Sure things for fat loss: The Omega-3's

Taken from Burn The Fat by Tom Venuto:

Omega-3 fatty acids are labeled "essential" because your body can't manufacture them, so you must get them from the food you eat (much like certain amino acids, vitamins and minerals). Omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained from plant or animal sources. The richest animal source of omega-3 is fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, rainbow trout, sardines or herring. The fat in fish contains two important long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These appear to be the major players responsible for the biological activity in fish oil that produces the long list of benefits. The richest plant sources of omega-3 fats are flaxseeds or flaxseed oil. Flaxseed contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which your body can convert into DHA and EPA.

The list of potential health benefits from eating these "good fats" is so long, that if you couldn't look up the scientific references to confirm them for yourself, you would swear I was just pulling your leg. Peer-reviewed research has been published on fish oil and omega-3 fats for the treatment, management or prevention of ALL these conditions:

cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, high blood
pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, inflammatory diseases, joint pain,
arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney disease, prostate cancer, colon
cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, crohn's disease, ulcerative
colitis, Alzheimer's, asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, sickle cell anemia, glaucoma, lupus, multiple
sclerosis, fibromyalgia, cirrhosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue
syndrome, menstrual symptoms, psoriasis, diabetes, insulin resistance,
migraines, response to stress, bipolar disorder, depression, psychological
disorders, and metabolic syndrome.

Okay, so omega 3 fats are healthy stuff, we can all agree on that!

Here's why I also suggest that omega-3 fats should be added to the list of "sure things for fat loss":

At least a half a dozen human studies and more than two dozen animal studies in the last 10 years suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may help you burn more fat or at the very least that they play an important role in the fat burning process, or that a deficiency could inhibit fat burning. Some studies found that omega 3 fats may function as fuel partitioners and increase fat oxidation. This means that omega-3's shift glucose toward glycogen storage and direct fatty acids away from body fat formation and toward fatty acid oxidation. Omega-3 fatty acids also enhance the expression of the Uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) gene in skeletal muscle. Scientists say that this may indirectly increase energy expenditure by dissipating calories as heat. Other potential mechanisms include increased sensitivity to the "anti starvation hormone" leptin, decreased insulin, reduced fat cell proliferation and improved cell membrane fluidity. It's an exciting area of research and a highly publicized one as well.

If you pay attention to the news or read any fitness or nutrition literature, you probably already know about the benefits of omega-3 fats - it's no secret anymore. What's shocking is the fact that most people are still deficient in omega-3 fats, according to the latest statistics. As with that other "super food" - vegetables - most people seem to know that they "should" be eating more healthy fats, but they still don't do it.

This gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it is a real problem, when it's so easy to take advantage of the benefits of this incredible "power nutrient."

Here are 7 tips that can accommodate both vegetarians and fish eaters alike:

1) eat fatty fish at least twice per week and even daily if practical and economical for you. If not, you could supplement with fish oil (2-3 grams of combined DHA/EPA daily)

2) Omega 6 fatty acids are also essential, but most people have an unbalanced omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. This can be remedied by increasing the omega 3 consumption and or reducing the omega 6 consumption (by decreasing intake of processed foods, refined grains, and supermarket cooking oils, with the exception of extra virgin olive oil)

3) grind up flaxseeds and sprinkle them on salads or add them to oatmeal, protein shakes or morning cereals. Alternately, supplement with flaxseed oil; 1 tbsp is equivalent to 3 tbsp flaxseeds (use as a supplement; Not for cooking)

4) snack on walnuts, which contain modest amounts of omega 3 fats

5) increase your consumption of leafy greens which contain small amounts of omega 3 fats.

6) if you eat red meat, try game meats or grass fed beef or bison. they dont have nearly the quantity of omega-3 as marine sources, but they are higher in
omega-3 and have a better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio than conventionally raised and fed beef.

7) Try omega-3 fortified eggs instead of regular eggs.

