We just secured a special deal on large number of cook books, which we are offering to you as a reader of this blog for highly reduced price. The numbers for each eBook so if you like anyone of them make sure your order your copy fast as once we sell out we may not be able to order more in. all eBooks are available for straight download after ordering. you can view ebooks here http://healthandfitness.wizit.co.nz/cookbooks/mainpage.html
Good Carbs versus Bad Carbs…
The word “carbs” is everywhere these days, and there are many diets which are either “for” carbs or “against” carbs.
The public is getting confused about all this confusion over carbs, and nobody seems to really understand what to do when dieting these days.
So we’ll explain the simple truth about carbs and what it takes to begin losing weight immediately.
A “carb” is just a short hand way of saying “a carbohydrate”.
A carbohydrate is a special type of calorie which contains extra energy, which is why you’ll feel more energetic when eating foods which are rich in carbohydrates. For example, if you eat a bag of candy or a piece of cake then you’ll feel very energetic afterwards, because these are foods which are rich in excess carbs.
The truth is that not all carbs are fattening, because there are different types of carbs — there are “good carbs” and there are “bad carbs” too.
However, if you are overweight (or if you’re one of those people who has been overweight since childhood) then it’s 99% certain that your daily foods contain too many bad carbs — and not enough good carbs.
Sugar is a type of bad carb, and most people think they know how to avoid sugar. But the truth is that sugar has MANY different forms which are very hard to spot in foods. …And this is why you’ll never lose weight until you learn to eat good carbs only.
For example, most people falsely believe that eating foods sweetened with honey are somehow healthier than eating foods sweetened with sugar — but in reality honey is just as fattening as sugar. In fact, honey is filled with the same fattening carbs as sugar.
Why is this true?
This is true because honey (and other bad carbs) cause your blood sugar level to rise sharply after a meal (which is why you’ll feel energetic after eating a honey based meal).
This causes you to gain weight because when your blood sugar rises then your body is forced to over-produce a hormone called “insulin” (because insulin is needed to help process excess blood sugar). …And when your body produces too much insulin then fat storage will occur.
But if you eat good carbs (instead of bad carbs) then your blood sugar level will not skyrocket after each meal, and thus you can burn fat and lose weight much easier. Plus, you’ll feel energetic all day on a more even level, without the “highs” and “lows” that most overweight people experience.
So to begin losing weight you need to change the types of foods that you eat each day, and you can do this by learning about the Fat Burning Foods included in our new online diet.
To learn which fat burning foods you need to eat to begin losing weight, we recommend using our new online diet right here.
South Beach Diet and the Atkins Low Carb Plan.
Our Review:
The Atkins Low Carb Diet is based on eating very few carbs, and this is especially true during “Phase 1”. We believe that it’s one of the strictest low carb diets on the market, especially during “Phase 1”.
There is no mistaking this program for anything other than a very strict low carb plan, since it only allows 80 carb calories per day during the first phase (20 grams of net carbs is approximately 80 carb calories per day)……..and that’s less carbs than you’ll find in a large apple, since even a large apple has slightly more carbs than that.
Phase 1 of the Atkins Diet is now listed as ‘optional’ — but even if Phase 1 is skipped we still believe that the overall carb limitations make it a very strict low carb diet.
This program is probably not for the faint of heart, since only truly committed dieters will probably be able to withstand Phase 1 of this program.
What about the South Beach Diet?
The South Beach diet is also a fairly strict low carb program (especially during the first phase)…..though perhaps not as strict as the Atkins program.
…But it’s our opinion that the South Beach plan is too strict (limits carbs too much) to be practical for everyday dieters — especially during phase 1 with the severely reduced carbs and other rules forbidding many foods.
For example, we’ve observed that the higher carb foods (on the South Beach menu) are severely limited in portions during the first phase of the diet — and this prevents a normal amount of carbs from being eaten during the first phase.
In fact, most of the foods which dieters are allowed to eat in “unlimited portions” (during phase 1) are protein foods and super-low-calorie vegetables.
For example, the South Beach menu allows unlimited lettuce during phase 1 — but yet it limits the portions of “tomatoes” and “onions” and “peanuts”.
