Weight Loss Strategy

Winning the Battle Against Cancer

2008-07-24T00:26:00.001-07:00

Almost 260,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year, but despite the rates of incidence being on the rise, the good news is that less people are actually dying from cancer, thanks to advances in treatment and also early detection.

The trend is the same in both the USA and UK, with figures that trace incidence of and deaths caused by cancer over a period of 30 years from 1975 to 2005 showing that mortality rates for all cancers have decreased steadily over the last ten years, with stomach and prostate cancer displaying the most improvement in terms of people overcoming this deadly disease.

However, it's not all good news on the mortality front. Deaths from cancers of the kidney, liver and uterus are on the rise, as is mortality from malignant melanoma, especially amongst males.

Education, increased funding and the acceptance from males to visit the doctor at the first sign of any health problems (rather than grinning and bearing it until it's too late) are helping to decrease the mortality rate, especially with diseases such as prostate cancer.

However, lung cancer claims more female victims than any other cancer, including breast cancer, and the number of victims is rising. Deaths amongst women from lung cancer were recorded at 30 per 100,000 in 2005, compared to 18 per 100,000 women in 1971. Amongst men there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of deaths caused by lung cancer over the same period. In 1971 it accounted for 107 deaths per 100,000 but in 2005 was just less than half that figure at 53 deaths per 100,000 men in the population.

The overall drop in mortality amongst men is thought to be because of the reduction in tobacco consumption, as warnings about the links between smoking and lung cancer were identified towards the end of the twentieth century. The rise in the number of cases amongst women can be attributed to the uptake in smoking by females at the beginning of the 1980s. Since 1986 young women have consistently smoked more than young men, impacting on future mortality rates.

Although death rates from cancer are on the decline in general, there is a need for more education as people continue to put themselves at risk by indulging in excessive consumption of cigarettes and alcohol, even though both substances have been proved to increase the risk of contracting certain cancers. As well as extensive documentation available from the NHS and government sources, cancer charity organisations are also working hard to deliver messages about avoidance of cancer risks.

Adam Singleton writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.

Dietary Supplement to avoid Breast Cancer

2008-07-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

A compound found in red grapes and red wine suppresses abnormal cell formation that leads to most types of breast cancer, according to U.S. researchers.

The compound, resveratrol, is sold in extract form as a dietary supplement.

Breast cancer forms through a multi-stage process that differs depending on the type of disease, a person's genes, and other factors. However, it's known that increased estrogen fuels many types of breast cancer.

"Resveratrol has the ability to prevent the first step that occurs when estrogen starts the process that leads to cancer by blocking the formation of the estrogen DNA adducts. We believe that this could stop the whole progression that leads to breast cancer down the road," study author Eleanor G. Rogan, a professor in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.

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In laboratory testing, Rogan and her team found that as little as 10 umol/L of resveratrol could suppress DNA adducts associated with breast cancer. A glass of red wine contains between 9 and 28 umol/L of resveratrol.

Rogan and colleagues also found that reseveratrol suppressed expression of CYP1B1 and the formation of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, two known risk factors for breast cancer.

Resveratrol induces an enzyme called quinone reductase, which reduces the estrogen metabolite back to inactive form and reduces breast cancer risk, Rogan explained.

The findings, which are in the July issue ofCancer Prevention Research, will have to be confirmed in human trials, she noted.

Barclaycard is Britain’s Most Powerful Credit Card Brand

2008-07-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Barclaycard was the most powerful credit card brand in the UK in 2007 according to the Issuer Brand Index (IBI) monitored in Cardbeat, a syndicated market research tracking study run by the Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG). This study considers the strength of the brand to be driven by a combination of card ownership and usage, perceived brand quality, brand awareness, and general brand characteristics. The study evaluates the strength of 17 top UK credit card brands.

Highlights from the latest study include:

- Barclaycard reported as the most powerful UK credit card issuer brand beating Capital One into second spot. Barclaycard’s top position came as a result of having the highest brand awareness and second highest card usage ratings in our study. Wide card ownership also contributed to Barclaycard capturing the number one spot.
- Lloyds TSB’s customers have higher outstanding balances and use their card more for purchases than any other brand included in the study.
- Marks and Spencer’s card brand holds the top spot driven by perceived high quality and general brand characteristics but languishes at number 11 spot in the research due to its low card usage and moderate brand awareness.
- Egg’s card brand was at number 3 in terms of general brand characteristics, just behind the Co-op and Marks & Spencer’s card brand.
- MBNA and Barclaycard’s card brands are joint first in card ownership market share but there is a marked difference in usage and brand awareness.
- The least widely held card brand tracked in the study was issued by the Post Office

Matt Simester, Director at Auriemma Consulting Group commented, "As the credit crunch continues to dominate the consumer agenda, a powerful brand is critical to maintaining high quality recruitment and retention. While consumers with a poor credit history will find it hard to move issuer, those with stronger credit histories will demand better quality propositions from their current provider. Pressure to reduce costs of servicing, higher average APRs and lower investment into marketing may also impact perceived brand quality this year. I anticipate that there will be a different set of winners and losers at the end of 2008"

About Barclaycard
Barclaycard is a multi-brand credit card and loans business which also processes card payments for retailers and merchants and issues charge and credit cards to corporate customers and the UK Government. It is one of Europe’s leading credit card businesses and has an increasing presence in the United States.

In the UK, Barclaycard comprises Barclaycard, Sky Card, Thomas Cook and Argos branded credit cards and FIRSTPLUS secured lending. Barclaycard also manages card operations on behalf of Solution Personal Finance.

How improving credit score can help you

2008-07-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

If you can improve your credit scores, you will probably spend less money, perhaps hundreds or thousands of dollars less each year.

