The Importance of the B12 vitamin
Part of effectively losing weight no matter what method you us is to get the proper amount of vitamins. One of the more important vitamins is B12
The 12 b vitamin is one of the b vitamins that are essential to maintain a healthy body. Otherwise known as Cobalamin, the 12b vitamin is needed for the processes to convert the carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy. 12 b also, more importantly, helps keep the red blood cells healthy and therefore prevent heart disease as well as keeping the immune system functioning at its maximum level. In addition, 12 b is used to create the protective covering of all nerve cells in the body.
The most important function of 12 b is to form healthy red blood cells. However, all cells need 12 b to keep them healthy. It is the white blood cells, amongst others, that need 12 b to help ensure that the immune system functioning properly. All of the nerve cells in the body also need 12 b to form their protective fatty layer. This is essential for all of the nerves but is especially so for those in the brain. If there is not sufficient 12 b to create this protective layer then the brain will not be functioning properly.
Interestingly, the amount of 12 b that the body needs is relatively small but is needed on a regular basis. However, 12 b on its own is not enough as the body cannot absorb it easily. To help the body absorb 12 b the stomach produces intrinsic factor which enables more of the 12 b to be absorbed. 12 b is only found in animal foods such as liver, eggs, fish and meat but most people consume far more than their recommended daily amount of 12 b. This is not a problem as the body can only absorb about half of the 12 b that is consumed. It is also worth noting that the body can recycle the 12 b which cuts down on the impact of a 12 b deficiency. However, strict vegetarians or vegans are likely to require b12 supplements if they do not eat any animal products that contain b12.
If the body does not have enough B12 then anemia is the most obvious symptom. Obviously, this is due to the fact that there is not enough B12 to make healthy red blood cells. Anemia can also be caused by the body not creating enough intrinsic factor to help absorb the 12 b that is available in the food consumed. The body tends to makes less intrinsic factor once a person reaches 50 and this will lead to less B12 being absorbed and supplements of 12 b may be required. Kids are also at risk from anemia because they may not eat the food that contain 12 b. Pregnant women need more 12 b because the baby is absorbing 12 b during the pregnancy to grow properly.
Losing Weight fast
I haven’t been posting here much lately. My wife has had her weight loss surgery a little over an year ago and she has been doing great. While she has not lost as much weight as she wanted, she has still done very well. Since she has done great I’ve started to think that I should try to drop a few pounds. I’m not a candidate for weight loss surgery so I’ll have to go the traditional route of diet and exercise. I’m not overly overweight but I can stand to lose a few pounds. Currently I come on at 235 pounds which is not great. Most of my additional pounds reside within my mid section and my stomach looks as if I where pregnant. This is really starting to bother my and I must do something about it. Since this blog was so great for helping to keep Jackie on track I thought I would try and use it for my weight loss journey. As a result, I’m probably going to change the focus a little to other weight loss strategies besides just weight loss surgery. Hopefully someone else will be able to learn form my triumphs or failures which every way I go.
I’m 5′10″ so I figure that 175 pounds would be a good weight for a man my age. I’m 41 years old and pushing 42 hard. I don’t have any fantasies that I could bring myself down to where I was in my twenties, but if I could get down to 175-185 while maintaining a decent physique I would be happy. I’ve been going to the gym lately( but not as much as I should) and its been helping even though I haven’t really lost any weight yet. I do feel better and the more muscles you have on your body the more calories you are able to burn. This is my strategy, I’m cutting down on the amount of calories I take in during a day and working on an exercise routine in hopes that I will be able to burn off the fat.
One way I’m cutting down calories is to lay off the soft drinks. I will make a full post on softdrinks later, but these things are terrible for helping you to control your weight. I have a real problem with Mountain Dew’s and I like the 20 ounce bottle which has a lot of calories. I treat Mountain Dew’s like a lot of people treat coffee in that I use the caffeine to wake up in the morning. I’ve done this for years and this is going to be a very hard habit to break. I also have the habit of drinking 4 to 5 of these a day but most of the ones after the initial morning mountain dew are cans. Too look at it logically lets think about the calories contained in just these drinks.
1- 20oz == 285 calories
4 - 12 oz == 170 calories X 4 == 680 calories
285 + 680 == 965 calories from just this habit.
As you can tell I can drop almost a 1000 calories from my daily diet just by making this one change. I don’t think I can do it all at once, but I’m going to make a conscious effort to remove these addictive non goal reaching items from my life. Making this one lifestyle change should really help me in achieving my goals.
Do you have any weight loss techniques you would like to share? If so please let us know in the comment section.
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21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox by Roni Deluz, James Hester, Hilary BeardRead more about this book… |
Weight Loss The Healthy Way
Do Weight Loss Plans Work?
Many methods are used for weight reduction. Some of them are successful with a small percentage of people; however, most of them do not work for the majority. One problem with most diet plans is that there is a strong tendency to regain weight — often as much as 2/3 of the weight within the year, and in most cases virtually all of the weight within 5 years.
Are Weight Loss Plans Healthful?
In addition, most diet plans are not nutritionally sound. For example, high protein diets are harmful to the kidneys, do not provide the nutrients that the body needs, and cause excessive calcium loss from the body. Very low calorie diet often cause excessive loss of lean body tissue and often result in a quick regaining of weight. Other side effects include fatigue, hair loss, dizziness, and an increased risk of gallstones. Diets that restrict carbohydrates are low in many essential nutrients such as vitamins A, C and E, put a lot of stress on the kidneys, and can be dehydrating to the body.
All fad diets should be avoided. There are no pills, creams, shakes, or herbals that will make you lose weight in a healthy way.
What Does Work?
A healthful, active lifestyle with meals built around fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and a moderate amount of nuts is a healthier and more certain method of weight loss. These natural foods provide the energy and nutrition that your body requires without the saturated fat that it doesn’t need. Most who make this lifestyle change find that the weight just “falls off” with little thought of dieting. There are many good cookbooks available that can help you learn to use these health-giving foods in an appetizing way.
Modifying habits that contribute to weight gain and reinforcing new, positive behaviors can also help in the effort to lose weight. For instance, if your family has a habit of rewarding children for good grades on report cards with a trip to an ice cream stand, perhaps the family could establish a new pattern of rewards — a family bicycling outing, or a trip to the lake — instead of a food reward. This helps to erase the link between food and celebration of successes.
Other behavioral modification techniques include eating more slowly and avoiding exposure to cues that prompt one to eat. For instance, if you have a habit of snacking while watching television every night, substitute another behavior such as taking a walk or gardening instead of television watching. Increasing energy expenditure in daily activities (for example, park farther from the store when going shopping, or climb one or two flights of stairs, rather than taking the elevator) is another beneficial habit to cultivate.
Avoid the Temptation!
Ridding your home of nutritionally poor foods and replacing them with healthful foods is probably the most effective means of weight loss since this reduces the temptation to munch on foods that contribute to weight gain. Keep an abundant supply of fresh fruit and vegetables available. Don’t hesitate to spend a little more for fresh berries, fresh greens, or whole grain foods. Your health is worth it! (And those foods are much cheaper and better tasting than diet pills.)
Attitude
Remember to maintain a positive attitude and cultivate a grateful spirit toward God for the nutritious food that He has so lovingly provided for us.
[tags]weight loss[/tags]