Salmon for weight loss?

I was enjoying my cup of cappuccino when I notice a woman from an adjacent table talking about a certain tablet she claims to do a lot of health benefits and weight loss wonders. At a glance, I knew she was some kind of a distributor as she is holding a box of those pills.

From a not so short distance, I could see a label somewhat like salmon oil on the box she was holding and this arouses my interest. I always hear people taking about the health benefits of salmon so I decided to make a few research.



The salmon fish is very high in protein and in fats. However, the fats that it contains do wonders in the body as it is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids is very important in the health of the heart, serves as anti-cancer and anti-aging element and also helps in weight loss by detoxifying the body.
If you are then convinced with these hard facts, why not try cooking a salmon dish instead of taking those pills? You will enjoy this delicious dilled salmon steak recipe! Here is how to do it.

Ingredients:

4 salmon steaks (about 1/2 lb. each)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh chopped dill, or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Marinate the salmon steaks in a 9"X 13" glass baking dish. To prepare the sauce, mix the juice, oil, dill, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Add it up with the salmon steaks and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Have it chilled for about four hours.



When you are about to cook the steaks, pre-heat the foil lined grill before placing the steak. Cook the fish for 30 minutes or until done on medium-low heat. Serve with a side salad and boiled new potatoes.

There is nothing wrong into taking pills to help you enhance your health and aid in your weight loss. But if you can go as natural as possible, why risk? Enjoy your dilled salmon steak and its health benefits too!

Ways to lose weight

There are different methods to lose weight. These methods varies from scientific to holistic approach. Here are some topics that will educate you and help you understand weight loss better.

• Engage in Weight loss diet program. A weight loss Diet program is essential for a successful outcome of your weight management efforts....

• Have Fitness weight loss. Fitness weight loss is key to a successful long lasting healthy weight loss program. There are many fast....

• Take Weight loss diet pills. The Weight loss diet pill industry is huge because first and foremost the obesity problem is very serious in America and the....

• Use appetite suppressant. The Hoodia Gordonii plant is a natural appetite suppressant, and a key ingredient in many....

• Weight loss Patch. Now dieters can use a modern scientific technology of drug delivery to help them in their quest to lose those excess pounds....

• Surgical Weight loss. Surgery weight loss procedures performed on the....

• Lipsuction. Liposuction is a procedure that involves the removal of fatty deposits under the skin by suction. The result is a less....

• Gastric Bypass. Gastric Bypass, one of the commonest form of bariatric surgery is an operation necessary in some people who have a dangerous health problems that...

With these weight loss methods, you can choose which method may suit your weight loss needs best. Be healthy.

What is the secret code to maintain a normal weight?

What determines who you are? Genes and the environment

What determines your weight? Genes and the environment

All our biological characteristics including height, eye color, and even some behaviors are genetically predetermined! Is it likely then that your weight is similarly genetically set? And therefore affects your weightloss diet?

The answer is YES…but the actual weight (height and behavior) you carry is the expression of those genes and most importantly your environment and lifestyle you lead. The high prevalence and persistence of obesity in spite of everyone’s efforts reflects the role of their genetic predisposition and environmental factors.

Weight Set Point





Through complex hormonal mechanism the body is set to maintain a given weight over a long period of time, until and unless a significant life event alters that. Some known events, including pregnancy, illness (including emotional trauma) and other upheavals of life, are known to trigger the alteration of weight-control mechanisms through hormonal and behavior mechanisms. Once the new weight is allowed to last sometime, it becomes a new normal for the individual and change is resisted by the body’s defenses.

Scientific studies have clearly shown how starvation, even for a brief period, induces hormones (insulin and leptin) that lead to increased feeding signals and the slowing of metabolism. And as soon as feeding resumes, insulin and other hormones work to restore the fat and weight loss!

It becomes easy to appreciate the fact that no single weight loss plan or tactic is known to achieve a permanent new lower weight probably because of the body’s natural hormonal and the central nervous systems which combine to restore the weight lost and negate the individual’s efforts.

This explains why most people who lose weight successfully end up regaining that weight. It is this tendency to revert back to original weight that gave rise to the “Weight Set Point” theory. Simply stated, Weight Set Point means that whatever weight is lost will be regained so as to restore the body’s weight to a previously set point, at which point the body appears to work harmoniously – this is its “comfort zone”!

The weight set point though set naturally by the body has nothing to do with your health and wellbeing settings! The wrong set point may be setting you up for disaster.

