Healthy Weight Loss Tips

Why you should Plan your Meals

2007-02-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

Planning your meals can save you a lot of time and money, two things there never seems to be enough of. Here are for reason why meal planning is important.

Nutrition. It is easier to eat healthy when you know ahead of time what you are going to be eating. Planning helps eliminate the temptation to go to McDonalds. This reason is important if you are trying to lose weight.
Budget. Meal planning makes it easier to eat economically. You will be able to eat for less because you will be shopping from a list. You will not be buying ingredient you already have or buying on impulse.
Satisfaction. You will have a happy family if you plan. You will not be duplicating meals and making things that will not be eaten because of dislike.
Time. This is a big one. Having a plan always save time even when it comes to meal planning.

There you have it, several reasons why it is a good idea to do meal planning. If you spend 30 minutes a week planning meals, it will save you much more time than that later in the week.

Hoodia-Is it the Real Deal?

2007-02-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

If you want to lose weight you have likely already heard the praise being given to the latest in natural cures - Hoodia Gordonii. So, is it as good as they say? How does it work? And most importantly - will it help you lose weight?

The most frequently reported study to promote Hoodia Gordonii as a weight loss supplement was conducted with obese individuals who were given Hoodia Gordonii and left in a room with little to distract them except TV, reading and eating. This group consumed on average 1000 less calories a day than the control group given a placebo.

Hoodia Gordonii is an African cactus that grows naturally only in the Kalahari desert. For thousands of years the bushman of this region have eaten Hoodia Gordonii with no apparent ill side effects, like the racing heart experience of Ephedra or other supplements.

The molecule that has been linked to the appetite suppressing abilities of Hoodia Gordonii, now called P.57, appears to affect both humans and animals. One study showed a decrease in appetite by 30-40%. There are documented personal experiences showing the immediate effects of eating Hoodia Gordonii.

As with any weight loss program it is necessary to adapt diet and lifestyle to experience the most profound changes. Suppressing the appetite should not be a replacement for good nutrition and healthy living. It is also important to note that further testing of the safety and effects of Hoodia Gordonii are sure to continue and not all products that are advertised to contain Hoodia Gordonii are prepared equally. The active ingredient in many products is not enough to produce the desired effects and should be chosen wisely.

Weight Loss for Teens

2007-02-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

With teen celebrities all losing weight, there is no doubt that there is a trend on weight loss going on. From teenage girls to teenage boys, upper class, middle class, middle school, high school, everybody, it seems, wants to have a slim body.

Dieting is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, when done right, dieting can do great things for the body. Eating the right foods and exercising, which are the characteristics of proper dieting, can produce a healthy body that is strong and fit.

Unfortunately, the proper form of dieting may take a long while, too long for teenagers who are hell-bent on losing weight the fastest and easiest way possible. The need for a form of diet that will be fast and also easy on the stomach has opened doors for all kinds of weight loss programs.

The prevalence of these kinds of weight loss programs that are not healthy and in the long run bad for one’s body has alarmed a lot of people in the medical industry. To ensure that your teenagers are losing weight the right way, here are some tips that will come in handy.

Show your support. Teenagers may want independence but they are much too young to lose your guidance. They still need your support despite claiming that they want to decide for themselves and stand on their own two feet. If you want to really help your teenager, make sure that you show your support.

Emphasize more than looks. Teenagers who are obsessed enough with their looks to want to lose weight fast are those that do not have much self-esteem or those who place great importance on how they look and not who they are.

Become a good example. There is no right way of teaching your kids the value of the right kinds of diet than by example. If they see you taking diet pills or starving yourself, they are going to want to do it too. After all, you are doing it. Why shouldn’t they? The best way you can help your teen is support their efforts and set a good example.

Getting Fit for Less than $100

2007-02-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Exercise-It is something we all need and most of us don’t get enough of. The two most common reasons people give for not exercising is that they do not have enough time and the other excuse is that they do not have enough money. We can not make any more time in a day. That is something you are going to have to find in the same 24 hours that you have each day. However, you can exercise for less money than you may realize.

If you have $25, about the price of lunch for 2, you can get started getting your body in knock out shape. You will be able afford a set of resistance bands. You should start with the looser bands and then switch to tighter ones on down the road. You can get a gym quality work out with these bands and they are extremely portable and will travel easily.

