Lose Tummy Fat - Do You Believe the Weight Loss Success Stories?

Do you believe that weight loss testimonials are actually true? Of course some of them tend to be but others take us general public to be absolute morons with some of their outrageous claims. Claims like "I lost 130 lbs in 6 weeks" and there stands a beautiful female clad in a swimsuit holding a photograph of a pair of pants that she previously wore and are twice the size of her new requirements.

However, if this sort of advertising gets the attention of the people who are overweight then all well and good because it doesn't take a degree in nutrition to understand that by carrying around extra weight for any length of time can end up taking several years off of your life.

I personally got involved with the weight watchers diet program about 7 years ago. I am a non believer in a lot of these testimonials, however, I was introduced to a female who had lost 209 lbs in 18 months and she looked fabulous. This lady was working a full time job and lecturing for weight watchers evenings and weekends.

I think what impressed me was it was an easy sell because if some person can actually start on a program weighing 354lbs and 18 months later be 145lbs the program must work. Of course there were several bumps in the road on her journey but she hung in there and today she still holding at 145lbs. She made a huge sacrifice to achieve her goal but think about how much easier everyday life is for her today. She can climb the stairs, walk her pooch, and keep up an exercise routine, and that is fabulous.

At that time I was carrying about 15lbs more than I should be and after talking for a couple of hours with this person and seeing her "before photos" backed up by my friend who introduced me to her, I got involved and lost the 15 lbs in 6 weeks. I consider myself a success story here because I laid out my goals and achieved them in the time period that I had stated.

Stories like the one above are plentiful on line and hopefully this will help inspire those of you who are trying to figure out how to get back into the shape you once were. It is now time to Take Action.

Be careful of the fad diets and the diet pills and their gimmicky advertising.

If you watch any of the weight loss commercials on t/v you will see celebrities like Kirstie Alley and Oprah have weight loss stories and when these class of people mention a program they have used and have had success with, it certainly inspires the throngs to give it a try because these type of endorsements are legit.

You must remember that losing weight is not having to be a rocket scientist, its about will power and determination. It is not easy but to achieve anything in life takes time and effort and weight loss fits into these categories. Make a plan and stick to it and one day you may be able to tell us all about your weight loss success story.

Healthy Way to Lose Weight - 3 Super Tips For Health & Weight Loss

Many people struggle to lose weight the supposedly healthy way and start to contemplate using unhealthy tactics to reach their goals. Many people even attempt unhealthy ways and end up piling the pounds back on in a matter of weeks, put on more than they lost and some even have dire healthy consequences. I am sure we have all heard stories of women who are taken diet pills and ended up in hospital, or have the complaints of women who have found crash diets being very hard to stick to and leave them feeling tired all the time. Well the thing is, if these women have discovered the healthier way - the easier way - to weight loss, then they wouldn't have resorted to these tactics.

The healthy way to weight loss doesn't have to be slow and tedious - it can be fun, fulfilling and you can lose weight fairly quickly. It is also the only way you will achieve longevity with your weight. If you have to continue to go on a crash diet to get to your preferred weight then that makes for a very unstable, unhealthy miserable life. Much better to get the healthy route down so you can continue to reap benefits with little effort!

So how do you do it the healthy way and how can you lose weight with it? Well this is where most people seem to be clueless. Dietary changes of course are very important but so is self awareness and exercise. Below are 3 tips to get you on the right track.

1. Self-Awareness - Despite changing their diet, many people still struggle to shed the pounds. This is often because most people lack self-awareness. We get so caught up in our everyday lives that we don't really stop to analyse ourselves or we don't really stop to just feel and be present in the present moment. It is all lost. Most of us don't even recognise what our true needs are in life and fill this dissatisfaction with food instead.

The first step to self awareness with diet is to KNOW exactly what you are eating. This can be an annoying task at first, but if you take the time to see what you are eating every week (write down everything you eat over a few days) then you can really see where you are going wrong and also pinpoint any food issues you are having. When we are changing habits that have been ingrained in us for years, we really need to break it down and spend a little time working at it. Once you know what you are currently eating and drinking you have something to work with. Just changing your diet without knowing what you already eat isn't necessarily going to lead to weight loss because you may still be overeating on calories but aren't even realizing your are doing it. That could be for several reasons but you won't discover this or why unless you have some self awareness. So take the time. Once you have written it down use something like fitday.com (free) to discover how many calories you are eating. Then look at what you are eating to see where you can effortlessly shave some off. If you are eating a lot over your recommended calories, consider looking for signs of emotional eating. Emotional eating is a huge culprit when it comes to diet, but to tackle it you really have to have self awareness. Spend some time noting down when you feel emotional before eating and whether you think this triggered you to be hungry. Reading up on emotional eating will help you become more and more aware of whether this is a problem for you.

Spend some time getting to know you and your automatic behaviors and weight loss will be a lot easier.

2. Incorporate whole raw fruits and vegetables the easy way - Many people struggle to add in more fresh fruits and vegetables, but this are a huge part of a healthy diet. The best way to do this, or so I have found, is to make sure that you commit to eating 3-5 pieces of fresh fruit before each meal. Fruit is a beautiful source of nutrition and sugar that will help satiate you enough to let your main meal go down without resulting to a dessert. So eating fruit before meals will not only help you get more raw in you, but will also prevent overeating of your mail meal and keep you feel satiated. With vegetables, the best way to start adding them is by eating a salad. I have found that mixing my salad into my main meal or lunch has helped me incorporate more fresh foods and helped me feel fuller. Mixing salad into soups and stews are very easy to do. Making a commitment to eat one or two fresh things per meal will really help you boost your health and weight loss goals.

3. Exercise the fun way - Now exercise can be very dull and tedious especially if you opt for the gym route. If you are bored or do not like exercise then it isn't healthy. Life should be enjoyable and fun. Spice things up and attend different work out classes every week, go on walks, buy a huge trampoline to work out. Find something you enjoy and stick to it or keep looking. The best work outs are the ones you can do outside - gyms aren't fun and should be avoided!

If you stick to these 3 tips you should be losing weight in no time. Don't get suckered in to diet pills or crash diets. These will only leave you feeling miserable and fat! If you want quick wants explore why you want it instantly. Generally the best and most satisfying results are the ones we have to wait for. Good luck with your weight loss journey.

Jogging Bad For Weight Loss and Fitness? Yes!

WHY JOGGING IS BAD FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS

Drive down any scenic road on a weekend morning, and you're likely to see more joggers than scenery. You might feel jealous at how fit and energetic they look, and perhaps even a twinge of shame as you look down at the box of donuts in the seat next to you which was your purpose for being out this beautiful morning.

But are your feelings of jealousy and shame justified? Should it be you out there in high end cool running gear jogging along to shed some pounds and get more fit?

After a careful analysis, we think you'll agree the correct answer is NO, that should not be you. Why?

Because Jogging is BAD for weight loss and fitness.

While you definitely should be looking for ways to lose weight and become more fit, millions of people are doing more harm than good choosing jogging as their form of exercise. Can millions of people be wrong? Well, grab a donut, read on and decide for yourself.

FIRST A FEW DEFINITIONS

Ok, let's be clear who and what we are talking about with some definitions:

JOGGER - Person who runs 1 hour per workout session at a pace of 5 miles per hour (12 minutes per mile). Since many joggers keep a faster pace than that. We will also address "Runners" who keep an 8 mile per hour pace (under 8 minutes per mile). These definitions are provided by the Mayo Clinic Weight Loss Website.

WEIGHT LOSS - The losing of weight per your scale or your clothes feeling more loose. Sorry, buying new, larger clothes does not qualify under this definition (be great if it would, eh?).

FITNESS - There are many ways to define fitness. We have chosen one that hopefully matters to the most people: A person's overall physical health measured by their ability to successfully perform a wide variety of functional tasks.

WHY JOGGING IS BAD FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS - THE EVIDENCE
CALORIC DEFICIT

You will likely outeat the calories you burn while jogging or running

According to the Mayo Clinic, a 160 pound person who jogs for an hour will burn 584 calories. A 160 pound runner ramps up the calories burned in an hour to 986. If you weigh more you burn more calories, if you weigh less you burn less. Many people don't jog for an hour per workout, but we want joggers to have a chance at success here so we'll pretend they all do.

In order for our jogger to lose weight as a direct result of this workout they will need to ensure they do not eat more calories than the 584-986 they just burned. This is what's called the "caloric deficit" and it's probably the most widely accepted and proven method to weight loss.

How realistic is that? Not very. An hour of any exercise tends to create a pretty serious appetite at some point later that day (which would be the worst time to eat it by the way), let alone the feeling of "entitlement" that comes from a workout well done. So most joggers (from here forward when I say joggers I am including "runners" unless noted) are going to head out for a nice meal to celebrate their efforts. A meal that will have much higher calories than what they would eat if they didn't jog.

But does it really take a huge meal to make jogging or running a net loser for weight loss? The Power Bar you eat right before the run has 230 calories, that bagel with the cream cheese "schmear" you eat with your running group after the run has 400 or more calories, as does ONE decent sized slice of pepperoni pizza you've surely earned. If you decide to splurge on dessert because you jogged today, any decent one will surely add 500 or more calories. We won't even mention the couple extra beers or glasses of wine...oops, guess we just did!

So it's a good bet that joggers and even runners will add enough calories to their diets on exercise days to outeat what they just burned, which at best will be a breakeven, and very often will create a net caloric (as in WEIGHT) GAIN.

But we are not stopping there. What about on those days you don't jog? How many people are really that disciplined to cut back on their eating since they won't be burning those additional calories? More often, you hear "I'll run this off tomorrow" as they head back for seconds on the pasta. So, now the increase in calories caused by jogging on workout days leads to more calories on non workout days, further increasing weight gain.

