When Trying to Lose Weight, Don’t Forget to Exercise

  A startling statistic has been circulating over the Internet.  This stat claims that half of all those who want to lose weight don’t exercise.  While this might seem mind-boggling at first, it is not entirely surprising, when you stop to consider what American culture has become.

             In the early days of the republic, the majority of Americans did hard labor on farms.  They were used to exercise during their normal workday, so they ate large meals in order to give them the energy they needed to complete their tasks.  There weren’t any Oprah Winfreys around back then to question their eating habits.

            In the 19^th century, Americans began moving into cities to take factory jobs.  Again, they spent much of their time on their feet.  Many walked to work and to school, so exercise was a part of their normal routine.  They didn’t have to worry about doing Pilates or strength training, since ordinary life afforded many opportunities to exercise.

           Fast-forward to today.  Many people have sedentary jobs, working on computers, working at desks, working at cash registers.  They have little opportunity during their work days to move, let alone get up and stretch.  At home, they may spend much of their time sacked out in front of a television set, or on their home computer. 

            However, studies have proven that the best weight loss plan combines sensible diet with exercise.  Certainly, you can reduce your calorie intake.  But it is also important to boost your metabolism, and that is best done through an exercise routine.  Since you must burn a phenomenal amount of calories in order to lose pounds, exercise is crucial to long-term weight loss success.

             But what if you don’t enjoy exercise?  How can you possibly start an exercise program?

              In short, you need motivation.  This can come from a variety of sources.  For instance, you might want to play your favorite up-tempo music during your exercise drills.  This can provide the incentive you need in order to get moving.  Another motivator can be to exercise with your children in tow.  This could mean doing jumping jacks with your kids, or jogging while you push a stroller.  You might also consider joining a “Mommy and Me” exercise class.  Another winning strategy is to employ the services of an exercise buddy.  This can be your mate, a friend, or even your mother.  You can encourage each other, helping each other to overcome various hurdles to regular exercise.

            Another strategy is to base your exercise program on something you really enjoy.  Even those of us who are not athletic usually have some physical activity that we look forward to, whether it’s volleyball or tennis, bowling or swing dancing.  The type of activity isn’t as important as the fact that you are engaging in it regularly.

             If at all possible, you should add strength training to your exercise regimen.  Lifting weights can boost your metabolism, causing you to burn calories while also adding muscle to your frame.  Strength training can also help you to guard against osteoporosis and other health problems.

             You might also consider hiring a personal trainer.  He or she can act as your coach, urging you on when you feel like quitting.  A trainer can provide you with the inspiration necessary to achieve your weight goals.  It has also been shown that those who employ a trainer reach their optimum weight faster than those who do not.

             You should also prioritize exercise.  You should mark it in your daily planner and stick to a regular exercise schedule.  The important thing is to make exercise a regular part of your life.  It should not be limited to special occasions, or those times when you are in the mood.  It needs to be as regular as breathing.

              In order to be a healthy person, you simply need exercise.  And exercise is also beneficial to your mind as you begin your weight loss program.  It can clear your head and help you to work out your frustrations.  In short, it can give you a sense of accomplishment that will put you in the right frame of mind when trying to shed weight.

Emotional Eating: A Prime Ingredient for Obesity

Sandra found her weight ballooning 60 pounds after her separation from her husband.  While part of the weight gain was apparently tied to the medication she was taking, the rest appeared to be the result of what can be described as emotional eating.  In recent years, greater attention has been focused on the problem of emotional eating for both women and men.  In fact, some experts have gone so far as to claim that most weight gain can be blamed on emotional eating.  According to Women Today magazine, it has been estimated that as much as 75 percent of overeating is attributed to the emotions. 

       For a number of people, overeating stems from anxiety.  For instance, if you find yourself consuming an entire bag of potato chips, it’s possible that anxiety is the cause.  While many people realize that alcohol and illegal drugs are not an antidote to anxiety, they may not understand that indulging in comfort food in order to combat anxiety can be dangerous as well.

        In other cases, overeating may be the result of depression.  If you feel tired, hopeless, and have lost interest in your normal activities, you may be suffering from a depressive episode.  In order to deal with these uncomfortable feelings, people may turn to food in an effort to cheer up.  The problem is that the food can lead to weight gain, which can lead to further depression.

        At times, overeating may be a symptom of boredom.  An individual may figure that he or she has nothing better to do than overeat.  This can be particularly true when one is watching television or surfing the Internet.  Rather than trying to determine a cause for the boredom, an individual may just try to “fix” it by indulging in high-fat, high-calorie food.

