Sunday, December 30, 2007

New easy smoothies for your slimming plan

Here is an easy recipe for a healthy yet nutritious smoothie. This resembles to me "Gazpacho", a kind of delicious smoothie or "cold soup" people often have in the hottest regions of Mediterranean Spain. Give this a try, it yummy, easy to prepare and hearty.

Blend together in a blender:

6 oz. carrot juice (fresh, bottled from grocery store, or home juiced)

1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves

1 stalk celery, cut in pieces

1/2 small, raw apple, cut in pieces

2 1-oz scoops of micro-filtered whey powder

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

You can complete the meal with this side dish:

2 sesame seed crackers spread with 1 tsp. peanut, almond, or cashew butter


Enjoy. It is a great idea to try different variations to this recipe. For example, you can make it more "salty" by replacing apple with cucumber and a small tomato. You'll see how easy it is to come up with a large variety to include in your conscious slimming plan.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Child obesity increases

As most everyone knows, childhood obesity is on the rise in America. It is estimated that tens of millions of children are overweight or obese. What is the cause of this so-called epidemic? And how can parents and the medical community to take control to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity?

First, it is important to note that children, like adults, need to burn the calories they consume. Of course, the children who continue to grow, need a little more calorie-wise, in order to maintain good growth. However, they do not need these calories from fast food and candy, but nutritious choices have fallen by the wayside in our on-the-go culture.

Couple rising junk food consumption with a more sedentary lifestyle, supported by the continuing emergence of a new computer and video games, and there is an increase in childhood obesity. Like adults, children need to burn calories. So, if a child eats two thousand calories a day of junk food, and then never even break a sweat playing in the yard, it is not surprising that childhood obesity is a problem.

There are some steps that parents can take to help ward off excess pounds. Making nutritious choices for your children, left to themselves, it is unlikely that children will choose fruits, vegetables and whole grains on sugar and fat. Childhood obesity is a problem for anyone who does not insist that the whole family eats well-rounded meal.

If nothing else, understand that childhood obesity leads to a number of other problems, physically and emotionally. Once most of the diseases in adults, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc., are now much more common among children. This is directly related to childhood obesity, in the sense that the causes of such excess weight on the body. Likewise, the emotional trauma is endured by the teasing of non-obese peers of overweight children. This can have lasting effects.

Overall, childhood obesity is a problem that faces millions of families. The good news is that it can be fought and defeated, starting at home. Only serve snacks and nutritious meals and encourage children to play and exercise. Maybe one of the best ways to begin the fight against obesity among children in the home is to set a good example for your children. In this way, the whole family can enjoy healthy bodies and healthy lives.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Easy tips on natural weightloss

Losing weight is of course the best possible way to get rid of those unwanted pounds too.

Here are some tips for weight loss natural

Only eat when you are hungry. That seems so fundamental that it's crazy. But most of us when we eat "should" eat. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, snacks and so on. The next time you decide to eat because your watch tells you agree, check and see if you're feeling really hungry.

Eat only what you need. Too often, we go on autopilot and at the finish everything in front of us. While we have been satisfied before long. Start listening to your body. As soon as you start to feel full, it's time to stop. OK, you can sometimes take more than a few sips before finally listening to the signals sent by your body, but that's better than finishing another course and a dessert, more appealing than chocolate next coffee.

Don't put any food "out of bounds". Whatever the diet books and the government tells you. They'll only become increasingly tempting. Chocolate Cake, which will begin to sing for you at the sirens sang Odysseus. And finally you \ 'll give in and eat more (much more likely) you would if you ate'd just have a little bite or two to temptation when she first raised ugly head . Much better to have an opportunity to address and make food exciting than to face yet another salad without dressing.

Drink plenty of water. Again, some suggest that diets will eat foods that are natural diuretics. They are to the great satisfaction of losing weight fast. But in reality, what you're doing is losing water from your body. We need water. We need to keep hydrated. Keep drinking water. Ideally just ordinary water neat. Tap or filtered. If that 's too boring, add a slice of lemon or with a twist of lime or a squeeze of orange juice. But keep your caffeine consumption down (without making it more tempting by putting it out of bounds).

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Slimming safely with Chinese tea

Some evidence shows that, by drinking Chinese tea you become slimmer by the burning of fat and calories. Chinese tea is easy to add to your daily routine, because all you need to do is simply drink it.

Works on Metabolism
Science has discovered that Chinese green tea has the ability to increase your metabolism and thus make it easier to burn fat. This is done by the catechin polyphenols chemical reaction with the transmitter in the nervous system, known as norepinephrine, burn calories faster. It was also discovered that green tea, having properties thermogenic not promote fat oxidation beyond what caffeine in green tea act.

Three kinds of tea popular
Because of this positive evidence, slimming Chinese teas are becoming very popular and are available on the market. These teas are made usually with a combination of traditional Chinese herbs, and are intended for those who want to lose weight and get slim.

A list of Chinese teas purchased widely available on the market these days is as follows:

1. Slimming Tea is a dietary supplement made from natural herbs strengthened with Chinese Panax ginseng. This tea harmonizes needs to lose weight, as well as for maintaining good health. It also regulates appetite. However, it is necessary to note that, thanks to the absorption of tea, an increase of saddle can be felt in the first few days. Shortening the soaking time will reduce this effect. This product is now available at Heritage.com.