Additionally, the “sweet snacks” which are allowed on the South Beach menu are limited to a mere 75 calories per day during phase 1.
So even though the South Beach plan allows “sweet snacks” — they are severely limited to just 75 calories per day……..and that’s less calories than a single large cookie contains.
So although the South Beach program is not as strict as the Atkins diet, it’s our opinion that both diets are fairly strict low carb programs — and we believe that both plans will be fairly difficult to follow for average dieters who are not truly committed, especially during Phase 1.
Also…….both of these diets seem to have no “end” in sight — since both the Atkins plan and the South Beach diet never allow dieters to return to a normal carb lifestyle (where carbs don’t have to be closely watched).
Both of these diets do gradually allow more and more carbs to be eaten as time goes by of course (as time goes by the rules are relaxed a bit), but even after 6 months dieters are still told to watch their carb intake to some degree each day, and both diets seem to require a lifetime commitment of some sort.
So it’s a permanent lifestyle change which is required by these diets, and many dieters may find it difficult to never be able to enjoy their favorite carb-filled restaurant meals (which can be eaten completely “as served”, and without any restrictions).
So overall we think that both diets are not very practical for average dieters who are not 100% committed to making huge sacrifices for the long term, since we believe that many people will find it difficult to modify their entire lifestyle permanently. We therefore recommend against using the South Beach and Atkins programs for most people, for the reasons outlined above.
End of Review.
We’ve created a new Fat Burning Diet which is called the Idiot Proof Diet, and it has no specific limits on portions (it also allows 3 cheat days every 11 days where anything can be eaten, making the diet more practical for everyday dieters).
Thousands of people are losing weight each week using this new diet.
You can begin using this new diet right here.
The Truth About the Food Pyramid and Healthy Eating…
Most people have heard about “The Food Pyramid”. It’s a government created guideline for “healthy eating” each day, it’s sort of a general nutrition guide for the country.
In fact, the government (US Department of Agriculture) has recently upgraded it’s food pyramid — but the truth is that it’s still an unsatisfactory guideline for people who want to lose weight.
It’s important to remember that the Food Pyramid was not created for “weight loss”, it was created as a “general nutrition guide” to maintain average health.
It’s supposed to be a general nutrition guide for healthy eating, so you must remember that it’s not a tool meant to help you with fat loss and dieting.
In other words, it’s not the best choice to help overweight people who want to get slim in a hurry.
Secondly, the new Food Pyramid is based on vague nutritional guidelines which are nearly as bureaucratic and vague as possible. It advocates that people should eat specific “ounces” of food based on a person’s age, weight, gender, and other factors.
…But trying to calculate your daily food intake by using such vague guidelines is just not very fun or practical — not to mention it’s not very easy to do either.
In other words, it’s not a solution for weight loss — nor is it a practical solution for healthy eating each day. In fact, the Food Pyramid is just like most other government created “guidelines” — which means it’s the result of a bureaucratic effort which aims to give vague and general advice.
If you’re looking to lose weight then you certainly don’t want to use the new Food Pyramid as a tool to help you, since you likely won’t see fast dieting results by doing that.
If you’re looking to get skinny then we have created an Online Diet Generator which can allow you to lose weight fast, and more importantly our diet generator is easy to use (and it calculates all of your meals for you, so that you don’t have to do any work yourself).
We know that people need an easy to follow menu in order to begin losing weight, since people don’t want to read food labels and count calories (most people are too busy for that anyway).
We help thousands of overweight people lose fat each week, and we are one of the most popular fat burning sites on the Internet. So go ahead and try our Diet Generator and watch how quickly you’ll begin losing weight. Remember that there are no calorie limits when using our fat burning program, since counting calories doesn’t work. Our fat loss system is based on a new type of eating never seen before…
The way to cure Obesity is not always by lowering your Daily Calories, and here’s why…
Haven’t you ever wondered why some people are naturally overweight while other people can remain skinny while eating twice as much?
The truth is that your total “daily calories” is not the deciding factor in whether you’re overweight or skinny.
You see, there are 3 main types of calories that you can eat each day.
First, there is protein…
Next, there are carbohydrates (carbs)…
And finally there are fat calories…
The truth is that your body doesn’t pay attention to how many daily calories are eaten, but rather your body pays attention to how much of EACH TYPE of calorie that you consume.
