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Information And Advice To Help People To Lose Weight

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:02:00 +0000

If you are looking into ways of how you can become fitter or how you can lose weight, this article may be of interest to you. It gives information and advice to help people to successfully lose weight and more importantly to keep this weight off in the long term. I have had many issues with my own weight and have tried many different weight loss programs and diets. I have lost weight but then after only a short period of time, I would put all of the weight back on again. A few years ago, I decided to try to reduce the amount I weighed yet again, but was determined that this time the fat would stay off. I had read many books on the subject of fitness and dieting and decided to follow some of the advice which I had learnt. I wrote down all of the reasons I was trying to lose the excess fat. This is very important as it would be a constant reminder of what I am attempting to achieve and also about why I am attempting to achieve it. It would give me a huge motivation to stick to my weight loss plan. I would advise anybody who is also looking to lose weight to write a similar list as it proved to be very beneficial to me. On my list I wrote about how I wanted to look and feel stronger and fitter. This I believed would help my self-confidence and self-esteem which were always fairly low. I had had enough of feeling ashamed of my weight and fat belly. I wanted to walk down the street feeling proud and assured. I wanted to lose weight to avoid all the health problems that being obese can cause, as people become older. I am not sure about you but I rarely see a fat person who is in their seventies or eighties. I am hoping to live until a ripe old age and enjoy my retirement. Next on my list was about the clothes I wear. Basically I am not able to buy the clothes I really want to as they do not really suit a person of my build. I often look at other people and am impressed with their clothes but then realise that they are a lot of thinner than I am. The clothes may look impressive on them but would not look the same if I wore them. I also wanted to lose weight in order for me to look more attractive to members of the opposite sex. Being overweight I am sure has a bearing as to why I have not exactly been a stud in my life, well it is my excuse anyway. The last reason on my list was about my general level of fitness. I love playing football and was a regular in the school football team. That was years ago, when ever I had played recently before writing this list, I had been out of breath after only about fifteen minutes. This was quite a shock for me and made playing the game far less fun and enjoyable. I wrote about how I would love to regain my fitness so that I could participate in this and other sports. Once I had written my list, I would then read it on regular occasions and it would help me to keep motivated. I am not saying it was an easy road, however I eventually managed to obtain a weight that I was happy with. I am pleased to let you know that I have also been successful in keeping the weight off this time around. In conclusion, if you are thinking about or hoping to lose some weight, I would recommend you to write a list of reasons why you are doing it. Keep these ideas in mind and if you start to be tempted by that fatty food, quickly read your list to remind you why you should ignore your temptations. Good luck.

Count Colors Not Calores to Lose Weight!

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:39:00 +0000

If you need to drop and few kilos and don’t know where to get started, stop counting calories and start counting colours. When it comes to losing weight, make sure your plate is piled high with a range of colourful fruit and vegetables. You’ll naturally create more balance and health-filled menus. Why? Colour not only brightens your mood – but also your diet. Load your plate with fruit and veges like a box of crayons in colours such as red, yellow, orange, blue, purple, white and green and you’ll also be filling up on power packed phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are naturally occurring chemicals which combat disease, including cancer. Go easy on the beige and brown foods such as pasta and startchy carbs. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain. That’s because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories….but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you’ll get more enjoyment from eating when there’s a variety of colours and flavours on your plate. According to Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and author of “What Color Is Your Diet” the key to designing your colourful diet is to choose from a range of different colour groups: Blue/purple fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of health-promoting phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and phenolics. Choose from a range including blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, plums, raisins. These assist in memory function. Green group includes broccoli; Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and bok choi. These foods stimulate the genes in your liver to turn on the production of enzymes that break down the cancer-causing chemicals in the body. The yellow/green group includes green peas, avocado and honeydew melon. These promote eye health. The yellow/orange group includes carrots, mangoes, apricots, rock melon and pumpkin. These contain carotenoids (beta carotene is one), fierce antioxidants that help prevent cancer and assist to lower heart-attack risk. The white group includes bananas, white peaches, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and are helpful to maintain heart health. The red group includes tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon all of which contain lycopene. Lycopene is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. The red/purple group includes grapes, grape juice, prunes, cranberries, strawberries and red apples. These foods contain anthocyanins which have a beneficial effect on heart disease by inhibiting blood clot formation.

