Over the past 5 years, online weight loss programs have become increasingly popular. One such Internet-only weight loss program claims to have over 1.2 million members in it’s database. We are seeing more and more companies creating an Internet presence to assist with weight loss.

Is it a money grab, or can an Internet-based program genuinely help you? How can sitting at the computer help you to lose weight? How can we trust the information being provided to us? Let’s try and answer some of those questions.

Money-making or Real Help?

A study conducted by the Brown Medical School provides some interesting results. They compared the results of 2 groups of overweight people over a period of 6 months. Both groups were trying to lose weight. One group was subscribed into a structured Web and email based program - whilst the other group was simply given a number of Internet links to weight loss information.

Participants who were given a structured behavioral treatment program with weekly contact and individualized feedback had better weight loss compared with those given links to educational Web sites. The study concluded that “the Internet and e-mail appear to be viable methods for delivery of structured behavioral weight loss programs.”

However a smaller study conducted later compared only a single online weight loss program with a group given only a weight loss manual. The results here were quite different, with the non-Internet group getting better results.

Losing Weight By sitting in Front of the Computer?

Our modern sedentary lifestyle is having a huge impact on health in the Western world. However, never before have we had so much information available at our fingertips. The on-line weight loss programs, are allowing people to have counseling, and weekly personalized support at a fraction of the normal cost.

There is no doubt that “bricks-and-mortar” weight loss centers, such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and LA Weight Loss, are significantly more expensive than their on-line competitors.

The support available from on-line forums, message boards, email, and chat, is contributing to peoples weight loss efforts.

Weight Loss Information - Quackery or Quality?

There is one thing about the Internet - it allows anyone to take up a pen (or a keyboard) and start writing. Like most modern mediums, this is both good and bad. There is considerable ms-information out there, but it can allow you to make more informed decisions.

Previously our only source of information was from advertising, magazine articles, or from our local physicians. This information typically came from a single school of thought, or establishment. The Internet allows us to sift for real-world information, written by the very people that have suffered the conditions, and found an answer.

Without wishing to deride the medical establishment, it seems that many doctors are too quick to prescribe medication. We can’t help but feel cynical when we see the names of pharmaceutical companies written on pens and notepads in the doctors office!

We need to be more informed and weigh up our own decisions for what is best for our bodies.

Online Weight Loss - What To Expect

The two studies published in the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), tell us that, yes, on-line weight loss can and does work. It also tells us to be realistic about what to expect. The best person to help you succeed is you.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the cost for these programs is very good compared with the amount of information that you receive.

If you are considering altering your diet, and beginning an exercise regime, it’s well worth having a look at some of the programs on-line to see if they will suit.

—————————————————–

Free Dieting - The Weight Loss Guide is a resource for everything concerning losing weight. Independent reviews of popular diets, and articles taking a serious look at the causes and solution of weight problems.

Diet information is everywhere. In advertisements, on TV, in magazines; the bookstores are crammed with books on many different diet options - The South Beach Diet, The Atkins Diet, Weight Watchers, The Cabbage Soup Diet. The message is ‘you should think about your weight’. If you aren’t already thinking about dieting, you will be before long.

Most of the clients that come to see me want to lose weight. They have typically tried out a few diet options, but still haven’t achieved what they are looking for.The big question is what are they looking for?

It all starts off with that glance in the mirror. What we see staring back at us is often an image we don’t like or at least we don’t rave about. The instant reaction too often can be ? ‘I need to go on a diet’.

You don’t like the package, so you need to alter it in some way. But the truth is that often it is the ‘packaging’ that is distorting the picture ? distorting our image of ourselves and not you (the package).

Consider this: Everything about you is perfect as it is, and has a purpose. Your shape, your height, your size, your hair color, your eye color, the shape of your features, and the size of your knees - they all combine to create you. Having a negative personal image can lead to weight gain or weight loss. Most eating disorders occur as a result of a negative body image.

Your packaging ? or your style and your way of dress ? has a huge impact on your personal image ? how you see yourself, how much you like the way you look and ?how large or small you look.

