Wednesday, July 23, 2008 

Lose The Weight, Not The Fun, Of Summer Cookouts

It's summertime!

And with it comes barbecues, picnics, celebrations, and FOOD TEMPTATIONS. If you are trying to lose weight, control your blood sugar, cut back on saturated fats for heart health, or make any other dietary changes to improve your well-being, this can spell failure or the idea of deprivation. So what is a person to do? Shut themselves inside and become a recluse? Well, that IS an option, but not one that would probably make you very happy!

Commit to doing things differently from now on. Parties, cookouts, and social events are going to be a part of the rest of your life. It is time to leave the "kid in a candy store" mentality behind. You can still enjoy parties without making your body pay the price.

Below are some tips for handling picnics/cookouts, parties, and other celebrations with greater ease (for your mind and body).

* The number one thing to do is go with a plan in mind. Stop pretending you do not know what your M. O. (pattern) is at such events. You have had that "V-8 moment" after overindulging at a party far too many times to fool yourself anymore. Think ahead and decide what your strategy is going to be as far as eating (and even drinking). Then, stick to it! You may not do everything you planned to at first, but do not let that be an excuse for giving up. Keep reviewing your attempts and challenges, and resolve to do a little better each time based on what you learned the previous time.

* Never go to a social event hungry, unless you are planning to have a MEAL there. You are just setting yourself up to overeat or eat junky food. The "saving-calories-for-later" strategy does not work well for SO many reasons. Eat before you go if you know there is going to be a lot of finger food. Have a balanced, healthy meal at home and maybe just plan to have a small dessert there.

* Do not eat anything unless it is on a plate and served all at once (that includes you fixing the plate). Picking at food here and there makes it difficult for you to process how much you have eaten. By the time your stomach feels the stretch and sends the signal to the brain to turn off the appetite, you have already overeaten.

* Drink water or Perrier (NOT soda water or flavored water) instead of alcohol, or at least have 1 or 2 glasses of water between alcoholic drinks. This will help counteract the dehydrating effects of alcohol, reduce unnecessary calories/sugar, and prevent you from becoming inebriated!

* Bring your own healthy dish to share-something you have discovered and thoroughly enjoy. This assures that you will have at least one thing you can eat there that will not sabotage your healthy eating efforts, and makes you look like a thoughtful guest (momma always told me to never be an empty-handed guest). You might even find people asking you for the recipe!

* Barbecues are often an overload of starches: bread/rolls/buns, potato salad, pasta salad, potato chips, baked beans, etc. Piling your plate with high-glycemic, low-nutrition carbs such as these can sabotage your best efforts at life-time weight loss unless you learn to be smart about them. Either choose to have only one of them, along with a meat and some greens, or a smaller serving of a few of them.

* Learn to dodge or deflect people's well-intentioned urges for you to eat. If someone asks you if you tried "such & such" yet, you can say "Yes, and it was great" or "No, I'm full right now" or try, "Oh, I can't eat that; it gives me gas" (if you are the type of person who is comfortable delivering a line like that). People will continue to offer you food (sometimes even being insistent about it, which is usually based on their own insecurities), but continue to hold your ground and repeat the same phrase again. (If you have a particularly hard time with this, I suggest you practice some phrases in the mirror until you get comfortable saying them and they will more easily roll off the tongue when you need them. Seriously; try it).

* Focus on the fun, not the food. Unless the invitation said, "Come to a food-tasting party," there is some other reason for the event. Keep your focus on that. Use your mouth for talking more than eating. Keep your hands occupied with a bottle or glass of water. Involve yourself in any activities available.

(Note: if you tend to eat because you are shy or nervous in social settings, there are many things you can do to learn to be more confident. I used to be shy, too. Hypnosis is one of several things that helped me to become the confident public speaker and leader I am today. If you would like to talk to me more about my transition from shy to outgoing, contact me via email or phone and I will be happy to discuss with you.

For additional help with establishing healthy habits during celebrations, purchase my hypnosis CD, "Healthy Parties, Holidays, and Vacations" for just $10, plus shipping and handling. More personalized hypnosis CDs made specifically for you and your challenge areas can also be ordered for an additional cost. Contact me for more details.

