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How to Avoid Yo-Yo Dieting

November 2, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Usually when each of us attempt to lose weight, there are ups and there are downs. This is understandable, especially if weight has been an ongoing issue. Trying repeatedly to loose any excess weight can always be a difficult experience. Whether its because we feel that we are being robbed of the foods we love, denied the simply pleasures in life, or depressed that we have not seen the results we were expecting. Whatever the case, we experience the stop and the start of dieting when we set out to diet.

Dieting itself by the very definition of the word is a mistake. Having your body adapt to a certain method of eating and drinking for short periods of time will only serve to gain the weight back that you have lost. You body requires a certain amount of nutritional value both from food and drink. Denying your body any of these, by any means says logically that when they are re-introduced, your body will gain weight again. Your body is trained to store fats in reserve to keep it functioning. If you are continually yo -yo dieting the cycle will be a something such as a five pound weight loss to a six pound weight gain. This cycle will continue  since your body will be confused as to when it’s receiving it’s next complete meal.

Many of us try to avoid the actual work needed to achieve successful weight loss. It is much easier to search for online deals on the latest fad  or crash diet, than to map out a way to change your lifestyle. Yo-Yo dieting is a temporary solution to what is actually a bigger problem. Telling yourself that you just simply need to loose five more pounds and you will be happy is a recipe for disaster. Needing to diet for five ppounds means once again, if you take carbohydrates out of diet to achieve this, once you eat them again the weight will return.

The best way to avoid yo-yo dieting is to set out a plan for healthy living. Eating well and eating often will allow you to maintain a healthy weight. Incorporating exercise into your weekly routine will keep you moving and keep you fit. Having exercise as part of your routine is a healthy way to maintain your weight or loose those extra pounds that you have been wanting to. The is no secret potion, crash diet that will provide your body the nutrients it needs while getting the exercise that will boost your metabolism. Staying the course to a healthy lifestyle takes a commitment. Don’t pour your commitment into trying the latest diets that may only provide a temporary solution, work on keeping your lifestyle full of healthy choices.

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Dieting on a Budget Made Easy

October 29, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Dieting can be stressful enough without the added anxiety of money. When you set out to loose weight, there are many products on the market that will aide you in this process. Not everyone though can take advantage of these products because of the hefty price tags that come with them. Is all the extra necessary to this process? Really losing weight means eating right and exercise. Both can be done while keeping your cost low.

What to Eat?

When setting out to loose weight you may want to start over when it comes to whats in your cupboards and in your fridge. Grocery shopping can be a costly venture if you think you have to subscribe to all the products that claim to be the “only healthy” option.  Reading the labels are half the battle. Some products are essentially the same, minus a few ingredients. These ingredients may not be essential to your weight loss plan, but you are charged extra for. Looking for  the similar products but the cheaper alternative is fine, it will provide the same end results. Products to look for like this would be bread, wraps, and crackers. This method can be applied to any products your buy though.

When buying your fruits and vegetables, find out what’s in season. For those items that are in season, local farmer’s markets will offer a cheaper price for a larger quantity. If you are really looking at budgeting, purchase large quantities. This will allow you to freeze  a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to utilize throughout the upcoming week in your dishes. This is an excellent way to ensure that your receiving all the food groups, and doing so with fresh ingredients. You will also notice a difference in what your spending. The cost of pre packaged food is considerably higher than buying fresh produce in bulk and packing them yourself.

Exercise Is Free

Everyone thinks that because they have chosen to embark on a diet that they must join a gym for the exercise component of their plan. Some assume that joining the gym will give them the motivation to go since they have a place to do work out in. Not at all. Having to “go” someplace actually becomes a deterrent to most. Don’t let the idea that if you can’t afford a gym membership  you can’t exercise get into your thoughts. Exercise if free. Walking for thirty minutes a day can graduate to running if you need to pick up your cardio.  You can implement any new exercise to your routine to increase intensity along the way.

The point behind dieting on a budget is not to change your pocket book, it’s to live a healthy lifestyle. Dieting can be made easy, all you have to do is shop smart and stick to it.   A healthy lifestyle is attainable as long as you plan ahead. Once you have established a routine how and where you exercise and eat can change, but your knowledge and your commitment won’t.