For example, if you eat too many sugar based calories (sugar is common in fat free foods) then your body won’t be able to use all of those sugar calories, and the excess calories will be stored as fat tissue.
This can happen even if you didn’t eat very many daily calories, because if you eat too many “wrong” calories then you’ll get fat. This is why many obese people remain overweight their whole lives even though they eat less than some of their skinny friends and family members.
…And it doesn’t have to be this way, because even though it’s true that some people have slower metabolisms (and suffer from obesity) they can still get just as skinny as their friends if they just learn to EAT THE RIGHT TYPES OF CALORIES EACH DAY.
You see, your body needs protein, carbs and fat calories too. Your body needs all 3 types of calories, but it does not need them all in the same proportions at every meal.
Certain types of fat calories can speed up weight loss believe it or not, while other types of “fat free foods” will actually make you overweight if you eat them too often.
Why else do you think that losing weight is so difficult? Why else do you think that our society is suffering from a serious obesity problem which is getting worse?
It’s because the ANSWER to weight loss is the OPPOSITE of what most people think. Most average people have been brought up to believe that eating “fat” is bad and that eating “fat free foods” is healthy.
That may “seem” logical at first, but in reality the opposite is often true. Eating “fat” does not automatically turn to fat tissue on your body, and eating “fat free” does not automatically cause weight loss to happen either.
To begin losing weight you must realize this fact and open your mind to a new way of dieting.
If you want to lose weight fast then you must learn to eat foods which have fat burning properties, and these are foods which keep your blood sugar level more stable throughout the day.
You see, if you eat foods which cause your blood sugar level to spike upwards too sharply then you’ll feel “energetic” for a short while — but then afterwards your blood sugar level will drop way too low and you’ll feel tired and lethargic for the rest of the day.
The higher your blood sugar rises after a meal, then the lower it will drop afterward. …And when it drops you’ll feel tired and hungry all over again. This is why obese people often suffer from “highs and lows” in their energy level.
But if you begin eating fat burning foods (which keep your blood sugar level stable throughout the day) then your energy will be steady all day long, you’ll have plenty of energy and you won’t ever feel tired of lethargic.
Also, when your blood sugar level is kept stable then your body’s natural fat burning engine will begin burning more fat tissue. That’s why these are called “fat burning foods”.
To learn which fat burning foods you need to eat to begin losing weight, we recommend using our new online diet right here.
Why Calorie Counting Doesn’t Work for Weight Loss…
Most people believe that calories are the “enemy”, since eating excess calories leads to excess fat, right? That’s why most people believe that the fastest way to lose weight is to cut way back on calories each day.
After all, if a dieter is eating 2,500 calories per day and they decide to cut back to 1,500 calories per day – then obviously those extra 1,000 calories have to result in weight loss, right?
Well, actually this is not exactly true.
In fact, if you try to cut your calories too much (via starving yourself and skipping meals) then you’ll quickly reach a dieting “plateau” (a point where the scale refuses to drop any lower no matter how little your are eating).
Firstly, let’s talk about how the average person begins a new diet…
The scenario usually sounds something like this…
One day you look in the mirror and see that your clothes are fitting tighter than normal, and you look more overweight than normal. …And on this day you get “angry” with yourself, you’re angry with what you see in the mirror – and you decide that you’re going to lose weight no matter what it takes.
You are filled with lots of motivation and anger on this day, and you feel determined to do whatever it takes to get slimmer.
So what’s the first thing you do?
…You begin skipping meals and cutting way back on calories in an attempt to starve yourself thinner, since you’re convinced that calories are the enemy.
Anyway, the above scenario is how you begin your “starvation diet.”
On the first day of dieting you feel so “motivated” to lose weight that you decide to skip breakfast.
Unfortunately, this motivation doesn’t last for long, because after a few hours your hunger begins making you feel weak — because your body is not accustomed to “skipping meals” like this, and your body is not accustomed to being without calories for so long.
Anyway, by the time lunchtime arrives you’re so hungry (and weak) that you feel absolutely miserable — but yet you bravely tell yourself that you can handle this diet (because after all, you certainly don’t want to feel like a quitter).