Why Is Weight Loss So Hard?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:31:00 +0000

Weight loss is a common problem millions of Americans today struggle with. Very few Americans have been successful at losing a desired amount of weight. The main problem is that most cannot stick to the designated program. For instance, a general weight loss program includes both diet as well as exercise. Most of the time an individual trying to lose weight will at least attempt one of these. Often times what happens is that the exercise may be too strenuous for that person since they must have lacked exercise for so long going back to why they are in such shape. Another perspective is the diet. Most people looking to lose weight are usually in this pandemic because of eating not only food with high amounts of sugars and fats, but also food in high quantities of these fats ans sugars. This becomes a significant problem because changing old habits for anyone is such a difficult process especially in America since you can’t walk two feet out your door without seeing a McDonald’s. So in the end dieting or weight loss in general is such a difficult process because of the extreme new “way of life” you would have to adapt to. A recent statistic said that of those who fail to reach an ideal weight goal in a diet actually gain more weight trying the diet rather then losing. The reason for this is once you “give in,” you start “binge eating” meaning you eats almost everything in site with no restrictions. This is a one negative impact of dieting viewed by many. Of course most researchers/doctors say diet and exercise are essential for a healthy life, whether losing weight or not.

Why Do We Cheat On Our Diets?

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:36:00 +0000

If only we could solve this question, the world (for many) would be a better place! Well, the reality is that there are real answers to this question that will apply to many people. It will take a good dose of reality and a brave heart to stop denying what really happens. Read on to discover some answers that may change your life forever and give you the impetus to lose weight and keep it off! Justification? Being overweight can be used as an excuse for being unhappy, especially when you do not do anything to help yourself. Subconsciously, over-eating is a comfort for many people and this then allows them to hide behind their weight problem and helps them to justify rejection and avoid being hurt. They can then shift the blame of rejection on their weight-problem, without addressing other aspects of their fears. Sometimes it seems easier to hide behind your “weight problem”, than address other matters where you may have a greater fear of failure. Eating Without Thinking? If you are concentrating on another activity while you are eating you are more likely to overeat because you are not fully aware of how full you are feeling. This factor can be difficult to change because it is not a conscious action. Try to only eat when you don’t have a lot of other distractions. Sit down, eat slowly and enjoy the food you are eating, and remember that it is not always necessary to go back for seconds. It takes 20 minutes for food to reach your stomach and for your brain to register that you are full. Cravings? The famous “Pavlov’s dogs” were conditioned to eat at the sound of a bell, and we human are much the same when it comes to habitual cravings. If you wonder why you always feel like a chocolate when you sit down to watch a movie, or you have to have a box of popcorn….think again. You are not necessarily craving these foods because you are hungry, but rather consider force of habit. During the time when you have a craving, try to ask yourself whether you are really hungry or not. If you are hungry, reach for a low fat snack rather than a chocolate bar or bag of crisps. Indulging? Eating or thinking about food can be a distraction from your troubles and you may therefore be unnecessarily over-eating. Emotions and hormones can trigger certain cravings, for example, if you are feeling low, chocolate and carbohydrates assist the production of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin helps you feel happier. This is why we might crave sweet or starchy foods during times of sadness or stress. If you identify with any of the above factors, you could be on your way towards discovering what is triggering you to overeat.

Am I Lazy?