For the small price of $50, the price of dinner for 2, you can add an exercise mat and a stability ball to your work out equipment. With this selection of exercise equipment, you can have an exercise routine that has literally hundreds of exercise options. This equipment is very easy to store in your home. You will not have to be concerned about bulky and unsightly equipment in your bedroom. You can do aerobic, strength and stretching exercises with these few simple exercise items.

$75, the price of a manicure and pedicure, will get you an exercise mat, a stability ball, some different resistance bands and a good training guide for physical fitness. There are many great publications available at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. With these pieces of equipment and the manual you will be well on your way to having a body anybody would envy.

For $100, the price of a 3 course meal for you and a loved one, you can have the ultimate in a home fitness program. Start with the basics that were mentioned above. That includes the exercise mat, stability ball, resistance tubing exercise bands and the fitness manual. To that you can add some work out videos and personal training session or nutritional consultation, which are both available online. For $100 you can have everything you need to get yourself healthy and physically fit.

You first have to figure out what is standing in the way of your physical health. Once you have figured out what is stopping you, it will be easier for you to get past the obstacles and get onto achieving your goal of health and physical fitness.

How Healthy is Rapid Weight Loss?

2007-02-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

You have decided it is time to make some changes in the way you are living your life. You have committed to make healthier choices and you have decided to start by losing weight. You want to get to a healthy weight as quickly as possible, but you are wondering if rapid weight loss is safe.

If you have not been very consistent in making healthy food choices and you make drastic changes in your eating habits, you may see a weight loss in the double digits for the first week or two of your new eating plan. Losing over ten pounds the first week is not at all uncommon, especially if you have more than fifty pounds to lose.

However, rapid weight loss is not as important as consistent weight loss. If you steadily lose one to two pounds weekly by eating sensibly and exercising regularly, you have a greater chance of being able to maintain your weight loss than if you go out of your way to lose the weight quickly.

Developing a manageable weight loss plan is going to be your best bet when it comes to losing weight. The healthiest way to lose weight is to eat a balanced diet that consists of six meals. If you eat every 2-3 hours, your chances of getting excessively hungry are decreased and as a result you are less likely to overeat. Eating regularly will also keep your sugar level more even, decreasing the likelihood that you will have cravings.

Plan your meals. Know what you are going to eat and when you are going to eat it. Always carry healthy snacks with you. Having healthy food choices available will lessen the chance that you will make a poor food choice, because it is your only choice. Creating a plan for losing weight will make losing the weight less of a struggle.

Having a varied plan for eating is also helpful. You metabolism tends to work more efficiently if it isn’t always dealing with the same foods on a daily basis. The same goes for calories. Vary your calories by 300-500 daily through out the week. You can lose weight if you consume 1200 calories 3 times a week, 1400 calories and 1600 twice weekly.

The method I have seen that gives the quickest weight loss is a balance liquid protein diet. If you choose this option, it will take discipline, because protein shakes can become pretty boring. You should eat at least one sensible meal daily. You should have your doctor or dietician recommend the liquid protein diet that is best for you and you should be monitored by them regularly.

The other thing you have to remember is not to beat yourself up over slips. The worst thing you can do is give up because you are not perfect. If you fall, get back up and keep on moving forward. Anything worth having is going to take some effort, but if you keep striving to reach your goal you will get there and you will be healthier and thinner when you do reach your goal. Rapid weight loss can be safe, but consistency is better for long-term success.

The Weight Watchers Diet-What Makes it Work?

2007-02-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

Weight Watchers has been helping people lose weight for over 40 years. They have helped millions of people lose weight and keep it off, but what makes the Weight Watchers diet program so successful. I believe the two biggest reasons for their success are the meetings and the versatility of their food plan.

It is proven that people that attend weekly meetings for anything are more likely to be successful at whatever it is they are trying to accomplish. When Weight Watchers began, that’s all they had were meetings and one food plan. Today, they still swear by their weekly meetings, but they have several food plans that have changed as the years have passed. Now you are able to follow a food plan that is best suited to your personality and needs.

Weight Watchers offers four types of support. They are Weight Watchers Meetings, Weight Watchers Online, Weight Watchers eTools and Weight Watchers At Home. Weight Watchers Turnaround is their latest type of weight loss plan. Weight Watchers Turnaround is composed of two types of food plans. They are the Flex Plan and the Core Plan.

Weight Watchers Meetings last less than an hour and you are weighed weekly to let you know how you are doing. You will be given informative literature each week to help you progress through your chosen Weight Watchers diet plan. In the meeting, you are given tips to help you be successful at reaching your goal weight. You will also get feedback from other Weight Watchers members about what has worked for them in their journey towards reaching their goal weight.

