Archive for March, 2009


The anatomy of a long term diet program (No Comments)

You did not gain your excess weight overnight and you will not lose your weight overnight either. In truth we have a weight set point which is similar to a thermostat in as much as it tries to keep your weight constant.

If you over eat at a party, your weight may go up a little but soon will return back to its set point weight. But, slowly over the years of eating the wrong foods (junk foods, high glycemic index foods, foods with too much saturated fats like fatty red meats) increases your weight set point and your weight goes up.

So it will take some time (but not as long as for your weight gain) to lower your set point to the desired value. Note – for those in a hurry – if you reduce your caloric intake too low (below 1500 to 1200 depending on your current weight and activity level) your body will shift into the starvation mode and slow down your metabolism and stop your weight loss. In fact later your slower metabolic rate will increase your weight – hence the yo-yo syndrome.

The phases of a good diet program:

* Phase one – rapid weight loss

In a good diet program using both food control and exercise, at first your weight may go down rapidly as you lose water weight and eat more fiber and thus cleans your colon.

* Phase two – some weight gain

Then as you increase your activity chances are your weight will go up a little as you are replacing fat with muscle. Don’t give up. Muscle weighs more than fat. I tell my weight reduction clients not to weigh themselves the first few weeks and look in the mirror and notice how they look so much better.

* diet program and plateau phase

Then in any good to be super fit and lean.

For me the last five pounds have been very difficult as I tried to reduce my weight so much that my body fat percentage would go down from very good to extremely good (from 13% to 12% or less). This was a challenge for me. Then the solution came because I was helping one of my weight loss clients.

* Why I examined the low glycemic index weight loss systems

In order to guide my diet program clients I study the logic behind many diet programs. I have known that low glycemic index diets are very sound from a scientific point. I used to eat}consume mostly a low GI diet, but did not adhere to it totally.

I had been studying various commercial programs for a client who did not have the time and inclination to follow my teachings and needed to get ready for a summer wedding and noticed that the one program which, if you follow it correctly, is successful was based on eating portion controlled low GI menu.

* My victory over those last few pounds

Last week I started to follow a good carbs diet. And lo and behold, my weight has gone down two pounds in the last week (the perfect amount) and most importantly my body fat content has gone down to 12.4%.

I still have a little to go but I’m very happy with the progress and will continue with the low GI diet. In fact soon I’ll need to buy tighter belts as today I reached the last hole, then as my waist size is now the same as forty years ago, but that’s a great problem to have.

So you see diet program need not be difficult to impossible. You need to have reasonable expectations and goals, with room for plateauing, and eat plenty of good healthy foods with good proteins, fats and carbohydrates. A mostly vegetarian diet with lean meat (mostly fish, or skinned chicken) with plenty of water and fruits will keep you satiatedl while leting you to lose your weight safely and become more healthy.

Click here to find a recommended diet program which does allow you to produce a sustained weight loss.

P.S. Visit this blog for tips on how to loose weight.

Skin Care Works Better if Done Naturally (No Comments)

The skin is usually just known as that part of the body we need to take good care of, especially nowadays, with the advent of the effects of global warming as well as type of lifestyle most of us have: unhealthy diet and lack of rest. What we neglect about the skin is that it is also the largest organ in the body, and just like any other vital organ such as the heart or colon, we should take good care of it. A striking rise in the purchase of skin care products can be seen not only in American Society, but in nearly most nations across the globe.

Natural Skin Care Products are Best

In order for us to maintain a healthy, vibrant, young looking skin, it is essential to take good care of it. It shouldn’t be a wonder why there is an increase in the number of skin care products sold nowadays. The use of these skin care products can aid in the prevention of wrinkle formation. On top of preventing wrinkles from developing, skin care products can also delay the deterioration of your skin. However, not all skin care products can help you maintaing a healthy skin. There are quite a few of these products, despite its popularity, that are potentially harmful to you.

If you check your local stores, you will notice an abundance of cosmetic products. These skin care products contain ingredients with skin damaging chemical properties. Take for example those skin care creams. Not all skin care creams are safe to use and some might only harm your skin.

When choosing skin care products, you should go for those that can effectively maintain your skin’s integrity wihout causing any harmful side effect; this is why natural skin care products work best. To identify these natural skin care products, you simply have to read the ingredients on their product labels.

Instead of containing those harmful substances in the form of synthetic ingredients or strong chemicals, natural skin care products are usually made of indgredients like grapeseed oil or avocado extract.

Always play it safe when it comes to choosing you skin care products; read the labels carefully by going over the indregients listed. Reliable and effective skin care products, because of their proven track record, tend to be on the expensive side. But, if your skin matters to you as much as your life then you should not think too much about the cost of maintaining it. After all, a healthy skin is a good indicator of a healthy person.