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:24:00 +0000

Is the reason that there has been an increase in obesity due to the fact that adults in today’s society are lazy? Are we all just a bunch of lethargic couch potatoes that don’t do anything but sit around and eat all the time? I say no. Instead we are a product of our revolutionary, technological society. I am not saying we can blame technology, rather I am saying that as with our youth, the adults are also a reflection of the society that surrounds them. It isn’t an excuse, but it is a thought I pondered based on my typical day. I get up in the morning, not to the sound of an aggravating buzz, beep, or the blaring of the radio. These alarms would get my blood racing right from the start, but I would hit snooze to stop the insanity. Then it would happen again, and again, the snooze bar. After a few times of this I am would now be late for work, rush to the shower if I even had time, rush to the car, and speed off to work. Not in today’s world. Instead, I wake to the soothing sound of the ocean on my Homedics radio and slowly wake peacefully. No blood pumping, no increased heart rate. I just have a nice and slow, easy awakening. Next I head to the shower where I put turn on my shower CD player and listen to something that I enjoy while I take my time letting the water almost run cold. During my toweling off and getting dressed period of the morning, I can hear my coffee being made on the coffee maker that is set to make me a cup every morning with me not having to do a thing. While I sit and drink my coffee pondering the day ahead of me, I notice that it is almost gone, so I gently push a button on my key ring that starts my car and gets it nice and warm for me before I even get to it. I can then take my leisurely stroll to my car, get in, and have a nice peaceful drive to work (barring any unforeseen road rage). Nothing like before when I had to run to my car because I was late most of the time due to the annoyance of my alarm or run because it was cold and then get in and shake and shiver for 10 minutes until it warmed up. Once at work I find myself taking out my PDA and seeing what is on my agenda for the day. Nope, no more flipping through pages of my pocket calendar or scheduler. My work day is simple and uneventful, but instead of having to run back and forth through the office to get messages to everyone, I can now simply send an interoffice email with the push of a button. When it is time to leave, I again start my car from my office and drive home. Arriving at home, I put in a microwave dinner that doesn’t have to be chopped up, cut up, stirred, blended, kneaded, poked, or even prodded. Push a few buttons and five minutes later I am sitting in front of the TV watching the shows I recorded on my cable’s digital recorder and eating my five minute, nuked meal. Would I have done this in the past? The answer is no, because I would have had to physically make something to eat, and there wouldn’t be anything on TV worth watching, so I would eat and go do something like yard work, clean the house, play with the kids, whatever, just something else to occupy the time. Oops, while I was eating, I got some crumbs on the floor and then dropped some more on the way back to the kitchen. Oh well, I will just push the button on my robot vacuum cleaner and let it clean the whole floor as it is preprogrammed to do. Finally, my day is coming to an end and instead of doing something really constructive before I go to bed, I can’t resist the opportunity to surf the Internet for a little while, maybe chat to some friends or relatives, and check my email. Besides, I have to plug in my PDA to the computer anyway. Now my lazy or technologically dysfunctional day is complete. This whole story brings me back to my question that started the whole thing. Am I lazy or am I just a product of my environment. It is this author’s opinion that I am both. Years ago, even the simple things like making the dinner would be exercise, but now it is too easy because it is done for you in a box. Everything today is easy and most adults are on the heavy side, because things are easier and don’t take as much energy. That doesn’t mean we in society are lazy, it means we don’t have to exert ourselves as much to accomplish the every day routines that are needed to complete the day. However, I could stop by the gym on my way home, or go for a walk after dinner, so I am also lazy too. The Internet just pulls me in night after night and I can’t seem to make myself do anything else after dinner. Shame on you technology for holding that gun to my head! Brad G. Morris

Have You Ever Seen A Fat Postman

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:08:00 +0000

This article is all about how to lose weight, I hope you find it interesting to read and beneficial. I am somebody who has always struggled to keep off the fat and who has tried many different forms of diet. From about the age of twelve, I have had problems with my weight. I have to be careful what I eat and I personally believe I actually eat less than what other people do. One of the issues I do have though is that I like the wrong types of food. Vegetables, fruit, salad and pasta do not really do it for me, where as fast foods such as pizza, chips and curry do. Another one of my bad habits is that from the age of around sixteen I started to get a taste and a liking for alcohol. I have to admit that from this age I have always drank far too much and far more than the average man. You may well be thinking at this point that it is was no wonder that I have had problems controlling my weight. In my defence, I have had many confidence issues and suffered with a low self-esteem for many years. This would cause me to binge drink and comfort eat. When hungover I would eat copius amounts of these fatty foods to make me feel better. By the age of twenty-two I was basically very fat or obese. I decided at this stage of my life to do something about this and started looking into various forms of diet. Maybe it is just me but these weight loss programs seemed very harsh and very unrealistic. Drinking taste-less milkshakes four times a day, eating five fruits a day and not being able to drink alcohol, no thanks. Following these diets would make my life not really worth living and I knew that I would not be able to stick to them. One morning I saw three different postmen delivering their rounds. They were all quite thin, at a weight I would love to be. Over the next few weeks I kept an eye out for other postmen and realised that the ones I had observed were all thin. I thought about why would this be, quite simply because they do a lot of exercise via walking. I sat myself down and started to think. I had to admit to myself that I do very little exercise and I use my car to take me to virtually every place I go. The answer was quite simple, I need to, at times walk my children to school, walk to my friends and in general ensure I exercise far much more than I was. This has, I am happy to report helped my tremendously and I now have a weight I am happy with.