Lisa Smith is a Certified Master Hypnotherapist, Wellness Coach, and NeuroLinguistic Programming Practitioner in the Virginia Beach area. She is a sought-after speaker, workshop presenter, and group coaching facilitator for creating health and self-fulfillment.

Her private practice, Life by Design Coaching and Hypnotherapy, offers coaching, hypnosis, NLP, and other options for health and self-improvement. In her 11 years as a hypnotherapist, she has conducted over 8,000 hypnosis sessions with children and adults for weight loss, addictions; stress and anxiety; phobias; childbirth; surgery preparation, cancer, pain management, and other mind-body healing. Sessions can be conducted in person or by phone. Visit her website at http://www.hypnocoachlisa.com for contact and other information.
Copyright (c) Life by Design Coaching & Hypnotherapy. June 2007. All rights reserved.

 

Foods to Eat to Lose Weight

Many people do not know that certain foods can actually help you lose weight without exercise like you saw in my video. They can make a HUGE difference.

The foods to eat to lose weight are probably foods you already know of but just don't know what portions, times or mixtures to eat them in. These 3 simple foods can go a long way if mixed with the proper diet and some of them are what helped me lose almost 30 pounds in 30 days with no exercise as you saw in my video.

Some of these foods you cannot even eat in the program I did and some you can but if you aren't going to do the program I did exactly I would start integrating these foods into your diet because I still do to this day and they have made a big impact on KEEPING me thin!

Foods to Eat to Lose Weight #1:

Although this is many foods you get the point. Foods high in fiber will result in suppressing your hunger with makes you eat less frequently throughout the day. MANY people's problems are snaking nonstop throughout the day and this can prevent that. It was a big problem for me. Some examples of foods high in fiber would be oatmeal (like I had almost every day in my meal plan), nuts, fruits, and even many cereals (careful for sugar). My favorite was oatmeal and I loaded this into my diet generator almost every week! For me personally it was one of the best foods to eat because it left me feeling refreshed and feeling full. Eating this in the morning will give you the best results.

Foods to Eat to Lose Weight #2:

The second foods to eat to lose weight isn't even a food... it's water! Many times people will think they are hungry when in fact they are just thirsty. This is why it is a good idea to have a tall glass of water with your dinner meal. Water also does a good job of flushing toxins out of your body.

Foods to Eat to Lose Weight #3:

The third food to eat to lose weight is veggies and fruits. This one was pretty obvious. I hated veggies but there were a select few I liked and one good thing about the diet generator in my diet program was I could input ONLY the veggies I liked and it would build my meals around those. Remember eating these are twofold. Good for you and high in fiber like we talked about before.

To see Phils video and sample diets of how Phil lost almost 30lbs in 30 days WITHOUT exercising visit foods to eat to lose weight

 

Discover 5 Quick Weight Loss Tips

Many people are simply too busy to lose weight. There are tons of tasks, daily activities, and even the enjoyment of our small amount of leisure time gets in the way of trying to lose weight. Let's be honest - losing weight is simply a hard thing to do in today's hectic lifestyle.

So what are the things you should do?

Eat a breakfast that stimulates your metabolism! - Eating a breakfast that stimulates your metabolism is one of the greatest things you can do, not only do you give yourself much more energy throughout the day, but you also help your body lose weight!

Some people have developed a metabolism so great that they can lose weight simply by sitting down - their metabolism is so active that their body naturally burns fat due to it's active lifestyle. Some high metabolism stimulating foods are oatmeal, and other fiber type foods!

Drink tons of Water & Green Tea - That's right! You want to make sure that you drink tons of water and Green Tea, by doing this you will be ridding your body of all the toxins. Some of these toxins even slow the body from having tons of energy; therefore your metabolism will be slower, and weight loss will decrease.

You want to have a healthy body, fast metabolism; not to mention drinking tons of water and the benefits it can do for your outer appearance and self-esteem. Most people simply do not drink enough water throughout the day! Be sure that you do.

Healthy Snacks? Why? Remember to make healthy snacks on your way to work. There's nothing wrong with eating frequently if you are eating healthy foods that help your metabolism and your overall health.

