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Countdown To Summer Fitness Challenge! How To Get Fit And Lose Weight In 6 Weeks.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:39:00 +0000

How about those fabulous bike rides in the park! What about grilling barbeque on the deck? Are you down for a little surfing and tanning on the beach? Summer will be upon us in less than six weeks. Not only do we want to enjoy the warm months that are rapidly approaching, we want to look like we are enjoying them. It doesn’t matter if it is ten, twenty, forty, or seventy pounds, just get started! Weight loss should be slow and steady, while focusing on cutting calories and increasing exercise. It is important to refrain from overexerting yourself. Weight loss takes time. I have never been one to acknowledge or accept the idea of dieting. The true meaning of dieting is counting and managing your calories for a specific amount of time in order to reach a target weight goal. This concerns me because it is temporary. What happens when you resume your normal eating habits? You gain weight! I believe in making a complete paradigm in the way we think about food. You can do this by establishing good eating habits. Why not establish a habit of consuming 500-600 calories for breakfast instead of 1,500? If you replace muffins, bagels, pancakes, sausage, grits and bacon with fruit, turkey bacon, cottage cheese, grain cereal, or yogurt, you will probably find yourself 10 pounds lighter on breakfast alone. Do the same for lunch and dinner and lose an additional 10-20 pounds. Wait until you add exercise into the equation. Exercise for thirty minutes per day, four to five times a week and watch additional pounds drop. Of course, this takes determination and discipline. Yet, habits are habits. Once you get used to a routine of eating certain foods, it becomes second nature. Weight management not only helps you look better, but helps you feel better. You will begin to notice an increase in energy and an improvement in health. It is important to monitor the amount of cholesterol you consume. Diets high in cholesterol can lead to heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. Be sure to get a cholesterol screening on a regular basis. Eat fish at least twice a week, preferably those with darker flesh, such as, salmon, herring mackerel, and lake trout. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which lower blood cholesterol. It is also important to eat foods that will not contribute to high blood pressure. Limit your alcohol intake to less than two drinks per day, limit your salt intake, and reduce the saturated fat in your diet. Saturated fat can be found in animal products like milk, cheese, and meat. Let go of the cigarettes or tobacco products! Smoking increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. Try nonfat yogurt, salsa, or nonfat sour cream instead of sour cream or butter on baked potatoes. Try substituting fresh vegetables and tomatoes sauce for creamy sauces, when eating pasta. Substitute basic breads and cereal grains for bagels, muffins, and croissants. A diet high in fruits and vegetables will help you ward off cancer and other diseases because of the cancer-fighting agents contained in them. They contain a lot of fiber and a diet high in fiber decreases your risk of developing colon cancer and other types of cancer. Fruits and vegetables also contain Vitamin A (beta carotene) and C, both of which contain cartenoids and antioxidants. Cartenoids can also be found in dark leafy vegetables, carrots, cantaloupe, papaya, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Additional sources of Vitamin C are strawberries, oranges, broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes. It is always best to lightly steam your vegetables. The closer they are to being raw, the higher their nutritional value. People have asked me how exercise can give you energy. It seems as though it takes your energy away because you utilize so much energy when you exercise. This is the farthest thing from the truth. The more you exercise and lose weight, the more energy you get and keep because you are carrying less weight, which takes less energy. The more you exercise, the more you are able to exercise. After you get your weight to a manageable level, monitor or keep a close eye on it. Weigh yourself everyday. That way, you can take measures or do things to nip sudden weight gain. If you find yourself five or ten pounds heavier than your target weight, you should cut back immediately. It becomes a problem when we wait until we are 30, 60, or 100 pounds overweight. It can feel like you’re fighting a losing battle when your weight gain has become too extreme. It is a good idea to make a list of different ways to incorporate walking into your daily life. If you live near a metro transit station, drive there, park your car and ride the train and walk to work. If you are a new mother, get a stroller that will enable you to burn calories while you are walking your baby. Why not take the stairs, instead of the elevator? You would be surprised at how many calories you can burn by gardening, swimming, skating, hiking, and dancing. Believe it or not, you can have fun while losing weight. Exercise, along with a positive attitude, and a healthy diet will help you to manage your weight and improve your health. Exercise does not have to be rigorous to be valuable. You will probably do yourself a disservice by exercising too hard. Take it easy. Just gradually build up your resistance to a manageable level. Always remember that if you can not talk and walk at the same time, then you are walking too fast. If you have any of the following health problems, it is a good idea to talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise program. • Heart trouble • Dizziness or faintness • Chest pains • Diabetes • High blood pressure • Arthritis How to prepare food for a good diet and low calories: • Eat Fish at least twice a week, preferable baked, broiled, or grilled. Reduce serving size to 2-3 ounces. • To reduce fat, use lean poultry and fish, as well as, lean cuts of meat such as top and bottom round and tenderloin. Avoid second servings. Feel free to replace some meats with beans or grains. • Eat at least three to five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Fruit like kiwi, figs, apples, raspberries, and blueberries are high in fiber and nutrition. Vegetables such as, broccoli, brussel sprouts, beets, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, chili peppers, red bell peppers, squash, sweet potatoes and tomatoes have high nutritional value and are great anti-oxidants (contain cancer-fighting agents). • Eat whole-grain, whole-wheat bread, pasta, tortillas, and cereals daily • Eat cooked dry beans, peas, and lentils regularly • Eat popcorn with no added oil, salt, or butter. • Drink skim milk or 1% milk • You should drink at least 24 ounces of water per day, especially since you will be exercising. • Limit the oil you use for cooking • Steam your vegetables or sautй using wine or a half teaspoon of oil • Use herbs and spices for seasoning, instead of sauces and butter • Salads should be eaten with fat-free dressing or a combination of red wine vinegar and oil • Drink a glass of water in the morning when you wake • Limit your consumption of lean, red meat to no more than four times per month Copyright © 2006 by Pamela Jewell, M.Ed., Ed.S.

