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.)

10 Superfoods

5:10 AM  , , , ,  1 comment

You hear a lot about foods that are considered “superfoods” because they are so nutritious. The following 10 foods belong to this nutritional powerhouse list.


Avocados

Though avocados contain more fat than almost any other fruit, it's virtually all monounsaturated fat whose many benefits include raising good cholesterol, lowering bad cholesterol and preventing heart disease. It's high in fiber, low in calories, and higher than bananas in the blood-pressure-reducing mineral potassium.
Beets

Beets contain a greater range of nutrients than almost any other fruit or vegetable. The antioxidants that give beets their deep red color fight off free radicals that attack the body's cells. Free radicals can lead to aging and many diseases including cancer. Compounds in beets can lower blood pressure and heart disease risk, and help cleanse the body of harmful chemicals present in processed foods, such as nitrates.

Berries

Berries are full of antioxidants, versatile and delicious. Strawberries should be eaten for potassium, raspberries for vitamin C, blueberries for fiber and blackberries for vitamin E.

Broccoli

Broccoli is rich in dozens of nutrients, packing the most nutritional punch of any vegetable. It has vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and is a rich source of fiber. Beta-carotene and vitamin C are important antioxidants that have been linked to a reduced risk of numerous conditions, including heart disease and several types of cancer. Half of its fiber is insoluble and half is soluble, helping to meet your body’s needs for both types of fiber.

Lentils 

As we are increasingly hearing about the health risks of consuming too much red meat, lentils are a near-perfect substitute: When mixed with rice or another grain, they form a complete protein with all the amino acids the body needs. Lentils have no cholesterol, virtually no fat, and high proportions of soluble and insoluble fibers that help manage blood sugar, lower cholesterol and aid digestion. They're also packed with vitamins and minerals, including iron.

Nuts

Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts are full of heart-healthy fats that boost "good" cholesterol. Adding a few servings of nuts a week can dramatically reduce people's risk of cardiovascular disease. Some studies have found that regular nut consumption actually makes people less likely to gain weight.

Quinoa

Many Americans never have heard of this grain. Quinoa is very high in fiber, protein and minerals, and very low in calories and in fat. Studies have shown eating a daily bowl can lower rates of obesity, breast cancer, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Salmon

Salmon is low in contaminants and high in the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil. Regularly consuming salmon can help lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation; and the fish oil provides a brain-nourishing compound that can slow the mental decline associated with aging.

Spinach

Spinach is full of anti-oxidants. It rids the body of free radicals and is packed with nutrients including calcium, vitamins A and K, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Tomatoes

Regular consumption of tomato products can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease due to its combination of vitamins and phytonutrients such as lycopene. Because cooking actually enhances tomatoes' health-promoting properties by making nutrients more easily absorbed, canned tomatoes are a good alternative to fresh.

1 comments:

  1. AdelheidApril 9, 2012 at 2:52 AM

    I think even getting rid of weight with phentermine 37.5 never bring me as a lot of enjoyment as studying your article, many thanks for your job

    ReplyDelete