Vulnerable after Weight Loss

Despite working hard to lose weight and being unhappy when overweight or obese, the fear of losing weight is very real for some people.

Would losing weight make you feel vulnerable? Think about it. What would happen if you shed the extra weight you carry and got down to a healthy weight? Would you really be able to find true happiness? The answer is probably not...unless you change the way you think.

The truth is that losing weight is scary because it can leave you feeling vulnerable. In essence, shedding the extra weight is like removing your protective armor. The fat suit you wear is a good blocker between you and the world around you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do because you can use your weight as an excuse. Furthermore, people will come to expect less of you. Overweight people can easily create a wall with their excess weight and use it to block people out.

Losing weight means having to break down the fat barrier that has served as a tool for keeping expectations low and interactions to a minimum. Demolishing that fat barrier doesn't have to be scary. It can be a liberating experience if handled the right way.

What's Left to Hide Behind after Losing Weight?
It's no wonder some people feel vulnerable after they lose a considerable amount of weight. The wall that used to offer them support is suddenly missing. It feels like you're lost your armor, you have nothing left to hide behind, you are exposed and you suddenly have to confront situations you have avoided. Using weight as your crutch, your protection and your security is not an option once you reach a healthy weight. The comfort level is no longer there. What's left to rely on after losing weight?

There's nothing left to rely on physically. That's why losing weight can leave you feeling vulnerable. This is why so many people regain weight after reaching their weight loss goals.

The Cure for Vulnerability after Losing Weight
Being at a healthy weight doesn't instantly make you a happy person. The best way to protect yourself from feeling vulnerable and regaining weight is to make your weight loss a journey. Take it one step at a time. This is just one of the many reasons why slow weight loss is recommended. Stop focusing on the number on the scale and work on your inner self. Your weight loss journey is a great time to reflect on how you feel about yourself, how you handle relationships and how you think about food and exercise. Changing your thinking about yourself will help you to better cope with your new life after weight loss.

Fast Weight Loss Tips

Eating healthy will not only help in the struggle to lose weight, it's also the way to keep the pounds off once they are lost.
It's important to maintain a healthy weight. Eating healthy will not only help in the struggle to lose weight, it's also the way to keep the pounds off once they are lost.

A healthy weight isn't being so tiny that you will blow away if a strong wind comes along. And all human bodies were not created equal. Rather than try to look like someone else, work towards looking like what is right for your body type.

We all have our favorite snacks. Unfortunately our favorite snacks usually aren't at all healthy for us. If we take in more calories than we burn off in the form of exercise, we gain weight.

Some ideas and tips that can help to lose weight and keep it off are:

Stop frying foods. As delicious as fried foods are, they are loaded with fat and calories. Bake foods, or use a nonstick skillet to grill foods in. Olive oil adds a delicious taste to grilled foods such as chicken and beef.

Lay off the butter. Choose a low fat or fat free margarine or spread instead of butter. While butter is obviously very tasty, the fat content is out of this world. Using a fat free or low fat spread will save a lot of calorie intake.

Drink a glass of water before you eat. Drinking a glass of water will help to fill you up and you will eat less. Drink water throughout the day, and make soda a special treat if you must have it.

Soda is good, but unfortunately it's loaded with empty calories. The high sugar content is one of the biggest ways we gain weight. Drinking flavored water or just regular water, diet drinks, and sugar free drinks will help to lose weight much more quickly and to keep it off.

Buy smaller plates. If you have a large dinner plate, you will no doubt fill it up when you eat a meal. A smaller plate will hold less, but still look filled when you eat. Since the plate is smaller and you eat less, you will lose weight. Don't go back for seconds!

Make a habit of eating more veggies. You can eat more leafy green and yellow vegetables and be filled up, and intake fewer calories at the same time. Eating more veggies will help to lose weight. Steamed vegetables are absolutely delicious and healthier too.

Avoid meals and foods that are premade. These are usually loaded in calories. Items like lunch meats are high in calories. Preparing fresh foods where you control what ingredients go into the meal often results in less calories, also aiding in your weight loss goal.

White meat is healthier than red meat. Limit red meat intake such as beef, and eat more chicken, fish, and turkey. These contain fewer fat and therefore fewer calories. Grilled white meats can be prepared into many yummy meals.

Avoid snacking during the day when possible. If you must snack, snack on healthy foods, such as fresh fruits or veggie sticks. Foods like cold carrot sticks and celery sticks make a refreshing snack on a warm day. A low fat or fat free dressing makes a great dip.