Pack fruits, vegetables, even trail mix, oatmeal if possible, grilled foods - just find all the healthy snacks. There are ways to do this cheap and effectively. You will have the fastest weight loss ever if you eat healthy snacks frequently!

Losing Weight On the Go Means Focus - You're going to have to be focused when trying to lose weight on the go. Since you are on the go, you are going to have to be even more discipline with your dieting habits.

The reason for this is because you do not have enough time as opposed to someone who just sits at home and has tons of time to exercise. If you can find exercise then great! But remember to watch your diet at all times, your on the go! It can be rather hard.

Remember to Reward Yourself! - Not everyday has to be bad, in fact, no day should be bad when it comes to dieting and exercise. If you do exercise, you will probably get used to it to the point where you body needs it in order to function.

You should definitely reward yourself by eating great tasting cake, steak, whatever; just do not do it too much. It's really hard to lose weight if you really do not give yourself something to look forward - develop a reward system!

Losing 9 Pounds in 11 Days using the FatLoss4 Idiots Program sounds like an impossible feat; however, with much work and determination many people can surprise themselves. By creating a diet that stimulates the metabolism and reduces fat - a person will be able to lose weight; no matter their body type! If you are interested in how you can lose 9 pounds in 11 days using the "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" dieting plan, then visit http://fattlosers.blogspot.com for more information

 

How To Lose Eight Pounds Every Month

There are several popular diets for quick weight loss out there that may or may not work in helping you achieve your goal of losing a few pounds quickly, however, the American Heart Association and just about every doctor, nutritionist and fitness experts has said that some these types of "quick fix" fad diets are not only bad for you, but also potentially dangerous and do nothing to really help you in the long run.

It's kind of like those "Payday Loan" places in a way. You know, you go in and get a loan until payday and everything seems great at the time, but then on payday you not only have to pay back what you borrowed, but you also must pay back a huge amount of fees. With these diets for quick weight loss the initial response that you get is when you get the loan, but the interest you must pay back could be gaining back even more weight than what you lost initially or suffering long term health issues from it.

Let's face it folks. There is no such thing as a "magic diet pill" that is healthy. Do you really want to risk your health in order to lose weight? Look at what happened recently to Anna Nicole Smith. The jury is still out on how she could have possibly lost all of that weight by using TrimSpa, a product that has now been scientifically proven NOT to work. The poor girl is gone, whether it was from what she was putting in her body or not, who knows, but I know that I personally have a family that loves me and I would never endanger myself in any manner just to lose a few quick pounds.

When are people going to get it through their heads that it takes time to gain weight, therefore, it takes time to lose weight. The only way that a person can lose weight is by burning off more calories than what they're taking in. The only healthy way to do this is by eating healthy foods, but monitor your calorie intake and start a regular exercise routine and stick to it. The weight will gradually come off, the same way that it gradually came on. You can expect to lose a pound or two per week, so if you need to lose twenty pounds you can expect it to take around 10-12 weeks, but you'll be doing it the healthy way. You'll not only lose the weight, but you'll also increase your muscle tone, increase your strength, improve your mental outlook, increase your metabolism, build your confidence and feel like a million bucks. For goodness sakes, stay away from those diets for quick weight loss. Swallow your laziness and get with a real diet program, the healthy way!

Are You Burned Out On Fad Diets? Find Out The REAL Truth About Losing Weight By Visiting BestWayToLoseWeight.org or by clicking on Healthy Way To Lose Weight. Joe Simmons is a former U.S. Army Sgt That Wants You To Live A Healthy Life. He Has Years Of Experience In The Areas Of Weight Loss, Fitness And Nutrition.

 

Expert Tips from A Doctor to Lose Weight and Keep it Off

There are so many suggestions out there to lose weight and it's hard to separate facts from myths. Here are some tips from a physician to help you to lose weight but most of all keep it off.

