Saturday, July 01, 2006

Try These Easy Weight Loss Tips

By Robert Kokoska

Whether you have a little or a lot of weight to lose, it can seem daunting. Nowadays, we are inundated with stories of people who lose weight and gain it back again, or who find it difficult to lose weight at all. Over time, it's easy to become convinced that weight loss just isn't going to happen for you, or that it will require a total change of lifestyle. This just isn't true, as these easy weight loss tips will prove.


Weight loss tip #1: Keeping in mind that society is geared toward large portion size and getting more for your money, simply divide all the portions you've been eating (especially those you eat out) in half. See how it feels to just eat half a restaurant meal, then stop. Have the rest packed up for lunch the next day. Chances are, you won't be hungry after eating half the meal, but if you are, eat another quarter. Then have the rest packed up. You're not depriving yourself - a generation ago, the half- or three-quarter meal you end up eating is more or less the same amount of food as a full meal you would have been served a generation ago. Even cookies and muffins that you buy to go have been supersized - again, eat half.


Weight loss tip #2: Walk as much as possible. Get in the habit. It's great to go to the gym and work out, but in its own way, 'built-in' exercise is even better. It requires no special equipment, you don't have to schedule time for it - you just do it as a matter of course. Remember, until cars became commonplace, walking is how most people got around most of the time. In many European cities, they still do. And people who do this are seldom overweight - go figure!


Weight loss tip #3: Eat real food. In other words, avoid boxes and cans, and eat things that are in their natural form - or as close to it as possible. In the supermarket, shop around the edges - the meat and produce - and avoid the inside aisles. Preparing 'real' food might be a bit more work, but it's very rewarding, and much healthier.


These are not very 'high powered' weight loss tips - you won't lose a pound a day, or whatever the leading programs claim. These are healthy, enjoyable changes that are meant to last a lifetime - and over time, you will lose weight. What's more, your weight loss will be gradual and safe, and you'll keep the weight off permanently.

If you're serious about losing weight, there are 3 things, when combined, can make your battle much, much easier. The first is Hoodia Gordoni. Hoodia reduces your appetite in minutes, causing you to eat less. The second is Weight Loss Patch Pro that boosts your metabolism so that you burn the maximum amount of fat each day. The third important ingredient is Dietrine carb blocker, which blocks most of the fat and carbohydrates in the food you eat from going into your body.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Kokoska

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Tips for Realistically Losing Weight

By Zach Thompson

Obesity is a life threatening condition and is spreading at an alarming rate throughout Western society. It is particularly prevalent in the USA. However there are some steps you can take to reduce your weight and improve your health and lifestyle.

Reducing calorie intake:

What are calories? A calorie is a unit used to measure energy. It is required by most governments to print the calorie value of foods on the nutrition label of all foods that are sold to consumers. Because if this it is easier to calculate your calorie intake. Reducing calories means not just cutting food intake but being careful of the actual caloric value of the foods you are eating.

Reduction but not eliminating fats and oils: fat and oil is necessary for the body but we often eat foods which are too high in fats thus taking in more fat and oil than we need to. When you cut down fat and oil you will reduce calories and definitely manage to lose those pounds.

Decrease but do not eliminate carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are necessary to the body but we often eat too much of this class of food resulting in the body storing these foods as fat. When you cut down carbohydrates you will reduce your weight.

Increase your protein levels: It is often good to eat foods that are high in proteins as they are not as fattening as other foods. High protein foods are good to eat when you are reducing weight to prevent any muscle loss occurring as you shed those pounds.

Eat more fruits and vegetables: These are good for providing nutrients to the body and are low in calories. They are a good alternative to “junk food” snacks. They will also increase fiber in your diet.

Reduction in sugar and sodium. Sugar is readily broken dawn by the body into energy and excess stored as fat making it a fattening food. Sodium eaten in excess can contribute to water retention by the body and prevent weight loss.

Increasing fiber in your diet: this will help you to curb hunger pangs as fiber rich foods will help you feel full as they take longer to digest. Your digestive system will work better with an increase in fiber.Whole grain foods, unrefined foods, fruits and vegetables will give you more fiber.

Increase your fluid intake: Drink more pure water especially. This will help to improve your health and fill you up.

Increase exercise: Regular exercise will help you reduce weight and build muscle instead of storing fat. You can either work out for about 20 minutes 3 times a week or take a brisk daily walk.

When you use these steps you will reduce your weight. You will not achieve a super figure in one day but when you keep up a healthy diet you will lose weight steadily. Maintaining a healthy diet with regular exercise will ensure that you not only reduce but will keep the weight off. You will feel healthier and have more energy to do the things you really want to do in life.

