Weight for the Holidays - Eileen Silva

Christmas is a comin' and the goose is not the only thing getting fat! Unfortunately, many people gain weight during the Christmas and New Year holiday season. With all the festive feasts, decorative sweets, and parties, not to mention the regular heavier cooking that we do in cold weather, you may find that you are among those people who gain weight during this time of the year. You may even have the remnants of last year's festivities still hanging around your waist or tucked into your cheeks. If so, you are probably dreading this year's contributions even more.

Now, I know there are many articles out there that warn you about holiday weight gain and give crisp, clear instructions about avoiding even the most tempting treats. But, unless you have steel-plated willpower, I also know that, while you may cut back a little on your amounts, that you probably aren't willing to totally give up the party goodies and platefuls of your favorite holiday foods. Let's face it – you need another approach to holiday weight control that you are willing to live with.

Why not prepare for this year's holiday season by losing 10 or more pounds before the Christmas festivities begin? Now, before you panic - I'm not suggesting that you go on a starvation diet to accomplish that, but simply make some lifestyle and body chemistry changes that will rapidly result in weight loss, energy gain, and other physical improvements. Does that sound impossible? Let me assure you, based on results I have seen with my patients, not only is it totally possible, but it is relatively painless and amazingly simple.

I'm sure you realize that a healthy diet, proper exercise, and rest all contribute to your health and wellness, but if your body chemistry is out of balance, they may not contribute to your weight loss efforts. Thanks to a collaboration of anti-aging scientists and physicians, it is now possible for the masses to scientifically correct 5 major body chemistry issues in just 10 days, leading to the weight loss that I am recommending for your holiday relief. Here are your 5 body chemistry areas.

Blood sugar – Lower your blood sugar levels through careful attention to the glycemic index. Are you eating too many carbs? By watching your carbohydrate intake, you can lower your blood sugar levels, which will increase your energy, stabilize any mood swings, and trigger your body to release fat. As an added bonus, you will control or avoid type 2 diabetes with proper blood sugar control.

Body toxicity – Did you know that addressing colon and liver toxicity issues will make a huge difference in your health? Did you know that an average person carries around 7-25 pounds of fecal matter internally? If you lower your body toxicity levels, you can reduce gas, bloating, bad breath, and body odor. You will also non-surgically flatten your tummy, while correcting constipation and/or diarrhea issues.

Control of parasites, candida albicans, and intestinal funguses – Another vital issue you need to address in taking control of your health and weight is the control of parasites, candida albicans, and intestinal funguses. If you have any of these problems, you may suffer from water retention, sugar cravings, mood swings, poor sleep, and allergies. If you have ever taken antibiotics, then chances are you have an intestinal flora or candida albicans issue. Even if you don't take antibiotics, you can ingest antibiotics through meat and dairy products.

Chemistry issue of acid/alkalinity – You will want to check the acid/alkalinity of your body's pH. If you are too acidic, then you will be a "vapor weight gainer," putting on weight rapidly for no apparent reason. You will also be tired and allergy and illness prone, and it has been proven that people who are too acidic are the ones who get cancer. Being alkaline helps you have more natural vitality and will help you maintain good weight management effortlessly.

Turn up the burn on fat – You can do this while enhancing metabolism by natural means and controlling appetite. One way to enhance metabolism is to eat regularly scheduled meals every day. Skipping meals slows down metabolism as the body goes into storage mode, thinking it is not going to receive food so it begins to conserve.

Of course, you will want to remember to practice proper deep breathing so that your cells have enough oxygen to function efficiently and to the best of their abilities. I also want to remind you that all your body systems, from the smallest cell to the largest organ (the skin), cannot function properly without proper amounts of water. Your personal water formula is 2 quarts of water (plus another 8 oz for every 25 pounds you need to lose) per day.

If you will make the simple lifestyle changes that can affect these body chemistry balances in your body, I can assure you that you will not only reach your goal before the holidays begin, but you will find them amazingly helpful during and after the season has passed as well. Remember, these are lifestyle changes that I am suggesting. They are yours for keeps. May you enjoy a slimmer and happier holiday season and many more to come.

About The Author

Eileen Silva, Ph.D., N.D. is a metabolic health balancing expert, talk show guest, and lecturer. Dr. Silva is also an individual, group, and corporate weight management consultant. Contact Dr. Silva at http://www.dreileensilva.com.

Weight Loss—A Roller Coaster Ride - Dr. Leslie Van Romer

I can describe Jean Finman in a word — gorgeous. Well, actually that doesn’t quite do it. She’s not just gorgeous — she’s drop-dead gorgeous.

