DIET FOR SMOKERS AND EX-SMOKERS

As a dietitian, the three most common questions which smokers ask me about diet and smoking, are:
(1) Can a diet compensate for health damage caused by smoking?
(2) What should I eat if I smoke?
(3) If I quit, what type of diet is best to prevent weight gain?

DIET FOR SMOKERS AND EX-SMOKERS

(1) CAN A DIET COMPENSATE FOR HEALTH DAMAGE CAUSED BY SMOKING?

No diet or eating-plan, no matter how nutritious, can neutralise the health damage caused by the 850+ chemicals in tobacco smoke - many of which are carcinogenic. On average, if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you double your risk of a heart-attack and are five times more likely to suffer a stroke than a non-smoker. At 40 cigarettes a day, you are five times more likely to suffer from sudden cardiac death. Smoking is also the leading cause of lung cancer.
Thus before we even start to examine an appropriate type of diet for smokers, my overriding advice is: quit smoking today!
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(2) WHAT SHOULD I EAT IF I SMOKE?

For anyone who smokes, daily diet nutrition is critical. The damage doneto the body's cardiovascular and respiratory functions requires a constant need for extra nutrients. Even if you smoke 5 cigarettes a day, you have increased nutritional needs due to your increased risk of hypertension, atherosclerosis, emphysema and numerous cancers. As stated, a healthy diet will not prevent these health conditions, but it may delay their development.
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• INCREASED NEED FOR ANTIOXIDANTS

Tobacco smoke leads to increased levels of free radicals - cancer-causing agents - in the body and a corresponding need for protective antioxidants that can neutralise them. The main antioxidant vitamins are vitamin C and vitamin E (which works best in combination with the mineral selenium). Phytochemicals such as bioflavonoids and carotenoids (eg. beta-carotene) are also rich in antioxidants.

• HOW TO INCREASE YOUR ANTIOXIDANT INTAKE

Use the following suggestions are a guide to minimum dietary requirements.

- Eat 3-5 daily servings of deep green, dark red, orange of yellow vegetables.
- Eat 3-5 daily servings of red, yellow, orange or green fruits.
- Switch from coffee to tea, ideally green tea.
- Each day, take 2 tsp of wheatgerm oil (rich in vitamin E) and 6 Brazil nuts (selenium).
[Note: a serving is approx 1 medium fruit, or 1/2 cup chopped]

• SPECIAL NEED FOR INCREASED VITAMIN C

One cigarette is estimated to rob the body of 25mg of vitamin C. Thus all smokers have a greatly increased need for this antioxidant-rich vitamin simply to maintain minimum levels. In practice, this need can only be met by taking supplements. As a general guide, I suggest you take 1 gram of vitamin C supplements per day. Choose a "timed-release" brand that includes a minimum of 100mg bioflavonoids.

• BEST DIETARY SOURCES OF VITAMIN C

Fruits, such as: blackcurrants, papaya, guava, cantaloupe, elderberries, kiwi fruit, mango, oranges, strawberries.
Fruit Juices, such as: cranberry, grapefruit, lemon, orange.
Vegetables, such as: red peppers, green peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, tomatoes.

• PROTECTIVE CAROTENOIDS

Carotenoids are pigments found in plants. All carotenoids are antioxidants, the most common example being beta-carotene. It is found in green plants (eg. spinach), as well as orange and yellow plants, such as carrots, sweet potato and melons. Clinical trials indicate that when consumed in foods - not supplements - betacarotene reduces certain precancerous symptoms.
[Warning: for reasons which are still unclear, beta-carotene supplements actually increase the risk of disease (eg. lung cancer). Thus your intake of beta-carotene should come exclusively from food.]

• HOW TO INCREASE YOUR INTAKE OF CAROTENOIDS

Use the following suggestions are a guide to minimum dietary requirements.

Eat 4 daily servings of deep green, yellow or red vegetables, including: carrots, sweetcorn, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potato.
Eat 4oz tomatoes daily, either in sauce or chopped.
Eat 3 daily servings of colored fruit, including: melon, oranges, strawberries, mango, cherries.

• PROTECTIVE BRASSICAS

According to research evidence, cigarette smokers who eat more brassicas have less incidence of cancers (eg. breast, colorectal, lung, pancreatic, prostate and stomach). As all these cancers are initiated by free radicals, it follows that brassicas may help to prevent other problems initiated by free radical damage and accelerated by smoking, such as: cataracts, emphysema, asthma and age spots.
Brassicas include: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (all types), cauliflower, cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, swede, turnip, watercress.

• GARLIC AND ONIONS

Garlic is a good source of unique antioxidants and contains anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Its anti-tumor properties are well documented. Onions, a member of the same vegetable family, have similar properties to garlic.

• MORE DIETARY TIPS FOR SMOKERS

Reduce the total fat in your diet. At the same time, minimize your intake of saturated fat and trans-fatty acids. Eat regular servings of omega-3-rich oily fish (eg. salmon, mackerel, sardines).
Eat healthy carbohydrates. Avoid refined white flour carbs, choose only whole grains such as, oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta. In addition, choose foods rich in soluble fiber (eg. apples, oat bran).
Eat healthy low-fat protein such as fish, lean chicken/turkey, or egg-whites. Include small amounts of lean red meat in your diet, along with regular servings of soy foods (eg. soybeans) and other vegetable protein.
Reduce sodium in your daily diet. Check food labels and choose low-sodium or sodium-free foods. Also avoid adding salt when cooking or eating.


(3) CAN YOU PREVENT WEIGHT GAIN AFTER YOU QUIT?

