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Archive for the ‘Your Health’ Category

For the first time in my life I have lost weight. I had been trying to lose weight for years and had tried every diet under the sun. I tried Atkins, which was great till I ate a bowl of cereal.  I tried so many different diets that I sort of went through a sort of numb period.  I sort of gave up and my weight hit a whopping 297 pounds and that is when something had to give.  I grew tired of hiding behind all of my clothes and despite the fact my husband said I looked fine, I did not feel fine.  When I almost hit 300 pounds I decided to throw away all of the weight loss nonsense and knew I had to lose weight naturally.

Most websites will tell you there is some magic pill or some simple 12 minute exercise that you could do just 3 times a week…but we know better and we know that none of that is true.  I received my inspiration for natural weight loss by watching The Biggest Loser.  It was on that show that I realized that it was all about calories in, and calories out.  I even received that thing they wear on their arm in The Biggest Loser, which is called The BodyBugg. I have written over 50 articles about The BodyBugg (Click here to see the articles) and it is the greatest thing ever invented for weight loss.  I am not going to write about why, because i am tired of writing about that thing the players wear on The Biggest Loser.  What I do want to discuss is how my weight loss is all attributed to natural weight loss techniques.  I have listed the three not so easy steps below.

• Get enough sleep- Most people do not realize how important getting a good night sleep is to a person trying to lose weight.  Without a decent night of sleep your body just does not perform as well as it should because it just isn’t.  When you are tired you have less “ooommmmfffff” to get out and exercise.  Let desire to spend the time preparing healthy foods and when you are tired you just have less will power to resist all of the goodies that end up in front of your mouth.  If sleeping isn’t a natural way to lose weight…..what is?
• Exercise- When I first started to lose weight going to the health club or taking a long walk was a horrible thing to do.  I hated going, I hated being there and I could not wait until it was time to leave.  Exercise and me was a four letter word.  Somewhere along the way I stopped exercising to lose eight and just started to do it because I realized that it was something that was just overall healthy for me. I no longer go to the health club to lose weight, I go to just help myself be healthy.  My stress is lower, my cholesterol levels plummeted and I am no longer in line to ever have Type – II diabetes.  Exercise is as natural as a person can get when looking for natural weight loss.
• Eat better- Notice I said eat better, I did not say eat like a rabbit.  When I first started my weigh loss journey in the world of dieting, I thought it was all about salad and other forms of rabbit food.  I tried to eat what I thought to be healthy but after just a few weeks I grew bored and gave up.  After each and every weight loss attempt I went right back to the behaviour that got me fat in the first place.  I have learned that the best way to lose weight naturally is well…..to eat.  I have since learned that to lose weight naturally I need to just make beater choices.  I committed myself to understanding why smaller meals every 4 hours was better.  I learned about the power of protein in defeating hunger.  I learned how bad even diet soda is for a person.  I have learned that I never drink my calories.  This subject is too broad so lets just say I educated myself and now I am in a lifetime course because the true weight loss never really ends, it becomes a way of life.

I have learned that losing weight is not rocket science and the best way to lose weight is the natural way.  I try not to lose no more than 1.5 to 2 pounds a week because I have learned that it is a much more natural amount to lose every week.  The small numbers still add up over time and by losing it slowly, it takes longer for me to put it back on if I have a bad day.  My only negative thing I have to say about my natural method of weight loss is that I never did anything to stop all of the skin from sagging.  I did not do anything about all of the nasty cellulite and now although I am thinner, I do not like what I see.  Although the view is not as bad as being obese. I just wish I prepared myself better for the physical aspect of losing weight.  But then I guess that is a matter for another article and it is tired and I think I am going to call it a night. 

In closing, weight loss is not impossible and it can happen.  Once you get your mind on track you will look back and wonder why you made such a big thing about it at all.  Weight loss is something you can do and if you pay attention you will be able to achieve natural weight loss also.  Weight loss is not only possible, it can start right here and right now. You just have to make the first step and our mind will allow your body to do the rest.  All ideas began in the imagination and if you can imagine yourself thin, you will soon learn that you can lose the weight and start your own weight loss journey. 