The best part about Jean is that her outer beauty also exactly reflects her inner beauty, even in the middle of raising five small children.

Other than her movie-star looks, Jean is like so many of us. She grew up struggling with weight.

As a child, she was always surrounded by sweets — they were just a part of her everyday life. Special Tupperware containers filled with cookies and goodies sat in the cupboard. Jean helped herself anytime she wanted. And her weight showed it.

It wasn’t like Jean hadn’t tried to get her weight under control before. She had done the diet thing many times over in her lifetime but without permanent success.

Pounds disappeared; pounds reappeared. Sound like a familiar ride that all of us want to hop off?

When we first met, Jean told me that she felt “fat, ugly, and tired.” As I looked at that face, I sort of got the fat and tired part, but ugly? How could a face like that ever feel ugly? I wondered if she ever looked in the mirror – no kidding!

That was 9 months and 16 pounds ago. I would love to say it’s been easy for Jean. Quite the contrary, she lost 10 pounds the first month — yeah; gained back 10 pounds by the third month – ouch! Can you feel Jean’s pain when those pounds boomeranged back?

By the 5th month, she had gained another pound and the 7th month, she was down 2 pounds—a grand total of 2 pounds down from her original weight. Big sigh. Seven months, two pounds down.

Who wouldn’t just give up after all that effort without any results? Most anyone, but not Jean. She just kept putting one foot in front of the other, even when it felt like slogging through quick sand with no end in sight. Such a lonely and demoralizing haul this weight loss struggle.

Then something happened. Only Jean could describe it well. I guess you could say something clicked in Jean’s brain. What is it that makes that magical switch flip in our brains, the light go on, and somehow we get on track? Who knows.

At night, sometimes Jean would get this real sense that if she didn’t lose weight she was going to die of a heart attack. Her weight had crept back up, and she felt bloated, fat, and miserable. Her pattern was the same most of her life — she would slip back to eating sweets, especially when stressed, hating herself with every bite.

She asked herself, “Why am I doing this to myself? I don’t want to die. I want to be here for my kids.”

Something clicked for Jean.

Recharged and refocused, Jean lost 14 pounds in the last two months. She eats fruit for breakfast, salad or a veggie wrap for lunch with hummus, avocado, red pepper, lettuce, and tomato.

For dinner she starts with a salad first (fill-up on the best-for-you foods first) and eats cooked vegetables and sometimes beans. She makes sure she is full and satisfied. For snacks, she eats nuts and seeds.

Mochas, an almost daily treat and extra calories for Jean, are now pleasant memories. She no longer eats any animal products, dairy products, sugar, or salty snacks — another temptation for her.

Jean says she doesn’t feel hungry or deprived. In fact, she feels great. Amazingly enough, her cravings for sugar are gone, even though the sugar stuff is still in the house. She loves the feeling of sugar not having power over her.

Now when Jean is stressed, rather than over eating the bad stuff, she over eats the good stuff—like a veggie wrap! (Remember, eating vegetables is like eating air when it comes to calories.) Way better choice, don’t you think?

As well as Jean is doing right now, do you think that Jean thinks she is home-free from the trap of conditioned taste buds and lifelong habits? Not at all.

In fact, Jean just wrote me and “confessed” a slip-up. Big deal! So Jean “slipped-up.” If you are a human being, you slip-up—it’s just part of being human. Just expect that to happen and go on from there.

The only real slip-up is to give-up, and I know that is something that beautiful Jean would never do. Her body, her life, and her children mean too much to her.

I don’t know about you, but it is not the rich, famous, and powerful people in the world that I find inspiring. I draw inspiration from the Jean Finmans in the world—extraordinary, ordinary (yet not ordinary at all) individuals, who are perfectly themselves, with all their strengths, struggles, complexities and layers of being a human being.

Jean’s inner strength, courage, and commitment, as well as her willingness and openness to share her heart, her soul, her victories, and her frustrations, give you and me the inner strength and courage to be perfectly ourselves in our own journeys through life.

Aren’t we so blessed to have one another to give a helping hand along the way?

Thank you, Jean, for your helping hand. Your beauty, inside and out, graces our lives with light and hope.

About The Author

Dr. Leslie Van Romer is a motivational health speaker, writer and lifestyle coach. Visit Dr. Leslie at Http://DrLeslieVanRomer.com for practical direction, hope and inspiration.