Yes, if you take proper physical exercise and eat a healthy calorie-controlled diet, you are unlikely to gain weight. However, in my experience, some weight gain seems to be inevitable.

• WHAT IS THE AVERAGE WEIGHT GAIN?

Most smokers gain weight immediately after they quit. Current evidence suggests that the average weight gain for both men and women who quit smoking is about 6-8 pounds. The more you smoke, the higher the risk of weight gain when you quit. This weight gain is due to the decrease in metabolic rate and an increase in appetite experienced when you quit smoking. This weight increase is perfectly normal, and need only be a short term event.
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• SO WHAT SHOULD I EAT?

There is no single diet which will prevent weight gain once you quit smoking. Your best option is to focus on healthy eating combined with regular vigorous exercise (within your fitness capacity) and let Nature do the rest. As a general guide, follow these suggestions.

First, cut down on caffeine. Nicotine withdrawal makes us jittery and nervous. So it's important to avoid coffee and caffeine-rich soft drinks which may increase this nervous tension.

Second, increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. Studies show that an increased intake of fruit and vegetables can help to minimize weight gain after you quit smoking. Eat them for snacks, add them to meals, eat them as starters and/or desserts. Eat them on car journeys instead of sweets or candy.

Third, eat little and often. Avoid the temptation to linger over your meals. Get into the habit of eating smaller meals at more regular intervals. Aim to eat something, no matter how small, every 2-3 hours. This helps to maintain a regular rate of calorie-burning.

Fourth, take steps to learn more about nutrition and choose nutrient-dense foods whenever possible. (See above for information about antioxidants, and healthy fats, carbs and protein.)
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• WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO PREVENT WEIGHT GAIN?

Make physical exercise a top priority in your daily schedule. Ideally join a gym or fitness center and get into shape. Research evidence demonstrates a clear link between exercise and weight control after you quit smoking. Choose both cardio-aerobic and strength-training exercises, as both play an important role in raising metabolic rate.
Also, make sure you get enough sleep. Research evidence shows that lack of sleep may lead to weight gain, as well as an increased craving for cigarettes and food.

• TAKE REGULAR CARDIO-AEROBIC EXERCISE

No cigarette smokers diet-plan is complete without regular physical exercise. Working within your fitness capacity, gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts to about 30-45 minutes a day, on most days. For best effects on lung capacity and cardiovascular function, choose aerobic exercise such as: brisk walking, jogging, jumping rope, swimming and most sports.

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Free Tips To Help You Lose 10 Pounds

You see a 220-pound woman sobbing about her out-of-control weight on a television talk show. Then you hear the voice of 300-pound man addicted to food who is so ashamed he hides behind a newspaper.

Free Tips To Help You Lose 10 Pounds

Sure, some unfortunate Americans struggle with extreme obesity, but most of us don’t have a weight issue- except for a few pounds. You know binging and eating too much turkey and mashed potatoes every so often adds up to a little extra weight. To get a healthier body, you need to shed those pounds.

Having to lose 10 pounds may not be dramatic enough for a television talk show, but we can't ignore this topic. In fact, we want to help...you can shed 10 pounds by following these tips:

Choose the Right Time

Trying to lose weight can have a strong influence on your sense of self-worth. If you notice the extra pounds dropping, you feel like a soaring eagle; on the other hand, not enough change in weight can eat away at your self esteem. That’s why you should begin at the right time, when you’re not trying out a new job, moving, or getting married. And you shouldn’t have any major problem to deal with, like a divorce or debt. In other words, the more stress you have, the less likely you'll succeed in your plan to lose weight.
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Choose Better Foods

Losing weight doesn’t mean going hungry. Simply go for balance, having a maximum of 30% of your calorie intake from fat. The rest of your calories can be from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and high protein foods. Experiment with exotic recipes, using aromatic spices to flavor bland-tasting foods.

Record Your Progress

A great way to push yourself to success depends on seeing your daily progress, but how do you determine progress? You may weigh yourself every day and not notice any weight loss until a week has passed. Even after the scale shows one or two pounds of weight loss, you probably won’t see any difference in the mirror.

Instead, you can track your progress with a calorie chart: each day, record the amount of calories you take in and the number of calories exercise burns off. Subtracting away the burned calories leaves you with the net total, which you compare with your recommended daily value. Then you can see how well the plan works.
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Join With Friends

Find a friend who also shared your desire to lose 10 pounds and motivate each other to reach this goal. Say you want to quit after the second week; your friend’s gentle prodding can help you go ahead with the plan. Or, if you can’t get off the couch, who else but a friend, wearing a jogging suit, can get you out of the house? And exercising turns into double the fun when you jog, or do aerobics, with a friend.

Be Realistic

Having a plan with a clear goal makes losing weight easier. But you should set a goal that you can reach, like losing one or two pounds a week. Most of us can handle this goal by making a few adjustments in our diet and exercise habits.

On the other hand, what if you decide to lose 10 pounds in three weeks? Then you would eat a lot less food than your body needs, giving you body not enough nutrients to survive. And exercising too much would overexert your body and can lead to injuries.

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However, you can avoid injuries and poor health by setting up a goal that you can really meet. Although losing 10 pounds slowly may take longer, you won’t sacrifice your health and well-being in the process. Plus, once you lose the extra weight, you’ll know how to maintain your weight. That way you can stay healthy for the rest of your life.

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How to Lose Weight after Pregnancy

Although having a baby is a wonderful experience for any woman, almost all women would like to regain their pre-pregnancy shape as soon as possible. Celebrity moms with the help of dietitians, nurses and fitness experts, in average will get back to their original shape faster than the average women. But they are not a good example upon which to base your own postpartum weight loss goals. Don't be too impatient, trying to lose weight too fast can rebound on you. You should "Go Easy" and take these few steps to lose your weight after giving birth to your baby.

