Irene Christodoulou's Corner

Contrary to most diets, the protein-diet is supposed to maintain the muscles while enabling significant weight-loss and rapid decrease of fat-tissues without experiencing hunger or fatigue. Before all, one should be aware of the biochemical and physiological mechanisms involved, as well as the principles of diet (decrease of the supply in glucides and lipids, and coverage of the need for high-quality proteins). Its relative ineffectiveness in the long run is caused by the difficulty to maintain such an imbalance in food-intake, and to handle the change from this sort of diet to a 'normal diet'. Contra-indications - Severe kidney failure - Severe liver failure - Heart failure, heart-illness or recent strokes (proteins interact with sodium). - During pregnancy or breast-feeding because the mother needs a balanced diet - Depression, severe psychiatric troubles - Hypokaliemia (decrease of the blood level potassium) Some exams can be necessary (electrocardiogram, bi

Σήμερα είχαμε αυτή τη συζήτηση στο γυμναστήριο και συμφωνήσαμε ότι πρέπει να είναι αυτό που μας έφερε μία γειτόνισσα και είχε μέγεθος γατοκέφαλου, έπιανε όλο το πιάτο και η σούπα δεν χωρούσε μέσα στο πιάτο γιατί έπιανε όλο το πιάτο το γιουβαρλάκι. Παρεμπιπτόντως, "τέρμα τα πανηγύρια", δήλωσε ο κύριος Κ. και ο κύριος Μ. συμφώνησε ότι θα περιοριστεί σε μικρά ( διατροφικά) πανηγύρια μέχρι το Πάσχα, λόγω του καλοκαιριού που έρχεται και της ανάγκης απώλειας βάρους!

New research has found correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and increased levels of visceral belly fat in the body. Daily we need 5000 IU of Vitamin D3 so go for it!

Οι ερευνητές στο Ινστιτούτο Max Planck στη Γερμανία καταγράφουν τις ευρηματικές προσπάθειες ενός θηλυκού χιμπατζή να πάρει ένα απρόσιτο φιστίκι από τον πάτο από ένα σωλήνα. Οι Χιμπατζήδες, είναι οι γενετικά πλησιέστεροι συγγενείς των ανθρώπων, ζουν σε οικογένειες και συχνά χρησιμοποιούν εργαλεία.Μοιράζονται πάνω από το 98% του γενετικού μας κώδικα. Οι Άνθρωποι και οι Χιμπατζήδες, επίσης, πιστεύεται ότι μοιράζονται έναν κοινό πρόγονο που έζησε περίπου 4-8.000.000 χρόνια πριν. Παρόλο που συνήθως περπατάνε με όλα τα πόδια, οι χιμπατζήδες μπορούν να σταθούν όρθιοι και να περπατήσουν. Έχουν μια εξαιρετικά ποικίλη διατροφή που περιλαμβάνει εκατοντάδες των γνωστών τροφίμων. Οι Χιμπατζήδες είναι ένα από τα λίγα είδη ζώων που χρησιμοποιούν εργαλεία: Διαμορφώνουν και χρησιμοποιούν μπαστούνια για να ανακτήσουν τροφή. Μπορούν επίσης να χρησιμοποιούν πέτρες για να συνθλίψουν & ανοίξουν νόστιμα φρούτα και χρησιμοποιούν τα φύλλα σαν σφουγγάρια για να απολαύσουν το πόσιμο νερό. Οι Χ

In THE DOUBLE, the mysterious murder of a US senator bearing the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin "Cassius," forces Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA operative, to team with rookie FBI agent, Ben Geary (Topher Grace), to solve the crime. Having spent his career chasing Cassius, Shepherdson is convinced his nemesis is long dead, but is pushed to take on the case by his former supervisor, Tom Highland (Martin Sheen). Meanwhile, Agent Geary, who wrote his Master's thesis on Shepherdson's pursuit of the Soviet killer, is certain that Cassius has resurfaced. As Shepherdson and Geary work their way through crimes both past and present, they discover that Cassius may not be the person they always thought him to be, forcing both to re-examine everything and everyone around them

Adequate dietary fiber helps create feelings of fullness and satiety after meals and can therefore help prevent overeating. This can, in turn, help you achieve weight loss and maintain your body weight within a healthy range. There is not a recommended daily amount of fiber specifically for weight loss. The best rule of thumb is to consume the amount of daily fiber recommended for good health, and achieve weight loss through a combination of a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. Intake The National Fiber Council recommends 32 grams of dietary fiber per day for an average, healthy adult . In addition to helping with weight loss, fiber promotes digestive health and reduces the risk for developing colorectal cancer. It may also help lower cholesterol levels by binding excess cholesterol in the blood for excretion. Minimized risk for developing heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are all possible benefits of eating a fiber-rich diet. Whole Grains To find the grams of fiber

Fish Oil May Help You Lose Fat... But Not THAT Much Fat!The studies on fish oil and fat loss are encouraging, but the vast majority of research has been on animals (rats, mice and hamsters) and there have been limitations in nearly all the human studies so far, including: Small sample sizes, short study durations, statistically insignificant results, lack of randomization, no control groups, imprecise body composition testing, measurement errors, self-reporting of food intake, low compliance control and fish industry or supplement industry-sponsored bias. Many of the research results barely reach statistical significance, and you even have to wonder if these small improvements in fat loss are simply correcting omega-3 deficiency or fixing omega-3 and omega-6 imbalance… therefore, will they continue over a longer time period or is this a one time improvement? One of the earlier studies showed the same kind of measurable but modest results: The fish oil group that took 1.8 grams of co

 What would you do if I told you there was a drug that could improve your health, help you lose fat, increase your muscle growth, and enhance your post-exercise recovery? You'd be excited, right? Now what if I told you that this drug was readily available, perfectly legal to buy, and was relatively affordable? Well, I can already hear some of you screaming: "Oh my gawd, Dave, gimmie that drug!" Of course, those are the people who are new to the lifting game, but even the very experienced might get their interests piqued. What really seals the deal, and ultimately yields millions of dollars in profit, is the fact that there's scientific evidence to support some of these claims. From these cutting edge data, theories are formed and applied, and this is exactly how glutamine became so popular. In an age where effective supplements are on the verge of being banned, people are desperate to find the "next big thing." And this drug, Alpha Lipoic Acid or AL

Red Bull Air Race World Champion Kirby Chambliss demonstrates some incredible flying in his custom-built Zivko Edge 540. Part 4 of 4 of the "World of Red Bull" commercial series.

Part 2 of 4 in the "World of Red Bull" series, Ian Walsh dominates a huge wave at Teahupoo, Tahiti.

Part one in a series of four Red Bull commercials, Robbie Maddison jumps to the top of the Arc at Paris Las Vegas, New Year's Eve 2008.

Lipoic Acid Fools the Hypothalamus In related experiments with the Sprague-Dawley rats, the Korean researchers injected lipoic acid into their abdominal cavities or directly into their brains—specifically, the third intracerebral ventricle, a cavity located just above the hypothalamus. (Most humans would probably have a problem with this method of weight loss. But wait—think how much they’d lose just in contemplating having to undergo such a procedure. That’s it—scare the pounds off ’em!) Anyhow, the weight-loss results were similar to those obtained with the fat rats. The researchers concluded that lipoic acid exerts its effect on food intake mainly by suppressing the action of an enzyme called AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) in the hypothalamus. Among the many vital functions of this small brain structure, which lies deep in the forebrain, just above the pituitary gland, is the regulation of certain involuntary physical and emotional functions, such as sleep, mood, temperature