Wednesday, April 30, 2008

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.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

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.

Monday, April 28, 2008

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.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

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.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

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.

Friday, April 25, 2008

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%).

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

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.