Don't skip meals. Skipping meals usually only has you making up for the skipped meal by eating entirely too much when do eat. This said, eat only when you are hungry. Don't eat just because it's time to eat. But do adjust your eating schedule to your hunger schedule. Eat when you need to eat and on a regular basis, but eat when your body tells you it's mealtime, not when the clock on the wall says it's time to eat.

Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Not only do you end up spending more money, you often buy things that are not healthy and that will just add weight. Eat before shopping, and buy healthy foods. Leave the sugar loaded snacks on the shelves.

Weight Loss by Fun

Play tag on the playground. This is a fun activity for losing weight, especially if you have your own kids to chase. Running, climbing, squatting and laughing are great ways to burn calories and reach your fitness goals.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Challenge a friend to a game. Whether its basketball, tennis or soccer, you’ll have fun burning calories while participating in a little friendly competition.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Pack your favorite healthy foods in a picnic basket and head to the park or the beach. Being outside, getting fresh air and eating healthy foods will make you feel great. For a bonus, follow your picnic with a walk, swim or bike ride.

Weight Loss Tip #4: Join a Volksmarching Club to view new and interesting surroundings while walking with a group on a 10K route. Destinations often include bridges, mountainous areas, historical settings and other places you wouldn’t normally see on a walk through your own neighborhood. Trainging for the 10K walk will also keep you motivated to exercise and lose weight.

Weight Loss Tip #5: Turn up the radio or put on an upbeat CD and dance. Dancing is a fun way to get active and lose weight. Additionally, motivational music will improve your mood and help you stick with your weight loss plan.

Weight Loss Tip #6: Enjoy activities you haven’t thought about since childhood. Jump a fence, play on a trampoline or ride a bike. Giving into your inner child can be exciting and rejuvenating. If there are some things you can’t quite do, keep working out and retest yourself in a few months. When you do succeed at these activities you will feel empowered.

Over weight Disease Problem

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal. High blood sugar is a major cause of coronary heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and blindness.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in the United States. This form of diabetes is most often associated with old age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, and physical inactivity. The disease is more common among certain ethnic populations.

How is it linked to overweight?
More than 85 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. It is not known exactly why people who are overweight are more likely to develop this disease. It may be that being overweight causes cells to change, making them resistant to the hormone insulin. Insulin carries sugar from blood to the cells, where it is used for energy. When a person is insulin resistant, blood sugar cannot be taken up by the cells, resulting in high blood sugar. In addition, the cells that produce insulin must work extra hard to try to keep blood sugar normal. This may cause these cells to gradually fail.

What can weight loss do?
You may lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes by losing weight and increasing the amount of physical activity you do. If you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help you control your blood sugar levels and prevent or delay complications. Losing weight and exercising more may also allow you to reduce the amount of diabetes medication you take. The Diabetes Prevention Program, a large clinical study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that losing just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight and doing moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, may prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Four Diet Myths for Fitness

There's nothing better we can do for ourselves than to become healthy through proper nutrition, but most people don't even come close to eating a healthy well-balanced diet. As a matter of fact, many people who think they're eating healthy really are victims of our society's 4 diet myths. These myths are propagated by fad diets that advise cutting out essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly.

Myth 1: Certain food groups should be eliminated

Many fad diets emphasize the elimination of certain food groups or eating primarily only one or two food groups. Your body needs a balanced diet that supplies you with the diverse nutrients that will keep you healthy. Your body needs water, vitamins, a little bit of protein, a little bit of fat, minerals, energy (carbohydrates), fiber, and oxygen. Eating a diet rich in fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and seeds will help you rebuild your immune system, which will in turn help you to stay healthy.

Myth 2: You have to eat meat to get enough protein

Your body needs 30 grams of protein each day. Meat and dairy products are very high in sodium and fat. Fruits and vegetables have at least one gram of protein in them. Grains, nuts, oils and legumes contain complete proteins whereas meat proteins are actually incomplete.

Myth 3: Eliminate fat from your diet

Your body needs 50 grams of fat each day. You don't want to eliminate fat completely from your diet because it helps your joints and muscles work smoothly. Raw nuts, olive oil, and avocados are a rich source of nutritious and healthy fats. Look closely at the foods you buy and stay away from hydrogenated fats.

Myth 4: You have to go hungry to lose weight

The average woman should never eat less than 1,200 calories/day and the average man should never eat less than 1,800 calories per day. If you feed your body natural foods, then you'll have no need to go hungry. You can pretty much eat all the fresh fruits and vegetables you want, and it will not adversely affect your weight.