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The Effects of Chronic Dieting

October 26, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Weight loss can always be something that eludes us. Year after year we try to shed those excess pounds to no avail.  Seeking out new concepts of weight loss, trying new diets and participating in the latest weight loss craze. What can that mean on our bodies? There are several effects of chronic dieting that can occur after years of putting your body though such distress. How will you know if you are a chronic dieter?  These few statements describe the nature of a person who seeks out dieting on a regular basis.

  • Constantly restricts the intake of the energy (food) in an attempt to keep their average weight below the level that is considered healthy for their height and body build;
  • Generally is obsessed with his or her body shape and/or weight;
  • Restricts their choices for food intake for periods of more than two years while continually trying to achieve unreasonably low weight levels;
  • Fails to reach those on realistic weight levels or reaches them and then regains the weight only to start the process over again.

If any of these statements apply to way you are living your life while handling your weight you may be a chronic dieter and should be aware of the effects. Physical effects can range for all people, and they include; the creation of a decreased REE (resting energy expenditure); decreased insulin responses at meal times; a lessened lean body mass ratio; higher thyroxine levels; reversed triiodothyronine concentrations; lowered dietary restraint abilities; decreased levels of leptin. These can all be dangerous to your over all health and well being.

The psychological effects that can take a toll on a person can be even more damaging to a person. Setting unrealistic goals for yourself and your body weight can not only cause harm to you physically when you can’t reach them, it can be harmful mentally. The constant need to fulfill this unrealistic weight loss goal will eventually take its tole mentally. Month after month when you can not reach your “ideal” weight you can become severely depressed.

Depression coupled with the physical side effects of chronic dieting will leave you cranky, fatigued and distraught. It can be mentally damaging to a person when diet after diet fails and either the jeans you want so desperately to fit don’t, or you look in the mirror and dislike your body image.  This is a significant problem for a chronic dieter since it’s prevalent daily.

Obviously, in order to constantly restrict your dietary intake for years at a time, without ever achieving any realistic goals, there must be some psychologicAli problem going on. Obsession with your body shape and/or weight is unhealthy. If you are so eaten up by thoughts of being too heavy, or that you are unattractive to others, then there is a serious implication that you need to be more centered in your own mind and less concerned with public opinion. The psychological effects of over dieting can be crippling and stop individuals from enjoying their lives at all.

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How to Rid Lower Body Fat

October 21, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Weight loss is a difficult task no matter what your body type. Trying to rid your body of lower body fat can be almost impossible to most people. It  may seem to many that any extra weight they gain will go right to their stomachs causing a nice little “belly”. This unattractive little quality is has taken on many slang terms but seems to elude many on how to rid themselves of it.

Really, when it comes down to it, losing any kind of fat, no matter where it is on your body, requires you to consume less calories than you body needs. This lack of calories will set into motion the processing of excess body fat to make up for the lack of calories. The special attention you pay to certain areas of your body will come down to exercise. Even after repeated attempts to lose the pouch using fad diets and expensive machines, it just keeps coming back. There’s no secret pill or diet that will get rid of lower pouch fat, just as there is no secret to getting rid of arm fat, neck fat, or any other kind of fat. The real key is diet and exercise. But what kind of exercise?

Work your lower ab muscles to strengthen the muscle wall and burn belly fat. Do a few reps of scissors after your cardio exercise. Lie on your back with your hands underneath your buttocks. Lift your legs about a foot off the ground. Contract your lower ab muscles, and move your legs in a crisscross motion: move your right leg over the left, then open your legs apart and move your left leg over the right. Be careful not to bend your knees. Do about 10 to 15 reps. Alternating in cardio three times a week will kick your workout up a couple of notches. Keeping your heart rate will ensure your constantly burning calories. This is your main goal when committing to weight loss.

There is also the matter of alcoholic beverages when it come to lower body fat. The term “beer belly” exists for a reason. Cutting back beer drinking or eliminating it altogether will be imperative to losing your lower body fat. The most obvious reason being the calorie content in the beer is so high, that eliminating it will reduce your overall calorie intake thus causing you to lose weight.

Two points to note:

Get plenty of rest when trying to lose your lower stomach pouch. A tired body cannot metabolize efficiently and having one will make your weight loss effort more challenging.

Check with your doctor to be certain that your lower pouch fat is not related to an unknown health condition.

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Antioxidants for Dieting

October 7, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

Weight loss can be a complex science. Dieting is a combination of diet an exercise at it’s core, however which combination of these you choose could have a direct result on the type of outcome you accomplish. Many diets out there promote weight loss, but most don’t go beyond that.