We contend this is how MOST people manage their eating, which means most joggers are gaining weight as a result of their jogging efforts.

To be fair, there are a select few people who do manage their calories more effectively than outlined above-- we have a name for those people - "The 2% club": The 2% of people who successfully maintain a low calorie diet. While members of the 2% club can create a caloric deficit by jogging, it still will not be a significant deficit, and more importantly 2% Clubbers DON'T NEED TO JOG TO LOSE WEIGHT because they are successfully dieting!

MUSCLE CATABOLISM

You will actually lose muscle while jogging, especially since jogging does not involve your upper body in any meaningful way.

A "catabolic state" refers to the state in which your body is burning protein for its nutritional needs. A catabolic state is one you'd like to avoid as it means you are burning muscle to create energy for your exercise efforts. Yet joggers and runners are putting their bodies in this state every time they work out.

When you jog you are using your leg muscles which gives them a reason to grow stronger. That's good, but to jog for an hour your body needs to find energy, and low intensity activities like jogging for an hour will need to access energy from all possible sources which include fat and muscle.

Here's a simple question: What does jogging do to benefit your upper body? Simple answer: NOTHING. So along with the fat you want to burn, your body is burning muscle as part of it's energy to let you do your jogging workouts. And, where is it most likely to "catabolize" this muscle? From your upper body where it's not being used and therefore not needed.

And while jogging can give you stronger legs, a weak upper body is harmful to fitness as defined at the start of this essay. This is one example of how jogging harms your fitness. There's more to come.

Most joggers and runners become aware of this and start doing upper body resistance training such as weight lifting to prevent muscle catabolism. That's a really good idea, but that's not jogging for fitness is it? No, that's having to do MORE exercise to offset the negative effects of jogging!

Plus, studies indicate that every pound of muscle on your body takes 3 to 10 times more calories to support than fat, so allowing any muscle catabolism means you are actually slowing your metabolism throughout the day. Slower metabolism does not sound like a good thing for either weight loss or fitness does it?

Again, the devil's advocate will want to argue that joggers can minmize muscle catabolism without supplemental exercise by using Target Heart Rate Training. Basically, this involves exercising at a rate below your "target" heart rate to encourage more fat burning. So now we are jogging slower which means we are burning fewer calories which harms our caloric deficit. This makes weight loss even more difficult. Now we're confused. What's the most effective way to jog again? Do we jog faster and burn more calories or jog slower and save more muscle?

ADAPTIVE RESPONSE

Your body will adapt to the challenge of jogging fairly quickly, thus making it progressively harder to lose weight or become more fit. Once your body adapts to jogging you enter a "death spiral" of needing to run further or faster or both to see any further improvement.

Adaptive response is just a fancy way of saying that your body will do it's best to adjust to whatever level of exercise you are trying to do. It will "adapt". This is why it's a lot easier to complete the 1 hour jog after you have done it 10 times than it is the first time you try it.

But when it comes to weight loss, adaptive response is exactly what you don't want. It means your body has reached a state where jogging is no longer a challenge, and because you are now capable of handling the task at hand, there is no reason to drop any additional fat or add any more muscle. In addition, your metabolism has a similar adapative response. You will be doing the same exercise, but whatever metabolic benefits you were getting will continue to decrease the better you get at it. You might think of this situation as a "plateau".

As adaptive response makes your runs less and less effective from a fitness, metabolic and weight loss standpoint, joggers are left with 2 choices: run faster or run farther to give your body a new challenge that it needs to improve upon in order to adapt. Running faster or farther is not necessarily a bad thing, but it dramatically increases your chances of injury and also starts to take an excessive amount of time to perform an effective workout. Plus it's HARD. A much harder jog (or run) that lasts a lot longer increases your chances of giving up on your jogging program. And if you do give up jogging because it becomes too much work to see any results, you are at risk of significant weight gain without an even more restrictive diet.

Bottom line, your adaptive response to jogging has a positive aspect in that it's good for your ability to jog (not necessarily for your overall fitness--see PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS), but it's BAD for your weight loss efforts, and it creates a never ending "death spiral" of harder, longer jogs or harder, faster runs that most people will have trouble staying with due to injury or lack of motivation.

INJURIES AND OTHER HEALTH ISSUES

Jogging's repetitive motion over long periods of time makes joint injuries very likely. Other injury and health concerns come from the adaptive response death spiral mentioned above, running in traffic and in inclement weather.

Pavement is hard and unforgiving. Your legs pounding against it for thousands of steps per jogging session can cause serious short term and long term injuries to your joints and muscles.

Sure, there are good running shoes that can help prevent injuries, but sooner or later you're bound to injure a knee or ankle or even worse, a hip while jogging.

There's also the issue of running on the roads with automobile traffic which has been known to cause serious injury or even death. That cannot be considered a plus for joggers.

And, the sheer length of jogging, a repetitive motion for 1 full hour, increases the chance of a variety of injuries like shin splints or a variety of foot problems versus shorter forms of exercise due to muscle fatigue.

There's more. Consideration must be given to the health and safety risk of running in inclement weather. Jogging in extreme heat or cold, rain, snow or worst of all icy conditions greatly increases the risk of injury or an illness that makes you miss workouts for a short period of time or possibly something worse.

Of course the treadmill offers a viable solution to many of these issues, but not all of them. And many joggers insist on jogging outdoors throughout the year. When they do, the risk of injuries and other health related issues is very real and should be considered in an evaluation of the benefits of jogging.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Jogging has few practical applications. Jogging is not a good form of training for most other activities -- except for more jogging. Plus, the loss of upper body muscle and lower body joint problems that often result from jogging can actually decrease your overall fitness level.

Remember our definition of fitness: A person's overall physical health measured by their ability to successfully perform a wide variety of functional tasks.

We would have to concede jogging could improve your abilities at the following activities:

1) More Jogging
2) Basketball - well not really the sprinting up and down the court to be competitive, but you can jog down to set up a half court play with the best of them.
3) Football - Jogging from the huddle to the line of scrimmage.
4) Baseball - Jogging to the dugout with a beer in your hand at your weekly softball league.

Umm, that's all we can think of. The rest of the activities in the above sports and many others like skiing, tennis and golf require strength (both muscle and joint), the ability to use your body at full speed, as well as hand eye coordination, none of which are helped by jogging.

The fact that jogging has no practical applications as cross training for any other sport makes it a lot of time spent for very little benefit, except of course for #1 above--more jogging. This is especially true when you compare jogging to other exercise alternatives like strength training, and interval training. You can spend a lot less time exercising and become more effective at performing all sorts of other sports and activities. This in turn offers you more opportunities to have fun and improve your fitness. Does developing your jogging skills help you with any other activities or tasks you like to do?

THE VERDICT?

Based upon the overwhelming evidence outlined above, the verdict is Jogging is a BAD exercise for weight loss and fitness. Running for an hour at a faster pace does offer certain advantages over jogging but still ends up a net negative for weight loss and fitness when all the factors are considered.

SUNDAY DRIVING

So, the next time you head out for weekend donuts you can smile at thin or fit looking joggers, because now you know they didn't get that way by only jogging. And when you get home, grab a maple custard (my favorite!) and spend 30 minutes studying weight loss and fitness plans that work on improving your body's metabolism to solve the caloric deficit problem because there are much better ways than exercising endlessly and cutting calories. Also, a good fitness plan should prepare you for a wide variety of tasks and activities.

If you study hard and plan correctly, your exercise program should only take half the time the joggers spend but will take you much further down the road to weight loss and fitness.

We hope you do your homework and find the plan that's right for you because being happy with your weight and fitness is a great feeling that everyone should enjoy.

Stress Management and Weight Loss Go Hand in Hand

In Chinese, the closest word for stress contains two characters. One of these characters signifies 'opportunity' while the other 'danger'.

The danger part is apparent. Stress is bad news.

That's because chronic stress leaves us vulnerable to a host of physical and mental illnesses. In fact, it is now understood that fully 95 percent of all illnesses are either caused by or are worsened by stress. Just thinking of all the harm stress brings into our lives is enough to make us say oooommmmm.

But that list is just the beginning. Adding to it, stress reduces our life satisfaction, wrinkles our skin and as new research shows, can even shrink and age our brains. Chronic stress even slows digestion, leaving food to stagnate and bacteria to flourish in the digestive system. This can lead to leaking gut syndrome, and yes, it's about as pleasant as it sounds. Stress also increases cortisol, which instructs our bodies to store fat, and destroys and kills the brain cells in the hippocampus responsible for memory.

OK....take a deep breath.

Exhale

Why is this happening?

Our body was designed in a very specific way. To eat small, frequent meals, rest based on the rhythm of light and dark, move, and receive small bursts of adrenaline infrequently, like when being chased by a bear or when extra energy was needed to take down a doe.

Nothing in our biological design prepared us for the nutritional pollution available in abundance in every kitchen and on most street corners, or for a sedentary lifestyle, overworked conditions and late night TV. Bring into the equation the never empty coffee pot, the energy drinks we are so fond of and sugar we consume by the pound and it's no wonder we are a burned out, over-stressed and exhausted society.

Our diet plays a leading role in how our body manages stress. A diet that is high in sugar and processed foods and low in protein and healthy whole foods leads to a chain of events that deplete serotonin, the feel good hormone that creates happy moods, reduces anxiety and irritability and helps us to sleep. It also decreases the important mineral, magnesium, which in our current eating plan, we don't replace.

