Natural Healthy Weight Loss in 3 Steps

I remember the shock of reading the headlines, "Ephedra Tied To Pitcher's Death", the story of Orioles Pitcher Steve Belcher's death from taking the diet supplement ephedra. Ephedra, caffeine, and other stimulants are thermoginic drugs.

When we burn fat through metabolism it is termed thermogenesis because it involves raising the body's temperature and thus consuming calories from our fat or muscle. Thermogenesis is the reason why hibernating animals don't freeze in the winter. A bear will lose 100's of pounds, up to 30% of its body weight in fat, during the winter due to thermogenesis. Wouldn't it be great if we could tap into the bear's secret. We can. We can increase thermogenesis three ways. By exercise, by exposure to cold, and by drugs.

The first two ways are natural and healthy if done correctly, but using drugs such as caffeine, ephedra, and ephedrine can be very dangerous, leading to medical complications and even death. It should seem like common sense that anything done naturally is better than being forced on our body's artificially.

There are ways to achieve natural, healthy weight loss. The goal is to burn more calories than you take in in a natural, healthy manner and there are ways that you can achieve this goal at a maximum level.

Step 1 for Natural Healthy Weight Loss

You must eat foods that promote natural thermogenesis and discourage fat retention. Do this in a delicious, natural, healthy way by planning your menus ahead of time. Using a menu generator is a quick and easy way to accomplish this. Here are a few foods to consider.

• Cayenne Pepper - This food can raise the body's metabolism by 20% and it also clears plaque from the arteries..

• Salsa - This food can increase the body's metabolism 15 - 20% depending on how hot it is.

• Hot Peppers - Hot peppers can really burn the calories. Just add about 3 grams of chili peppers to a small meal and up revs the metabolism.

• Chili Sauce / Mustard - In England some scientists added 3/5 of a teaspoon of hot chili sauce or mustard to a meal and the metabolism of the test subjects increased 25%!

• Ice Water - Just drink eight 16 oz. glasses of ice water a day and you'll burn an extra 200 calories. Make sure you are near a bathroom when you do this.

• Apple Cider Vinegar Drink - Try mixing a glass of water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar twice a day. Once first thing in the morning and then once in the afternoon. The experts say you'll lose an inch around your middle every 4 months just doing this. If you have a yeast infection do not do this.

• Thermogenic Cocktail - 1 glass of V-8 or tomato juice sprinkled with cayenne and Tabasco. Stir with a celery stick. Now your body is going to be cremating calories.

• Cabbage - You can eat red or green cabbage. This is a food that is also connected with longevity.

• Celery - Simply put, celery takes more energy to chew, swallow, and digest than it provides. So munch away.

• Brussel Sprouts - Just like cabbage, these little beauties are loaded with vitamins, minerals and wholesome goodness.

• Broccoli and Cauliflower - These are the number one American vegetables.

• Lemon or Vinegar - Small amounts of these on an empty stomach slow digestion.
• Vinaigrette Dressing - This can help stabilize blood sugar.

• Grapefruit - The pectin in the grapefruit helps curb your appetite.

• Berries - These will reduce your cravings for sweets, and the fiber will cleanse your digestive track making it more effective.

• Fatty Fish - As weird as it seems, the fat in fish increases your energy levels and flushes excess fluids from your body.

• Soup - Particularly cabbage soup will fill you up with relatively few calories.

• Oatmeal - Oatmeal blows away bad cholesterol and since it is formed from long chain molecules it will expand when you eat it and make you feel fuller.

• Pumpernickel Bread - A great natural appetite suppressant.

Step 2 for Natural Healthy Weight Loss

 Increase thermogenesis by using the appropriate exercises. Currently the best two methods are resistance training followed by aerobics while keeping your heart rate at about 220 bpm - your age and interval training. I will discuss both of these methods in depth in a future article. Many online diet programs include these methods in their programs.

Step 3 for Natural Healthy Weight Loss

Drink plenty of healthy, natural fluids. Of course cool fresh water is the best healthy, natural fluid to drink. As a rule of thumb you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. If you are going to drink other things besides water you should drink healthy, natural drinks that do not include sugar, chemicals, or stimulants.

If you follow these steps you will achieve a very easy, fast, healthy, natural weight loss. Why not start today?

For more information: Great Diet Choices | Health Journal | The Diet Clearing House.

Paul Tooley is a teacher, lecturer, and health seminar speaker. He lives in with his wife, two dogs, and two cats.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Tooley