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The purpose of our blog is to share what we have learned about nutrition, weight loss, fitness, and health, in order to help you find ways to feel better and live longer. It is amazing how much our diet and lifestyle affect our health and well-being.

Did you know that you can reduce your risk and even prevent many diseases and health conditions simply by making some changes to your diet? Check back often for valuable tips and information.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF:

For the first time in my life I have found weight loss success. During my adult life I have tried dozens and dozens of so-called "diets" and none of them worked over the long-haul. Oh, I was able to lose weight with some of them, but once I went off of the "diet" I quickly gained back all of my weight (plus some).

I have finally learned that losing weight has to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. Crash diets and all the other crazy diets will not only cause you to fail, they are harmful to your health. To lose weight and keep it off you must NOT go on a "diet." What? Why? Because we all consider a "diet" a temporary thing. For example, how many times have you said, "Oh, I will go on this low-fat diet until I lose 20 pounds." Okay, what happens after you lose the 20 pounds? Or you simply give up? You go back to your old habits and gain that 20 pounds back.

The only way you will ever be successful at losing weight, with the added benefit of improving your health, is to make healthy changes that you can live with for the rest of your life. Period. Not for a week, a month or 3 months, but for life. For me, my initial goal was to lower my cholesterol level. I had to have a blood test for my insurance coverage and my cholesterol level had to be lower than the previous year's levels or I would have to pay a much higher premium. Well, that was a pretty good incentive for me make some positive changes.

I sat down and figured out what I needed to do. I knew I had to change the way I ate and I knew I had to exercise in some form or other every day. So, I made a list and I stuck to it. It was difficult at first. To make matters worse, I am a compulsive eater. However, as the days went by, it became much easier because my body stopped craving sweets and processed foods. For the first time in my life, I was never tempted to binge because I never felt deprived.

Use the list below and make whatever changes you need to make in order for it to work for you. FYI, my cholesterol level dropped 65 points after 7 weeks, and my triglycerides dropped 70 points! Another benefit that I hadn't planned on was that after being an insomniac since my teen-age years, I now sleep like a baby every night!

MY LIST FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCESS:

1. Avoid "white" Foods & Processed Foods. These foods have no nutritional value and are "empty" calories. Sweets, anything made with white flour,and anything that comes in a package with a long list of ingredients. Always read the food labels. Stay away from those long lists of ingredients. The longer the list, the more chemicals and additives are present. These are extremely toxic to your body.

2. Drink Lots of Water. Water keeps your body's organs hydrated and flushes out unhealthy toxins. It helps to fill you up and reduces your urge to over-eat.

3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast. Instead of coffee and donuts, try fruit, yogurt, grains like oatmeal or whole grain toast, and lean protein. NEVER skip breakfast. By eating a large, healthy meal when you get up in the morning, your metabolism will "rev up" and you will not be hungry by mid-morning. If you skip breakfast, your body will go into starvation mode and store calories in your body as FAT, yes FAT! So do yourself a big favor and eat breakfast.

4. Reduce Your Stress Level. So many of us live with too much stress. Stress lowers your immune system, making it easier to get sick. It also makes us lethargic, tired, and depressed. There are a lot of simple things you can do and a lot of ways to feel better about yourself and your life. Take a long, hot bath, read a book, listen to music, get a massage. Do something nice for yourself. Giving yourself something to look forward to is a tremendous mental incentive.

5. Move! Oh my gosh! There are so many ways to incorporate movement into your day, even at work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up every hour and walk around your floor, your hallway or your desk. Park your car in the farthest space from where you need to be. Walk or bike to work. Skate, dance, golf, jump rope, clean house, play tag. The best exercise you can do is to walk. Try to take a walk every day! The more you move, the more your metabolism will be your friend. (I walk 3 miles every day whether it is raining, snowing or freezing.)

Calorie Counting

7:26 AM  , ,  1 comment

If you are trying to lose weight, you will always hear the statement, "You must decrease your calorie intake to lose weight." So, you try to live on celery and diet soda and then wonder why you can't stick to it! Yikes!

That is not the way to lose weight. Is it possible to lose weight without calorie counting? Yes, you CAN lose weight without counting calories. There is no magic involved - just sensible, easy steps anyone can follow.

Most of us have tried dieting at one time or another and failed. The main reason we cannot stick to diets is the feeling of deprivation that accompanies them. Cutting back drastically on food causes irritability and frustration and results in a slower metabolism, causing your body to hold onto fat, making it that much more difficult to shed pounds.

When you starve yourself, your body will trigger cravings for the nutrients it needs. These cravings will cause you to start binging on the foods that you have been avoiding. You then find yourself in a vicious cycle of starving and binging that is dangerous to your health and can lead to serious eating disorders.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT COUNTING CALORIES

There are simple changes you can make in your daily lifestyle that will allow you to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week without counting calories. You will also be increasing your metabolism rate, improve your fitness level, and improve the quality of your life and health.

Before you start incorporating these changes into your daily routine, make sure you DO NOT add to your current daily food intake. You may be tempted to increase your eating because you will be more active. If you do that, you will cancel out any weight loss efforts.

*Drink lots of water. Strive for 8 glasses a day. Water flushes toxins out of your body and revs up your metabolism.

*Eat a large nutritious, protein-packed breakfast. This will rev up your metabolism and make it easier for your body to burn fat.

*Walk! Every day, take a walk, inside or outside, alone or with a friend. Walk as briskly as you can and swing your arms. Breathe deeply. You will start to feel better almost immediately. Shoot for a mile a day. The more you walk, the easier it becomes and the more you will want to do it.

*If you work in an office, use the stairs instead of the elevator. Park your car in the farthest parking space from the building. Get up and walk during your break instead of sitting down and eating a snack.

*If you have access to an indoor swimming pool, use it several times a week. Swimming, along with walking, is an excellent aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping and revs up your metabolism.

*Go bicycling with your kids. Bicycling is another aerobic exercise that provides fun, relaxation and quality time with your family. Ride your bike to work! If you cannot bicycle outside, try a stationary bike. Watch TV or listen to music while you pedal.

*Take up a new hobby. Anything that will keep your hands busy and your mind off of eating such as crocheting, latch hook, knitting, working crossword puzzles or jigsaw puzzles, reading, etc.

*Take up gardening; mow the grass, rake leaves, plant flowers, etc.

*If you want to increase your weight loss, serve yourself smaller portions at mealtime. Eventually, you will need less in order to feel satisfied.

As you can see, it IS possible to lose weight without counting calories. By following the tips listed above you will not only have more fun, you will be living a healthier lifestyle.

1 comments:

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