To get a better understanding of how important magnesium is to our diet, look at a few of the ailments linked with the loss of magnesium: anxiety, autism, ADHD, headaches, migraines, chronic fatigue, irritability, muscle cramps and twitches, insomnia, sensitivity to loud noises, palpitations, angina, constipation, anal spasms, fibromyalgia, asthma, kidney stones, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, PMS, menstrual cramps, irritable bladder, irritable bowel syndrome, reflux, trouble swallowing and more.

What's the good news?

To be fair, stress can also be good. Remember that the Chinese have two characters for the word stress - the other is 'opportunity'. If handled properly, stress can be a catalyst to growth and positive change. Like the butterfly in the chrysalis, it is only through the process of becoming caterpillar soup and then fighting it's way out of its enclosure is it truly that beautiful winged creature that we so admire.

So, how do we handle being caterpillar soup with grace and dignity and without wrecking our health? We must first truly understand stress, the effect it plays on our body and commit to manage it in a way that is healthy for our body and mind.

Perhaps the 'opportunity' is the good part of stress. It's the part that requires a shifting of perspective, a growing, a re-framing and adjustment to life...the strengthening of character that makes one deserving of reaching ones dreams.

And the really good news?

Managing health deteriorating stress is easy. By simply changing your eating patterns, adding some important nutrients and minerals and practicing stress management techniques - all easy things to do - you can minimize its damage and maximize its potential gifts. Here are some strategies you can use to begin taking control of the stress in your life, beginning today:

Shift your perspective
People who've triumphed over stress have done so not by eliminating stress entirely from their lives, but rather by filtering and responding to stressful experiences in more constructive ways. Reframe negative thoughts in a way that create a sense of control over a situation. It's interesting that two people can board a plane. While one reads a book and is relaxed during take off, the other has the hands clenched to the armrests and is breaking out into the sweat. The answer lies in how each person frames the event, their perception of control or perceived control. Clinical research confirms that perception of not having control is always stressful. So whether it is a cross the country ride, your struggles with a demanding boss or a schedule that is bursting at the seams, re-frame your thoughts into empowering sentences that support the notion that you are that the wheel of your own life. You are, you know. With few exceptions, you are fully at choice in your world. You can leave your job, reduce your children's activity schedule. You CAN have those important conversations and make those necessary requests.

Go to Vegus
Learning techniques to stimulate the vegus nerve turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, reduces cortisol levels and enables the relaxation response in your body. Ready to flip your vegus switch? Simply take a breathe deep into your belly for a count of 7. Feel your belly expand and your navel to extend as you breathe in fully. Pause for three seconds, then breathe out slowly to the count of five. Do this five times and you've just activated your vagus nerve, turned on your parasympathetic nervous system and reduced your cortisol levels. Do this 3 times per day - before getting out of bed, at lunchtime and at bedtime for optimal benefits.

You can also try one of the many options available that help you relax and reduce stress. Yoga, meditation, massage, prayer, painting, listening to music, dancing, making love and journaling are all proven amazing ways in which to hit the pause button in your life. Get this...people who meditate regularly have an increased brain size, along with better mood and cognitive functions. And, they have a better sex life!

Fuel up with the right foods
To eliminate food induced stress, stop eating junk. Switch to whole foods in the form of fruits and vegetables to add lots of color, and calm, to your life. Switch to lean proteins and add herbs like turmeric, ginger and garlic to your diet. Drink green tea. Chew each mouthful of food at least twenty-five times. By doing this, you are releasing epithelial growth factor which is needed to repair and heal the lining of the digestive system.

Subsidize your diet with important nutrients and minerals
In today's nutrient depleted soil, getting the proper amount of important nutrients is difficult. That's why it's important to consider adding these important supplements, if you are not getting enough in your food choices.

~Multi-vitamin - Many times, the basic nutrients you need can be found in a good multi-vitamin. Buy cheap, get cheap so investigate the source and purchase a supplement your body will absorb and not simply excrete into the toilet.
~Magnesium amino acid chelate - 400-600mg
~Calcium citrate - 600-800 mg
~B vitamins - combination of:

Folate (also knows as folic acid) - 800mg

B6 or pyridoxine, 50 mg

B12 1,000 mcg
~Vitamin C - 1,000 mg
~Omega 3 - 3,000 mg

These guidelines are general, exact doses may vary from person to person. Remember to always consult your health provider before making changes to your health routine. He or she can address any special needs your particular body requires.

Move your body
As Dr. Hyman says, "if it were a pill, [exercise] would be the biggest blockbuster drug of all time." But, sadly, exercise is a magic pill that most people won't take. In addition to reducing stress, exercise strengthens your cardiovascular system, corrects and prevents insulin resistance, improves mood, reduces inflammation, increases neuroplasticity and neurogenesis and balances hormones. In addition, exercise can improve the function of the brain, prevent cancer and dementia and improve your sex life.

Dust off those tennis shoes and move for 30 minutes each day in a way that is fun for your. Whether it is playing kick ball with the kids, walking outdoors or dancing in the living room, move! Buy a step counter and set a goal for 10,000 steps each day. Come, on....just do it.

Sleep more
Contrary to popular belief, sleep is not a luxury. It is an essential component to our body's regular maintenance and repair program. One of the really cool things about sleep is that when you take care of the other areas of your life, sleep generally comes. By eating nutritiously, practicing stress management, correcting issues such as magnesium deficiency and exercising normal sleep patterns can be restored. Working on positive imagery and utilizing deep relaxation tools while avoiding stimulating activities such as watching TV, surfing the web and drinking caffeine prior to going to bed.

To sleep more soundly and create a brain that is attentive and fully tuned into the world around you, create a calm environment and mind. Pull the blinds and keep the room at a comfortable temperature. Write down your worries and your to do list for the next day. Stretch or do a ten minute yoga routine and practice your vegus stimulating breathing. Or try a hot water bottle on your solar plexus which warms your core temperature and helps trigger sleep (snuggling up to a warm partner helps too.)

Healing Yourself
Your body has a remarkable ability to heal itself, if only you give it the time and space and environment to do so. By on purpose and by design choosing the foods that you eat and the life that you live, you can make a powerful difference in your health, your well-being and your survival on this planet. Begin today to implement your own strategic life plan.

Start Your Weight Loss Plan - Work it With Willpower, Discipline and Persistence

Your wellness starts with you. Start out by creating your health and weight loss goals.This is important to reaching your destination fast.

To have sound health, look great and feel great, you need tons and loads of willpower backed with discipline and fueled by persistence.

You open the fridge and a beautifully iced chocolate cream cake stares you in the eye after having a heavy lunch, it takes the strongest willpower to stop you from taking a bite.

There is no one more knowledgeable than you in on what types of exercises that you need to take to keep you in shape, but it takes willpower to get you up and take the needful jog or swim.

You read loads of articles and books about keeping fit, started a nutritional programme or two and set yourself goals, started out nicely and people comment on your new look, yet without persistence you will stop half way.

What of the prescription from the doctor and those things he advised you not to eat - bad for your health - salt e. t. c. How do you cope? Your conclusion is that those things do not work or do they?

My recommendation is this visualize what your health needs are, e.g. lose weight, have more energy e. t. c. Pray for direction, set your goals, pray to carry it through, look for what works best for you and persist - be as stubborn as a goat.

Supplements do work and many testify to their efficacy. Try new ways of sticking it out. Be determined in your drive to get what you want. Research and use new products, recently heard of Agel products; I learn they have come out with a new innovative gel which I have tried out find out more about it yourself.The products are rich in natural berries and fruits.

Stick with it. Follow it through. Don't give up. Find people who can take that walk or exercise with you, someone that shares the same values and goals. Talk it out with them and monitor your progress. Share the success and the difficulties. This will no doubt keep you going than trying to do it all alone. There is strength in numbers.

Believe me your wellness goals are attainable, if you don't give up for more useful tips on how you can get into that great shape you have always longed for read more at our blog please see the resource box.

Weight Loss - How to Exercise and Like It!

You need to exercise to lose weight. Just dieting alone does not work for most adults beyond age 20. When you are very young it might have been easy, or perhaps not, but as you get older it is not. Diet and exercise are both needed. But exercise doesn't sound like fun to most people, so let's just use the word "activity."

You need to find an activity you enjoy, which is simple to say and tougher to do. What works for you depends on who you are and what you like. For some folks, organized activities like aerobics classes are great. They enjoy the camaraderie and showing up regularly is no problem. Others prefer to exercise alone, and perhaps have no problem having peace and quiet time at the gym alone 2 or 3 times a week.

For some of us, all of the above sounds like too much formal exercise, so we may want to find an activity we enjoy. For example my parents love to walk after dinner, I like going for bike rides outdoors on country roads near my office, some people like to run, and my buddy John just likes fishing and gets plenty of activity just walking in and out of some of the beautiful areas he fishes.

Then there are some people, not me, that can thrive on organized sports, for example hockey, baseball, and others. My friend Mat keeps in shape by playing hockey with other 50 year olds twice a week. For most of us, exercise for exercise's sake doesn't cut it! Find an activity you enjoy doing, and the fitness and weight loss benefits simply become a side benefit and the activity is easy to keep up.

Easy Weight Loss For Teens

Losing weight as a teen is not easy. You are still in a growing phase, and although you hope your body will grow into your frame and you'll lose the "baby fat", sometimes it just isn't going anywhere. There are several easy weight loss for teens programs on the web, but which one should you trust?

Well first and foremost, you should probably consult a doctor before you put any plan into action. I know many people search the net looking for the next big "no work necessary" weight loss program, but you generally won't find that, because well, it doesn't exist.

The best advice anyone can offer up for slimming down across all ages is this; eat healthy. That is the foundation of weight loss. If you're cramming a super size meal down your throat every day, and washing it down with a huge soda, or even worse a milkshake, you aren't going to drop a pound.