Just imagine how you feel when you are presented with a gift that is packaged with the fanciest ribbon, shiniest paper and with care and attention. In fact, it almost doesn’t matter what is inside the package! It is the same for you, your packaging has an impact on yourself ? how you feel about yourself, your confidence levels, and how others treat you.

So before you go on a diet, please consider the following:

Are you wearing clothes that don’t fit you?

Squeezing into an item of clothing is just plain unflattering and although you think you can stay in denial of your true size, every other person that passes you in the street will notice that you are squeezing in. You will only draw more attention which can make you feel more sensitive about how you look.

More importantly wearing clothes that are bigger than you or too small for you will make you look bigger.

Tips

Go through your wardrobe and clear out all items that don’t fit you. Be ruthless! You don’t have to throw them away. But putting them in another area ? like the top shelf ? so they are out of visibility will ensure you a) don’t wear them and b) you don’t reinforce your negative concerns each time you wear them!

Cut out the size tags. This will take your mind off what size you are wearing, and hopefully you will forget all together and start enjoying what you wear And of course buy clothes that fit! You think that’s just common sense? Well it is one of the biggest wardrobe mistakes that people can make! Are you wearing clothes that suit your body shape?

Wearing the wrong shape clothes can add pounds. A square shaped t-shirt in structured cotton will cut off any curves you have, either roll up to expose your stomach or make your torso look like a square box. Oh no! However that is what we can mistakenly go for. The same goes for a pair of jeans ? a key item in all our wardrobes. They are often cut to fit a squarer body shape.

Tips

Jeans for a curved hipline ? drop the waistline but ensure you have a larger waistband, and/or no back pockets. Also, opt for jeans with stretch. This will follow your natural contours better. For men: go for jeans with a pleat around the waistband to accommodate a softer belly line.

Jeans for a narrow hipline ? most jeans look a dream on you, but ensure you opt for structure. Stretch could make you look like you have puppy fat. T-shirts for a curve ? use softer fabrics with drape and soft stretch that have a curve in the cut. Avoid front pockets, too high a neckline, square short sleeves. Instead, feminine touches ? flowers, soft textures and chiffon, depending on your style. For men: go for softer fabrics.

T-shirts for angles ? use structured fabrics, stripes and lines, boyish cuts, and heavier stretch. You can do pockets and sheer looks.

Are you investing in yourself?

If you are having concerns about your weight then you may have put a stop on your wardrobe spending ‘until you lose weight’. This is just plain unfair on yourself. It can only lead to you feeling more miserable if you are living in three outfits and haven’t got anything you feel really good in. You may feel it will force you to take your diet wishes seriously, but again is dieting what you need, or what anyone needs for that matter?

Tips

Go out now and buy yourself something that you feel really good in, that suits you, that is perhaps an extravagance and that looks slightly sexy or suave. Regardless of whether you have been starving your wardrobe. This doesn’t require emptying your wallet. The action in itself, spending some quality time for you to value yourself, will improve your spirits. For women: Go out and buy some new make-up. A fresh gloss for the lips ? natural or bright ? whatever is your preference, and a shimmer or rouge for the cheeks. Invest in good mascara and some color or base for the eyes. For men: invest in a new shampoo, a facial lotion and an upgrade your shaving system.

Consider this: You don’t need to lose weight. But you do want to be healthy and have a positive self-image. If you achieve the latter, your own appearance and weight will find its natural way.

Being healthy is mostly achieved by finding balance. Balance between the stress in your life and the peace you have; a balance between your nutrients and your addictions; a balance between being active and being passive. You also want to be well.

With the amount of toxins we have in our foods and environment and the amount of pressure we have living in the Noughties, your health is very important. Dieting can be unhealthy. What is healthy is loving yourself for how you are, appreciating that as you age your body will change, and that a healthy self-image is far more important than whether you can fit into a size 2. In fact, that is quite dangerous.