2. Special Slimming Tea is a combination of traditional Chinese herbs. The herbs are threefold scoresheet teas and are one of the most attractive qualities to ensure maximum freshness and flavour. The herb combination is deemed the most satisfaction of all natural beverages. While taking this tea, it is recommended to include many:


* * Vegetables and Fruits
* The water in your diet

The Chinese slimming tea is now available at AsianMerchant.com

3. Super Slimming Tea was recently introduced by tripleLeaf-Tea.com. It is a combination of traditional Chinese herbs. The herbs in this mixture were used to help promote

Nettoyante
* * * Detoxification
In addition to a healthy digestion

This tea is designed root Licorice, the famous "Big Detoxifier \" in China. Aside from that, orange peel has been used to help promote healthy digestion, and combined with other herbs, with a heavy taste. As alleged Triple Leaf Tea, it is their most powerful Chinese slimming tea.

Other brands available
addition to the brands mentioned above, there are other brands of tea on the market these days. Although this type of teas can help, it is always recommended that when dieting, you follow a balanced diet weight loss and the advice of your health care professional. With tea, be sure to include many:

Fresh vegetables
* * *
Fruit Juices and
* Pure water

Using Chinese slimming tea will help you lose weight safely. Losing weight in this way is also easy, because it \ 's easy to include in your daily routine.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Successful Weight Loss strategies: Top 10 Tips On What Works and Why

For many people losing weight is a chronic disease effort. Too often, the outpouring of books is a temporary event followed by a constant to regain lost weight. Most popular diets, have failed over the long term, because they fail to address the multi-faceted nature of this success leads to permanent weight loss. Fortunately, research has revealed many invaluable strategies that can help to increase your chances of weight loss permanent. Although no article can possibly cover this subject, we have provided links to excellent programs for weight loss and books which are supported by clinical research, and can greatly assist you in your quest. We also encourage you to consult our hand-picked sentence links to learn more about the best strategies to help you integrate long-term weight loss success.
10 Strategies for Permanent Weight Loss
# 1: Exercise

It's nothing new, but the exercise is probably the most important predictor of whether you are going to succeed in the long - term weight loss and weight loss maintenance. For that the exercise was useful in weight loss, we must strive for a minimum of five 30 minutes per week. The good news is that recent research has shown that three 10 minutes in a day are as good as a 30 minutes. This helps a lot in the fight against the former "no time for exercise" excuse. Be sure to find something that you enjoy. You will be better able to keep up with it. Try to walk with a friend, joining an intramural sports league, participating in field trips with a group like the Sierra Club, or certain classes of your gym. Once you give a chance to exercise, you will begin to enjoy its positive impact on your psyche, and you can literally become hooked. "

Having trouble getting a workout? Why not try one of these programs Diet Channel recommended:

* 15 minute training camp starting
* Power training for managers occupied
* 10 minutes workout for moms occupied

# 2: Pump iron

We chose this list separately from the "operation" category because of the significant weight loss benefits attached to weight training in itself . The basic equation is: more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn. That is why world-class weightlifters must eat thousands of calories a day to maintain their weight. Muscle tissue is active, fat is not. Thus, the muscle "burns" a large number of calories per day for its own maintenance. In his book Strong Women Stay Slim, Miriam Nelson, a Tufts University researcher, found that a group of women who followed a diet and weight loss because training exercises weight lost 44% more fat than only those who have followed the diet. While aerobic activity can help burn calories, muscle \ 's where it' s when it comes to giving your metabolism a significant boost daily even at rest.

Read Cardio and Strength Training: How to create a balance routine? To find the best way to pursue the numbers 1 and 2 above in tandem.
# 3: Keep a journal

keep a diary can be an asset in the success of weight loss. Devoting an hour each day to record what you eat and how much, your level of hunger before eating and all these feelings and emotions at the time. A food diary can provide a large amount of self-knowledge. It identifies the emotions and behaviors that trigger overeating, to promote greater awareness of portion sizes, and help you discover your own food triggers. Studying the trends emerging in your food diary and identify where you may be able to make it more healthy. A food diary gives an added advantage of maintaining and focus on a commitment to your goals. Begin to keep a diary today by printing our newspaper food.

# 4: Stay Focused on Being healthy, not to become thin

Many people become more successful long-term weight loss when change their motivation to want to be thin to be wanting more healthy. Change your mentality to think about selecting foods that will help your body's health rather than worrying about the foods that will affect your body's weight. The pyramid of staple foods provides an overview of the types and quantities of food, you should eat each day to give your body the nutrients they need for optimal health.

# 5: Learn What You eat

Too often overeating is triggered by stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, depression and other emotions. Learning to cope with emotions without food is a skill that will serve as weight control in the long term. The solution, a book and the national program developed by Laurel Mellin, RD, helps participants identify their triggers eating and respond without food. One study showed that participants in the program shows a higher rate of weight loss long term maintenance than those who simply diet and/or exercise and don't address behavioral and emotional problems. Chronic too eaters and "emotional eaters" can be greatly facilitated by learning new behaviors such as this Mellin. You can also ask for help with behavioral and emotional food issues from a counselor or a psychologist certified in your area.

# 6: Attach a management group weight

A big key in controlling weight in the long run, has received the encouragement and support of others. You can check to see if groups such as Jenny Craig offers programs and resources in your field. You can also check with your local hospital to see if their dietitian group of programs of weight loss.