So you perhaps have a piece of fruit for lunch (or perhaps another small food item instead), since you’re still convinced that you can starve yourself thinner.
Finally, hours later when dinnertime arrives you’re so miserable and hungry that you have a major headache – and this is the moment when you finally begin to realize that starving yourself might not be such a good idea after all.
After this first day of starving yourself you feel horrible, but you’re determined to stick to your diet since you don’t want to be a quitter so soon — so you’ll likely hold out for another few days on this diet.
Or, if you are particularly brave then you may even hold out for a week or two.
However, regardless of how long you actually hold out — you won’t get any slimmer and the final result will still be the same.
You see, even after two weeks of starving yourself you won’t have achieved any serious weight loss at all. In fact, your body will still look the same when you look in the mirror.
Why is this true?
This is true because most of the weight lost during a “starvation diet” is just water weight, and not real fat loss.
You must remember that any “water weight” lost during a starvation diet will be gained back immediately when you stop dieting and start eating normally again.
Also, whenever you starve yourself you cause a “hidden” factor to come into play…
You see, whenever you starve yourself your body will begin burning fewer calories each day.
For instance, let’s say that you normally eat about 3,,000 calories per day.
….But then you suddenly cut way back on calories — so that you’re now eating only 1,000 calories per day.
Guess what happens?
Even though you’re eating 2,000 fewer calories per day your body will begin burning 2,000 fewer calories per day – so in reality your weight will remain the same even though you’re eating 2,000 fewer calories per day.
When this happens the scale will stop going down regardless of how little you are eating each day, and this is known as a weight loss “plateau.”
This is why most starvation dieters cannot make the scale go down anymore after just two weeks of dieting. They all hit a “plateau” where the scale just refuses to go down any further, no matter how little they are eating each day.
Now you know why you’ve always failed when trying to starve yourself in the past, since it’s just not possible to lose weight by starving yourself.
The truth is that “serious” weight loss can never be achieved by starvation dieting.
Serious weight loss can only be achieved by giving your body the right types of calories at the correct times each day, which is something that we talk about below…
Your body is actually like a big “engine” — and the truth is that your body needs all 3 types of calories (protein, carbs, and fat) to some degree.
To begin losing weight fast we recommend using the new Idiot Proof Diet from Fat Loss 4 Idiots — because it does not require any calorie counting (it’s one of the only diets in the world which forces fast weight loss without the need to count calories).
You can begin this new diet right here.
The Zone Diet vs. Jenny Craig Weight Loss
Our Review of these 2 programs:
The Zone Diet is based on the theory of 40/30/30 — which means that 40% of calories should be from carbs, 30% from protein, and 30% from fats. This program was created by Barry Sears……and a well known book was published about this diet called “Enter the Zone”.
So when a dieter eats a meal which is “40/30/30” — then it’s referred to as a “Zone Favorable” meal.
The author of the Zone Program (Barry Sears) claims that if you make all meals “Zone Favorable” then your body will have reduced insulin levels, which will lead to weight loss and fat burning.
However, we do not agree that eating a 40/30/30 meal (Zone Favorable meal) is the best way to reduce insulin levels.
Also, another thing to remember is that it can be difficult to follow the Zone Diet because everything must be calculated “precisely” at every meal (and most people will find such calculations very tedious, especially people with busy schedules).
We believe that average dieters may find this program too difficult to use for any serious length of time, and therefore we do not like the Zone Diet program.
The makers of this diet have even created their own line of Zone Favorable Food products (such as Zone bars, Zone Shakes, and other Zone products for dieters).
But of course, such products cost much more than “average food” costs……so many average dieters may discover that buying such products is not economical for them. This is yet one more reason why we do not recommend using this program.
The Jenny Craig weight loss program is a bit more traditional and simple in our opinion, though it probably costs a bit too much for the average person (it’s also a little too basic in its principles, in our opinion).
This entire diet seems to be based on eating fewer calories while exercising more, which is a very old concept. With Jenny Craig you get assigned your own weight loss expert (nutrition counselor) who will help to keep you motivated each week so that you’ll remain on the diet.
This is possible because Jenny Craig has many weight loss centers throughout the world, and if dieters live close to a facility then they can choose to meet with a nutrition consultant “in person”. Or, if dieters do not live near a facility then they can choose to meet with their nutrition counselor “via telephone” each week.
