Overeating at Christmas – Tips to Avoid It

by Weight Loss - December 24, 2018

Overeating at Christmas – Tips and Tricks to Avoid Doing It.

When Christmas is approaching, you might be concerned about overeating and gaining weight. If you are trying to maintain your weight at this time of year, these tips are very helpful.

Eat Something Beforehand

A common trick that many people use when they don’t’ want to overeat is to eat beforehand. This may seem silly since you are heading to Christmas dinner. The point however, isn’t to eat an entire meal, then eat a second meal when you arrive. What you are trying to do is eat a small healthy meal or snack instead. Not only you will be full, but you know you had something good. When you arrive for Christmas dinner, you will only eat a small amount because you are slightly full. Therefore your cravings won’t be as bad, and you won’t overindulge. With a plan, overeating at Christmas can be avoided.

Count Plates, Not Calories

Instead of trying to count the calories, grams of fat, or carbohydrates of each food item you choose, just count the number of plates. Give yourself just one plate to enjoy Christmas dinner on, including the dessert. That means only a certain amount of the plate should be filled up with food, leaving an empty portion for the dessert that will come later. Fill the rest of the plate with anything you want, and don’t go for seconds. Be prepared so overeating at Christmas doesn’t happen.

Go For the Healthy Stuff First

Whether you are enjoying appetizers at a buffet table or choosing food at Christmas dinner, try to fill up your plate with the healthier food options first. Get a portion size of ham or turkey, then make up the rest of the plate with the healthier veggies. If there is any more room on your plate, you can then add the less healthy options like mashed potatoes or stuffing, but these should only be a very small portion of what you will be eating.

When you are trying not to overeat, denying yourself something rarely works. A better method is to use these tips, and have a bite of everything. If you want to try everything, don’t pile up your plate, but add a bite of two of each food item, enjoy them, and then don’t let yourself have seconds.

Avoid overeating at Christmas, prepare ahead!.

Healthier Christmas Dinner Ideas

by Weight Loss - December 21, 2018

Healthier Christmas Dinner Ideas.

Annie Spratt

If you are trying to lose weight or avoid weight gain during the holidays, it can be a little difficult when it is time for Christmas dinner. Luckily, there are some ways to have healthier dishes and still feel like you weren’t missing out.

Here are some different healthier Christmas dinner ideas.

1. Mashed Sweet Potato and Cauliflower

This is a great alternative to traditional mashed potatoes, using cauliflower and sweet potato instead, which are healthier and far less calories and carbohydrates. The combination of them makes for a colorful and flavorful side dish for your Christmas dinner. To make the dish, you want to add both sweet potato and cauliflower to a food processor to make a mash, then add in Greek yogurt instead of butter, milk, and seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Keeping carbs low is always a great idea.

2. Cranberry Almond Salad

This salad is a good replacement for just about any side dish, but especially the more fattening ones like green bean casserole. You will use spinach as your greens, then add some toasted and slivered almonds and dried cranberries on top. You can use a standard oil and vinegar dressing, or make a sesame seed dressing for the salad with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, and sesame seeds.

3. Gingerbread Loaf

For a dessert after dinner that is low in calories, make a gingerbread loaf. This is a clean eating recipe containing molasses, ginger, vanilla extract, maple syrup, applesauce, and eggs. You will also need cinnamon, nutmeg, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cloves, baking powder, and salt. It is a really simple recipe that just requires these ingredients and a standard loaf pan. Choose whether or not you want icing on top.

4. Whole Wheat Rolls

Dinner rolls are often a favorite for Christmas dinner, but standard white rolls are filled with carbs and not always good for you. If you still want rolls, a healthier option is to make whole wheat ones. You can use whole wheat flour, coconut butter instead of regular butter and pure honey to make them delicious, yet better for you. Instant yeast, salt, and an egg are also going to be used for the rolls.

5. Cauliflower Rice Stuffing

Instead of making regular bread stuffing, why not use cauliflower rice and turn it into a healthier version of stuffing? Cauliflower can be made into a rice consistency with your food processor. You will then combine the cauliflower rice with onion, olive oil, celery, mushrooms, seasonings, herbs, red wine vinegar, and pecans.

These 5 Healthier Christmas Dinner Ideas will make a great menu. Enjoy!