Secret Parenting Tips on How to Teach Your Kid to be Healthy

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:04:00 +0000

As parents, I think we can agree that when it comes to encouraging kids to make healthy choices, it’s not an easy task. So what’s a parent to do? It begins by creating healthy choices without being too obvious about it. After all, for many kids if you say the word healthy, they’ll turn up their nose in disgust! It isn’t uncommon for kids to push aside healthy options for the “fun” food, which is heavily promoted through television. “If I don’t buy the food they like, they won’t eat anything!” is a common myth among parents. The reality is if they get hungry enough, they will eat. You have never heard of a child starving to death because his mother refused to feed him “junk food”, have you? Children will choose to eat healthy food. It’s a process that takes time and creativity. There are plenty of healthy foods that your kids can learn to enjoy. It’s simply a matter of making gradual changes and allowing their taste buds to adjust to the changes. Kids are used to eating foods high sodium and fat, and need to adjust to eating new healthier foods. This process takes awhile. Making small changes to the normal routine is key. Follow these tips to help your child make healthy choices that will last a lifetime. 1) Have healthy foods ready and easy to grab in the kitchen. Stock your kitchen with fruits, vegetables, complex starches, yogurt and lean protein. By default you are changing your child’s food choices simply because your are limiting the availability of “junk food” and increasing the availability of “healthy foods”. Kids need an after school snack. I remember my Mom always having pre-portioned snacks ready for us and as kids my sister and I always looked forward to our after school snack of the day, it was a treat and a way for our family to bond. Try having these healthy and easy snacks ready for your kids. A smoothie with yogurt and fruit, baked tortilla chips and salsa, sliced apple with peanut butter, string cheese and crackers, yogurt with granola or salt-less pretzels with peanuts. 2) Put your kids in charge of packing their own lunch. Make a rule that when your kid enters 5th grade they are responsible for making their own lunch and can pack anything they want as long as they pack food from all of the food groups. This was the strategy that my Mother used. By the time my sister and I were in the 5th grade the anticipation of “being in charge” of our own lunch made us really want to do it. It was a win-win because we felt grown-up and Mom didn’t have to pack lunch! 3) Involve your children in making the grocery-shopping list. Explain that they are allowed to choose one “treat” and beside that they have to choose their fruit, yogurt, bread, cereal and type of lunchmeat they want. And they can use these foods to pack their own lunch! On the refrigerator we always had a pad of paper with the grocery list. I remember being able to write down one treat I wanted every week as well as what flavored yogurt, lunchmeat and fruit that I wanted for my school lunch. I was given the responsibility of making food decisions for myself, which definitely helped me develop into a responsible adult. 4) Make physical activity a part of your family’s routine Be active yourself and share your activity with your kids. You can play with them, such as football, cycling, skating, and swimming or take family walks and hikes. Being more active as a family will improve physical and emotional health. Help your kids to find activities that they enjoy by showing them different possibilities. During the summer it was a tradition for my family to go for a bike ride every Friday night after dinner. We would sing songs and plan games together; sometimes we would be having so much fun that we would be out riding until 11pm. I also remember my parents using it as a disciplinary tactic, if we didn’t clean our rooms that week we would not be able to ride out bike in the street with them. 5) Have your entire family take part in preparing/planning family meals. The more your kids can participate in family meals, the better choices they will be willing to make. Healthy eating is a family project and everyone should get involved. You can begin by choosing one night a week where the entire family can come together and prepare and eat together. Before our bike rides on Friday we would have a family dinner night. Often the meal of choice was pizza. Together we would make a homemade pizza with pepperoni and vegetables that we would strategically place on the pizza. Sometimes we would create a model of our house, we each were able to make our bedrooms and come together as a family to the living room and kitchen.

