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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.)

Easy, Healthy Ways to Detox

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If you have been eating too much junk food lately, you may be feeling the urge to detox your body. However, resist the urge to try some highly-touted fasting or juice diet because they can be potentially dangerous. Instead, try focusing on eating naturally nutrient-rich whole foods, and cut back on processed foods.


1. Increase fiber
Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Whole foods, in their natural state, are high in fiber and full of wonderful vitamins and nutrients. The soluble fiber in oats, whole grains and beans is filling, making it a good weight loss tool. It also helps pull cholesterol out of the bloodstream, moving it through the digestive tract.

2. Increase lean proteins
Lean proteins from sources such as chicken (without skin), tuna and wild salmon preserve your lean body mass. Having some at every meal stabilizes blood sugar levels and helps you feel fuller longer. By increasing your intake of protein from non-animal sources such as whole-grain cereal and beans, you may also lower your blood pressure. These foods are rich in fiber and magnesium that can help reduce your risk for heart disease.

3. Avoid sugars
Eating high sugar foods not only pumps calories into your body, it spikes your blood sugar. Sugary foods also promote inflammation that can increase your risk for heart disease and certain cancers, and they make you feel foggy and fatigued. Stay away from foods that list sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or dextrose on the ingredients label. High-fructose corn syrup sweetens many processed foods and food makers often add it to reduced-fat foods to make them tastier. High-fructose corn syrup can cause spikes and dips in your blood sugar.

4. Avoid bad fats
Saturated and trans fats clog your arteries and promote inflammation. Avoid them by eliminating fried foods and anything made with hydrogenated vegetable oils (check labels) from your diet. Certain types of saturated fat (red meat, whole milk, cheese and butter) may actually override those signals your body sends out that tells you to stop eating because you’re full. However, don't eliminate fat entirely. Use healthy olive oil and eat avocados and nuts.

5. Reduce alcohol
Alcohol taxes your liver. Drinking too much increases your risk of high blood pressure and obesity. Instead, drink lots of water. You can also indulge in an occasional glass of red wine. Resveratrol, the potent antioxidant in red wine, may help prevent cancer, keep your heart and brain healthy, and reduce inflammation.

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