In order to maximize the nutritional value of your foods eat them in as natural a state as possible. Avoid chemicals, especially those found in water. Fluoride, for example, is a poison. Although as a treatment for teeth it can prevent cavities, it does no good to ingest it, but rather acts as a poison in your body. By getting back to nature and the foods your body was designed to run on, you can stay fit, maintain an optimal weight and build up your immune system so that you live a longer, more energetic life.

Weight Loss Around the World !

When we read studies about weight loss approaches and attitudes, we often tend to
hear about the American perspective. But what does the rest of the world think? And what are they doing about the growing obesity problem? A recent global survey of over 9,000 people in 13 countries over five continents contained some intriguing contrasts and surprises.

For example, which country would you guess has the most "emotional eaters?"

And The Emotional Eating Winner Is...France?
The survey asked whether people agreed with the statement "I tend to eat junk food when I am feeling down." Generally, 31% of people agreed. However, in France it was 57%, the US it was 48% and in the United Kingdom it was 44%.

What Are People Doing to Lose Weight?Generally, when asked what measures people were taking to reduce or maintain their weight the most popular choice, at 40% was... none.
But asked more specifically what steps people took when their weight exceeded a certain threshold, 47% said they reduced their food intake; 43% increased physical activity, and 35% changed the types of food they ate.
But countries varied in their approaches: Fifty seven percent of Americans, 56% of French and 54% of the British reduced their food intake to try to lose the pounds, while 14% of Malaysians chose to use herbs and supplements.

Home Exercise
Overall 22% of those surveyed used home exercise equipment. It was most popular in the United States (a third) and the United Arab Emirates (also a third), Canada (31%) and the United Kingdom (30%).
Diet--Low Fat or Low Carb?
Low-carb foods are eaten most in the UAE (27%) and Brazil (26%) while low-fat foods are the most popular choice in Saudi Arabia (60%), the UAE (44%) and Canada (43%).

Hopping On The ScaleFifteen percent of French people and 12% of Americans weigh themselves every single day, and half of the French and the Americans check their weight once a week or more. In contrast, only 15% of those in Hong Kong get on the scales at least once a week, and 37% of those in Singapore never get on the scale at all.

Dependent on Fast Food
When asked to agree or disagree with the statement 'I like the taste of fast food too much to give it up', the British were most in agreement at 45%. They barely beat out Americans at 44%. Canada followed at 37%.
On the other hand, the nations that most disagreed were France (81%), Singapore (75%), Hong Kong (73%) and Romania (also 73%).

Weight Loss Groups
Weight loss classes and groups like Weight Watchers are most popular in the United Kingdom (10%), Saudi Arabia (10%), and Australia (9%).

Improve Your Diet At Work !

A typical day at the office: You rush off with no breakfast. By morning tea time you're onto your third coffee. Since it's a tea break you go for a large creamy latté and a big muffin.
Lunch rolls around and you grab something quickly without thinking. By afternoon you're feeling tired and groggy, so you go hit the snack box or vending machine and gulp down a Red Bull...
Welcome to the busy working lifestyle - where the combination of poor nutrition and high stress make for a sick and tired person - and most probably overweight as well.
So what are some easy ways to improve your work diet?

1. Don't Skip BreakfastSure you've heard it all before - but this time you have to make it work for you. If you are not hungry when you wake or simply cannot make the time - why not set up some breakfast food at work? I've known many a colleague who will fix themselves some breakfast in the staff/tea room. Most offices will have at least a fridge and a microwave oven. No excuses there.

2. Throw Some Fruit in Your BagThis was role-modeled for me many years ago. A dedicated and fit workmate always had 3 pieces of fruit sitting on his desk. The fruit was always consumed by the end of the day. It rubbed off on me so I began bringing in fruit. I've never looked back. You don't have to keep reaching for the vending machine.

3. Get Out of The Office
I've always been amazed at the folks who stay in the office for the entire day. Plan to get out at lunch time - go for a walk - clear your head - and make time to eat. If you plan ahead of time then you won't be pulled into any sudden jobs or meetings.

4. Stock Up Your DeskMost people tend to eat whatever is in front of them. Once you get the munchies - any food will become fair game. If you've got some better options nearby - the chances are you will eat better. Here are some food ideas:
 Small packets of nuts.
 Small tins of tuna or salmon
 Small cans of beans
 Rice Crackers
 Whole-wheat pitas
 In the fridge you could have some hummus or cottage cheese, or even sliced meats.
 You have enough there to make up a lunch or snack.