10 Weight Loss Busters You Shouldn't Eat - Eva Moffat

1. Fried Foods That Are Frightening
2. Steakhouse Stories That Scare
3. Manufacturers Mislead Many
4. Burgers That Are Bigger and Biggest
5. Awful Appetisers
6. Cakes and Cookies That Are Calorie Clogged
7. Diet Drinks That Deceive
8. High Calorie Horrors
9. Diet Disasters When Dining Out
10. Super Sized Servings That Sabotage Your Diet

1. Fried Foods That Are Frightening

Deep fried foods are nutritionally bad for you. If you enjoy going to fairs and carnivals, you may well be tempted to eat the strangest of concoctions. It's amazing just what has been thrown into the deep fryer in the name of creativity.

But the only thing you are going to create is havoc with your weight loss diet.

2. Steakhouse Stories That Scare

Your local neighbourhood restaurant or steakhouse may be a Nutritional Nightmare.

Fried onions that are considered a Starter Dish are so full of Calories, Fat, Saturated Fat and with a high Salt content. And to go from bad to worse, the onions are usually served with a sauce that has even more Calories, Fat and Salt.

For the sake of your health, be sure you know your onions.

3. Manufacturers Mislead Many

Foods that are often labelled as healthy are just the opposite. Marion Nestle PhD, MPH a New York University Nutritional Professor in her book ‘What To Eat,' talks of ‘Fruit Snacks' that have absolutely no fruit in them but were just laden with sugar.

Don't believe the adverts, read the labels carefully then decide for yourself if it's right for you.

4. Burgers That Are Bigger and Biggest

Burgers are getting bigger and bigger. Burger King and others are taking a bun and piling on as many as four burgers, plus slices of cheese and strips of bacon. Just one of these burgers will give you more Calories than you should eat if having three meals a day.

If you really do want a burger, try ordering a plain burger. It could be served with a sauce, but it should be on the side not on top.

That will save you eating more Calories than you need.

5. Awful Appetisers

How about a Fundido as a snack before the main meal?

A Fundido is made up of a combination of cheese, pepperoni, bacon and sausage served with bread sticks.

If you are on a weight loss diet, a Fundido is a nutritional no-no.

6. Cakes and Cookies That Are Calorie Clogged

You are tempted to have a square of Starbucks Old Fashioned Crumb Cake to go with your coffee but that little square has 670 Calories in it.

And a piece of Cheesecake has enough Calories in it to make a mess of your weight loss diet, but the Cheesecake Factory adds Chocolate Candy, Mousse etc.

Nice for a treat once a year, but for the rest of the year … DON'T.

7. Diet Drinks That Deceive

High Calorie drinks are so deceptive. They don't need chewing and go down real easy and they don't fill you up. So how can this innocent looking cup of coffee be loaded with 490 – 580 Calories? It could be the chocolate or cream that is added.

To avoid piling on the Calories, order a small size cup of coffee with low fat milk and sweeteners.

8. High Calorie Horrors

When you are out shopping at the Mall you may be tempted by the delicious aromas of coffees, spicy pies and the mouth watering smell of freshly made doughnuts.

But giving in to temptation could mean you may consume a day's worth of Calories in one delicious but none essential piece of confectionery.

Ok I'm being a spoil sport but, for the sake of your health and weight loss diet, you would be better to take along a snack of crackers and nuts or raw veggies. Enjoy.

9. Diet Disasters When Dining Out

Two decades ago, dining out was already beginning to be a disaster for the person who was on a weight loss diet. The menu offered high Calorie foods.

Things haven't improved over the years; in fact they have become worse. On the menu in restaurants are such things as fried macaroni and cheese and cheese fries. Just oozing with fat and packed with Calories.

In order to keep to your diet change into a fluffy bunny rabbit and talk yourself into eating and enjoying salads.

10. Super Sized Servings That Sabotage Your Diet

Have you noticed how it's not just fast food meals that have got bigger? So have bagels, pasta servings, salads and sandwiches. If you go out to a restaurant for a meal, most of the meals on the menu are going to be around 1 000 Calories.

The question to ask yourself is, do I really need this food? As Michelle May MD, author of ‘Am I Hungry?' and ‘What To Do When Diets Don't Work' said, that ‘Once a person indulges in a decadent dessert or monster burger, it triggers the ‘I've already blown my diet, so why bother,' mentality.

Beyond that, May believes, the real horror may be the American mind set about food. We were raised to clean the plate, so we could be rewarded with a dessert, which further enhances our desire to eat sweets and meals without recognition of fullness,' she says.

If you want to keep to your weight loss diet, learn what foods are best for you and avoid the ones that sabotage it.

About The Author

Eva Moffat an Ex- Nurse has helped many people with their Weight Loss problems over the years. Now it is your turn to be helped. For more of Eva’s practical help, visit Eva’s Weight Loss Site.

Click on the link below
http://eva-moffats-free-weight-loss-info.blogspot.com