# 7: Watch Your Portions

With the advent of "super size" meals and larger portions in restaurants, our concept of normal portions is a distant remember. Being aware of the amount of food you eat during a hearing. If necessary, divide your food in half and ask for a bag of the house. It is too easy to be a "clean plate" even when he served a very large. Learn to pay attention to your hunger level and stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.
# 8: Lose Weight With Small Changes Slowly

Try to remember that "lose 15 pounds in two weeks" is nothing to celebrate. It is important to realize that as soon as weight is lost, the more likely it is that the loss from the water and muscle, not fat. Since muscle tissue is essential in maintaining a high metabolism, losing actually led to a decrease in the number of calories per day, we can without gaining weight. Fat loss the best way to achieve weight loss is slow. Strive to achieve a weight loss of no more than 1-2 pounds per week. A pound of weight equivalent to 3500 calories a day. By making small changes, such as the elimination of 250 calories per day for food and expending 250 calories a day from the exercise, you can lose a pound (mostly fat) per week. You can calculate how long it takes a burn 250 calories here. You can calculate your caloric needs, here, and then subtracting 250 of this number.

# 9: Slow Down

Have you ever noticed that people take an awfully long thin to eat their food? Eating slowly is one method that can help take off pounds. That's because from the time you start eating, it takes the brain 20 minutes to start signaling feelings of fullness. Fast eaters often eat beyond their true level of fullness before the 20 minutes signal was fortunate to settle the amount of calories consumed before you start to feel full can vary significantly depending on how quickly you eat. So slow down, and take small bites to enjoy and savor every delicious bite.
# 10: Eat less fat, but Do It Wisely

We have known for some time that limit foods high in fat in the diet can be useful for weight loss. That's because fat pack in 9 calories per gram, compared to only 4 calories per gram of protein or carbohydrate. For many, the unspoken question of limiting fat Amendment to eat unlimited quantities of fat-free products. Just to clarify, fat-free foods have too many calories. In some cases, non-fat foods have more calories than their counterparts of fat. If you eat more calories than your body, you will gain weight. Eating less fat will help you lose weight. Eat less fat and replace it with excessive amounts of fat-free products will not.


Before starting any regime or fitness program, consult your doctor.

From Kathleen Goodwin, RD at Thedietchannel.com

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Tips to avoid children obesity

There are many stories in the news these days about children who are obese. In fact, I saw pictures of young children who have more weight than an adult. These children are really obese.

Obese Children may have many of the same health risks as adults, ranging from diabetes to heart problems. They are more likely to have health problems even when they become adults.

There are many factors that lead to today's prevalence of childhood obesity:

1. First, children are not as physically active as they were there just a decade. You are more likely to find them sitting at the computer or playing Xbox as running or swimming.

2. Families are eating in restaurants more. Like most mothers who work outside the home, it's just easier for them to take a Kentucky Fried Chicken to cook a healthy meal.

3. The children eat snacks that are higher in fat and refined sugar. These snacks are still available from vending machines in their schools, although some schools are finally adding fruits and vegetables to their machines.

Children and adolescents are heavier than they were two decades ago. But how do we know if they're heading toward obesity? Obesity is not measured the same for children as for adults. The periods of growth and their metabolic rate, it is difficult to obtain an accurate measurement using the normal BMI (body mass index) method. The BMI of children should be used in combination with their age and sex for better precision.

Obesity is measured differently depending on a child's sex. The boys are considered obese when his body fat is 25% or more of their total body weight. A girl is considered obese when their body fat is 27% of its total body weight. Girls and women normally have a higher percentage of body fat than boys and men. Normal body fat for a man is about 15% and 27% for a woman.

The same rules apply to children who are trying to lose weight than adults: eat less and exercise more.

If you think your child weighs more than he or she expected, a trip to the pediatrician is in order. The doctor can help you develop a safe diet and exercise program for your child. Here are some other things you can do:

1. Plan family activities such as hiking, camping or swimming that your child will get more physically active.

2. Cooking meals more healthy place home brining fast food for dinner.

3. Remove candy and chips of your home and replacing them with vegetables and fruits.

Get your overweight child support as soon as possible to avoid health problems in the long term.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Losing weight the natural way using natural herbs

Thousands of people are losing weight the natural way using the power of natural herbs and supplements. Natural weight loss and herbal supplements is not only effective but also safe. Not only will you lose weight unwanted and unhealthy, but be sure not to damage your body in the process.

Losing weight is a high priority for many people, but not everyone likes the idea of feeding pills, which are made from chemicals. That's why the weight loss pills herbal were introduced on the market. Today, if you're in your local health store, pharmacy or surf the Internet, you are sure to find pills herbal weight loss.

Although each type of weight loss pill herbal containing different ingredients, there are ingredients that are common to many brands. The debate, however, about how efficient and secure some of these components.

As with any other program of food, consult a doctor before beginning is absolutely necessary. Not only will you get a doctor to clear any possible health problems, but he or she can create a weight loss routine natural diet and exercise routine that best meets your needs.

Another option you have is to consult a specialist in nutrition and fitness for your natural weight loss needs. They are specially trained in the field of Natural weight loss and can design a plan that suits you.

With a weight loss naturally, it will take time for the weight to come off. This is because not only do you get to change your eating habits, but also changes in lifestyle.

