Cinnamon is known to have positive medicinal properties in that it is believed to help improve your memory and general brain function, and also possesses antibacterial properties. Add to that the fact that it appears to be effective in reducing the LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in your blood, then cinnamon is a very useful spice to use in your cooking. I find apple and cinnamon pie absolutely divine!

However, one proven property of cinnamon is that it reduces the amount of glucose in your blood (i.e. blood sugar) and also increase insulin levels, which is of benefit to diabetics (Refs 1-2 below). Ingestion of just one gram of cinnamon has been found to lower blood sugar in Type 2 diabetics, and also reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in their blood.

It is this effect that cinnamon has on blood sugar that enables it to help you to reduce weight. The proanthocyanadin contained in cinnamon activates the insulin receptors on your body cells which enables these cells to make use of glucose to generate energy. Thus, your blood sugar (glucose) is used for energy and not to generate fat.

Without these insulin receptors being activated, your cells cannot enable glucose to enter the cellular mitochondria where it is used in the Krebs Cycle to generate ATP energy. The only other option for it is then to be metabolized into fat, used as an emergency energy source that is stored in your fat cells. Hence, you tend to put on weight. The function of insulin is to enable the cells of your body to absorb glucose so that it can used, together with oxygen, in cellular respiration to generate energy.

Cinnamon promotes this, and its use in promoting good health was known by the Romans who would burn the tree bark (which cinnamon is) in their homes because it was believed to clean the air and keep them healthy. The Romans did not know why, but they knew that it did. This is one more example of ancient remedies and usage of herbs and spices for which modern science is able to provide a reason.

Give them credit; these old civilizations sure knew what was good for them – and bad. They were masters of both health-promoting natural substances and poisons which they used a lot. In fact, was it not for their prolific use of poisons the world would likely now be overpopulated!

Cinnamon and weight loss go hand in hand in that cinnamon helps your fat cells to react to insulin levels, and burns fat when needed to generate energy. By enabling your body to metabolize carbohydrates more readily into glucose and then energy, cinnamon and weight loss are very tightly connected in terms of your metabolism.

There is much more to it than just that, but for now it is enough to understand that cinnamon and weight loss both have a connection with the metabolism of carbohydrates to glucose, the glycolysis of glucose to pyruvate and the cellular oxidation of pyruvate to energy. The more efficient that process, the more fat you will burn and convert to energy.

Cinnamon is more than just a flavoring for cookies and apple pie (Mmmm…) – Cinnamon and weight loss are interconnected in a way that you may not fully understand, but that will make you lose weight quicker by reducing the fat stored within your fat cells. So get that apple pie out and send me some!

Note: Check with your physician before taking any supplement that can affect insulin or your cardiovascular system. Cinnamon and fat loss supplements are usually fine, but let your doctor know what you are doing if you are already on medication.

References:

1. Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM, Khattak KN, Anderson RA (December 2003). “Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes”. Diabetes Care 26 (12): 3215-8.

2. Verspohl, Eugen J. et al.; Bauer, K; Neddermann, E (2005). “Antidiabetic effect of Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum In vivo and In vitro”. Phytotherapy Research 19 (3): 203-206.

About the Author

For more details of how fabulous apple pie is connected to cinnamon and weight loss, check out Pete the Apple Pie Lover’s web page Cinnamon and Weight Loss where you will also find out many more Slimming Tips and the science behind them.

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In order to avoid these you must take the supplements recommended by Dr. Atkins: up to 63 of them if my mind is correct, and many that he marketed himself. That kind of throws the ‘impartiality’ aspect of his recommendations out the window.

However, the point I am making is that diets such as Atkins and HCG are rarely properly researched by their adherents before they use them. That would be one of my major weight loss tips: check out the diet before you blindly take it. Take HCG: it isn’t even a diet!!

The HCG Diet: What is it?