5. Coffee OverdoseWhat can be said about coffee? Our entire civilisation would collapse without this drug. However some of us consume so much of it during our work day - that we end up strung out and fatigued - not realizing that it could be the coffee to blame. Keep tabs on this. I frequently go through seasons of substituting green tea or herbal tea when my coffee consumption starts going up. Colleagues might look at you funny when you pour yourself some green tea with lemon - but that's their problem.

6. The Dinner TrapLet's say you have lunch at 1pm, and dinner at 7pm. That's a fairly long stretch. Instead of starving and then demolishing an enormous meal of pasta - it's better to have a good snack in between. Don't be afraid to leave food on your plate at dinner time. Most of us are used to big carb-heavy evening meals. Make a habit of leaving food on your plate - you never know - you might just have made tomorrows lunch.

Fitness Tips From Older Folk !

It's unfortunate that a lot of people believe exercise is for the young, and that "old folks" are destined to be frail and weak.
Obviously that's just not true. In fact, if you're not yet elderly yourself but would like some instant workout inspiration: try exercising with a bunch of senior citizens. I did recently, and here are five tips I got from watching, listening, and trying to keep up with these folks.
So I've been living temporarily in a retirement community to help care for a family member. And I have to confess I was hesitant about using their fitness center. But when I did, I discovered the equipment was top notch and I fit in just fine! I also learned:
1. 'Old' Doesn't Mean Weak if You Keep Active
It's another to watch a guy who looks 90 sprinting like an Olympian on the treadmill, or to see a 70-ish woman doing squats balancing an enormous barbell.
Seriously, some of the seniors were amazing. It made me double my resolve to keep challenging myself as I get older.

2. Injuries or Disabilities Don't Have to Mean Inactivity
There were plenty of folks who looked like they were recovering from a stroke, or who had serious mobility issues. If they couldn't run, they walked. If they couldn't walk much, they sat and pedaled with their arms. What they didn't do was stay home and watch tv and wish things were different.
Many of us younger folks who get all sulky and refuse to work out if an injury prevents us from doing our favorite activities could take a lesson from these guys.

3. Take the Time to Ask For Help
There were all kinds of machines I'd never seen before. Yet every machine was getting some serious use, because almost everyone there had asked staff members to show them how to use the equipment properly.
Those who were doing free weights were using proper form; people knew what equipment they needed to sign up for and everyone seemed to follow proper protocol for wiping down machines, etc.
In contrast, I've noticed that lots of younger folks hate to ask for help--we often either miss out on cool machines or injure ourselves by using them incorrectly.

4. Fit and Friendly
There was quite a few more friendly conversations between exercisers than I notice at most gyms, and I realized that many seniors were combining their workout time with social time. (I couldn't help overhearing some of these conversations, and learned quite a bit more about colonoscopy procedures than I ever wanted to know).
How many of us younger folks put out a "please don't talk to me" vibe? I know sometimes I do--but the pleasant atmosphere of this gym made me think twice about that. I had quite a few more conversations than I normally would--it made the time go faster, and none of these nice chats got in the way of getting my exercise done.

There is a series of posters at this gym with this slogan, and the pictures are of buffed elders who look like they could take on any challenge.
But... our bodies will fail us eventually; no matter how much we try to do to prevent it. Some people seemed overwhelmed by the aging process, while others tackle it with grace and humor and a sense of purpose.

10 Best Ideas To Do Exercising !

1. Know Thyself - Time of DayWhat's the point in aiming for fasted cardio (i.e. workouts before breakfast) when you are not a morning person? You might start with the best intentions - but it will probably not last. You must find the time that works best for you.

2. Know Thyself - Comfort ZoneWhen I exercise I sweat. Sometimes profusely. That may seem gross to some - and to be honest when I caught some people staring at my red sweating face - I was embarrassed. I've realized that public gym workouts are not always for me. I have a basic setup at home that I use instead. If going to the gym - aim for known quiet periods.

3. Boredom BustersI feel bored just looking at the rows of poker-faced people sitting on their stationery bikes. I cannot do this. It bores me to tears. The personal trainer might prescribe 45 minutes of steady-state cardio - but it is most definitely not the only way. Personal Trainers for the most part are enthusiastic and helpful people -- but many seem to be stuck "in a box" when it comes to innovation. If you bore easily (like me) - then mix it up. The feeling of doing something new or different gets me interested again.