Temporary Dietrine is regarded as an alpha amylase "neutralizing". Alpha amylase is the enzyme that digests starch. Dietrine temporarily "neutralizes", the enzyme allowing some dietary starch to pass through the body undigested, as fiber optics. Because it remains in the digestive tract, Dietrine does not fall within the bloodstream or affect the body 'bodies. No side effects have been observed in several studies of man.

The herb Hoodia gordonii (or simply "Hoodia") has gained attention recently as an aid to weight loss, because of its appetite suppression actions. The plant grows in the desert regions of Africa, and has been used by the San Bushmen of the Kalahari for several hundred years.

Studies at Brown University suggests that Hoodia to work by the interruption or discontinuation of hunger mechanism in the brain. There is almost no research on the effectiveness of Hoodia as a supplement herbal weight loss, and no substantial information about its security.

An exercise routine is also a very important part of weight loss naturally going to the gym or fitness center has become a daily routine for millions of Americans. With natural weight loss, exercise will be the deciding factor in the way in which you have lost a lot of weight.

Because you are on a weight loss natural, you have to exercise.Going for a walk after dinner is cardiovascular exercise and is great for burning calories and fat from dinner.

Ultimately, the loss of weight of herbal supplements

It's important to remember that only a licensed health care provider is qualified to give advice on weight loss. Always discuss your goals weight loss with your doctor before starting any regime of weight loss.

Also remember the first rule of natural medicine, "since it was sufficiently natural doesn' t mean it's safe. "Herbal supplements for weight loss may not only interact with each other; herbs can also interact with prescription medications. Always discuss any weight loss of herbal supplements you're taken with a trained health professional.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Is Xenical too tough for you? Learn about alternatives


In the time of big medical breakthroughs, can medicine have a leading a role in fighting the obesity epidemic? Xenical has usually been a medicine prescribed to obese patients, and recently, the FDA gave the thumbs up to an over the counter version - Alli. Both products contain the active ingredient Orlistat, a lipase inhibitor that helps prevent fat being absorbed into the body.

Is Xenical safe?

When taken at meal times, Orlistat reduces the amount of fat that is broken down in the stomach and absorbed into the body by about 30%. Instead, fats are expelled naturally in faces, thus helping towards weight loss.

Xenical sounds ideal for those of us who struggle to keep to a healthy diet. However, the active ingredient, Orlistat, is usually only prescribed to obese people with a body mass index in excess of 30kg/m². So if you are not dangerously overweight, Xenical/Alli may not be the right option for you. In either instance, you should always consult your doctor. There are also some worrying side effects:

What are the Xenical's and Alli's side effects?

Brace yourself. Some rather unpleasant side effects have been reported from use of Orlistat products. Users have reported uncontrollable anal discharges, so taking this drug could well result in embarrassing situations. Other possible effects are oily stools, loss of bowel control, diarrhea rectal pain, liver inflammation and fatigue. So Orlistat based products may not be the shining ray of light overweight people have been hoping for.
Link
Are there any safe, effective alternatives?

There are hundreds of weight loss products on the market, but few have been clinically proven to be effective. There are products on the market that are proven to have very similar benefits to Orlistat in reducing fat in take, but with out the nasty side effects. Proactol™ is a relatively new weight management product that also reduces fat from the food we eat by around 30%, but in a different way.

Proactol™ - Safe, Clinically Proven Fat Binder

Proactol™ is based on a patented fiber complex, that rather than just preventing fat from being broken down, pulling in fat molecules and binding them into a viscous solution in the stomach. So fat is prevented from entering the body without the embarrassing side effects of Xenical and Alli. Initial user feedback of Proactol™ is extremely positive, and as well as reducing fat intake.

Proactol has the following associated benefits:

• Helps to suppress appetite
• Helps to reduce cholesterol levels
• Decreases food cravings

With hundreds of "miracle pills" on the market, Proactol™ is one of the few that lives up to its claims of effectiveness. In several pre-clinical trials it has proven to be a highly effective alternative to Orlistat based products. As with most weight loss supplements, Proactol™’s best results come when used in combination with a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

To learn more about safe, visit Proactol™’s official site today.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Eating a Healthy Diet


One of the important things you can do for your overall health is to eat a healthy diet. Your diet affects your weight and increases your risks of health diseases. Deciding a healthy diet is easier to say than to do because it is tempting to eat less healthy foods. Different people decide different healthy diet because you might eat this kind of diet while others just cannot stand the food you eat and find its alternative. That’s what health experts are here for, to let us know which food are healthier than others.

What are the principles of healthy eating?

Know What Healthy Food Is and How You Should Eat

When pursuing a healthy eating plan, you should remember the following:

1. Try and Eat a Variety of Different Colored Food - You should remember that different foods have different nutritional values. Food can be rich in antioxidants or Vitamin C. So, when you go to do your regular weekly shop, try and see what different colored foods you can pick up.

Down the fruit and vegetable aisle you should see greens, yellows, oranges and reds. You should have as much of a color variety in your trolley as you can. For example, when picking out fruit pick up strawberries, oranges, pineapple, apples, blueberries and bananas and you will notice what a large color selection you actually have. The same goes for vegetables. Basically, more color means that it is better and healthier for you.

2. Eat Foods from All Food Groups - The problem with many diets these days is the fact that they tell you to cut certain foods from certain food groups, out of the diet altogether. This means that you lose important nutrition and don’t eat as healthy as you could be. So, the answer to a healthy diet is to eat a variety of different foods.