Here's how to raise your scores, so you can receive the best financing rates and deals, better rates on insurance and all the other benefits of having a high credit rating.

What's a good score? You have many credit scores. By far the most important are your FICO scores with each of the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. A mediocre score is 700, while a score above 750 should get you all the best deals and borrowing rates, said John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education for Credit.com and author of the book "You're Nothing but a Number."

Know the ingredients. Oddly, your credit score doesn't care about your net worth, your income, how much money you have in the bank or even whether you pay off your credit card bill in full every month. It only cares about what credit lines you have open and how you use them. If you're a cash-paying billionaire, you probably don't have good credit scores. Your maid and gardener might have better scores.

Understand the breakdown. The exact formula for calculating FICO credit scores is a secret, but we know that the biggest factor is your payment history. Paying your bills and loans affects 35 percent of your credit score. The amounts you owe account for 30 percent. The length of your credit history is 15 percent. Applying for new credit counts for 10 percent, as does the different types of credit you have.

Fix mistakes. There's really no such thing as "credit repair," as you might have heard advertised. Either you have mistakes on your credit reports or you don't. Disputing incorrect negative information is free and, in most cases, easy. Dispute mistakes while accessing your reports for free once a year at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Negative information, such as late payments, repossessions and bills in collection, can stay on your report for seven years. A bankruptcy can stay for 10 years. Some credit-repair companies will dispute all the negatives on your report, hoping creditors won't respond in the required 30 days. That will result in removal of the negative item from your report, at least until the creditor responds. Credit bureaus are wise to that strategy, so it doesn't necessarily work, Ulzheimer said. And if you wanted to use that tactic, you could just do it yourself rather than paying a credit-repair service.

Pay bills. Paying your bills on time, every time, won't raise your score, but it will keep it from dropping.

Mind your ratio. Besides paying bills on time, the best thing you can do for your credit rating is to continually use credit but use very little of your available limit. Imagine you have several credit cards that have a combined $5,000 limit. If you regularly have combined balances of $4,000 or more each month on those cards, that's bad. You have an 80 percent utilization ratio. Better is a ratio in the 30 percent range; best is less than 10 percent. Remember, you score doesn't care whether you pay off the balance, only how much of your available credit limit you're using at any given time.

"The score is incredibly sensitive to how much of your available credit you're using, particularly on your revolving lines of credit—typically, credit cards," said Liz Pulliam Weston, author of "Your Credit Score." "Having small balances on a number of cards is better than having a big balance on one card, in general."

Don't close accounts. Keep open your old credit accounts, even if you paid them off and don't use them. The more available and unused credit, the better for your score. Additionally, older credit accounts also boost your score. One caveat: If you know that you will spend unnecessarily just because you have the available credit, close the accounts.

Carefully raise credit limits. It helps to have a lot of available credit to help your ratio. But opening a lot of new credit accounts at once likely will hurt your credit score in the short term. A strategy to help your score without hurting it would be to regularly ask your current credit card company to raise your current limit "without pulling a credit report." You also could make two credit card payments a month, which artificially lowers your balance reported to credit bureaus. Just be sure to make the second payment after the closing date and before the due date, so you aren't socked with a late payment, Weston said.

Bad Credit Report Repair

2008-07-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

Numerous people suffer with bad credit. Maybe you lost your job and had trouble getting a new one or maybe you fallen ill and couldn’t work for sometime. No matter what the reason is that caused you to fall behind on your bills, the fact is your behind and your creditors are reporting to the credit bureaus and your credit score is down. The great news is that there are affairs that can aid with bad credit report repair.

Experiencing a bad credit report can impact you in many ways of life. It can damage your opportunities of buying a mortgage, purchasing a automobile, obtaining credit at varies stores or credit card companies and it can yet have an impact on leasing property. It is critical for you to attempt to repair your bad credit report as quick and expeditiously as attainable. There are many free credit repair kits that you can get from local debt management companies as well as online and from the IRS or anyone who renders whatever type of credit repair services.

The first step you want to take is to get hold of all three for the major credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report. You can also request a bad credit report repair kit. This will be step by step instructions, tips and sample credit repair letters that you can utilize to reach the companies that are listed on your report. When you find your copies of the different credit reports, you need to look into them soundly to check if there are any discrepancies. Sometimes you may learn that several entries will be replicated and this can effect your overall credit rating. Next you would send a credit repair letter to the defined parties that you noticed discrepancies and ask them to correct the problem.

Once you have gone through any discrepancies, you will want to verify what small bills you can pay right away. This could represent a returned check you forgotten about or possibly a small bill that you disregarded.

If you had to file bankruptcy, keep in mind that this will appear on your credit report for 10 years. You will learn that you can raise your credit score by doing the painless steps observed above. When you get to larger charges that exact to be taken care of to get them off your credit report, you may need to contact the company for which the debt is with and look into if you can work out any arrangement. Many times, companies will exercise what is named a settlement. This is where you would pay up a particular percentage of the debt and they will wipe out the rest of the debt. For Example, many medical bill companies will accept 60% of the bill and mark it paid in full.

Bad credit report repair is simpler than most believe although it does require time as you have to contact the companies listed on the reports in order to fix affairs and have the debts removed from your credit history. You will be delighted that you took the time to do all of this when you realize the end results on your improved credit report.

Top diet tips to get rid of love handles

2008-06-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

Be practical - you must set realistic goals for dieting and for getting in shape. Your ways should be according to your body shape and not according to someone you watched in a magazine. You will remain motivated during the whole process if your diet plans are reality base.

Eat 6 meals daily - you must eat several small meals daily to get rid of fat. Your meals should contain high amount of protein, complex carbohydrates like apples, fruits and fibers.

