conjugatedlinoleicacid.net blog

Many diet pills now contain CLA or Conjugated linoleic acid, which when found in normal foods can be harmless.  However with the increased amounts of CLA in the diet pills, it can cause serious health issues.  CLA can increase the fat stored in your liver which can lead to permanent damage of the liver or liver failure.  It also increases the resistance to insulin made in your body.  This can lead to diabetes or a metabolic disease. 

CLA increases the rates of oxidative stress, which is when your body is unable to detoxify your blood.  There have been studies done which also show that CLA increases gallstone formation, increased risk for heart failure and heart problems, and the impairment of blood vessels.  CLA is not approved by the FDA, and is still being heavily researched.  There have not been many human clinical trials done on CLA due to the many adverse effects that have shown up in the research studies done on mice and rats. 

Of the few human clinical studies that have been done most of the participants have had adverse reactions to CLA.  Although there are many side effects of CLA there have been no noted or reported drug interactions.

I’ve seen that some of the fittest people and sometimes the most muscular people, but usually lean have a tendency to hike a lot.  I’ve seen some people that are bigger and hike a lot, but it is highly uncommon.  If they are, they are generally muscularly bulky, and they literally run up these huge mountain trails, which still baffles me.  They take it easier going down so that they don’t slip or hurt themselves or otherwise.  But still, it amazes me that they can run up some of those trails with such ease, especially when the distances get into the miles. 

Now I don’t really do so well with the altitudes, let alone with all the allergens around like weeds, pollens, grasses, etc.  Plus I am just too wimpy.  I don’t like camping, I don’t like the outdoors that much, and I do all my exercises in the comfort of the gym.  I know, I would do better by doing something like hiking.  But I have my preferences.  But I’ve seen people who literally go up to mountains, local mountains usually, but sometimes make a sport out of going all around the world, that are amazing.  I have serious admiration for them.

Now I realize that in college, I was partly skinnier, because I was poor.  Obviously, I didn’t have as much money to go out and buy all the junk food that college students generally do, and unlike other college students, I actually considered what was cheaper for some reason.  That is still beyond me.  I took myself down to about $40 on groceries per month by buying a few select types of food in bulk amounts.  I know, it doesn’t sound particularly appealing.

But I realized a while ago that during that time, the few foods I did pick were really cheap and yet healthier.  I wasn’t starving by any means.  But I was skinnier, because the foods were extremely healthy.  You may not think about it.  But especially if you can go to Costco or something, which I did using a friend’s card or family member’s card, fruits and vegetables are cheaper.  Even now, when things are more expensive than they were then, I could go out today and get a whole pack of romaine hearts for about $4 or $1 a piece.  So while I’m no longer as poor as I used to be, maybe it’s time to start eating like that again, because obviously it wasn’t such a bad thing.

Women and men lose weight and diet differently.  It is a documented fact now, as if we didn’t know it before.  But it’s not so much because of genetics or body types as much as it is about the way women and men think.

1. Men can just say no

Men don’t care about bad foods, and while women will crave the bad foods long after and participate in emotional eating, women will just leave it alone.

1. Women visit the natural food aisles

Women hit the fruits, vegetables, check labels, call professionals, all the things men feel no real need to do.

1. Men compete

Women have hand holding practices such as Curves, weight watchers, etc.  Men challenge each other, make bets, humiliate each other into success.

1. Guys let themselves go

Yes, when men get married, that is the goal, and they let themselves go in quite a few ways.  However, women tend to want to keep up appearances for other women.

1. Men like muscles

While women are intimidated by the growth of muscles and don’t want to look like body builders, it’s a plus for men, something they work toward, and muscles are actually beneficial to fat burning.