For a small monthly fee, you can become a member of Weight Watchers Online. This program will give you everything you will need to reach your weight loss goal at the click of a mouse. You keep track of your weight loss online, through the use of Weight Tracker. There are tools to help you make wise food choices. You will find recipes for both the Flex Plan and the Core Plan available online along with a restaurant guide that will help you make wise choices when dining out. Weight Watchers Online has motivational tips and information that will help you be successful at weight loss. There is also free online help that is available anytime, day or night. Weight Watchers Online is well worth the money.

Weight Watchers eTools is very similar to Weight Watchers Online. Weight Watchers eTools is marketed as a companion to the Weight Watchers Meetings. The price for Weight Watchers eTools is slightly less than Weight Watchers Online. You will also get Weight Watchers On-the-Go free with Weight Watchers eTools. Weight Watchers On-the-Go contains tools that can be used on your hand held PDA.

Weight Watchers At Home is a kit that can be ordered and sent to your home. This kit contains all the tools and information you will need to manage your Weight Watchers diet from your home. Weight Watchers At Home contains all the information you would get by attending a meeting. If you are not able to attend meetings, Weight Watchers At Home is a good weight loss option for you.

With the flexibility that the Weight Watchers program has to offer, it is easy to see why it has been able to remain successful for so long. Many people have lost weight through the Weight Watchers program and their will be many more to follow.

Purchasing Body Building Supplements Online

2007-02-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

In today’s society people have become more aware of their physical appearance. It is a fact that having a physically fit body will give you self confidence and make you feel healthier. Having a body that you can be proud of can build self-esteem and people will admire your body. Besides, having a muscular can have many benefits. Being out of shape is not attractive and can be unhealthy.

A muscular body also means a healthy body and with today's health conscious society, you have to consider getting a great looking body and also a healthy heart. If you want to have a great looking and muscular body that looks like an athlete or a movie star you should turn off that TV, get off your La-Z-Boy and visit the gym. You may also want consider purchasing body building equipment or build a personal home gym in your basement or garage.

Building that body you want will require you to have great discipline in terms of workout routines and diet. It will also require you taking dietary body building supplements in order to achieve your maximum performance in your body building routines. There are many types of body building supplements available on the market today. You have to consider that body building requires intensive workout routines and may cause significant injuries in your muscles. You need to insure that you have had the proper training by a body building professional in order to avoid serious injury during your workouts.

Body building supplements are also recommended in order for you to achieve maximum performance for your body. These supplements work by aiding your body and muscles to reach its maximum potential and help repair injured or damaged muscle tissues faster. Body building supplements are a tool to help your body. It doesn’t mean that you can take body building supplements and simply relax and watch your favorite TV show in your comfortable recliner and wait for your muscles to grow. You need to workout regularly to experience the result of your body building supplements. As mentioned before, the body supplements you will take will only assist your body in reaching its maximum potential.

Not all body building supplements will be easy to find. Thanks to the internet you have anything you need or desire at your finger tips, including body building supplements. Body building supplements manufacturers are now making their products available online where you can choose from a wide variety of these supplements at a very reasonable price.

However, before you just purchase any body building supplements online, you should consult your professional body building fitness trainers about what particular supplement you should purchase and what effective brand is available.

These are the things you have to know about body building supplements. By knowing what kind of brand to purchase and also what kind of body building supplements, you will be able to achieve great and visible results in your body at a very short time.

With the growing trend towards health and physical fitness in the world today, it pays to be informed as to the correct way to workout and what you can do to enhance that workout. Following an exercise program specifically designed to help you reach your desired goals and using body building supplements are two things you can do to help you become muscular, healthy and physically fit.

Being Overweight: Getting to the Root of Why You Over Eat

2007-02-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Some people are overweight do circumstances beyond their control. They may have medical conditions or take medications that cause them to gain weight. But the biggest majority of overweight people (more than 95%) at that weigh because of what they put in their mouth.

Because of the enormity of this problem, in today’s society, there are many weight loss organizations that can help you manage your weight. I feel one of the biggest parts of learning to manage your weight is figuring out why you overate in the first place. If you don’t figure out how you got where you are it will be hard not to end up there again.