Always eat breakfast - you should eat healthy breakfast daily because that will help to control your hunger during the day which will result in burning of more fat and thus will help in boosting your metabolism level.

Have some set plan - you must have a plan to get rid of overall fat. You should make your plan according to your eating habits. You should not encourage yourself to eat foods that you are not willing to eat.

Drink water - you must drink lots of water daily. Drinking high amount of water will have positive effect on your fat burning capabilities and overall health.

Avoid the habit of sleeping - avoid the habit of sleeping just after taking your meals especially in the evening. If possible go for a small walk after taking your dinner.

Surely it is not easy to switch to a healthy lifestyle from unhealthy lifestyle. But you have to make efforts to adopt healthy lifestyle as a way to lose extra love handles.

How to improve the metabolism system of your body

2008-05-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have no doubt in my mind that we can survive happily from weight problems when we have better metabolism system. If you don’t have fast metabolism system, then you can follow the following tips offered to improve it:

First of all it is necessary for you to know what is metabolism. Actually, it is the rate our body converts food into energy and burns it off calories. Always do exercise to burn off more calories. Participate in running, jogging, swimming, biking and also go for dancing. These activities need lots of energy and thus will help you burn off more calories.

Always do weight training. You can do it 3 or 4 times in a week or 20 to 30minutes in a session. It helps you to promote your muscle growth.

Always eat breakfast in the morning. Never omit your breakfast. When you sleep during the night, your metabolism slows down, but when you take your breakfast in the morning. Will help you improve your metabolism level.

Always eat light food. You should eat your food before 8p.m. It is best for your metabolism and will help you burn lots of calories when you are still awake and moving around.

Always eat sufficient amount of calories in a day. An average healthy person should consume 1200 calories in a day.

Always include high amount of proteins compared to fat and carbohydrate in your food. You should include protein like lean chicken and fish in your meals.

Always eat high-fiber food such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole-grains like brown rice, pasta, bread. High-fiber food always take longer time to digest and thus will help you burn more calories.

Always drink more than 8 glasses of water in a day. Drinking high amount of water will help you help in speeding up the process of metabolism in the body.

So you can expect a healthy metabolism by following the steps mentioned above.

Special weight loss challenge has been 'fun, but not funny'

2008-05-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

At last, a report that is fun to write. The results of the 2008 Gene Smith Administrative Coordinator’s Weight Loss Challenge are in.

In the men’s division, seven of the eight original participants weighed in for the last time on April 24. All seven lost weight.

They went from 1,752 pounds to 1,623 pounds for a total loss of 129 pounds — a loss of 7.33 percent of their combined weight. The top three loss leaders had individual losses ranging from 16 to 59 pounds.

In the women’s division, 12 of the 26 original participants weighed in. Cumulatively, they lost 116 pounds going from a total Jan. 3 weight of 2,457 pounds to 2,341 pounds — a loss of 4.73 percent of their combined weight. The top three loss leaders had individual losses ranging from 15 to 37 pounds.

Please take special note that four of the six greatest losers came from the same department. I understand that made a positive experience out of a real challenge.

As someone who has been overweight for most of his life, I have learned to use humor and sarcasm to hide an issue.

I am refraining from making an attempt at humor in reporting on this experience. I believe this challenge has been fun — but not funny. Not all of us were successful, but everyone’s intentions were admirable.

I think that we all can be proud of accepting a challenge, and I hope that others will join next year as we think about a healthier lifestyle, a lifestyle in which we gain by losing.

Weight loss on the menu at the conference

2008-04-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

Leading professionals from industry and academia addressed the challenges of meeting the nutrition and health demands of today's world at the Institute of Food Science and Technology's (IFST) Spring Conference and AGM, hosted by the University of Chester at Burton Manor College, Wirral.

Among the delegates were senior nutritionist for Kellogg's, Jenny Walton, Danisco UK's Dr Julian Stowell, and Corinne Vaughan from the Food Standards Agency. The IFST is the leading independent qualifying body for food professionals in Europe.

Professor Chris Smith, IFST Fellow, said: "As a university, we were delighted the Department of Biological Sciences was involved in the organisation of this conference with others of the North of England branch of the IFST.

"The conference sessions were of particular interest to food scientists, dieticians and nutritionists, and it was great that the University's nutrition and dietetics students were allowed to attend and have access to the specialist knowledge of such distinguished experts."

Man loses 155 pounds without surgery, weight loss products

2008-02-01T11:24:00.001-08:00

Drinking nothing but water for six months helped one of Purdue's research park engineers lose 155 pounds.

Chris Burton will be giving a motivational speech 9 a.m. Saturday for International Sports Clubs' Wellness Retreat in West Lafayette.

Lori Fortwendel, a promoter for the club, said they chose Burton because of his commitment to coming and exercising every day.

"His results were astounding and we were very excited because he didn't have any surgeries," Fortwendel said.

He went from 330 pounds to 230 pounds in one year. According to Burton, people ask if he had gastric bypass surgery; others wonder how he did it without taking weight loss products.

Burton removed all sugars and sweets from his diet and started visiting the gym daily.

One of Burton's motivations for weight loss was his divorce.

"I would come home to nobody and I realized that my weight was just getting out of control," Burton said.

The divorce also made dieting difficult for Burton due to the weekends he spent with his sons and the unhealthy foods kids normally eat.

"It took a lot of willpower for me not to eat that leftover bag of chips when the kids went back home," Burton said.

During his childhood, Burton was often stereotyped as a football player because of his size.

"I did play football in high school, and I lifted weights back then," Burton said. "It was a different kind of husky."

A year after the divorce, Burton's job sponsored a weight loss competition, which he entered and won.

"I kept a food journal of everything I ate, even if it was a piece of candy," said Burton. "Ten pieces of candy do eventually add up to a lot of calories people just don't think about."