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 Can’t I Lose Weight?

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:54:00 +0000

That’s the question many people ask when their weight loss plan isn’t working. Asking yourself ‘Why can’t I lose weight?’ is actually one of the best things you can do for yourself. It says you know that what you’re currently doing isn’t working for you. You’re at the place where you’re ready to look at alternatives – try something different to get a result you want. So why can’t you lose weight? Here are 3 possible reasons you may not be losing weight – and some suggestions on what you can do about it. #1) Medical Reasons Now this is not the same as saying you’re genetically programmed to be overweight. That is hogwash. In fact scientists estimate that even if you do have a genetic propensity to gain weight, your genes only account for 15 – 25% of your current weight. So forget the genetics excuse. But there are medical reasons that some people can’t lose weight. Low thyroid, adrenal exhaustion, insulin resistance and other medical conditions can make losing weight near to impossible. That’s why before starting any weight loss plan, you should talk to your doctor first. Have a full workup and make sure that you don’t have any health issues standing in the way of your weight loss. There’s nothing more frustrating that trying to lose weight, doing all the right things and not losing an inch – all because of a medical condition. Get the medical condition cleared up first and then address the weight (in fact, the weight may just go down on it’s own once you get the medical condition addressed). #2) Emotional Eating I recently read an article where a nutritionist estimated that 75% of overeating was due to emotions. 75%! Can you imagine what would happen if you learned to eliminate emotional eating and cut out all those calories? What a weight loss impact! The weight would be falling off. Unfortunately, in today’s world, emotional eating is on the rise. Most people today are feeling the pressure of an increasingly hectic lifestyle. We hardly have time to tie our shoes, never mind deal with our emotions. Because of this, our emotions get stuffed down and ignored until finally they explode and we’re face-down in a bowl of Rocky-Road ice cream with extra chocolate sauce. Here’s the bottom line: you are human and you have emotions. Your emotional needs are important and need to be addressed properly with love. You need emotional nurturing and proper emotional care. If that means you take a 5 minute break every few hours at work to regain your emotional balance, do it. If that means you need to unwind by doing a mall walk and window shopping after work – don’t let anything stop you. Learn to nurture your emotional health and you’ll nip emotional eating in the bud – and start losing weight FAST. #3) Mismatched Weight Loss Plan There are many different ways to lose weight and dozens of weight loss programs to choose from. Some plans emphasize a change in diet, others emphasize a change in exercise, others focus on the inner reasons for overeating. Every person is different and will lose weight in their own unique way. If what you’re doing now isn’t currently working, it may be a simple case of personality-plan mismatch. Maybe instead of a diet-focused weight loss plan, you would feel better with a fitness-focused weight loss plan or a psychological weight loss plan. There are lots of plans to choose from and you deserve to take your time and find one that fits your personality and lifestyle best. If you think this is the case, take some time to review different diet or weight loss plans. Find one that you can get excited about, one that makes sense to you and that fits your belief system and personality. That’s when you’ll make real weight loss progress! So those are 3 possible reasons for your weight loss plateau. You don’t have to stay stuck in a weight loss rut. You don’t have to keep asking yourself the frustrating question: Why Can’t I Lose Weight?’ Keep believing in yourself and in your dreams. Don’t give up and you will get there!