 

Colon Cleansing Diet for Everyone (No Comments)

The accumulation of an alarming levels of toxic substances in our body is unavoidable. This accumulation of toxic substances in the body signifies the colon’s need for cleansing. Diagnosing colon-related health problems may not be easy, but some symptoms can help in assisting the diagnosis of an accumulation of toxins. These symptoms may include the following: fatigue, depression, anxiety, poor concentration, excess gas, high blood pressure, swollen legs, obesity, low libido, back pain

The best way to prevent your body from deteriorating is through colon detoxification. In order to achieve this, an important approach is to create a good colon cleansing diet. These types of diet help rid the body of the excess toxins and waste matter.

Colon Detoxification

The first step in a colon cleansing diet is to stop more toxins from getting into your system. Eating only fresh, organically grown vegetables can help you in attaining this goal. You should start making smart and conscientious choices regarding your food intake by avoiding staggering amounts of alcohol, sodas or coffee. The next step in your colon detoxification involves adding a cleansing supplement to your diet. Psyllium and bentonite are generally used as cleansing agents. These two will be a helpful addition to your colon cleansing diet. Bentonite and pysllium work in tandem: the former absorbs the toxic substances from the body while the latter pushes these toxins out of the system.

The consumption of soluble and insoluble fibers in your colon cleansing diet is the next step in your colon detoxification. You can get this aforementioned fibers from oats and flax seed. Beans, peas, barley, rice, apples, citrus and strawberries are also good sources of soluble fiber. The following are good sources of insoluble fiber: brown rice, carrots, rye, turnips, whole wheat, barley, beets, apples, and Brussels sprouts.

Homemade colon cleansing diets are generally high in fibers while low in refined carbohydrates. Fermented foods such as kefir and yogurt replenish the friendly bacteria. What makes these bacteria necessary? They limit the effect of toxins, efficiently extract vitamins from foods, prevent the accumulation of microorganisms that cause harmful diseases. They also produce short-chain fatty acids known for providing energy to the cells that line the colon and finally, they stimulate the body’s immune system.

In whatever colon detoxification method you choose, make sure that you get some additional nutrients because the flushing process that a very dominant feature in colon cleansing diets can deprive your body of essential vitamins and minerals. These are the supplements that you should add to your colon cleansing diet: probiotic, vitamin C supplements, cod liver oil, yeast flakes, and coconut oil.

 

Hemorrhoids – Simple Tips to Overcome and Prevent It (No Comments)

Hemorrhoids can give nightmares to the people who are affected by it. It is not a disease but something more. It can wreck havoc in to your life. Hence preventing and overcoming hemorrhoids is a must. This thing affects over 80% of the world population and no one can come and declare that hemorrhoids did not affect him at least once in his life. The causes are many but worry not the ways to overcome it are also many and a few of them have been discussed below.

If you were affected by hemorrhoids, then you know the pain and so for you any and every solution would be less stressful and less painful. As all the doctors tell that “Prevention is better than cure” is so very true. If you wish to lead a hemorrhoids free life, then there are certain preventive restrictions, which will keep hemorrhoids away from you for the rest of your life.

1) A beautiful morning walk – Get up early and see the sun rise and rise with it. Then go to the nearest park and enjoy a good morning walk. Nothing revitalizes the body and the mind more that the walk in the morning. This would do you a world of good and your body will thank you for this.

2) Regular Eating habits – Today due to the fast pace of life, people are not eating properly and hence cause their own health to suffer. Make a chart of the time you eat your meals and you would be surprised not to find any similarity between today and tomorrow and yesterday. If you regularize this, then the body will respond positively to it and the digestion will improve and your hemorrhoids would be a goner.

3) Physical Exercise – This is the most important thing, which the people of today seem to neglect. Regular 15 minutes of exercise is all that is required to keep the body fit and all the ailments away. Exercise to a world of good, not only for the body, but also for the mind. This gives you a twin advantage over hemorrhoids, by boosting your immunity and making the body stronger and secondly by lifting your spirits up and thus it gives you mental strength to fight it out.

4) A good night’s sleep – Sleep is the time when the body heals it self. But when we do not give the body enough sleep, it is not able to heal itself properly and so any small ailment also can become big. So sleeping for 6-8 hours a day is a must. This will make sure that all the small hemorrhoids, remain that way if not treat completely.

5) Good Toilet manners – Having good toilet manners is another important preventive measure. You should try and reduce your time on the pot. This can be done by delaying the time you enter the loo i.e. hold on till you are sure you will be able to clear it all. This will make sure to reduce the pressure on the rectum area as the time is reduced.

These are some of the best preventive and measures, which should be adopted in day-to-day living for the desired results.

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