1. Give Your Body Time to Recover
It took your body months to prepare to give birth, and it takes time to recover. So, don't be in too much of a hurry to cut calories, give some time for your body to recover, It takes up to 6 months after pregnancy for your body to return to normal. Now you have a new baby to take care of. It will require all your energy, especially as you get to grips with "night-feeds". So rather than focusing on your weight loss for the first 3 months, it's better for you to focus on eating healthy food with enough calories and nutrients to give you the energy to cope in taking care of your new baby.
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2. Exercise When You Feel Up to It
While give time for your body to recover, it does not mean that you should do anything at all or ignore totally of your body weight. You can start gentle exercise almost immediately after returning home. But avoid any type of vigorous or sustained exercise until after your first post-pregnancy check-up. There are a lot of post-pregnancy exercise available in the internet, get some guide from there or consult an expert on what types of exercises are suitable for you.

3. Breast Feeding
Do you know that breast feeding is a good way of burning your body's calories? Generally, a new mom who breastfeeds her new born child produces an average output of 850ml of breast milk each day. To generate this amount of breast milk, mom needs to consume approximately 500 extra calories per day during lactation.

4. Get Start Your Weight Reduction Program after 2-3 Months
Normally after 2 to 3 months, your strength is returning and your period will get back to normal. At this time, you can start following a healthy, weight loss diet, and taking more vigorous exercise. Don't aim for fast weight loss, about 1 pound per week for optimum health, and be guided by your doctor. And you should continue to focus on eating nutritious foods to keep up your strength & energy.

5. How long to take to regain your shape?
Most doctors and pregnancy weight control experts will give you the same answer: It depends on how much weight you gained while pregnancy. In average, a mom will gained 25 to 30 pounds while pregnancy and during the birth, she normally lose 12 to 14 pounds, leaving 12 to 21 pounds for you to workout after pregnancy. If you start your weight reduction after 2 months of recovery period, and your lose 1 pound per week, it will takes 12 to 21 weeks to lose the extra weight. This means that you should regain your pre-pregnancy weight within 6 to 8 months after the birth.

6. In Summary
Every woman wants to regain their weight and body shape as soon as possible after giving birth to their baby. But, trying to lose weight too fast can rebound on you; hence, you should take it easily and patiently give some time allowance for your body to recover and start your weight loss program after the recovery period and be guided by expert or doctor.

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Is Your Diet Risking Your Health?

Have you noticed that fad diets rise and fall in popularity like the latest fashions or current pop songs? We’ve seen (and seen off) the soup diet; the grapefruit diet; the no carbs diet; the only carbs diet and so on. I remember as a teenager eating only hard boiled eggs for a week! I lost a tonne of weight, but I’m never going to do it again! Are you putting your health at risk by following a fad diet?

Is Your Diet Risking Your Health?

As a result of experimenting with the latest “food exclusion” diets, many people are actually cutting out entire food groups, leading to nutritional deficiencies, which could be damaging their health! While it may seem that cutting out carbs is great for fast weight loss, there is a very real risk that it will trigger carbohydrate cravings. Have you ever experience carbohydrate deprivation? First you become edgy then start to crave carbs, especially the wrong sort of starchy crabs that are stored as fat. Many people simply give in and become compulsive, but those who hold out can suffer severe side effects. Vitamin B group deficiency is one outcome, leading to fatigue and anxiety.

Did you know the body’s main fuel source for energy comes from carbohydrates? Did you know that carbs also are the brain food used to fuel it’s function? Is it any wonder you carve 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.
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Others cut out meat when dieting, thinking this is the way to eliminate excess fat from their bodies. By doing so they could be missing out on important vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin B12 and zinc. Iron deficiency leads to serious conditions such as anemia.

Protein is an essential building block for the body and is needed for the growth of new cells and tissues. If you don’t eat meat it is vital to get adequate protein from other sources such as soy, fish, eggs and chicken.

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Lose Fat Easy

Most of the people believe that finding the perfect diet will cause them to lose weight in no time.  Well, most of the people are wrong.  It is not important what king of diet they choose they always fail to keep it in the long run.  The secret is not in selecting the perfect diet but instead work on your eating behavior, this and only this is the key to losing fat easy.

Lose Fat Easy

Eating therapy helps in losing weight and more important, in keeping it in optimal range for a long time.  The reflexes lead to impulse eating, in addition that and bad eating habits, lead to a situation were food is being consumed without limits or any second thoughts.  This is exactly what the behavior therapy is tackling, in order to change the bad habits and turn them into useful healthy way of thinking and eating.

The therapy is divided to four parts:
• Measuring and describing the current eating process.
• Describing the events that create the need to eat.
• Learning how to control the craving for food.
• Eliminating the old eating habits, and develop new healthy ones instead.

Actually, most of the time eating is triggered by external stimulating and not as result of real hunger.  They can be developed to mental and physicals. Mental could be related to fears, stress, tension, disappointment, etc. Physical could be the smell of fresh bread or the sight of chocolate cream cake at the counter.
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Mastering eating behavior means not to response to all types of stimulating.  Instead, eat three main meals a day plus three light meals between them.  The technique is to draw the attention from eating to other activities such as: talking on the phone, sports, talking to someone, read a book, or play a game.  What ever keeps the mind busy and stops the craving to eat.

