[Debelli]

This board is dedicated to RECOMMENDED READING

If you have a book, article or a link to an article on a website that you feel would help others on SB and be beneficial to keeping in the forefront, please post it onto this website.

Most recommended readings that are posted would fall under FRIDAY FACTSso if you have something interesting to share, please post if first on the REGULAR WEEKLY SUPPORT BOARDthen CC it onto this board. If it's a link to an article on a website, please post the link that will take us to that site. Please try to give a little background on where you found the article, or what the link to the site provides.


If you have a book you'd like recommend, please try to give a little information about it, Title, Author, and why you recommend it.


Also, be sure to visit another important board, our TOOLS & TIPS BOARD at the link located below:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/ubb//Forum55/HTML/000054.html

I hope this board will provide useful information to everyone who visits it now and in the future!

[Debelli]

One cookbook I'd really recommend on having is the NIKKI & DAVID GOLDBECK'S AMERICAN WHOLEFOODS CUISINE. Over 1300 meatless wholesome recipes from short order to gourmet. Low fat, high fiber, norefined ingredients, naturally sweetened and seasoned.

It's an older book,copyright 1983, but there have been updates. I found mine at a garage sale, but you can find it on Ebay from time to time, as well as other places. See if your library has it. It's really more of a vegetarian book, but of the 1300 recipes there are tons that are SB legal, and wonderful baking recipes that with one alteration can be SB legal (honey to agave nectar or another sugar substitute). Book has over 500 pages. All the recipes I've made from this book so far, I've been happy with the way they came out.

Debbie
Debelli

[THE BIG ORANGE BABE]

I have two suggestions and they follow below:

For some really good tips and modifications,
pick up a copy of THIN FOR GOOD by Fred Pescatore,M.D.
He will show you how to master the 11 emotional levels of eating. You can personalize your needs for eating our way.
He also provides more than 130 delicious, satisfying low-carb recipes.
I have found this to be very self gratifying
and recently, it gave me THE BIG CLICK with what I need to do for myself in this time of my life. Check it out, you won't be sorry!

Also, a great cook book to try is SUGARFREE
QUICK & EASY! A cookbook based on the glycemic index by Deanie Comeaux Bahan.
It's recipes were expecially created for the SUGAR BUSTER'S diet plan. It includes recipes for appetizers, salads, soups, meats, seafood, poultry, vegetables, desserts and more. Also included is a revised glycemic index.
These recipes are great and I haven't yet found one that I don't like. They are very tasty and down to earth. I got mine at BOOKSAMILLION for $15.95, but I'm sure you can find it at your local bookstore.

[Debelli]

Here's a very good websites that will explain more about STEVIA a sweetner many people use:

STEVIA FAQS:

http://www.fastlane.net/%7Ekirkland/stevia/faq.htm

I personally like the STEVIA PLUS in powder form.




[This message has been edited by Debelli (edited 11-04-2000).]

[Debelli]

This site has a very interesting, and long, article about metabolism:


http://www.jmu.edu/athletics/strengt..._Nutrition.htm

[Debelli]

This site has an article titled:

Confused About Carbohydrates?


http://www.healthwell.com/delicious-..._97/carbos.cfm


Confused About Carbohydrates?


Do you eat carbohydrate-rich snack foods when you're hungry? Do you think you can eat all the carbohydrates you want because they're low-fat? If so, you may be surprised to learn that carbohydrate consumption in this country has skyrocketed (and dietary fat intake has dropped), yet more Americans than ever are overweight.

If you're confused because you think all carbohydrates are good for you, it's time to gain a more thorough understanding of them. Once you learn overlooked basics, you'll see why too many of certain kinds of carbs can be hazardous to your health.

Beans and grains are sources of carbohydrates; however, few people realize carbs are also in vegetables, fruit, sugar, nuts, seeds and milk. Carbohydrates are known as energy foods because when they're metabolized, they supply glucose, a sugar that circulates in our blood and provides energy where the body needs it. Our muscles use glucose for quick energy during exercise, but the brain needs glucose the most. When we're at rest, the brain uses two-thirds of our glucose. If blood glucose levels fall too low, brain function suffers and mental fatigue or dizziness result.