Burton presently maintains a weight of around 175 pounds, which he said feels healthy.

"I got a little lower in weight, and it just didn't feel right," Burton said. "I think I'm good for now."

Endobarrier For Weight Loss

2008-02-01T11:23:00.001-08:00

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every three American adults is obese. Obesity is generally defined as being more than 20 percent over ideal weight, which takes into account the person’s height, age, sex and build. Obesity is more precisely defined by the National Institutes of Health as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above. Many people fighting the battle to lose weight ride a rollercoaster of fad diets and pills, gym memberships and exercise programs, but, with varying success.

New drugs like the popular weight loss pill Alli are getting a lot of attention, but they come with some major side effects -- a person who takes the drug and then consumes too much fatty food can find themselves with a serious case of diarrhea. For some, it seems no weight-loss alternative really seems to work, and especially when it comes to getting long-term results, and keeping the weight off. Some say this is why so many people have begun to opt for a surgical alternative: bariatric surgery. This year, more than 200,000 weight loss or bariatric operations will be performed in the United States. The number of these surgeries has increased by ten times in just the last ten years. The most prominent types of weight loss surgery are gastric bypass and laproscopic adjustable gastric banding, also known as "Lap Band." The surgeries are different in approach, but the general goal is to surgically reduce or limit the capacity of the stomach and thereby limit how much the patient is able to eat. In optimal situations, bariatric surgery can lead to substantial weight loss, especially for those who are more than 100 pounds overweight. And because obesity has now been linked to a variety of serious health problems, patients say there is more to making this kind of choice than simple vanity -- for many, their long-term health is a concern as well. Obesity puts people at increased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and some forms of cancer.

NEW DEVICE: Researchers at Carolinas Medical Center are testing a new experimental device that may offer a less invasive weight loss alternative for patients who are seriously obese. It involves a device called an Endobarrier. The Endobarrier is a sleeve that is placed in the body without surgery. It lines the first two feet of into the patient’s small intestine, to help them lose weight. The Endobarrier works by preventing food from being absorbed until it reaches the lower bowel. Patients who participated in a three month trial with the Endobarrier lost more weight than those who did not have the device. All of the participants in the short term study were at least 100 pounds overweight and were seeking weight loss surgery in the future. Currently, the Endobarrier is being explored only on an experimental basis and only as a prelude to weight loss surgery and not as an alternative to surgery, but Carolinas Medical Center physician Dr. Keith Gersin says its future as a non-surgical alternative is exciting. Future studies will explore longer term weight loss effects of the Endobarrier device.

Green Tea And Weight Loss: Does Green Tea Help With Weight Loss?

2008-02-01T11:22:00.001-08:00

Green tea is now being touted as a natural remedy for losing weight. It was bound to happen sooner or later, because this herb from Asia has been admired for over 5,000 years as kind of a wonder cure for many ailments.

Green tea is mainly grown in China, India and Japan. People in these cultures are well skilled in making the perfect cup of green tea. The higher quality green tea is steeped for no longer than 30 seconds. You can usually make one to three cups with the same tea bag.

Green tea drinkers have long credited its medicinal value. They claim it helps to heal wounds, regulate blood pressure and solve digestion problems. Studies by Western medical professionals have discovered that green tea contains a powerful antioxidant called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG). You will often see this as an active ingredient in green tea diet drinks and supplements.

Green tea does have some minimal effect on the body’s fat cells, however, it is not some kind of miracle weight loss cure as some marketers want you to believe. If you choose to drink green tea for weight loss, then you will still need to eat a healthy diet and do some moderate exercise in order to reach your weight loss goals.

Green tea is a great substitute for that cup of coffee in the morning (or more) that you normally drink. Green tea also has some caffeine, but it’s only about one quarter the amount that coffee contains. This means you can drink several cups of green tea before you get the same amount of caffeine in one cup of java.

Green tea is simply healthier than coffee, although coffee is still okay to drink in moderation. If you are a coffee connoisseur, you know that coffee beans are grown in different regions, which gives the beans a distinctive taste when roasted. Well, green tea also has this type of variety. The tea is grown in many regions of China, Japan and India, and comes in different colors and flavor varieties.

High quality green tea will have more EGCG and antioxidant power than the lower quality variety. This doesn’t mean you have to pay an arm and a leg to obtain a box of this delightful herb. Some marketers are selling good quality green tea for an outrageous price and calling it diet tea. They are taking advantage of the green tea diet fad and filling their pockets by overcharging.

Don’t fall for this scam. Some of these unscrupulous marketers are even linking Oprah’s name with their product, giving people the impression that she is endorsing it, when she has done no such thing. Yes, Oprah did have Dr. Perricone on her show and they discussed the benefits of Chinese tea for losing weight, but there is no specific Oprah tea brand being endorsed.

Any high quality green tea will have the same antioxidants and the same slimming effects that you are looking for, many brands can be found for half the price that the so called diet teas run. If you are going to drink green tea every day as part of a healthy diet, then you cannot afford to plop down $30 to $50 dollars every time you need another box of diet tea. That will get old real fast, and like I said, you can get good quality tea for way less.

So, does green tea help with weight loss?

Yes, it does and you should drink green tea for all of its wonderful health benefits, including losing weight and feeling great.

About the Author: Delicious Wuyi green tea is 100% natural and organic. The perfect tea for health and fitness. This pure, Chinese green tea is pre-brewed in individual packets, so all you have to do is mix it with water. Drink healthy and live happy. http://greenteaforweightloss.blogspot.com

Weight loss solutions that last

2007-12-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

Most probably, you assume you have tried everything to get the body that you want.

But you often get discouraged because, after all the effort, either you find it difficult to stick to a program, unable to get the results you want, or you still face the same issues after all your hard work.