 Additional ideas to support eating behavior therapy:
1. It is best to keep only healthy food at home. This is an easy way to avoid bad food.
2. Cutting down the time of making food, will keep the mind less busy with food thoughts.
3. Drink coffee with law calorie sweeten.
4. It is best to drink lots of natural tea.
5. Eating slowly has two main positive affects: the food is better consumed and the hunger disappears when eating less food.
6. If you feel hungry 20 minutes pass meal time: drink something or have fruits.
7. Eating should take place at the same place and not at random locations.
8. Shopping list should be prepared at home. The key is adhering to it no matter what we saw latter on at the supermarket.

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Quick Teen Weight Loss

Overweight not only hampers the health of adults, but it is injurious to teens and kids as well. Hence, if you are in the teen ages and feel troubled by those extra kilos around your waist, don’t wait any further to embrace a suitable weight loss programs for teens that you think works well for your body. Get the act together today itself! Given below are few invaluable teen weight loss tips, as seen in many of the best weight loss programs for teens prescribed by expert nutritionists, which could help you to take the fight to your foe – over weight.

Quick Teen Weight Loss

Overweight – in a very basic level – is caused due to excessive consumption of food. Hence the best weight loss programs for teens must have a suggestion to control the daily intake of food, especially fatty and oily victuals. Also take care to avoid milk products, all sorts of junk foods and artificial drinks.

Another aspect that most best weight loss programs for teens suggests is to drink lots of water and incorporate fruits, raw vegetables, and fibrous foods into the diet. It is vital in balancing the nutrient content in the body caused due to the reduction in the normal intake (assuming you are following the first suggestion as such).

Replace your normal snacks – such as a packet of chips or potato wafers – with something that is healthier to your system. That is, substitute your chips or other fat and oil rich snacks with something like frozen grapes, cherry tomatoes, baby carrot or low-fat pudding or yogurt, instead.
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Take few hours every day to workout in the gym or spend some time running or playing your favorite sport. Such physical activities could burn away those extra calories from under your skin. In fact this is the most important step one could find in all the best weight loss programs for teens suggested by experts.

But, the most important of all the suggestions is that you must nurture a strong will to follow the diet program, you choose, religiously. Else, no best weight loss programs for teens could help you bring down your weight. Yes, it can be hard work, but the end result is worth the pain you endure during the process. Good Luck!

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Does Weight Loss Hypnosis Work?

The weight loss industry is big business world wide. In recent years in the United States, more than $30 billion dollars was spent by consumers on various weight loss products, gym memberships, exercise machines and food programs.

Does Weight Loss Hypnosis Work?

Choosing a weight loss program is the first step towards staying healthy, if you need to lose weight for the sake of maintaining or improving your health and well being. But staying with a weight loss program can prove to be difficult for so many. That is why, when it comes to weight loss, choosing a support program, checking with your doctor and then adding in some regular exercise is the key to long term success.

What ever you do, don’t to be tempted to follow a one food diet program such as the Cabbage Soup diet, or the Grapefruit diet, because your body is just not meant to exist on just one type of food for a sustained period of time. Instead, use your common sense and adopt a program because it works for you, not because it is the latest fad that all of the Hollywood stars have had success with. Remember that at the end of the day, the fad diets come and go, but your body is with you for the duration of your life, so it is important to take care of your body wisely.

People are focused on an easy and quick way to lose weight. But finding a program that will support long term weight loss and maintenance is the key to success.

Your mind is a powerful tool. While many people have yet to understand and harness the power of their minds, plenty of people are trying to do so, on a consistent basis, and this is helping them to reach all manner of success in their personal and professional lives. If you are at the point where nothing is working for you as far as losing weight or dieting, and you want to go a more controversial way, then you might want to consider weight loss hypnosis.

The first thing you need to do is find a qualified behavioral counselor. Many of these gifted individuals are also skilled in the area of self- hypnosis. Set up an appointment and talk with the counselor about your relationship with food. Then question the counselor as to whether or not his or her teaching you self-hypnosis will work to help you lose weight.

Self-hypnosis can be effective, but having the right person teaching you is critical. Beware of practitioners who ask for large sums of money beyond the counseling session to teach you this tool. While weight loss hypnosis can be effective, you should really steer clear of tapes and books that teach you the DIY (do it yourself) technique, as you will probably end up wasting your money. You really need a human guide to be able to be successful and lose weight.

Hypnosis alone will not allow you to lose weight. But if you have found a qualified counselor, you will receive advice about eating sensibly, exercising regularly and drinking more water.

Weight loss hypnosis is not a quick and easy way to cure a weight loss problem, but rather it is a means to an end. The end result is that you will gain control over your life and over what foods you choose to eat.

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Lose Weight Healthy

Many of us are constantly in a battle to lose weight, and a lot of us want to discover a diet where we can lose weight and lose weight fast.  Not looking at how to lose weight healthy.  Dieting is a very hard thing to do.  First you must commit yourself to modify the diet or current way you eat, which if not an easy task.  Statistics on dieting are not good, so how can we find a diet that is easy and will lose weight and lose weight healthy.

There are many good diet plans out on the market today.  The South Beach Diet is a very popular healthy diet plan, there is the Negative Calorie Diet, which in my opinion is also a healthy way of eating.  There is also theIdiot Proof Diet Plan which is exactly that, and is a healthy plan.

One crucial aspect of dieting is to burn fat but also feed muscle as you don’t want to lose weight and have a lot of flabby skin.

Here are some important tips on dieting:

1. Do not ever skip breakfast, your breakfast gets your metabolism going, especially after a good nights sleep.  Eat a healthy diet, like whole grain cereals, protein based foods that are low in fat, lowfat yogurt, etc.

