Simple Weight Loss Strategies Part 2

If dieting doesn't work, what other strategies can you adopt for simple weight loss?
One possible approach is to design your own weight loss diet and learn to cook.

You know the type of food you enjoy and you know what's good for you and what isn't. It may seem that these are miles apart. However, it is possible to combine the two in a way that will make weight loss easy and keep your taste buds happy at the same time.

This technique will require a little time and effort, but the long term benefits – a healthier slimmer you – will be well worth it.

Start by making a list of all your favourite dishes, including takeaways and ready meals. Now think what could be added to these to make them healthier. And what could be taken away to make them healthier?

You've probably written vegetables and perhaps lean meat in answer to the first question and salt, sugar and fat in answer to the second. So let's look at your favourite meals. Fish and chips? Certainly likely if you live in the UK. Try oven chips with baked salmon, with a variety of frozen vegetables – you'll be cutting out so many calories by getting rid of the batter and deep-fried chips, that you can allow yourself a little ketchup. And this is very easy to cook.

How about sweet and sour pork? Cut out the batter again and use lean meat in a sauce with a little ketchup (I have this from a Chinese chef – tomato ketchup is the secret ingredient in sweet and sour sauce! If you can find sugar free ketchup, so much the better), tinned pineapple in juice (not syrup), some balsamic vinegar and a load of vegetables.

If you eat ready meals, read the labels and see if you can come up with a healthier version by omitting some of the unnecessary ingredients, such as wheat and sugar, and cutting down on the fat. Obviously, this won't be possible for all your favourite dishes, but sugar, wheat and excess amounts of fat find their way into so much of what we eat, that it's not difficult to make your own diet-conscious alternatives.

Learning to cook is a sure way to know exactly what goes into your mouth and will not only help you control your weight, but will also improve your health. Once you've mastered a few weight loss recipes, you can cook these dishes in bulk and freeze them. This will save time and will mean you always have something tasty on hand for times when you are busy, hungry and need something to eat in a hurry. Try getting the whole family involved – if you have kids this will really help them to become independent and what better gift can you give them than the key to a healthy future? And with so many children and teens struggling with obesity, teaching them simple weight loss strategies will help them avoid becoming overweight in the first place.

© Waller Jamison 2007

The Real Secret to Long Term Weight Loss

In one of the world's largest diet studies, it appears that diets actually damage your health. The results and the problems diets can cause should give you reason to keep reading.

According to Miller Jones, a professor of nutrition and food science at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota...

4th graders are aware of the word diet, especially the girls.

Recently a massive worldwide study concluded that diets don't work long term for the majority of people on them and it might even put your life at risk.

This type of yo-yo behavior is linked to many health problems. Because of the strain on the body of repeated weight loss and weight gain, the researchers found that the dieters would have been better off not dieting at all.

Research has shown the repeated rapid weight gain and loss associated with dieting can double the risk of death from heart disease, including heart attacks, and the risk of premature death in general.

For starters...

When you think 'diet' you are actively engaging in short term thinking. When you start to think of it as something you go on and then off again, that's the wrong direction.

Some of the BEST resources on nutrition are not diets. They are eating plans. They are the basics of eating correctly for the rest of your life. Eating for everyday living is something you can be taught. There's nothing short term about them.

"The benefits of dieting are simply too small and the potential harms of dieting are too large for it to be recommended as a safe and effective treatment for obesity." -Dr Traci Mann

A quick test is to simply look at any given plan and immediately ask yourself...

Can I eat this way for the rest of my life and not fall prey to hunger cravings or temptations?

Frankly...

If you are overweight, then thinking in the short term is exactly why you could be doomed to fail! As you bounce from one plan to the next, you become more and more frustrated.

FACT: Many diets that use a severe calorie restriction just makes it harder to lose the weight the next time.

FACT: Some studies show that repeated weight loss and regain actually increase the changes you'll gain even more weight the next time.

FACT: It shouldn't come as a shock that people who exercise report the most long term weight loss.

Now with all this in mind...

No matter what eating plan you choose or what your goals, just drop the word 'diet' from your vocabulary and pick a plan you can stick with for life. That encourages slow weight loss or weight gain. That doesn't "demonize" foods but helps you pick and choose from healthy alternatives and explains the reasons why.

If you are always changing your eating habits for special events or every 8 weeks, you might be dieting. Before you start your next diet, that's the time to step back and ask yourself if you know all you can about proper, healthy nutrition. Learning how to eat correctly is something you can stick with for life and avoid the common frustrations.