While there are many organization that can help you decipher why you overate, Overeaters Anonymous is one of the best organizations you can choose to help you with your overeating. Not only will you work through the 12 steps figuring out how you got where you are, you will also have the benefit of the experiences of the other members of the organization.

I believe drawing on someone else’s experiences is almost more valuable than listening to someone that instructs based on what they learned from a book. Book information is also very valuable, because those books are usually written by experts in their field. Know matter where it comes from, take it in and learn from it.

Another step that you should take is to write a “goodbye letter” to food and tell it how you feel about the situation you are in. This may sound strange, but alcoholics and drug addicts do it in rehab and I also new a Weight Watchers leader who wrote a similar letter to food. The letter will help to change your relationship with food and eating.

Learning to eat only when you are hungry is a process that will take time and effort. You should get used to eating at an appropriate location (dinner table, lunch room, etc…) and enjoy you food. Eating while you are working, watching television, sitting at the computer or anywhere else causes absent minded eating. Before you know it you have eaten a whole bag of something.

Overeating can be an addiction for some and it needs be treated like any other addiction. There are many things that can be done to start the healing process and there are a lot of locations where this help can be gotten. Getting started is the hardest part and that is a step only you can take.

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Losing Weight and Setting Goals

2007-02-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

When it comes losing weight, people that have the most success have made many changes in their life. They have made the changes slowly and over time. Most things in life worth having do not happen all at once, they are part of a process. Weight loss is no different. It is a process that will take time and it will take getting to know and understand many things about yourself and your life.

One of things that I found to help me the most was to set small goals. In a class I took, we were asked to sign a contract with our self to set and accomplish one or maybe more than one goal for the next coming week. This goal should be something that you feel you need to address. If you feel that this issue you are going to address is overwhelming and complicated, address one small part of the challenge at a time. For example, you may want start by adding 20 minutes of exercise, 3 times a week to your schedule or drink 2 more 8 ounce glasses of water each day. Stick with the goal until it has become part of your lifestyle. Once you have accomplished your small goal, set a new one. This practice works well in other areas of your life also.

If chose to pick more than one goal, I considered one of them my primary goal for that week. The other goals that I chose were smaller. I guess I chose to address more than one element weekly because I like the feeling of accomplishment and the more goals I could meet the more I felt I had accomplished. How many goals you are going to set for yourself will be completely up to you, but don’t become overwhelmed by try to tackle too much at one time. This will only set you up for failure.

If I was not able to meet my weekly goals, I usually tried to address the same goal or goals the following week, but I usually scaled them back by a small amount and tried to reach them that way. For instance, if I had set a goal to exercise 45 minutes, 4 times a week. I may set that goal back to 45 minutes, 3 times a week or 30 minutes, 4 times a week. Once I am able to meet this goal for a week or two, I will than try to meet the original goal of exercising 45 minutes, 4 times a week.

Setting goals is an important part of making changes in your life, not just in weight loss. Taking small steps and measuring them is an excellent way of accomplishing a major achievement in your life. Following this process can help you move forward in many areas of your life. Once you have an end result in mind, breaking it down into smaller attainable goals is the best way of reaching your target.

What is a Yoga Exercise Ball?

2007-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Simply put, a yoga ball is a large ball, molded from plastic and filled with air. The yoga ball, sometimes referred to as an exercise ball or a stability ball, was developed in 1963 by Auilino Cosani, an Italian toy maker. The yoga ball is also called the Swiss ball and was first used by physical therapists for physical therapy in patients with neurological problems.

By the 1990s, the yoga ball was being used by personal trainers, athletes and dancers. Coordination and balance are two types of workouts that can be performed on the yoga ball that are difficult to get on other types of fitness equipment. The ball can easily be combined with other types of equipment (weights and resistance bands) to make for a more diverse workout.

The yoga ball has also made the leap to in-home use. The exercise ball is a very versatile piece of exercise equipment. It can be used for aerobic exercises, muscle toning exercises and stretching exercises. The yoga ball is also portable and inexpensive. A deflated yoga ball and a small portable pump will fit easily into a suitcase.

The exercise ball can be used by virtually everyone. It makes an excellent workout device for a body builder and also for an expectant mother. Athletes can improve their balance and coordination, while a senior citizen can use the yoga ball to help them improve their circulation and to lessen their chances of falling.