…But regardless of whether you meet with your nutrition consultant via telephone or in person — you’ll still have to buy Jenny Craig’s expensive “pre-packaged” meals. That’s the downside of this diet program in our opinion, since you have to continually buy Jenny’s pre-packaged meals (which are fairly expensive when compared to normal meals).
From everything we’ve seen these pre-packaged meals seem to be lower calorie versions of normal meals, so they don’t seem to be anything too earth shattering or special (from our perspective).
So with Jenny Craig you’ll basically be eating fewer calories (smaller portioned meals) and exercising more while meeting weekly with a nutrition counselor (who will keep you motivated so that you don’t quit the diet).
Plus, don’t forget that you’ll be required to buy Jenny Craig’s pre-packaged food every single week — which can be expensive over time.
So overall we don’t think that it’s smart to use the Jenny Craig program, since any diet that requires you to continually spend money for “special meals” is not a good choice in our opinion.
When we compare the Zone Diet to Jenny Craig we find that both programs have too many negative qualities to recommend — though the Zone Program is probably just a tad better in our opinion.
But overall we strongly recommend against both of these weight loss programs.
END OF REVIEW.
If you want to lose 9 lbs. every 11 Days then read about this new diet right here.
Learn the details of the Idiot Proof Diet.
The Truth About Food Portions and Daily Calorie Limits…
Two of the most frequently asked questions from dieters are:
“How big should my food portions be?”
“How many calories should I eat each day in order to lose weight fast?”
Many fad diets have attempted to set calorie guidelines which are based on “bodyweight & height” (and sometimes they factor in “activity level” also).
Most weight loss counselors operate using these same types of daily calorie guidelines too.
In other words, most weight loss counselors instruct people to follow a specific “daily calorie limit” which is based on their weight & height (and sometimes their activity level is factored in too).
For example, some weight loss counselors may tell you to eat 2,000 calories per day if you weigh a certain amount (and if you describe yourself as “active”).
But this is a RIDICULOUS way to try and lose weight, and we’ll explain why below.
The truth is that it’s quite ridiculous to follow a specific calorie limit each day, since every person has a different metabolism level.
You cannot judge your metabolism by your activity level either, since there are plenty of people with higher activity levels but who are overweight nonetheless (due to a slower than normal metabolism).
For example, if you take 2 people who weigh 165 lbs and who have the same activity level each day, then there is no guarantee that their metabolisms will be operating at the same general level. In fact, it’s quite possible that one person’s metabolism will be nearly twice as fast as the other person’s metabolism.
Also, there is another reason why following a specific “daily caloric guideline” is a waste of time.
You see, your body doesn’t burn calories on a “per day” basis, your body burns calories on a “per meal” basis. Your body doesn’t burn calories based on what time the sun rises and sets, it burns calories throughout the day as you eat them.
This means that following some arbitrary “daily caloric guideline” is not going to make you any thinner, since you must actually learn to spread out your daily food across more than 3 meals per day in order to lose weight fast.
To speed up your metabolism you must eat more often, not less often. You must eat more than 3 meals per day, and you must not follow some arbitrary caloric guideline each day. Also, it’s quite easy to figure out how big your food portions need to be when trying to lose weight, and it has nothing to do with counting calories.
In fact, people who count calories usually fail at weight loss, and that’s because counting calories doesn’t work. We have created a way to choose your food portions at each meal which doesn’t involve counting calories, and you can learn about our new dieting method below.
In fact, that’s why our new Online Diet Generator creates an 11 Day Menu which allows you to eat more than 3 meals per day — and it also allows you to eat until you feel satisfied (no specific calorie limits are needed).
…And this is why our diet is so effective at forcing fast weight loss for thousands of new dieters each month.
You can begin using our new Online Diet right here.
Learn the details of the Idiot Proof Diet.
Antioxidants. —- By Charles Silverman
Many of the studies and researches done lately focused on the nutrients known as antioxidants.
Scientists are beginning to understand the preventing qualities of antioxidants but the average person does not yet understand what antioxidants do or what they are. But you will have the knowledge after reading this newsletter.