The so-called ‘HCG diet’ is a series of injections introduced hypodermically directly into your muscles. HCG is correctly known as Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a substance produced by the placenta of pregnant women. Its function is to convert fat stored in the mother’s fat cells into energy for the growing fetus.

Fat is a carbohydrate, and can be used by your metabolism to generate energy once the carbohydrate in your diet has been used up. By injecting it directly into your muscle tissue, HCG can break down your fatty tissue into energy. Or so it was believed until recently.

It is now believed that HCG tells your brain that you are full, and need eat no more. In doing that, your metabolism will rapidly use up your carbohydrate stores, and when no more are available because you are not eating as much as normal, your metabolism turns to your fat stores for energy. In other words, the HCG diet is not a diet at all but a series of injections that work as an appetite suppressant.

Now you might think it doesn’t matter how it works so long as you lose weight, and frequently this assertion is correct. In fact, as far as I know there have been no reported side effects of the HCG diet, as we refer to it for the meantime, and so there appear to be no reason why you should not use it. So should I include it among my weight loss tips? If not, what would be the reasons?

One I can think of is that by having your appetite suppressed, you may also be eating too few nutrients, not only reducing your carbohydrate content but you may also suffer problems associated with your cardiovascular system – a common result with poor nutrition and a low antioxidant content in your diet. Nevertheless, nothing appears to have been reported although it is early days yet.

Quite frankly, I would not take these injections myself because using a hypodermic needle to lose weight seems extreme to me. I could not realistically include hypodermic treatment as one of my weight loss tips.

It is said to enable you to lose up to 5 lb a day – this is an unhealthy rate of weight loss, and your weight is one example of fastest isn’t best. 3 -4 pounds a week is OK, or even up to one pound a day, but 5 lb – that is equivalent to 20 sticks of margarine. Is it really healthy to lose that much every day – 140 a week?

Absolutely not, as far as I am concerned. However, while it appears to work it cannot be denied that the HCG diet should possibly be included in my range of slimming tips. It may be, but I do not recommend using HCG injections (or the so-called HCG diet) as a regular weight loss treatment. Decide for yourself.

About the Author

More information on the so-called HCG Diet can be found on Pete’s website Slimming Tips where you will also find his weight loss tips that can help you lose weight quickly and healthily.

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What is HCG

It is amazing how many people talk about HCG and have no real conception of what it is. Some talk about it as if it was some alternative to the Atkins Diet, and others as if it was a carbohydrate diet. Yet, the truth of it is that an HCG diet plan is not a diet at all, but a treatment provided with a hypodermic needle. Here is how.

HCG is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. What do these various terms mean? Chorionic refers to the outer membrane enclosing the embryo in humans, reptiles and birds, and in humans it is involved in the development of the placenta. It is therefore a very important component of human reproduction, taking part in embryonic and placental development.

Gonadotropins are hormones that are secreted by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. The two major gonadotropins in human biochemistry are luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormones that play an important part in the development and proper function of your body. A third, however, is human chorionic gonadotropin.

What is the Theory?

A major function of HCG is to rapidly generate energy for the developing fetus from your body’s store of fat. Every individual is born with a certain number of fat cells in their body, and when excess energy is stored as fat, the fats are stored in these fat cells that can be anything from empty to full. Normally the fat stores in these cells are not used unless your demand for energy exceeds that available from the carbohydrate content of your diet.

Carbohydrates undergo glycolysis to form glucose, which is then oxidized to ATP energy by means of cellular respiration in the mitochondria of your body cells. When your blood glucose stores run out, and your emergency energy stores in the form of creatine phosphate and glycogen are used up, your metabolism turns to your fat reserves for energy.

However, in the presence of HCG, this process is accelerated so that the developing fetus has no energy deficiency and can develop at a proper rate. The theory is then that if you took a supplement of HCG, you should be able to burn off that fat in the same way. That supplement would theoretically be the basis of an HCG diet plan.

