Weight Loss Tips

Over 95% of people who use restrictive dieting to lose weight, gain it all back within one year. Restrictive dieting alone will never solve your weight problem. In fact, many studies show that dieting actually causes weight problems because it forces you to focus most of your energy on food and your weight. Dieting fosters diet mentality which causes us to call some foods “good” and others “bad”. If you’re dieting your feelings about yourself are often dictated by your food choices.

Here are some common statements you might hear people make when they’re on a diet:

“I was really good today, all I had was rice cakes and a protein shake.”

“Wow! That cheesecake is so good I felt like licking my plate.”

“I wish I could be good like you, look at how bad I’m being.”

Notice how the word “good” is used for the diet food and the high fat food interchangeably. Notice also how dieter’s judge themselves based on the food they put in their mouths. Our words and beliefs have power over our feelings and our actions. If we do something we think is “bad”, we will likely begin to feel bad and even make choices to prove how bad we are. This is called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, one of the keys to stress-free slimness is to stop judging ourselves based on food choices. Another key is to change our definition of “good” so that it’s consistent and self-affirming. There is no food that’s universally “good” or “bad”. We all have different tastes and we can eat a variety of foods in moderation without gaining weight. However, it is true that some foods contain more nutritional value than others and therefore are good for our bodies. Some foods give our bodies more of what we need. If you must call food “good”, reserve the label for food that’s: high quality, enjoyable and beneficial to your body’s health.

As a dieter, you are in a quandary when you label “good” food: boring. I’ve seen long-time dieter’s roll their eyes at people who are healthy or “good”. They say things like “I’m not good like her” or snicker at the prospect of eating “good” as if it’s somehow uncool or dreary. We must change our mindset if we hope to have long term health and weight maintenance.

If you’re like many dieters you have assimilated numerous low-fat, low-calorie foods into your diet and you call yourself “good” for eating them. Yet these foods are not good in any way. They don’t taste good, they usually aren’t good for you and they don’t necessarily make you feel good after you’ve eaten them. In fact, many dieters will admit that certain diet foods cause a myriad of symptoms such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, headaches and constipation to name a few. I think we can all agree: these side effects are not “good”. So, to help you reframe the concept of “good” food and “bad” food, I’m going to leave you with a mental image you can carry with you so that you are eating more “good” foods and feeling better. If you keep it up, you will probably lose weight too.

Imagine that “good” food is the kind of food that makes your body say “hooray!!” Imagine the food goes down the “conveyor belt” of your throat, to your stomach. When it arrives; your organs, cells and glands all say, “WOW check out all the new nutrients we just got in! There’s tons of good stuff here. Yipee!!” On the flip side, when you eat pre-processed, preservative and chemical-laden foods, your body says, “Oh no, not again. How does she expect me to exist on this? There’s almost nothing I can use here. The whole thing is waste! I’m going to have to spend all my energy processing this worthless foodfor what?”

I hope this mental image will stick with you the next time you’re making a food decision whether it’s at the grocery store, a restaurant or a party. Be good to yourself. You deserve it and your body deserves it.

Copyright 2006 Sheri Zampelli

Sheri O. Zampelli, M.S., CCH is the author of From Sabotage to Success - How to Overcome Self-Defeating Behavior and Reach Your True Potential. She helps people find fun and creative ways to make lifelong change. Listen to the Donate Your Weight.com Podcast or go to http://www.donateyourweight.com for more information.

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I know what it’s like to be stuck. I lost some weight (25 lbs.) and then I stopped. I had about 25-30 lbs. to go and nothing was happening. I was exercising, eating healthy and no more weight loss. Here is how I was able to lose the rest of the weight I wanted to. You can do it too!

1. Rethink your diet.

It is time to stop dieting and cutting calories. Avoid quick fix fad diets. You usually end up gaining more weight when it is over than you weighed when you started. Your goal should be to get healthy. Work towards a lifetime goal of a healthy diet and lifestyle change.

And be careful, some foods, such as soy and skim milk, which are marketed as health and diet foods are unhealthy and/or actually help make you fatter. (For more information see our free ebook at http://enzyme-health.com.)

