Health and Diet Blog

Mark Kimathi asked:




Teas for weight loss are some of the popular weight loss supplements available in the market today. Stores all over sell slimming tea, dieter’s tea and others but all of them are actually the same. And though they appear to be effective, what is not obvious may actually harm you.

One of these non-obvious effects of drinking dieter’s tea is the frequent bowel movement. It tends to give people the feeling of body cleansing. You may get toxins out of your body but it isn’t exactly the only thing that slimming tea actually does to the body. Slimming tea contains herbs which are natural laxatives. Such herbs include aloe, senna, rhubarb root, cascara, buckthorn and castor oil. These are products which are derived from plants and have been used since the ancient times because of their potency in treating constipation and to inducing bowel movement.

For example cascara, castor oil and senna are substances which are widely recognized as laxatives available over the counter. Some types of their preparations are even regulated as drugs.

Scientific studies show that diarrhea induced by laxatives does not result to significant amounts of calories taken out of the body. The reason for this is that laxatives do not act on the small intestines where most of the calories are absorbed. Instead, they work on the large intestines.

If taken in large amounts for prolonged periods, these disguised laxatives can end up affecting fat absorption of the body. This may lead to greasy diarrhea and even loss of weight. However you should not count on this process to lose weight.

The deliberate abuse of laxatives is common practice among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia nervosa, who use them to purge food they have eaten.

While weight loss cannot be guaranteed by overdosing on laxatives, it may for sure cause permanent damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the weakening and softening of the bones, a condition known as osteomalacia.

Drinkers of slimming teas may actually patronize the product because they are less expensive and taste better than other laxatives sold in the market. Other people, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa drink dieter’s tea because they work fast and produce watery stool and having loose consistency.

Although they may are not known to interfere directly with the woman’s menstrual cycle and fertility, women should watch out if drinking these slimming teas causes them to rapidly shed off weight. It is also not safe for pregnant women to be taking in laxatives of any kind. Wise and responsible herbalists also discourage the use of senna and other herbal products with laxative properties for pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive.

Whats more, the labeling of slimming teas in the market today can be absolutely misleading. For instance, you will find them commonly referring to the laxative qualities as “natural bowel cleansing properties”. They will rarely specifically use the word “laxative”. Some even use the term an even more misleading term, “low-calorie” on their labeling. These products in fact, contain essentially no calories nor nutrients whatsoever; unless of course, if they are sweetened.

Whether as a direct abuse of laxatives or used as slimming tea, adverse effects generally occur when taken in more than or longer than recommended. Such effects include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding, electrolyte disorder and dehydration as well as injury and worse, death. It was also reported that excess use of stimulant laxatives cause severe constipation and pain for long periods (even as long as decades) due to the colon losing its function. It can eventually led to the surgical removal of the colon altogether.

Elizabeth Hartley asked:




Big tummy? Pot belly?

Don’t worry. Help is at hand. Here are a 3 quick tips to help you look slimmer and get rid of a big tummy or pot belly.

Tip number 1: Stand up straight. Yes that’s right. Slouching can make a big tummy and pot belly much worse making you look pounds heavier than you really are. You probably don’t even realise you’re doing it so the first thing you need to do is stand in front of a mirror naked and take a good, hard look at yourself. Now turn sideways. Mmm. Not very nice? Tummy sticking out? Flabby belly staring back at you? Well now try this: Link your fingers together and put your hands on your head. With your hands tightly clasped reach back with your elbows. Keeping the tension in your arms and shoulders, unclasp your fingers and reach one hand above you as though trying to touch the ceiling. Now reach up even higher with the other hand. Continue alternating hands as though climbing an invisible rope. Try to stretch as high as you can. You should feel your body lengthening as you do the movements. Repeat approximately 20 times then slowly lower your arms to your sides. Be aware of your posture and take another good look at yourself in the mirror. Practise this exercise every day and it will remind you to stand tall and straight which will in turn improve your posture and instantly make you look slimmer.

Tip number 2: Wear clothes that fit. Sounds obvious doesn’t it but the fact is that lots of people try to squeeze into clothes a size smaller in the hope that it will make them look slimmer. Wrong. For although you may really want to be a size 10, if you are actually a 12 the extra inches will simply bulge over the top of your clothes accentuating your big tummy and pot belly and making you look even bigger than you actually are. The right size clothes will drape in all the right places instead of squashing you like an overstuffed sausage. Whether your’re a size 12, 16, 22 or whatever, wear something that fits. Not only will you feel more comfortable you will look much better. Trust me.

Tip number 3: If your big tummy or pot belly is due to bloating, you need to find out which foods are aggravating the problem. Bloating caused by food intolerance is very common but once you identify the culprits symptoms will usually diminish very quickly. You will need to follow a carefully controlled elimination diet. This involves keeping meals simple and noting your reaction to everything you eat and drink in a food diary or chart to work out what you may be sensitive to. Within a few days you should have begun to build up a picture of what kind of foods you need to avoid so that your tummy stays flat. Elimination diets can be rather boring and difficult to stick too however results can be quite dramatic so go ahead and give it a try. You’ll be glad you did.

So there you have it. 3 easy tips to help you look slimmer and get rid of that big tummy or pot belly. Good luck!

If you would like to reprint this article you may do so provided the text remains unchanged and you include the “Author Bio” statement below:

Burt Amadio asked:




We want to be healthy and we know how important it is to do so.  Sometimes we’ve probably had the idea that losing weight is hard and that is takes a lot of effort and time.  Therefore, because of this notion, we’ve might have asked, what’s the quickest way to lose weight?  This article will discuss this question and it will offer a series of tips to consider when you’re looking to lose weight.

13 Tips to Losing Weight:

1) You have to cut back the amount of calories you eat during the day by 500 calories

2) You must start to eat the right kinds of foods…eat no white bread, no white rice, no potatoes, no fast foods, no cheese, no fatty meats, no pork, no soda.

3) Try to cut out on eating red meats and only try eating white meats like chicken, turkey and all lean meats that would give you the proper amount of protein

4) You can try to cut back on the amount of carbohydrates you consume

5) You should increase the amount of fruits and vegetables

6) Eat whole grain products, like wheat breads

7) Make sure to eat breakfast everyday and don’t skip any meals

Don’t eat sweets and anything with a lot of sugar

9) Drink green tea

10) Drink plenty of water

11) Don’t eat after 7 pm or after you’ve had supper

12) Get a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night and try to get to bed before 11 pm each night

13) You need to exercise at least three times per week (bike ride, jogging, walking, aerobics, weight lifting etc.)

I’ve also have been doing some research and found some information that made me take notice!  What I read was that people who are trying or who have tried to lose weight, might have been lied to.  We’ve been told that the only way to lose weight is through diet and exercise, but another way has been found!  The answer may have been found deep inside our own bodies?  I was saddened to find out that millions of people around the world have died and are dying, because some health care professionals we’ve trusted, haven’t told us the truth about weight loss.  This healthy unrevealed weight loss secret  was indeed termed a “secret”, and answered my question to what’s the quickest way to lose weight.