Dieting can be a quick fix ? you see some results so you feel like you have dealt with the problem. But if you are not happy with your own personal image, then weight loss or not, you will shortly be back in front of that mirror complaining about how you look again.

www.thewardrobeshrink.com

Sarah Whittaker runs her own Image Profiling business using her own unique typology of thirty-five Image Types. The Image Types are a reflection of your own ‘blueprint’ and help you to understand how to express your natural self and attract more of what you want.

I want to make this perfectly clear, fruits are healthy and they are good for you. They are loaded with vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Fruits have also been shown to fight against cancer. However, when we are talking about weight loss we need to take a closer look at fruits.

It is pretty obvious to everyone that when you want to lose weight you watch your sugar intact, right? Well, there is a reason why fruits are called, “nature’s candy”.

Fruits are loaded with sugar, fructose to be exact. This why athletes use them during endurance for energy, and why people suffering from hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, use them to raise there blood sugar when needed.

That is where one of the problems is. Fruits are carbohydrates. Never eat a carbohydrate by itself. This is basically all sugar. When you eat a carbohydrate by itself there is a sudden increase in sugar in the body. This causes the body to release insulin. However, the body releases too much insulin because it thinks more sugar is coming.

The insulin basically grabs the sugar/carbohydrate and stores it to fat for use at some other time. Since your body released too much insulin there is not enough sugar to support the brain function. That is why you feel tired or sluggish. So you’re fatter and dumber. So, if you are going to eat a carbohydrate, eat some protein with it, it will slow the release of the sugar.

You need realize that a glass of orange juice is just about the same as a glass of soda.

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician, practicing in Mesa; AZ. Dr. Banas personally lost 60 pounds in 2003 and now uses his experience to help others struggling with their weight problems. Dr. Banas can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at http://www.personal-weight-loss-help.com

Any doctor worth their salt will tell you diets don’t work. Plain and simple. Surprised?

Well you might be. You can’t get away from all the talk about South Beach, Atkins, Low Carb, Zone … you name it, they’re talking about it. It’s on TV, in magazines… everywhere you look.

And of course there are the pills, drugs and other expensive methods to lose weight. While they may be appropriate in certain cases, by and large they aren’t necessary. Some can actually be dangerous to your health.

What does work, what’s been proven to work time and time again is something very simple… a lifestyle change. You may not want to hear it, but it’s true.

You can’t eat thousands of calories, rich desserts, sugary snacks, excess fat and tons of carbs, get little or no activity and expect to lose weight with a pill!

You’ll be surprised to know that you don’t need to stop eating or have to exercise for hours every day to lose weight. Just a few simple lifestyle changes added daily can turn your life around quickly. You will start to lose weight within days and feel better as well.

Here are 4 tips you can use to get started today:

- Drink water.

Drinking lots of water is probably the single most important thing you can do for your health. Water delivers nutrients throughout your body, flushes toxins out of your system and aids in digestion. When you get up in the morning, start with a full glass of water before you start your day (add a little lemon if you like). Then get at least 10-12 additional glasses of water in throughout the day.

- Eat slowly.

Chew your food 10-12 times before swallowing. Your saliva starts the digestion process, and if you don’t chew enough, your stomach has to work twice as hard and many times you don’t get much out of the foods you eat — except maybe some indigestion :).

- Split your entree.

When eating out, split your entree with your dining companion. Most restaurants now serve portions that are up to 8 times the recommended serving size. Supplement with a salad, soup or vegetable to complete your meal.

- Avoid sodas.

Did you know that an average soda has 14 teaspoons of sugar? Not only are these empty calories and carbs that take you on a blood sugar roller coaster and adds pounds, the sugar also can also cripple your immune system for up to 5 hours leaving your body working overtime and open to infections, viruses and the effects of stress.

Drinking one soda a day alone can pack on 16 lbs of unwanted weight! Skip that soda and watch the weight go away.

Additionally, recent studies have linked increased soda consumption with certain cancers and a loss of essential minerals from our bodies.

