Relax. You’ll Lose Weight.

October 21st, 2011

Quarter past twelve noon – your boss talked to you regarding your attendance, your other half dumped you, and your finances are going down the drain. Could you even get any worse than this? Face it­–this is reality and most people undergo these kinds of trial. However, do you know how much of the population go through this, at the same time indulging their so-called “comfort food”?

What’s the first thing that you’ll do when you’re stressed? If your answer is going to the nearest drive thru ordering that luscious combination of burger, milkshake and fries, you know that your weight loss program is doomed. No matter how effective your program is, your weight will just go down the drain.

Here are some tension-relieving strategies that you can do:

GIVE IN

Studies show that women tend to eat more unhealthy foods only when they are stressed-out or when they restrict themselves from calorie-intake in order to lose weight. In that case, it indicates that women should not deprive themselves from eating certain foods that they claim as “restricted” because of their diet. Women should see them as foods that you can enjoy once in a while. Maybe one or two treats a day will help you – rather than avoiding them entirely. In this way, you won’t go overboard when stress arise.

THERAPY

Don’t restrict yourself from having the right pampering. You can always have a massage any time. See, if you have a massage once in a while, it helps relieve stress. So, go on and have your time at a spa and pamper yourself – you deserve it!

SLEEP

Yes, most of us lack sleep, but you better do something about it. Sleep is something that everyone would WANT to have lately, which is not supposed to be the case. As part of healthy living, you NEED to sleep, and you have to do it. When you deprive yourself from sleep, it also increases the amount of gherlin, a kind of hormone that triggers your appetite and decreases leptin, the hormone that suppress your appetite. So, to get the best out of these hormones, make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

Stop Binging

October 20th, 2011

You’re living a healthy lifestyle by eating and exercising every single day, but there’s a day in a week that we go out of our way and eat whatever we want. This behavior is acceptable, but there are limitations– stop binging.

WHAT IS BINGE EATING?

Binge eating is the act of eating more even when you’re full and satisfied. Some people do this because of emotional eating or basically because the food is right in front of them and they can’t control themselves. For people who have a hard time avoiding binge eating, we’ve listed some Diet Tips and strategies to stop the binging:

IDENTIFY RISK SITUATIONS

You need to determine the circumstances wherein you are more likely to binge. Most people binge because of emotional overeating, so once you have identified these situations, you should have a plan for each situation. For example, if you’re always craving for something sweet, then you may bring with you a low-calorie candy.

FOOD-FREE SOCIAL INTERACTION

We all know that most of the time, hanging out with a friend over lunch or dinner is the perfect date. You can’t blame yourself for eating a lot, since you need some catching up to do with your friend. SO, why not explore some activities where you can still interact with your friend, such as a long bike ride or hike, or while at the gym.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FOOD

Having a life of eating only Healthy Food & Diet is not as easy as you think it is. If you really want to stop binge eating, you need to choose the healthy foods too, right? So, one of the best ways to control your eating is to choose low calorie foods. See, most people tend to eat a lot over the more-delicious food, which has a higher fat content. If you indulge yourself with fruits and vegetables first, then you’re less likely to overindulge in foods which are high in calories.

Lose Weight On Weekends

October 18th, 2011

In certain weight loss reviews, you’d find diet techniques such as having “cheat days” on your programs. These are usually on weekends, and yes, most people would gain a lot of weight during these days. Imagine having light meals during the week plus exercise, and losing weight by the end of the week, and when Friday night comes up, you’ll gain back all of the pounds that you lost.

However, wouldn’t it be nice to continuously slash-off weight even on a weekend? Maybe without following your weight loss program, but if you would want to still enjoy indulging on foods (without the guilt, that is) on a weekend, read on through these helpful tips:

FRIDAY NIGHT IS HAPPY HOUR NIGHT

Who would want to pass on a Friday night out with friends, right? So, if you’re going out to have some fun, it’s best to drink more of the strong-flavored beverage instead, such as –Bloody Mary or Scotch. One of the best strategy is to order an appetizer such as vegetarian chili to make yourself full. See, if you partner your drink with chips or buffalo wings, your calories would add up fast, so it’s best to order appetizers or even a meal.

Want to know a secret? When hanging out with friends at a bar, make sure you position yourself away from the free bar snacks to decrease the temptation.

WEEKEND SHOPPING

We need to face reality–women can’t stand a week without shopping, and every weekend would be their ideal shopping day. Most women who goes shopping on weekends wouldn’t notice that when they see a food stall of freshly baked donuts, they would be tempted to buy one. “It’s the weekend, no diet today”–an excuse you’ll hear them say. However, what if you’re really starving and you’re on the go to shop? A good option is to eat granola bars over donuts, or if you’re having lunch, get yourself a black bean taco loaded with veggies, and you’ll be fine.

MOVIE DATE

So, you’re about to get in the theatre and you’re thinking of grabbing something to eat. What’s the first thing that comes to mind? Popcorn and soda, the traditional movie snack. Do away with a popcorn full of melted butter, and get one of those plain ones and be sure to split it with your buddy. Craving for sweets? Be sure to get the dark chocolate ones or maybe a gum will do.