Here are some of the reasons that should use a yoga ball as part of your workout routine:
• The ball strengthens your body’s core by allowing you to workout the deeper abdominal muscles.
• Your flexibility is greatly improved, due to the ease with which back stretches can be performed.
• The ball requires greater strength and control to perform exercise, due to its unstable base.
• Stomach exercises done on the ball require greater tension than stomach exercises done on the floor.
• The yoga ball is one of the few exercise devices that will help you improve your posture and balance
• The yoga ball can be used to increase the difficulty level of the exercises you are doing as your muscle development improves.
• There is an exercise for every muscle group that can be performed on the yoga ball.
• Ball exercises will improve your cardiovascular system and burn fat with a low-impact exercise regimen.
• The exercises performed on the ball can be modified to accommodate any age group or workout type.
• The portability of the exercise ball makes it more convenient than other types of exercise equipment.

The yoga ball is very versatile and can fit into any workout. It can also be used by people of all ages. Put on your favorite music or TV show and get started with a yoga ball workout today and within a month you should be seeing the results of your new, healthy lifestyle.

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Do Overweight Parents Have Overweight Kids?

2007-01-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

As adults get bigger and bigger, so do the children. In the area I live in, it is common to see large families. Both the adults and the children are overweight. With 35 % of all adults being overweight, the number of overweight children is also on the rise. About 8 % of all preschool-age children are overweight, and nearly twice that number are overweight between age 6 and 11. The big question is what causes children to be obese and what can we do to help our children.

The past several decades have presented Americans with some extreme lifestyle changes. Here is a brief overview of the 3 major reasons for obesity in our children today:
· Poor eating habits. With our society being much faster paced now than it was 30 or 40 years ago, our way of eating has also changed. Now instead of eating a properly cooked meal with nutritious ingredients, we opt for fast food or a frozen convenience meal. Both of these choices are high in fat and calories. This lifestyle over time will lead to certain weight gain. More than 60% of American children eat too many fatty foods, and less than 20% eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. In order to reverse the current trend of obesity this will have to change.
· Not enough exercise. The past 20 years has seen an increase in screen time for our children. With the popularity of video games, computers and cable TV, kids spend more time in front of a screen than they spend being involved in physical activities. Statistics show that the time spent in front of a screen is proportional to the child’s obesity problem and to make matters worse, many children snack on unhealthy foods unconsciously while they are on the computer or watching TV. Parents need to trade exercise time for screen time. Children should be encouraged to get involved in organized activities. Children are more likely to exercise if they do not have to do it alone.
· Genetics. Your family plays a big part in whether you or your children will be overweight. Up to 40 % of all children are predisposed to being overweight and that percentage increases if these children have poor eating habits and do not exercise. We cannot change who were born to, but our eating and exercise is completely in our control.

We may not be able to control everything in our lives, but there are things we can do to help our children live healthier and happier lives. We can start by making lifestyle changes as a family. If everyone, including family members that are not overweight, are willing to make healthier choices the people that are overweight are more likely to make the same changes and be successful at losing weight.

Exercising as a family will also make it easier to get resistant children involved. Make it fun. Go to the zoo and walk. Take a bike ride as a family. Go swimming together. The possibilities for group exercise are endless and can be fun and a good stress reliever. With some planning and effort we can change the current trends that exist for our children and get them on the path towards living a happy and healthy life.

What Value do Diet Weight Loss Supplements have?

2006-08-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

The opinions on diet weight loss supplements are about as different as the types of diet supplements that are available. It is wise to research diet weight loss supplements that you may be thinking about trying. Search the forums and reviews available on the internet and I am sure you will find there is no shortage of information and opinions on the diet weight loss supplements being sold on the market today.

Hoodia and herbal phentermine are the two that I have read the best reviews about. I would say the number of good comments about these diet weight loss supplements out number the negative comments, I have read about theses weight loss supplements. For some people they are going to help and for others they may be better off spending their money on something other than diet weight loss supplements.

In most cases, it is not going to hurt you to try a weight loss supplement. It may lighten your pocketbook a bit. Some of these supplements can be on the pricey side, but you may be one of the lucky ones that loses weight by taking a diet weight loss supplement.

If you are taking other types of medication, you will need to discuss taking any kind of diet pill with your doctor, before doing so. Typically, most over-the-counter diet supplements do not interact with other drugs, but your doctor is the only one that can tell you for sure.

I understand wanting to lose weight so badly you are willing to try almost anything, but you have to keep in mind there is NO substitute for eating sensibly and exercising. That is the only way you are going to truly lose weight and keep it off. I am not saying that a diet weight loss supplement will not help you lose weight, but if you think you will lose weight just by taking the diet supplement, you will probably be disappointed.