I myself lost 70lbs without any exercise. And I ate a lot while I was losing the weight. I was never hungry, and even better I ate things that I enjoyed. Substitution is key. Replacing regular mayonnaise with low fat or olive oil mayonnaise can make all the difference in the world.

Subway is your friend, as is any place that sells grilled chicken. Weight loss as a teen is more about choices than actions. You choose what you eat, choose the right thing. Set a goal for yourself, but make it attainable. I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. And I consistently beat that goal because I set the bar low.

Another tool that may help in weight loss is a simple shirtless picture of yourself. Take a shirtless picture of yourself and tape it or place it somewhere that people will notice it. I set my laptop's desktop background to my fat picture. By doing this, you not only commit to yourself, but you commit to others by talking openly about your weight loss goals.

Most of all, don't worry about the way you look. People are beautiful for many different reasons, and weight loss should be done for health reasons not vanity. Always remember that there are people all over the world who share your trouble, and deserve to be treated with respect, just like you.

aumentare massa muscolare

Weight Loss and Its Relevance in Today's World

Arguably there is none more though-provoking topic of discussion than weight loss and its maturing relevance in the present day milieu. Hollywood celebrities and renowned media personalities joined the crusade to propagate the salubrious benefits of health and fitness. Gyms and training centers are springing up everywhere. Weight loss programs and counsels abound. It is not enough for in the other side of the spectrum the ingenious culinary connoisseurs and super creative gourmets flex their collective muscles and forever conspire to mesmerize the universe - willing victims to their progressive epicurean susceptibility - with a plethora of more palatable and more exotic menus.

A modern battle royale has been waged between the stalwarts of glamour and fame and the entrepreneurial hegemonies who have long dominated the world of Epicurus. Caught in between is the America that nonchalantly panders to the persuasive seductions ensnaring the lion's share of her viewing leisure.

If everyone subscribes to the old Greek philosophy that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" then there will be no more meaningful measure by which man's weight can be standardized and set as the ideal that any society will approve. Such subjective bias does not lend credence to the universally accepted definition of beauty. Beauty prospers well beyond the subjective limitations of the beholder.

What has this got to do with weight loss? Appreciation of true beauty is universal and it is less in the eye of the beholder than in the weight of the beholdee. The cosmic prominence of the ideal weight is ceremoniously espoused and endorsed in discriminating beauty pageants where the participants, anointed beauty queens in their respective countries of origin, showcase that embodiment of physical harmony for the whole world to assess. Feminine features and figures immediately apparent to the eyes uniformly display celebrated profiles and curvatures. Each majestic candidate parades well-sculptured physiques obviously conditioned to maintain a standard weight appropriate to the body's structure. Side by side before fastidious critics this picture of health highlights forms and substance that will indulge the insatiable human penchant for beauty and glamour.

These prestigious platforms set the genuine yardstick for beauty.

Those global beauty spectacles certainly spawned tons of enthusiasm among the many who applaud the icons of their own fanciful aspirations and dignify the discipline and the exacting requirements braved by these world-class paragons of health and beauty. The disappointments, for those who come in second, carry their own weight on equally deserving shoulders but they do not extinguish the pride of nations that shines through as the redeeming sentiment. After all, these petite ambassadors of health and glamour sacrificed and thrived so they may stand proud side by side with giants. They flaunt the weight and the appearance all the world accepts as the standard.

There exists an inadequacy of stimuli to compel a pampered nation in rethinking new and healthy ways of growth. An embattled nation tries to buy a national awareness of the growing epidemic of obesity in the land. The difficulty, however, arises from the false illusions and delusions of some weight challenged individuals who will insist that fat is beautiful, fat is cosmopolitan, fat is cool. Whatever the motives are behind their perception, it generated a following that puts them on their own pedestals and is ready to canonize them to sainthood. This generates a new breed of fanatics who will swear to that self-serving philosophy.

The destiny of the nation has been threatened. The battle of the bulges is getting out of hand that current administration has rolled up its sleeves to spearhead a task force to dig into the tender roots of academic institutions deficient in right health directives and to stem the bleeding. But the battle is spread in many fronts. The enemies have the collective resources and have established a firm footing on public consciousness. They own the media and their best thinkers man their unparalleled delivery system to ensure their presence in the waves, in the living rooms, in the billboards, in your face twenty four hours a day and seven days each week.

The president has risen to the occasion. The first volley has already been fired. It originated from the only force that can match up with the brawn of the corporate behemoths who have victimized a naïve national audience long enough. Suddenly the health and fitness of a nation explodes into the universe of relevance. The administration has given notice. In a more compelling display of commitment, the first lady was handed the cudgels to wield in this monumental battle of weights and wills. It is expected the war cries and the fireworks soon will echo in the halls of Congress and the Senate.

The momentum of the enormous commercial conglomerates, that forever lobby for even greater latitude in the policies and practices related to consumer products' ingredients and allowed additives, presents a daunting challenge even for the first lady. It is incumbent upon the responsible citizenry to unite behind her standard and brainstorm for proactive strategies to repulse the advocacy of any legislation contributing to this weight epidemic. Harm to this generation and future generations can only be stopped and reversed if people are willing to go beyond their call of duty to save their children and their children's children.

The campaign should start from the roots, in the schools, in the work places, in the food establishments and industries, in the hospitals, even in Washington. It should be instilled in the nation's awareness that its foundation is built from a healthy, vibrant workforce with a healthy disposition. After all the teachers, the workers, the nurses, the doctors, the food preparers, even the politicians have children who are vulnerable to the same weight problems. Their mission actually starts at home.

Society wants to couch itself in extravagance, be it in its culinary conventions or in its unregulated lifestyle. A culture of lethargy has taken over core values replaced by the shock of superficial conveniences. Consequently a whole nation of gullible youth become addicted to television, the enemy in the living room, or caught in a death struggle with hi-tech, electronic preoccupations, the enemy in the bedroom. Their immediate needs and tastes surrender to the constant and powerful suggestions glorifying the advantages of fast-food inventions and the refreshments of sugared libations. This last is the insidious enemy that replaces once bustling kitchen activity and handcuffs the young, unwitting prisoners in their own homes.

Man is naturally inclined to be a willing pawn to choices that amuse the senses. Given time, it delimits even the boundaries of rationality. He is uncomfortable with change and any weight loss undertaking is a change that can disrupt his otherwise carefree ebb of living and clashes with his natural inclination. This is the principal reason why he is on an eternal quest for the easiest method to deal with his weight issues. He is fixated on the new culture of instant gratification. Only those weight loss programs that advertise quick results and gadgets that require the least strenuous motions pass under his scrutiny. But does such philosophy make any sense?

The weight issue flabbergasts the world something fierce. It has overcome the will of the people who have long served as sacrificial lambs led to the slaughter. Literally. This obesity phenomenon is a sobering wake up call. Realization is coming to a head that obesity not only endangers lives but also kills slowly and surely. It not only kills a few. It can kill a whole nation. It will continue doing so until everyone stands shoulder to shoulder to fight back and neutralize its oppression.

The gauntlet has been cast. The choice is America's.

Natural Weight Loss Programs - Ayurvedic Therapies To Peel Off Accumulated Fat

A large number of people including teenagers and adults face the problem of obesity because of their unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activities, low metabolism rate and other reasons. You need to follow some proper natural and healthy weight loss programs and diet plans in order to get rid of your extra body fat in a safe, secure and effective manner. Ayurvedic Obesity and Weight Loss programs are considered some of the most beneficial natural fat burning programs these days. These programs make use of a perfect combination of ancient ayurveda plus other yoga therapies. With the help of these ayurvedic weight reduction programs, you can lose weight as well as heal your mind and soul in a fun loving and enjoyable manner.

The duration of these programs range from 4-16 weeks and include the following activities.

1. Herbal Weight loss & Obesity Massage - Udvartana

It is a special ayurveda massage treatment in order to reduce weight effectively. Herbal powder or paste is applied on the body and a deep massage is given with certain specific movements for an hour everyday by 2 therapists. This therapy helps in reducing weight, removing cellulites, provides good skin complexion and removes harmful toxins from the body, all in a natural manner.

2. Yoga For Reducing Obesity & Weight Loss

The weight loss therapy is combined with various effective fat burning meditation and yoga exercises. Special asanas are taught to the obese people and they are required to practice these asanas every day. These asanas focus on the fat accumulated regions of your body and help in burning the surplus fat in an effective manner. Yoga and meditation exercises can be done for at least 1-4 hours on daily basis. Meditation along with yoga is recommended to the people, as it helps in keeping you resolved towards losing your weight.

3. Nature Exercise And Walks

Exercise is one of the most integral parts of every weight loss program as it helps in losing weight in a quick and effective manner. The ayurvedic walk and exercises are performed at different natural places. Along with burning extra calories you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings and explore the nature. A healthy walk for about an hour or two helps in burning considerable amount of surplus body fat. Performing various fat burning exercises in a natural environment will help you in getting fresh air and energy to perform more and burn more.

Therefore, ayurvedic weight loss programs are one of the most effective and healthy natural weight reduction programs, helpful in reducing the dimensions of your stomach.

Healthy Weight Loss During and After Pregnancy

A woman's body goes through considerable changes during a pregnancy. Hormonal changes, mood swings and weight gain are very common during pregnancy. Weight loss is perhaps something that most women would like to focus on after pregnancy. You will come across all sorts of hype on rapid weight loss after pregnancy, especially from the celebrity community.