There are methods that fads and crash diets, there are programs which will take you on journey that require a commitment in many forms. With so many choices for dieting , it is imperative that each method for weight loss is looked at in detail.

Information is the key to knowledgeable informed decisions when you want to start dieting.  A relatively take on dieting involves antioxidants.

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are basically molecules, which are capable of slowing or preventing oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction which involves transfer of electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. This process happens in everyone at different rates. Antioxidants can reverse the damage caused by oxidation to some extent. They mainly contain nutritional substances like vitamins and minerals, as well as some enzymes. Some foods are richer than others in antioxidants and now are advertised this way. Thousands of antioxidants naturally occur in plant foods such as vitamin A and E.

Why Will This Help My Diet?

Consuming an antioxidant rich diet on a regular basis can reduce the risks of heart diseases as well as cancer. The key is to combine antioxidant sources in a creative way to form a daily diet plan based on what kind of diet you are setting out on. The plan should consist of variations so that you will be able to follow it for an extended period of time.

What Foods Should I Look For?

Antioxidant rich foods that are suitable for weight loss and dieting plans are foods such as these;

  • Fruits – Berries including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, etc., and other fruits like grapes, orange, grapefruit,  plum, pineapple, and kiwi.
  • Dry Fruits – Dates, prunes and apricots are rich in beta carotene.
  • Vegetables – Artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach,kale, red cabbage, chili pepper, red bell peppers, lemon and red beets.
  • Legumes- Soybeans, broad beans and pinto beans are rich in Genistein, which is a powerful antioxidant.
  • Nuts and Seeds – Nuts including peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and sunflower seeds.
  • Cereals – Oats, millet, barley and corn are rich in antioxidants

    • How Often Should I Eat These?

    The daily recommended intake for these antioxidant rich foods should be approximatley  nine servings per day. This may seem like quite a bit however, if your using  a weight loss dieting plan in conjunction you can easily incorporate these foods.  When setting out for weight loss, eat smart and eat often. Using the antioxidant rich foods as part of your three balanced meals per day , as well as your two snacks will provide you will the recommended in take.

    By incorporating antioxidant-rich foods into your diet everyday, you can take control of your health and dramatically reduce your risk of developing cancer and other age-related diseases.  Enjoying your diet while providing your body the best care possible is a great way to start the process of your weight loss.

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    Best Diet Plan

    October 5, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

    Opinions are everywhere, on everything. Diet plans are no different. Everyone has an opinion on what diet is the BEST diet. Some will base this opinion on what has worked for them, others will base it on reputation. This is a subjective topic since every one’s body reacts differently. There are many opinions on health care and what is good for you body and what is not. Some subscribe to the thinking that dairy is not good for body, it could be that red meat is not healthy. Different people , different opinions. So what’s right and whats wrong?

    Methods for Best Diet Plans

    One method that seems to transcend all schools of thought is diet and exercise.  This method doesn’t require any special products, involves no crash dieting and can be done anywhere. It is a lifestyle . There are other diet plans available that may be advertised as the best, but do we ever really know what can be considered the best?  Diet and exercise has been proven to reduce weight and increase energy,metabolism and even attitude. Feeling energized and refreshed is a side effect that keeps you motivated.  Making healthier choices in the grocery store can start your journey.  The best practised is to be organized.

    Decide to plan for week and shop accordingly. This doesn’t mean you can’t take a friend up on a spontaneous dinner invitation, you just need to know your portion control and healthy food choices. When setting out on your plan, try to incorporate your daily routine into it .If your not a breakfast eater for instance, purchase some yogurt and bananas to make smoothies for your on the go lifestyle. This is a sure fire way to ensure your commitment to the diet plan.

    What Is Included with Best Diet Plans?

    The best diet plan includes all the food groups. When planning your strategy for meals, be sure to include all your fruits and vegetables along with your carbohydrates and protein. Every one’s tastes are different, some may not enjoy certain foods. That’s OK. Try to give yourself variety of tastes and ideas. Plenty of cook books and online website give several  food ideas  which will give you serving size suggestions and calorie intake.  This can give you variety in your cooking and several snacking ideas. Eating well and eating often is the key to  a successful meal plan. this is a lifestyle change and can be adapted to easily.  Make it as convenient as suits your lifestyle. A great idea after grocery shopping is divide almonds  into snack size baggies to keep in your drawer at work, in your bag or anywhere else you may feel like snacking. A healthy snack on hand will keep you full  which will deter the need to over eat.