In my experience with supplements, I have found them to be less effective over time. You body begins to build up a tolerance to them. Diet weight loss supplements are a tool that can assist you in reaching your goal weight, but they will need to be used in conjunction with a sensible diet and moderate exercise plan to have much value.

Marjorie Salada is the owner of Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

6 Tips to Avoid Overeating During Special Occasions

2006-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

The holidays and other special occasions can be a challenge if you are trying to lose weight or maintain a weight loss, but with a little bit of planning and fore thought you can get through times without packing on the pounds and you can enjoy them at the same time.

• Keep moving. Keep your exercise routine on track and if at all possible, try to get a little bit of extra exercise in. Exercise will keep your metabolism high and will help keep your appetite in check. If you are able to exercise for an extra twenty minutes, it will help counter act the extra calories you are consuming.
• Control the meals that you can. If you are going to a special dinner in the evening, trying cutting back at breakfast and lunch. You can even do this in the days following the special occasion.
• Don’t deprive yourself. Depriving yourself may often lead to a binge. Enjoy a controlled portion of whatever it is that you are craving. Having a small portion now may keep from eating the whole pie later.
• Invest calories in what you can’t always have. Make room for that once a year treat by passing on a food that you can enjoy all year around.
• Fight eater’s remorse. If you overeat at lunch that does not mean that you have to write off dinner. Each meal is a new opportunity to make healthy choices.
• Get real. Special occasions are not the time to lose weight. If you can maintain your weight you have done well. You won’t have to make up any ground. You will just be starting where you left off.

Special occasions are a time for you to enjoy yourself. Plan ahead and you will be able to get through these occasions without gaining weight and once they are over you can pickup where you left off and resume your regular eating habits.

Marjorie Salada is the owner of Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

The Importance of Drinking Water for Weight Loss

2006-08-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Amazing as it may seem, water should be the most important part of your weight loss program. Water is a true catalyst when it comes to weight loss and keeping it off permanently. You should drink 64 ounces of water a day. If you drink very little water now, you are probably going to have gradually increase your water intake until you reach 64 ounces. Adding more water to your diet will help you have a more consistent weight loss.

Here are some facts about water and the reasons that it can help you with your weight loss:
• Water suppresses your appetite naturally and helps you body metabolize stored fat. Research has shown that decreasing your water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while increasing your water intake can reduce fat deposits.
• The way to fight fluid retention is to drink enough water. When the body does not get enough water it tends to hold on to every drop for dear life, causing your body to store water outside the cells, resulting in swelling. Using diuretics will cause the same effect. If you are experiencing excess water retention, you may want to examine the amount of salt that is in your diet. Your weight loss will come faster if you can reduce the amount of salt in your diet. If you are overweight you need more water than a person of normal weight.
• Water helps your muscles maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles the natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration.
• Water helps prevent the sagging skin that follows weight loss.
• Water helps rid you body of waste and it also helps prevent constipation.
• Water is absorbed into your system more quickly if it is cold. There is evidence to suggest that drinking cold water can burn calories.
• When you drink the optimum amount of water and you no longer experience fluid retention, more fat is used to fuel your body and you will experience less cravings and hunger.

Water truly does sustain your life and without we will die. It is amazing that something so simple and something that is free is so important to our lives. If you drink 64 ounces of water daily, within a month you should notice a lot of differences in yourself. Our bodies are made up mostly of water and the best way to keep them healthy is to drink a lot of it.

Marjorie Salada is the owner of Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

What Does Stress have to do with Losing Weight?

2006-08-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what stress and weight loss has to do with each other? For me they have a great deal to do with each other. When I am under stress, I go right for the junk food machine or the potato chip bag. How much weight I lose is directly dependent on how well I deal with my stress.

Here are some of the methods I have started using to relieve stress. These things may not always get rid of the stress, but they will get your mind off of what is bother me and as long as I can do that, I may not feel the need to eat junk food to get passed the stressful issue.

• Do deep breathing exercises for five minutes
• Take 5 minutes to reflect on the positive things in your life
• Look at a picture that reminds of a time that you were having fun
• Read something that you enjoy
• Work on a small craft project

These are a few of things that work for me. I find that if I can spend 5-10 minutes doing something that makes me feel good, that is enough time to get past the urge of wanting stuff my face. If it still persists, I try to have something in my hands that I don’t want to get food on.