Tip #1 Calculate Your Metabolic Rate

Use a metabolic calculator to help you figure out your daily metabolic rate. This rate is an estimate of your body's daily metabolism and will tell you how many calories you generally burn on a daily basis given your activity level. The older you are the slower your metabolic rate. The more inactive or sedentary you are the lower your rate. The more muscle mass you have the higher the metabolic rate. The more over your ideal body rate the slower your metabolism.

Tip #2 Exercise is a Must

You must exercise. Optimal frequency is 3 to 5 times per week. This is one of the best ways to increase your metabolic rate or burn more calories, even when you are resting. Do not let anyone fool you. This is a critical component to lose weight and to keep it off! Weight reduction and maintenance are products of a prudent lifestyle rich in wise choices.

Tip #3 Water

Drink plenty of water. Water helps your body to burn calories and may even suppress the appetite to a certain degree. It helps to rid the body of sodium and can decrease bloating or fluid retention. Water also helps to eliminate toxins from the body and regulate your colon to prevent constipation. The use of a probiotics and digestive enzymes will also aid this process of cleansing and regulation.

Tip # 4 Foods to Improve Your Metabolism

Choose food which improve your metabolism to help you burn more calories. Such foods include: Green tea, grapefruits, apples, pears, and plain yogurt. Lean meats, especially turkey will increase your metabolism. It take more calories for your body to digest proteins.

Tip #4 Increase Your Fiber

Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These foods tend to be rich in fiber and minimize the rise of insulin and cortisol in your body. This will lead to less fat storage, especially on the belly and and thighs. Fiber rich foods will minimize the sharp sugar rise after eating. This in turn will lead to less insulin and cortisol production by the body.

Tip #5 Eat Less Calorie Dense Foods

Eat foods that are filling but less calorie dense. Foods such as soup which contain liquid and food is filling and tend to be less calorie dense. High water content fruits are filling, decrease the craving for carbohydrates and are less calorie dense.

Tip #6 Minimize Fried Foods

Minimize fried foods, especially carbohydrates or breaded foods. Don't spoil foods such as cheese or vegetables by breading them and frying them. Eat fried foods no more than every 7 to 10 days. Eat boiled eggs instead of fried. Eat baked, grilled or barbecue chicken instead.

Tip #7 Eat More

Eat more. What? Yes, I said eat more. Eat 4 to 5 meals per day. Making wise choices does not mean you starve yourself, skip meals or stay hungry. If you skip meals or eat 1 or 2 meals per day, your body will adjust and lower the metabolic rate. Eat until you are satisfied but never full and never overeat. This will just sharply raise insulin and cortisol levels which can lead to more fat storage.

Tip #8 Don't Give Up Potatoes, Rice or Pasta

Don't give up rice, potatoes or pasta. It's all about balance. Have truly one serving if you eat these foods. However, if you are having a baked potato, skip the rice or pasta. Portion control in other words is key. The biggest mistake is not in eating these foods but in eating them in multiple combinations with multiple servings. Your plate should be colorful. In other words, most of the items on your plate should be vegetables and fruits.

Tip #9 Avoid High Protein Diets

High protein diets are difficult and unreasonable to maintain. These diets stress the kidneys due to the large protein load. What sense does it make to have cheese and meat for breakfast? Your body needs carbohydrates for quick energy and to maintain the nerves and other critical cells of the body. Again, portion control is key, not elimination. If you are a body builder or athlete do not take more than one protein shake per day when eating a regular diet. Take digestive enzymes with protein digesting enzymes (proteases) to minimize the stress on the body, especially the kidneys.

Tip #10 Keep the Body Guessing

The body will set its metabolic rate based on the pattern of foods eaten and the number of meals. So, vary the diet. Eat more fruits today but eat more protein tomorrow. If medically possible, take 1 to 2 days per month and eat just fruits for the first two meals to cleanse the system and keep the body guessing. For lunch, try eating all vegetables and eliminate the meat one or two days per week. Eat one serving of nuts 3 times per week. Almonds are one of the best choices. Use unsalted or lightly salted nuts to avoid fluid retention and increasing your blood pressure.

Orville Campbell, MD is an internist and nephrologist. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. His expertise include: health and wellness, hypertension, diabetes, vitamin D, anemia, and kidney diseases.

http://www.ClaimWellness.com

 

Weight Loss Scams Revealed

Wouldnt it be nice to lose weight quickly, with minimal effort or fuss? Of cause you would! I for one would love to just sit back do nothing and the weight will just fall off.