2. Drink plenty of water, for one drinking a lot of water keeps you feeling full and less hungry, drink less soda and coffee and definitely less alcohol as all of those can add significant calories to your daily intake.

3. Make sure you watch your carbohydrate and calorie intake.  Make sure you keep track of your intake.  Carbohydrates need to be kept low, as well as eating good carbs such as fruits and vegetables, stay away from your refined sugars, flours and processed foods.

4. Take your time, don’t try to rush losing weight, lose weight healthy means lose weight slow, plus if you do it the right way, you will keep the weight off.  Many people who lose weight to rapidly, as soon as they shift their eating habits back they put the weight back on quickly and usually a lot more weight than they originally lost.  What happens when you lose weight to rapidly your metabolism will slow down, it slows down the rate we burn energy to survive.  A resistance is built up which is called homeostasis, for example when our body heats up, we sweat, which is the response designed to cool down, this is homeostasis.  The same principle happens when you lose weight, but when you lose weight to rapidly you will lose body fluid and muscle mass instead of burning the fat.

You should also take a regimin of vitamins and minerals.  This will boost your energy and your metabolism.

To lose weight healthy, you must eat good foods, not just basing them on the caloric or carbohydrate content, and you must do some sort of exercise.

If you follow most of these weight loss tips, you can lose weight, lose weight healthy as well as keep the fat off.

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Best Diet for Weight Loss?

Losing weight is becoming a common goal with many individuals. And this task is becoming difficult and complex with all the conflicting information out there. Thus, in this article, you will find logically sound and effective tips you can follow to find the diet that will give you the maximum benefits and effectiveness.

1. Find a program that provides realistic goals. 
Avoid diets that promise weight loss overnight. Diets that promise such unrealistic promise are not designed to lose weight. Diets take time to work. Select a diet based on your food preferences. Like sweet food? Opt for a diet that is high on carbohydrate intake. Allow your body to transit to the new diet easily by selecting the food that you like. By doing so, you can be on a diet and still enjoy it.

2. Research the credentials of your chosen diet.
The best diet for weight loss is the one that is created by an experienced doctor, health practitioner, or physician. These people spent years studying how the body works and what's good for it. Before you choose a diet, make sure that you try to find out where the diet rooted from, who created it, and how many people have already benefited from it. The more background you get from the diet, the better.

3. Plan it out.
Don't go ahead with a diet without planning at least a week ahead. Dieting is all about taking the right types of food in the right amount. If you can't prepare your meals the proper way, you'll end up not following your diet at all. Here's a suggestion – before you start out on your new diet, rid your refrigerator of anything that your diet plan asks you to avoid. If you can't do this, even the world's best diet for weight loss won't work for you.

4. Strictly adhere to the diet plan. 
There's no sense in looking for the best diet for weight loss only to forget about it after two to three days. Again, diet takes time to work. Following it is definitely hard. So prepare yourself mentally and physically. And make sure you are up to the challenge. Don't worry. The results may be too grand than could you have expected.

There you have it! You now know the best diet for weight loss, so use it to your advantage!

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Diet Plans Versus Diet Reality

I have found that there exist two different worlds in the realm of dieting. The first is the world of planning. In the world of planning you can plan out every meal for the next week or month or for however long you want to plan. If you are detail-oriented, write down how many croutons will be in your salads, or specify the appropriate length for the banana you want to eat. Why not? The more specific you are in your plan, the easier it will be to follow, right? Well, maybe not.

Diet Plans Versus Diet Reality

Let’s talk now about the other world: the world of reality. In the world of reality, you change your mind about what you want to eat, often. You go out with your friends for dinner on a few nights that you hadn’t planned for, and on two of those nights you eat pizza, lots of pizza. You eat a banana split one night because everyone else is having one, and you don’t want to stand out. On three occasions you buy and eat three candy bars within 20 minutes for no apparent reason. You eat three huge meals that your Italian mother cooked, because you know how happy she is when you have to loosen your belt just to breathe after her meals. Nothing ever goes as planned. That’s the important message. Circumstances will usually change and you will be forced to modify your original plan. I had to learn how to handle these situations.

Let’s say that for this Wednesday’s dinner, you’re planning to have eight ounces of skinless chicken with vegetables, but you have just been invited to a barbeque (hotdogs, hamburgers). Don’t torture yourself and stay home, unless you don’t like that group of people. Have fun, but try to limit yourself. You will probably take in more calories at the barbeque than your original dinner, but maybe you can adjust your week’s meal plan. Making adjustments to your eating behavior is an art form that requires a little bit of practice. Try using logic and not your emotions when making these kinds of adjustments.

Try to eat slowly at the barbeque, because they will throw meat at you if you are empty-handed. It is easy to just panic and toss down a few greasy burgers while you aren’t paying attention. I’ve done that too many times. Try to look busy, and always have a food item in your hand, but don’t take any bites. Tell the hosts you’ve already eaten three burgers when you’re actually on the first one.

Another way of looking at these two different worlds in dieting is to notice the difference between logical thought (planning) and emotional execution (reality). You can be very logical when making your plan, because you probably haven’t even started your diet yet. You will count up the correct number of calories per day, hit all the different food groups, and still be able to eat one piece of a candy bar every single day. That’s great—until the diet starts. Once you find yourself on the inside of the fishbowl rather than on the outside, everything seems to change. The rules now seem unfair. “Why do I have to eat this crap every single day?” “I have desires (pizza, enchiladas, chow fun).” “I feel like I’m in prison.” We often forget that we volunteered for this diet. And we can get so emotional that the execution of our diet, just following the plan, becomes completely impossible.