The following are solutions you can apply to common challenges that delay or hinder long-lasting weight loss:

Get educated to get results.

If you get results, you become more motivated to exercise and become more mindful of what you eat. But if you fail, your enthusiasm weakens.

You cannot be blamed for thinking about the easiest weight-loss solutions after numerous attempts. Quick fix strategies like diet pills or fasting will give you temporary results but they will not guarantee weight maintenance, which is more essential.

The key to a lasting outcome is knowledge and awareness of the whole process.

Analyze yourself and your progress then identify the areas where you need help. It could be exercise, food planning, motivation or attitude.

Consult professionals and learn strategies and ways to implement them effectively. This will save you time and energy trying to find out about a wide range of approaches. It will also prevent injuries or any harmful effects of unsupervised exercise and diet programs.

Get a coach to guide and educate you on how to do things safely on your own. Eileen Lorenzo, dentist, tried almost all strategies available only to regain the weight she lost.

Finally, she got a weight-loss coach and lost 60 pounds. She says, “Getting out of your comfort zone is scary at first, but a weight manager definitely made the road to fitness smoother.”

Apply a flexible eating approach.

Why do most diets fail?

If a diet is not followed, you feel lack of control and tend to abandon it. Let us say you had three pieces of chocolates, instead of one, from a box. You say, “Since I broke my diet, I may as well finish the whole box.”

I often hear stories like this from people who tried various diets for years, only to discover that creating their own meal plans is the start of a victorious weight loss journey.

Being in charge of your food intake, deciding for instance when to have the once-a-week chocolate dessert, removes restrictions that might lead to loss of control and deprivation.

A recent comprehensive analysis of 31 long-term diet studies published in American Psychologist shows that people on diets typically lose 5-10 percent of their starting weight in the first six months. After four or five years, majority put on more weight than they lost.

According to James Rippe, author of “Weight Loss that Lasts: Break through the 10 Big Diet Myths,” people who meticulously count every calorie and read every food label have high levels of dietary restraint associated with unsuccessful weight loss attempts.

This cannot be sustained for long periods of time and, eventually, it will be abandoned and overeating occurs.

Create your own daily food plan that matches your way of living. It should include strategies like when to shop for healthier foods, how to prepare a low-calorie version of your favorite foods. You should think of ways to replace junk foods at home with nutritious but tasty snacks.

Focus on living, not losing.

May be you have already achieved your target weight and you ask yourself, “Now that I’ve lost weight, then what?”

It is not how much and how fast you have lost weight that counts, but how much you have learned from your experiences and how much more improvement you can attain during your lifetime.

Chris Juan, managing director of a retreat house, lost 30 pounds last year and then regained 15 pounds this year.

During the initial stage of his weight-loss program, Chris admitted he was motivated by the desire to lose weight and improve his appearance. After losing 30 pounds, he felt relaxed for a while and got busy.

He often made his job an excuse to delay exercise. He ate fatty foods as a way to relieve stress. In the latter part of this year, he made an effort to explore a different type of motivation so he can stick to his exercise program again and modify his eating habits.

“My goal right now is not to achieve a six-pack abs anymore, but to keep on improving my fitness level to be able to join a marathon next year.” The moment he decided to achieve a long-term, performance-based goal, he started to lose the weight he regained.

Reach Weight Loss Goal

2007-12-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

The very first thing is to adopt a healthier diet. Notice that
I did not say dieting. If you are to succeed in your weight loss
efforts it is important to make lifestyle changes.

Step One
The very first thing is to adopt a healthier diet. Notice that I did not say dieting. If you are to succeed in your weight loss efforts it is important to make lifestyle changes. Decide what you are going to eat. Plan ahead and stick with it. Whatever you do, don't give up. You fail only when you quit. Most of us do no succeed the first time. Persistence alone is
omnipotent. Nothing else comes close including talent and intelligence.

Step Two
Keep in mind that diet and exercise a two halves of one coin. If either one is missing from the equation you lessen your chances for success. You can exercise until the cows come home,
but if you are consuming the wrong foods it is likely that you will not experience any dramatic changes. Likewise, without exercise you will burn muscle instead of fat. Keep in mind that aerobic exercise burns fat. If you starve yourself you will be burning muscle.

The most important factor for healthy weight loss is consistency. Skipping your meals or missing your physical activity will slow down your progress. You have to ask yourself how much do you want this? Create a good, solid program and stick with it. Keep in mind that you will get out of it only what you put into it.

The most important thing that we can do is to eat a health diet. Almost no one comes close to eating a healthy diet. When you concentrate on eating healthy, natural foods and have a
regular physical activity routine, weight loss will be effortless.

Before you begin you should know that there are certain diet myths that should be dispelled.

Many fad diets suggest that certain food groups should be eliminated. The truth is that you need a balance diet that supplies you with all the nutrients that keeps you healthy. The core of your diet should be built around whole grains, vegetables, beans, fruit, nuts and seeds. This type of diet will strengthen your body, create health and vitality. Another myth is that you have to eat meat to get your protein.

Grains, nuts, oil, legumes and fermented soy products contain complete proteins. The protein in meat is actually incomplete. Both meat and dairy products are high in sodium and fat. This
makes weight loss difficult.

If you have any doubts, consider for example the cow. A cow weighs anywhere from 1,100 to 1,600 pounds. It is made up of protein and fat. Yet a cow eats only grass, which is a complex
carbohydrate. Somehow it is able to manufacture everything that it needs from this simple food.

Another popular myth is that you have to eliminate fat from your diet in order to lose eight. The truth is that you need good quality fat in your diet. It is perfectly okay to cook with
good quality oil, but avoid deep fried foods.

