March 2009

March 25, 2009 - The Best Fat Burners For People Who Do Very Little Exercise

Question

Hi - I'm a professional gamer and i don't have much time to exercise, even with a Wii. Anyway thats another story. I need to know the best fat burner available for somebody who does little exercise. Thanking you in advance.

Peter.

Answer

Hello Peter,

My answer would be not to waste your money on fat burners or anything that promises quick and miraculous weight loss. Fat burners are supplements that usually contain ingredients such as ephedra, HCA, chitosan, caffeine and a host of other items. They claim to increase metabolism and/or suppress appetite. Unfortunately these products are NOT regulated by the U.S. government and are able to make outrageous claims with no conclusive studies to back them up. Therefore the safety and effectiveness of these products, both long-term and short-term, is quite questionable.

There are no shortcuts and no food or supplement that will magically burn fat and speed up your metabolism. The answer to your problem is the same you have probably heard all along, a healthy diet and exercise. Healthy eating and exercise is what helps you lose weight, keep the weight off and stay healthy. You need to work on making permanent lifestyle changes and making this a priority in your life. Fat burners along with other supplements on the market as well as fad diets are all a temporary solution to a long term problem. Even if fat burners worked like they promised, what happens when you stop taking them? Most likely you would find yourself right back where you started. The key is to make changes that will fix your problem permanently. And trust me, these changes will cost you much less and benefit your body and health much more then any fat burner on today's market!

Although you feel you don't have time for exercise, there is always a way to fit it into your schedule if you really want to. It is not about finding the time it is about making the time to adapt positive changes in your life that will make a difference. You don't need to exercise all at once for hours a day. Just performing small amounts throughout the day can be very beneficial. The key is to get up and move your body as much as you can throughout the day. Exercise is crucial not only for losing and maintaining weight but for moving your muscles and joints, exercising your heart muscle and keeping it healthy, relieving stress and a host of other benefits.

Being a gamer can mean a lot of sedentary time. One tip is to set your cell phone and/or wrist watch to sound an alarm every few hours to remind you to get up and walk, stretch, and do a few exercises. Another tip is to try using a large exercise ball to sit on as you do your gaming instead of a chair. The ball can help you to burn more calories and tone core muscles. Start off with just an hour a day and increase that as you become more comfortable and fit. You can check out a few web sites for some ideas on fitting in exercise during the day. Here are a few to get you started:

Exercise At Your Desk
Chair Exercises
No Time to Exercise? Try a Desk-Side Workout
Exercise While Stuck At Your Desk

Take a look, decide what works for you and begin to devise your own daily exercise routine. Make sure to change it up as much as possible and at times when you are not gaming find activities to engage in that you enjoy and keep you active such as bike riding, dancing, roller blading, swimming, walking, jogging, basketball, tennis, etc…

The other part of the equation is a healthy and well-balanced diet, which doesn't need to be a difficult task. You need to break it down into the food groups and do a little planning each week. A good start is www.mypyramid.gov. It provides many tools you can use to start planning and learning about a healthy diet. It can be easy to take part in mindless eating and snacking when you have your mind on something else like gaming.

Make it a rule NOT to eat while you are gaming, not even a snack. Instead plan your day with 3 healthy meals and a few healthy snacks in between gaming. And don't forget to add beverages as part of your calorie intake. That too can add lots of calories if you drink soft drinks or other high calorie beverages while you are gaming. Instead opt for water to keep you hydrated during the day without all the calories.

It may take some planning on your part but the results will be well worth it. It is up to YOU to make the changes you need to be healthy. A fat burner or any other product is NOT going to do it for you and there is no quick way around it. You need to evaluate priorities in your life, decide what you want, take charge and make changes.

Of course it is always important to consult with your physician before starting any type of exercise and/or weight loss program.

Good luck and game on!!

Kim Tessmer, RD LD

March 26, 2009 - The Hidden Calories Making You Fat

If you happen to drink a wine after a long day at work, and plan on losing some weight - wine can seriously put a dent in weight loss actually happening.

The problem is that a single alcohol gram adds 7 calories of energy. A single fat gram will add 9 calories of energy, while a single gram of carbohydrate or protein adds only 4 calories of energy each.

Weight loss is all about creating a situation where you are burning more energy than you are taking in, so occasionally drinking a glass of wine every now and then is not going to hurt you, but if you like to drink every day after work and you want to lose weight, it might be worth rethinking this habit.

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