Learning how to get past the stress in your life will help you feel better and will help you to make healthier choices.

Marjorie Salada is the owner of Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

Why do People Get Eating Disorders?

2006-08-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

More than 5 million people in this country suffer from eating disorders. This problem is growing at an alarming rate. An eating disorder is like any other addiction. You know it can kill you, but you don't have any control over it. It is like an alcoholic. He knows his drinking can kill him, but he does it anyway. It is the nature of the disease, but that does not mean that it can not be treated.

Contrary to popular belief, eating disorders are not about eating or being skinny. They are about control and self-expression. A person with an eating disorder usually feels that other areas of their life are out of control and their eating or lack of it is the one thing they do have control over.

Their dieting may start about being thin and beautiful, because that is what is considered desirable in our society today. They want to be perfect, but then the dieting goes too far. These disorders are very complicated and take long and intensive treatment. Many people that suffer from eating disorders never do recover.

Eating disorders happen mostly in young women with a history of dieting. Most people are predisposed to these disorders and have addictive tendencies. When they are faced with life’s problems, they do not cope the same way as most people do. Like any other addict, if they can't control situations in their life, they will find something that they can control or get comfort from and that is the way they deal with food.

For a long time, a person with an eating disorder may be able to keep it hidden. This makes it even harder to make changes, because this person has suffered in silence for so long they do not know how to open up to other people. Learning to trust and talk to other people is a very important when it comes to person with an eating disorder recovering.

Unfortunately, eating disorders will eventually have severe consequences. They will affect your heart, kidneys and liver. It causes osteoporosis and muscle deterioration. It also weakens your immune system and causes anemia. As many as 20 percent of all people, who suffer from eating disorders, will die from their disease.

Eating disorders are very complicated and learning how to recover from this disorder is a lifelong process, but with time and professional help a person is able to make significant strides towards living a normal life. Getting help and learning to trust again is the key.

Marjorie Salada is the owner of Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

The Yoga Exercise Ball

2006-08-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

I love this thing. It is large plastic ball that is filled with air and it makes excercising very convenient. If you are a couch potato, this is right up your alley. You can actually do a number of exercises by sitting on it. You can get an aerobic workout or you can do resistance exercises on it if you have bands or weights. It also works really well for stretching exercise.

The exercise ball helps you with your balance and your coordination, because the ball is round you have to keep moving to keep your balance and this adds to your workout.

I can actually get an aerobic workout by sitting on this ball in front of the television and either tapping my heals out and back or by marching in place as I sit. I feel this workout is every bit as good as walking and I can watch my favorite television show while I am doing it.

Need more information on weight loss and exercise? Checkout Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

The Key to Weight Loss is Balance

2006-08-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

The key to losing weight successfully is balance. It is all about the numbers. If you have more of some thing here, you have to have less of something somewhere else. If you can learn to juggle or balance your calories you will have an easier time making your weight loss plan fit your lifestyle.

Here are four items that may help you balance your diet plan and still have the foods you enjoy:

List foods that are going to work to advantage and use them. Find healthy things that you really like and work them into food plan often.
List foods that may not be healthy, but you don’t want to give them up. Eat these foods in controlled situations, such as; buying them in a single serving or having them at a restaurant in single serving.
Identify foods that you have no control over. Unfortunately, it is best to avoid these foods in anything but a single serving. Keep these foods out of your home.
Give up foods that have little or no nutritional value that you are not gong to miss. If you are not going to miss them, why have the added calories.

Trying to follow these four simple rules will allow you to have the foods you enjoy while helping you stay within a weight loss plan that will be successful.

Marjorie Salada is the owner of Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

Jillian Michaels Can Help You Lose Weight

2006-08-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Jillian Michaels, one of the personal trainers on the television show The Biggest Loser, now has her own weight loss website. She appears to have put the same energy into her site as she does into getting her contestants into shape. The site is chalked full of useful tips for losing weight and staying motivated.

Jillian says it takes 3 things to lose weight: Self, science and sweat. She also says something I completely agree with and that is losing weight is just a numbers game. If you eat more calories than you use, you are going to gain weight and if you eat fewer calories than you use, you are going to lose weight.

You can join Jillian’s website for $4 per week. For all the information that is available this is an excellent deal. This website has several tools available to help you lose weight. There is also a message board for support. Jillian has addressed all the issues I consider important when it comes to weight loss: eating healthy, exercising, staying motivated and changing the thinking that caused you to over eat in the first place.