New Year Resolutions – Make Them Count

by Weight Loss - December 20, 2018

New Year Resolutions for 2019 – Make them Count

Ian Schneider

Your most important New Year Resolutions come and go every year with little actionable results.

Resolutions are so popular because they are a reminder that we should recommit regularly to personal improvement. However, instead of making a list of 10 things you want change this year, why not commit to real change that has the possibility to last beyond the first few months of the year.

By focusing on the process of change rather than solely the outcome, your resolutions could really make a difference this year in your overall happiness and satisfaction.

With the recent downtrend in the happiness of women in the U.S. this year. Perhaps it is time to return to the basics this year with your resolutions.

Instead of opting for the same goals you make every year, make this year The Year of Living Happier.

Here are the most important resolutions you can make this year to help achieve just that.

1.- Focus on Your Mental Health.

When you change your focus to mental health you can improve not only your mind and soul, but also your body. Mental health is what drives your ability to physical health. So focusing on it rather than on other aspects of getting in shape or dieting could lead to more significant improvements in all areas of your life. Your mental health includes how you deal with and process emotions, how you handle stress, how resilient you are to change and other obstacles and your overall mindset. Focus on this critical aspect of wellness and you will enjoy significant returns in all areas of your life.

2.- Become Better Connected.

Make a commitment this year to spending more time with friends and family in person rather than over social media. Being in the company of trusted others can improve your mental health and lower your stress too. Schedule regular time each week to spend with loved ones. Stay in contact with those that live far away and renew efforts to stay connected to those you have neglected recently.

3.- Be More Mindful.

When you are mindful, you are living in the moment. You are aware of what you are feeling, how the environment and others affect you. And you can embrace the experience and opportunities as you live them. Mindfulness teaches you to let go anxieties about the unknown future as you well as the anger and sadness about the past, both of which can significantly impact both your emotional and physical wellness.

4.- Get Outside More.

Spending more time outside can improve your physical, mental and emotional health. In many ways, spending time outside reduces stress, helps you sleep better, enhances your immune system and can be a wonderful place to get more done. Enjoy your local community park, green spaces and walking paths as much as you can to improve your happiness in many areas.

5.- Commit to Self Care.

If you make no other resolution this year, promise yourself that you will prioritize your self care. Taking time for yourself is crucial. And this simple promise can enhance your well being. Self care can include everything, from meditation to your beauty regimen. It is up to you to determine what you need to feel your best.

Looking and Feeling your Best has been our motto for almost 20 years.

We have kept our new year resolutions to bring the best about Weight Loss, Fitness and Wellness.

Happy 2019, May all Your New Year Resolutions Come True!.

Handling Holiday Parties – Prevent Weight Gain

by Weight Loss - December 18, 2018

Handling Holiday Parties to Avoid Gaining Weight.

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When you are attempting to lose weight during the holidays, those parties will be your downfall. Yet you still want to enjoy time with friends and family.
Here are some tips for handling parties and still losing weight.

Go For the Veggies First

Try to fill up on healthy fruits and veggies before going for other food. If the holiday party doesn’t have a big meal, but just offers snacks and appetizers, there is probably a veggie plate and some type of fruit dish.
Put these food items on a plate and eat them all with a bottle of water or whatever type of drink they are offering, then wait a few minutes before deciding to eat anything else. In many cases, this is enough to satiate your hunger and stop cravings.

Walk Away from the Food Table

The worst thing you can do when trying to lose weight is to stand next to the food. Grab a small plate if they are being offered and put some healthy food items on the plate. Walk away from the table and socialize while you eat your snacks.
Standing by the food, you will start dipping chips in the dip. Consequently will lose track of how much you are eating. You will be surprised how quickly you can down chips with dip or eat several pieces of cake without even realizing it.

Avoid Cocktails

Cocktails are often another bad idea when Handling Holiday Parties. They are full of sugar and will add empty calories, Also it will increase your cravings and make you more inclined to go for all that bad stuff.
If you are going to drink at the party, don’t start early, since it probably will not be your only drink of the night. Either nurse a drink all night or wait an hour or so before treating yourself to a drink.

Socialize Instead of Eating

A good plan for avoiding the food and not over-indulging is to socialize instead. Take this opportunity to talk to friends and family you haven’t seen in a while, mingle throughout the crowd, and meet new people.