Mark Idzik is a health coach with a national clientele who helps his clients lose weight and make better health choices. His new report, Permanent Weight Loss Now, offers a proven way to lose weight naturally, safely and effectively. You can get more information at: http://www.Everyday-Weight-Loss.com Receive 37 Free Weight Loss Tips by sending email to: 37tips@everyday-weight-loss.com

What a great world we live in. You want something, you get it! You need something, you buy it! You don’t have money, you charge it!

You don’t deny yourself anything??do you? Why should you? If it feels good -do it!

Right?

WRONG!

As we have found out over the years, feeling good and being good for you are two different things.

So, let’s take this one step further. As our DietDivas members already know, “A minute on the lips-a lifetime on the hips!”

That is so true. It tastes good for one split second. But it ruins your whole mental outlook. So that one second of instant gratification just cost you more than you bargained for.

It really cost you a few extra pounds, it cost you a feeling of dismay, it will probably cost you the whole day of “cheating” on your diet. Is it worth it?

If your Doctor told you that eating that bag of chips would cause you to keel over in pain right away??.would you still eat the chips? Of course not! Well, I am telling you that eating that whole bag of chips will cause your mind to keel over! Eating that bag of chips or cookies or pint of ice cream right now will set off the following signals to your brain:

1. I am a failure
2. I knew I couldn’t stick to anything
3. I will never lose weight
4. This just doesn’t work
5. I will remain fat forever!

All of the above signals just hit your brain. Was that instant gratification really worth it? If you can step back for a minute and just think about it you won’t eat the foods that are hurting you. Count to ten before you open that bag. Drink a glass of water and take a walk before you eat that candy bar. Send the correct signals to your brain. I WANT TO SUCCEED!

This will be a great year for you.

Paula Altare
Director
DietDivas.com

The general approach for treatment of obesity is to suggest a low calorie diet and increased physical activity. There are many weight loss programs in the market. Some over-the-counter wellness products are also very popular these days as they claim to produce the results fast. But many of these products are not researched properly and medical community has expressed doubts about their effectiveness in long term.

Many weight loss programs are based on low carbohydrate diet although its long term effect is not very much different than that of low calorie carbohydrate rich diet, according to a recent research. Low carbohydrate diet produces ketosis which causes low cholesterol levels and reduced body weight. However, there are differences of opinion in medical community as to whether the low carb diet is safe in long run.

Other systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Homeopathy also have their own approach for treatment of obesity. According to Ayurveda, obesity is recognized as a disease called “Medoroga”. Meda means fat and it is one of the seven Dhatu’s that are sequentially produced from food in the human body. Obesity is considered as a nutritional disorder mainly produced due to sedentary life style. Ayurveda puts more emphasis on prevention of the disease and adopting a healthy life style. The medicines for the treatment of obesity contain the substance known as Guggulu which is responsibe for reducing weight. Ayurveda uses natural products in the preparation of medicines and these medicines are generally safer than chemical based medicines and drugs. Also, the Ayurvedic medicines have a long history of use and hence, are more reliable.

Homeopathy has its own approach. It treats the patient, not the disease. It takes into account the constitution of a person for treatment of diseases. The constitution is the physical, emotional and intellectual make up of the person. Hence there are no ready made prescriptions for obesity which can produce uniform results. The patient should have enough patience to take Homeopathic medication otherwise no significant results can be produced.

Another approach that can help in curing obesity is that of Yoga. Yoga advocates a healthy life style with its specific techniques to clean the body from toxins and improve emotional and intellectual balance. It covers a broad spectrum of life. Besides physical aspects, it also covers emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of life which are mostly ignored by modern science when treating a patient. Certain types of pranayama (breathing techniques) greatly help in the cure of obesity. Meditation can reduce mental stress which is also a cause for tendency of over-eating.

A person should be kept motivated and focused on the goals in order to implement a particular weight loss program. Hence behavioral therapy is also popular these days which suggests to set specific goals and have a reward other than food for achieving those goals. Regular recording of weight and activities is also important to track the progress.