Understanding the function of antioxidants is not hard and taking advantage of their properties is quite simple. Diseases like Cancer and arteriosclerosis, are unable to advance and spread throughthe body, thanks to the actions of antioxidants like Vitamin C, A, E Beta-carotene and others. By blocking and neutralizing the destructive power of too much free radicals. These antioxidants allow us to prevent major diseases, a clear example of this is the remarkable reduction of breast cancer in women that consume raw and cocked spinach and carrots.
Why are they called antioxidant?
Latest researches have shown scientists that oxygen, the gas we depend on to live, creates some very harmful by-products that destroy the very life it helps sustain. There are several vitamins that reverse or slow the oxidation cause by oxygen, that is the reason they call them antioxidants.
Oxidation, the reaction of oxygen with other chemicals, is the process that causes metals to rust, wood to burn, and a sliced apple to turn brown. As a matter of fact, if you coat a sliced apple withan antioxidant such as vitamin C, the apple will take a lot longer to change color.
It is best to remember that vitamin and mineral supplements should never be used as substitutesfor a healthy, well balanced diet! It is also important to note that we can “over- supplement” our bodies, taking much more than the recommended daily value of certain vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins A and E are fat soluble, meaning that excess amounts are stored in the liver and fatty tissues, instead of being quickly excreted, creating a risk of toxicity and disease. Your best bet is to eat a diet rich in fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, cantaloupe,and mangoes are great sources of antioxidants.
A healthy level of free radicals is needed by the body in order to get rid of bacteria. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that have at least one unpaired electron, which makes them highly reactive. Free radicals promote beneficial oxidation that produces energy and kills bacterial invaders. In excess, however, they produce harmful oxidation that can damage cell membranes and cell contents.
It is known that people who eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables high in antioxidantshave a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and cataracts. Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, but it is not known which dietary factors are responsible for the beneficial effects. Each plant contains hundreds of phytochemicals (plant chemicals) whose presence is dictated by hereditary factors. Only well-designed long-term research can determine whether any of these chemicals, taken in a pill, would be useful for preventing any disease.
Without a doubt antioxidants are a vital tool in our fight against diseases, we all agree that sometimes eating the right thing is difficult but when compared with pain and suffering that we can bring to ourselves by cancer, arthritis or arteriosclerosis, a bowl of salad and an orange seems like a very tasty choice.
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Make A Healthy Body your Number One Priority
If you are like every other yo-yo dieter out there, chances are you have started and stopped several diet plans with no success. The first week is easy. You’re full of excitement. You tell yourself “this time will be different.” The second week is ok, a little harder than the first but you’re still sticking to it. And then what happens? You bend the rules a bit and start falling back into your old habits. Why does this happen? Why do we go through this vicious cycle? I’ll tell you why. We are focusing on the wrong goal. For whatever reason, we must not perceive our weight loss as being “important enough” to achieve. So what would be “important enough” to stick to our new healthy eating habits? Your HEALTH! Nothing in this world is more important than the state of your health. Think about it, your health affects everything else in your life. Once our health is compromised we automatically change our lifestyle habits. Just look at President Clinton. Not until he had the ultimate health scare did he really change his eating and exercise habits. Let’s not wait until our bodies completely have a break down before we decide to take care of ourselves. If you feel lousy, everything you do that day is lousy. Likewise, if you feel great, everything you do that day is great. So this year, let’s not focus on just losing a few pounds, let’s focus on Health, the #1 thing in our lives.
Ask yourself, “How important is my health to me? How do I want to live the rest of my life? Sick and feeling horrible or healthy and feeling vibrant? Do I want to play golf and tennis in my retirement or do I want to spend it in the hospital?” The answer to these questions will ultimately dictate your weight and your health for the future. Any lifestyle habit that affects your health in a positive way will automatically cause you to lose weight or maintain a good healthy weight.
Follow this checklist towards health and you will see weight come off automatically.