That is how we came to be overweight. The types of food and the quantity we eat became too important to us. We try to give it up, but part of us still puts up a tremendous fight. It is part of us now, unless we can change.

I have a friend named Jeff. I’ve known him for about nine years. He is just like you and me except he genuinely dislikes eating. I know that’s hard to imagine. Jeff told me one day that he wishes that he could just take all his nutrients in pill form. That’s right. Just slosh them down with water. That way he wouldn’t waste any time having to chew anything. The reason I have introduced you to Jeff is to show you that there are other ways to be. There is Jeff, us, and everyone in between. You can step into that “in between.” When your emotions are locked on a bear claw, think how much better you’d look if you lost an inch anywhere. Losing the weight has got to be more important than a one-night stand with some chocolate Kisses.

If you want to stop eating certain types of food (like cookies or pies) the best place to start is in your own home. Take a look around your house, especially in your refrigerator and freezer. Do you see anything that will tempt you greatly? I generally have to keep all types of fatty foods and desserts completely out of my house, because if I know they are there, they will eventually crawl right into my mouth. I don’t mean to do it. I may be a victim of my own genes. So instead, if I absolutely have to have something, I’ll go to 7-Eleven and buy “just one” of whatever it is (usually chocolate) and bring it back. That’s my rule—just one regular-sized piece of junk food. Of course I could go right back and buy another one, but if the same clerk is at the store, he’ll think I’m a pig to come back so soon. I don’t usually take that chance. But many other stores sell candy bars, and unfortunately, I could drive to many of them blindfolded.

Some of you don’t live alone as I currently do, and you may have to get some help from your spouse or roommate to keep fattening foods out of the house. This may be more of a challenge for you, because your food environment might not be under your control. A little give and take may be in order. Hopefully, your spouse or roommate is someone with whom you can feel comfortable sharing the details of your diet. Or maybe he or she would also like to lose some weight. Having a supportive friend would be great, assuming he or she takes the diet seriously. It is usually easy to tell if someone is taking a diet seriously. If your roommate starts declaring Wednesday as “All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Night,” or if he or she feels that two “Big Macs” is the perfect meal, you are on your own.

Diet Plans Versus Diet Reality

Related: 

1. Diet Plans Are Meals, Snacks, and Water
2. Why don't diets work?
3. Why Is Weight Loss So Hard?

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Diet Plans Are Meals, Snacks, and Water

Almost all women have been on a diet sometime in their life; I know I have. Men diet also, but not as many men diet as women. It is hard to decide which diet plan to suffer through. The first question is, which one will work for you and how hard do you have to work to make it work? Basically most of us are lazy when it comes to losing weight and we want the fastest and easiest diet plan we can find.

Diet Plans Are Meals, Snacks, and Water

Sticking to a diet is hard to do. On most 'normal' diets you won't get hungry. By normal I mean you eat 3 meals a day with a couple of snacks during the day and you have to drink tons of water, that is what really fills you up. You may slush around all day but you won't get hungry.

There are many diet plans. There are the 300 pages or more diet books and there are the diet groups that meet at least once a week. Then there are some that will have meals delivered right to your door. The basic plan in these diets is each day eat 3 healthy meals, have a couple of snacks, and drink lots of water. Next you have the diet pills that come with a diet plan, 3 meals, a couple of snacks, and lots of water, plus a pill or 2 each day.

Let us not forget the fad diets, the cabbage soup diet, the boiled egg diet, the grapefruit diet, just to name a few. These diets don't last long, you either give up or pass out. Oh yeah, you do lose weight with these diets, but you also gain it back in a hurry, plus some.

So if you are thinking about starting a diet plan, choose carefully. Frankly in my opinion, one of the ones that meets once a week is the best. You get the support of all the rest of the group, you get to meet new people, and you get some new ideas for meals. These kinds of diets teach you how to live with a food plan, not a diet, but a way of life.

So until you decide which diet plan you think you can best follow, try to eat 3 healthy meals, a couple of snacks, and drink a lot of water each day. By the time you figure out which diet you want to tackle, maybe you will of lost the weight and won't even need a 'diet', because you will of found a 'diet' on your own, except you now call it a food plan for life.

Diet Plans Are Meals, Snacks, and Water

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Why Is Weight Loss So Hard?

Weight loss is a common problem millions of Americans today struggle with. Very few Americans have been successful at losing a desired amount of weight.

Why Is Weight Loss So Hard?

The main problem is that most cannot stick to the designated program. For instance, a general weight loss program includes both diet as well as exercise. Most of the time an individual trying to lose weight will at least attempt one of these. Often times what happens is that the exercise may be too strenuous for that person since they must have lacked exercise for so long going back to why they are in such shape.

Another perspective is the diet. Most people looking to lose weight are usually in this pandemic because of eating not only food with high amounts of sugars and fats, but also food in high quantities of these fats ans sugars. This becomes a significant problem because changing old habits for anyone is such a difficult process especially in America since you can’t walk two feet out your door without seeing a McDonald’s.

So in the end dieting or weight loss in general is such a difficult process because of the extreme new “way of life” you would have to adapt to. A recent statistic said that of those who fail to reach an ideal weight goal in a diet actually gain more weight trying the diet rather then losing.

 The reason for this is once you “give in,” you start “binge eating” meaning you eats almost everything in site with no restrictions. This is a one negative impact of dieting viewed by many. Of course most researchers/doctors say diet and exercise are essential for a healthy life, whether losing weight or not.

Why Is Weight Loss So Hard?

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Why don't diets work?