2. Eat healthy life-giving foods.

Choose healthier organic produce, meats, eggs and milk products. Get plenty of proteins, to help you build muscle and burn fat.

3. Cut out the bad carbs and processed foods.

Avoid the bad carbs– white sugar and white flour. Stay away from the processed foods as much as possible. It is the bad fats and oils, carbs, preservatives, MSG, and food dyes that keep many people overweight.

4. Try cooking with coconut oil.

Coconut oil is the best oil you can use in your diet. It actually promotes weight loss by burning as fuel for the body instead of storing as fat. It is a harmless saturated fat that has been proven not to cause heart disease, and actually helps fight cardiovascular disease. And you can use it for higher temperature cooking, unlike olive oil. (See http://coconut-oil-diet.com for more information on coconut oil.)

5. Exercise moderately– but don’t over do it.

People talk a lot about the need to add more exercise, but too much exercise can be almost as bad as too little. Listen to your body. Start slowly and increase your exercising gradually. Vary your exercise routines. Alternate weight training and aerobics exercises on different days.

6. When you still can’t lose weight, get some help.

Sometime you just need a little extra help. There are proven herbs and supplements that can that can give you that extra edge you might need to cut your appetite, give your metabolism and energy levels a boost, and help you burn fat and build muscle.

There are also a lot of diet scams out there, so be careful. I did a lot of research, and tried a lot of supplements with empty promises– but you can learn from me. I found the best fat burning and weight loss supplements, and they are all in one simple patch that you apply daily. I am really excited about this product. It gave me the added push, when I needed it. Maybe it can help you too.

For more information about a safe and very effective diet patch that has proven to help thousands of people lose weight, check out the website at http://powerdietpatch.com now!

Dianne’s FREE ebook, “Coconut Oil Diet Secrets” reveals how people are losing weight and getting healthier with coconut oil diets. Go to the web site at http://coconut-oil-diet.com now to find out how!

By Dianne Ronnow, © 2006 Mohave Publishing.

This article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.

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If you are overweight, you probably know it already and your doctor has probably warned you about its dangers.

However, muscle weighs more than fat, and some people have larger, heavier bones than others. You can be heavy and perfectly healthy if a large percentage of your weight is in bone and muscle. However, if a high percentage of your weight is fat, you are at increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, strokes, some types of cancer and other health problems.

If you’re not sure where you stand, use these three simple measures to see whether you should be concerned about excess weight.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Waist-Hip ratio - to determine whether you’re an “apple” or a “pear”
My “Inch of Pinch” test

The BMI (Body Mass Index) is a standard calculation used by doctors and nutritionists to see if your weight is appropriate for your height. You can find charts and the easy formula to calculate your BMI using a Google search. If your BMI is 30 or more, your statistical risk of death from any cause is increased by 50 to 150 percent. But you need to know more about your body composition. Read on.

Your WAIST/HIP RATIO is calculated by dividing your waist size by your hip size. Use a measuring tape to measure your hips at the widest part of your buttocks. Then measure your waist where it is smallest, usually just above the belly button. Then divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Record your result on your “Before and After” Chart. Women should have a ratio of 0.8 or less; men should be no higher than 1.0. If your ratio is higher than these ideals, you are an “apple” with excess fat in stored your abdomen.

Finally, here’s my “INCH OF PINCH” Test. Ordinary scales tell you your total weight and can help you keep track of weight changes, but they tell you nothing about the composition of your body. If you are exercising and building muscle, you may gain weight in a healthy way. You can buy special scales that estimate your body fat percentage, but they are expensive and not completely reliable. Your doctor may use fat calipers, or send you for an accurate body composition test where you are immersed in water, but you can make a simple calculation yourself using my “Inch of Pinch” test.

Using your thumb and forefinger, grasp the skin 3″ to the right or left of your navel. Pinch firmly but not so hard that it hurts. Then slide your hand away without changing the distance between your thumb and forefinger, and see how far apart they are. Ideally you will have pinched about 1/2″ inch of flesh. An inch or more in your “pinch” means that your excess body weight is more fat than muscle.

Read my Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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