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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.)

The Only Successful Way to Lose Weight

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If you are carrying around extra pounds on your body, you are putting yourself at a greatly increased risk for many diseases and conditions; heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis, just to name a few.  To prevent and control these diseases, you must lose weight.


The only successful way to lose weight that will provide lifetime results is to set realistic goals. The quick weight loss methods that involve starving yourself, diet drinks and/or diet pills do not last, and in many cases, are dangerous to your health.

 How to lose weight the healthy way:

1.  Set realistic goals.

It is impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life. If your mindset is that you only want to lose weight the fastest way possible, you will fail miserably. Once you have decided on a weight loss plan, stick to it and follow your dieting rules. 

2.   NEVER starve yourself.

The key to being successful at losing weight is DO NOT DIET!

If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So, if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight in your problem area (i.e. thighs, buttocks, hips).

You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted flabs on your belly and thighs by skipping meals but remember that this will not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.

3.  Start your day with breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism. Your food intake right after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long so make it a meal that is high in good nutrition (i.e. no donuts!).

4.  Eat smaller, healthy meals frequently.

Five small-serving snacks per day is better for your body than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, prevents over-eating, increases your metabolism and makes calories burn faster. 

5.  Drink lots of water.

Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.

6.  Avoid too much sugar.

Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some whole grain bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean  meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.

7.  Watch your fat intake.

Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level but here is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanut and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats that are so good for your heart. 
8.  Exercise.

Walk if you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Do these activities every day.  You will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.

It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself. Go slowly. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.

Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health. The result is a new, healthier you.

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