Why Sugar-loaded Drinks Make You Fat

Researchers from the Penn State University made an interesting observation. They determined that replacing the water drink with diet soda or regular, sugar-loaded soda during lunch doesn’t diminish the amount of food being consumed.

In simpler words if you had a glass of water with your lunch meal you still eat as much as you would if you had diet or regular carbonated beverage. This comes to show that since the amount of calories consumed is relatively the same you always end up consuming far more calories with the regular soda due to the sugar content in it.

On the flip side there is a large number of people, even in the bodybuilding and fitness world, who have gotten themselves in the habit of drinking diet soda thinking that this way they are consuming less of the food. Well, the observation of these scientists shows that’s not exactly truth.

So, do your body a favor. Stick to regular water. It’s the healthiest possible choice and it won’t make you fat.

Eating Sugar Leads To More Sugar Cravings

Here is an interesting experiment done by Australian researchers: What they did was they proved that when we eat more sugar-loaded snacks, we crave more of the sweet stuff on our next meal.

So, what they did was they chose two high in sugar bars – one of them containing protein and fiber, the other with almost no protein and fiber in it. However, the second one had the same calorie content as the first one, thus being higher in sugars.

The researchers determined that those who ate the bar with protein and fiber actually had 16 percent less sugar in their next meal, compared to those who ate the bar, almost entirely consisting of carbs.

This is favorable news for bodybuilders and fitness athletes as we always balance our meals with fair amounts of each of the three main nutrients – carbohydrates, proteins and fats. So, that actually might be one of the many reasons why people with this type of nutrition habits and lifestyle are actually fitter then those who don’t exercise and follow a sound meal plan.

Skipping Breakfast And Subsequent Metabolism Alterations

Not eating breakfast can slow down your metabolism with 10%. Considering that an average person burns about 1,500 calories a day at least, it is not easy to estimate how much 10% is.

Imagine this. By decreasing your metabolic rate with that much you actually burn at least 150 calories less than what you would usually burn. Having in mind that one pound of fat has 3,600 calories you either fail to burn a pound of fat every 25 days approximately or you gain a pound if you still keep your calorie intake the same during the rest of the day.

Suggestion: Poor 3 – 4 Tbsp of quick oats in a bowl the night before, add fat free milk or water in the morning and microwave for one minute. Add a few frozen strawberries and a scoop of whey protein. It takes 2 minutes to prepare and another 2 – 5 to eat.

Help Your Heart Rate Slow Down Faster After an Intense Exercise

It was recently established that if you want your heart rate to go down faster after an exhaustive type of physical activity you should lie down on your back instead of sitting upright.

Studies showed that doing this helped the heart slow down 25% faster. The scientists gave the following explanation: When the body is in a seated position most of the blood gathers in the muscles, which causes the heart to beat faster and the body to maintain slightly lower temperature.

But when the body is in a horizontal position the heart beats slower and the body temperature is higher, making the body produce more sweat. This in its turn helps the body cool faster, too.