Weight Loss Success: 3 Rules To Follow

October 17th, 2011

A lot of people are engaging themselves in a lot of diet programs, just so they can lose weight. We know that every little thing that you do to lose weight is hard, and yes, it takes a lot of sacrifice. However, experts say that there are only three (3) things that you need to follow for you to lose weight.

In most weight loss reviews, they’d show us programs that will entail us to slash off excess pounds. Though most of this is true, you should know that any diet plan wouldn’t work if you don’t put your mind to it. The first thing that you need to do is to have discipline, and the rest will follow.

Aside From Diet Tips, Here Are 3 Important Things To Remember:

SCHEDULE. Create a plan for your diet and exercise. You should do this ahead of time, so every time the week starts, all you have to do is implement. Most people are always on the go, as a result, they don’t get to eat the proper foods since they only eat what’s available–usually they tend to drive thru a fast food joint and they’re good. That’s the thing– you need to make the food that you NEED to eat available. So, what you can do is to prepare the meals that you have planned out for the whole week ahead of time, and then you can just bring it a long with you so that if it’s time to eat, you’re good to go.

MONITOR. It is true that you need to get to know your body. You need to know it before anyone else does. So, you have to monitor how your body is changing, such as weighing yourself every morning, measuring your waist, hips and chest every two weeks, or at least have your body-fat percentage checked regularly.

CHANGES. Go on and focus on the little changes that you make. You have to remember that no matter how small the changes are, this will be affecting you long-term.

One Week Diet: Failed

October 13th, 2011

Nowadays, trying to lose those excess pounds isn’t an easy task to do. With all the sumptuous foods available for us to indulge, it’ll be hard for us to keep off. In most weight loss reviews, they would advise us a number of programs which we can do to help us lose our excess pounds. However, did you know that even the most sensible diet program that is available for us to follow doesn’t really work?

So, which ones are the ones that work? Honestly, no one can tell you which weight loss programs are helpful. Old school diet tips such as “burn more calories than the ones you’re consuming will make you lose weight” doesn’t really work. However, the best thing that you can do is to cut at least 250 calories a day, which is the actual amount of a small bar of chocolate or a cup of ice cream. If you do this, the result– you’ll lose about 25 pounds in three years. Yes, you read it right, three years. Though, you’ll see big changes in the first year, since you’ll be losing half of it in that year.

What’s good in this is that you‘ll gradually lose weight, but it will be good for your self-esteem. Take it as a challenge–and reward yourself of a better you. This diet will require you three years, it’s not easy, but see it as a fun thing to do and yes, not to forget­–motivating.

Know what’s the best diet tip? Don’t diet. Yes, because not even the experts know which ones work and the ones that doesn’t–there are no definite answer to which is the best diet program. But one thing is for sure, as long as you exercise and eat well, you’ll be alright.

So, go ahead and dig in, but don’t forget to do it in moderation.

Overcome Your Food Addiction

October 11th, 2011

You know that the food you’re about to eat (or eating as of the moment) is bad for your health, but you still eat it. Don’t worry because many are also doing the same, and they’re suffering too. We know that you want to stop indulging this “addiction”, so here’s a good diet tip that you can follow.

Associations

We eat much of these foods because of the associations that we have with it. Ever heard of the “feel good foods”? Yes, we all have them and that’s because of the feeling that we’ve associated with it the first time we ate it. Think of your feel good food and try to remember the feeling when you first had a bite of that food. Ecstatic, right? That’s the reason why  whenever you feel stressed, depressed or sad, you have a quick bite of that certain food, and it continues to make you feel good, thus strengthening the association you have with it.

This is the main reason why it’s hard for someone to give up on certain foods. Your brain will tell you that a certain food is bad for you but your emotions are telling you that this food will make you feel good. No one can stop you, because no one can stop you from feeling good, right?

How To Overcome

You need to remember one thing: the most important step that you can do in overcoming your food addiction is motivation. You have to WANT to overcome this, in order to make the change. A motivation can come in any form, or from different sources. However, a strong motivation can come from within. Just think of it this way—you deserve to feel good, be healthy, to have a healthy living and live a long life.

Give Yourself A Break

October 7th, 2011

Most weight loss reviews would inform you about slashing off excess pounds by eating foods that are healthy. However, there are also some that will say that it’s okay to stick to whatever you’re diet is, but be sure that you consume it in moderation. And yet, there’s still another way to lose weight that one will definitely enjoy—indulge on food but at the same time letting go of the excess fat.

How to indulge the right way

The word “indulgence” doesn’t mean that you NEED to eat the fattiest food that you can find. This only means that sometimes you need to satisfy your cravings, and you want to eat the “good stuff”. Yes, this may contribute a lot in your calories, but if for example you’d like to eat fries, it’ll be good to share half with a friend, instead of munching on the whole thing by yourself.

If cheating is considered a good thing, it’ll be beause of your diet “cheat days”. It is hard to stop yourself from eating your favorite foods. You can still consume them once in a while, just make sure that you don’t give in to it all the time. One good advice is to pick a day where you can eat foods that you like, then limit yourself from eating much the rest of the week.