You will find many media talk about those celebrity moms who miraculously regain back their beautiful and sexy figures in a very short time after giving birth. This is in part due to the fact that celebrities have the money to spend on expensive consultants, doctors, trainers and advanced programs and equipments. Therefore, hype in the media about rapid or instant weight loss after pregnancy is very common.

For average women, we don't have the money to spend on the necessary means needed to obtain the so called celebrity figures. Therefore, it is wise if you are not trying to emulate the celebrities or buying in the hype. Each of us has a different metabolic system, when it comes to weight loss, it is important to take it slow and steady (especially after pregnancy) in order to produce beneficial long-term results and be certain that we are on the safe side.

In general, most women take up to six months for their body to return to normal after giving birth. In other words, it takes six months for your body to return to your average metabolic rate and hormonal amounts that you were experienced before conception. For many moms, those norms may never return as maternity may produce some permanent changes in woman's body.

During your pregnancy, especially during the period of breast feeding, don't be overly concerned about calorie reduction. Apart from additional energy you need during this time, the added stress of worrying about your weight is unnecessary and can have negative effect on your health. Maternity can be a stressful period for you as continual round-the-clock care is needed for the newborn. Hence, you should not impose unnecessary burden on yourself by worrying about your weight.

Focus on eating a healthy and balanced diet. A 2000 calorie diet that includes 50% carbohydrates, 30% proteins, 10% fat with adequate fiber is a good example of a balanced diet.

Besides focusing on healthy diet, don't forget to schedule time for exercise as well. Only perform moderate exercise during the pregnancy period, the focus should be increasing stamina, tone and overall fitness gradually. The goal here is about 'balance and health' and mood elevation. Forgo the intention of looking like a movie star.

Again, weight loss after pregnancy will take time. So, take it slow and steady, don't torture or put unnecessary stress on your body for the sake of looking good. The average weight gain during pregnancy is between 25-35 pounds and about 12-14 pounds will be lost immediately after giving birth. The other 12-21 pounds can be shed gradually over the period of 6-8 months.

Weight Loss - Healthy Diet Does Wonders

Everyone in the real world wants to look attractive and grab attention. Most of us cannot express ourselves fully because of the overweight and thus there is a need for us to loose weight faster and in a better way. Losing weight is probably one of the long term goals of people that are overweighed. Now days, one can try out various health care and weight loss programs that are offered by different organizations like the slimming centers and others. Weight losing has become a primary schedule of ones life and there are plenty of methods that can help you lose weight.

A healthy diet is one of the prominent parts of a weight loss program. I am not against eating but having a healthy diet always makes a difference. What you eat definitely affects your body like if one eats oilier and fatty foods then they are more prone to obesity and overweight problem than others. A healthy diet refers to switching the old diet for a new and healthier one which includes, on time eating, consuming/ avoiding oily and junk foods, and amending your food habits. A healthy diet for the purpose of weight loss includes eating small amounts of food at regular intervals because people tend to consume more when they starve for a longer period of time. It is better if you start of with a nutritious breakfast like those traditional ones that are rich in fibers. One can grab cereals and milk for their breakfast because they are not high on fats and provide your body much needed resistance. One should eat fruits and drink juices instead of eating junk food and accumulating fat in the body. Avoid caffeine consumption because it only helps in increasing weight. A nutritional diet always helps toward losing those extra pounds of your body.

A healthy diet does wonders and can ward off those extra inches off your belly. One will need a guide on the initial stages of their weight loss periods. Weight loss programs are efficient guides and help you ward of extra weight from your belly. These programs have benefited me a great deal and today I am leading a slimmer and beautiful life.

Best Diet and Nutrition For Weight Loss Safely and Nice Skin

Currently, the usual way of diet that people do is have so many risk of their own health, let alone the type of diet that uses chemicals such as weight-lowering drugs and others who had promising results in quick time but on the other side can give a bad side effect to our bodies.

Dietary patterns that we should do are a healthy diet using natural ingredients such as vegetables and fruits. Because not only contain a high fiber that can remove fat and weight loss safely, vegetables and fruits also contain various kinds of vitamins that are good for our bodies. It is important to note that Diet is a dietary pattern into the body not only to obtain the ideal body weight, but also done to sustain the process of healing from diseases, even to care for beauty, one of which is health care for the skin. Believe it or not, the nutrients are contained in fruits and vegetables that we use as food diet has a relationships and a role to maintain a healthy skin.

To keep a healthy skin, nutrition experts recommend consuming a variety of natural products such as Dark Chocolate, Green Tea or Sunflower Seeds. Sunflower Seeds are known to contain vitamin E, which had been known as anti-free radicals and also can protect skin from external destructive molecules from air pollution. Dark Chocolate and Green Tea contain Polyphones, a natural compounds that capable of controlling a substances which can trigger inflammation and of course to facilitate the flow of blood in the skin.

Strawberries, various Citrus, and Broccoli, is a type of fruit and vegetables that have very high vitamin C content. In the body, vitamin C could active fibroblasts, collagen-maker cells. The better quality of collagen in the body means the skin gets tight and bright. The number of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C can be consumed in as many as you want every day.

Except that, you can also try to eat fruits and vegetables with orange, red or dark green colours. Such as pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and spinach, everyday. This colored food, have known contain beta-carotene, a type of antioxidant that can counteract free radical cell activity causes wrinkled skin. Beta carotene can also "wake up" the DNA which has a duty to produce a new skin cells and stimulate the process of disposal of dead skin cells. This both process will make the skin look smoother and fresher.

Other foodstuffs that also helps you to keep your diet healthy and skin health, among others, Wheat, rich in vitamins B1, B3, iron, fiber and vitamin E. Red Beans containing high fiber and some vitamins and minerals, Almonds are rich in fiber, iron, magnesium and vitamin E. Apples, Spinach and Blueberries are also rich in fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C.

For animal food source, you can try to consume Salmon Fish. This fish was chosen as a health food because in addition contain protein, amino acids and high omega 3, was also has a lower cholesterol. For drinks nutrition, you can consume Milk. Choose low fat milk or nonfat which is rich in vitamin D and calcium. Soy Milk can also be an alternative choice. High vitamin E contented in soy milk could prevent skin cancer, preventing skin wrinkles and acts as an antioxidant. Besides that, soy milk also contains Isoflavones which is very useful for skin. And the last, the most simplest and cheapest is to consume Water. Water is able to provide natural freshness to your skin and remove all kinds of toxins in the body.

Melissa Joan Hart Weight Loss Diets and Workouts Revealed! How Melissa Lost 42 Lbs Safely

Melissa Joan Hart flaunts an exceptionally well-toned figure. She is an American actress with a beautiful smile. She possesses well-sculpted hips and slim waistline. In order to shed those postpartum fats from your body like her you should combine a healthy nutrition, workouts, supplements and rest. Most women think that it's difficult to regain shape after pregnancy which is nothing but sheer myth. A pure dedication towards attaining a sleek and sassy look is enough for shedding those extra pounds thereby getting attractive physique.

Melissa Joan Hart Weight loss Tips

* Nutrition plays an important role in fat burning and weight loss. Her post baby diet plan includes small meals. She took 6-8 small meals daily for boosting metabolism. High fibrous foods such as fruits and vegetables contain anti-oxidants, which can easily flush out toxins from your body. Green tea is considered to be one of the most effective weight loss drinks. She included lots of salads and fruit juices in her diet.

* Cardio workouts such as running, swimming and walking should be performed daily for attaining endurance and strength. You can perform these workouts from the comfort and convenience of your home.

* You can also perform light bodyweight workouts such as crunches, dips and squats for shaping your body. It is advisable to take proper rest between your sets for a steady recovery. You should also drink 10-12 glasses of water daily for losing weight naturally without weight loss pills.

* Acai Berry diet plan enables your body to loose weight by boosting metabolism naturally. This nutrition plan acts as an appetite suppressant. Its unique mood enhancing quality keeps you motivated through out your dieting session.

* Another effective diet for weight loss is colon cleanse. This nutrition plan helps to shed those stubborn abdominal fats from your body and also rejuvenates your entire digestive system with ease.

Weight Loss Tips - Your Time is Now to Lose Weight

Have you ever noticed how all the weight loss ads on television begin? They always assume you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to lose weight. They remind you of the failures of your past, they may even mention the many diets which you have grown to know on a first name basis. Then they add the latest gadget that is supposed to work miracles and help you finally overcome the temptation which may have tripped you up so many times in your life. It's time to change all of that with a change in your attitude. Much of what you have experienced with regard to weight may be more a habit of thought than eating.

The first thing you must do is change the way you think about your weight. If you have a negative, depressed, inward-driven attitude about your present condition, it is actually adding to your problem with weight loss and increasing the chances you will continue on your present course. It's time to start thinking like a person who is thin. How? Here is an example. What is the first thing you think about when a friend asks if you want to go shopping? Let me guess. You think about all the places offering things that don't fit you. Start thinking about how great you are going to look in that new outfit.

Begin to think about how comforting control is, rather than how comforting eating is. You are in charge, not the food. You can control what you choose to think, not sweets. You will determine how you will look, not the donuts. You will make the positive choice to respond with wisdom, action and weight loss rather than with food when you are confronted with a difficult situation.

Learn how to live in the present. If you find yourself having imaginary discussions in your mind with people who bother you, stop it now! What is happening right now, where you are as you read this article? That is all that matters. It's all right now! Let the past go, let tomorrow take care of itself. You will embrace weight loss today. Look around you. Notice how beautiful everything is around you. Notice how comfortable your home is, how nice the fresh air smells, how nice the trees outside look. Listen carefully. I mean really listen. Your time for change is right now! Change comes from the inside out. Take the important step of changing how you habitually think.

