Your bodies resist weight loss efforts

If you've been trying to lose weight and suspect your body is working against you, you may indeed be right.  "When obese people reduce their food intake too drastically, their bodies appear to resist their weight lossefforts," said Gregory G. Freund, professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. 

"They may have to work harder and go slower in order to outsmart their brain chemistry," added Freund, who led the study. 

He particularly cautioned against beginning a diet with a fast or cleansing day, which appears to trigger significant alterations in the immune system that work against weight loss. 

"Take smaller steps to start your weight loss and keep it going," he said, the journal Obesity reports.

In the study, the scientist compared the effects of a short-term fast on two groups of mice. For 12 weeks, one group consumed a low-fat diet (10 percent fat); the other group was fed a high-fat diet (60 percent fat) and had become obese, according to an Illinois statement. 

The mice were then made to fast for 24 hours. In that time, the leaner mice lost 18 percent of their body weight compared to five percent for the obese mice.

Beginning a weight loss programme in a depressed frame of mind and with decreased motivation doesn't bode well for the diet's success, Freund noted.--IANS.

Tips for better sleep


Hectic schedules, stress and excess workload have made sound sleep a luxury for many. But a few lifestyle changes can make for a restful night, say experts.
Helpful wind-down routines include a bath, a hot milky drink, switching off the television and computer, getting clothes ready for the morning, listening to soothing music and planning the next day's schedule, help in relaxing minds which leads to sound sleep, reports express.co.uk.
Experts say the surroundings could be rearranged to create an atmosphere more suited to sleep. Sleeping with the television on should be avoided as the waves disrupt sleep patterns.

To sleep well, there needs to be a fractional temperature difference between our body and our brain, a warm body and a cool head.
If a person prepares for sleep well before midnight (between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.), he stands a much better chance of getting a good sleep.


Vital deep sleep occurs an hour or so after a person drops off. So one can optimise the quality of this initial stage by going to bed at a reasonable hour.
Experts also say that one should have breakfast within half-an-hour of waking. This not only stimulates body metabolism, but when one eats a healthy breakfast, the person starts to create the perfect internal chemistry for optimal sleep.
It is always good to keep a gap of 90 minutes between eating dinner and going to bed. A heavy meal late in the evening disrupts sleep pattern.
Consuming two-to-three litres of fluid throughout the day will help keep the body hydrated and improve the quality of sleep. However, caffeine should be avoided as it dehydrates the body.
Half an hour of gentle exercise every day boosts the production of hormones that makes a person feel relaxed, such as endorphins and serotonin, as well as helping to shift excess weight and improve breathing and energy levels.

To relax one's mind at bedtime, a person should think about something he or she really enjoys doing, like an activity or the memory of a perfect day. The person should run it through in the mind like a film and slow it right down. This exercise will make a person relaxed, peaceful and ultimately sleepy.IANS