Another good diet tip is to plan ahead. If for example you’re going out for dinner tonight, the best you can do is to have a light lunch, and indulge on  food come dinner time. You should also learn to give yourself a break and treat yourself once in a while. Don’t feel guilty about having a piece of your favorite, sinfully delicious chocolate cake becaue it won’t ruin your whole diet program.

Lastly, whatever happens, always eat the real stuff. Let go of fat-free ice cream because this only means that it’s loaded with artificial sweeteners or sugar.

Benefits Of High Protein Diet

October 6th, 2011

Do you want to lose more weight? Believe it or not, all you have to do is to include protein in your healthy food and diet list. See, the low-carb diet really helps us to let go of excess pounds. The main substitute—protein.

Eating protein foods will slash off pounds just by digesting them because it takes a lot of effort in digestion and metabolism. High protein foods stays in your stomach longer which means that you won’t feel hungry at once and you’ll feel full for a longer period of time. Not only that but if you’re serious in losing weight and you maintain a high-protein diet plus exercise, you’ll definitely gain good results since protein makes sure that you lose fats, not your muscles. As a result, you’ll be more toned and much stronger.

In most weight loss reviews that you would’ve encountered, nutritionists would usually advise us to consume at least 0.5 grams to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of your total body weight. That’s around 60 grams to 120 grams for a 120-pound lady. Although some would also say that we have to aim for at least 30 grams of protein during breakfast. Why? Because studies show that having a protein-rich breakfast will make sure that your appetite will be regulated all day long.

Complete proteins (ones that contain 9 amino acids) are found in animal and dairy products. These proteins are the ones that help build lean muscle. The ones that are found in whole grains and veggies count as proteins, though they don’t usually have all amino acids. However, if you really want to let go of the excess pounds and achieve a flat stomach, go for skinless white chicken or turkey, low-fat dairy, seafoods, pork tenderloin or lean beef.

Cut Calories Out

October 4th, 2011

With many weight loss programs available, which ones really work? Eat your greens, lessen on your carbs—what is that one thing that we really need to do lose pounds? Right, lower your calorie intake. Most people can’t eat the so-called “diet foods” since these are the ones that you hardly eat. One good tip for people who would want to lose weight: lessen on your food intake. It doesn’t require you to eat foods which you do not like, but it’ll definitely help you lose weight.

Here are some diet tips that you can do to make sure that will help you lay off excess pounds:

Did you know that you can slash off a total of 100 calories while eating breakfast? You can if you substitute your favorite creamer with skim milk in your morning coffee. If your eating cereals often in the morning, choose the high-fiber ones—in this way you’ll be able to consume smaller amount of clalories during the day. If you’re not a fan of cereals, go ahead and eat bacon and eggs, but be sure that you eat bacon instead of sausages.

Lunch—yes, we can all still cut off 100 calories just by eating lunch. If you’re going to eat mayo-based foods, such as tuna salad, make sure you only use 1 tablespoon of mayo and 1 tablespoon of low-fat cottage cheese. Stack up your burgers with lettuce, tomato and onions and let go of the cheese. What is a burger without the soda? Well, of course it’ll be hard for us to let go of this, so let’s take it one step at a time—let go of the 21-ounce soda and go with the 12 oz. Size only. Planning on eating a salad? Toss it up with one tablespoon of dressing until everything in it is coated.

100 calories off for dinner? Yes, we can do it! Let go of the butter as a spread, but try mixing rosemary and garlic on a light, trans fat-free margarine. If you’re in for a pizza, make sure you go for the thin crust one.

Can you imagine how many pounds you’ll scrap if you do this daily?

Happy Foods

October 3rd, 2011

Did you know that some foods can help change your mood? We have to admit that everyday isn’t our day, and munching on some of these foods may help us let go of the sadness and any feeling that lets us down, and in return, will make us feel lighter.

WALNUTS. Studies show that  including walnuts in our healthy food and diet can help you feel lively. The alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a form of omega-3 fat found in chia seed, flaxseed and walnuts are responsible for making you feel happier.

DARK CHOCOLATE: Consuming a small amount of an antioxidant-rich dark chocolate daily will reduce your stress hormone levels. Compounds such as theobrominie and phenylethyamine that can be found in these chocolates are responisble for boosting your moods.

BARRAMUNDI: Ever heard of this kind of fish? Well, if you’re feeling down and blue, trust that this fish will help you boost your mood. Eating salmon, trout, sardines and barramudi will help decrease symptoms of depression because it consists of EPA and DHA (omega-3 fats).

GREEK YOGURT: Having a cup of greek yogurt will make you feel lighter and happier because of the dopamine and norepinephrine that it consists.

LOW FAT MILK: People who are starting to have a healthy living would’ve started drinking low fat milk. A good source of Vitamin D, people who are not feeling good may drink a glass of low fat milk since the way you’re feeling may be a result of Vitamin D deficiency.

Don’t limit yourself from eating these kinds of foods when you’re not feeling good since these foods (with its components) can definitely make your mood change—it can bring it back to normal.