha began with a sensible low carb eating plan. “I cut portions and replaced fried foods, white bread, and pasta with fish, vegetables, and whole grains.” She also started eating breakfast. Within four months, she had dropped almost 50 pounds. Then she started walking two miles a day; later she joined a gym and added cardio and strength training. Ten months later, Samantha was down to 135 pounds.

“Everything is better since I got healthy,” says Samantha. “I’m in better shape now than I was in high school.”

Samantha’s Weight-Loss Plan
The Diet: For breakfast, Samantha has two egg whites and two ounces of broiled salmon. Lunch is grilled chicken salad. Dinner is chicken or fish with salsa and steamed cauliflower. She snacks on raw veggies, whole wheat cereal, and hard-boiled egg whites.

The Workout: Samantha does 90 minutes of cardio (elliptical, cycle, treadmill) and 30 minutes of strength training five times a week.

Biggest Temptation: Buffalo wings. “When I crave them, I make grilled chicken with hot sauce.”

What She Couldn’t Wait to Wear: Trendy underwear. “I actually cried the first time I went shopping at Victoria’s Secret and was able to fit into the colorful, sexy bras and undies.”

I know that everyone doesn’t have the time to work out two hours a day, but Samantha wanted to lose weight fast and that’s the way to do it. Even if you can’t do a two-hour workout, you can still lose weight. Naturally the more you work out, the faster the weight loss. If you think about it, how many people can spend two hours a day in the gym. It’s not realistic. I lost my weight in stages. First, I dropped about 30 pounds. I hit a wall and for several months I stayed the same. The following year knowing I regained about 5 pounds; I wanted to continue and try to lose 20 more. It actually took me several months of yo-yoing up and down before I got down to 175. That was 45 pounds total over a couple of years. Like everyone else, my life is hectic, and I’m pulled in several directions at once and can’t always watch what I eat, so losing weight can be challenging for anyone.

I hit the wall again at 175 and stayed there for a couple of years until I felt I had too much body fat and wanted to lose more. Today I weight about 160. I want to start weight training again and hopefully again a few pounds of muscle. As a senior more muscle is a good thing.

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.