Good Luck and God Bless! 

So you want to lose weight and you are planning to exercise and eat better food choices. In your diet journey you may be considering switching what you drink in an attempt to lose weight. Your drink choices include everything from caffeinated soda to decaffeinated coffee to plain old water. If your goal is to lose weight then you need to drink nothing but water because that is pretty much the only drink that contains zero calories. Unfortunately, that is where the whining begins!

How badly you desire to lose weight will determine how much water you drink and how much other stuff you do not drink. If you want to lose weight but can’t stop drinking beer then beer drinking is more important to you than weight loss. If you desire to lose weight and gave up drinking full sugar soda for diet soda you have made an uneducated choice that will really not help you too much, if weight loss is your goal. Diet soda may have less sugar but it is loaded with sodium and that alone is enough to keep you bloated and lugging around some of those pounds you don’t want.

If you want to drink coffee that is not as bad as other drinks as long as you keep the cream to a minimum and use a sugar substitute. The caffeine is not the greatest thing for you but as far as drinks go….coffee is not too bad if the add-ons are kept to a minimum. One positive trade off with coffee is that it is a natural appetite suppressant and that may help you limit your intake in a fashion that is somewhat similar to purchasing FullBar. FullBar is a product designed to help suppress your appetite.

The bottom line is that if your desire is to lose weight then think twice before you drink your calories. All too often we do not add in the impact of what we drink and that can cause you to mess up your weight loss and discourage you as to your ability. Here is a simple promise. If you stop drinking all but water and drink at least 64 ounces a day for seven days, you WILL see weight loss.

There you go… a free weight loss plan that requires little of your effort. The hard part now is if you are really ready to lose weight and hold yourself accountable for your own actions. If so then give it a try for just seven short days and don’t drink your calories.

Can a person lose weight by starving? The answer is a resounding yes! If you are considering this as a weight loss option or as a diet then we suggest you think again. Losing weight by starving is not only a horrible way to lose weight it is also the unhealthiest way to lose weight. If you deprive yourself of calories your body shuts down the fat burning process and starts to just attack the muscle. Your body does not burn fat when you are starving and instead starts to burn the muscles. This is an ancient and basic human fact that dates back to early human physiology when survival was a daily task.  Many young people try this method of starving themselves and do not even realize that they are on their way to a eating disorder. A great book for young people to read that is an easy an informative read is Faded Denim by Melody Carlson.  This book can be considered a classic and is a must read for any young adult that is experiencing a eating disorder such as attempting a starvation diet.

If you think that starving yourself is a way to drop weight fast you are right but there is a major flaw to this “diet”.  The flaw is that when you do start to eat again your ancient human defense systems kick in once again. After you complete the starvation diet your body starts to store more and more calories by generating more and more fat cells. Most people do not know that human fat cells never, ever go away; they just get smaller when you lose weight. In a defense against future starvation from happening your body generates new fat cells which you will have till the day you die. This increase in fat cells is why you gain more weight than you lost. So….if you starve yourself to lose 20 pounds then shortly after you start eating again you will gain back 20+ pounds to help your body combat future struggles with starvation.

The idea of starving yourself to lose weight is ridiculous and will not help you lose weight in the long run. If you want to lose weight and keep it off then educate yourself through the internet, the library and any books you can read. You must know the truth and the truth is that starving yourself is a horrible idea and one that not only will not work, but will also do you physical harm now and it sets you up for emotional health issues in the future.

There you sit, right on the other side of this monitor. You are pregnant and now you are afraid that you are going to end up looking like Mom and that really kind of scares the heck out of you. No offense to Mom but that is not really what you are ready for at this point in life. Even though you are pregnant does not mean that you are doomed to becoming an overweight person. Just because you are pregnant does not mean that you have to pack on the pounds until you are ready to get a nickname that is less than flattering. Just because you are pregnant does not mean that you have to become an overweight person. Just because you are pregnant does not mean that you have to gain alot of weight. You may one day end up looking like your Mom, but don’t blame it on the baby.  You can still be sexy for that man in your life!