To prevent this from happening, the body works to maintain a steady stream of glucose. When blood sugar drops below normal levels, the pancreas responds by releasing glucagon. This hormone stimulates the breakdown of fat and glycogen (a storage form of glucose) to provide energy for all body cells, especially brain cells. Glycogen reserves are limited though, and once they're depleted, the body must break down protein from muscles to provide the glucose the brain needs. Therefore, to meet our glucose needs and to spare body protein, we need a certain amount of carbs in our diet at frequent intervals.

However, carbohydrates aren't "free foods," as many believe. It's true that carbohydrates contain fewer calories than fat, but they can easily be stored as fat if they're overconsumed. Here's why: When carbohydrates are eaten, blood sugar levels rise, and the pancreas responds by secreting a hormone called insulin. Insulin -- designed to restore blood sugar equilibrium -- works in the opposite way of glucagon: It removes excess glucose from the blood and stores it first as glycogen and then as fat. When we eat large amounts of carbs, especially high levels of refined grain products such as bread, more insulin will be produced and fat will more likely be stored. High insulin levels promote fat storage and block the release of fat-burning glucagon. This means that even if carbohydrates are fat free, if you eat too many, they'll be stored as fat and prevent your body from burning fat.

How Many To Eat?

If too many and too few carbohydrates cause problems, what's a healthy amount to consume? Recommendations from nutrition experts vary widely, ranging from 30 to 80 percent carbohydrates in the diet. Government organizations generally advocate you eat more than half your daily calories from carbs.

Julian Whitaker, M.D., director of the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, Calif., recently modified his dietary recommendations from a higher carb diet to one that contains 60 percent carbohydrates (from mostly vegetables, legumes and fruits), 20 percent protein and 20 percent fat. The reason is people seem to overdose on carbohydrates, he says. Common problems Whitaker cites include abdominal obesity, difficulty losing weight, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, adult-onset diabetes and an increased risk of heart attack. All these conditions are associated with high insulin levels, says Whitaker, author of Reversing Heart Disease (Warner).

Barry Sears, Ph.D., author of The Zone (ReganBooks), advocates a more moderate carbohydrate intake -- 40 percent of calories as carbohydrates (mostly from vegetables and fruits) with 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. He says a 40/30/30 ratio is best because it keeps insulin at optimal levels. "Insulin makes you fat and keeps you fat," Sears says. "A high level of insulin is the number one factor that predicts heart disease."

Although blanket recommendations serve as public guidelines, both experts believe carbohydrate intake must be individualized because insulin responses vary. Sears cites research showing 75 percent of the population has an excessive insulin response to high levels of carbohydrates. Most Americans need a moderate carbohydrate intake, and only 25 percent of the population does well on a high-carb diet, Sears says. Whitaker believes individual tolerance for carbohydrates ranges from 40 to 70 percent of calories.

The Hazards of Processed Carbs

Researchers link increased white flour and white sugar consumption to the degenerative diseases that plague modern people. Weston A. Price, D.D.S., noticed this connection as early as the 1930s. After studying the diets and health of more than a dozen nonindustrialized societies around the world, he found all these cultures had different whole-food diets and all were healthy. However, once white flour and white sugar were introduced to these cultures, physical degeneration set in over a period of a single generation, according to Price's Nutrition and Physical Degeneration (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation).

In The Saccharine Disease (Keats), researcher T.L. Cleave, M.D., traced the development of diabetes, hypertension, ulcers, gallbladder disease, colitis and heart disease to the intake of refined carbohydrates. When people from non-Westernized societies, who normally didn't eat white flour or white sugar, began to eat these foods, they didn't develop immediate health problems. However, two decades later Cleave notes that these people displayed health problems associated with the newly introduced sugar and flour.

Excessive sugar and processed carbohydrate consumption contributes to the development of other health problems including cancer, osteoporosis, hypoglycemia, adrenal exhaustion, and parasitic and yeast infections, according to Get the Sugar Out (Crown) by Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S., C.N.S.