How Does HCG Work?

It is believed that the way HCG works is that it does not directly burn fat and convert it to energy, but that it suppresses your appetite and so enables you to more easily follow a low calorie diet. Normally, when your calorie intake is too low, your metabolism slows down and you don’t feel so hungry, but at the same time you are burning less energy (fat). So you don’t lose weight.

HCG enables your body to maintain its normal metabolic rate, and so continue to use up energy as normal, even with a low calorie diet, so that you eat less but do not feel hungry, and so you still use up energy. That means that your metabolism will turn to your fat reserves and burn these for the energy it needs just to keep you alive. What that means in layman’s terms is that HCG is an appetite suppressant.

How is the HCG Diet Plan Taken

You cannot take HCG as a supplement. It must be taken hypodermically, and your HCG shots work even better if Vitamin B12 is included. That vitamin increases your metabolic rate and so helps you burn fat quicker. So the so-called HCG diet plan is a treatment, and not a diet. The injections are made directly into your muscle tissue where your body does most work. It does appear to work, and is particularly useful to those that must remain relatively inactive: physically handicapped, bedridden, and the excessively obese that cannot exercise without straining their heart.

However, before embarking on the so-called HCG diet plan, refer to your doctor or physician to make sure that your metabolism is suitable for that type of treatment.

About the Author

Pete’s website tells the truth about weight loss and more information on the so-called HCG Diet Plan is available from his site Slimming Tips where you will find some useful tips and information on weight loss and how to build muscle.

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The key to looking your best and feeling your best is to shed fat and add muscle. Your weight may stay the same but you’ll be healthier and slimmer. You’ll look and feel much better.

Here’s the scoop on this fat vs. muscle thing. Because of their different consistencies, muscle and fat look different on the body. Fat is usually carried in the areas of our bodies that take away definition and shape. This is especially noticeable in the face and midsection.

So what does this mean for you, the dieter? For starters, having more muscle than fat makes you jiggle less as you continue toward, and reach, your weight loss goals. Even though your weight may stay the same, your body will take on a different, tighter, more pleasing shape. You’ll lose inches! The key is to get the right mix of exercise and diet to firm and tone while shedding fat.

Another benefit from added muscle? The muscle weight boosts your metabolism allowing you use more calories and burn even more fat! This is why Shaklee’s Cinch program focuses on inches. Let’s face it – you want to look good in your jeans as much as you want to change the number on the scale. Cinch is powered by the amino acid leucine to help you keep the muscle while you lose the fat. Throw some exercise into the mix, and you’ll have it nailed.

Maintaining a healthy diet and a long-term exercise program helps you build muscle. The more muscle you carry on a regular basis, the more calories you burn over time, giving you a stronger, leaner, healthier body. Feeling strong and healthy gives you the confidence you need to feel happy, healthy, and successful.

Here’s to a slimmer, healthier you!

About the Author

Learn how to take off pounds and keep them off. Get this free report – The 7 Secrets of Weight Loss.

Visit http://simplygreenhealth.com/weight-loss-guide.html. What have you got to lose?

The author, Linda Ford, PhD, is an independent distributor for Shaklee.

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Most dieters are not aware of this fact! It is just assumed by most people who are trying to lose weight that in order to lose weight, you must diligently count those calories and follow a grueling exercise routine.

However, there are certain foods that will burn fat just as effectively. By simply including these in your daily diet, you are able to boost your metabolism and burn fat more effectively without starving yourself and exercising like there’s no tomorrow!

It’s not commonly known among dieters but WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it has a large effect on whether or not you are thin or fat. I want you to think about this – I bet you know a few people who are thin who probably consume more food than you?

Combinations of High Metabolism Boosting Foods that Burn Calories and Fat

Okay, here is a list of just a sampling of some foods that will burn fat:

Spices
Spices such as cinnamon, garlic, cayenne pepper and ginger are also great for burning fat.

