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.)

Weight Loss for Teens

8:51 AM  , , , , , ,  No comments

In today’s world, more and more emphasis is being placed not just on physical appearance, but in the case of women, the emphasis is on being as thin as possible. As a result, teenage girls are becoming obsessed with their body image.

One of the biggest problems of teenagers is being overweight. Overweight teenagers have a multitude of problems, not only health problems, but mental health issues like low self-esteem. This lack of confidence together with poor body image can cause deep depression.

If you are a parent who has an obese or overweight child and you want to help her safely and effectively lose weight, here are some tips:

(I have used the pronouns for a female but these issues can also affect males.)

Talk to your child. Losing weight is a decision you must help your child with. Ask her what she thinks about herself. If she confesses that she doesn’t feel good about her physical appearance, now is the time to ask her what she wants to do.

Give your child suggestions on how she can improve herself. Ask her if she is willing to lose weight. If she says yes, start planning out how to lose weight effectively, safely, and in a healthy way. The decision must include the full participation of both parties.

Devise a plan. Aside from assuring your child that she has your full support, it is a wise decision if you both formulate a specific plan, including possible resources and strategies you can use.

Change your eating and exercising patterns together. This is vitally important! If you really want to help your child lose weight, you must formulate an eating and exercise plan that can help her do so effectively. Your plan should include the proper foods to eat, along with regular exercise such as walking, swimming or skating.


Don’t have unhealthy food in the house! It will be very difficult and challenging for your child to stick to a healthy food regimen if you continue to purchase chips, ice cream, cookies, candy, etc. and have them in the house. By eliminating the unhealthy processed and junk foods, you are improving the health of your whole family.

Seek professional help. Ask help from professionals and experts that have expertise in cognitive-behavior therapy and weight. Since obesity is one of the major problems of teenagers, more and more psychologists offer their services to help teens who are overweight.

The most important aspect of helping your child to lose weight is showing your full support by encouragement, lots of positive reinforcement, and sensitivity to your child’s emotional and mental needs during the weight loss process. Participating in exercise activities and following a healthy eating plan along with your child is a wonderful way for you to show your love and support in her endeavors.

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