Eating refined carbs sets the stage for disease because they raise insulin levels and cause nutrient deficiencies, Whitaker says. Nutrients are stripped during the refining process. Since we need minerals and B vitamins to assimilate carbohydrates, the body uses its nutrient reserves to digest refined carbohydrates and convert them to energy. This causes nutrient deficiencies that lead to a variety of ailments. In the 1930s, doctors noticed many white bread eaters suffered from health problems caused by iron, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin deficiencies. This led to the development of "enriched" flour, which is fortified with four nutrients but is still missing 20 others in whole wheat.

What Type Is Right for You?

To understand which carbohydrates are good for you and which aren't, it's important to know how carbohydrates are classified.

Chemical Structure. Carbohydrates are separated into two types: simple and complex. Simple carbs are found in sweeteners such as refined sugar, honey, maple syrup and fruit juice concentrates. These sugars have simple chemical structures that are quickly broken down in the digestive system. Simple sugars should be avoided because they supply calories but few nutrients and encourage tooth decay and yeast overgrowth. They also weaken immunity (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1973, vol. 26).

Complex carbohydrates found in vegetables, legumes and whole grains consist of long chains of sugars that take longer to digest. They should make up most of our carbohydrate intake.

Glycemic Index. Another system of classifying carbohydrates is the glycemic index (see "Glycemic Index of Common Foods" on page 69). It refers to the rate of glucose entry into the bloodstream after a carbohydrate is eaten. Since complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly than simple sugars, it had been assumed they release glucose into the bloodstream more slowly. However, research conducted in the early 1980s found this isn't always true. Some of the foods with the highest glycemic rating (foods that cause the highest rise in blood sugar and insulin levels) are so-called "complex" carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, potatoes, bread (both whole wheat and white) and grains. Carbohydrates with low and moderate glycemic ratings (foods that release glucose more slowly and produce more moderate insulin responses) are nonstarchy vegetables such as lettuce, celery, broccoli and most fruits. According to Sears and Whitaker, you should emphasize low- and moderate-glycemic fruits and vegetables and limit your intake of high-glycemic grains.

Americans are doing the opposite. Statistics show most of us still consume low levels of green and yellow vegetables, but we eat more grains than ever. Since 1977, intake of ready-to-eat cereals has increased by 60 percent, and grain mixtures (such as pizza, pasta and nachos) has increased 115 percent. Consumption of snack foods such as crackers and pretzels has risen even higher -- 200 percent!

During the same time period that grain consumption has escalated, 36 percent more women and 72 percent more men have become overweight, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. "The increase in obesity is just the first step toward an increase in a wide variety of other chronic disease states," Sears says.

Sears believes people need to keep adjusting the amounts and kinds of carbohydrates, protein and fat in their meals until they find "winning combinations" -- meals that satisfy hunger and carbohydrate cravings and provide mental focus and steady energy four hours later. In his new book Mastering the Zone (ReganBooks), Sears explains that people who are mentally focused but hungry four hours after a meal have eaten too little carbohydrate in that meal. Those who are hungry and mentally fatigued four hours after a meal have consumed too much carbohydrate.

If a lower carbohydrate intake is needed, it's not necessary to cut out servings of carbohydrates altogether. "The best way to control your intake of carbohydrates is to eat fruits and vegetables in place of grain products," Sears explains. Vegetables and fruits are so much lower in carbohydrates that six cups of steamed broccoli have the same carbohydrate content as one cup of pasta! That means you can eat a lot more fruits and vegetables without consuming too many carbohydrates.

Ultimately, being savvy about carbohydrates is a bit more complicated than believing all carbohydrates are good for you. However, in the final analysis, a simple guideline to remember is long-standing advice: Always eat your fruits and vegetables.

[Debelli]

This site has an article that RICK MENDOSA published that explains THE GLYCEMIC INDEX

http://www.medicinecabinet.net/learn..._giindex.shtml


Definitely, a must read, esp. for someone just starting out on SB.