An integrated approach is required which can address the issue more appropriately. A good weight loss plan should be based on a synthesis of different approaches for treatment of obesity. A weight loss formula is available at http://www.free-weight-loss-formula.com that incorporates the following steps:

Step1 - A Meditation technique to eliminate mental causes of obesity

Step2 - A simple but powerful fat burning exercise

Step3 - Pranayam (breathing techniques)

step4 - Balanced diet

It provides a step by step method which anyone can follow to reduce weight and get a perfect body shape. It incorporates the traditional wisdom about healthy life style. It is based on an integrated approach which addresses multiple causes of obesity. You are not required to purchase any expensive wellness product to implement it. In this way, you save money which you would otherwise have to spend on the treatment of obesity related problems.

This article can be reprinted freely provided it is published in its entirety.

I would like to introduce you to an incredible new weight loss product: Your brain?

I discovered this technique for weight loss many, many years ago from a great New Thought teacher. When I posted it on a business forum last year, a member publicly thanked me for her weight loss a short time later.

I hope some of you will accept this and give it a try also.

To lose weight, here is a technique to use. As you drop off to sleep, repeat over and over again to your subconscious mind, your ideal weight (or your goal weight). For example, just repeat as you fall asleep, when your mind is most receptive to suggestion: 140 pounds?140 pounds?140 pounds.  In the waking state, an affirmation might be: “I weigh 140 pounds in divine order” or something similar. You will be conditioning your subconscious mind to accept your goal weight and it will compulsively guide you to do everything necessary to accomplish that result.

Am I qualified to make such a claim about this technique? I will let you decide. The photos you see of me that appear on my website were taken within the past couple of years and with some fluctuation, I have maintained this body for most of my life. I am healthy, trim, fit and look 20 years younger than my years. However, I come from a “fat” family. My mother wasn’t overweight…she was obese, and when she died in the 80s, she was just a few years older than I am now. I won’t give details about my younger sister - she’s gone, too. And don’t think I can’t gain weight easily. Oh, yes I can, but my mind won’t let me. It has been conditioned too well to keep me fit and healthy. I don’t think about what I have to do to maintain that, it does it for me - I lift weights, I eat healthy foods and can indulge in fattening foods sporadically without repercussion. Automatic pilot. Will this technique work for you? I say?what have you got to LOSE? Body back guarantee.

The whole point of the subconscious conditioning is to bring our consciousness to the point of acceptance that we already are where we want to be. Then the subconscious is compulsive and will intuitively guide us to the right foods, exercise, whatever it takes to fulfill that vision. But we must give the mind the right message.

The subconscious mind technique does not “replace” your healthy eating habits. It creates them! That’s the whole idea. The subconscious is the seat of habit. And of intuition. With the right mindset, your healthy eating habits will become just that - healthy “habits” - instead of the compulsively unhealthy ones.

“When the imagination and the will are in conflict, the imagination always wins.” - Emile Coue

This is not a diet. This is the natural way we are created to use our minds - constructively and in alignment with Universal laws.

So again, we use our minds to accept the idea, thought and picture of a fit, healthy person at his/her ideal weight. Once that idea is instilled in the mind, you will automatically be guided and directed to all that is necessary for you to fulfill that idea. You will just intuitively want the right foods and pass on the wrong ones. You will adopt the proper exercise habits. You will be guided to the right coach or nutritional information to manifest your subconscious idea. It must happen because that is the law - the nature of mind. Mind will always create according to the seed thought.

Speaking of exercise?in my opinion, one of the greatest exercises in the world for getting the metabolism in gear is putting on good cushiony running shoes, going outside and just walking fast — a couple of miles of fast walking. Weight lifting is fantastic for replacing fat with muscle, and for heart and bones, especially for women. But I understand not everyone is into or ready to lift weights. And we still need that aerobic workout. So get outside and start walking. That’s an addiction you will love to have. When you start releasing those endorphins, the whole world looks better.

Important Footnote:

If you have a lot of weight to lose, your subconscious mind may not be able to accept that you can be your ideal weight all at once. The important thing here is to not set up resistance or an argument in the subconscious. So the following is a good method to use to prevent this.