         How do you know if you are an emotional eater?  Ask yourself some key questions:  Do I tend to eat when I’m worried?  Scared?  Sad?  Do I find that eating lifts my spirits?  Am I spending more time eating than engaging in other activities I enjoy?  Do my binges come after I’ve suffered disappointment?  Am I turning to food in order to deal with the death of a loved one…a divorce…or the defeat of my favorite team?  If the answers to any of these questions is “yes,” you may be overeating purely for emotional reasons.

          After you’ve identified yourself as an emotional eater, you’ll need to take steps to correct your behavior.  Perhaps the most effective technique is diversion.  In other words, if you find yourself reaching for the cookie jar, find another activity to engage in.  The answer could be taking a walk, kickboxing, or dancing.  Or it could be something less physically demanding, such as needlepoint or crochet.  The idea is to get your hands…and perhaps the rest of your body…moving.  In time, you might find the urge to overeat subsides as you become involved with other activities.

           Another effective step you can take is to identify the triggers for your emotional eating.  Do you tend to binge in mid-morning, mid-afternoon, or right before bedtime?  Are you snacking while watching television, while at the computer, or when you’re sitting in your favorite chair?  By asking yourself these questions, you can identify the time of day when you overeat, as well as the location for your binging.  With this information, you can learn to re-direct your behavior to less fattening pursuits. 

            Yet another helpful technique is to develop a support network to help you combat overeating.  The members of your support team could include your spouse, children, parents, friends, or other over-eaters.  You may even consider joining a support group which specializes in helping those who engage in binge eating.  If you feel the need to overeat, contact a member of your support team.  Talking through your emotions could provide you with the emotional release you need, making overeating unnecessary.

           If your anxiety or depression persists, consider seeing a psychotherapist.  He or she can help you develop more effective coping mechanisms.  If you find it difficult to talk to friends or family about your overeating, a psychotherapist can provide you with the talk therapy you need to overcome your problem.

            

Beware of Diet Fads When Trying to Shed Pounds

    It might be actresses such as Suzanne Sommers and Jane Fonda, or models such as Christie Brinkley or Kathy Ireland.  It seems that a number of celebrities today offer their own weight loss programs.  The programs are appealing because we see these various svelte celebrities and we want to have bodies just like them.  The celebrities are also highly likable, so we have a predisposition to be accepting of their products.

       However, did you ever stop to think whether these celebrities have any nutritional training?  Do they have medical training?  Is the information that they offer nutritionally sound?  Or is it just a good sales pitch?

      Nutrition experts Annette B. Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin, authors of the book Get Skinny the Smart Way, say that consumers should be leery of celebrity-inspired diet books.  They point out that such books are often based upon nutritional fiction and that, while the diets outlined in these books may result in short-term weight loss, they can be far from healthy in the long run.  Therefore, you might consider passing up the celebrity diet books and opting for those written by nutritional experts instead.

      But celebrities aren’t the only ones preaching fad diets.  For instance, there’s the so-called grapefruit diet which recommends consuming a grapefruit prior to each meal.  Another fad is the cabbage soup diet, which requires you to consume all the cabbage soup you can handle.  Other fads call for eating all the eggs you can…consuming only raw foods…or fasting every other day.  Such diets are not only based on nutritional misinformation—they can also be dangerous. 

       For instance, let’s take a closer look at the cabbage soup diet.  No major health organization has endorsed it.  Moreover, the American Heart Association disapproves of it, noting that it can actually harm you.  Promoters of this diet say that you can lose as much as 15 pounds a week by following it—what they don’t say is that most of that weight is water weight.   Once you begin eating normally again, you will see your weight rise once more.  Some of the side-effects of the cabbage soup diet include a feeling of weakness, stomach pains, and diarrhea. 

      Yet another questionable diet approach is what’s known as food combining.  Such a diet assumes that you are overweight because you are not eating the right combination of food.  The requirements of such a diet can seem quite arbitrary.  For instance, you might be told that you can eat a banana only in the morning.  This is rubbish, since your stomach can deal with a variety of different foods at one time.  The idea behind such a diet is to eat food with fewer calories, but there are other methods you can use to accomplish the same goals.

      Some companies even claim that you can shed pounds while you dream.  They say that, if you use their product right before bedtime, you will lose weight.  In actuality, no company can make such a claim with any degree of credibility.  It is impossible to burn a large number of calories while snoozing.  In other cases, you may be tempted to try to lose weight by consuming special milkshakes or candy bars.  In essence, these products are just milk and candy with certain vitamins and minerals added.  However, one rarely feels satisfied after consuming these products.  As a result, you may find yourself actually consuming additional calories during the rest of the day.  While you might be able to theoretically lose weight in the short-term, you’ll find it difficult to maintain the weight loss over the long haul.