1. Make the time to focus on health.
The number one reason people do not eat healthy or exercise is because they “don’t have the time”. But why is it that once we get sick, have a heart attack, are diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes or cancer, we all of a sudden have the time? This doesn’t make any sense. We wait until our bodies have become so ill to finally take measures towards taking care of it. This is the equivalent to never getting an oil change or servicing your car and letting it completely break down before doing anything about it. Prioritize your day. What could possibly be more important than your health? Your children, yes, I agree. But guess what? If something happens to you, who will be there for your children? I know that sounds terrible but it’s true. How many times have we heard stories of young children losing parents to heart attacks and strokes? Choose health not only for yourself but for your children as well. Prioritize your day so that making healthy meal choices and exercising are right at the top.
2. Take a long hard look at what you are putting into your body.
For one week, read every ingredient of every food you eat. This could potentially be a scary experience. Some ingredient labels on packaged foods sound more like a college chemistry class than anything we should be eating. As a golden rule, if you can’t pronounce it, chances are you shouldn’t be eating it. The majority of the foods you should be eating shouldn’t even have an ingredients label. They should be vegetables, fruits, raw nuts, chicken, fish, eggs, meat. If you make 90% of your diet, fresh food, I guarantee you will significantly change your weight and your health. No time to make fresh food? (please refer back to #1). Cook more than one portion at a time when you do cook so that there are always healthy leftovers in the fridge. You can always have for lunch leftovers from the night before. Cook several portions of one meal and freeze some. A good example of this is healthy soup or turkey chili. Put a portion of chili in a small Tupperware and freeze. You can grab this when in a hurry for lunch or dinner.
3. How much are you eating?
In the United States, our perception of one portion is extremely distorted. Restaurant portions are about 3 times more than what we should be eating in one sitting. If we become accustomed to seeing this much food on our plate at a restaurant we tend to do the same when we are at home and serve ourselves. According to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, women are eating 300 more calories a day and men 168 more calories than 20 years ago. All it takes is 100 extra calories a day to gain 10 pounds a year.
For one week, reduce your portions at lunch and dinner by half. There is no need to “clean your plate”. Most times what’s on your plate is double what you should be eating anyway. If you feel some hunger in the afternoon, add one small apple with a handful of raw nuts as a snack. Your body will quickly become accustomed to the smaller portions and you will eventually not be able to eat as much in one sitting as you did before. Remember, you have access to an abundance of food every day. You don’t need to eat it all at once.
4. Drink WATER!
Dehydration has directly been linked to several forms of diseases including colon cancer, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels. Many people also mistake thirst for hunger. So it may not be that you’re hungry all day, you may just be thirsty and dehydrated. In due time, dehydration will cause a gradual gain in weight from overeating as a direct result of confusion of thirst and hunger sensations.
Take a look at what you are drinking each day.
Coffee or Soda (Diet Coke included)? The caffeine in both will dehydrate you even more and will cause you to feel hungrier during the day.
Diet drinks and sodas? The artificial sweetener actually enhances your appetite and increases food intake.
Orange Juice and other Fruit Juices? The sugar and calories can add up to 10 teaspoons of sugar per drink, which can be anywhere from 150-200 calories. Not to mention the fact that sugar eventually makes you crave more sugar.
Every person should be drinking half of their body weight in ounces of water each day. So if you weigh 150 lbs, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water each day. If you drink coffee or any other caffeinated beverage during the day, the ounces of water needed increases.
5. How much do you move each day?
Your body was designed to move! Your heart is a muscle and must be worked just like every other muscle in your body. You don’t have to join a gym to move, you just have to challenge your body and your muscles each and every day. The two best time saving exercise options I always suggest to clients are:
1.Go for a walk. You can go for a walk anywhere and anytime. No time you say? Please refer back to rule #1.
2. Set up your home with some free weights and an exercise ball. You will be amazed at the number of exercises you can do with just your body, some free weights and a stability ball. If you don’t know how, hire a trainer to show you or get a good book. Get into the routine of scheduling your exercise time each and every day. No ifs, ands or buts. Make your exercise time more important than phone calls, laundry, errands or lunch dates.
Make a promise to yourself that this time will be about health, not about short term weight loss. Really evaluate how you are treating your body on an everyday basis. Is that the same way you would treat a highly valuable, expensive piece of equipment? Because that’s what your body is. There is no amount of money in the world that will buy you another one, so you might as well take really good care of the one you got!
Get started on your own fat loss and health goals right away with these Simple and Easy Healthy Meal Plans.
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