Pick a weight that you feel that you can accept at this time, one that feels believable. For example, if you now weight 180 pounds and your ideal weight is120, that’s a very big leap of faith to accept. So you might use 150 pounds as the target number that you suggest to your subconscious mind as you fall asleep. That is more believable at this point in time and will be more readily accepted by the mind. When you do reach your goal of 150 pounds, you can then change your input to 120 pounds. You may also do this if you have to lose a lesser amount of weight.

The important thing to remember is that the information that is most believable will produce the fastest and greatest results. This same idea also applies to financial prosperity, but I will save that for another time. By the way, I have learned many of these things through brilliant new thought teachers, far ahead of their time. It is time for valuable esoteric knowledge to become mainstream. You can become your own case study in the meantime.

How’s this for a marketing idea: Mental weight loss clinics called “Brain Watchers International.” 

© Copyright 2003, 2004 Marilyn Jenett

Marilyn Jenett, an accomplished business owner in the corporate arena, founded the Feel Free to Prosper program to mentor and teach others to become aligned with Universal laws and accept their right to prosper. Her students, from around the globe and from all walks of life, are enjoying remarkable success using her lessons and participating in her telephone group sessions. For more information, check out her website at www.FeelFreetoProsper.com.
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print as long as the bylines, URL and copyright are included.  Please print the article in its entirety, unchanged and send a copy of the publication to marilyn@feelfreetoprosper.com.

You gain weight when your calorie intake is more than your calorie expenditure. But if this calorie equation is reversed, then it results in “negative calorie” balance in your body. In this negative calorie case, you expand more calories than you take in, resulting in a decrease in the stored calories in the form of body fat, and you experience a weight loss. About 10% of daily caloric intake is used to process foods in the body. You can expand more by doing physical activities.

There are certain foods that show negative calorie effect because the body has to expand more energy to extract calories from these foods. The negative calorie foods need more calories to break down the foods and digest than the calories the foods actually contain. The extra calories are taken up from the stored fat in the body. Thus the negative calorie foods (may also be called as minus calorie foods or fat burning foods) are ideal for reducing the body fat and for losing weight.

Let us take an example. A piece of dessert consisting of 300 calories may require only 150 calories to be digested by our body, resulting in a net gain of 150 calories which is added to our body fat! So if you eat 100 calories of a food that requires 150 calories to digest, then you have burnt an additional 50 calories simply by eating that food. These 50 calories are used up from the stored fat in your body!

These foods are widely available in nature. Some of the foods from the list of negative calorie foods (about 100 in number) are: asparagus, broccoli, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, carrot, garlic, papaya, spinach, turnip, zucchini, apples, oranges, lettuce, grapefruit, pineapples, strawberries, and raspberries.

It is a great idea to eat these negative calorie food items to your full satisfaction without counting calories. Include these foods in your daily diet and plan your diet according to food pyramid. You will be amazed to see the fast weight loss results. You can follow a negative calorie diet plan for safe and permanent weight loss.

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Copyright 2004 P. Mehta http://www.fatfreekitchen.com
——————————————————-

This article has been written by http://www.fatfreekitchen.com.
For more information on negative calorie foods visit the web site
http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/negative-calorie-foods.html

——————————————————–

Once in a while a good title comes along and “Turn Off the Fat Genes” is one of those titles that just have to be written about. If you are not familiar with Dr. Neal Barnard’s work, he has been writing about how to lose weight on a high carbohydrate diet for at least a decade now.

I’m amazed, as you might be, that his work is not better known. There are a number of advantages to using a high carb diet and as many disadvantages to the low carb/ high protein diets.

There is some great research in his books that document the ability to lose weight on a high carbohydrate diet, which may also be healthier in the long run than the ever-popular low carbohydrate diets.

You might think it surprising, as I do, that more people are not using high carb diets to lose weight. You might also conclude that this is solely due to a lack of awareness on the part of the public.

Turn of the Fat Genes, written by Dr. Neal Barnard features over 150 pages of menus and recipes. The recipe and menu section is very comprehensive and you can definitely find recipes that will delight you out of such a large compilation.

Dr. Bernard discusses the concept that some of the genes that shape and influence us as human beings are themselves subject to influence. The genes that affect taste, appetite and metabolism are subject to the influence of the foods that we eat.

