Friday, April 13, 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.

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Friday, April 06, 2007

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.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Quick Weight Loss Plan - 3 Ways

A quick weight loss plan shouldn't center around counting calories or endlessly figuring out fat grams. If one is concerned in losing weight quickly then they must take measures which target immediate weight loss, rather than long term weight loss. As counting calories would be important for a long term diet plan, for a quick weight loss plan to be successful one has to employ a few tricks.

1. Fasting. The most obvious and quick weight loss plan for many would be just not eating at all. There are also many danger flags which rise up when one thinks of fasting. But, fasting can be done in a safe manner, and there are even many health advocates who recommend a periodic fast every so often to cleanse out the system. Note that much of the weight you will lose will be that of water weight, and a fast should only be done for a short period of time, and must be done following proper guidelines of the particular type of fasting process you are following. The healthy fasting routines will always have you consuming some form of liquid and have you consuming plenty of vitamins. This can be a quick weight loss plan, but it can be very difficult and much of what you lose will be water weight.

2. Carb fast. This quick weight loss plan is a bit better than the complete fast, as you will lose more fat in addition to water weight loss. You essentially cut out all carbohydrates from your diet and only consume a combination of protein and fat. It will usually take from 2 to 5 days before your body switches over and begins using fat as it's primary energy source, thus your body will naturally be burning both the fat you are consuming, along with your own body fat. You must re-load on carbohydrates after the 5th or 6th day (for 1-2 days) and then resume the carb fast for another 5 days. The reason this can be considered a quick weight loss plan is that out of all the diets out there, most people report the most immediate results with the carb fast. A search should done under "keto diet" to learn the exact procedures to perform this quick weight loss plan both safely and effectively.

3. Take supplements! That's right, take supplements as part of your quick weight loss plan. Losing weight in the least amount of time possible, does require some outside assistance. The body just naturally cannot burn fat on it's own that quickly. There are effective supplements you can take. Many go by the name of fat blockers or binders or burners. Some are obviously less reliable than others so it's always important to find out for your quick weight loss plan what compounds work both safely and effectively. And always look for natural based products as your first choice, as they do exist and have numerous benefits, including acting as a perfect supplement to your quick weight loss plan!

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