Posted by Virginia H. | Posted in Articles, General tips | Posted on 10-04-2010-05-2008
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Set yourself up for body-trimming success with these five lifestyle tweaks.
Call in a Support Crew
Obesity loves company: Your odds of packing on pounds rise when your friends, family, and even neighbors chunk up. The good news: The reverse also seems to be true. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found that the spouses of dieters enrolled in weight-loss programs also lost flab—without trying. The average loss by matrimony was five pounds in a year, higher in some cases (one woman lost 14 pounds to her husband’s 35). If no one you know is cutting calories, it’s easy to find a diet BFF using a free service like bluepont.com. Download the free software to your cell, enter your preferences and location, and you’ll be alerted when a match is found.
Eyball Ingredients
A 2008 USDA report found that consumers read labels less often today than they did 10 years ago. Other studies have shown that shoppers who do often end up confused—who wouldn’t be, when a tiny bottle of OJ turns out to be 2.5 servings? “Labels can lie,” says Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S., R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet. Sign up at eBrandAid.com, which lists red-flag ingredients like artificial sweeteners and MSG (recently linked to an increased risk of being overweight). Easier: Swear off any packaged food whose first four ingredients you don’t recognize.
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Posted by Virginia H. | Posted in Articles, General tips | Posted on 07-04-2010-05-2008
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Learn why your body weight fluctuates so much and what exactly is causing the weight gain
Feel like your weight seesaws more than your 4-year-old niece on a sunny day at the playground? Relax. Even if you’re doing everything perfectly, there are lots of reasons why the number on the scale could be up by a pound or two. According to Melina Jampolis, M.D., author of The No-Time-to-Lose Diet, these are some of the usual suspects.
You were thirsty! Downing 16 ounces of any fluid can cause an immediate “gain” of 1 pound.
You’re backed up. Constipation can tilt the scale by as much as 2 pounds if it’s been more than a couple of days since your bowels did their thing.
You’re going on vacation. To Thailand. The changes in air pressure can make you retain water on flights longer than 4 hours, which can show up as an extra 1 to 3 pounds on the scale.
You ate the Chicken Kung Pao. Have a salty dinner and you could wake up 2 to 3 pounds heavier your body retains water to dilute all that sodium.
Aunt Flo’s on her way. Hormone fluctuations in the 3 days leading up to your period can make you retain up to 5 pounds of water.
(Article from http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/balance-weight)
Posted by Virginia H. | Posted in Articles, Physical activity | Posted on 30-03-2010-05-2008
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If I had to pick a single factor that I thought was most important in a successful exercise or weight loss program, it would be to exercise first thing in the morning – every morning! Some mornings, you may just be able to fit in a 10 minute walk, but it’s important to try to do something every morning.
So why mornings?…
1. Over 90% of people who exercise *consistently*, exercise in the morning. If you want to exercise consistently, odds are in your favor if you exercise first thing in the morning.
2. When you exercise early in the morning, it “jump starts” your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours, sometimes up to 24 hours! That means you’re burning more calories all day long just because you exercised in the morning!
3. When you exercise in the morning you’ll be *energized* for the day! Personally, I feel dramatically different on days when I have and haven’t exercised in the morning.
4. Many people find that morning exercise “regulates” their appetite for the day – that they aren’t as hungry and that they make better food choices. Several people have told me that it puts them in a “healthy mindset.”
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Posted by Virginia H. | Posted in Articles, Eating habits and diet | Posted on 29-03-2010-05-2008
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Eating healthy can help you lose lbs. Here is a food list of some of the best appetite suppressants already in your kitchen
Pine Nuts
New research shows that the fatty acids in pine nuts initiate the release of an appetite-suppressing hormone called cholecystokinin. Sprinkle them on salads or mix them into pesto.
Hot Stuff
As in hot to the touch (think tea and soup). According to studies from the Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago, the aromas released by hot food make you feel full faster by affecting the satiety centers in the brain. We know there’s no substitute for a cold slice of pizza, but pop it in the microwave and you’ll probably eat less.
Green Leafies
Cabbage, iceberg, romaine, spinach, and other leafy greens are nearly calorie-free. And in most cases, you burn them off just by digesting them. (Cucumbers and celery count too.)
Oil, Slick
Researchers at Cornell University found that diners who dipped their bread in olive oil rather than spreading it with butter ate less of the loaf and consumed 53 fewer calories overall. They’re not sure why but think that something in the oil makes it more satiating.
(Article from http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/the-best-foods-for-weight-loss)
Posted by Virginia H. | Posted in Articles, General tips | Posted on 28-03-2010-05-2008
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I remember my first grapevine better than my first kiss (admittedly forgettable). I was 16 and wanted to shape up for a family trip to Cancun. In my oversize Forenza T-shirt, I stuck out in the Hi/Lo class filled with ponytailed moms in classic 1987 aerobics garb: Reebok high-tops, leggings, and thong leotards. After warming up with step-taps and marches in place, the impossibly fit instructor, the only one in the mirrored studio who truly deserved thong status, called out for a grapevine to the left. I watched as the class wove around me, intertwining their feet for eight counts and ending with a rhythmic hop and clap. Eight more counts to the right, and call me a fast learner I was part of the grapevine amoeba. Back and forth we went as Whitney Houston belted out, “I wanna dance with somebody” I was euphoric. I could’ve danced with my fellow Hi/Lo-ers through the entire Whitney album.
Thus began my first love affair with the gym. I spent endless hours Hi/Lo-ing and thrived on being part of the group. Unlike most girls my age, I didn’t have a boyfriend and I actually got along with my mother. In other words, most of the time I felt like a loner. But in Hi/Lo, I got to be another grape on the vine.
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