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.

Best Diet – 3 Key Ingredients For Ultimate Weight Loss Success

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:06:00 +0000

So you’ve made the resolution that THIS is the year you’re going to lose weight and get in the best shape of your life. You’re not going to settle for second best – you’re going to achieve that dream body you’ve always wanted. Great news – this is actually the best time to make that commitment. Why? Because you can take advantage of the powerful momentum and energy a New Year brings to achieve your weight loss dreams. But there’s nothing worse than committing to lose weight, only to get lost among the 5 gazillion diets out there. It can get confusing – you may end up wasting a lot of money and effort. You may end up wondering which diet is really the BEST diet for you. You may even end up feeling so frustrated that you give up on your dream of becoming slim and healthy. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In order to have rapid weight loss success, you have to find the best diet for you (a.k.a. the diet that will speed you towards your dream body at lightning pace). There are millions of diets – but only a few that are best for you and your lifestyle. The best diet for you will have the 3 key features listed below. Choose your diet with these 3 key features in mind and you’re already halfway to your weight loss dreams. #1 Proven Success Rate Are there before and after pictures of people who have lost weight with that particular diet? Are there customer testimonials? Have there been independent studies done on the diet’s success rate? The diet you choose doesn’t have to have all three of these but try to find at least some kind of proven success rate before choosing that particular program. Finding a diet with a proven success rate not only lets you know that the diet works but it also helps give you the confidence that the diet will work FOR YOU. Confidence is one of the most underrated factors in a successful weight loss program. If you’ve tried and failed with diets before you especially need that extra boost of confidence to carry you through the more difficult times in the diet. By reminding yourself that this diet has been proven to work – you’ll be able to keep going and reach your weight loss goals. A related feature that gets extra points is if the diet has been recommended by an expert or a physician. Again this boosts your confidence that the diet is safe and effective. #2 Affordable. Losing weight should not cost you thousands of dollars (unless we’re talking about surgery here and that’s an entirely different article). The best diet will be affordable for the average person. If the diet costs too much, be very suspicious and look elsewhere. There are too many shady diets out there and as a consumer, it pays to be cautious. I’ll give you an example of what I mean: A close friend of mine went to a well-known weight loss clinic in our area and was told she had to pay the yearly fees up front (around $1000 NOT including food). They also told her she had to buy their food in bulk (like $500 for a year’s worth of chocolate). When the chocolate gave her heart palpitations and she had to take it back, they told her it was non-refundable. She was out the money for the chocolate. Plus, she feels she can’t leave the program because she’s paid the yearly fees (which, you guessed it, are also non-refundable). She unfortunately made the mistake of ignoring her instincts and paying way too much money for a diet program. If you notice you’re being asked for hefty fees right out of the gate, warning lights should be flashing in your mind. Now on the other hand, the best diet WILL cost you something. It actually is better if you put some cash on the table for your diet program. Why? Because when we invest in something we’re more likely to stick with it. When we invest in something we are more likely to follow through and get the results we want. For example I did a liver detox several months ago. I’m not really into liver detoxing but I read an article and figured I’d try it. The detox kit cost me a whopping $50 and when I opened the instructions they told me I had to give up junk food for two weeks. In any other universe I would have laughed and simply forgotten about detoxing my liver. But because I’d shelled out $50, I was invested – I decided that I hopefully wouldn’t starve from lack of junk food over two weeks and suffered through it. If I’d gotten the detox kit for free there’s no way I would have followed those instructions. But because I was invested, I followed through and now have a healthier liver thanking me for it. So when searching for the best diet, putting out some money on yourself and your dreams of a better body is actually a healthy thing. Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars on it. #3 Compatible with Your Tastes and Lifestyle This is THE most crucial step however it’s the one where most people go wrong. When choosing a diet, they simply pick one and go, without considering if it is compatible with their tastes and lifestyle. For example, if you hate feeling deprived or empty you might want to choose a program that lets you eat many times during the day so you don’t feel hungry. If you get bored easily you want a diet program that gives you tremendous variety and flexibility. If you don’t do a lot of cooking or food preparation, you’ll want to look at a program where the food is pre-made for you. Diets are like cars – there are hundreds of different models out there, each with their own unique features. And they can get you where you want to go. But your personality might gel better with certain features than others. Dieting is hard enough. Don’t make it harder on yourself by choosing a diet not compatible with who you are. Setting yourself up for success will also guarantee that you’ll stick it out until you reach your goal. And one other thing, the best diet will be one that you can get excited about. Choose a diet that you enjoy, that you believe in, that may actually be – gulp – fun. Emotional excitement will fade in time, yes. But it can give you enough of an emotional push to get you over the initial hump. By that time your first few pounds will have come off and will serve as your continuing motivation. So those are 3 key considerations when looking for the best diet. Keep them in mind and you will progress in leaps and bounds towards your dream body. Remember, planning now may seem boring – but it’s the key to your future weight loss success.