4. Structure and PlanningWe have become a very time-poor people. Consequently if we want to accomplish anything we will need to plan it. Don't say "I'm going to exercise this week". Say "I'm going to exercise at 4.30pm on Wednesday for 30 minutes - and write it down. It might sound a bit obsessive but every Sunday I plan my whole week - what I aim to do at work, when I will exercise, etc. Without a structure things turn to chaos and I end the week feeling out-of-control and frustrated.

5. Surround yourself with like-minded peopleIt's tough enough to motivate yourself without having a bunch of couch potatoes pouring scorn on your intentions. Spend time with the right people (on-line or in the real world) and you'll find the motivation starts to come.

6. Focus on the feeling after the sessionThere's nothing better than blobbing out after a good exercise session. The feeling of satisfaction is something to be savored. Then there are the post-workout endorphins... and the good nights sleep...

7. Stop thinking: All or Nothing"If I can't do this workout properly - then there is no point in working out". I used to think like this. Now I think that even a 5 minute walk is better than 5 minutes on the couch. Even 10 minutes of light weights is better than nothing. This is especially important when exercising after a period of sickness. You feel like you took one step forward but fell 3 steps backward. Go easy on yourself. Don't give up. Something is better than nothing.

8. What are your priorities?When taking time to plan your week you will be forced to address priorities. If you are working 16 hours a day and (understandably) have no time for exercise - then you need to sit right back and take a long hard look at what you truly want out of life.

9. Remove the word "quit" from your mental vocabularyHaving goals is great. Lose x pounds of fat. Gain x pounds of muscle. Increased fitness. However there is something even deeper at play. If we lead sedentary lives then exercise simply must become a part of life. Period. Our bodies are made to be worked.
If I said to you "you must exercise for the rest of your life" -- how does that make you feel? Examine the feeling. If it feels like a prison sentence then perhaps you need to do some serious rewiring of your inner monologue. Imagine feeling vital, strong, and energized - into your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s -- wouldn't that be a good feeling?

10. It's not just about looksThe skinny girl down the street might look good to you -- but her size is no indication of her health or strength. She may have unseen visceral fat , sadly, could be inviting osteoporosis to come early.

5 Ways to Break Weight Loss Plateau

If you've ever tried to lose fat for any sustained period of time - you may have hit a plateau. You have changed nothing, but suddenly the fat no longer disappears. The human body is incredibly adaptive, and will do its level best to maintain equilibrium (homeostasis).
The plateauing effect has to be the biggest motivation-killer there is. Unfortunately many popular diet books are strangely quiet on the issue -- I guess the concept doesn't sell well.
The best single word of advice is to make a change. Don't make the mistake of doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result
What changes can you make?
1. Zig-Zag Calorie
IntakeZig-zagging, or calorie cycling is the process of varying daily calorie intake, while maintaining the same weekly intake. Instead of consuming (for example) precisely 1800 calories each day - you can mix it up. Eat 1500 calories one day, and 2100 calories the next. This can be as simple as halving then doubling a portion size, or adding a post-workout shake into the plan. Just keep your body guessing.

2. Strength Training
If you are not doing this as part of your program or lifestyle, then it's time to start. Working your muscles will help to strengthen bone tissue, increase lean mass, and ultimately boost metabolic rate.
3. Change Your Exercise
RoutineSo you go walking a lot? Then try jogging, or swimming, or cycling -- anything that will change the way your body is working. If you are doing low intensity cardio work, then try some high intensity exercise
4. Alter Macro-nutrient Intake
Although it sounds complicated, once again, the idea is to change what you are eating. If (for example) you are eating a moderate diet that is higher in carbs - try eating less carbs and more protein. There is no need to get super-technical over the whole thing. If you have a carbohydrate snack every day at morning tea time - change it to a protein snack. Whatever you are doing consistently - try mixing it up a bit.
5. Change Meal Frequency
If you are eating three square meals a day - start adding snacks in between (which may mean reducing the portion size of the main meals). Eating often is an old and common style of eating - once again, you are trying to boost your metabolic rate.

10 Questions To Change Your Diet !

A wise man once said that if you want to build something, you need to first sit down and estimate the cost. That principle can be applied to building a better body or better health.

It's amazing how many people embark on a diet without sparing a single thought as to the practicality aspects. In response to a diet review on Diet-Blog, Crystal made this remark:


Yeah, I tried this diet and lasted about 7 hours. Just like every other diet [...] maybe next diet.