The Glycemic List and Its Importance to Your Health and Weight Loss

The following is a glycemic index list which ranks foods according to how rapidly they raise your blood sugar levels which is important to know. The higher on the list the more rapidly they raise blood sugar (glucose). Next to each food is its corresponding glycemic index number which ranges from 0 to 100. It is very important for the sake of your health and well being to become familiar with this list.

High Glycemic Index Foods

Sugar 100

Rice Chex 89

Corn flakes 84

French fries 75

Cheerios 74

White bread 70

Intermediate glycemic ranking

Whole wheat bread 69

Mars bar 68

Beets 64

Hamburger bun 61

Ice Cream 61

Low Glycemic Index foods

Oatmeal cookie 55

Frosted flakes 55

Potato chips 54

Macaroni 47

Spaghetti 42

Snickers bar 41

Ravioli, meat 39

Apple 38

Pear 38

M&Ms peanut 33

Peach 33

Skim milk 32

Whole milk 27

Cherries 22

Peanuts 14

Foods high on the chart will raise blood sugar rapidly with a following rapid crash leaving you depressed and lethargic. Also with the blood sugar low you will now feel very hungry again causing you to eat sooner and eat more putting on more weight. The idea is to choose foods low on the chart. They raise blood sugar slowly and keep it stable keeping your energy high and your appetite in check far longer.

The GI (glycemic index) was first created for the health of diabetics. But is also helpful for heart disease and its use is becoming mainstream for those seeking a no nonsense, non-fad approach to weight loss.

The beauty of using the glycemic index list for health, longevity and weight loss is that it throws out all the opinion and all the contradictory theories, of which there is an abundance, on the subject and gives you straight forward scientifically derived at easy to follow numbers. It's beautiful. You want to know how beneficial a food is for you it's easy you just locate it on the chart. And don't think this stuff is easy or "just common sense" as we will see now.

The reason this is so beneficial for us is because many foods are not obvious at all. When you look over the list you will be amazed and surprised at where many foods are located. Foods you thought were very healthy are way up on the chart. There are foods low on the chart that you would never guess would have a low GI. This list eliminates all the guess work and helps you make correct choices for your health and weight loss.

As you become familiar with the glycemic index list some of these seeming oddities start to make sense and you can use these oddities in your favor. For example you will notice that ice cream and even a Snickers bar have a lower GI then something which is considered heart healthy like Cheerios. This is easily explained by the fact that both ice cream and a Snickers bar contain a lot of protein. If you add protein or even fat (as with the ice cream) it will actually slow down medium or even very high GI foods even with chocolate or high sugar content. Cheerios on the other hand lacks protein (and fat) and thus raises the blood glucose levels rapidly.

In other words you can use this little trick to your advantage. If you are going to consume some high GI food make sure you also add some protein or even some fat. It will slow down the otherwise rapid GI food. Become familiar with glycemic index list, use it, become more familiar with it, use it more and watch the results as your weight goes down and your energy goes up.

A Few Healthy Weight Loss Tips

Healthy weight loss equals beautiful you. Weight loss that happens too quickly can detract from the beauty of your face. People end up looking dull and under-nourished, and some of them even develop dark circles under their eyes. Sunken cheeks and dull, pale skin are usually the result of an improper diet plan. Some plans are so strict that one literally has to starve to death, while others are so rigid that they sap all of a person's energy, leaving them exhausted. It is essential to choose the right plan for healthy weight loss.

Healthy Diet Plan

The best diet plan is one that detoxifies the entire system. Our intestinal tract is full of toxic wastes like pathogenic gut flora, bacteria, and other unidentified toxins. At times, even the fecal waste can accumulate and block the colon. This waste clogs the large intestine, colon and the bowel system and interferes with the proper functioning of these organs. When organs fail to perform at their optimal levels, food is not digested properly. As a result, our system fails to absorb the necessary nutrients from food. Moreover, undigested food is converted into fat since a sluggish system can't absorb energy from it. Compounding the problem is the food we choose to eat. Junk food, soft drinks, excess caffeine, and fried food are bad for the body. On top of being difficult to digest, they leave a lot of toxic waste. Healthy weight loss can be achieved only when you clear the system of this toxic material. You're essentially irrigating the internal channels for optimal performance.

Since this diet is aimed at removing toxins, it takes a few weeks to lose weight. Ideally, three to four weeks will start to show results. The diet pattern changes every week to encourage detoxification and improve metabolism. The first week is often very difficult since this is the time when your entire system needs to be cleansed. Anything that can stick to the intestine is banned in the first week, including dairy products and milk. The diet mainly relies on fresh fruits, vegetables and salad. Bread, fried food, potatoes, and sugar are to be avoided. The healthy weight loss program encourages you to switch to sugar substitutes. In fact, even fruit that has high sugar content should be avoided; watery fruits and vegetables are the best choices. The second week includes sprouted pulses like beans, grams and so on. Weeks 3 and 4 have some minor changes, but throughout the course of four weeks, a colon cleansing method is used for removing toxins.

This method of weight loss promotes utilization of energy from the stored fat. This is the best fat burning technique since it activates your metabolic system. With strict diet control, you don't consume fatty food, and the plan encourages consumption of energy from the existing fat. This healthy weight loss method is the best way to lose weight because it stimulates your body to burn the excess fat.

Fighting Fit - Martial Arts and Weight loss

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we list the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

1. Doing martial arts for weight loss

It's no coincidence that gyms, personal trainers and producers of exercise videos and DVD's are now heavily incorporating training techniques and exercises from a wide variety of martial arts in their workouts.

Boxercise, Tae Bo, Cardio-Kickboxing, Kung Fu Aerobics, and personal trainers using punching bags, focus mitts and kicking pads in their sessions are just a couple of examples of how martial arts training is being used in cardio workouts for fitness and weight loss.

Because martial art training is typically high intensity and usually lasts for at least an hour in most cases, it burns a maximum number of kilojoules or calories per workout and is therefore great for anyone who wants to lose weight and lose it fast.

2. Doing martial arts for fitness

Most martial arts incorporate exercises and drills that improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance, help build muscle strength and improve muscle flexibility so they are perfect for anyone wanting to improve their overall fitness.

Cardiovascular fitness improvements require us to regularly elevate our heart rate for extended periods and most martial arts training can help us do that.

Improving the strength, size and shape of our muscles requires us to regularly subject them to some form of resistance training. Martial arts training helps provide this training by requiring us to perform exercises like push-ups and squats using our own body weight for resistance.

Improved flexibility is a natural byproduct of martial arts training because most, if not all styles of martial art incorporate stretching exercises in their workouts.

As a result of providing all of these fitness benefits, martial artists like boxers and kickboxers are widely regarded as being among the fittest athletes in the world and practitioners of karate, judo, etc are considered among the strongest pound-for-pound and most flexible athletes in the world.

3. Doing martial arts and self-defense

One of the most obvious benefits of doing a martial art is that it provides us with the fitness, strength, skill and techniques necessary to protect ourselves from being attacked by others who are out to harm us if the need should ever arise.

Like an insurance policy, we hope you're never in a position to have to use your martial arts training to defend yourself, but it's great to know this ability is there just in case.

Because they are primarily concerned with elevating our heart rates to burn energy and improve our fitness, many of the workouts listed above like Tae Bo, Boxercise, etc don't really provide this benefit to the same extent as doing martial arts training with a dedicated teacher in a martial arts school that only provides one service - to teach you a specific martial art.

Many people mistakenly believe that because they punch a focus mitt 50 times during a session with their personal trainer that they know how to punch properly and can therefore defend themselves if they need to. This is a big mistake and we hope these people never find themselves in a situation where this belief is tested.

Unless they've had many years of martial arts training themselves, most personal trainers and gym instructors will not be able to offer advice about your punching and kicking technique, they are only really qualified to hold the focus mitts or kick-pad for you while you punch or kick them.

Remember, while probably great at what they do, these trainers are more like aerobics instructors than specifically qualified martial arts instructors.

4. Doing martial arts and self-confidence

In addition to providing us with the ability to defend ourselves, one of the greatest personal benefits that martial art training provides is a high degree of self-confidence.

This self-confidence partly results from the knowledge that we are much better equipped to defend ourselves given that we have done some martial arts training, but it also comes from a sense of achievement once we begin to master the techniques taught to us and the new confidence that results from feeling fitter and stronger and looking fitter and stronger.

Given that one of the first things to suffer, and one of the hardest things to reestablish afterwards, when we become overweight is our self-confidence this benefit is of particular value to those of us who have a weight problem.

5. Doing martial arts to improve body balance and coordination

As well as helping us to become fitter and stronger, martial art training typically involves the mastery of a range of techniques that requires us to be well-balanced and have superior body coordination.

In learning to master these techniques we naturally improve our balance and our coordination which helps us with other aspects of our daily life.

6. Doing martial arts for variety

Martial art training provides great variety in two ways.

Firstly, martial arts training sessions themselves have great variety built into them by including warm-ups and cool-downs, stretching exercises, strength building exercises, cardio exercises and exercises designed to improve and teach us a wide variety of techniques.

This variety is great for our mind as well as our body.

Secondly, there are such a wide variety of martial arts to study that we should be able to easily find one that suits our particular goals and interests.

Whether we prefer to do a martial art that primarily revolves around striking or grappling techniques or a perfect mix of both, or we want to study a highly technical or very simple style, the choice is great.

7. Doing martial arts teaches discipline and provides motivation

Everybody knows that studying a martial art requires and teaches discipline.

Because it is also goal orientated, training in one of the many martial arts also provides a great deal of motivation.

Lack of discipline and motivation are the most often quoted reasons for weight loss failures and for this reason, doing a martial art for weight loss and fitness may help many of us who lack the required discipline and motivation to achieve our weight loss goals to overcome these common barriers to success.