        The fact of the matter is that there is a great deal of money that can be made through the sale and marketing of diet products.  As long as America has a large contingent of overweight people, companies will try to make a profit off of overeating.  It is up to you to be savvy enough to recognize a diet fad when you see it and opt for a different approach to losing weight.  You’ll find that there are really no short-cuts to weight loss.  Any successful diet program takes time, patience, and determination, along with a willingness to change your eating patterns.            

The Detox Diet: Losing Weight the Natural Way

        If you prefer the natural way of life—organic foods, home-grown vegetables, and fishing for yourself—the detox diet may be just what you’re looking for.  This diet plan is designed to rid the body of any toxic materials.  Because of the numerous chemicals that exist in our world, a number of individuals say a detox diet is necessary for good health in the long-term.  With the detox diet, the body rids itself of toxins through the skin and lungs.  The diet may be accompanied by other holistic health techniques, such as the administration of nutritional supplements, hydrotherapy, and physical activity.  

        How, exactly, does the body become contaminated by toxins?  The contamination can occur as a result of food additives, mercury, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.   Through the process of digestion, the body takes in the toxins.  In addition to promoting weight loss, a detox diet can help heal migraines, stomach trouble, colds, and joint pain.  It may also be effective against heart disease and arthritis.

       You should not start a detox diet without talking to your health care provider.  It may be that you are suffering from symptoms such as pain or fatigue because you have a serious illness that must be treated.  In such a case, the detox diet alone may not be enough to cure what is ailing you.

       A detox diet may not always be appropriate.  But if you believe you have ingested a great deal of chemicals and you find yourself fatigued, the detox diet may be beneficial for your overall health and well-being.   Detox diet enthusiasts say it should be followed at least twice a year in order to improve one’s health.    If you suffer from a specific disease, however, you may need to maintain the program for a protracted period of time.  

        You may notice immediate results from your detox diet.  These results can include enhanced energy, better skin, easier digestion, and clearer thinking.   Once your detox diet is complete, you should attempt to replenish your body with nutrients in order to, in effect, “build your body” back up.

       However, there are certain individuals who do not make good candidates for a detox diet.  These include heart disease patients, cancer patients, and kidney disease patients.   And, while a detox diet can cleanse your body, it should not be considered a substitute for your ordinary medication.  In fact, you should never stop taking medication without talking to your physician first. 

         It should be noted that there are side-effects that have been associated with the detox diet.  These include migraines, skin problems, or fatigue.  Usually, however, these side-effects disappear in time.  As a result, a number of people actually use their vacation time in order to engage in detox so that their work will not be compromised.

       You’ll be happy to know that there are a number of foods you can indulge in while on a detox diet.  These include fruits, vegetables, rice, chickpeas, fish, oil, and herbal tea.  While following the diet, you’ll also need to drink eight glasses of water in order to eliminate waste from the blood.  However, you should not drink immediately before or after your meals.  You should also make sure that you chew your food thoroughly in order to promote proper digestion.

      However, there are also a number of foods that you will have to give up.  These include sugar, milk, eggs, wheat products, gluten, and caffeine-filled beverages.   You must also avoid foods with preservatives, yeast, chocolate, and anything that is high in fat.

       Is it possible to lose weight with the detox diet?  Most definitely.  But you could have a difficult time keeping the weight off since you will eventually have to go off of the diet.  However, it is possible that some of the dietary guidelines that you observe while detoxing will continue long after the diet is over.  Also, just giving up alcohol will ensure that you will lose weight.  For instance, you may find that you simply lose your taste for food high in fat content.   Nevertheless, the detox diet can be quite challenging—especially if you are emotionally attached to the foods that are banned.   Yet, in time, you may decide that going on the detox diet was the best move you ever made.   Related Topics