    Never underestimate the power of exercise. Even thirty minutes of walking a couple of times a week can aide in the best diet plan, especially is it’s more than your used to.  If you already feel that walking isn’t enough, go ahead an add some cardio to your exercise routine. The key here is to commit to a routine. Use whatever motivation necessary to stick to your routine. The new lifestyle can still make sure you maintain your healthy living while still being able to be spontaneous.

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    1000 Calorie Diet

    October 4, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

    All diets should never be entered into lightly. A thousand calorie diet certainly is no differently. A drastic diet designed to shed pounds with little or no exercise.  Due to it’s low calorie content this diet should be used for a short term use ( a two week period) or perhaps restart weight loss. During this time a multivitamin should be taken to keep the recommended nourishment as part of your daily eating.

    What the 1000 Calorie Diet is About

    The idea here is to intake less calories than you would regularly burn in a day. The average person burns  approximately twelve hundred  calories a day by doing nothing. When in-taking less than the calories your burning , shedding pounds shouldn’t be difficult. Will you  have energy for anything else though? A low  calorie diet such as this does come with it draw backs.  If you are at all  attached to your food, this may be a difficult diet for you to stick to. When eating your daily intake you need to measure your serving portions in ounces and grams.

    Foods will be things such as vegetables, fruits, grains,legumes and meat. Meats need be to weight in one ounce portions and the rest in one cup serving portions. With the strict regime it is imperative it is adhere to.  Due to the nature of the diet it’s quite probable that you may become, bored, dis-heartened or just give up.

    What Next?

    Once you have completed the diet, if you don’t adjust your caloric intake downwards to support to your new weight, you will soon return to your pre-diet weight. This is typical pf any fad or crash diet. This diet method may be used to jump start weight gain or push through a weight plateau. Embarking on weight loss program should always be consulted by your doctor. A diet plan such as this is generally only used when an individual is severely obese or preparing for surgery.

    Cutting back to one thousand calories a day is a pretty severe diet and should not be used for more than a week. Using this method to shed a few pounds in week will be tolerable but because the calorie intake is so low and your depriving your body of essential nutrients you body will be convinced its approaching famine. Having an unhealthy obsession with weight will cause thousand calorie diets to become addictive.

    Side effects can creep up and become dangers when doing a diet such as this. Malnutrition, dehydration and fatigue  can become severe if this is an unsupervised venture. Be sure you get guidance from a health care practitioner  to alleviate any problems which may arise before setting out on a diet plan like this.

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    Weight Loss Recipes

    October 1, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

    Weight Loss Recipes

    If you are on the hunt for many different weight loss recipes you are going to quickly discover that there are many different options available now compared to several years ago. Now instead of  having to search around massively to find the best of the best weight loss recipes, here at Rachael West Designs we are going to help you!

    We know how hard it is to find weight loss recipes, and we want to make the process easier for you so you can focus more on your weight loss dieting adventure instead.

    Check back regularly for the latest and greatest weight loss recipes we have for you!

    Weight Loss Recipes

    Cranberry Spiced Cider

    With the winter months quickly catching up to us, it is time to start thinking of warm, delicious healthy drinks. Instead of loading up on high calorie drinks this holiday season, try out our Cranberry Spiced Cider. This recipe is easy to make and a sure hit at all your holiday parties! Put a little added holiday cheer into your drinks this year and stay wise with your calories easily now.

    Staying healthy through the holidays has never been easier!

    Get Weight Loss Recipe Now!
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    Rapid Weight Loss

    September 30, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

    Today’s world has become one of instant gratification. In a society that produces “instant, real time, immediate” results at your finger tips, how else would we want to shed pounds?  This is no different when it comes to weight loss. Is this the right approach?  Will it even work? We explore these questions in more depth.

    When is this an Option?

    Reviewing your BMI will let you know if  this in fact is even need. Your body mass index can tell you if rapid weight loss is something needed to be considered. Very low calorie diets are considered when the BMI exceeds a normal range. See your health care practitioner to review if this is in fact an option for drastic weight loss.  Programs are available at medical weight loss clinics consisting of personalized programs. These ultra low calorie diets  can take several weeks  to lose weight but they must be supervised by a professional to complete the program over the course of twelve weeks.