That is the best way of handling holiday parties and avoid gaining weight.

Stop Procrastinating – Focus on Your Goals

by Weight Loss - December 15, 2018

Stop Procrastinating and Get Results

Alex Michaelsen

Regardless of what you need to achieve, be it weight loss, general wellness or getting that career changing job. Procrastination is a stumbling block that needs to be demolished.

Have you ever had plenty of time to complete a task, yet end up rushing through at the last minute? This is a habit that plagues quite a large portion of people, but how do you break the habit?.

Like most bad habits, you can learn to change them, but it will take extra effort and time. Therefore, this article is intended to teach you how to finally stop procrastinating.

Take Small Calculated Steps

If you’re prone to getting overwhelmed, then it can be really easy to get flustered. When you’re looking at a large job that needs to get done. When you’re looking at a large list, it always looks like a mountain. One way to deal with it is to break the job into a list of smaller jobs. That way you can create a visually recognizable record of what you have accomplished so far. Seeing the list shrink will give you more confidence and reduce stress. This is the first step to stop procrastinating.

Find One Thing to Complete Immediately

The first super important baby step would be to pick one thing and just be sure to get it done as soon as you possibly can. If you’ve made a list, it would be good to make sure that task is number one on the list. This does two things. For one, you will be able to cross something off of your list, and second, you will have already completed the first task. Take a moment to reflect that you’ve finished something quickly because the next step you take can be extremely important as well.

If You Need Help You Should Ask

One of the hardest things for people can be asking for help. Asking for help means that you have to put your trust in someone to help you reach a desired outcome, so it takes a lot. Sometimes the person to help can come from the least expected source, but if you have the option, try to find a trusted friend to get you through the task. Sometimes just having someone with you can make all of the difference.

Shut Out Distractions

Once it’s coming down to the wire and you’ve already completed many of your tasks, and asked for a friend to help you, there are probably only a few things left on your list. This is a really crucial time for you development, and sometimes life has a way of throwing obstacles into your way, but the best way to avoid these types of things is to simply lock yourself away from anything or anyone who would be able to keep you from finishing. In other words, Stay Focused!

When you are so close to the end, be sure that you have time to mull things over. This way you don’t blow through the final part of your work, and you can be confident that you are delivering quality work that showcases your strengths and skills.

Finally, having finished the task you can proudly proclaim that you have stop procrastinating. You are now on the road to success!

Healthy Diet And Exercise – We Must Do Both

by Weight Loss - December 12, 2018

Healthy Diet And Exercise. Discover its Importance.

Dan Gold

Exercise.

It is a proven fact that exercise is essential for a healthy body. Dieting alone will help anyone lose weight, but without exercise as part of the regime, maintaining the body in good condition is harder.

Incorporating an exercise program will increase your weight loss and health. Most people are sedentary during their working hours, adding exercise to their routines will increase fitness,.

Increasing the amount of activity leads well being. Feeling good increases self esteem which in turn, leads to better eating habits. Therefore, exercise makes people healthier.

Healthy Diet.

Eating a healthy diet rich in proteins, some carbohydrates, and moderate amount of fat are necessary for a balanced diet.

Adding exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, or riding a bicycle whenever possible will lead to total fitness.

A healthy diet and exercise program definitely leads to a healthy life style. Allows long-term weight management as well as a body that is resistant to disease, and illness.

Well balanced meals will provide nutrients that in turn help strengthen muscles and bones.

Care must be taken to take all the necessary vitamins, and minerals that are essential for good health.

Water.

Water is critical to maintaining a healthy body. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water to keep the body hydrated and flush out the toxins and fat. Lungs, kidneys, liver, hair, nails and bones all need water to function properly.

Fit people have more energy and have better looking bodies. Hence, fitness leads to happiness.

Warning: As with any lifestyle changing routines, care must be taken to ensure that, before starting any diet and exercise programs you contact your physician.

It is very important to address any underlying medical conditions before beginning your program.

Finally, a healthy diet and exercise will lead to wellness. Isn’t that what we all are looking for?