Though the Weight Set Point Theory sounds very natural and predetermined by our genes, its expression and settings are influenced by our lifestyle and environment! As Dr. Weinsier of the University of Alabama has argued, it is within our capability to influence the weight we carry by modifying the environment we live in by our own efforts. Indeed there are many scientists who argue against the existence of weight set point, in spite of the experimental evidence available.

Why do the short-term solutions lose their battle against weight set point?

A glimpse of the previous article must have purged you of all the wrong notions you had about the short-term solutions. The reason why most of the weight loss methods are considered short-term is because they work temporarily. Once you stop taking the ‘magic pill’ or cease to cleanse your system, the lost pounds come back with a vengeance. Also it is almost impossible to stick to these methods for a long time, since they defy nutrition which is necessary for our body.

But why do these methods fail? One of the simplest mechanisms of our body, which has been ignored by most of the weight-loss propagators, is the weight set point. Researchers have found that the human body may have a genetically determined set-point weight that is controlled by metabolic hormones and fat cell enzymes. And any number of attempts to work against the weight set point may not succeed, resulting in a failure of the weight loss methods. The key strategy to successful long term weight loss is working in a supportive environment with comprehensive proven methods that enable your complex body’s weight set point to reset to a new level.

What about the short term methods of Weight Loss?

The fact that a plethora of ‘quick weight loss’ Web sites, books, and magazines are flourishing goes to show the preoccupation of people trying to lose weight with these ‘quick’ plans. Let me show you how these short-cut methods are just short-term plans and do not show any positive results in the long run.

Diets: Most women go on a diet with a desperate hope to lose weight quickly and easily. Basically each of these diet types swears by the method of cutting out nutritious food and sticking to just one type of food. The fact that these diet types are not endorsed by any major medical association goes to show that one needs to tread cautiously in this path.

Supplements: A big-buck business today, these weight loss products use award-winning marketing strategies to attract gullible people who are obese and overweight. The reason why most Americans buy these products is because of their modern lifestyle, which is a combination of erratic food habits (not to mention junk foods!) and less exercises. However, there have been just two outcomes of this weight loss method – one is you lose your money and the other is they damage your health.

Cleansing products: The latest fad in the weight loss business, cleansers, work by the philosophy that good health begins in the bowels. These cleansers stimulate your colon and digestive tracts to get rid of all the bad bacteria. However, most people who swear by this method also confess that an increased dependency on the cleansers have made their intestine to lose its ability to perform its natural function. This has resulted in other complications like an imbalance in electrolyte levels, which in turn affects our brain and heart.

Prescription tablets: Some ray of hope when it comes to prescription drugs or slimming tablets. Doctors prescribe specific medications to lose weight, only if the patient shows some efforts to supplement it with planned eating and exercising. This weight loss method is generally advised to people who are extremely obese, aged, physically incapable, or bedridden. But again, these drugs are to be used cautiously, because they basically restrict your hunger pangs and forcibly increase your metabolism.

Surgery: A last-resort and an expensive method to lose weight, surgery is generally recommended to extremely obese patients. There are two categories of surgeries– gastric restriction and intestinal malabsorption. In the first kind, a small neogastric pouch is created to decrease food intake. The second kind rearranges the small intestine in order to decrease the functional length or efficiency of the intestinal mucosa for nutrient absorption. The second kind is considered risky as it leads to metabolic complications, such as vitamin deficiencies and protein–energy malnutrition.


Though all these methods show how to lose weight, none of them give any priority to maintaining the ideal weight. It has been proven by many researchers that these short term methods have resulted in other health complications and have left irreparable damages in certain cases. So, one should be very cautious in choosing an ideal weight loss method.

How can I use my natural body hormones to my advantage?

Our body has several in-built mechanisms to control our weight. If these mechanisms are combined with a balanced diet and adequate exercises, you can be rest assured about success in your weight loss diet plan. One such mechanism is hormones.

Do you remember those high-school biology classes where you learnt that hormones play a pivotal role in our everyday life? You know what; you should start being really nice to these hormones, as they are going to help you in your weight loss to a very large extent.

According to Greg Landry, “A hormone is a chemical messenger that carries a signal through blood from one cell or a group of cells to another.” They pass orders from the brain to the vital organs of our body, like brain, nervous system, reproductive system, kidneys, and liver. They even control our fat production and storage. Did you know that hormones control our metabolism, determine how our fat is stored, and control our hunger pangs? Actually, our body consists of many hormones and each has a specific function. But they can coordinate our bodily function only when they work as a well-managed team. An imbalance in any of these hormones can lead to obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, osteoarthritis, infertility and many other disorders.


