Posts Tagged ‘obesity caused illness’

Welcome 5 New Athletes To Killeen’s Boot Camp!

Welcome!

WELCOME!

Reshanda Tatum

Cheryl Fidelia

Angela Clemons

Timika Bynog

Gaynor Lewis

Your Food, Your Migraines

Understanding the link between what you put in your mouth and what you feel in your head.

Must Have Coffee!

If you’ve ever experienced a migraine headache, you have one more life goal than those who haven’t. That goal? To never have a migraine again. However, to meet that goal, you have to be well aware of the triggers that set you on the painful path to a migraine.

Since some of the most common triggers are those things you put in your mouth, you may want to keep reading to find out what foods and drinks you should avoid to keep migraines from getting inside your head.

Regular Stuff

In your day-to-day routine, you probably come across a lot of potential migraine triggers. From peanut butter and sour cream to raspberries and pizza, nearly every food can be a trigger. Some, however, are more common than others. In most cases, a food-induced migraine begins to rear its ugly head within 20 or 30 minutes of consuming the food or drink.

To avoid migraines, consider avoiding the following foods and drinks that are known to cause migraine headaches:

  • coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, and other foods and drinks that contain caffeine
  • extremely cold foods, such as ice cream, particularly when you’re hot due to weather or exercise
  • alcoholic beverages, such as red wine, champagne, whiskey, and beer
  • cheeses that have been aged to perfection and other foods containing tyramine (substance formed when foods age)
  • foods that contain nitrates and various other additives, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners

Special Instances

In addition to specific food and drink, other diet-related issues can result in the mind-boggling pain of a migraine headache. Your body requires a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals to function properly, and your head comfort requires the same. Any time this balance is thrown off, you put yourself at risk for a headache.

One of the easiest headache-inducing dietary mistakes you can make is missing a meal. Life is busy, you’re always on the go, and sitting down to eat isn’t always possible. But when you opt out of mealtime, you’re upping your risk of a migraine substantially. Another simple way to mess up your diet and your head is through dehydration. Unless you are regularly drinking from a tall glass of water, you’re probably a little bit dehydrated. Decide to drink even less one day and your head could pay the price. A final cause of food-related migraines is fasting. Less common than the others, fasting from all sorts of food causes an immediate lack of everything your body needs to keep going strong.

A Hot Headache Problem

While some people suffer migraines after chomping into a spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, others have the opposite problem. They suffer migraine headaches when the temperature outside starts to climb. And there is actually research that backs their claims of high-temperature headaches.

According to one study, the risk of suffering a headache climbs seven and one-half percent for every increase of nine degrees Fahrenheit. What’s this mean for you? Either live somewhere with a cool climate, stay inside during the hot days, or be prepared to suffer heat-induced headaches.

Causes You Didn’t Consider

The list of migraine triggers can go on forever. But if you’re suffering from migraines and still aren’t sure why, you may want to consider these triggers.

Your Exercise. It may seem odd, but pushing yourself too hard in the gym can lead to stress-related headaches.

Your Hair. It may look great, but if you keep your hair pulled back tight or in braids all the time or wear an improperly fitting hat, the stress could result in a headache.

Your Perfume. More than likely, you know someone who claims to get headaches around strong scents. If you suffer migraines and are around strong scents regularly, it may be time to give up your favorite scents.

Your Habit. Smoking has long been known to bring on headaches of all shapes and sizes. Put out your risk for cigarette-induced migraines by kicking the habit.

Your In-Laws. Actually, anyone or anything that raises your stress level puts you at increased risk for a migraine.

HCG…Should I? No!

I have been asked by several of our athletes and prospective clients what I thought about the HCG diet. I am extremely vocal about fad and crash diets and say so all the time. I didn’t know much about the HCG diet, so I did some research. Here are some of the things that I found. I listed my resources so that you too can read up and form your own conclusion.

What is the HCG Diet?

This diet plan was formulated by Dr. Albert T Simeons, who stated that a hormone HCG, can help men and women lose unwanted body fat, thereby assisting in weight loss.

The human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is a glycoprotein hormone naturally produced in pregnant women by the placenta, to nourish the growing fetus and provide nutrients.

The function of the HCG hormone is to signal the hypothalamus gland in the brain to mobilize fat stores and release the fat from the reserves. The hormone thus fuels the body with required energy by using up the fat from the reserves in the body.


Okay, okay enough of the science…

The HCG diet plan claims that it can help a person lose 1-3 pounds of weight per day. A person on the HCG diet plan is required to take HCG hormone (125 i.u. to 200 i.u. of Hcg everyday) on a daily basis. The number of days in this particular weight loss will depend on whether a person is taking injection or drops and the amount of weight wants to lose. Mostly, this diet plan runs over a period of 23 days.

One of the many things that scares me is that a person on this diet is strictly allowed to consume only up to 500 calories. Thus, besides taking HCG hormone, one also has to supplement the hormone intake with an extremely low calorie diet. The diet comprises of raw, steamed or grilled vegetables like spinach, celery, cabbage, etc. Organic fed veal, beef and skinned chicken are also permitted.

But is this diet plan safe?

