If you are like many people across the US it’s a new year and you are thinking about tackling diet and lifestyle changes to lose weight and be healthy.
Here are two top weight loss tips for you to implement this year:
1. Create an action plan.
It takes more than setting a goal to actually achieve your goal. You need to outline a plan of action. This means writing down specific steps you have to take and when/how you are going to take them to ensure you your success.
2. Be realistic.
Two new studies showing contradictory results when it comes to omega 3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease risk.
Study #1
Researchers compared the heart health and exercise capacity of 98 patients randomly divided between a control group receiving a placebo supplement and the test group supplementing 850-882 milligrams of the omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. All study participants were diagnosed with early stage heart failure.
Hitting weight loss plateaus are a part of the weight loss journey. Don’t let them discourage you!
Here are four areas to begin evaluating first so you can overcome this hurdle and continue losing weight:
1. Too few calories
Being active while you work can reduce your risk for heart disease just as much as exercising in your leisure time.
A Finnish study of 60,000 men and women reports reduced heart failure risks when physical activity levels increased at work.
An FDA panel consisting of 20 experts voted 13 to 7 in favor of approving the weight loss drug Contrave, with an abstention that additional studies be conducted related to heart risks. Safety concerns were considered, but it was determined that the pros of the medication outweighed the cons. Two weight loss drugs were rejected by the FDA panel just this past October due to safety concerns.
What is Contrave?
The weight loss drug Contrave is a combination of the antidepressant buproprion and the anti-addiction drug naltrexone. Some of the side effects reported by the FDA include high blood pressure, dizziness, and insomnia.
Occasionally splurging on alcohol once or twice a week is no big deal, right? New research published in the British Medical Journal this past November 2010 would argue otherwise. Researchers found heavy drinking or binge drinking a couple days a week worse for the heart than drinking a moderate amount of alcohol throughout the week.
The 10 year study analyzed the Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME) for 9778 men (2405 men from Belfast, Northern Ireland and 7373 men from France) between the ages of 50-59 years-old.
The participating men were divided into four groups – non-drinkers, former drinkers, regular drinkers, and binge drinkers. Binge drinking was defined as excessive alcohol consumption equivalent to 4 or 5 drinks in a short period of time, such as a weekend day.
Risk Factors . . .