Let us take a look at this list of hormones which can be a natural support for your weight loss plan.

Insulin: One of the major hormones, it regulates the blood sugar, and directs the glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids into the cells. It is the pancreas in our body that secretes insulin. When the blood sugar level increases especially after a heavy meal, the pancreas need to secrete more insulin thereby increasing the pressure on the organ. Hence it is advisable to take small and frequent meals. Regular exercises also help decrease the blood levels of insulin.

Thyroxin: Another important hormone aiding weight loss, thyroxin increases metabolism by giving you more energy and helping you burn more calories. Regular exercises can keep the levels of thyroxin high.

Testosterone: This sex hormone produced by the ovaries in females increases metabolism and decreases body fat. The reason why most women gain weight during menopause is because the testosterone levels start decreasing. This hormone also plays a role in the libido.

Estrogen and Progesterone: These sex hormones promote the storage of fat. Any imbalance between these hormones can result in ‘Estrogen dominance’, which may lead to other health disorders.

Growth Hormone: Produced by the pituitary gland, this hormone stimulates protein synthesis and affects the development of bones, tendons, cartilage, and ligaments. An increased secretion of this hormone during exercises increases the use of fat and decreases the use of glucose.

Epinephrine: Produced by the adrenal medulla, this hormone increases the blood flow to the heart. It even stimulates the stored carbohydrate glycogen in the muscles and liver, to use it as fuel. Similarly it stimulates the breakdown of fat as well.

Glucagon: Another hormone secreted by the pancreas, glucagon is secreted to maintain the normal level of blood glucose. It triggers the release of glycogen into the blood stream when the blood glucose levels dip down after a workout. It even causes breakdown of fat to be used as fuels.

Endorphins: Another hormone produced by the pituitary gland, it decreases appetite, blocks pain, and reduces tension and anxiety. Since they create a feeling of euphoria, an increased duration of exercises is a piece of cake.

Cortisol: Released by the adrenal gland, this helps us deal with stressed situations. It stimulates the release of glucose and fat from the cells to prepare us for any exigencies. It even stimulates our body to replace the spent energy.

As is obvious by now, exercise encourages secretion of most of these hormones; it is advisable to be in their good books. Next time you think of skipping your workout, just think of all the hormones and feel motivated to lose weight.

Why is it difficult to lose weight and keep it of?

Studies have shown that most people who lose weight regain it within a year – known as weight recycling!! The reasons why losing weight permanently is difficult, is both genetic and environmental.

Blame it on your genes if you fail to lose weight after months of battle. Researches from the Tuffs University have identified a gene called perilipin, which regulates the release of fat from the cells. Apart from this information, a lot of other researchers have come to the conclusion that our DNA is already coded and hence all of us cannot benefit from the same weight loss method.

Our modern environment settings contrast very much to our “hunter and gatherer” forefathers. It is postulated by “Adaptation” theorists that our bodies are more adapted to scarce food supplies and eating protein based foods (Food and Evolution: Toward a Theory of Human Food Habits- Marvin Harris, Eric.B). Our modern life of plenty, high carbohydrate fat rich foods is departure from the prehistoric times. We eat much more, of the wrong food and do very much less. The excess calories are therefore stored.

Disability and Weight Loss

You may be facing difficulty losing weight because of an existing disease or disorder. It could be a warning sign for prevalent thyroid problems or heart diseases. Weight gain is a normal symptom for women approaching their menopause. So, you may need to rework the weight loss strategy according to the hormonal changes that occur during menopause.

Thirdly, for obese people who have difficulty losing weight through diet and exercise alone, alternative methods like medication and/or surgery have to be explored.

We now know the key reasons why the vast majority of women lose weight and regain it back fast.

• Their reasons for weight loss are not firmly worked out.
• They try to lose weight to please others.
• They have emotional problems including binge eating and depression.
• Their environment works against them – they burn off less than they eat –even if they eat very little!
• They work in isolation – without dedicated support systems which are essential to guide them.
• They do not know the real secret to successful weight loss! Though simple to understand the weight loss secret code is not always easy to implement without support.

I am sure all of you out there agree with me that it is a bigger challenge maintaining that ideal weight than losing some pounds. Consistency is the mantra! Life is not the same and every day it poses new obstacles. These obstacles could be in the form of low motivation, decreasing emotional support, work pressure, and of course the biggest enemy – parties. It definitely takes a lot of will power and determination to stick to your plans.