[Debelli]

This site has a very good article by
Dr. Ann de Wees Allen, Doctor of Naturopathy, on THE GLYCEMIC INDEX


http://www.afpafitness.com/GLYCEMIC.HTM

[Debelli]

This website has an article titled: PROTEIN: ARE YOU EATING ENOUGH?

Just click on the link below and it will take you right to the article:


http://www.healthwell.com/delicious-...m?searched=yes

[Debelli]

Here's some other reading you may find interesting (especially the 3rd & 4th paragraphs) in regards to PROTEIN called PROTEIN POWER:


PROTEIN POWER

One of the most important roles of protein is to stimulate the pancreas to produce the hormone glucagon. Glucagon's primary function is to unlock your stored fat cells for use as energy. With too much insulin in the body, glucagon is literally blocked from unlocking stores of fat, and the body is unable to burn its own fat.


In this scenario, protein acts in the reverse of insulin. When a person eats adequate quantities of protein (esp. in combination with healthy fats and low sugar), the pancreas produces the right amount of glucagon to mobilize stored body fat so the body can begin burning excess fat for energy.

When you aren't consuming enough protein, you battle intense cravings, often for foods high in simple sugars. When it seems like a candy bar is all you really need, your body actually may be starving for protein. Protein, like healthy fat, has a stabilizing effect on blood sugar and provides the body with the long-lasting steady energy it demands. Sugar cravings are merely the body's way of looking for foods that will provide it with quick, easily metabolized energy. Unfortunately, giving in to the sugar craving will result in a sugar rush followed by a crash in energy level and a continuous craving for more sugar.

If your protein intake is low and you find yourself craving sweets, try increasing your daily protein intake. Increasing protein intake will eliminate sugar cravings and boost energy levels significantly.

Critical in the development of tissue growth and healing, protein also plays a crucial role in the formation of neurotransmitters in the brain. It helps the body create new cells to replace those that die off every day. Without enough protein, healthy new cells will not be formed-the skin will be thin and dry, the hair fragile with a tendency to fall out, and the nails brittle, fatigue, confusion and irritability are conditions too. If you currently recognize any of these symptoms yourself, check your protein intake (unfortunately, I can relate to some of these!)

A lesser known function of protein is its role in maintaining fluid balance in the body. Proteins in blood attract molecules of water, controlling the water levels between cells, within cells, and within your arteries and veins. When the body is deficient in protein, the fluid int he cells cannot be drawn in by the blood and will not be efficiently eliminated by the kidneys. Thus, a diet low in protein will actually result in water retention, water weight gain, and uncomfortable bloating.

Protein can boost metabolic rate by helping the body build lean muscle mass. It also acts as a wonderful source of ongoing, steady energy throughout the day. If you feel tired and sluggish on a regular basis, check your protein levels. Chances are you're not getting enough protein in your diet. Adding lean meats and poultry will leave you with more energy and few energy swings throughout your day.

[Debelli]

Here's some interesting facts about SUGAR from the book GET THE SUGAR OUT by Anne Louise Gittleman, which I highly recommend reading!


Label Reading 101

If you're going to buy packaged foods, you have to pay attention to what's in them. Three-quarters of the sugars are "hidden" in processed foods, so you have to become skeptical about every food you're thinking of buying. Read those labels, educate yourself, and don't let the "hidden" sugars pass you by.

Read the number of sugar grams listed on the nutrition-facts label of the food your considering buying. As a general guideline, look for foods that contain three grams of sugars or less per serving.

Compare the number of sugar grams to the number of total carbohydrate grams. Avoid foods that have more than one-third of their total carbs coming from sugars. The majority of the carbs you consume each day should be of the complex variety, not from simple sugars. To help you eat this way, shop for foods with the lowest number of sugar grams in relation to their carb grams.

Peruse the ingredients list and look for sugar in all its various forms. It can be listed as any of the following: barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, buttered syrup, cane-juice crystals, cane sugar, caramel, carob syrup, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, date sugar, dextran, dextrose, diastase, diastatic malt, ethyl maltol, fructose, fruit juice and fruit juice concentrate, glucose, glucose solids, golden sugar, golden syrup, grape sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, molasses, raw sugar, refiner's syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup, sucrose, sugar, turbinado sugar, xylitol and yellow sugar. A quick way to discern sugars on the label is simply to look for the word sugar in any form and the words ending in -ose.