It is a widely reported FACT that 95% of diets don't work! That fact doesn't stop over 75% of people saying they had been on diet in the last year. So this being the case what’s the point in losing 20 Lbs, and gaining back 25Lbs and why do people do it? There is no doubt that there is great pressure over the last few years to look 'thin'.

Why don't diets work?

So why do diets fail?  That's the million dollar question. The main reason diets fail is we are guilty of falling for the latest cleaver marketing campaign. Over the last 10 years there has been a stack of diets on the market many endorsed by Hollywood stars.

Many of these diets DO work, BUT only short term. They often do produce quick weight loss and fantastic results. The problem is maintaining the weight loss as it is very difficult to stick to these eating plans. They are simply too boring. Once you lose the weight it is all too easy to slip back into your old ways and go back to your normal calorie intake. This will result in weight being put back on probably as fast as you lost it  - often you will end up heavier that when you started the 'diet'.

Healthy eating plan
The best method to lose weight is through a healthy eating plan and exercise. It's about re-educating how you eat and what you eat. It's not rocket science. Don't fry food or take fast food takeaways. Cut out the chips and chocolate or least cut it back. Have fruit instead. Drink lots of water. If you are finding it difficult to stick to the healthy eating plan don't torture yourself, allow yourself a treat once a week, but don't over do it - always moderation.

Exercise is key
The bottom line is that exercise is good for you and helps with your entire wellbeing. It doesn't matter if you run, swim, play football or do 1-on-1 Pilates – exercise is what your body needs. Exercise will improve your muscle tone, help you control your weight, reduce your blood pressure, help prevent heart disease.

Let's face it: Not everyone can be thin. But you can reach and maintain your best weight! It's not easy. But it's possible. Your genes may affect your susceptibility to obesity, but some people simply eat too many calories.  So battle the bulge with a plan that includes developing - and maintaining -a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. So in conclusion eat sensibly and maintain some sort of exercise even if it just a 10 minute walk each day!

Why don't diets work?

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Weight Loss with Alternative Medicine

Weight loss is one of the big topics-no pun intended-on the late night television circuit. While flipping through the channels after 11p.m., you are apt to come across several advertisements for weight loss pills and diet supplements, each promising to help you drop those unwanted pounds and remove stubborn belly fat once and for all.

Weight Loss with Alternative Medicine

Let's face it, if these pills really worked, America wouldn't be the top overweight country in the world.

There are types of alternative medicine which can help with weight loss, however, and with great results. While no alternative medicine is a magic solution, practicing these principles can help you become more limber, feel more energetic, and the end result-or side effect if you will- is weight loss.

Take yoga for example. The low impact stretching involved with yoga will help you feel less stressed, and as a result less likely to over eat as a result of depression or anger. Acupuncture has exact pressure points in the ear which help reduce cravings, and detoxifying teas and herbs can help you feel healthier, and the side effect would be thinking twice before deciding that you want to "pollute" yourself again with oily and fatty foods. In this respect, alternative medicine is wonderful for weight loss.

Most alternative medicines for weight loss come in the form of detoxifying teas, energy supplements, and vitamins. The exercise and diet plans are the basis-as they should be- for safe and effective long term weight loss. There is no magic potion to lose weight. Truly dropping pounds and keeping them off requires regular daily exercise and a change in eating habits, period.

However, to get you ready for weight loss, here are some alternative medicine detoxifying teas and interesting supplements;

Take turmeric, ginger, and lemon-about a half teaspoon each and the juice of half a lemon, and boil it all in 2 cups of water. Drink every morning as a detoxifier before you start your diet.

All diets should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, and buying a juicer is a great way to make a habit out of eating healthy. Please see your doctor before starting any kind of diet plan.

Omega three is a fine source of nutrient, and can be added to any smoothie or juice that you're drinking.

Visit your local food co op or herbalist, they can get you set up with all sorts of alternative teas and nutrition advice, and can refer you to a good homeopathic doctor who will evaluate you as to what your individual nutrition needs are.
Bovine and shark cartilage are two dietary supplements to hit the alternative market. Both have been used for years outside of the United States and Britain, but now are big business in the health food stores.

The most popular form of alternative medicine for weight loss isn't really medicine at all, rather behavior modification through hypnosis. Hypnosis doesn't make you rely on will power, that's one of the reasons it's so popular.

How hypnosis works is that it investigates what is subconsciously holding you to the thinking and eating habits that keep you overweight. Hypnotists believe that if the root cause of the obesity can be alleviated, the patient will naturally begin to lose weight. It is actually a very effective form of alternative medicine, and overall can cost much less than trips to day spas and expensive over the counter weight loss pills. Through hypnosis you can let go of fears that keep you from eating healthy, and begin to allow a positive energy flow through you, causing you to want to stick to the new way of eating and exercising.

DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

Weight Loss with Alternative Medicine

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Weight Loss Tips

Here are 10 tips for helping to lose weight by using healthier meals and 10 tips for helping when you are eating out.

10 Tips for a better healthier meal

When it comes to cooking a meal for the family, don’t let your diet take a back seat. Just because you’re on a diet and the rest of your family are not does not mean that you have to eat a different meal. There are times when you have to draw the line e.g. Christmas lunch, Sunday lunch and family gatherings. Take a look at some of the suggestion below for a healthier meal:

1. Try steaming or boiling your vegetables instead of frying or casseroling, also stay away from using cheese based dishes. Try to use herbs and lemon juice instead of butter or margarine.

2. Cooking with chickens can pose as a bit of a problem, although chicken is very healthy in its self, containing half the fat of red meat. Don’t go for the easy option of breaded chicken fingers or nuggets this is very unhealthy. Try roasting or steaming your chicken in a non stick pan, and eliminate the use of oil by using a cooking spray. Beware of the chicken skin as this is very fattening, try to buy a skinless chicken or remove the skin prior to cooking.