16 Ways to Burn Stubborn Body Fat

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:26:00 +0000

Eat less … lose weight?!? Here’s the other stuff you can do to get leaner. 1) Don’t diet to extremes. Reducing calories by 15-20% a day will almost exclusively burn fat while larger cuts in calories will burn a combo of muscle tissue and fat. Muscle drives the metabolism – calorie burning. If you’re currently eating 3000 calories, reduce to 2400-2550, but do so according to smart guidelines like those laid out in The Living Health Weight Loss Audio. 2) Graze all day. Professional athletes and models eat all day long yet keep their total calories under control. The grazing method, 5-6 small meals, elevates the metabolism. Each time you eat, the metabolism increases, and over a 6-10 week period, that increase can parlay into another 2-3 pounds of fat loss. 3) Increase Protein. Carbs, protein and fat – are equal in their efficiency to be stored as body fat, but protein exerts a greater metabolic boosting effect than carbs or dietary fat. When calories drop, protein saves muscle which helps keep the metabolism elevated. Aim for 1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight daily. 4) Play with Carbs. Carbs help retain metabolic boosting muscle yet they can stimulate fat storage. Following a modified low carb diet – staggering your carbohydrate intake is one of the most effective ways to jump start your metabolism and to burn stubborn fat fast (as outlined in Maximize Your Metabolism and the Living Health Audio Program.) 5) Go Backward. One reason fat loss comes to a halt; the body downgrades its metabolism to meet its dwindling intake of calories. The solution: dramatically increase your calorie intake once every 2-3 weeks. The one day splurge “re-sets” the metabolism by restoring thyroid levels, the calorie burning hormone that declines with dieting. 6) Skip the Late Night Carbs. Carbs eaten before bedtime are more likely to be stored as body fat so focus on lean proteins and fiber based vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and salad fixings. The lone exception: if you train late at night and your goal is to build muscle mass, you’ll need the carbs to replenish glycogen and support growth. 7) Go Fish. When calories are controlled, the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, trout and sardines may promote speedier fat loss. One study revealed dieters who ate fish on a daily basis lost more weight than those who ate fish just once a week (Am Journ Clin Nutr 70:817-825, 1999) Go Spicy. Red peppers, the spicy ingredient in Mexican and Indian dishes contains Capsaicin which can increase the metabolic rate by effecting the Sympathetic Branch of the Nervous system. Spiking your chicken dishes with red might be a small benefit or you can gulp 5 to 10 encapsulated grams of Capsaicin from your local health food store. (Journal of Nutrition 116:1272-1278, 1986.) 9) Don’t Be Cardio Crazy! Radically reducing calories slows the metabolism short circuiting fat loss. Same is true with radical caloric expenditure. You know: 2 cardio sessions a day. Excess cardio slows the metabolism, promotes a loss in muscle and even can lower testosterone levels. For real results, stick to 4-6 sessions a week, 30 – 45 minutes at a clip and maintain a high level of intensity. 10) Separate Cardio From Weight Training. What happens when you do cardio first and follow it up with weight training? You don’t build as much muscle density. How about cardio after training? You risk overtraining and the negative hormonal milieu that can stifle the metabolic rate. The best scenario; hit the cardio in the morning – on an empty stomach – get in a few meals and return to the gym later in the day to build muscle density. 11) Serotonin Control. Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps controls hunger. Guess what? It can take a nose dive with dieting. ( R.J. Wurtman and J.J. Wurtman, “Brain serotonin, carbohydrate-craving, obesity, and depression.” Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 398 (1996): 35-41.) One way to prevent a drop; smaller, more frequent meals. 12) Garlic Chicken! Mother Earth’s flavor enhancer stimulates adrenaline and uncoupling proteins (UCP). Adrenaline triggers fat breakdown and UCP, located in metabolically active “brown fat”, increase calorie burning. Garlic also controls cortisol levels which can supports muscle retention while dieting. For best results use fresh raw garlic in your salads or on your other meals, but if you can’t handle raw garlic then use fresh bulbs in you cooking or give supplements a try. (Oi Y, et al., Allyl-containing sulfides in garlic increase uncoupling protein content in brown adipose tissue, and noradenaline and adrenaline secretion in rats. J Nutr 129:336-342,1999.) (Wang HX, Et al., Natural products with hypoglycemic, hypotensive, hypocholesterolemic, antiatherosclerotic and antithrombotic activities. Life Sci 65:2663-2677,1999.) 13) Sip Green Tea. Green tea contains caffeine and polyphenols called epilgallocatechin gallate which have been shown to increase calorie burning. These special calorie burning compounds help burn an extra 100 or-so calories a day, about equal to a brisk walk. In maximizing fat loss, every calorie counts. (Dullo, A.G., et al., Efficiency of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 70(6):p.1040-5.) 14) Fat? Yes Fat! To rip up, you have to eat fewer carbs, but on occasion – say once a week – you can add a little healthy fat, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, some red meat, walnuts or cashews. The reason? Dietary fat can make the body more effective in using and burning fat – as long as calories and carbs remain under control. (Thomas CD et al. Nutrient Balance and Energy Expenditure During the Ad Libitum Feeding of High Fat and High Carbohydrate Diets in Humans. Am J Clin Nutr 1992;55:934) 15) Thyroid Support. Irony of Ironies. When you eat less and try to dump body fat, a lot of times the metabolism adapts and burns quite a bit fewer calories. One way to get around the slowdown is with phosphates. A combo of 537 mgs of calcium phosphate, 107 mgs of potassium phosphate and 25 mgs of sodium phosphate given to strict dieters yielded a 12-19% more elevated metabolism than dieters who did not use phosphates. 16) Write It Down. This one seems simple, but it’s one of the most overlooked tips in shedding fat. Dieters who record what they eat, meal by meal, day by day, not only make better choices, but cheat less and eat fewer total calories. Writing it down “keeps you honest” and is a tool for reminding you that getting lean is a day by day process.