Step Three
Finally the biggest misconception of all, you have to starve yourself to lose weight. The truth is that if you eat natural foods there is no need to go hungry. There is a transition
period in the beginning and it will take a little while for your body to adjust. You will discover that natural foods taste better and are more fulfilling than commercial, processed foods.

So there you have it, some very practical pointer on how to reach your weight goal. Just focus and take action. Before you know it you will be healthier, feel better and of course, you will have lost weight.

3 Weight Loss Mistakes

2007-11-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

There are literally tons of information and articles about losing weight. Believe it or not, people still make the same dieting mistakes over and over again. I am not referring to little slip ups. What I am talking about are big mistakes that become real problems in your weight loss attempts. If we can define these mistakes it may make it possible for healthy, permanent weight loss.

The first mistake is the all or nothing attitude. People who approach their dieting in this manner will often select a diet that practically impossible for them to maintain. When they first begin, they remove anything from the kitchen that does not fit in with their new diet. What they are thinking is that they wish to be perfect. They probably will be. Maybe for a day or two, or perhaps ever a couple of weeks. But something always happens. For some reason they are not able to continue with their diet. When this happens the entire process is ruined and the diet is over. So what they do is go to the store and replace all the things that they threw out in the first place.

If this is your approach to dieting then it is necessary to ask yourself some difficult questions. What exactly is the purpose of your diet? Do you want to lose this weight permanently? Perhaps you just wish to lose a few pounds. The secret here is to make lifestyle changes in your diet. This way you create a slow and regular means of losing weight.

The second mistake is the attitude of sacrifice. Many people see their diet as some sort of sacrifice. It is easy to see why. You are not allowing yourself to eat the foods that you enjoy the most while attempting to achieve your target weight. This is what happens. You have done your research. You have come up with well thought out diet that you can do. You can successfully lose that weight and achieve your target weight. Okay! Now what? You have reached your goal. Have you really changed your eating habits? Did you learn to eat those so called bad foods in moderation? Are you likely to end up out of control? Can you broaden your diet in moderation and maintain your target weight?

The third mistake is goal failure. Defining your goals is essential with your weight loss program. Your goals should be crystal clear. They must be realistic. You should write them down. You probably have an ideal weight in mind when you begin. If you are more than a few pounds overweight, this goal is probably too far away to be helpful. A more practical goal is to lose 2 pounds per week for the first several weeks. After that, 1 pound per week. Of course, this will vary from week to week. However, when you track your progress you will observe that you are consistently moving toward your goal.

Do not worry if you have been making any of these mistakes. Just like everything else in life, it important to learn your lesson and to move on. The truth is that we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. Do not let your mistakes to be an excuse for giving up. Success comes from making a commitment and by being persistent.

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Kathryn Soloff is the mother of 8 children and a natural foods cook for over 30 years. She is co-publisher of http://www.natural-remedy-dot-com.com/losing_weight/ where she provides additional advice, tips and hard to find information on Herbal Fat Burners

Is Walking an Effective Weight Loss Strategy?

2007-11-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that exercise promotes better health. Doctors say to get more exercise. Even the government puts out official exercise recommendations. Over 60% of Americans need to implement healthy weight loss strategies.

So you go on a walk and then pat yourself on the back. Exercise accomplished-right?

The big question is: Can you get fit by walking?

A research team at the University of Alberta took this question on in a detailed study. They compared a group that took part in a walking program with a group that did a traditional fitness routine at moderate intensity.

The results? The fitness level of the walkers was significantly lower than those who did traditional exercise at moderate intensity. Here is what the lead researcher, Dr. Vicki Harber, had to say:

"Generally, low-intensity activity such as walking alone is not likely to give anybody marked health benefits compared to programs that occasionally elevate the intensity."

Harber went on to say that, "You've go to do more than light exercise and move towards the inclusion of regular moderate activity, and don't be shy to interject an occasional period of time at the vigorous level."

Walking for exercise won't give you the health benefits that more challenging exercise delivers. So is walking good for health? Can walking be utilized as a fitness tool?

So What Can Walking Do For you?

There definitely is a place for walking in fitness. For anyone who has not been active for a long time, it is best to approach an exercise regimen with caution and respect your body’s limitations. Walking is a great introductory activity to master. Walking is especially great if your body is overweight, under-conditioned and simply unaccustomed to physical activity.

walking, then can be considered as a stepping stone to fitness. It transitions you from the motionless to in motion. Walking is just a notch above not moving-you'll burn a few calories and warm up unused muscles.

The problem is that walking cannot be the entire extent of your exercise regimen.

Like the study above revealed, walking just won't deliver the desired outcome. Your body is so efficient in its ability to adapt that you have to increase your exercise intensity in order to see results. This applies to more than just walking. Any time you are in an exercise rut, your body will adjust and you will stop seeing results. To progressively continue, you’ve got to progressively challenge yourself.

What’s the Next step?

Once you have mastered brisk walking, you are ready for a new challenge, namely, resistance training. If you haven't tried resistance training then it may sound a little scary. Or you conjure up pictures of bulging, veiny, muscle-bound, steroid users. Most people are not looking for those kinds of results!

Isn't resistance training just a fancy word for 'lifting weights'? And don't you have to be an athlete to lift weights?

I understand your reservations about beginning a resistance training program. However, to achieve substantial health and fitness results, you must use resistance training. Indeed, you may quickly realize that your body is becoming stronger and you are feeling better.

What are the benefits of Resistance Training?
• Increase in muscle strength and tone (and no, women do not need to worry about becoming bulky and bulgy)
• Increase in metabolism (this means extra fat burning)
• Increase in bone density
• Injury prevention
• Improved posture
• Improved health (lowered blood pressure and cholesterol; lowers your risk for adult-onset diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers)
• Improved mood and self esteem
Resistance training is simply the way to go when you want to get fit. By utilizing a resistance training program with a cardiovascular routine, you will be well on your way to achieving all of your fitness goals. Don't forget resistance training does not have to be weights, but can be body weight resistance like in yoga and Pilates.