Added tip: While your reading the label for sugar content, pay attention to the other ingredients in the food as well. If there are ingredients that you can't pronounce or spell, much less recognize, the chances are that the product belongs more in a laboratory experiment than in your body. Skip the fake foods and instead buy products that have identifiable whole foods as ingredients.

[Debelli]

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH WATER???

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Most people have no idea how much water they should be drinking, and most Americans live from day to day in a dehydrated state. They don't drink enough water.

Without water, we would be poisoned to death by our own waste products and toxins resulting from metabolism.

Water is vital to digestion and metabolism, acting as a medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body. It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood, regulates body temperature and lubricates our joints (which is particularly important if you're arthritic, have chronic muscular-skeletal problems or are athletically active).

We need water to breathe; we lose approximately one pint of liquid every day just by exhaling.

If you are not in "fluid balance" you can impair every aspect of your body's physiological functioning.

Dr. Howard Flaks, Beverly Hills:
"As a result of not drinking enough water, many people encounter such problems as excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint and muscle soreness (particularly after exercise) and water retention."

Proper water intake is the key to weight loss," says Dr. Donald Robertson, Scottsdale, Arizona. "If people who are trying to lose weight don't drink enough water, the body can't metabolize the fat, they retain fluid, which keeps their weight up, and the whole procedure we're trying to set up falls apart."

"I'd say the minimum amount of water a healthy person should drink is 10 eight-ounce glasses a day," he continues, "and you need to drink more if you are overweight, exercise a lot, or live in a hot climate. Overweight people should drink an extra eight ounces of water for each 25 pounds that exceeds their ideal weight."

Your water intake should be spread judiciously throughout the day, including the evening. Dr. Flaks cautions against drinking more than four glasses in any given hour. Always check with your physician before embarking on a water intake increase program.

You may ask, "If I drink this much water, won't I constantly be running to the bathroom?" Initially, yes, because of the hypersensitivity of the bladder to increased fluids. But after a few weeks, your bladder calms down, and you urinate less frequently, but in larger amounts.

There is a difference between pure water and other beverages that contain water.

Water is water. Obviously you can get it by consuming fruit juice, soft drinks, beer, coffee or tea. Unfortunately, while such drinks contain water, they also may contain substances that are not healthy and actually contradict some of the positive effects of the added water.

Dr. Jerzy Meduski, Los Angeles, California: "Beer contains water, but it also contains alcohol, which is a toxic substance. Beverages that contain caffeine, such as coffee, stimulate the adrenal glands; fruit juices contain a lot of sugar and stimulate the pancreas. Such drinks may tax the body more than cleanse it."

Another problem with these beverages is that you lose your taste for water.

The way to interpret all of this, therefore, is that the recommended daily water intake means just that--WATER!

[Debelli]

Found this site with a VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE on PMS (was actually looking to see why I get sick during that TOM)


Just click on the link below and it will take you directly to the article:

http://www.ahcd.net/samples/ailments..._syndrome.html

[Debelli]

Here's an interesting article on REFINED SUGARS. Just click on the link and it will take you to the article.

http://www.nexusmagazine.com/SugarBlues.html

[Debelli]

Here's a great article!


Why The Scale Lies

by Renee Cloe,
ACE Certified Personal Trainer

We’ve been told over an over again that daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us can’t resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just can’t bring yourself to toss the scale in the trash, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the factors that influence it’s readings. From water retention to glycogen storage and changes in lean body mass, daily weight fluctuations are normal. They are not indicators of your success or failure. Once you understand how these mechanisms work, you can free yourself from the daily battle with the bathroom scale.

Water makes up about 60% of total body mass. Normal fluctuations in the body’s water content can send scale-watchers into a tailspin if they don’t understand what’s happening. Two factors influencing water retention are water consumption and salt intake. Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang onto it’s water supplies with a vengeance, possibly causing the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink plenty of water.