See how easy it is to get more omega-3? With all the health benefits stacked on top of the potential fat loss benefits, you simply can't go wrong by making this one change to your diet program - it's a sure thing!

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle," which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism naturally by visiting: http://www.burnthefat.com

Happy Happy Monday!

The prospect of happiness that moves you in the direction of a new dream will always pale in comparison to the happiness you find once it comes true.

You can bank on it.

Happy, happy Monday -
The Universe


You have so much more to look forward to, more than you can now possibly imagine... just keep moving.

Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®
© www.tut.com ®

Happy Thanksgiving

Being Grateful for the Gift of Today

When you learn how to remain grateful every day you are developing a habit of happiness in your life. There is no such thing as an ordinary day. Every one of your days is a gift from God that is unique and irreplaceable. When you train your mind to see the good and discipline yourself to focus on the positive you'll be happier, rise higher, and live the life of victory that God has in store for you.

Road Trip!

Do not judge the journey by the path you're now on. Like driving cross-country, you can't possibly know in advance if or where you may encounter detours, hairpin turns, or passing cars passing cars with noses and whatnot pressed to the window. Moreover, little, if any, of the scenery you travel through will remotely resemble the destination you have in mind. Yet neither the "constellations" you see nor the unexpected maneuvers you take will ever mean you aren't headed exactly where you want to go, moving as swiftly as possible, getting closer every flippin' day.

Road trip!
The Universe


Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®
© www.tut.com ®

Notes from The Universe

When you tough it out, hold the line, and stay the course I promise you, there will soon come a day when you look back over your shoulder, shake your head in dismay, and seriously wonder what all the fuss was about.

Just like all the other times,
The Universe


P.S. In fact, in not so many days from today it will become clear as a bell that you did have enough time, that you were never alone, and that all of us in the unseen were working double-time, to help make possible "the time of your life." Yeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! xoxoxo


Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®
© www.tut.com ®

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out.
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

Author Unknown

We are all an Example

"Whether or not we realize it each of us has within us the ability to set some kind of example for people. Knowing this would you rather be the one known for being the one who encouraged others, or the one who inadvertently discouraged those around you?"

Josh Hinds

Food Log - 11/11/07

weight 157 lbs

1: Jay Robb Chocolate Protein Shake
2: Boars Head Oven Gold Chicken breast
3: Apricot Ginger Chicken, broccoli & caulilower with butter & grated cheese
4: Peppermint Icecream

A Creed For Self-Discipline

Willpower:
Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind, I will exercise it daily, when I need the urge to action for any purpose; and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily.

Emotions:
Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative I will form daily habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions, and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action.

Reason:
Recognizing that both my positive emotions and my negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not controlled and guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims and purposes to my faculty of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these.

Imagination:
Recognizing the need for sound plans and ideas for the attainment of my desires, I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans.

Conscience:
Recognizing that my emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right and what is wrong, but I will never set aside the verdicts it renders, no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out.

Memory:
Recognizing the value of an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall, and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind frequently.

Subconscious Mind:
Recognizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my major purpose in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose, and I shall keep this picture constantly before my subconscious mind by repeating it daily.

Signed_____________________________

Discipline over the mind is gained, little by little, by the formation of habits which one may control. Habits begin in the mind; therefore, a daily repetition of this creed will make one habit-conscious in connection with the particular kind of habits which are needed to develop and control the six departments of the mind.

The mere act of repeating the names of these departments has an important effect. It makes one conscious that these departments exist; that they are important; that they can be controlled by the formation of thought-habits; that the nature of these habits determines one's success or failure in the matter of self-discipline

Napoleon Hill
Excerpt from The Master-Key To Riches

Food Log - 11/10/07

weight 157 lbs

1: Scrambled egg with cheese, 1 slice bacon
2: Boars Head Oven Gold Chicken breast
3: Pan Fried Tilapia (butter)