The absolute most important issue for any exercise regimen to succeed is consistency. You just can't enroll in a program that you dread going to. You'll never get the results you seek that way. Get help if you need it, most people do need it. The ones who are wise enough to hire or otherwise recruit assistance are the ones who will succeed. Recruit a workout buddy. Hire a trainer. Set those appointments and stick to them. Even if you don’t hire a trainer, you can still set appointments with yourself. Physically set aside the time and do it.

Walking for Weightloss

2007-11-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Regular exercise always helps There is no substitute for a healthy diet and a good exercise regime. If you can find the time to do so, draw up a schedule so that you can fit in a regular course of exercise into your normally busy routine, like taking the stairs and not the elevator.

It doesn't even matter if this is the very first, or only, thing that you do to begin with to lose weight. Since we all need to start from somewhere, beginning with a regular exercise routine is as good a place to start as any.

Being ambitious in your goals is an admirable trait, but to start you should remember to keep things small, simple and manageable. Don't go off the deep end and think up a really good exercise schedule which eats into all of your spare time and then some, you will end up not completing it and getting frustrated and quitting altogether..

Start slowly, take things one at a time, and build up to that really good exercise routine. You need to have the time to make it a regular thing, and not a just one-off thing that you do for a few days and then ditch.

In this way, by taking things slowly, you will be able to incorporate regular exercise into your busy schedule over time. This in turn will ensure that you do actually stick to your schedule rather than not.

There are a number of things that you can do to begin an exercise routine, and I have to say that plain old walking is the best and easiest thing to begin with.

Or if you don't like that idea, you can always try other simple exercises such as ab-crunches, wall-push-ups, or you might even want to consider joining a yoga class.

You have a number of options open to you when looking at doing exercises, and you should choose the one that is best suited for you and or your lifestyle.

Walking is good

If you don't like the thought of regular exercise, you always have the option of going for a walk. Although this does get you moving and out and about, for some reason walking doesn't seem like exercise, which can make it easier for you to stick with it.

Find a time of day in which you would like to go for a walk, or simply take a walk around the block when you're feeling stressed or tired and clear your mind.

Visit my Site now at http://www.womensweightloss.org to read anything you ever wanted to know about Weight loss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adds_S_Barton

Too Stressed To Lose Weight?

2007-10-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Can't commit to losing weight? Too tired, too busy or too preoccupied to put the effort into a new fit and trim you? Putting off a decent diet and exercise program until after Christmas, after the exams, after the baby is born, after...(insert perfectly valid sounding excuse here).

Look, there will never be an optimal time to start changing your eating patterns and getting into a daily exercise routine. You just have to commit to changing your life while you still have time. That means now, today. No one is likely to live forever, but fit and healthy people tend to live longer, more fulfilling and active lives than sedentary fat folk.

Nothing is going to change for you until you change it yourself. You cannot change the events happening around you, but you can change what you are doing. It is simple. It is not easy. You have to want to change and your hard work will bring the results you crave.

If you are too tired to lose weight, then you need to have a good long think about why you are tired. Is it your diet, your lethargy, your workload, your negative emotions getting the upper hand? If you are too tired to lose weight, change something or several somethings about what you are doing on a daily basis so that you are not tired. Just eating properly and taking some regular exercise will actually markedly increase your alertness and resilience in a matter of a couple of weeks.

Are you too busy to work out and stick to a decent diet that will support your poor long suffering body? You have to find a way to drop something out of your frantic day. Don't be afraid to cut back your workload by an hour a day for some quality "me" time - you can afford one hour a day; if you think you can't, well there is your problem found - denial. The world of work (whether paid or domestic) will not stop turning if you check out for a mere hour. Drop an hour of drudge and get busy on your weight control diet and fitness program.

Are you too preoccupied to lose weight? Don't underestimate the cunning nature of the evil side of your brain (that's the bit that fabricates excuses for scoffing a whole packet of chocolate biscuits in one sitting, the bit that whispers convincingly that you can walk tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes). You can let your brain make plausible excuse after excuse, so that you can't start a life changing diet now because your children need a filling meal and you can't exercise today because you can't leave your aging dad alone in the house. Look at all those fit and trim people out there, eating well and exercising happily. Do you really believe that they have nothing other than exercise and healthy diet to occupy their brains?

Fit and healthy people have learned how to beat tiredness, organise their busy day and put their concerns and responsibilities into perspective so that they can put the work into looking after themselves.

You have to make the time and effort to look after yourself with a decent diet for life and a daily fitness program. You cannot allow negative feelings, workload and other commitments to prevent you from taking care of you. You are the only one who can make the difference for yourself.

It takes hard work and determination but you will feel so much better for it.

Rosie Peters gives common sense advice, encouragement and tips for weight loss, sensible diet and lifelong fitness. Sometimes it's not what you want to hear, but what you need to know. Visit Rosie at weight-control-diet-advice.com. Rosie's ebook, Weight Loss is Simple may be the inspiration you need.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rosie_Peters

Wonderful Tips To Lose Weight

2007-09-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

Have a look at these wonderful tips to lose weight. They will help you lose weight fast and naturally. Losing weight always requires some small changes in your lifestyle and diet pattern. So if you want to lose weight, start practicing these tips today.

* If you want to lose weight go and consult your physician or a weight loss doctor so that he can find which program suits your body best.

* You always needs plenty of water because it helps a person to be fresh and healthy. It washes out toxins from your body.