Generally, fruit and vegetables should make up the main portion of your diet but you still need carbohydrates such as potatoes, meat or fish and a little bit of fatty foods like flaxseed oil which many experts recommend as part of a good fat diet. Overall, a diverse mixture of all food groups is needed for a healthy diet!

3. When You Need to Eat Snack, Do It on Healthy Foods – It doesn’t mean that just because you want to lose weight, you’ll have to skip your snack. In fact, snacking can actually be quite good for you just as long as you are eating the right foods.

Generally, when we want to eat snack, we reach for a biscuit or a packet of crisps. However, if you want to eat a healthy snack, then you will have to swap those for nuts, seeds or fruit and vegetables. That way you will get energy, you will also be full until your next meal time and it will be completely healthy.

Since you know what foods you like and what you don’t, you really have to decide for your own healthy eating plan. However, the said tips above can help you to choose the best healthy eating plan for you.

If you are switching to a healthy eating plan, then a Proactol™ can help you. Proactol™ is new clinically proven weight loss product that can help you cut down your fat intake by 28% of your dietary fat intake when taken after food. You don’t have to deprive yourself of foods you love to eat healthy. Just eat the food you like in moderation and take Proactol™ to deal with your diet effortlessly.

Practicing a sensible weight loss is not just taking a diet pill - you should live for a long-lasting healthy lifestyle.

Visit www.proactol.com to see how you can achieve sensible weight loss.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Is Coffee really bad for you?

Every day people around the world drink millions of cups of coffee. It has become a staple of life. We see a StarBucks on every corner. Is coffee really this good or is it so addictive? I think it is both really. I think good coffee almost has a sexy taste to it. It tastes rich and full bodied. Not many things can compare to it. Maybe chocolate, but that is another article all together. You love to drink coffee. You love a good cup of steaming hot Joe on a cold morning. Watching the steam come off the coffee as it snows outside is a very relaxing thought. Is coffee good or bad for you? Well, I think it depends on who you ask.

Usually what you will find is these scientists are paid by a company that wants to prove a point. Simply put, they pay the scientists off.

As in all things, you must drink coffee in moderation. A cup or two each day isn't going to be bad for you. If on the other hand you are drinking a pot every hour, you know that it will have an effect on you. I have known people who drink coffee like this. They drink it from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. This is common in alcoholics. Let's talk about some of the bad things about coffee.

Coffee stains your teeth.

We all know what the color of coffee stained teeth are. It is up there with cigarette smoke stained teeth. You can buy things to whiten your teeth. I would suggest though that instead of trying to whiten your teeth, you cut back a little on the brew.

Bad breath.

Have you ever had a whiff of the breath of someone who is a heavy coffee drinker? It smells horrible. I would rather smell shit with flies buzzing around it.

It raises stress levels.

Too much coffee can raise anxiety levels. When this happens, you can become stressed out. This shouldn't be news to you. Have you ever seen how much a person shakes after they drink too much coffee?

It can raise the risk of a heart attack.

While science is still somewhat out on this, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. If it elevates the heart and blood pressure, too much of it can't be a good thing.

Sterility.

Yes, it can effect the little guys swimming in your semen. It can actually lower your sperm count. I know that may sound too weird to be true, but it is.

Stomach problems.

People who drink too much coffee may have some stomach problems. The caffeine irrates the lining of the stomach.

Here are some of the benefits of coffee.

It prevents prostate cancer.

This is too weird, but it is true. Coffee contains boron, which is a chemical that helps curb prostate cancer.

It is a good social drink.

You don't drink alcohol? Well, people go to the coffee house to chat all the time. A cup of coffee could be a good reason to go out and meet new people. A cup once and while can't hurt. You never know, you might meet a good friend over that cup of Joe.
It helps wash down a meal. In many cultures it is impolite to either start a meal or finish one without having a cup of coffee. No one is certain that coffee actually helps the digestion process, but it sure tastes good after a meal.

As with all things in life, you need to do things in moderation. If you feel that you are over doing it, you need to cut back on the coffee. I know that coffee might taste good, but in the long run you are doing yourself more harm than good. Just keep in mind that one or two cups per day isn't going to hurt you.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Slim celebrities and their weigth loss secrets

Nearly all movie stars, TV anchors, top models and singers look like gods. Perfect legs, slim waists, cool hairstyles, tanned bodies. They look effortlessly beautiful, but you should not be deceived by the appearances. Aside from a handful of people, all the rest have to work hard at it. Dieting and workouts are among the most important things in the life of a high-powered star. Because if they don’t look right, they don’t get contracts and they are soon out of the public minds and hearts. Such is life in Hollywood.

And just like any place where money and ambition meet, there are a lot of people trying to push this or that idea as the best thing since sliced bread, or something like that. And celebrities many do fall for this stuff, mainly because celebrities are just like the rest of us and have a hard time finding a diet that works. Since we are all a bit different from each other, there’s no single diet that works the same for everybody, which means that one has to try this or that eating plan in order to find which one is best. And the search can get a bit rough sometimes.

Famous model Claudia Schiffer, for instance, is not on any kind of diet. Naturally, she has tried a lot of them and has finally concluded that diets are messing with her metabolism and that she is better off sticking to a three meals per day plan. The meals are rich in vegetables and fruits, which are fast digested by the body, and she tried hard not to resort to snacks during meals. However, she does give in to temptation every now and then and eats a bit of chocolate or some other forbidden food. The crucial thing is not to give in to the temptation of eating a whole box of sweets.

