“For only $9.99 per serving, you can be skinny fast with Dr. So-and-So’s fabulous diet shakes! Lose weight while sitting on the couch! Order now!” Eerily similar to the above imaginary infomercial pitch, there are countless weight loss programs, regimens, pills and workout equipment available today, each one claiming to be better than the others. They all say they can teach you how to lose body fat and determine how many calories to lose weight.
Every time you turn around there is another advertisement about the newest “miracle diet pill” that will help you drop you 5 dress sizes in three weeks, or the newest workout DVD that will have you burning fat in just 3 minutes a day! Then you change the channel and BAM! Another weight loss advertisement.
Although there are many genuine and effective weight loss systems out there, most of them just aren’t worth your time. They promise results that are only possible by depriving your body of things it needs, rather than helping you change your lifestyle for gradual weight loss that won’t hurt your body. Wouldn’t you rather know how to lose body fat without the hype of infomercials, and find out what your body really needs? This article will show you two vital substances your body needs to successfully shed those pounds and keep them off for good.
Iron – Weight Loss Supplement
A huge weakness in the well known diet systems is the limited iron intake that is caused by their excessively limiting eating rules. In their frantic efforts to shed those pounds, many well meaning women get suckered into a weight loss program that is starving them of essential nutrients their bodies need. Women are affected by this much more so than men. Beside that fact that women are more likely to use a diet system than men, women lose iron regularly during their periods. So a low-calorie, low-iron diet just makes their weight problem even worse. Iron is one of the top casualties of these weight loss plans and diets.
If you are on a diet to lose body fat, it is highly recommended to take an iron supplement, especially while during times of heavy training and exercise that are common methods used in weight loss programs, or your own general weight loss efforts outside of a specific program. There are many good multivitamin supplements available that have a high iron content specifically designed for women.
One thing to be aware of though is iron-deficient, or non-anemic, women getting too much iron. A disorder called Hemosiderosis can result from large quantities of iron dropped into the liver that can create a glitch in the body’s healthy metabolism of the iron. Check with your doctor before taking an iron supplement to make sure you aren’t overdosing.
Here are some recommendations from the ACE, or American Council in Exercise, to help you be sure you are getting enough iron in your daily diet, whether you are on a diet program to lose body fat or wondering how many calories to lose weight:
1. Eat foods with lots of Vitamin C in all your meals. Vitamin C helps iron to be properly absorbed in your body. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruit, salsa, chili peppers, and much more.
2. Include the dark meat portions of turkey and chicken in your diet schedule. They both are filled with iron.
3. Ingesting vegetable proteins such a chili beans or split pea soup cooked with meat helps to absorb the iron from the meat.
4. Eating starchy carbohydrates like pasta, bread, and cereal can be good for your iron if you choose “fortified” or “enriched” options with more iron in them.
Calcium – Vital Supplement for Strong and Healthy Bones
Another vital supplement that dieting women should include in their dietary system is calcium. Without this vital substance, your body will be at a much higher risk for contracting osteoporosis, a woman’s bone-brittling nightmare.
There are three main reasons why women become at higher risk to get osteoporosis. Men can get it too, but it’s not nearly as common as it is with women. These reasons are:
- Not enough calcium.
- Hormone deficiency, particulary estrogen.
- Not enough exercise.
So for a woman to ward of this debilitating and painful condition, they should add calcium to their diet.
Calcium is another important substance that traditional dietary guides and plans ignore, which is not good for the dieter. These diet programs limit or completely eliminate foods that provide your body with the minerals and vitamins that it needs to stay strong and healthy.
You don’t ever want be in a place where you have sacrificed your health just to lose some weight. Any weight losing program that is worth using will recommend that you take supplements, and will not eliminate foods that your body needs to be healthy. How many calories to lose weight is not nearly as important as keeping your health.
The ages of 14 to 24 are the most vital for women to get enough calcium, since this is when the most bone mass is formed. After that, the bones continue to slowly develop until they reach 35-40 years old. At this point the bone mass they’ve got is going to determine how high their risk for osteoporosis will be based on their bone health.
The NIH, or National Institutes of Health, recommends a dose of 1,000 mg of calcium every day for women, and after menopause to increase that dosage to 1,500 mg.
Unfortunately, only about 25% of women across the age board get the recommended amount of daily calcium to help prevent osteoporosis. And when these women participate in weight loss programs and diets, they get even less. “How many calories to lose weight” often turns into “I have osteoporosis”.
Dairy products like cottage cheese, yogurt, and milk (Skim milk is best) are wonderful sources of calcium. For the people who have a lactose intolerance or who don’t want to consume dairy, calcium fortified non-dairy alternatives are acceptable so long as they offer the recommended daily allowance of calcium. Lactaid, a non-dairy product, can also help you to meet your calcium goal when added to nonfat milk or lowfat yogurt.
Here a few ways to add more calcium to your how many calories to lose weight diet that are recommended by the ACE :
1. Make canned soup with some skim milk rather than water.
2. Add dry, nonfat milk to casseroles, stews, and soups.
3. Add lowfat grated cheese to pasta dishes, tacos, and salads.
4. Eat yogurt for a snack, or use it in low-calorie salad dressing.
5. Eat desserts rich in calcium, like fruit with low-fat cheese, skim milk puddings, or low fat frozen yogurt.
6. In the winter, make hot chocolate with some skim milk.
If you want to know how to lose body fat safely, the tips above are a great way to start.