8. Doing martial arts for spirituality

One definition of spirituality is "Activities which renew, lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both ourselves and those with whom we interact."

Martial art training has been practiced by millions of people over many centuries because among other things, it has a great ability to spiritually uplift us.

As well as forging a better connection between our mind and body, it also has the ability to forge a better connection between us and our world and us and others.

9. Doing martial arts training is relatively inexpensive

Compared to joining some gyms and hiring some personal trainers, training at a martial arts school or dojo is relatively inexpensive.

Many martial arts schools charge a very modest monthly fee for training and the beauty of this is you can train when and as often as it suits you.

In addition to low ongoing training costs, buying a uniform and any equipment you may need to train in most cases will be relatively inexpensive as well.

10. Doing martial arts has a social aspect

Many people who start doing martial arts training for weight loss, improved fitness or self-defense end up enjoying it most for its social aspects.

As well as training and learning with others with similar goals, many martial arts trainees help encourage and motivate each other and end up becoming very good friends.

Many martial arts instructors too have very friendly dispositions and foster a fun and friendly environment in which to train which endears them to their students who typically also become close friends.

Conclusion

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we listed the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

How to Use Daily Planning to Achieve Optimal Weight Loss Success

Achieving success with weight loss for a more beautiful and healthy looking body has become a major focus of people of all ages. People are beginning to realize the importance of obtaining an appropriate weight to help them live longer and achieve optimal health.

If you are going to be successful with weight loss you need to develop a strategy that you are willing to follow to achieve your weight loss goals. A strategy that allows you to stay motivated to follow an exercise and diet plan that works and still have time to enjoy your family and friends.

You will need to plan your meals in advance to help you maintain a healthy approach to losing weight. You can prepare your own foods or consume prepackaged foods.

Make losing that first pound your primary goal. Once you lose that first pound then continued weight loss is simply a matter of duplicating your success.

The following tips will help you achieve healthy, stress free weight loss:

1. Lose One Pound- understand what it takes to lose one pound of body weight. If you decrease your calorie intake 500 per day, you will lose one pound per week. Performing some form of exercise that burns 250 calories per day will then only require that you decrease your calorie intake 250 calories per day to lose one pound per week.

2. Food Diary- keep a diary, journal, or write in a notebook all of the foods you consume. This will allow you to determine how many calories you are consuming daily. Monitoring your calories will make it easier to see where adjustments can be made in your diet to help optimize your weight loss. You will also be able to see if you are consuming healthy calories or foods poor in nutritional value.

Also, making notes in your diary about how you are feeling and what you are doing at different times of the day. Day to day activities, relationships, and unexpected events can all be factors that affect your dieting and weight loss success.

3. Weight Loss Goals- you should have long and short term weight loss goals. Your long term goals are achieved by the achievement of many short term goals. If you are wanting to lose 10 pounds your first short term goal should be to lose 1 pound per week.

If walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes is part of your exercise strategy, but you are not able to walk for that length of time make your short term goal to walk 5 minutes. Then make it another short term goal to increase your time 1 minute per week until you have achieved your long term goal of 30 minutes.

4. Plan Your Exercise- your calorie intake can only decrease so far before it becomes unhealthy. Planning to eat healthy, balanced meals and increasing the amount of exercise you do will help you achieve your weight loss goals. Make exercise part of your daily routine and try to make it fun. Change your routine periodically to keep it challenging and prevent exercise from getting boring. If you choose walking as an exercise do it with someone you love being around.

5. Reward Yourself- give yourself little rewards each time you achieve one of your weight loss goals. This will keep you motivated to achieve you long term goals. Reward yourself with whatever makes you feel good. It does not have to be related to money. An afternoon alone without children, getting your nails done, or going to a movie. Do whatever helps clear your mind and keeps you motivated to keep pushing forward.

6. Support Groups- make friends with others that are striving to achieve the same goals you are. Encourage and challenge each other to keep watching your diet and exercising.

7. Allow Yourself To Fail- it is important to discipline yourself to exercise daily and watch your diet; however, we all have bad days and will fail to follow our routine at some point. Instead of seeing this as a failure, look at it as a way of motivating yourself to get back up and attack the next day with a vengeance. Small failures may be just what you need to stay motivated to achieve success with your weight loss goals.

Follow the above tips and take time to plan if you want to be a success at weight loss and achieve optimal health.

For Weight Loss Success, Don't Just Try to Look Good in a Swim Suit

A lot of people approach losing weight as either a competition or as a way to prove to themselves and others that they are worthy. Small wonder, listen to popular songs and you hear that men fall in love with women because of their sexy bodies. Movies generally depict "beautiful people" as the winners in love and finances. We want others to approve of us; we want to live up to some standard of beauty; so we decide that we have to lose weight for perhaps superficial reasons, like looking good in a swim suit. Unfortunately when we focus on reasons outside ourselves for losing weight our results are short-lived at best. For true, permanent, weight loss success we must look inside ourselves for both approval and the reason(s) why we want to drop weight in the first place.

If your goal then is to get off the weight loss roller coaster and truly lose weight permanently, it takes a shift in mindset. Instead of thinking about what others say, about what weight or size they think you should be, about what you have to look like to be popular, you must begin to think about what YOU want and how you feel.

Look, we all know that eating right and exercising are part of being healthy. That should be no surprise to anyone. What not everyone realizes is that "eating right" and "exercising" do not look exactly the same for every person! There is a lot of flexibility in these terms-which is good news because it allows us to create our own health system...one that is tailor made for us with our likes and dislikes, our goals and ambitions in mind!

How do you create this system? First take some time and really think about what your health and fitness goals are. If you think in terms of "health" rather than "weight loss" then you will guide your mind and body in the right direction and you will lose weight as a by-product of your actions!

Start with some simple questions that are an either/or answer. For example, "Do I want to run races or do I want to walk around the City?" Which one feels better for you? Go with that one. Then ask yourself another question. If you answered, "Walk around the City", to the first question then it might be you'd rather walk then run...so your next question might be, "Do I want to walk around the City or walk in the mountains?" Continue with these types of questions until you find something that really hits deep in your heart...then you know what-at least for now-your immediate health and fitness goal is.

It might be that you want to be able to walk in the sand at the beach, hike in the mountains, or run and play soccer with your kids. Perhaps your goal is to swim the English Channel or across the local pool, or ride your bike to work or across the country. It doesn't matter how big or small your goal is. What matters is that it is YOUR goal. Do not let anyone tell you that your goal is too big or small...and don't be afraid to let the goal grow and evolve as you do! Today your goal may be to walk around the block and tomorrow it might be to have the energy and balance to roller blade for an hour!

By placing the focus on something that YOU want you will dramatically increase your chance at weight loss success. Whenever you begin to wonder why you are eating better and taking care of your body you can refer back to your goal. When that health and fitness goal is achieved or no longer inspires you, then you can find a new goal.

As humans we come in a glorious variety of shapes, sizes, abilities and desires. We can achieve our health and fitness goals and weight loss success best when we focus on what inspires us rather than trying to live up to someone else's ideas about what is best for us.

Self Esteem And Weight Loss: 7 Tips To Boost Your Self Esteem And Lose Weight At The Same Time!

Setting a weight loss goal and not achieving it over and over and over again is really frustrating. It's not just the food but the hidden mental commitments that keep the back and forth going. Time to cross that threshold and achieve your weight loss goals and build confidence.

And you do want to get rid of weight and gain confidence right?

Here are 7 tips on how.

#1. Listen To Your Self Talk

The part of your mind that wants to slim down and that sets the goal to lose weight is not the same part that carries out that goal to completion. The part that helps you achieve the weight loss is the programming in your subconscious mind. These programs can be identified by listening to your self talk. Carry a small notebook or small recording device around with you and write down or record what you hear your internal voice saying about yourself, others and things.

#2. Be Happy With The Present you

Don't wish to be anyone else than who you are right now. Limit how often you give your attention to the person you want to be in the future and focus on the person you are now. Allow yourself to be content with who you are being in this present moment.

#3. Embrace All Your Emotions

Suppressed emotions are stored in the body as emotional baggage. Much of weight loss is in your mind. Shedding emotional baggage improves your health and your relationships. Allow yourself to feel everything. This gives you access to your emotional weight baggage so that you can process and shed that emotional baggage and the weight that is tied to it.

#4. Do What Pleasures You

What lights you up? What do you desire? Did you realize that what pulls you won't just make your day but will take everyone else higher. Yes, that's right. You surrendering to what brings you pleasure not only enriches you but enriches everybody else too. So stop feeling guilty about it and enjoy what brings you pleasure.

#5. Do Something New

Stretch your capacity for change by challenging the fear of the unknown. It mentally assist you to make the changes you are desiring in your body. The stimulation of the "new" invigorates you and helps you also stay on track with your healthy eating and exercise choices.

#6. Be Straight Forward

Dare to speak your mind. If someone invites you to eat out and you know it will compromise your decision to lose weight, tell them no. Don't concern yourself with whether their feelings will be hurt. Concern yourself with how you will feel after compromising your values. Be direct with people about other areas of your life as well.

#7. Don't Compare Yourself

The majority of the images in print media are perfected by airbrushing. Even the models being portrayed in those images can't look the way they do on those covers, so why stress yourself out because you don't? Actors have personal trainers, assistants, and chefs to show up on the big and little screen looking "perfect" but how often do we hear about these beautiful people entering rehab for addictions or worse the news reporting their untimely death? If how they looked was so fulfilling, why are they searching for something outside of themselves?

Weight Loss and Diets - It's Not All About Food!

