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.)

Good Carbs and Bad Carbs

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Have you noticed how many fad diets have come and gone in recent years?  We’ve seen the soup diet; the grapefruit diet; the no carbs diet; the only carbs diet and so on. Are you putting your health at risk by following a fad diet? As a result of experimenting with the latest “food exclusion” diets, many people are actually cutting out entire food groups, leading to nutritional deficiencies that can seriously damage their health.


While it may seem that cutting out carbs is great for fast weight loss, there is a risk that it will trigger carbohydrate cravings. Have you ever experience carbohydrate deprivation? First you become edgy, then you start to crave carbs, especially the wrong sort of starchy crabs that are stored as fat. Many people simply give up and become compulsive, but those who hold out can suffer severe side effects including fatigue and anxiety.

The body’s main fuel source for energy comes from carbohydrates. Carbs also are the brain food used to fuel it’s function. Is it any wonder you crave high-carb, high-sugar snacks when studying hard, problem solving or using a computer? Health professionals advise that eliminating carbs from your diet is counter-productive. A much better strategy is giving your body the right type of carbs it requires.

There are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. The classification is based on the chemical structure and reflects how quickly sugar is digested and absorbed. 

Simple carbohydrates require little digestion making them a quick energy source. Fruits, fruit juices and milk contain simple sugars (carbohydrates) that provide valuable nutrients in addition to an energy boost. Unrefined, natural simple carbohydrates are man's best friend when it comes to digestion, nutrients, and taste.

Refined simple carbs such as candies, donuts, white bread and cookies, are not only bad for your body, they have absolutely no nutrients.  Unfortunately, over-consumption of highly refined carbohydrates has been associated with a higher incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even breast cancer. Eating refined carbs can, over time, result in almost uncontrollable sugar cravings.

Complex carbohydrates are found in grains, vegetables and legumes. They are starches and require more digestion than simple carbohydrates. Rich in B-vitamins, fiber and iron, complex carbohydrates from grains are the body’s best source of energy because they are burned in a constant, time-released manner. They provide sustained energy. The fiber found in complex carbohydrates can help lower blood cholesterol.

What should you look for when choosing foods? Look for foods that have not been highly processed or refined. Choose a piece of fruit instead of fruit juice, which is very high in naturally occurring simple sugars. Choose whole grain breads instead of white bread. Choose whole grain oatmeal instead of packaged cold cereals. The closer you get to nature, the closer you get to good health.

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