Breast Health And Other Diseases In Women

The female breasts are a very important part of the female body. Their proper health needs to be maintained. An inability to do so may result in breast related diseases. There are various other conditions that can affect the female breasts. Due to this, care has to be taken and certain tips should be followed for healthy breasts. Diseases that affect the breast include benign fibrocystic breasts as well as breast cancer.

Some information about one particular disease that affects the female breasts is given. Knowledge about the cause and treatment of breast cancer is inadequate. Breast cancer can develop irrespective of the age group. Breast cancer need not necessarily run in families. Breast cancer can happen to any women. But if there are cases of breast cancer within the family then chances increase considerably. So, it is better to get a check up done regularly. Usually, people think that breast cancer occurs due to the presence of a gene that has been mutated. This mutated gene could be BRCA1 or even BRCA2. The absence of this gene doesn't imply that breast cancer will not occur. About ninety percent of women who are detected with breast cancer do not have this particular mutated gene in them or in their family.

Breast cancer does not really develop if the women are exposed to risk factors that are already known. In spite of not knowing the risk factors women can fall prey to breast cancer. A major portion of women who have breast cancer have not really had any exposure to the existing risk factors. This implies that each and every woman has equal chances of developing breast cancer. Unfortunately, breast cancer is not a disease that can be prevented completely. A drug called Tamoxifen can reduce the chances of suffering from breast cancer. But complete prevention is not possible. The cause of breast cancer is still not known. The only method of living through breast cancer is to detect it early and get it treated.

Breastfeeding can reduce the chances of occurrence of breast cancer in the perimenopausal stage. Studies have been conducted to find out if hormone replacement can be done in order to reduce the chances of breast cancer. In spite of tremendous research in the field of breast cancer, its causative factors are relatively unknown. Proper care of breasts should be taken to maintain good health.

How Can I Lose 10 Pounds?

"How fast can I lose 10lbs if I burn off 500 calories by running 4-5 miles a day, and eating 1200 calories?"

I get questions like this a lot via my fitness business.

I'll give you a rough guideline but I can't answer this question
with 100% accuracy because I don't know your metabolic rate (how
many calories you burn during a normal day), the type of food you
eat, how often you eat, how much sleep you get, etc.)

So let's look at some examples. If 1,700 calories a day keeps
your weight the same and you reduce your caloric intake, you'll
lose roughly 1 pound per week.

There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. 7 days per week x
500 calories per day equals 3,500 calories per week. So, if you
added the running that burned 500 calories per day, this would be
another pound lost per week.

Now, keep a couple of things in mind. 1,200 calories per day may
be too low, which will cause your metabolism to slow down. This
is how people who go on a diet end up gaining all the weight back.

In addition, if you are not doing any weight training, about half
of that weight lost will be muscle, which will also slow down your
metabolism, again causing weight rebound and putting you in a worse
situation than before you lost the weight.

This is why I said roughly one pound per week up above. A pound of
muscle is only 600 calories and since you'll be losing muscle and
fat, you may lose more than a pound by burning 3,500 calories in a
week.

In addition, your body shape won't change. You'll just be a smaller
version of you, or what I call skinny fat.

You should add some weight training to your running plan, 2 to 3
times per week.

I would also reduce the amount of running you are doing, both in
number of days you run, and how far you run each day. Consider only
running that distance 2 or 3 days per week.

Consider performing high intensity interval training instead of the
running on 2 other days per week.

In addition, keep track of your calories. You only want to lose 1 - 2
pounds per week (you may lose more in the beginning. And keep in mind
that how you look is more important than the scale. If you lose 10
pounds of fat and add 10 pounds of muscle, you'll way the same as you
do now but you'll look a thousand times better.

You'll also be smaller as a pound of muscle does not take up as much
space as a pound of fat.

I hope this helps.

Good luck! I'd love to hear your results and questions (see below).

Carbohydrates Are Not The Key To Weight Loss

Carbohydrates are the body?s major source of energy which enables the many body organs to function properly. Carbohydrates taken in by the body is broken down into glucose which provides the much needed energy of the human body. With the glucose that was produced as the human body consumes carbohydrate-rich foods, the pancreas secretes an important hormone called insulin which transfers the glucose from the blood to the different cells of the human body. That in a nutshell explains how important carbohydrates are and why everyone should not totally eliminate the intake of carbohydrates through their diet plans.

To explain why carbohydrates is not the key to weight loss, it is important to know the two different types of carbohydrates contained in the food that people eat. One is the carbohydrates in its simplest raw form of sugars found in fruits and vegetables and the other one is complex carbohydrates which are found in cereals and potatoes. Both of these forms of carbohydrates have good and beneficial effect on the body because they produce energy which is badly needed by the body to function properly. However, not all foods are good supplier of carbohydrates whether simple sugar or complex carbohydrates. Sugar sources of carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables are good carbohydrates because they these sugars are unrefined and come in their simplest natural form. And aside from this fruits and vegetables also contains phyto-chemicals which make it a good source of nutritional needs.