* A wonderful tip to lose weight is to start your day with a glass of water it will moist your gastric tract.

* Try to join an exercise program which you really enjoy. Exercise is more effective when you do it with a joyful heart.

* Try to cut off all the fizzy drinks they have lot of calories.

* Do not eat in between the meals.

* Avoid frying your food because there are more methods to prepare food like steaming,boiling and grilling.

* Stuff you refrigerator with healthy food. It will help you to not eat junk food when you are hungry.

* Eat lot of vegetables and fruits. They will give you lots of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

* Avoid processed fruits as they have a lot of added artificial sugar.

* Eat your vegetables raw if you can. This will give you enough vitamins as cooking vegetables results in vitamin loss.

* Never skip your meals because it will make you more hungry at the time of your second meal.

Jitesh Arora is a weight loss expert if you want to read more articles on weight loss,diet and exercise then click here to visit his website LOSE WEIGHT NOW.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jitesh_Arora

Five Steps To Lose Weight

2007-08-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here I have written five steps to lose weight. Gaining weight is very easy but losing weight is a quite difficult task. If you want to lose weight you have to do it slowly step by step. So have a look at these five great ways to lose weight.

* Always try to eat most of your food in the first part of the day. Most of us do the opposite- we skip breakfast and stuff ourselves in the evening and we do not have much opportunity to burn all the calories we took in.

* Always eat less than you want to eat. This will make you more energetic all day long. But many people eat as much as they can and all our blood circulation is directed towards our gastrointestinal tract. This make a person lazy as the brain does not gets enough blood supply.

* Always put realistic goals before you even if it means to start small. You do not have to run marathons to shed some extra pounds - even ten minutes of cardio is enough every day.

* Never eat when you are not hungry. Some people eat when they are getting bored or when they are stressed. Always brush your teeth after each meal as the feeling of freshness always gives a signal to the brain that your eating time is over. This will help you avoid eating in between meals.

* Replace all your fizzy drinks with water as water has no calories and you can drink it as much as you want.

Jitesh Arora is a weight loss expert if you want to read more articles on weight loss,diet and exercise then click here to visit his website LOSE WEIGHT NOW.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jitesh_Arora

Obesity could affect breast cancer survival

2006-10-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Obesity, particularly abdominal fat, can affect breast cancer survival, says a new study that recommends women to maintain a healthy weight throughout adult life. Marilie Gammon and colleagues at the University of North Carolina studied 1,254 women aged 20-54 diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1990 and 1992, reported the Newswise wire.

Obese women have higher amounts of estrogen in their body. Estrogen is mainly produced from the fatty tissues and more amount of fat in your body means you have higher chances of getting affected by breast cancer. Good nutrition, healthy living conditions and a fine environment may help girls to start puberty earlier in life and attain menopause later. Estrogen develops though out the fertility period. And better levels of estrogen in the body increases the risk of breast cancer in women.

Obesity raises the risk of various types of cancer. And only 3% people know that obesity increases cancer risks. According to a recent research based on one million Americans conducted by the American cancer society, 14% of cancer deaths in men and 20% of cancer deaths in women occur due to Obesity. Scientists say that 90,000 deaths can be avoided in America if they take good care to maintain their body weight. Women are more likely to get cancer in their breasts, gallbladder, ovaries, colon and cervix while men get cancer in colon and rectum.

Weight Loss- A Proven Strategy

2006-01-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

There are two important steps to losing weight and being able to keep the weight from returning later. Here they are:

Step 1 - Eat Less

Food, including water, is the energy your body needs to exist. Your body needs only so much in order to operate. In order to lose weight, the energy (food) taken in must be less than the energy burned.

Here are some ideas for applying Step 1.

- Don't eat after 7 p.m. at night. If you stick to this, you cut out late night snacks, which are a killer for adding weight.

- Eat smaller portions. If you cut your portions, you cut down on the amount of energy coming in. Portion control is a very big thing in this day and age of mega meals and super sized food. This alone will be one of the biggest ways to eat less.

- Eat a sensible breakfast. You need to get your body functioning again after not eating since 7 p.m. last night. You are breaking your fast. Remember portion control. Everything in moderation.

- No snacks between meals. This will also make sure you are eating less.

Step 2 - Exercise More

Don't worry, you won't need to run 12 miles a day or anything like that. You just want to use more energy than in the past. In order to do this, you will need to increase your activity. Don't think of it as exercise, think of it as activity. You will be surprised at how easy it is to increase your activity level!

Here are some ideas for applying Step 2.

- While you are watching TV, don't just sit there. Move your arms around, get up and walk around the room, do jumping jacks, stand up and sit down. All you want to do is make sure you are NOT just sitting there watching TV. ANY activity is better than none.

- Take your dog for a walk every day. It will greatly benefit your dog, also. If you do not have a dog, take a walk anyway. It doesn't have to be very far. Just take a walk however far you want. Just do more than you have been and you will feel better and start burning more energy than previously.

- Take the stairs whenever possible. No more elevators.

- If you can, start weight training. Muscle burns energy efficiently. If you build muscle, it replaces fat and makes you a fat burning machine!

Try to think of other creative ways to cut calories and increase energy expendature. I'm sure you can come up with many more ideas. This will be a great start for you. Keep in mind it is always easier to start, and stick with these steps if you have someone to share in your activity.

A final thought - The best time to plant a tree was 5 years ago. The second best time is right now!

This can be applied to losing weight. The best time to start may have been in the past, but the second best time is right now. Don't get discouraged. This is a lifetime commitment and a life changing goal. Be easy on yourself, but be committed and you will see progress!

As with any excercise or weight loss program proper supplementation is vital. Before taking action- Get Informed. For a FREE Health Newsletter please visit:http://www.healthybodysupplements.com - By ElmerFizz