Childhood Obesity—The Modern Health Dilemma

You see it on the playgrounds, at roller rinks, at swimming pools, and in classrooms.  Obesity is a modern health dilemma for today’s children, who are struggling with weight as never before.  It is a difficult problem to combat, given the fact that you want to make sure that your children are receiving sufficient amounts of nutrients in their diets.  While some children may outgrow obesity, others carry it with them into their adult lives.  Obesity in children can result in feelings of fatigue, worthlessness, and hopelessness.  It can also place them at greater risk for diabetes and heart disease.
          Just how widespread is the problem?  The National Institutes of Health has determined that, over the last thirty years, the number of young people with weight problems has increased two fold.  Interestingly enough, the problem is affecting children of all ages as well as children from all ethnic groups. 
           Children who are overweight may not develop socially as fast as their peers.  They can become loners, finding it difficult to make friends.  They may think that their weight is beyond their control and they may not know what to do in order to attempt to prevent weight gain.  In essence, obese children can become our lost generation.
             The parents of these children may not realize how detrimental obesity is to their children’s emotional health.  They may consider the obesity just a passing phase and they may not understand the psychological devastation that obesity can cause.  They may even dismiss the concerns of their children, hoping that the problem will simply go away.     
             The causes of childhood obesity can be complex.  However, there do appear to be a few identifiable triggers.  For instance, many families now eat on the run because of their many commitments.  Parents may not think they have time to prepare nutritious meals for their children, so they rely on fast food and sugary snacks to fill in the gaps.  As a result, children end up eating a diet that’s rich in fat and sugar but which offers little in the way of nutritional value.    According to the American Obesity Association, one third of parents believe their children’s dietary habits are worse than theirs were during their own childhoods.
               Another key problem is inactivity.  Children watch more than a full day’s worth of television each week.  That’s in addition to the hours they devote to their computers.  As a result, they’re not playing outside as much as children of generations past.  Also, many children may feel as if they cannot participate in sports because of their weight.  Feeling defeated before they even start, they pass up opportunities to engage in physical activities. 
              It has been shown that children tend to be heavily influenced by advertising.  Unfortunately, many commercials tout foods that can be best classified as unhealthy.  Children crave what they see on TV and in movie theaters and they may not realize what these foods will do to their bodies. 
               Luckily, childhood obesity can be successfully conquered.  Here are a few tips to help your child overcome a weight problem:

·        Encourage your child to take part in sports or dance.  If your son or daughter is self-conscious about being a part of a team, exercise with him or her.  Take out a ball and shoot a few hoops or turn on the stereo and begin to dance.  You may be surprised that, with just a little encouragement, your child will get up and start moving.

·        Consider limiting TV time.  Research clearly shows that TV time is unproductive time for children and teens.  If your children spend less time watching TV, they may spend more time exercising.

·        Ban junk food from your home.  With a little push, children will become accustomed to eating healthy snacks such as fruit and vegetables.

·        Check with your child’s pediatrician to see if he or she can recommend some specific weight control strategies. 

         Childhood obesity is a problem, but it is not insurmountable.  The greater the interest you show in your child’s diet and exercise regimen, the more influence you will have over your child.  In time, your child can learn the strategies necessary for a healthy life.

Are You a Carb Addict?

   It has been estimated that three out of every four overweight people are addicted to carbohydrates.  But what does this mean?  In essence, it means that you have too much of the hormone insulin in your system.  This insulin prompts you to eat often and to consume the wrong types of foods.  Some of the tell-tale signs of carbohydrate addiction include fatigue, mood swings, and migraines which can be caused by low blood sugar. 
   A carb addiction can lead you to consume a whole bag of  pretzels at one sitting, or to indulge in half a cake at dinner time.  Your body is conditioned to eat as many carbs as possible.  Thus, it may seem that at times you’re never really satisfied—no matter how much or how often you eat.
   On the official Carb Addicts plan, you eat two meals composed of vegetables and protein; the other meal consists of protein, vegetables that are not filled with starch, and carbohydrates.  During this last meal, known as the reward meal, you can even eat dessert.   The trick is to skip the carbs for two meals each day.
   The authors of the program believe that, if you follow this regimen, you will lose your cravings for carbohydrates in time.  If your urge to consume carbs does not disappear by the second week of the program, they recommend checking your diet to see whether you are following the program closely. 
   With the Carb Addicts plan, like other diet plans, you need to closely monitor your portion sizes.  All of your hard work will be in vain if you allow yourself to overindulge in sweets—even if it is for only one meal a day.  Also, you need to make sure that the protein you consume is not high in fat.  You may want to eat fish, chicken with the skin removed, or lean meats when trying to obtain a protein source.
   Another important aspect of the Carb Addicts plan is that you are not permitted artificial sweetener except during your reward meal.  This can be quite a challenge, especially if you’re accustomed to sweetened coffee in the morning.  However, it can be well worth the deprivation in the long run as you see those pounds melt away.
   There is no set time for the reward meal; however the authors of the plan recommend that the meal take place in the evening.  This is because it can take 12 to 24 hours for the body to overcome carbohydrate overload.  There is also a psychological advantage to having the meal at night.  It gives you something to look forward to all day long.
   You should begin your reward meal with a salad, such as a Caesar salad or an Oriental salad,  then divide the rest of the meal into thirds:  One third should consist of low-carb vegetables, one-third protein, and one-third carbs.  This formula has proven successful in enabling individuals to achieve long-term weight loss.
   As with many other meal plans, the biggest challenge for those who are on the Carb Addicts Diet is the ability to stick with it.  Dieting can be hard work, no matter what kind of rewards await an individual at the end of the day.  Your commitment will enable you to stay with the program, even when it becomes particularly challenging.
   Surf the World Wide Web, and you’ll find a number of testimonials offering glowing reviews of the Carb Addicts Diet.  But you should keep in mind that results can differ from individual to individual.  While some people might see rapid weight loss with the Carb Addicts plan, others may see only moderate weight loss.   The success of the program may depend on your own individual physiology.
   Is the Carb Addicts Diet a fad?  It all depends on who you talk to.  While some people see it as a significant dietary breakthrough, others view it as just a passing fancy.   Medical experts disagree as to whether the Carb Addicts Diet represents sound nutrition.  In the end, you, in consultation with your personal physician, will have to decide whether the Carb Addicts Diet will work for you.        