Three meals per day rich in vegetables and fruits is also the cornerstone of Geri Halliwell’s eating plan. After going through excessive exercising and a long row of bizarre diets, Geri decided that enough is enough and turned to what she calls “sensible eating”. She is now part of the growing trend of celebrities that would rather have a nice set of curves to show than a skinny figure. So a bit of fat here and there is no longer a problem, which means that she can be less stressed about the whole dieting thing.

The same basic idea worked for TV presenter Claire Sweeney, who chose the Weight Watchers diet precisely because it let her eat foods that she likes and that other diets forbid. She had already gone through a detox plan, which she could not stick to, an Atkins diet that gave her a kidney infection and a dozen other dieting ideas. Weight Watchers worked for her better than anything else and so she’s still on the program.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been on a macrobiotic diet plan for years. She would not touch meat, eggs, dairy products and caffeine and stuck with it until her recent pregnancy. After giving birth to her daughter, Apple, Gwyneth returned to her eating plan, but she says she is not as strict as she once was. While still avoiding foods that drain her energy, the actress has found that a relaxed attitude is better than looking like a bean pole.

It seems that the stick figure is slowly going out of style after the excesses of the ‘90s. More and more stars find that maintaining a healthy balance between their cravings and their image is better than denying themselves every pleasure in order to reach an unreasonable beauty standard. And it turns out that this is not a bad approach at all.

Monday, April 30, 2007

When excuses keep us from losing weight

We often make excuses when it comes to losing weight.

Because of this, we stop ourselves from doing our diet routine, gain more weight and get disappointed in the end.

So, how do you stop making those weight loss excuses?

You make many weight loss excuses and it automatically comes in without realizing it. Losing weight is not that easy but you have to discipline yourself. Next time, ask yourself why you make excuses every time you commit it.

Some of the most common excuses include:

  1. • No time to do any exercise.
  2. • No time to prepare healthy meals.
  3. • Too old to exercise.
  4. • No enough support
  5. • Not feeling well.
  6. • Bored with exercising.

The excuses mentioned above are only a few. You probably noticed that some of them are just lame excuses. So how do you stop making those excuses and start losing weight?

Find out why you are making excuses.

Think about each of them. Are they acceptable? Or you are just thinking of another better way?

If not, then why are you not taking some action? There are some who didn’t like being overweight yet they’re doing nothing about it because they are afraid that they might fail and end up still overweight. Don’t be afraid of change…

The way you think will affect how you succeed with your weight loss routine. The more negative you think, the more excuses you’ll commit and fail. Don’t let your low self-esteem win over you. Strive harder for something that is important to you.

Lack of time with exercises is the one of the most common used excuses because we are too occupied with other things. Lack of time is not a valid excuse because if we think that losing weight is really important for us, we need to find time to for it no matter how busy we are. Do as much as you can each day and you’ll feel more energetic.

In order overcome weight loss excuses, know you need to understand the reason why you’re making an excuse and think its importance to you. Discipline yourself; strive for a happy and healthy you.

If you’re having difficulties in losing weight alone, join support groups where you can meet people who can make your weight loss routine successful. Clinically proven products are also available to help you in your weight loss problems, such as Proactol™, a new clinically proven fat binder. It is made of non-soluble and soluble fibers, immediately attaches to fats found floating on the surface of the stomach. This creates a fat-fiber complex that is too large to be absorbed in the small intestine, allowing the fat to pass naturally through the body. In clinical studies, Proactol™ has been proven to bind up to 28% of dietary fat intake. You can take it in after eating. Support groups and clinically proven products such as Proactol™ help you to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

Manage your weight more easily with Proactol™ for Healthy Weight Loss.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Weight loss, sleep and hypnosis

Last time we talked briefly about sleep, a usually overlooked but important issue that can have a strong influence on the success of a weight loss strategy. However, having goodLink sleep, although a great piece of advice, is not easy to achieve for many people. There are myriads of tactics and tips that are good for having a restful sleep, but for those who find sleep really difficult, something else is needed.
The most obvious solution is sleeping pills and other aides such as those discussed in a previous post, but for different reasons, some people would rather not take anything. What then? Many people use techniques and exercises related to hypnosis and auto-hypnosis in order to improve their relaxation with great benefits for the overall wellness, sleep included.

Mind Changing Hypnosis is a blog that explores these alternatives. The techniques explained and discussed there are very simple and effective. Here is an example of hypnotic methods employetd to help losing weight.

Monday, April 16, 2007

How about sleeping well?

Losing weight and saying fit is not all about dieting and exercising. A successful weight loss program must be part of an integral plan for living healthy. So, you take care of your meals, have some exercise time, try to make your workplace more comfortable and healthy. But what about your sleep? You spend a third of your time sleeping, and having a good sleep is very important for your overall wellness. Sleep well, and everything else is going to be much easier. Even losing weight!

So the relationship between feeling well, losing weight and good sleeping is a serious one, and the more natural the ways we use to cope with them, the better. Today we'd like to introduce you GreatLifeTV, a company that offers a line of ptoducts that are perfect for achieving a balance between active life, weight management, sleeping and wellness. Their products are being sold on TV countrywide with great success. Thousands of happy users attest to the quality and effectiveness of GreatLifeTV products. This is a snapshot of your next "wellness arsenal":

SleepingEasy is an all-natural and non-addictive alternative for treating insomnia. This great product helps to restore and regulate sleep giving you more natural energy. A Sleepingeasy kit includes a month-worth full supply of Sleepingeasy insomnia relief tablets to fall asleep fast, sleep formula vitamins with an advanced formula that assists in better sleep patterns, and a daytime formula that helps increase daytime energy.