Hoodia Gordonii – Why Hoodia Beats Man-Made Diet Pills Every Time

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:41:00 +0000

Hoodia Gordonii – it’s everywhere these days. On 60 minutes, in the health food store, in your diet pills, on the Internet. You’ve seen it and probably wondered ‘What’s so great about Hoodia?’ Hoodia Gordonii is a natural appetite suppressant made from the Hoodia Gordonii plant – a cactus of the “succulent” cactus family, which grows in the Kalahari Desert region of South Africa. Hoodia has been used by the indigenous Bushmen for years as a natural appetite suppressant during long hunting trips where food was scarce. So what’s so great about Hoodia Gordonii? Here are 3 reasons why Hoodia is better than any man-made diet pill to help you lose weight quickly and safely: 1) Hoodia Helps You Lose Weight Without Hunger or Feeling Deprived One of the first studies of Hoodia Gordonii was done in the UK on obese patients. Half of the volunteers were given Hoodia Gordonii, the other half were given a placebo. The subjects were allowed to do nothing but read, watch television and eat. After 15 days it was found that those taking Hoodia had reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories a day. Despite having unlimited access to food, the Hoodia subjects lost weight without feeling hungry. People on various brands of Hoodia have reported losing 100 pounds in 6 months, 84 pounds in 5 months and up to 4 pounds a week by taking pure Hoodia. So if you’re looking for a way to lose weight but hate feeling hungry or deprived, Hoodia can help you to reach your goals without the pain of dieting. 2) Great For Emotional Eaters Not only do you feel full when you take Hoodia but many people say they don’t even have the desire to eat. Some say they don’t even think about food while taking Hoodia. This is great for emotional eaters – whose weight may be more a result of eating out of boredom or emotional needs than because of hunger. It’s also much easier to make healthier food choices when you feel satisfied and full, which contributes to your overall health and vitality. 3) Natural & Safe Sure, you can take the caffeine-filled, chemical laden man-made diet pills and lose a couple of pounds – but why would you want to? You don’t know what else it’s doing to your body – and it could be causing some major damage. One of the best benefits about Hoodia Gordonii is that it’s both natural and safe to take. Since Hoodia is a plant, and not a man made chemical, it has little chance of causing side effects. In fact the South African government classified Hoodia as a food – not a drug. Scientists have been studying Hoodia for about 10 years and have found no evidence of any negative side effects. Couple this with the fact that the Bushmen in the Kalahari desert of South Africa have been eating Hoodia for hundreds of years with no ill effect. You can see why Hoodia is an amazing alternative to caffeine-laden, questionable diet pills. While these 3 benefits definitely make Hoodia sound better than any man-made diet pill, there are a couple of things buyers should be aware of: There are a lot of ‘fake’ Hoodia diet pills out there. Because Hoodia is a protected species (and it also takes 2 – 5 years to mature), the demand is becoming greater than the supply and many manufacturers are bottling inferior forms of Hoodia that don’t offer you the appetite suppressant effects of pure Hoodia. Also, you probably don’t want to be on Hoodia Gordonii forever. You should try to change your diet to one rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats etc. before transitioning off Hoodia to maintain your weight loss. Good luck on your road to wellness! To find out how to spot the real Hoodia (and save yourself both money and frustration), visit: What To Know Before You Buy Hoodia.