Not only are they subject to influence, the proper use of foods can mean that you don’t have to sacrifice and starve yourself of decent nutrition. You can modify your diet, eat perhaps even more frequently and still enjoy weight loss. Does that sound incredible? It is real. You might feel incredulous because the masses of people out there have been told that low carb is the way to go.

I have been following some of the suggestions in one of Dr. Barnard’s books and I can tell you that a high carb diet can help you lose weight. Using his suggestions, I can eat a lot of food frequently and I still seem to stay thin.

To give you an idea of what kind of information “Turn Off the Fat Genes” can provide you with, here is a list of some of the Chapter titles:

Taste Genes: Broccoli and Chocolate

Appetite and the Leptin Gene

The Fat-Building Gene

Fat-Burning: Turning the Flame Higher

How Genes Influence Your Exercise

Children and the Fat Genes

Food Choices for Optimal Weight Control

Dr. Barnard writes, “Contrary to popular opinion, scientific research reveals that genes are not dictators; they are committees. They do not give orders. They make suggestions. Genes are not rogue tyrants exerting despotic control over your waistline. Rather, they work in groups, often with subtle effects, and you can nudge them in the direction you want them to go. You can counteract the fat genes and boost your thin genes.”

In ancient times, Hippocrates said, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” Of course we aren’t really talking about healing as much as we are discussing losing weight, but the principle applies.

One thing I learned from another of Dr. Barnard’s books is that carbohydrates don’t make people fat. It is fat that makes people fat. And it makes sense. Carbohydrates pack around 4 calories per gram and fats have about 9 calories per gram.

By the way, even though it is correct terminology, the fact is that the calories discussed here are actually ‘thousands of calories’. In nutrition they decided to make a calorie equal to 1,000 real life calories as measured for energy.

Anyway I don’t want to confuse anyone, because the RDA is based on nutrition calories, also known as Calories, but no one capitalizes the C as should be done. You can just keep thinking of calories as calories and don’t worry about the technicalities.

Back to the story. Dr. Barnard’s books on high carb diets are great reading and may inform you about healthier weight loss than you are currently use to. Did I mention the recipe list?

This article is for information purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or prevent any health condition. If you have or think you have a health condition or even just want to diet, please consult your physician.

Dave Snape is a health, fitness and wellness enthusiast. His website is http://tobeinformed.com

If I were asked, “what is the most difficult thing many people find to do when they start a weight-loss program?”, I would have to say right near the top of the list is this - they don’t drink enough water!

Few people realize at first just how essential water is to the success of their weight-loss program. In fact, the essential place of water in our diet extends to everyone - whether they want to lose weight, gain weight or stay the same weight! We all know we can’t live without water, but just why is it so important? Well there are many reasons. Read on and discover why water can help your loss weight and why it is your essential life-force.

Apart from 60-70% of your body being composed of water, water has an extensive range of functions essential to life.

. Assists digestion, absorption and assimilation of food. If you don’t drink enough water you can’t get the full benefit of nutrients in the food you eat.

. Assists excretion of waste from bowel and kidneys. If you don’t drink enough water you get constipated and put your kidneys under stress.

. Regulates body temperature. If you don’t drink enough water you compromise the evaporation process you skin uses to keep you cool.

. Your blood is 92% water. This is your body’s transport system distributing nutrients around the body.

. Body secretions and digestive juices are almost entirely water.

Why should you drink water when you want to lose weight?

Water is a natural appetite suppressant. Do NOT underestimate the power of this statement. Lack of water can lead to over eating. You brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst. So, when you think you are feeling hungry, your body may in fact be signaling to you that you are thirsty! If you are not consuming enough water each day and you feel hunger pains, chances are, your body really is crying out for water. In many instances people will find what they thought were hunger pangs were in fact, satisfied by water. Try it! You have nothing to lose, except some weight.

How do you know whether you are drinking enough water each day? Well the answer is not difficult. The average person needs around 6-8 large glasses every day.