I think that the reason a lot of women think they are overweight is because they have a poor self image and a lack of confidence, so they say to themselves "if only I could lose a few pounds it would make me more sexier, more popular, more attractive etc etc."

I know a lot of women who I admire and think are really lovely and I am very surprised when they say they are too fat. What they forget is that we are all individuals who are uniquely different but beautiful in our own way. We cannot all be supermodels. The truth is that most men do not like skinny women and actually prefer a woman who is more cuddly!

Most people are never satisfied with the way they are (including me!). If only we could see ourselves through the eyes of other people. If only we could be kinder to ourselves and stop beating ourselves up over every minor imperfection and say "what the hell, this is me and I am just as good as anyone else!"

I am not saying that we should stop striving to be the best we can be and that if we are overweight that we should stop trying to get into shape and develop healthier eating habits, but if we can stop the inner turmoil of guilt and self loathing and learn to relax and be our true selves then everything in life would flow more smoothly and weight loss and good eating habits would follow on more naturally.

I know it is not easy to change our bad habits and the way we think of ourselves and change does not happen overnight, but if we could just take some simple small steps to make some improvement in our lives and to the way we see ourselves, I am sure we would gradually begin to have a better self image.

Three Simple Ways to Feel Good About Yourself:

1. Make Time for Yourself

Sometimes we are so busy rushing around all day that we do not have any time just to be ourselves. Make it a habit of setting aside at least 10 or 20 minutes during the day and just either do something you want to do or just sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee and switch off.

2. Get a Good Nights Sleep

Take time to unwind before you go to bed. Perhaps take a nice relaxing bath or play some relaxing music or maybe try some meditation and deep breathing to clear your mind.

3. Treat Yourself

We all deserve to treat ourselves from time to time. Have your hair done or maybe buy a new outfit. Even if you are short of money just treat yourself to something small, like some new nail varnish or lipstick.

Try these 3 simple steps to improve your self esteem and you will then realise that weight loss and bad eating habits are not just about food but how you feel about yourself and see yourself in general.

Laxatives - Weight Loss at a Cost

It seems that laxatives, pills designed to ease constipation, and weight loss are going to be forever linked. For a person determined to lose weight, the idea of being able to eat whatever they desire but not absorb much of the fat content is extremely tempting. Yet the use of laxatives is an extremely risky choice to make just to achieve weight loss, and an very odd choice considered the far more suitable methods of weight loss available.

Laxatives have traditionally been used by those with severe eating disorders - such as anorexia or bulimia - to 'purge' their system and achieve unhealthily quick levels of weight loss. However, they have become more mainstream as society pursues the quest for the body beautiful. Pressure is seemingly exerted from all sources, demanding perfection, and laxatives seem like a quick and easy method to achieve that.

Well, they might be quick, but is isn't easy. The most important point to remember is that laxatives do indeed purge the system, but they take everything good away from the body as well. Laxatives cause the loss of essential nutrients and prolonged usage can even lead to nutrient deficiency; a problem that is not easily fixed. Laxatives can also be addictive for both mind and body, and some long term users discover they cannot actually go to the toilet without laxative help.

Laxatives are thus best left for those with a genuine need for them, generally for medical disorders. To lose weight safely, follow a lot fat diets and take plenty of exercise; laxatives are not, and never will be, the answer.

Healthy Weight Loss Diet Superstar - NeOpuntia, the Cactus Fiber

Cactus fiber anyone? If you had told me that I would be testing a weight loss diet program that had me consuming brown seaweed extract and cactus fiber, I would say "fat chance". (Pun intended.) If you told me that modern science had harnessed the nutritional and fat burning benefits of these two plants and made them available for inclusion in a diet supplement pill, I would say that sounds more like it.

Bio-Serae Laboratories of France has done just that. NeOpuntia (TM) is the cactus fiber in question, and is made from Opuntia ficus indica cactus. ID-alG (TM) is the trade name of the brown seaweed extract. I discuss the merits of ID-alG(TM) in another article, so here I will focus on NeOpuntia (TM).

Cheia Vida Slim, a new weight loss supplement and diet program from Alive WorldWide, has caught my attention because it claims to take advantage of the fat burning characteristics of both of these natural plant derivatives. I am testing Cheia Vida Slim and its creator's 10 Day Slim Down Challenge and reporting the results on my blog, which is listed at the end of the article.

For starters, NeOpuntia (TM) was awarded the HI Silver Award in 2004 for the most innovative health ingredient, so you know it must be quite special. Like ID-alG (TM), it also has a multi-purpose role in a fast, healthy weight loss program: while helping us burn fat quickly, it also aids our bodies in balancing blood sugar levels. This is clinically proven, not just a claim.

What this means in terms of losing weight and improving health is critically important, since this fiber will help curb our cravings, satisfy the appetite, and even promotes a healthy level of cholesterol. That's a bounty of health benefits to be gained from one supplement.

A significant part of its magic is the fact that NeOpuntia(TM) is a 100% natural lipophilic, which literally means it's a "fat loving" fiber, and that's a good thing for fat loss and weight management. It is also a highly soluble and viscous fiber, and since it has an affinity for fat, it will attract it and hold onto it. In fact, it seems that once NeOpuntia (TM) attaches to fats in the stomach, they cannot be absorbed into the small intestine, and so they are flushed from our bodies before they can be stored in fat cells.

Clinical research on NeOpuntia(TM) has shown positive benefits well beyond weight control. It has positive effects on blood lipid levels, and also the related Metabolic Syndrome, aka: Syndrome X.

With respect to fast and healthy weight reduction, what do you get when you add brown seaweed, ID-alG (TM), and the cactus fiber, NeOpuntia (TM), together in a product like Cheia Vida Slim?

In the diet program guide that is included with Cheia Vida Slim, Dr. Charles Rouse, the creator of the 10 Day Slim Down Challenge, mentions that one daily dose of this weight loss supplement has the potential to burn an extra 500 calories each day, which is roughly the equivalent of a good-sized meal. He continues to say that as the process of storing fat within the cells slows down, the body actually responds in a positive manner, providing us with both a better quality of energy, and an improvement in appetite reduction.

Here's a recap of the health and weight loss benefits of ID-alG (TM) and NeOpuntia (TM):

• Appetite control without drug side effects.
• Blood Sugar control without drug side effects.
• Promoting a healthy level of cholesterol.
• Inhibiting carbohydrate and fat absorption.
• Protection against free radicals.
• A concentrated source for minerals and trace elements.
• A rise in fat-burning metabolism (thermogenesis).
• A steady supply of energy throughout the day.
• An all-day fat-burning party in your body.

In a nutshell, what you have with with ID-alG and NeOpuntia (TM) are two natural, multi-talented fat burning superstars that work beautifully together to make for a fast, safe, and healthy weight loss diet supplement. Together they promote a reasonable approach to appetite and blood sugar control, and a healthy level of cholesterol. That's why they have been brought together in this new product, and why I'm testing it on myself and my own fat reducing needs. You can follow the results on my personal blog listed below.

Enjoying Weight Loss is Possible - Lose Weight and Still Indulge in Your Sweet Tooth

In a perfect world we would be healthy a hundred per cent of the time. However, perfection is not easy and for most people keeping to a strict weight loss diet is tough at the best of times. Well, there is a way to start enjoying weight loss just by giving yourself some room to accommodate your cravings.

The aim is to eat healthily eighty per cent of the time and for the other twenty per cent, allow yourself to indulge. In other words, for six days of the week you eat healthy fat burning foods, and the other day of the week you eat whatever you like.

Indulge in the foods you crave the most - but remember it must be in moderation. This 'free' day is not permission to binge out. It means just having some of your favourite indulgences like, one or two of your favourite chocolate cookies or four small squares of dark chocolate. Eat enough to satisfy you sweet cravings, not to make yourself feel sick. Remember also, it is only for ONE day of the week.

Firstly, to keep losing weight effectively your body must be nourished with healthy good foods for the majority of the time. This will give you the best opportunity to lose weight and burn fat. Then, ensure you stick to the following eating rules:

1. To maximise fat loss, you need to eat the right carbohydrates at the right time of day. If you consume too many carbs then your body will burn those carbs first in preference to the fat. Your body will not activate any fat burning and weight loss becomes difficult. On the other hand, if you eat the right carbs at the right time of day, along with healthy food, your body will burn fat.

2. Eat most of you carbs combined with some protein for breakfast and lunch and when you are most active. Dinner should be a mix of water-based, high fibre, low carbohydrate vegetables and protein.

3. Avoid eating pasta, rice and starchy vegetables, such as potatoes in the evening, using them only for breakfast and lunch in smaller portions.

4. When dining out you need to make healthy choices from the menu. Stick to green salads, steamed vegetables and lean meats, such as fish and chicken, without any oil or creamy sauces.

5. If you are serious about burning fat, then you definitely need to avoid alcohol. Alcohol takes nearly as much energy as fat for your body to burn. It also makes you crave junk food and robs your body of vital nutrients. If you must indulge, limit it to 1 or 2 glasses only on your 'free' day.

6. It must be emphasised that exercise is also a crucial part of your weight loss programme. All you need to include is one hour per day, 5 days a week of moderate exercise. This will increase your metabolism, strengthen your body and also your immune system.

7. Keep your 'free day' indulgent portions in moderation and only allow yourself to do this ONE day per week.

8. For the majority of your week you must eat healthy, nutritious fat burning foods. Enjoying weight loss while still sticking to a healthy fat burning diet is possible. By allowing yourself one day per week to indulge in your cravings, you will find it easier to stay on your program for the long term without any major setbacks. Your body will be forever grateful and look lean, healthy and beautiful.