Excess salt (sodium) can also play a big role in water retention. A single teaspoon of salt contains over 2,000 mg of sodium. Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so it’s easy to go overboard. Sodium is a sneaky substance. You would expect it to be most highly concentrated in salty chips, nuts, and crackers. However, a food doesn’t have to taste salty to be loaded with sodium. A half cup of instant pudding actually contains nearly four times as much sodium as an ounce of salted nuts, 460 mg in the pudding versus 123 mg in the nuts. The more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a high sodium content. That’s why, when it comes to eating, it’s wise to stick mainly to the basics: fruits, vegetables, lean meat, beans, and whole grains. Be sure to read the labels on canned foods, boxed mixes, and frozen dinners.

Women may also retain several pounds of water prior to menstruation. This is very common and the weight will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives. Pre-menstrual water-weight gain can be minimized by drinking plenty of water, maintaining an exercise program, and keeping high-sodium processed foods to a minimum.

Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver and some is stored the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and it’s packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when it’s stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in enough carbohydrates. As the glycogen supply shrinks you will experience a small imperceptible increase in appetite and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with it’s associated water. It’s normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 2 pounds per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss, although they can make for some unnecessarily dramatic weigh-ins if you’re prone to obsessing over the number on the scale.

Otherwise rational people also tend to forget about the actual weight of the food they eat. For this reason, it’s wise to weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you’ve had anything to eat or drink. Swallowing a bunch of food before you step on the scale is no different than putting a bunch of rocks in your pocket. The 5 pounds that you gain right after a huge dinner is not fat. It’s the actual weight of everything you’ve had to eat and drink. The added weight of the meal will be gone several hours later when you’ve finished digesting it.

Exercise physiologists tell us that in order to store one pound of fat, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than your body is able to burn. In other words, to actually store the above dinner as 5 pounds of fat, it would have to contain a whopping 17,500 calories. This is not likely, in fact it’s not humanly possible. So when the scale goes up 3 or 4 pounds overnight, rest easy, it’s likely to be water, glycogen, and the weight of your dinner. Keep in mind that the 3,500 calorie rule works in reverse also. In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. Generally, it’s only possible to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. When you follow a very low calorie diet that causes your weight to drop 10 pounds in 7 days, it’s physically impossible for all of that to be fat. What you’re really losing is water, glycogen, and muscle.

This brings us to the scale’s sneakiest attribute. It doesn’t just weigh fat. It weighs muscle, bone, water, internal organs and all. When you lose "weight," that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve lost fat. In fact, the scale has no way of telling you what you’ve lost (or gained). Losing muscle is nothing to celebrate. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns, even when you’re just sitting around. That’s one reason why a fit, active person is able to eat considerably more food than the dieter who is unwittingly destroying muscle tissue.

Robin Landis, author of "Body Fueling," compares fat and muscles to feathers and gold. One pound of fat is like a big fluffy, lumpy bunch of feathers, and one pound of muscle is small and valuable like a piece of gold. Obviously, you want to lose the dumpy, bulky feathers and keep the sleek beautiful gold. The problem with the scale is that it doesn’t differentiate between the two. It can’t tell you how much of your total body weight is lean tissue and how much is fat. There are several other measuring techniques that can accomplish this, although they vary in convenience, accuracy, and cost. Skin-fold calipers pinch and measure fat folds at various locations on the body, hydrostatic (or underwater) weighing involves exhaling all of the air from your lungs before being lowered into a tank of water, and bioelectrical impedance measures the degree to which your body fat impedes a mild electrical current.

If the thought of being pinched, dunked, or gently zapped just doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry. The best measurement tool of all turns out to be your very own eyes. How do you look? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? Are your rings looser? Do your muscles feel firmer? These are the true measurements of success. If you are exercising and eating right, don’t be discouraged by a small gain on the scale. Fluctuations are perfectly normal. Expect them to happen and take them in stride. It’s a matter of mind over scale.