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

Three Simple Tips to Shed Fat

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:33:00 +0000

Today it seems people are willing to go through almost anything to lose body fat. Fad diets, pills and magical exercise equipment are costly and most often simply ineffective. In order to lose those pounds you have to have a basic understanding of the food you are eating, and how to utilize various forms of exercise. There are three things to consider when losing body fat. Diet watch your carbs in general and especially simple carbs. Avoid consuming lots of carbs in the evenings. Quite simply, to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. Weight training having more muscle mass is a huge aid to burning calories and getting lean. Each additional pound of muscle burns 30 50 calories per day at rest. Cardio to burn the most fat it helps to do it in a glycogen depleted state, such as immediately after waking (before consuming any carbs or fat) or right after lifting weights. HIIT high intensity interval training has been shown to be exponentially more effective at fat burning than endurance type (level resistance) cardio. All too often people are looking for the hidden secret when ti comes time to lose a few pounds, when in reality, it just takes a bit of work and some basic understanding of diet and exercise.

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.

Secret Weight Loss Tips For Women Over Forty!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:45:00 +0000

If you have ever joined with a male friend in a weight loss programme you may have noticed that men are able to lose weight more easily than women. Life seems cruel sometimes. Men hold a metabolic edge over women because they have more muscle, and muscles are the “workhorses” of the body. Many women who felt slim at 35 years, still weighing the same at 45 hnow consider themselves “fat”. No it probably isn’t social conditioning. It is more likely to be the truth and they are actually more “fat” than they used to be. The scales are not the only answer to understanding what’s going on in your body. Consider the case of Annette who weighed 63 kilos at age 35. At that time, 23 percent of her body consisted of fat. (Experts consider 23 to 33 percent body fat healthy for women ages 40 to 59). Back then, 15 of Annette’s 63 kilos were fat. The rest–48 kilos–consisted of bone, muscle, water, and internal organs. By the time Annette reached age 48, her body fat had increased from 23 percent to 30 percent, yet her weight had remained the same. Her body now contains 20 kilos of fat, 5 more kilos of fat than at age 35. At the same time, Annette had lost approximately 5 pounds of muscle. When women gain fat and lose muscle, two things happen: Fat isn’t as dense as muscle, so any fat gained takes up more space than muscle. Even if you haven’t gained weight on the scale, your body can appear larger, and your clothing size may even increase. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, your metabolism slows and you burn fewer calories, which can contribute to weight gain if you don’t make adjustments in your calorie consumption. Muscle burns up to 7 times more energy than fat, so the effect on your metabolism can be quite significant. Annette has been extraordinarily careful about what she eats and hasn’t been able to lose weight – with good reason. The amount of lean body mass you have is an important factor in determining the rate at which you burn calories. If lean body mass drops, metabolism drops. Every pound of muscle a woman loses slashes the number of calories she burns by as many as 30 calories a day. If she loses 10 pounds of muscle over 3 decades, she could burn 300 fewer calories each day, or a whopping 2,100 fewer calories each week. By the time she celebrates her 55th birthday, she could have lost as many as 15 pounds of muscle, and now burn 450 fewer calories each and every day. What this means for Annette–and other women in their forties and fifties–is that maintaining muscle mass is critical as the birthdays add up. Lean muscle matters because there’s so much of it. Calorie-burning muscle accounts for approximately 40 percent of the body mass of a normal-weight woman–that’s 56 pounds for a 140-pound woman like Janet–so it’s a major factor in energy. Here’s some good news: Because muscle mass is linked directly to metabolic rate, women can give their metabolic engines a boost with weight training and other forms of exercise that builds muscle. Second, with eating the right sources of very lean protein you can encourage muscle development as you exercise.