While I am not a huge fan of the concept of "trying a diet" - every time you plan to make changes to your lifestyle (such as nutrition and exercise) - you need to count the cost.

Are you prepared to eat differently than your friends at a social situation?
Eating often accompanies many social gatherings. How do your friends eat? Do they consume foods that you know will not be compatible with your lifestyle? How will you address this?

Will you acknowledge the truth about yourself objectively?
Many people reach their ideal weight, and then let old habits creep back in. However there are a few warning systems in place - one is the waistband in your pants. Will you choose to conveniently ignore it if it gets tighter? Or will you be objective?


How do you eat?
Is it at your desk at work? Maybe in the car or on the bus? What do you eat during these times? How will it be compatible with your new food choices?


What sort of lifestyle do your friends and family lead?
If your whole world is filled with people who are couch potatoes - how do you plan to work against this culture? Will they influence you to be more active or more sedentary.


Are you being totally honest with yourself?
You read about a new diet in a magazine, and it requires eating a lot more vegetables. On the surface you are busting to lose "10 pounds in 2 weeks", but deep down you know you cannot stand vegetables. Which part of you will win out in the end? Probably the voice that says you hate vegetables. This must be addressed. Why do you hate vegies? Are you prepared to cook more, or learn different ways of cooking vegies? Is it the taste? The texture? The time taken to prepare them?


Are you prepared to accept the things you cannot change?
You cannot change the way other people act and the way they speak - "oh, so you're on another health kick again are you?"... But you can choose how you will respond inwardly and outwardly - ahead of time.


Are you prepared to changed you home environment?
So you decided to eat like a "French woman" - mindfully and leisurely. The trouble is, your home environment is utterly chaotic, noisy, and messy - with barely a place to sit down - let alone have a large pleasant space to indulge in your new gourmet meals. What will you do to change this?


How do the local restaurants fit in?
Do you eat at restaurants a lot? Which restaurants do you go to? Will they fit with your new style of eating? Are you prepared to leave food on your plate if their portions are too big?


Will your current habits fit?
Most nights are spent watching re-runs of "Friends" while chowing down on a super-sized packet of cheetos. However you are embarking on a diet that completely rules out junk food. What will you do? Change your habits? Find a different comfort food? Divide up your packets of cheetos? Think about it.


Is my kitchen okay?
Seems like an odd question - but take a look around your kitchen. You've decided to try the Sonoma Diet and you need to actually cook and prepare food. Trouble is, all you have are 3 forks and a corkscrew... Or maybe you're going to start making a smoothie every day. Now where do you fit a blender? After all, will you actually use it if it's stored in a cupboard 10 feet up? Or maybe you plan to portion up your meals. Do you actually have enough fridge/freezer space? Enough containers? Enough time?
If you want to make a lifestyle change rather than "just another diet", then you need to think about your life objectively and realistically.

8 Ways to Lose Weight in 2008

Don't let another year go by without making these easy changes that will help you lose weight and be more healthy!
1. Learn to Read Labels

Paying attention to food labels is an absolute must if you want to lose weight. Counting calories is impossible without this skill. You should know how to find a food's caloric content and its serving size. Comparing labels is essential for making informed food choices.

2. Say Yes to Snacks

It's important to maintain blood sugar levels by eating about every three hours. If it's been five or six hours since your last meal, you need to start planning snacks. Getting too hungry will backfire on your efforts to eat healthier and control portions. Aim for a healthful, satisfying snack, such as an apple and some reduced fat cheddar cheese -- the apple is high in fiber and low in calories, and the cheese will provide protein for an energy boost and a sense of satiety.

3. Drink Plenty of Water

The rule of thumb of eight glasses a day is a great goal, but why not aim for even more? Water can help with weight loss in several ways: First, if you tend to carry "water weight" (i.e. you're often bloated), drinking more water can help alleviate this problem. Second, replacing high-sugar, high-cal drinks -- such as soda -- with water can cut hundreds of calories. Lastly, staying well-hydrated will help you feel more satisfied (which may prevent overeating) and improves your overall sense of well-being.

4. Stop Skipping Meals

Skipping meals is one of those dieting mistakes most of us make at one time or another. But meal skipping does your diet more harm than good. You'll be more likely to eat too much later on, plus your body may go into "starvation mode" if you skip too often -- which will cause it to actually hang on to weight rather than lose!