Changes For Women. A completely natural alternative to hormone therapy to help women relieve menopause symptoms including: Hot Flashes, Night Sweats, Mood Swings and Insomnia. The Changes For Women kit includes a monthly supply of Changes For Women supplements, Daily Essential Vitamins, and Natural Sleep Supplements that help provide all the support needed to relieve menopause symptoms.

Slimcomplete – a comprehensive weight loss system that allows you to control appetite and cravings and makes it easy to follow a sensible eating plan. The Slimcompete system includes a monthly supply of Weight loss formula vitamins to replace key nutrients and to strengthen the immune system.

Vitagizer - Comprehensive Nutrition System All-Natural, Quality Ingredients to boost your energy throughout the day! Provides Essential nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants. The unique Antioxidant System is designed to Fight Cell Damage and Strengthens your immune system!

A great catalog! Coming from such a reputed company, it surely worth giving it a try!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Discover a natural way to lose weight

Fat consumption has a crucial role in weight management and it is usually controlled though low-fat diets that are very difficult to follow. Even worse, these diets need to be combined with others in order to control the amounts of carbohydrates. Prescription pills such as Xenical (Orlistat) are sometimes used to help reduce the amounts of fat that is ingested. However, patients usually complain about problems and side effects associated with these compounds. Fortunately there are other, more natural ways to cope with excessive fat ingestion. Fat binders are organic substances that have the ability to “gather” fat molecules within the intestine and help the body eliminate them with the feces. This is a very natural and safe way to reduce fat absorption and lose weight without having to suffer severe food restrictions. There are several fat binders available, being Chitosan and Proactol the most widely sold. However, and not all fat binder pills work with the same efficiency. Fat-Binders is a website with reviews and comparisons of the most successful fat binders that will help you learn about them and make a wiser choice, which is the key for a successful weightloss plan.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Looking for nutritional benefits? Have a cup of tea!

Can you drink your vegetables? We're not talking smoothies here. We're talking tea. It might seem an exaggeration to compare a cup of tea to a serving of veggies, but there are some similarities.



read more | digg story

Children's allergy risk may be influenced by diets during pregnancy.

What a woman eats during pregnancy may influence the odds that her child will develop allergies, a new study hints.



read more | digg story

Eating disorders... getting too emotional?

Obesity is an epidemic in the U.S., affecting all age groups. Some Americans are overweight because of emotional eating problems.



read more | digg story

Fat Kids: about responsibility

Reaction to story about obese child that may be removed from mother's custody.



read more | digg story

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Celebrity Weightloss Secrets Revealed

Nearly all movie stars, TV anchors, top models and singers look like gods. Perfect legs, slim waists, cool hairstyles, tanned bodies. They look effortlessly beautiful, but you should not be deceived by the appearances. Aside from a handful of people, all the rest have to work hard at it. Dieting and workouts are among the most important things in the life of a high-powered star. Because if they don’t look right, they don’t get contracts and they are soon out of the public minds and hearts. Such is life in Hollywood.

And just like any place where money and ambition meet, there are a lot of people trying to push this or that idea as the best thing since sliced bread, or something like that. And celebrities many do fall for this stuff, mainly because celebrities are just like the rest of us and have a hard time finding a diet that works. Since we are all a bit different from each other, there’s no single diet that works the same for everybody, which means that one has to try this or that eating plan in order to find which one is best. And the search can get a bit rough sometimes.

Famous model Claudia Schiffer, for instance, is not on any kind of diet. Naturally, she has tried a lot of them and has finally concluded that diets are messing with her metabolism and that she is better off sticking to a three meals per day plan. The meals are rich in vegetables and fruits, which are fast digested by the body, and she tried hard not to resort to snacks during meals. However, she does give in to temptation every now and then and eats a bit of chocolate or some other forbidden food. The crucial thing is not to give in to the temptation of eating a whole box of sweets.

Three meals per day rich in vegetables and fruits is also the cornerstone of Geri Halliwell’s eating plan. After going through excessive exercising and a long row of bizarre diets, Geri decided that enough is enough and turned to what she calls “sensible eating”. She is now part of the growing trend of celebrities that would rather have a nice set of curves to show than a skinny figure. So a bit of fat here and there is no longer a problem, which means that she can be less stressed about the whole dieting thing.

The same basic idea worked for TV presenter Claire Sweeney, who chose the Weight Watchers diet precisely because it let her eat foods that she likes and that other diets forbid. She had already gone through a detox plan, which she could not stick to, an Atkins diet that gave her a kidney infection and a dozen other dieting ideas. Weight Watchers worked for her better than anything else and so she’s still on the program.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been on a macrobiotic diet plan for years. She would not touch meat, eggs, dairy products and caffeine and stuck with it until her recent pregnancy. After giving birth to her daughter, Apple, Gwyneth returned to her eating plan, but she says she is not as strict as she once was. While still avoiding foods that drain her energy, the actress has found that a relaxed attitude is better than looking like a bean pole.

