A 540-calorie Big Mac? NY chains post calorie info (AP)

AP - Customers at big fast-food chains in New York City are finally facing the facts about their meal choices. And for some, the truth may be hard to swallow - like 1,130 calories for buy pure l-ornithine hydrochloride supplement Big Mac, medium fries and a medium soda.

It is very well known that in order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. So how many calories do you consume each day? How do you know how many? Do you simply guesstimate? If so, then that is simply not adequate. When you take the first step to lose weight, you must get a handle on your eating, period. It is impossible for most people to keep track of all this in their head. Therefore you must have a journal of what you eat. One of the earliest things I did was create an Excel spreadsheet that I used to track what I ate on a daily basis. Why would I do this? First, I needed to get an idea of how much I was eating currently. Without knowing, I had no basis to cut calories. But once I started, I learned quickly how much I ate. I had always thought I was doing an okay job, but seeing the daily caloric values, I was shocked how much calories I consumed each day. On the flipside, I was able to see where I could cut back without adversely affecting my health.

Now that you decided to keep a log, how do you go about doing it? I know of people who use a notebook, and they write down what they ate and kept track that way. Others bought software that has huge databases of all foods - including meals from popular restaurants. You simply select what you ate, and the program calculates not only your calories, some programs even provide you nutritional information as well. There are web-based tools that do the same. I simply decided to use a spreadsheet.

Using the food labels, I would enter what I ate, how much calories it contained, and since I wanted to track protein, I entered the grams of protein contained. Using Excel's auto sum feature, I would total the amount of calories and protein. Whenever I ate at a restaurant, I used http://www.dietfacts.com/ It contains entrees for many, many restaurants. In the, rare, cases I could not find the restaurant, I used this rule of thumb to estimate my calories.

Carbohydrates and proteins have 4 calories per gram; fats have nine calories per gram. I simply made rough estimates and since this situation did not happen enough, I was not overly concerned. Once I started tracking, I discovered this was an excellent accountability tool. Because I was very strict about putting everything I ate, I always had the log in the back of my mind. I would hesitate to sneak, because I had to place it in my log and see the daily caloric intake rise.

I did allow myself once a week to enjoy my favorite foods - I called it my "free day", a day I did not track what I ate. You know, in spite of eating very liberally on my free day, and I mean extremely liberally, I still ended up losing six pounds a week. Because I ramped my water consumption to about 96 to 120 ounces a day, it clearly was not water weight I was losing. As time progressed, I used this log to also track my weight, and eventually I would track my waist size, body fat composition, my basal metabolic rate, and my estimated calories I burned from my physical training.

Tracking what I eat was instrumental in my weight loss, and my spreadsheet remains a valuable tool to this day. Take control over your weight - begin by taking control of your eating. You will be surprised and pleased by the outcome!

A runaway weight loss success story. Lost over 80 pounds in four months (36 of those pounds in just six weeks)- went from 240 to 160, kept all of it off for nearly a year, so far. I am sharing with others my research that led to my success so they too may control their weight.

Because I monitored so carefully how much I ate, I lost 80 pounds in four months, and 36 of those pounds in just six weeks. Find out more about my successful story at: http://www.squidoo.com/fromobesetoathletic/

Analgesic drugs don't reduce ovarian cancer risk (Reuters)

Reuters - The regular use of over-the-counter analgesic drugs, such as aspirin green tea herbal benefits ibuprofen, does not appear to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, according to findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

When you are tired and worn out, it is your body's way of crying out: "My energy stores are depleted - I need a vitamin for energy fix now!" If you are running out of steam halfway through the day and wake up feeling tired, it's time to listen to your body.

Actually, vitamins do not directly supply energy to the body but are the tools used by your body to process foods. Vitamins are important in releasing the energy contained in carbohydrates, proteins, and fat in your body.

In today's world, we put great demands on our bodies. We are constantly on the go, often eating on the run and consuming foods that are lacking in nutrition. We worry and we stress over everything. It is no wonder that we become too tired to accomplish all of the things that we need to do.

To complicate matters, as we lose energy, we tend to sit around more and exercise less, give in to sugar cravings and become more tired, restless, anxious and cranky!

So how do so many of us combat this exhaustion? Stimulants, preferably caffeine, seem to be the favorite choice for a quick boost of energy. Unfortunately, like the sugar, this artificial energy pickup is temporary and paves the way toward a great big slump.

If we want and expect our bodies to perform at its maximum potential, we must be fed a vast and complex array of vital nutrients. Becoming deficient in just one essential vitamin or mineral can dramatically reduce our efficiency and performance. Daily consumption of a high-potency vitamin for energy supplement and required minerals are the fundamentals that will help protect you from fatigue due to deficiency.

Best Vitamin For Energy Supplements

The B-complex vitamins are particularly recognized as the energy vitamins. Most B-vitamins work together and will give you more energy and increase stamina.

The American population are more deficient in B-vitamins than any other vitamin due to a crazy lifestyle that induces stress. A polluted environment caused by smog, cigarette smoke and other toxins also play a huge role in destroying these necessary energy-producing B-vitamins, as well.

L-Carnitine Benefit for Energy

L-carnitine is a water-soluble, vitamin-like compound similar to the B-complex groups of vitamins. L-carnitine plays an essential role in energy production within the cells. It is a very popular supplement that is used for fat-burning, increasing energy, and improving resistance to muscle fatigue. It is also great in dieting, as it reduces feelings of hunger and weakness.

Unless you eat a diet high in red meat and dairy, it can be difficult to obtain optimal amounts of carnitine from dietary sources alone.

Benefit of Magnesium

When our bodies are lacking in magnesium, our cells are less able to produce energy and we can experience persistent tiredness. Typically people with chronic fatigue syndrome are deficient in magnesium and upon taking this supplement, their energy improves. In fact, magnesium is the most common nutrient deficiency in all people. If there were just one vitamin for energy pill that most of us derive benefit, it would be magnesium.

Herbal Energy Boosters

Panax ginseng is the most famous energy-boosting herb. Recognized for its overall improvement in well-being, the most popular of its uses include increasing physical and mental endurance, decreasing fatigue, and elevating energy.

Unlike caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system, ginseng boosts energy gently. Ginseng is also recognized for enhancing the immune system by improving the body's resistance to physical and environmental stress.

There is no reason to suffer through groggy mornings trying to muster up enough energy to get through the day. Vitamins play a crucial role in energy production and many people can increase staying power simply by consuming the right vitamin every day. For most cases of decreased vim and vigor, adequate vitamin for energy supplements should help your body recover and get you up and moving!

Essential supplements and dietary nutritional products for bodybuilders, sports enthusiasts and anyone seeking optimum health.

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