Fresh Vegetables

Dairy Products
Did you know that calcium will boost your metabolism?

Sesame Seed Oil and Olive Oil

Fruits
Apples are a wonderful example of a fat burning fruit. They contain pectin, which actually has been proven to boost your metabolism!

Whole Grains

Green Tea

Seeds and Nuts

Beans
Beans are replete with fiber. Fiber is absolutely one of the best fat-burning foods!

These are just some of the hundreds of terrific foods that burn fat. Now, I’m going to show you how to use these here is how you should use High Metabolism Boosting Food Combinations to burn off fat.

A typical dieter believes that, in order to lose weight, you must curtail your calorie intake. Nope. This is totally false! The most effective method of losing weight and increasing your metabolism is by the combination of the calories in the foods in which you eat. Another important factor in weight lose is timing of your meals.

You must include a certain combination of foods in your diet plan in order to burn fat. Let me give you an example. If you want to increase your metabolism, you must combine together fats, protein, and carbs so that you are getting calories from each of these food substances.

Let’s say you ate lots of pasta or fried potatos. These foods contain alot of carbs. If you dined on these foods all the time, you would gain weight very, very quickly! But . . you can lose weight, eat the same number of calories, just by combining fats and proteins to those carbs! Are you starting to get the picture now?

Okay, now let’s focus on your the timing of your meals. A typical American will eat three square meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you really want to achieve fast weight loss, this way of eating is not going to work. You are going to have to not only eat more often but eat smaller sized portions when you do so. This will keep your blood sugar stable and will ease the cravings for processed snack food and sugary treats.

If you are truly serious about losing weight:

Use the combinations of High Metabolism Boosting Foods that are identified above
Eat more modest sized meals more frequently

If you follow this advice, you will not only burn fat and calories quickly, but you will do so without ever having to count a single calorie.

About the Author

If you are ready to learn all about High Metabolism Boosting Foods that burn fat and how to eat in order to lose weight fast, just visit: ==>
http://dietplansthatwork.net/blog/

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With new fad diets appearing every day, it’s no wonder the average dieter is confused about what genuinely works. It has been drilled into our heads that we must count calories in order to lose weight. But the truth is, you can achieve your weight loss goal without counting calories. All you have to do is eat these fat burning foods and they will work for you to burn fat all day long!

Okay, right about now you are probably thinking to yourself – oh, joy! I am going to have to eat stuff like carrots, lettuce leafs, celery, bean sprouts for rest of my living days! Don’t worry – these are NOT the fat burning foods I am referring to. You can lose weight and still eat all the foods you enjoy. Here’s the secret – you have to know exactly what foods to eat at what times of each day. And none of this will have anything to do whatsoever with counting calories!

When you learn what foods are so effective at burning fat, you are going to be blown away by everything that you will be able to eat. And lose weight at the same time!

Let’s take a look at some of these fat burning foods:

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, believe it or not, will dilute fat. So, it makes sense that eating foods that contain Vitamin C will aid your body in burning fat. When you burn fat, you lose weight!

Pectin

Pectin is an ingredient that is contained in common fruits such as pears or apples. Pectin causes the cells in our body to release fat.

Garlic and Garlic Oils

Any foods that have garlic oils or garlic would also help to accelerate body fat loss. One such ingredient, Capsaicin is contained in a variety of peppers and zesty foods. Capsaicin has the power to boost your metabolism, and help you lose weight.

As you can see, you don’t have to starve yourself or eat like a bunny rabbit to get the slim body that you’ve always wanted. When it comes to weight loss, there are numerous little tricks that most people simply aren’t aware of. You will never again have to count calories. To get real, long-term weight loss, simply eat all the great high metabolism boosting foods that burn that fat.

About the Author

To learn more about the diet that uses High Metabolism Boosting Foods that will burn fat fast, go to: ==>
http://DietPlansThatWork.net/blog/

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