5. Just Get Moving

Working in some exercise each day will give your metabolism a boost. Anything that gets your heart pumping faster will do. Start out today with a brisk walk or a bike ride. Work your way up from 10 minutes a day to 30 minutes a day and you'll make a significant difference to your overall health, fitness, and weight loss in a matter of months ... or even weeks!

6. Start a Food Diary

Keeping a food diary, even if it's just jotting down what, when, and why you eat in an old spiral notebook is an excellent first step toward losing weight. You can also keep track of your exercise efforts, too. Take a look at it every so often to find problems areas and identify changes to be made.

7. Eat More Whole Grains

Eating more whole grains -- as well as more produce -- could be the best health and weight loss decision you ever make. Not only do grains, fruits and veggies provide nutrients you may be missing that improve your health and possibly reduce disease-risk, they're automatically low in calories and fat, and high in fiber, so you can eat more of them, more often, and not gain weight. The fiber in whole grains and produce will help you feel fuller longer, which can in turn help you better control portions and avoid overeating.

8. Practice Portion Control

Paying attention to portion sizes may be the most eye-opening weight loss experience you ever have. For example, take a look at the serving size listed on your favorite pasta. Measure out this serving. Place it on the dish you usually use. Is it miniscule compared to your usual serving? When you begin measuring portions you will realize just how oversized our idea of a "helping" is and where all those extra calories come from that are causing you to gain weight.

Free Yoga Exercises Online !

The yoga Sun Salutation pose is recommended for practitioners of all ages and especially for the ones who cannot dedicate a lot of time to their yoga routine. The reason why this pose is so highly appreciated has to do with the fact that it involves most of the muscle groups, as well as the respiratory system.

In fact, the Sun Salutation is a sequence of twelve yoga positions, linked together by a flowing motion and accompanied by five deep special breaths. Each of the twelve positions contributes to stretching a different part of the body and different muscle groups. Moreover, it helps expanding and contracting the chest in order to regulate breathing.

Specialists and yoga trainers recommend this exercise for the daily routine, as it can contribute in a very efficient way to the flexibility of your spine and joints.

Yoga poses for reduce fat

Twisting poses, back bends, forward bends and inversions are used to stimulate the endocrine system. If the weight gain is due to a hormonal imbalance, postures that affect the thyroid in the neck will be helpful: camel, shoulder stand, rabbit, plow, and bridge. Use Dirga Pranayama (the three part breath) to massage, tone and regulate the endocrine organs and to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which adjusts hormonal imbalances. Emotional eating is the practice of consuming food in response to feelings instead of hunger. Yoga's effect on harmonizing, balancing and calming the mind and emotions can neutralize overpowering emotions before they result in overeating or bingeing. Yoga poses, pranayamas and meditations all bring the awareness to see emotional eating as an unhealthy habit and provide the skills to effectively process and resolve our emotional distress. Yoga has an arsenal of calming and nurturing poses to use, such as child, yoga mudra, bound angle, seated head to knee, and seated angle. Nadi Sodhana pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) is especially potent to calm the mind and reduce stress, anxiety and worry. Simple meditation practices that focus on the breath and body sensations improve self-awareness and self-reflection, reduce stress and promote equanimity.

yoga techniques for weight loss

Within yoga's ability to create well-being lies its ability to reduce excess weight through burning calories, boosting metabolism, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Yoga is not a quick fix, but can be an excellent long-term holistic approach to losing excess weight and keeping it off. Not only that, but yoga creates many other positive changes; it improves self-esteem, increases mental focus, reduces stress, promotes flexibility, and increases strength and balance.

The causes of weight gain are many, and the best method to reducing excess weight with yoga requires an individualistic approach using a blend of appropriate techniques. The classic weight loss formula of reducing intake and increasing output is important, but it often does not address the deeper disharmonies or root of the cause, especially if weight gain has been a long-term issue. A general yoga practice will help lose excess weight, but a routine of yogic practices based upon and individual's specific disharmony will be more effective. Yoga poses, breathing exercises, and meditations can be used basis upon their ability to adjust and balance hormones, emotions, and/or metabolism.

Obesity and Yoga

What is obesity?
Excess accumulation of fats (Resulting in increased weight)
In today's technology dominated world, physical activity has decreased resulting in accumulation of fats.
Obesity may become reason for various other diseases.
Obesity is physical, mental and emotional
Obesity Symptoms
Obesity increases weight, reduces physical movements, and also brings in slowness in emotional and mental activities.
Food intake increases.
Obesity can result in frustration.
Laziness increases, reducing overall efficiency.
Sometimes obesity can create obstruction to breathing process.
Obesity may result in heart problems, diabetes or blood pressure.