It seems that the stick figure is slowly going out of style after the excesses of the ‘90s. More and more stars find that maintaining a healthy balance between their cravings and their image is better than denying themselves every pleasure in order to reach an unreasonable beauty standard. And it turns out that this is not a bad approach at all.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Losing weight. OK. but how do I start?

Some people find it hard to stick to diets and consistently fail to lose weight. They try nearly every kind of new dieting idea that comes along hoping that one of them would finally work, but the miracle never happens. Naturally, these people tend to overlook their own mistakes and fail to understand what prevents them from losing weight. The human brain displays a remarkable ability of ignoring the things it does not want to face, so it’s not hard to understand why some people eat all manner of things and still claim they haven’t touched anything but salad for a whole week.

But there are ways of working around these problems and if you don’t want to become one of these people, then you should stick to these pointers. Their purpose is to make eating a conscious act in order to avoid giving in to compulsions and temptations. The easiest thing to do is to carry around a notebook and a pen and to write down everything you eat. And I mean every little thing. Have you finished that half a slice of pizza that your partner couldn’t eat anymore? Write it down. At the end of the day look over the list and you’ll be surprised at how many things you actually eat on a regular basis.

Since eating and drinking are, for the most part, acts that bypass rational thinking you should try to bring them out of the twilight zone. So every time you reach out for a drink or some food, stop and ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”. You may be thirsty, hungry, bored, lonely, depressed, tired or stressed, but out of this list of reasons only thirst and hunger are legitimate. Put the bottle down if you’re not thirsty. Put the food back on the shelf or on the table if you’re not hungry. Do you crave sweets because you’re tired? Get some sleep instead. Do you feel the need to eat because you’re lonely and depressed? Go to the cinema or visit a friend. Read a book, watch a movie or listen to some music. There are options.

Never starve yourself. This is one of the big mistakes in dieting. Unless you have enough willpower to qualify for Nietzsche’s Overman status you will break down sooner or later and eat the first thing that you can get your hands on. Such as snacks or fast food. Starvation also makes the body go into power save mode by limiting your energy levels and hanging on to the existing fat. The body makes no difference between dieting and actual starvation and will behave as if in danger. Therefore you must eat three meals a day, plus snacks consisting of fruit and vegetables. This is the best way to lose weight.

Don’t try to banish your favorite foods completely because you will only sap your own willingness to stick to a diet. The key to dieting is moderation, not denial. Do you like ice cream? Well, have a couple of spoonfuls of ice cream every Sunday. Take a break from whatever it is you’re doing and enjoy this special treat. Don’t feel like you’re cheating on the diet and keep any guilt pangs away. You’re just dieting, not preparing for admission to a convent or monastery. So have a bit of forbidden food every five days or so and enjoy the moment.

And, of course, you must exercise. If you’re not used to exercising and are a bit scared of all the effort and sweating, then start small. There’s no need to rush into hour-long training sessions. Five minutes per day will do for starters. Get a treadmill and a pair of dumbbells and make your own schedule. Two minutes and a half of running and two minutes and half of curls. Every week increase the time spent exercising by another five minutes and add new exercises. Your goal should be to spend at least 30 minutes every day working out your body. Sixty minutes is even better, but it will come in time. It’s OK to start small.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Fighting (and winning) fat

Dealing with being overweight or obese and the consequences of these conditions is a daily nightmare for some people. Many people are overweight because of their own lifestyle choices. Others have ended up with a lot of extra weight through no fault of their own. These people have to face everyday the prejudices of others and to live in a world that doesn’t always take kindly to them. An overweight man is funny on a good day. An overweight woman is not even that. This is the sad reality some of us have to face at great personal cost.

Self-image and self-esteem depends largely on how other people see us and it takes a lot of egotism or willpower not to care about the opinions of others. And the bigger you are the harder it gets. People staring wherever you go and having to listen to all sorts of bad jokes and insults is a surefire way of lowering your self-esteem and triggering a self-destructing circle. Obese people prefer to stay in-doors and avoid moving about much, which leads to even more weight gained from lack of exercise, which leads to less exercise and so on. People whose self-esteem is low find it very hard to motivate themselves to improve their lives.

Relationships are hard to handle for overweight people. Sex becomes awkward, especially for a self-conscious person who doesn’t enjoy being naked. The extra weight makes sustained effort quite hard to perform and heavy sweating is not sexy. Unfortunately, the shape of an overweight person is not sexy either and most overweight people are hard pressed to find sex partners who don’t mind their shortcomings. The fact that overweight people don’t go out much makes finding partners even harder, which is why many simply give up and reach out for more sweets to stave off depression.

One of the best ways to deal with obesity is to help motivate yourself. Outside support is crucial because obese people are especially prone to taking the easy way and eating more than they should. A little flexibility also counts. Food addiction is next door to drug addiction and less food means less glucose triggering endorphins in the brain. This, in turn, means that a person who used to feel quite content is suddenly faced not only with depression, but also with the perspective of a lifelong depression. And that is bound to be harsh on anybody.

Getting fat is easy, shedding all that extra weight is not. Fighting fat is a struggle every step of the way and one needs to be strong and also to have the emotional support of a loving circle of relatives and friends. Being able to rely on others to help you through the worst parts of a diet is almost half the battle. Especially since after the diet comes a lifetime of less food and more exercise. This may sound a bit scary to the average overweight person, but you must remember that looking into the mirror or walking down the street won’t be a nightmare anymore.