Whether its a Low Carb, Low GI Diet, A choice of diet pills or natural weight loss pills, diet shakes, or exercise equipment, weve all seen the fantastic claims people including celebrities make about losing tons of weight AND how they can show you how to do the same thing.

I can tell you right now that 99% of these people are total frauds. You may have even fallen prey to one of these scam artists, selling you their latest weight loss program. Me too!

In the past Ive brought so many of these programs that I cant even recall how many. I dont know why, but I tend to find the good in people, and I was sold by these marketing schemes time and time again, even after being scammed by another. Finally, after so many disappointments, I got FED UP. I decided to get to the bottom of this fascination we have with Weight Loss Programs and find out if there really were any LEGITIMATE programs for Weight Loss.

Legitimate as in not only dealing with LOSING WEIGHT but also what caused the Weight Gain in the first place.

The American Heart Association has several tips to that helps guide you to identify a Fad Diet or Program if it is recommended.

Magic or miracle foods that burn fat. Foods dont burn fat they create fat when we eat more than we need.

Bizarre quantities of only one food or type of food such as eating only cabbage or tomatoes. These foods are fine as part of an overall healthy diet, but eating large quantities of them could lead to unpleasant side effects.

Rigid Menus. Many diets set out a very limited selection of foods to be eaten at a specific time and day, exactly as written. Often these limited diets dont address the widely varied taste preferences of our diverse population.

Specific food combinations. Some foods taste good together, like the classic soup and sandwich, but theres no scientific evidence that eating foods in certain sequences or combinations has any medical benefit.

Rapid weight loss of more than two pounds a week.

No warning given to people with diabetes or high blood pressure to seek advice from the physician or healthcare provider. Some fad diets could raise blood pressure or blood glucose even if you loss weight.

No increase physical activity. Simple physical activities, like walking or riding a bike, are one of the most important ways to lose weight and maintain weight loss. Yet many fad diets dont emphasis these easy changes.

Now dont be discouraged, which weight loss program is the right one for you, which one isnt just a fad diet. In my research I have found a few programs that not only deal with losing weight but also the cause of why you got fat in the first place (which by the way, is ultimately the main reason why we end up putting the weight back on) and also adding in successful, simple strategies to increase exercising.

Whatever you do, I wish you a healthy year for you and yours

Author Bio: Gillian Tarawhiti BSc, Dip BM, Dip Ed, is Founder and CEO of Community Training Centre & Gain Back Your Life Centre, A registered EFT Practitioner, Member of AAMET and Online Training and Support to the new and not so new netpreneurs. Gillian is also the author of eBay Billion Dollar Goldmine, and the creator of NO DIET WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM(TM) and the Multiple Ripple Effect System 2004. Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to http://www.gainbackyourlife-eft.com

 

Eat Chocolate and Lose Weight!

Eat chocolate and lose weight, yes I said it! In the same sentence even. Chocolate lovers are going to be delighted to hear that there is now a new product on the market that not only tastes heavenly but you just may lose a few pounds from eating it too!

It is no surprise that dark chocolate is healthy for you. Everybody is talking about it. It is all over the news and I am sure that you have seen the stories and read the articles that dark chocolate is indeed good for you. Dark chocolate has been found to lower blood pressure. In addition, the antioxidant content has been found to help in the fight against heart disease. But don't go grabbing for that Hershey's Bar or even a Godiva Bar just yet. The chocolate that you buy in the stores is laden with fats, fillers and waxes and even though the experts say to eat 70% cacao it is only best when eaten in moderation... right? Not anymore.

Now there is a chocolate that not only is healthy for you but you can eat 3 times a day guilt free. This chocolate is gluten free, vegetarian/vegan and diabetic friendly. It is called Xocai (Sho-sigh) and is pure, unadulterated cacao. You can't get better than this!