Don’t Skip Breakfast If You Want to Lose Weight

    In the morning, you may find that you are playing a continual game of “catch up.”  You’re rushing to the shower, rushing through traffic, rushing to work.  You may feel as if you don’t have time for breakfast, let alone a nutritious breakfast.  You may find that you’re just not hungry at that time of day, or you believe that you need to lose weight, so you skip breakfast altogether.  What you may not realize is that, by eliminating breakfast from your morning routine, you’re jeopardizing your health—and your waistline.
    There are a number of good reasons to eat breakfast, particularly if you are a dieter.  To begin with, the very act of eating breakfast can speed up your metabolism, which is critical to weight loss.  Think about it.  You may eat dinner around 6 p.m.  If you wait until lunch to eat again, as many as 18 hours might have passed.  Breakfast is therefore critical to your overall health and well-being.
    Another problem with skipping breakfast is that it tends to make you overeat at lunch.  Studies have shown that the vast majority of successful dieters do eat breakfast.  This may seem counter-intuitive, the idea that you must eat food in order to lose weight.  But the research shows clearly that that in fact is the case.   Breakfast can also aid your concentration.   A number of studies demonstrate that breakfast improves one’s focus, helping him or her at work or at school. 
    The type of breakfast you eat depends upon the diet you are pursuing.  You might choose a high fiber meal, such as cereal, or a high protein meal, such as scrambled eggs and ham.  Your breakfast should contain plenty of vitamins and minerals to help your body remain healthy throughout the day. 
    Another interesting aspect about breakfast is that it is a proven mood elevator.  This is quite important, since it is critical to remain positive when trying to lose weight.  Anything that you can do to lift your spirits—provided that it does not cause you to pack on the pounds—should be considered beneficial.  Also, breakfast sets the pattern for the day.  If you make healthy decisions at breakfast, you’re more likely to make the right decisions regarding the other meals of the day.
    One thing you should avoid at breakfast is eating something high in sugar, such as a sugary breakfast cereal.  While such a meal can lift your energy level temporarily, after a few hours, your energy level will drop again.  While it is always better to eat something than nothing, you should be careful in the food choices you make at breakfast.  
    Breakfast can enhance the efficiency of the body, making it easier for you to burn fat.  This is true for both young and old, so make sure your children eat breakfast as well.    A smoothly-running body is a healthy body and one that is more likely to become lean over time.
    At first glance, there appears to be no downside to eating breakfast.  However, it is important to issue a cautionary note.  Some people use breakfast as an opportunity to binge.  They figure that they can eat breakfast and then skip the rest of their meals.  However, this is not a healthy approach.  In order to work effectively, your body needs to eat regular meals.  Some diets call for three meals a day; others rely on five or six smaller meals eaten more frequently.  In any event, while breakfast may be your most important meal of the day it should not be your only meal of the day.
    Eating breakfast is a habit.  However, if you haven’t eaten breakfast in a while, it may be a difficult habit to get into.  The key to starting a healthy habit is persistence.  Try to eat something every morning, even if it’s only a little something.  Make sure that you have time to actually sit at the table and eat, rather than trying to eat breakfast on the run.  Scheduling time for breakfast means that you have made it a priority in your life.  If you follow this formula, you should be in a better position to lose weight over the long term.