    Weight loss is a difficult process, and it can be rewarding for a dieter to see quick results. The unfortunate truth is rapid weight loss can cause sever health problems. Seeing quick results can be like forming an addiction. There are some products that provide rapid weight loss such as laxatives teas. These products are recommended for no longer than a ten day period. Due to result, it can become an addiction and therefor be done constantly. Exposing your body to chemicals, (even though herbal teas claim to be all natural) can have long term effects if you continue to use them long term. Eating fiber to promote healthy digestion is not the same as ingesting laxatives in any form that speeds up your bowel activity. Yes, initially you will rapidly loose weight, but this will leave long term  damage to the bowel.

    Many rapid weight loss techniques are provided in many forms. Some of them a combination of foods and restrictions of food.  Fad diets are the most commonly used  because the ingredients are readily available and commonly known. Some fad diets though consist only of liquid. There are cleanses of teas, some of just lemonade, and others are concoction of different liquids depending on which you want to follow. All the ensure rapid weight loss. However depriving the body of any real noutrishion  will send the body into a near starvation mode.

    For others the process of dieting is simply not enough, starvation is the nest step. Giving your body no fuel whatsoever will only drive your body into a fat storing mode. Thereby telling your body that the next time it receives nutrition, it must store it directly to fat to sustain the body organs.

    This can be a dangerous way  lose weight. Becoming addictive to the instant gratification of a ten day rapid weight loss plan, will encourage the behaviour. Instead of waiting until you know you need to fit into that little black dress, start the process now so you will always be ready to wear it.

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    LA Weight Loss

    September 25, 2010 By Karen Hiser Leave a Comment

    Many of us struggle to lose weight. For many it is an ongoing battle that effects us daily. With so many programs offering to make loosing weight seem effortless, how is it possible to know which one to choose? LA Weight Loss is a program that has covered more than simply weight loss. It’s program is designed around, eating right, exercise and practicality.

    Going for a Healthy Weight Loss Option

    With so many programs out there, you must really look at what works for you. A great tip to identify this is looking at what the program offers to fit your life style. LA Weight Loss offers programs that doesn’t restrict your eating, in fact it promotes it. LA Weight Loss promotes a healthy lifestyle with realistic weight loss expectations. Without requiring you to purchase their food, it teaches you how to eat healthy on the go, even eating out. This in itself is a useful tool for most trying to achieve weight loss.

    Teaching healthy cooking promotes a healthy life style.  This is one of the key aspects for LA Weight Loss. It is not realistic to expect to eat prepared all the time, or never eat at restaurant for that matter. LA Weight Loss offers prepared food to get you started while at the same time teaching how to prepare healthy meals , snacks and desserts. Once you can identify healthier options the transition is simple. LA Weight Loss teaches the key elements in loosing weight.  Portion control, healthy meal recipes and an exercise routine. The correct balance of these elements can have amazing results.

    Why Many Struggle with Weight Loss

    For many , the lack of knowledge, discipline and guidance is the deterrent in weight loss. Without these elements it is difficult to know where to begin and how to start the process. LA Weight Loss provides a personalized plan catered to the needs of the client. In that plan, they offer recipes for meal ideas,  exercise programs, and emotional support. An LA Weight Loss  counsellor is provided to offer personalized menu plans and private visits. This gives you the direction you require using your food and answering your questions. You LA Weight Loss counsellor will be your own personal motivation. Losing weight is an emotional process and can be filled with many ups and down.

    The ability to contact your counsellor when having feelings of doubt and discouragement is paramount. LA Weight Loss recognizes the journey a client takes when committing themselves to the process of weight loss. Providing support in each area is what makes weight loss an attainable goal.

    How LA Weight Loss Helps

    LA Weight Loss has partners in Health Care with the ability to reach many. This program has been made available by many health care practitioners across the country. In doing so, LA Weight Loss is recommended by many physicians with their Physicians  Alliance program. Additionally, LA Weigh Loss provides something for everyone. Offering  programs in the corporate arena, nursing and emergency services have made  the programs success .

    LA Weight Loss has become a world wide company dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle in all aspects. By offering the healthiest, satisfying programs for weight loss, clients see results. With those results, LA Weight Loss ensures those clients get the support, advice and information to maintain a healthy life style.

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