Complex carbohydrates are also good for the body if they are taken in by eating fiber-rich carbohydrate heavy foods such as cereals, whole wheat bread and whole grains. Aside from giving the body good supply of sugar to produce energy, these foods are easily digested and are not stored in the body as fat. The bad carbohydrates rich food that should be avoided are those that come from foods made of refined sugar such as cookies, cakes, carbonated drinks and others because of the high sugar concentration in these foods which are hard to digest and most often than not remain in the body as stored fat.

Going to the question of whether carbohydrates are the key to weight loss, the answer is either a yes or no. Like any other food, anything that is taken in excess of how much the body needs is always a bad thing. The same thing is true for carbohydrates, whether it is simple or complex, good or bad carbohydrates; the important thing to remember is that, both affects weight gain, if not taken moderately. It should always be remembered that any amount of carbohydrates taken in by the body which is not consumed and converted into energy will remain in the body as stored fat, which would contribute to weight gain.

So, is a low-carb high-protein diet the best way to lose weight? The answer is still either yes or no. It would still depend on what type of protein is taken in as part of the diet. Protein like carbohydrates also contributes to weight gain if not taken at the right proportion and not consumed by the body properly. But this is not saying that low-carb high protein diet has no effect on weight loss, actually it has an effect on weight loss. However, Too much of protein and less of energy producing carbohydrates may not be good to one?s over all health. The body needs energy from carbohydrates and the nutrients from protein rich food to build up muscles and for other sustenance.

Carbohydrates intake may lead to weight loss, it is a proven fact. But to say that it is the key to weight loss is not true. Depriving the body of the much needed energy from carbohydrates may lead to weight loss, but the effect on the over all health of the body must also be considered. The best way to achieve weight loss is by attaining weigh loss objective without sacrificing total body health. To do this, the key is still moderation in the intake of the essential nutrients whether they are carbohydrates, protein among other things. And of course, ensure that these nutrients are properly utilized by the body through maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle.

Weight Loss Success Made Easy!

Weight loss is a game, similar to solitaire. It's a game that you play by yourself. The sooner you realize that it's you and only you that's going to make the weight loss happen, the closer you've just gotten to your own weight loss success.

This doesn't exclude personal trainers and perhaps your very own diet guru. You can, and should, acquire all the positive support you need, but in the end one truth will hold: only you can lose the weight. No diet pills. No magic weight loss spells. No Hollywood 48-hour pineapple juice voodoo.

Now once you've come to terms with this, you can get onto the activities you will need to begin—and stick with—to accomplish your weight loss goals.

Below I've included 3 absolute beginner must-dos, if you "really" want to lose weight.

WL Must #1: Exercise. It doesn't matter how much at first, just do it. Do it, and do it often. Begin and be consistent. Do something today. The faster you begin something, the better your chance of keeping with it. Don't delay.

WL Must #2: Adjust your eating "slightly." Do not… I repeat, do not attempt to completely alter your dieting habits. Too much of a change almost guarantees you will not stick with it.

You see this all the time with New Year's resolutions. People start out hardcore motivated for weight loss success, and then two weeks later (maybe sooner than that) they succumb to the gravity of their old weight "gaining" lifestyle.

They fall flat because they tried to do too much too soon.

WL Must #3: Treat weight loss as a priority. This is the opposite of "Must" number too. Don't pity-pat or half step your beginnings. There is a fine line you must walk at the very beginning of every weight loss program.

You've been out of the game for a while (maybe forever). You must step out of the weight loss gate with purpose, but also control. You must be able to measure your limitations and gradually increase your diet and exercise abilities over time.

Patience and balance will guarantee your weight loss success. Begin where you are, feel good about that, and then progress slowly over time. Do this and your weight loss success is only a few miles down the road.

The Secret to Successful Dieting

With every new client I encounter, they all say the same thing to me. "I can't stand my gut and the rolls of flab that hang over. How do I look like you?" My answer to all of them is "diet. You need to eat 6 nutritious small meals a day every three hours in order to keep your metabolism up which will help your body burn fat and use food as fuel. "And that's when I get the deer in the headlights look. "How on earth can I eat 6 meals a day every three hours?"

Simply put, you need to be proactive about your diet and most people don't know how to go about doing that. Once I get past the nutritional coaching and explaining to my clients that not only do they need to eat ENOUGH calories, but they have to eat the RIGHT calories, I explain to them that if they learn to become proactive about their diets, the rest just falls into place.