3. Watch out for different types of bread, stay away from white bread as it is full of sugar. Try to go for wholemeal bread, seeded bread and whole grain bread. Also look for brown rice, wild rice and basmati rice, the tastes are not all that different from white rice and have a much lower starch content.

4. When buying meats like pork and beef, try to buy lean and extra lean. Try some cuts like fillet and sirloin, these have less fat content than the other cuts. Roasting, grilling and dry frying are healthy methods of cooking meat. Once again try to use a cooking spray instead of cooking oil.

5. If you're preparing turkey, why not try cooking the stuffing separate. You will reduce the fat content by preventing the turkey fat from absorbing into the dressing. Be sure to use less margarine or butter when making the stuffing. Also don't forget to skim the fat off of the gravy. Leave the drumsticks for the kids; as with chicken, choose light meat over dark and you'll save a lot in the calorie department.

6. Why not try serving fruit as a dessert? Serving fruit instead of pie or cake can make a massive reduction in the amount of calories you find in your meal. Instead of cake and pie, try serving a whole piece of fruit, some yogurt or a fruit cocktail. You will usually find that we don’t need a dessert and have one just because of habit. I think you will be surprised at how fruit can substitute the sweet tooth in a dessert.

7. If you must have an ice-cream try a sugar free ice-cream of low fat frozen yogurt. Instead of topping with chocolate sauce or caramel, try some mixed fruit cocktail. The taste of the ice-cream is almost identical and the sugar from the fruit stops the sweet craving. All in all it’s fewer calories than the full sugar and chocolate variety.

8. When cooking save yourself a lot of calories by using powdered milk. By doing this you will save on a lot of fat and calories. Also by using skimmed milk instead of cream in your favourite cream based recipes can also save on the calories.

9. Try some substitutions in your cooking. Use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to replace 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate in your desserts, replace 1 egg with 2 egg whites or ¼ cup of egg substitute, replace half of the oil in dessert recipes with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce, try reduced or non-fat frozen yogurt or sugar free ice cream on pies.

10. If you still find yourself hungry after your meal and you do want to tempt your self to seconds, then go for the vegetables. Choosing steamed vegetables over meat and bread is far healthier.


10 Tips for eating out when on your Diet

1. For a starter, try and keep it light maybe a prawn cocktail or a side salad. Make an effort to stay away from creamy starters and red meats.

2. If you are a pasta lover and find it hard not to eat endless amounts. You must try and stay with a single portion. Also don’t worry if you leave a little no one will persecute you for it, especially not your body.

3. When ordering a meat dish, always go for the chicken. Stay away from fried chicken. Always go for boiled, grilled or steamed. If you must ask for red meat, be sure to ask the waiter for a nice lean piece.

4. If you don’t see anything on the menu, that is cooked to your liking. Ask the waiter if it would be possible for the chef to cook you a dish with say, boiled or grilled chicken, instead of fried. Don’t be embarrassed at this request as you will not be the first or the last to ask for it.

5. Avoid the temptation of cream sauce, butter, oil, batter and home made gravy.

6. If you do not like leaving your food, then you can always ask the waiter, to wrap it up so you can take it home afterwards.

7. If you are a take away person as I am. When you serve your take away at home, only serve half of it, and keep the other half for the next day or for another family member. Willpower is the key here!

8. If you know where you are going for your evening meal. Why not ring the restaurant and ask them to post a menu out to you, or go and pick one up. Now you can give the menu a good read and find out the best meal to suit you. When you arrive at the restaurant, your choice is already made and a healthier one it will be.

9. Buffets are the worst of all restaurant temptations. You must know your portion control. Try and have only one plate. Once again the key factor here is will power!

10. When the day comes for you to go out for your meal, try to eat smaller meals during the day, then you can keep an eye on the calories for the day and evening. However do try to remember not to starve yourself as you may just end up eating like a horse, which is never a good diet tip.

10 Tips for a better healthier meal

10 Tips for eating out when on your Diet

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Weight Loss Techniques

Obesity is one of the most important public health issues in the United States. It occurs over time when you eat more calories than you use. On the other hand, overweight refers to an excessive amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water.

Weight Loss Techniques

People gain weight when the number of calories they eat is more than the number of calories their bodies use. Overweight people have an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses. 

Your doctor can help you set rational goals based on a proper weight for your height, build and age. Usually, doctors will recommend that their overweight patients combine a reduction of the caloric content of the diet, with an increase in physical activity.

Other methods of losing weight include use of drugs and supplements that decrease appetite, block fat absorption, or reduce stomach volume. Surgery is another method. Weight-loss programs should encourage healthy behaviors that help you lose weight and that you can stick with in your every day activity. It is very desirable for you to gather as much information as you can before deciding to join a particular program.

You may start to benefit from regular physical activity. Even modest amounts of physical action can improve your health. Start with small, specific goals such as walking 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week. When you eat out and are on the go it’s important to make smart food choices and watch portion sizes. When you prepare food at home read the nutrition label on foods. Look for foods low in saturated fats and trans fats. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars (caloric sweeteners).

Variety in the diet helps you get all the vitamins and other nutrients you need. Look for a weight loss program that gives you some control, rather than imposing one rigid system, one that offers a variety of different eating plans, so you can choose the one that's best for you. Prescription diet pills may help some people. If you use them, follow the doctor's directions carefully. Other method of weight reduction technique is the use of diet patches.

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Diet Bro

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