HCG Diet Side Effects

Nevertheless, there are some human chorionic gonadotropin side effects that people on such a diet face. They are as follows:

  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Confusion
  • Hives
  • Water retention
  • Mood swings
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Depression
  • Restlessness
  • Some HCG diet side effects in women are stomach ache, swelling of extremities, pelvic pain, etc. which occur due to Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), that has been caused as a result of an HCG diet. People on HCG diet injections are also seen to experience additional side effects of HCG diet, such as muscle cramps, lumps, gynecomastia, premature puberty in men, etc.

    Another side effect is sudden weight gain. What!!!
    Well, an HCG diet calls for consumption of only 500 calories a day, which is not enough for supporting normal brain function. The body compensates the deficit by using up the stored glycogen, protein and fat. The additional hormone will suppress appetite, however, once one is off the diet and begins to eat normally, the weight lost is gained back. Moreover, since people have starved for over 3 weeks (500 calorie diet!) they usually tend to eat more once the diet program is over.

    Irregardless of the alleged HCG diet side effects, it is important to remember that even though the HCG diet proposes to help with weight loss, it is yet another crash diet and is not a healthy way to lose weight.

    Here is what our Food and Drug Administration has to say about HCG as a dietary supplement,

    It is not FDA approved for weight loss at this time for the following reason, and I quote ” It is not possible to obtain uniformity in the reporting of results solely through the use of a common standard, since hCG is a complex molecule.”

    To lose weight in a healthy manner there is no shortcut. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly is mandatory for losing weight the right way!

    Just get yourself to the gym and do Boot Camp! Call me at 254-247-4999

    American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition  http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/29/9/940.pdf

    American College Of Bariatric Physicians http://www.asbp.org/resources/uploads/files/HCG%20Position%20Statement.pdf

    http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/06/hcg-diet-reviewed-by-fullbars-dr-michael-snyder/

    Good Turn Out For Nutrition Seminar

    Yummo

    Just wanted to thank all the athletes who came to the nutrition seminar yesterday on a sunny Saturday. We even had two folks who had heard of the gym and dropped in to hear the class. Thanks again! Now go clean out your kitchen!

    Weight Loss Lies Exposed! Watch This Video…

    New: More Boot Camp Hours Coming In July!!!

    Our classes are maxing out! We are adding TWO MORE time slots for you!!! Starting July 1, 2010:

    Early AM M-W-F
    Noon M-W-F

    …You must preregister for these slots, we only have space for 10 folks per class.

    If you are an existing athlete and want one of these, contact Jim for details.

    Don’t delay or you’ll lose out!

    Heart-Healthy Eating

    When it comes to body parts your body can't do without, the heart is king. But if you're like many people, you may be treating your beloved heart like an ignored servant. How can you make sure your heart receives a kingly welcome? By eating right. Read the rest of this entry »

    Fit Test Results Are In!

    No, I’m not going to throw your names out there…LOL  But we had good results last week. I’ll post the results at class tomorrow! But here is the tale of the tape…

    • A total of 5+ inches lost
    • A total of 12+ pounds lost
    • An average of 5 push up improvements
    • An average of 7 sit up improvements
    • An average of 4 squat improvements

    Do YOU need to lose weight? Do you want to be stronger, leaner and more healthy? Come check out Killeen’s Best Fitness Boot Camp! Call Jim at 254-247-3668.

    Last Week At Killeen’s Best Fitness Boot Camp!

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    Big Signs That The Nation Is Fat!

    Don't wait to be a statistic! Join the gym and make a difference in your life! Call Jim at 254-247-4999 Read the rest of this entry »

    Red Snapper Vera Cruz

    
    

    What You Need:

    4 red snapper fillets (4 ounces each)

    1/4 c fresh lime juice

    1 T fresh lemon juice

    1 t chili powder

    1 plum tomato coarsely chopped

    4 green onions, sliced in 1/2 inch lengths

    1/2 c chopped Anaheim pepper

    1/2 c chopped red bell pepper

    cilantro for garnish

    Place red snapper in a shallow baking dish. Combine lime juice, lemon juice and chili powder in measuring c. Pour over snapper. Marinate 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Sprinkle onions, tomato and peppers over snapper.

    Cover. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or just until snapper flakes in center. Let stand, covered, 4 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

    Szechuan Chicken And Veggies

    What you’ll need:

    Free Range Chicken Breasts
    5 T. low sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
    2 T. rice vinegar (no sugar, no salt)
    1 T. sesame oil
    1 T. powdered ginger
    1 T. Chili Oil (trader joe’s)
    1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
    1/2 tsp garlic powder
    one or two red bell peppers
    a bunch of green onions
    a few slivered almonds

    What you do:
    Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. Slice the bell pepper into thick strips and cut the green onions into two inch lengths. Mix the rest of the ingredients into a marinade. Pour the marinade over the chicken and mix it up. Let the chicken soak while you saute the vegetables. Once the veggies are crisp tender add the chicken to the pan. Make sure the pan is hot. You want to cook the chicken quickly.

    Taste. If you want extra heat go ahead and add some more red pepper flakes. Plate it and sprinkle a few slivered almonds over the top. This is an easy and oh so spicy dish.

    Want to see more like this? Visit Primal Mama Cooks