Zach Thompson is a Glyconutrients Consultant. His clients range from pro athletes and actresses, to cancer patients and children with Learning Disabilities. Learn the truth about nutritional supplements at: http://nutritionalreview.com/79.php.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zach_Thompson

A Negative Calorie Food List

By Terje Ellingsen

To make a negative calorie food list, we must be precisely clear on what we mean. There has been some confusion about this phrase. Some have thought that this kind of food contains no calories at all. This can't be right as long as all kinds of food contains at least some energy.

We're going to present you with a list of this kind of food. If you follow it, not necessarly without any other kinds of food, it will increase metabolism naturally, and the result will be weight loss - especially compared with eating a meal where these foods are not included.

Now, it's time for a definition. When we say nagative calorie food, we mean foods which contain so little energy that the body actually uses more energy to digest and absorb the nutrients. So if you subtract calories you'll burn from the calories you eat, the result will be negative. Only by digesting the food you have eaten, there will be a net loss of energy or a negative energy balance. This is what must happen if you want to lose weight but with this food you don't have to do anything but eat it to accomplish that.

You can also eat protein in combination with such food. Good protein will help you control your appetite as well as increase your metabolism because the total amount of calories are not reduced too much.

Here is the list:

Vegetables

Fennel, aubergine, gourd, broccoli, leek, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, marrow, cauliflower, peppers, celery, radish, chicory, spinach, cress, tomato, cucumber, turnip.

Fruits

Apricot, mandarin orange, blackberry, melon canteloupe, blackcurrant, peaches, clementines, plums, damsons, raspberry, grapefruit. rhubarb, guava, strawberry, honeydew melon, tangerine, lemon, watermelon.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net.
Terje enjoys to help people with negative calorie food diets and workout to increase metabolism naturally.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terje_Ellingsen

Monday, June 26, 2006

Weight Loss Tip: Don't Eat With Your Emotions

By Kathy Burns-Millyard

Food is a critical, must-have source of nourishment and energy. Without food we would not be able to perform our daily activities. Our muscles would wither, our nervous system and brains would fail. Whether we like it or not: We all need food.

What you might not know though, is that food has another important role in our lives: Comfort and entertainment. Culturally and instinctively we prepare and serve foods to comfort those who have experienced loss, to celebrate joy, or to show friendship and love. And that's where emotional eating can cause many problems.

What Is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is simply the act of eating to feel better emotionally. We, as normal human beings, see food as more than just an energy source for our body. We like to enjoy our food, and there's nothing wrong with that. Science tells us though, that some foods actually promote good feelings by causing certain "feel-good" chemical reactions in our brains. And that's when eating can become a problem: Because some people eat to "feel better"... or because they can't deal with strong emotions such as pain, anxiety, stress, joy, or boredom.

Emotional eaters turn to food as a source of distraction from dealing with feelings. It's often a vicious cycle though: People eat to deal with their bad feelings, then feel bad for having done so, yet turn around and eat again to soothe the guilty feelings caused by the first round of emotional eating. Needless to say, emotional eating can lead to serious eating disorders, weight gain, obesity, and depression.

How Do I Know If I'm An Emotional Eater?

Do you turn to food when you're not hungry, but sad, stressed, or bored? Do you think about food constantly, to the point of feeling obsessed?

Do you regularly try diets and fail - leading to guilt and further over eating? Do you think about or attempt to purge excess food by throwing up or using laxatives? Do you exercise compulsively when you think you've eaten too much?

If you answered yes to any of the above, there's a good chance you're an emotional eater and you could be endangering your health.

How Do I Overcome Emotional Eating?

The first step is recognizing and acknowledging you have the problem. Fixing the problem will take time and persistence, because you effectively need to train yourself out of bad eating habits and into good.

Since emotional eating is caused by using food as a coping strategy for emotional distress, dieting tends to just create more problems, because if you fail to stick to your eating plan you're likely to feel quite guilty. And as an emotional eater, that guilt will only lead you to eat more.

So instead of trying to focus on what you're eating, or how much: You'll need to work at finding other ways to cope with negative emotions. You could try simple things like self talk, chewing gum, or getting busy with work or hobbies when emotions run high and you find yourself digging through the fridge even though you aren't hungry. You could also try self help tapes and books, or find a support buddy to call. You might also consider getting help from a Personal Coach or Psychotherapist who deals with emotional eating.

Sometimes you'll need the help of a professional to make these changes

As you work on replacing comfort food eating with other habits and responses, you'll feel much better about yourself both emotionally and physically. And you'll be well on your way to living a much healthier, slimmer life!

Need more help with your weight loss efforts? Click here for an excellent, safe, and all natural solution.

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Kathy is a professional published writer who covers a variety of popular topics such as health, fitness, decorating, and gardening. Find more weight loss articles by Kathy at ScaleTippers.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Burns-Millyard