Well then, how should you drink the 6-8 glasses per day? The aim is to drink water consistently. If you drink too much all at once or too fast, it will simply pass through you, with little or no benefit to your body.

If you are someone who enjoys the ‘taste’ of water, then perhaps you could fill a 1 litre empty soft drink container with water the drink through it twice during the day. Room temperature or cold water, even warm as some people like - whatever you prefer. Place it on the desk at work in front of you as a constant reminder to sip continuously throughout the day.

Other people find they need a water ‘diet’ to help them keep on track. So for you, here is a program easily followed to ensure you are well hydrated every single day.

. When you wake up you will often be thirsty because your body loses water while you are sleeping through breathing and perspiration. Drink a large glass of water with a slice of lemon for zing.

. Drink another glass of water with breakfast or a cup of herbal tea before setting off the day.

. Mid morning - snack on a piece of juicy fruit such as orange, watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew. Have a glass of water and perhaps try a dash of herbal aloe juice which is wonderfully soothing to the digestive system.

. Lunch - think of soup or have a glass of water before your meal, or perhaps a herbal tea.

. Mid afternoon - While you are preparing your evening meal, drink a glass of water and snack on some crunchy fresh vegetables.

. Evening - Sip a glass of water before your meal with a dash of your favourite fruit juice for flavour.

. After dinner - before bedtime drink your final glass of water and sleep well!

A few changes will happen when you start out with your water program. Obviously you may find that you need to ’spend a penny’ more often. Why? Because you body isn’t used to being well hydrated.

There is absolutely is no doubt about it. When you start drinking enough water regularly, there are great benefits. You may notice your skin significantly improve and even tired muscles will thank you. Many people find their energy is increased and constipation and headaches are reduced, as well as hunger pains.

Now here’s the really exciting part?many people notice a reduction in weight and centimetres, as their body’s water store become redundant and so decrease. If your diet has been one that did not provide you with adequate water, your body will have developed a pattern of storing water. It’s part of the body’s in-built survival mechanism - to store up the essential nutrients in short supply?just in case they aren’t available in the future. So if you don’t drink enough water, you are ‘conditioning’ your body to store water. And water is bulk and unwanted centimetres.

It’s so simple…drink water! 6-8 large glasses a day.

How do you know if you are not getting enough water each day? This is a really important question because so many of us have deprived ourselves of water for years that we have become accustomed to doing without the full amount of water our body requires and we don’t recognise the symptoms of thirst.

. The most common symptom is headaches. A major function of water is to flush toxins from the body. Your brain is 75% water, so even being slightly dehydrated can cause headaches.

. Poor concentration/fatigue. If you body can’t get rid of the toxins it will struggle and you will feel less energetic as your body diverts energy to deal with the toxins.

. Constipation. Your body will divert water to more essential functions and as a result your stools will be harder and more difficult to expel.

. Reduced urine output or dark urine. Did you know that up to 200 litres of water is passed through your kidneys daily? Without a fresh supply of water for the kidneys to filter waste products out of the blood, your urine will become darker.

. Furry tongue or bad breath. If you don’t have enough water passing through the mouth to wash away food particles, bacteria can proliferate and result in that ‘furry’ feeling or bad breath.

. Skin. Your skin should feel elastic. When you pinch the skin on the back of your hand it should snap back instantly.

Final thoughts. Caffeinated drinks cause the body to lose water. They are what’s known as diuretics as they cause your body to dehydrate. You will do your body an enormous favour by cutting back. For every cup of coffee you drink you will need to drink another TWO glasses of water to counter the diuretic effect. Explore the world of herbal teas instead, you may be pleasantly surprised!

(c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore

Kim Beardsmore enjoys working from home. Are you interested in earning money from home? We’re looking for individuals who have weight to lose to join our team of work-at-home-ers. If you’re serious about earning money from home, are willing to work (this isn’t ‘get rich quick’), and have an interest in becoming healthy…then we’d like to help you grow a profitable business. We offer complete training, online and offline resources and a partnership for success. http://free2liv.com/?refid=EA-567883376