I have a ritual that I go through every week and I have this down to a science. I go to the supermarket and buy enough boneless-skinless chicken breasts, fish, lean cuts of beef, broccoli, green beans, to last me a week. Every Saturday or Sunday afternoon, I pre-cook all my meals for the week including my brown rice, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, etc.

Once all your foods are cooked, it's easy to plan out your meals on a daily basis. My meals are stored in plastic containers. I have a nylon cooler that I carry around with me every where I go. All I need to do is pull out six meals and place them in the cooler. Some easy meal suggestions are a can of tuna over baby spinach with some low fat dressing, pre-grilled chicken with brown rice, egg white omelet and old fashioned oatmeal heats up quickly in a microwave, low fat cottage cheese with an apple and some almonds, grilled chicken with steamed broccoli, low fat no sugar added yogurt with a scoop of protein powder mixed in. This is an example of some of the meals you will find in my cooler on any given day.

For those of you who work a corporate job and say that they can't take short breaks to eat, I say nonsense. Yes you can. What about all those smokers you see outside that take 20 minute smoke breaks several times a day. You can certainly take 5 minutes to do something healthy for yourself. I had lived the 8-5 life and as a trainer, I have 5 minutes between clients and within that 5 minute break I am able to eat. It can be done. With your meals already pre-cooked, all you need to do is put your plate in the microwave for 1 minute to heat up your food and eat a delicious, nutritious meal.

Supermarkets now have foods that are pre-cooked which make it easy to have a nutritious meal when you're in a hurry and have no time to cook. Most supermarkets now have rotisserie chickens and salad bars so all you need to do is pick up a chicken and a salad (spinach, romaine, baby greens) with a low fat dressing or some steamed green veggies. As for fast food, when in doubt, always order the grilled chicken sandwich with side salad and for those of you watching your carbs you can always ditch the bun. Places like Moe's Southwest Grill and Chipotle's now have naked tacos which you can essentially make your own meal in a bowl. When I eat at places like that, I will order chicken in a bowl with black beans, lettuce, salsa and guacamole. When dining out I order grilled chicken or fish with salad, a sweet potato and a steamed green veggie.

Yes, you can eat six meals a day AND make better food choices.

Weight Loss in Ten Minutes

Weight loss does not happen quickly for most people, but there is a critical point that becomes so motivating, success seems to be effortless and permanent.

This success has nothing to do with the latest supplement touted on infomercials. They may be helpful but they are not the reason people lose weight. New fangled gym equipment is not the secret either, although exercise is important and a convenient workout allows people to stick to a fitness routine. Pre-made diet meals are useful when pressed for time, but they are not the only ingredient in successful weight loss.

There is a critical point when someone truly desires to commit to a new health plan. For many people who have been overweight for years, being in shape is a long lost memory rather than a reality. The thought of beginning the challenge seems impossible. Over weight issues are so commonplace the underlying message is that it is the norm. When everything is super-sized the temptation is hard to refuse. Modern day diseases that are life-style related are now treated with maintenance drugs that ironically make it more difficult to lose weight. It is as if our culture is trying not to let us reach that critical point to welcome better health in our lives.

When people lose weight successfully and quickly there are two common denominators. They reach a point where they realize they were much too comfortable with their excuses and then they chose a manageable eating plan that did not leave them feeling deprived. Discovering these realizations helps people get past the indecision that prevents them from succeeding.

Of course, losing weight must be done in a safe manner. Although it takes a number of months to achieve weight loss, the benefits are felt immediately. The empowerment of a committed decision is just the beginning. A manageable weight loss plan restores someone's energy level so there is a feeling of thin even if the scale doesn't reveal the goal weight yet.

Being able to replace an old mind set of impossibility with accomplishment is the greatest weight loss there is. If you can lose the weight of failure, the actual weight loss is easy.

Menopause Symptoms: Is HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) A Good Thing?

"I can't take these hot flashes anymore!" This is a common reaction to most of the symptoms associated with menopause. While some women have been unscathed by the effects of menopause, there are more who are experiencing severe menopause symptoms and want them alleviated. There will come a point when the question will be asked, "Is hormone
replacement therapy a good thing?"

Many women have chosen this course of treatment to decrease menopause symptoms. However, there are issues to consider. While HRT can be a blessing for some, it can also be a curse for others. Although it is reported to maintain strong bones and prevent heart disease, it can also increase the risk of breast cancer. In addition, it may assert itself by invoking side affects which can affect a woman's life.

