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.)


Diet Remedies for Health Problems

There are non-medical remedies that can help with many of today’s most common illnesses and conditions.  Making simple changes to your diet to cure your common cold, allergies, acne or constipation problems is a much better option than resorting to drugs.  Natural food remedies do not give you harmful side-effects that western allopathic medicine can bring. 


Here are some health ailments that can be treated with simple diet and lifestyle remedies:

Allergies.  More Americans suffer from allergies than ever before.  The best remedy for allergies is drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day.  Garlic and cayenne pepper have been used for years, and a good intestinal cleansing has been shown to provide relief.  Make sure that you are taking a multi-vitamin with the recommended doses of vitamins C, A, E and zinc.

Acne. Acne in both teens and adults is becoming more and more common.  There are many natural dietary changes that you can make to help clear up your skin.  First, drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.  Water flushes out the impurities from the skin.  Increasing your consumption of whole grains, fresh fruits and root vegetables also helps.   Have three servings of oily fish weekly.
Constipation. To help constipation add fiber to your diet by eating whole fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Water pushes the food through your system making bowel movements much easier. If you are straining, you are not getting enough water or fiber. Also, some prescription medications can cause constipation.

Stress. Limiting caffeine and eating a diet of complex carbohydrates and fresh vegetables will help ease stress. Take a walk. Walking is a wonderful way to blow off steam and work your body at the same time. It also releases “feel good” endorphins. Listen to music, take a long bath, get a massage or anything else that eases your stress level.
Cancer. Eat seafood, whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Reduce your intake of meat and saturated fats. Get plenty of exercise every day. Reduce your stress level.

Help your body cure itself by trying some of these simple food and diet changes.  By also including them in your regular diet, you help in the prevention of these health problems and build a strong immune system.

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