Bust Through the Weight Loss Plateau!

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:31:00 +0000

Dieters dread the plateau. You’re on a roll, losing weight steadily and happily for weeks. Your confidence is high and your goal is in sight. Then suddenly your scale freezes. No matter how hard you try, those extra pounds just refuse to budge. You’ve hit a wall and you know the frustration of seeing no progress could easily lead you to gain back what you’ve lost. So how do you break through the plateau? It’s perfectly normal for a dieter to reach a plateau. The trick is to use it as an opportunity to double up your efforts and get really clear on your strategy to carry you through to the finish line. Below you’ll find suggestions that can help you recommit to your program and re-ignite the weight-loss process when you feel challenged. 1. Get clear on your ultimate weight-loss goal. Be sure that your weight-loss goal is realistic and that your expected rate of weight loss is reasonable. If you are on a heath enhancing, nutritionally rich weight loss program you can expect to loss one to two pounds a week. Each body has its own ideal weight and size. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, but listen to your body and notice what feels best for you. A simple way to approximate your ideal weight is by referring to a Body Mass Index chart. 2. Go high-protein, low carbs. Unless you are eating enough protein to maintain your lean muscle mass, you are likely to have lost weight already from both your fat stores and muscle. Women need to eat approximately 100grams of protein a day and men 150 grams in order to preserve their muscle tissue during a weight loss program. If you have lost some muscle during your weight loss program so far you will need to focus on protein so your body can build muscle, which requires more calories to sustain, which will in turn, kick start your weight loss again. Needless to say, any weight loss program you choose should be one that preserves your body’s muscle and this does not happen! 3. Add resistance training to your program. A wonderful way to boost your metabolism and break through to the next level of weight loss is by incorporating aerobic exercise into your program, such as 30 minutes of walking three to four times a week. (If you are 35 years or older, or haven’t exercised regularly, begin with 10 to 15 minutes two to three times a week.) In addition, weight training with free weights or machines several times a week can help increase muscle mass, which in turn allows you to burn more calories faster. Studies show that weight training can increase your metabolism overnight by five to 10 percent. Working out can increase your metabolism for up to 21 hours after an intense workout. 4. Look out for hidden carbohydrates. If your weight loss progress seems slow, look out for carbohydrates that might be sneaking their way unnoticed into your diet. Sugar can lurk in the most unexpected places such as ketchup, salad dressings, teriyaki and barbecue sauces. Watch out too for cornstarch, sugar or milk solids in many processed foods such as gravies, or sauces on frozen vegetables. Be especially careful about “low-fat” foods where flavor is enhanced by sugar and other carbohydrates. Try keeping a diet journal for a couple of days of EVERYTHING you eat and drink. You may quickly discover the hidden carbs that are keeping your weight-loss progress stuck and be able to eliminate them and move past your plateau. 5. Take the “refinement” out of your diet. Try eliminating all refined sugar and refined grains from your diet. This includes white bread, pastries, pasta, white rice, white flour crackers, sugar-coated breakfast cereals, cookies and cake. This simple step can encourage a huge weight-loss breakthrough and leave you feeling more healthy and energized in the process. 