Jillian’s program can be customized to easily fit your lifestyle; a factor I consider important when it comes to losing weight. If it doesn’t fit into your life, what are the chances you are going to follow it. So what are you waiting for? Go check out Jillian’s site today!

Marjorie Salada is the owner of Weight Loss 3000, a website that contains information on weight loss, exercise, weight loss surgery and living a healthy lifestyle.

Finding a Weight Loss Plan That Fits Your Lifestyle

2006-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

If you can find a weight loss plan that fits into your life as you are living it, I think you are half way there. In the society that we live in, there is no shortage of weight loss plans available.

If you are a very busy person, there are plans available where you can buy 30 days worth of food all at one time. Most of this food is very portable and does not need refrigerated. With these plans, the food is right at your finger tips and there does not have to be a lot of time put into preparation.

There are liquid weight loss plans available. These also work well for the person on the go, but most of them are lacking in the taste and texture department. These food plans will help you lose weight fast, but if you like to taste and chew food, a liquid plan is not your best option.

Then there are the healthy eating plans. You have to be disciplined enough to make healthy food choices and prepare them correctly. These will work well for a family, because they taste good and can be made so everyone will enjoy them. Healthy eating takes time to prepare and time to shop for. If you are not at home very often, this plan is not your best choice.

There are also organizations that will design a custom weight loss plan to fit your lifestyle. These organizations have something for everybody and are mostly available online. They offer online support and numerous tools to help you lose the weight.

So as you can see, you have a lot of choices. It is just a matter of finding something you can live with and will not seem like work. The better your weight loss plan fits your life, the more likely you are to be successful at it.

If You Want to Lose Weight, Eat at Home

2006-08-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Have ever really paid attention to the serving sizes when you eat in a restaurant? How many calories are really in that meal? Most restaurant meals contain twice the calories that you should be eating at one meal and probably all the fat and then some for the whole day in that one meal.

Bottom line is the more you eat at home, the faster you are going to get that excess weight off. Losing weight is not easy no matter how you do it. Although restaurants have many healthy food choices available, I have a much harder time making a healthy choice with those pictures of juicy cheeseburgers staring me right in the face.

Preparing meals at home is a much more controlled environment with a lot less temptations. It is easier to measure a serving size from your home than from underneath all the toppings that come on top of restaurant meals.

Because the situation is more controlled in your home, you will lose more weight the more often you eat there. It all depends on how fast you want to see you excess weight disappear how often you will want to eat at home.

The Medifast Diet Plan

2006-08-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

If you are trying to get a lot of weight off quickly, the Medifast Diet Plan is a good option for you. This plan is a low-carb, mostly liquid diet. You have two liquid meals and two snacks. For dinner you have what Medifast refers to as a lean and green meal. This consists of lean protein and a salad or green vegetables.

Conceptually, this is a very easy plan to follow. You know exactly what you are going to eat and when you are going to eat it. There is little or no prep time involved with your meals. The part that will be hardest to follow is the fact that you are eating only 800-1000 calories per day. I think the fact that it is so low calorie may make it hard to stick with, especially at first. If you can get through the first week, I think your chances of being able to stick with it are pretty good.

The Medifast Diet Plan sells for $275 a month, which sounds like a lot, but if you think about it, that is $10 per day. Most people easily spend more than that on food now, especially if you dine out. Right now, with the purchase of a months worth of food you get a free weeks worth of food.

The thing I like about the Medifast Diet plan is it does not take much thought and planning. You buy your food for the month and you are pretty much done. Having to plan what to eat was part of what always tripped me up when it came to eating healthy. If the food wasn't in my home it was easier to go to McDonald's than go through the hassle of going to the grocery store.

If you are looking to try a diet plan that is different, you might want to

Losing Weight and Keeping it Off

2006-08-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

The purpose of starting this blog is to give tips and suggestions on losing weight and keeping it off. Keeping it off is the key here. How many people do you know that have lost the weight just to turn around and gain it all back and then some?

Hopefully, writing this blog will help me keep mine off and give some other people the motivation to do what it takes to lose their weight and keep it off. Losing weight is one of the most difficult things I have ever done.

Personally, I think I deal with food like an addict and food is the one thing you can not abstain from during recovery. So, I have learned to deal with my thinking in other ways and that is the hard part. I know exactly what decisions I should be making, but I don't always do it. But like many other things in my life, I take weight loss one day at a time.