Obesity Reasons ---- Food Habits
Excess consumption of fats, protein diet
Eating food, which is sugar rich
Consuming food all the time, which includes milk, butter, cheese, oily food, non-vegetarian food, tea, coffee, bakery products, rice etc.
Not eating raw food, fruits, vegetables rich in fibers
Obesity because of physical problems
Obesity can be hereditary
Digestive disorders may result in obesity
Improper functioning of Endocrine gland system
Problems in the nervous system
Imbalance in emotional and mental activities
Obesity as a result of life style
Lack of exercise
No physical movement, driving cars and other vehicles
Sitting and watching TV, movies, working on computers
Consuming cold food from fridge all the time

Obesity and Yoga
Yoga has considered all aspects of Obesity (physical, emotional and mental)
Regular practice of Yoga and controlled life style reduces obesity (weight is reduced).
Yoga makes human being agile, efficient and slim.
Yoga is suitable for people in any age group.
Yoga helps achieve control over mind and behavior (one can easily control food habits and change life style to reduce the obesity.)
Yoga has different effect on obesity, which is permanent in nature than other techniques for obesity reduction. Weight loss is permanent but one needs to practice few important techniques regularly.

Balancing the immune system with yoga !

For many of us, the arrival of autumn means it's time to stock up on Kleenex and cough drops. Along with seasonal allergies, autumn means colder weather that can bring with it colds and flu. But yoga can help by strengthening and balancing your basic weapon against sinus conditions -- the immune system. Yoga postures, pranayama, relaxation and meditation are powerful tools for helping to stimulate or calm the immune response depending on the situation.

Increased allergy symptoms indicate that your immune system is working overtime. A stuffy nose, ears and sinuses, inflamed eyes, headaches, sore throat and difficulty breathing are all caused by the mucus-producing process of the inmmune system attacking innocuous invaders. Through relaxation, the nervous system can tell the immune system to settle down and stop attacking the foreign bodies, which are naturally cleared out in a non-allergic person by sneezing once or twice a day. When the immune system backs off, inflammation and mucus decrease and symptoms diminish.

Practicing any yoga posture in a relaxing way with slow deep breathing and the intention to let go and relax the nervous system can be very beneficial in decreasing the symptoms of allergies. Kapalabhati breathing is great for allergies as it forces out the mucus. (Don't forget to keep tissues within easy reach!) The relaxation time at the end of a yoga class can also be an important part of decreasing allergic immune response. Encourage your students to relax and affirm that the relaxation will help decrease their reaction to allergens. However, be aware that students suffering from allergies may become too congested when lying on their backs; you can suggest they lie on the stomach or side if that's more comfortable.

Relaxing the nervous system has been shown to help direct the immune system to attack the viruses and bacteria that increase in colder weather. Colds are caused by bacteria and affect the upper respiratory system, causing stuffiness, coughing, sore throat, etc. If the immune system is weak, the bacteria can go into the lungs and cause bronchitis or pneumonia. Viruses go deeper into the system, causing chills, fever or pain and aching in the joints.

But a strong immune system can frost the invaders within a few days, preventing more extreme manifestations of the illness and in fact strengthening the immune system. Again, yoga postures done in a relaxed way and slow, deep pranayama can help relax the nervous system and boost the immune response.

Another way to build the immune system and improve sinus-related conditions is to focus on the thymus gland. Located in the chest, the thymus gland is the locus of the immune system. Thus both the thymus gland and the immune system are stimulated by any posture in which we open the chest and breathe deeply into it. The most beneficial postures for this purpose are the Cobra, the Pigeon, the Fish, the Boat, the Bow and the Bridge.

Since the thymus gland corresponds to the fourth chakra, these postures can be enhanced by including chakra sounds such as the fourth chakra bij mantra "yum" or the fourth chakra vowel sound "ay." Kapalabhati breathing or slow deep ujjayi breathing in postures where the chest is open can also be beneficial. Experiment with practicing the postures as you breathe deeply into the chest and sound the mantras. My audiotape on Prana Yoga, send out through KYTA last spring, will help guide you in combining the mantras with the postures.

With a relaxed nervous system and a focused and revitalized immune system, you'll find you're able to resist autumn allergens and throw off winter's infections more readily.