Ephedra Diet Supplements – Are They Legal?

by Weight Loss - December 9, 2018

Ephedra Diet Supplements – The Legal Challenges Continue .

stevepb / Pixabay

Ephedra diet supplements or ma huang. Are strong stimulants found in popular “herbal phen-fen” weight loss products. Despite it’s widespread use in over-the-counter weight loss pills, there is only limited evidence that it promotes weight loss. However, some studies, as well as tens of thousands of satisfied ephedra users, claim they support its use.

What is the status of Ephedra Diet Supplements in the United States?

In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned ephedra diet supplements. The FDA first published a rule on February 11, 2004 which declared dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury. After a long fight with the supplements industry, the FDA was finally able to ban ephedra diet supplements. The FDA acted after it received over 800 reports linking ephedra with dizziness, headaches, chest pain, psychosis, seizures and strokes. Some states banned the stimulant before the FDA acted. Ephedra in weight loss supplements, sends the body into abnormal high gear. Heart palpitations and heart attacks may follow.

The ephedra diet supplements manufacturers did not go down without a fight. In fact, two manufacturers made a last ditch effort to have the US District Court in New Jersey enter a temporary injunction to prohibit the FDA from enforcing the rule. But the court ruled that it would not stay the rule immediately and asked that the parties submit additional briefs.

Many dieters loved ephedra diet supplements because they could lose weight without diet or workouts. Clinical studies showed that ephedra products worked on non-exercising people. There are very few supplements in the world that work without exercises. In one study subjects lost 10 pounds of fat in 6 weeks from taking 20mg of ephedrine, 200mg of caffeine and 325mg of aspirin 3 times a day without doing any exercises.

Ephedra occurs naturally in the central nervous system. Commercial Ephedra comes from the equisetina plant. It is a white crystalline product soluble in water and very soluble in alcohol. It is closely related to methamphetamines, although much less potent and longer acting.

“Ephedra leaves” Products

After the Ephedra diet supplements ban. Ephedra leaves based products are sold. But many dieters are finding that these products are no substitute for the real thing. Ephedra leaves are legal, but many claim they are completely ineffective.

The battle over ephedra weight loss supplements is not over.

While it is currently illegal to sell the substance, the manufacturers and the dieters are fighting back to make Ephedra Diet Supplements legal once more.

Our Recommendation: Use other weight loss plans that are a lot safer!

Start Losing Weight Before the Holidays

by Weight Loss - December 3, 2018

Start Losing Weight Before the Holidays, Why You Should Try It.

rawpixel / Pixabay

Losing weight when the holiday season has begun is a good idea, but why not start a little early? Your chances for success will increase the earlier you start.

Reduce Food Cravings

Whenever a new diet is started, cravings are increased for a while as your body adapts to the new reality. If you wait until the holiday season to start your diet, those cravings will be strongest when all that good food is in front of you.

Pretty hard to succeed if you try it then. Therefore, start as early as you can. Make it easier to have the willpower to say no.

Showing Progress will Motivate You to Continue.

If you start losing weight before the holidays, you will have something to show for it. You will know that your plan is working. When you get compliments on your looks, you will be motivated to continue. That is the best type of motivation there is for losing weight. By Christmas time, it will be easy to say no to second portions because you know what you are looking great. It most definitely will keep you going.

You Will Be Used to Your New Diet.

By the time the holidays arrive, you will be well adjusted to your new dietary rules and restrictions. It doesn’t matter what weight loss plan you decide to go with, it is going to be different from how you typically eat in order to be successful. It is hard to deal with a holiday party just days after you start, especially when you don’t even have the “diet” quite down yet. If you give yourself at least a few weeks to adjust to it, you will feel more confident when choosing what you can and can’t eat during social gatherings.

Finally, start losing weight now, before it gets harder to do!

Gym Equipment – 10 Great Reasons to Use It

by Weight Loss - November 30, 2018

Gym Equipment that yields results.

Alora Griffiths

Why use gym equipment?

We all know about the benefits of using gym equipment – above all, that it’s good for us. But this isn’t always enough to get us motivated into actually doing it. If you’re looking for a little inspiration to get started, then here are 10 reasons why do it.

1) More Energy:

Although working out in itself may be tiring, one of the major benefits of using gym equipment is that it’ll ultimately leave you feeling more energized. Studies have shown that regular exercise helps to reduce fatigue.

