Thank You For Visiting Our Blog, FEEL BETTER AND LIVE LONGER!

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.)

Symptoms of Depression

11:05 AM    No comments

 People who are suffering from depression or manic disorders will exhibit certain symptoms. There are actually a lot of symptoms of depression that people may show but they don’t have to suffer from all of them to be depressed. If you suspect someone you know is suffering from depression, please encourage them to seek professional help.

COMMON EXAMPLES OF SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION:

 Prolonged period of sadness. People who are never in the mood, who’d rather mope around the house and feel sorry for themselves, are the best examples for this symptom of depression.

Feels hopeless. Is the eternal pessimist. This common symptom of depression is when a person actually feels like he/she has nothing to look forward to in his or her life. Those who show this symptom are usually very negative about things with a complete feeling of hopelessness.

Feels a loss of self-worth, helplessness, and guilt. When a person feels so guilty over something it actually makes them feel like they don’t deserve to be happy. The helplessness comes from having absolutely no hope at all.

Finds no pleasure. Drops all things that one used to enjoy. If one is too sad to take pleasure even in the very things that one loves then that person might well be suffering from depression.

Chronic fatigue, no energy. Since they’ve lost whatever interest in life they once had, they are lacking physical energy at all times. They probably won’t eat and don’t get enough sleep. Depression is not just a mental illness. It can actually be terrible for one’s physical health as well.

Can’t concentrate, has bad memory and is indecisive. A person who is suffering from depression has no interest in the outside world. This can lead to an inability to keep track of things and not be able to remember things that happened or what other people said. Lack of interest makes depressed people very inattentive.


OTHER GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

There are other general symptoms that can actually help you see if a person (or you) needs help when it comes to depression: 

A lack of sleep or too much sleep (if it happens on a daily basis) 

Loss of appetite, as well as eating too much.  Be wary of sudden weight loss or weight gain. 

Being suicidal, talking about death or about wanting to die. 

Being restless and irritable.

Physical symptoms brought about by poor mental health; headaches, digestive disorders and various body aches and pains.

If you, or someone you love, is experiencing any of these symptoms of depression, please seek professional help as soon as possible. A professional can help you find ways to ease or eliminate the symptoms before they become unbearable or even life-threatening.

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