Archive for July, 2010

Protein is a necessary part of a balanced diet, for good reason: protein is the key “building block” in virtually every part of your body, from skin, hair and nails, to bones, muscles, teeth, and beyond. It’s important to eat adequate amounts of protein each day because your body does not store it anywhere, so has no reserves if the supply runs out.

Exactly how much protein you need daily depends on your age and body weight. The U.S. RDA (recommended daily allowance) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight … read more

Part of the reason why diets are so ineffective is because they focus on short-term gains rather than long-term gains. We’ve gotten the idea that it’s okay to starve, punish and harm our bodies for a little while, as long as we can fit into our sexy new swimsuit by summer. Not surprisingly, not many of us end up sticking to a strict diet like that; it’s just too hard and definitely too unpleasant.

Instead of embarking on another “diet” perhaps it’s time to change our thinking and focus on creating a healthy lifestyle that will … read more

One of the biggest causes of overweight is emotional overeating – that is, eating for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger. If this has been an issue for you in the past, or still is, take a look at the coping strategies below:

- Eating for Pleasure

Sometimes people with very stressful or painful life circumstances eat because they don’t know any other way to feel happy. They eat to soothe themselves; to find at least a few moments of pleasure in an otherwise uncomfortable life experience.

Stopping this habit is as simple as finding other … read more

Is it really possible to lose weight without dieting? For centuries people have followed one diet after another, and more often than not they do lose weight. But is that the only way to lose weight?

Believe it or not, it’s very possible to lose weight without dieting – or what most of us think of as dieting anyway.

“Dieting” to most of us, means counting calories, fat grams, carbohydrate grams, or reducing our consumption of specific foods (or eliminating them altogether).

The actual definition of diet is “food and drink regularly consumed”. We all … read more

You’ve probably heard it a million times – after age 30 you start gaining weight and it’s all downhill from there. But is that really true? Does weight gain with age happen? More importantly, does it HAVE to be true for everyone?

It’s true that our bodies change as we get older. It’s also true that our metabolism slows down and hormonal changes start happening that can definitely affect how much we weigh.

But more often than not, it’s our own actions that affect our weight more than any chronological changes set in stone.

For example:

- As … read more

Does it seem strange to think that you could close your eyes and imagine something and have it come true? Using visualization for weight loss is a little more complex than that – but the basic premise does have merit!

Here’s how it works:

When you visualize something repeatedly, it starts to sink into your subconscious mind as something of importance. As a result your subconscious mind will keep reflecting back this important essence so that you become more attuned to it mentally, emotionally, and physically.

That means you will automatically start identifying more with that … read more

What is  negative calorie food, anyway? Is it just another diet gimmick, or can they really help you lose weight and keep it off? First of all, there is no such thing as a “negative calorie” – all foods have calories.

When people talk about “negative calorie foods” they are referring to foods that require more energy expended to digest them than you ingest when eating them. Example: water. Water isn’t technically a food, but it has zero calories. When you drink water, your body has to expend energy to absorb and … read more

Everyone would love quick natural weight loss. However this is easier said then done. We all know that losing excess weight can undoubtedly improve your quality of life, not to mention your appearance. And like most people, if you’re carrying a few extra pounds (or more than a few) you probably want to lose it sooner rather than later. This is understandable, but some common sense and caution should still be used before doing something that will set you up for health problems later.

Checking with your doctor is a good idea, because he or she may be … read more

You may have wondered what the deal is with green tea and weight loss – does it really help you lose weight? Many people are discovering that green tea does indeed seem to help with their weight loss, not to mention all of the other great health benefits it has.

The question that remains is, which form of green tea is best? Drinking it by the cup, or taking supplements? Are they equally effective?

Green tea comes in two basic forms: tablets and tea bags (can be loose tea also).

For centuries green tea has been consumed … read more

When it comes to weight loss, habits can make or break us. By nature, humans are creatures of habit. Habits help us to conserve energy by not having to think so intently about every little thing we do – if it’s a habit, we hardly have to focus on it at all. That makes our daily lives move along much more smoothly, since much of what we do are everyday tasks.

But when it comes to weight loss and other lifestyle improvements, habits can cause big problems for us. Like when we try to … read more

One of the most challenging aspects of weight loss is hunger. Since most diets require reducing your caloric intake, you may end up feeling hungry and dissatisfied for at least part of the day. What’s the solution?

Low calorie snack foods that taste great but won’t hold back your weight loss.

Here are some great choices:

- Fruit

Fruit is a great snack option because it can help satisfy a sweet tooth, but also contains fiber and antioxidants. Some of the lowest calorie fruits are: grapefruit, watermelon, peaches, berries like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, apples, honeydew melon, and … read more

All natural weight loss begins with a good dose of common sense – eat less, move more and you will lose weight. That premise could be argued in some cases, but for the most part we all know that is the most effective way to lose weight.

So, why do we still struggle to lose weight the natural way? For most of us, the answer is: it’s hard work!

It takes dedication and discipline to stick to a daily workout routine. It takes tremendous willpower to ignore cravings and eat healthy, nutritious foods.

Unfortunately, … read more

Pilates and weight loss: are they a match made in heaven? As far as exercise routines go, pilates can be a beneficial addition to your weight loss plan, simply because it helps sculpt your muscles to be long and lean. Long, lean muscles means a slender, lithe figure.

Even better, when you have more lean muscle mass, you boost your metabolism and burn more calories, which means easier weight loss over the long run.

Pilates also has plenty of other great benefits, like improving your posture, breath control, muscle strength, physical endurance, and balance. Not to mention helping … read more