2) Improve Your Mood:

Every time you workout your body will release endorphins that help to make you feel good. It will give you a natural high!

3) Boost Your Health:

There are so many health benefits of losing weight that it’s impossible to list them all here! By getting fit you’ll reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and much more.

4) Look better:

If being overweight or not being toned leaves you feeling unhappy about yourself then losing weight can help you to look and feel better. And what a better way to do it than by using gym equipment.

5) Keep Up With Your Kids:

It takes a lot of effort to keep up with your kids. By getting fit, you’ll be able to run around with them without constantly getting out of breath. This can be one of the most rewarding benefits of exercising: it helps you to enjoy life more.

6) Sleep Better:

When you exercise more you’ll start to find it easier to get a good night’s rest. This adds to the feeling of wellness that you’ll get from exercise in the long term.

7) Increase Your Strength and Stamina:

Do you find it hard to go on long walks, even though you want to? Or maybe even carrying shopping bags up the stairs is a struggle? Spend more time using your gym machines and you’ll eventually be able to handle these activities with ease.

8) Reduce Stress:

Working out can greatly reduce stress levels. If you regularly suffer from it – or even mental heath issues such as depression and anxiety – regular exercise can help to reduce your symptoms.

9) A Sense Of Achievement:

When you start to exercise and see the improvements you’re making week on week, you’ll really get the feeling that you’ve achieved something worthwhile!

10) Keep Your Independence Later In Life:

The more you can exercise now, while you’re still able, the more you can reduce the impact of mobility problems later in life. In short, keeping fit and trim will help you to keep your independence as late into life as possible.

So how much will you need to work out with your gym equipment to feel these benefits of exercising? That all depends on your current fitness levels. The good news is that just 30 minutes a day is enough to raise your fitness levels drastically. So what are you waiting for?!

Use that Gym Equipment now to achieve fast results.

3 Day Cardiac Diet – Quick & Effective

by Weight Loss - November 27, 2018

3 Day Cardiac Diet – It is the Fastest And Easiest Weight Loss Plan Ever?

Valeriy Evtushenko

If this is one of the easiest and fastest ways to lose weight; so why haven’t you heard of it?

This is one of a group of fairly similar diets that have been around for years. The Mayo Clinic Diet, the Grapefruit Diet, or the Cleveland Clinic diet.

The purpose of all these diets is to enable a person to lose as much weight as possible in three days.

If you believe that the 3 day cardiac diet and diets like it came from these clinics, then the idea was to help cardiac patients lose the water weight and bloat before surgery. Those institutions all deny that they originated these diets, but they are very effective at rapid weight loss.

High Protein and Limited Calories

You will find the 3 day cardiac diet is a high protein, limited calorie diet that emphasizes vegetables and lean protein. Because of the amounts of vegetable you’re encouraged to eat, there’s no risk of nutritional deficiencies arising. But stay on it for three days at time, or the low calories will cause a metabolic slowdown.

Breakfast

For breakfast on each of the three days, you must focus on getting in protein as well as some fats. The usual prescription is water packed tuna or cottage cheese, about a half a cup’s worth, and two eggs, cooked in your preferred style.

This gives you a good mix of protein and fat, which are important for maintaining you hunger at manageable levels. It also gives you the materials you need to keep your muscles strong. Under no circumstances should you skip breakfast or not eat the full amount. You may have coffee or tea with it, but make sure not to use sweeteners or any dairy products.

Lunch

Lunch will be a mixture of tuna and salad. On the first two days, you may have a half a cup of water packed tuna, and a salad of any size you like. Keep in mind, though, that the salad must be all vegetables – no cheese or croutons or the like.. Make sure to use olive oil as your dressing, and don’t skimp, you need the good fats for proper metabolism. On the third day of the 3 day cardiac diet you may increase to a full cup.

Dinner

Dinner on the 3 day cardiac diet will consist of as much as you like of any kind of meat, prepared without sauce or breading. You need to back this up with two different types of vegetables, steamed and without sauce except for butter, which you should use on them.

Do not eat bread, pasta, or potatoes on the 3 day cardiac diet, because it will disrupt the weight loss formula of the diet. Remember to drink at least 64 ounces of water while on the diet, and don’t cheat, it’s only three days.