Xocai is a division of MXI or Marketing Xocolate International and is based in Reno, Nevada. They have patented a cold press technology that allows the chocolate to maintain the antioxidant content throughout the manufacturing process. This is a grave comparison to traditional chocolate that typically loses about 80% of the antioxidants during the manufacturing process. The antioxidant content is so unreal that one piece of Xocai's decadent chocolate is equivalent to eating almost 1 pound of broccoli!

Xocai's products deliver extraordinary levels of antioxidants and other important phytonutrients without adding all the extra fats, fillers, refined sugar, milk or caffeine...all which are added in your typical "chocolates".

The secret to the Xocai chocolate is in the company's approach to making chocolate. They aren't trying to make candy. Their objective is to create the most powerful, antioxidant-rich products available today and to make them in such a way that you actually look forward to being healthy! That's what MXI is all about...delivering the best tasting and healthiest chocolate available anywhere for any price.

Three pieces of Xocai's delicious chocolate is equivalent to 10-12 servings of fruits and vegetables in antioxidants. Wow! Not to mention that it is a natural appetite suppressant and an anti-inflammatory. Who knew chocolate could be so good for you?

With new scientific studies showing dark chocolate and raw cacao's ability to help stabilize blood sugar, it only makes sense that the right kind of chocolate can help those looking to lose weight. And that's only the beginning of what research is saying about the health benefits of chocolate.

To learn more about Losing Weight, visit Mary's Healthy Chocolate website.

Mary Cascio is a successful home based business entrepreneur and international business builder. Her passions are helping people to achieve their goals towards financial freedom and time management.

"The only difference between a rich person and poor person is how they use their time" - Robert Kiyosaki

 

Green Tea Weight Loss - How It Works

Green tea weight loss has been the talk of the town recently. The brews beneficial health effects have been enticing more people to start including green tea in their daily diet. Here are the reasons why green tea is touted as the natural way to lose weight.

Green tea speeds up your metabolism.

A study has found that green tea extract helped increase energy expenditure, or enhancement in the bodys metabolism process. Researchers were able to conclude that green tea causes a boost in a persons metabolic rate by 4 percent. The effects were considered to be a result of the activity of major green tea components called catechin polyphenols. These substances function by helping to improve the process of fat oxidation and thermogenesis, which refers to the rate at which the body burns calories. The increase of a persons metabolic rate then causes a greater number of calories to be burned and body fat to be lowered, rendering green tea weight loss programs effective.

Green tea regulates glucose and slows down fat absorption.

Green tea has been found to be valuable in regulating the bodys glucose by slowing the rise in blood sugar, most especially after a meal. By acting as a glucose regulator, green tea prevents high insulin spikes, which leads to fat storage. Green tea also helps by slowing down the action of amylase, a certain digestive enzyme. The course involving the slowing down of amylase is essential in green tea weight loss as this helps stem the breakdown of starches or carbohydrates, which are the main causes why blood sugar levels rise after a meal. The catechins in green tea also help to suppress the passage of glucose into fat cells. The effectiveness of green tea weight loss programs are then made possible through glucose regulation and the repression of fat absorption.

Green tea weight loss programs can help cut down calories.

Compared to coffee, green tea is a more suitable drink for people who want their caffeine fix but dont want the extra calories. Drinking coffee with calorie-loaded cream and sugar wreaks havoc on your waistline. Due to this, green tea weight loss programs advise against taking coffee to help cut back on calorie intake and eventually lose weight.

Green tea may help decrease the desire for food.

Animal studies done by scientists revealed that green tea can help lose up to 21 percent of body weight in rats. In the experiment, rats were injected daily with a green tea extract for seven days. The results showed that the rats lost their food cravings, which was evident in their food consumption that experienced a decrease of up to 60 percent. Researchers suggested that the reaction may have been caused by the way green tea regulates blood sugar.

With all these green tea weight loss benefits, people may wonder just how much green tea they have to take. Though answers vary, its generally considered that 3 to 5 cups of green tea day is most favorable. This amount can help burn an additional 70 calories a day.

Patricia Hammond is a green tea enthusiast. Get her FREE 7-Day GREEN TEA eCourse here or visit her site at http://www.YourHealthCenter.info for more health tips on weight loss, sleeping disorders and others.

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