6. Don’t go hungry. Cutting back on how often you eat can have a negative impact on your diet plateau. Many studies show that small, frequent meals are more satisfying and produce better weight-loss results than the same number of calories consumed in three large meals. Take advantage of healthy snacking and crunch on fresh slices of raw vegetables like celery, peppers, cucumber and jicama when you’re hungry. 7. Drink to burn up. It’s vitally important to replenish your fluids by drinking plenty of water on your weight loss program. An inadequate supply of water in itself can slow down your weight-loss. Carry water with you wherever you go throughout the day. For additional weight-management benefits, add a high quality aloe concentrate to your water to help keep your digestion in top shape. Also, a probiotic supplement can help us maintain a healthy intestinal flora. Keeping well hydrated not only helps you burn fat efficiently, it also helps control hunger. 8. Keep your incentive strong. Remember the determination you felt when you first began your weight-loss program? Remember the excitement of watching the pounds drop one by one? Go back to whatever your initial motivation was and see whether it still works for you. It may have been the desire to lose weight for a particular event or to regain your figure after pregnancy. You may have been motivated by poor health or by the shock of just how much weight you had gained. See whether the same motivation still has juice for you. If not, choose a new one. Keep a picture of yourself looking great (or bad!) on your refrigerator as a daily reminder of where you are heading. (c) Kim Beardsmore

Feeling Tired? No Pep? No Zing? Tap Into Breakfast Smoothies

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:39:00 +0000

I’m 40-something years old, and for 40-something years breakfast has been a pain. Some of my earliest memories are getting ready for school with my mother insisting I eat a bowl of cereal. It just never interested me. Once high school started I was skipping breakfast and grabbing two apples on the run for lunch. All my life breakfast simply wasn’t something I got interested in or thought about until I made this discovery… Someone introduced me to the most amazing concept for breakfast. By now I was well entrenched in not taking time over the first meal of the day (and sometimes the second meal), so anything that captured my attention was going to have to be fast, no fuss and delicious to warrant any of my attention. Instead of cardboard cereal and bland milk, it’s possible to start the day with power packed, nutritious, energizing and best of all, yummy smoothies. Smoothies have been around for ages, but I had never twigged they make a great start to the day. Imagine the delight of selecting from a range such as Chocolate Strawberry, Hazelnut Coffee, Peach Almond, Banana Bread & Apple Pie Surprise. Kid you not! You can make an endless variety to suit your own taste. Now this was interesting to me. Not only did I start regularly eating breakfast, my energy shot through the roof! This changed my whole perspective on being 40-something. A period where I thought as a mother, wife, and corporate executive I was supposed to be tired all the time. Not true. Here is one of my favorite recipes. Strawberry Parfait 3 tablespoons vanilla flavored soy/whey protein powder 250g (6oz) strawberry flavoured fat free yoghurt 1 cup strawberries 4 ice cubes Blend in hand-held or benchtop blender. Pour into your favorite glassware and enjoy.