Because the production of estrogen ceases during menopause, the loss results in the symptoms commonly associated with menopause. Thus, many women decide to replace the lost estrogen through HRT in order to reduce these menopause symptoms. However, there are contradictory reports about the long-term effects, leaving women in an uncomfortable position as to whether or not replacement therapy is right for them.

There are two schools of thought on using HRT as a menopause treatment. While it has been documented that Hormone Replacement Therapy is an effective remedy in reducing symptoms such as: hot flashes sleep disturbances, and vaginal discomfort; others believe women who did not have menopause symptoms had worse physical function and lower energy levels when taking hormone therapy.

Many women decide against using HRT because they are concerned about the risk of developing cancer. Often, they prefer to take other steps to reduce their risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. Studies are on-going to determine the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy over a long period of time. While some women and their doctors feel that HRT's beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and general quality of life outweigh the risk of developing cancer; others are concerned about the possible negative effects of long-term HRT use. Many women choose to reduce the risks of osteoporosis and heart disease by exercising regularly, avoiding tobacco products, eating a balanced diet, and/or taking dietary supplements or other medications.

Whether or not to take HRT is a decision you ultimately have to make. In recent years, there have been reports of health risks associated with hormone replacement therapy. If you have been prescribed either Primpro or Premarin, you may choose other alternatives, such as utilizing a natural form of estrogen. By establishing a balance a proper diet, stress management and using natural progesterone supplementation, the hot flashes, night sweats and other menopause symptoms are either significantly alleviated or completely eliminated.

Best Weight Loss Workout - 3 Questions You Must Ask When Choosing A Weight Loss Workout

Losing weight and getting fit is hard. But choosing a good weight loss workout is even harder. The internet is a big place, and it isn't getting any smaller, and deciding which is the best weight loss workout is hard when there is so much choice out there.

If you are determined to lose weight, and if you really do want to find a good weight loss workout, then there are three questions that you should ask yourself before you jump right in.

Best Weight Loss Workout Question 1

Is the weight loss workout and fitness plan actually easy to understand and follow? Many of the diets out there today are written in a way that makes it difficult to follow. Before deciding which you think is the best weight loss workout you should always consider whether the fitness and diet plan in question will be easy to comprehend.

Best Weight Loss Workout Question 2

Does your lifestyle fit with the weight loss workout in question? Some diet and fitness plans involve daily trips to the gym, while others involve less frequent but more intensive exercise sessions. When deciding which is the best weight loss workout for you it's important to consider whether the diet and fitness plan will fit into your schedule.

Best Weight Loss Workout Question 3

Is the diet and fitness plan in question actually geared towards helping you to lose weight? Some diet and fitness plans place the emphasis on getting fit rather than on losing weight. If your top priority is to lose weight then you should chose a weight loss workout which reflects this.

Choosing a weight loss workout can seem daunting. But if you ask the three questions above then you have an excellent chance of choosing the best weight loss workout for you. if you find the best weight loss workout for you then there is a good chance that you will lose weight faster than you think possible.

You Can Be Losing Weight Through A Healthy Eating Program

Like many people today there are many who have tried every food fad, weight loss program and diet that is out there. Yet although they lose the weight initially after some time they find that they have regained it. Unfortunately many people are beginning to realize that using healthy eating weight loss programs do not work on their own and you need to actually do some form of exercise as well.

However if you do decide to look for a healthy eating weight loss program the best thing you can do before making a final decision on which one to use is to talk to your doctor first. Even if you do find it difficult to discuss your weight problem with your doctor it is important to remember that they are there to help you and to ensure that you live the happiest, longest and healthiest life possible.

Also what is important to remember is that these types of programs are not a quick fix solution to your weight problem and will need to stick with it in order that you can lose the weight and then keep it off. However the most successful types of healthy eating weight loss programs should combine the following: -

1. Healthy Eating - They should ensure that you are get sufficient amounts of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other essential products in order that your body remains in top condition even whilst you are trying to lose the weight.

2. Nutrition should be balanced - These programs should ensure that the nutritional value of any healthy eating weight loss program will not cause any problems to your body and yet still allows you to lose the excess weight.

3. Regular Exercise - This is an extremely vital part of any healthy eating weight loss program as without exercise you will find that you lose some weight but after a while you may find that you regain it. In many cases combining a healthy eating weight loss program with exercise will help you not only to lose the weight but also help to keep it off, plus you will find that you are much better to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life.

A great way of ensuring that you are sticking to any healthy eating weight loss programs that you decide to use is by changing your favorite dishes to low calorie versions. This is pretty simple to do and if you were to carry out a search of the Internet there are plenty of sites that are offering low calorie version recipes of some if not all of your favorite dishes.