1. Talk to your doctor and seek council on what is healthy for the baby and for yourself.
2. Start some form of exercise now and keep up a routine that will help you stay fit. Being pregnant is not an excuse to stop being active, unless your doctor requires that inactivity. Get a treadmill or some other exercise equipment and get moving.  Join a gym, walk but do something!
3. Get a journal and start to track your food intake and your exercise and your moods. FitDay is a great computer tool that is really all you need in the record keeping aspect of weight loss and health. FitDay is tool that is unsurpassed in ease of use, quality and efficiency.
4. Educate yourself on what it takes to have a healthy baby while maintaining a healthy body.  Your doctor is a great place to start but follow on education is a great thing for self improvement.  Self education is easy and as long as you have the time you should prepare for not only all aspects of pregnancy, but also for what to expect after giving birth.  Reading is a great way to educate yourself and will help you and your child start off a great life together.

5.  Join a support group whether it is a local organization or a web based group like on eDiets.com.  Either way, the support you receive will make the entire experience of child birth better and you will be stronger for the inter-action and support you receive.

What I want you to realize and take to heart tonight is that weight gain is inevitable with being pregnant but you just need to learn how to manage that weight gain.  You do not have to become an obese person, and that is a fact.  Do not use your childbearing as a permit to eat till you puke.  Pregnancy and the human body is a beautiful thing and as with all things, moderation is best.  Eating, childbearing and gaining weight are not uncommon.  What you need to do is learn what you must do to prevent it from happening.  If you suffer from always being hungry then a decent product worth looking into is FullBar.  FullBar is designed to help you control your weight gain whether you are pregnant or not.

Weight gain is in your control, so what are you going to do about it?  If you want to put that sexy dress on again then go for it and make it happen!  Just because you are having a baby and you are going to be a Mom does not mean you have to end up looking like an overweight woman.

So….what are you going to name the baby?

Our heart is a complex organ, but keeping it healthy is relatively simple. The heart pumps blood and generates oxygen to fuel all of our vital organs. The great news is that whatever is good for the heart is also healthy for our bodies. The following keys will help us attain a heart healthy life.

1. Start with a healthy diet. We need to limit our fat intake. Fat has several good qualities such as providing taste to our food, and transporting vitamins and nutrients to key organs in our bodies. However, to much fat blocks the arteries which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Fiber is also very important to a heart healthy diet. Eating fiber helps us reduce the absorption of dietary fat, cholesterol, and triglycerides. The old saying, an apple a day (with the peeling of course) keeps the heart doctor away, is true. We also need to eliminate excessive salt abuse. Your body doesn’t want or need extra sodium. Extra sodium overloads your kidneys’ ability to regulate blood pressure, resulting in increased stress on your heart.
2. Get Moving! Exercise, or physical fitness is essential to keeping your muscles strong, healthy, and to generate oxygen throughout your body. Exercise helps keep the arteries free of plaque, and helps our bodies convert food into energy. Physical fitness also reduces unhealthy stress, another huge factor for heart disease.
3. Take Charge of Your Heart Health! This means: know your family health history, monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol, don’t put off getting your yearly physical examinations, and know the warning signs of a heart attack.

Warning signs of on oncoming heart attack may vary between men and women. Below are some of the warning signals.

• Feeling breathlessness, often without chest pain.
• Flu-like symptoms–clamminess, cold, sweats, and nausea
• Pain in upper back, shoulders, neck, or jaw
• Feelings of anxiety
• Unexplained excessive fatigue or difficulty sleeping

If you have any of these symptoms please call 911 or seek medical attention.

Remember for a Heart Healthy Life you need to eat a low fat diet, increase your fiber, reduce your salt intake and to exercise regularly.