Benefits of Fasting – Does it outweigh the feelings of deprivation?

Benefits of Fasting

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Have you wondered if the benefits of fasting outweigh the feelings of deprivation? Read on for helpful information about the benefits of fasting and various fasting tips.

Benefits of Fasting

Fasting isn’t new. In effect countless generations in various cultures use it as a way to heal, as a spiritual connection, and  prayer.

Fasting must be done only after careful consideration and research. Read on for some helpful info.

About Fasting

Fasting involves a period of not eating. There are several types of fasts. You might do a juice fast, which allows you to consume fruit and vegetable juices. You might refrain from food altogether and simply drink water during your fasting period.

There are also short fasting periods with no food and no water. Of course, dehydration fears prevent most people from embarking on a no food / no water fast for good reason. Hydration is very important and fasting without water is dangerous, depending on multiple factors.

Benefits of Fasting

The benefits of fasting are numerous, and include..

  • Giving your digestive system a break – This improves digestion substantially.
  • Detoxification – Your body holds toxins in fat cells. Fasting can help you use these stores as energy.
  • Enhanced healing / boosted immune system.
  • Jump starting your metabolism – A fast is a good way to avoid a plateau.
  • Possible increased lifespan – In many cultures where occasional fasting is done, the overall lifespan is, on average, longer than in areas where fasting is not typically practiced.

Our bodies work hard and the occasional fast will give your system a break allowing it to detoxify. When your body’s systems get a break from digesting, that energy will aid healing instead.

Fasting is done for a number of reasons, including spiritual as well as weight loss and healing. Occasional fasting has substantial health benefits.

If you’re considering fasting, it’s important that you weigh the benefits of fasting carefully against any health issues you have. People with medical conditions or a serious disease, must consult a physician before fasting.

How much fasting is safe and how often it can be done is a subject of debate.  Do research before fasting

There is a fine line between fasting and starvation so it’s important to be careful.

Many people find fasting extremely difficult but even an occasional one day fast could do good things for your health.

Whether you’re looking at doing fasting to lose weight, body cleansing, or for spiritual reasons, make sure you do further investigation before starting a fast. It will provide you with great benefits.

 

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Low Calorie Desserts Help Maintain Weight Loss Routines

Low Calorie Desserts

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Low calorie desserts can help you stay on track with your diet. By eating low calorie desserts, you’ll feed your urge for a treat without sabotaging your dieting by overeating. Eating plenty of variety in your diet can help keep you interested. Be sure that you look forward to your meals at least somewhat.

While you’re probably trying to think of food as fuel rather than eating for pleasure, having food that you enjoy will help keep you on track. Dessert is something we are programmed to enjoy. It’s a treat. It’s something that signifies family, fun, joy, celebrations. The wrong dessert after dinner can undo your hard work all day long. Don’t skip it, though; just choose something that’s a bit more figure friendly. Here are some simple low calorie desserts ideas..

Low CalorieFruit

Fruit is known as nature’s candy. A bowl of fruit, as in a fruit salad or fruit cocktail, can be very satisfying as options for low calorie desserts with variety. A fruit smoothie can be filling and remind you of a milkshake. Fruit and yogurt dip can feel decadent.

You can even melt just a little bit of dark chocolate and dip a few strawberries for a great treat that delivers a heavenly experience for the taste buds. You could also bake some apples with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon on them (go easy on the sugar). It’s like apple pie without the crust.

Tweaked Baking Recipes

When you bake a boxed cake mix you can often see cholesterol or calorie lowering tips that could include: reducing eggs, using water instead of milk, using apple sauce or some other liquid instead of butter, and reducing specific ingredients such as sugar, butter, and oil. You could, conceivably, trim a big chunk off a baking recipe if you get the right advice (Tip: don’t dabble without advice unless you’re willing to experience the occasional recipe flop!). Keep portions to a minimum with baked goods and you can enjoy them once in a while.

Low Calorie Desserts

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Yogurt

Frozen yogurt, low fat yogurt with fruit, a yogurt parfait with fruit and a bit of granola are all great low fat, healthy snacks for weight loss. Do watch sugar content, though.

Jell-O

Gelatin desserts aren’t too calorie laden and can be a low calorie dessert idea. You can buy light whipped topping if you want it to feel extra decadent.

Pudding

Pudding can also be low calorie desserts. Making pudding with skim milk instead of full fat milk, for example, can help you trim calories. Again, portion control is important. You might also opt for a low fat pudding pop for a sweet treat that takes a while to eat (resulting in keeping you satisfied longer).

Consequently, keep a variety of Low Calorie Desserts in stock, hence you will keep your diet on track.

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Healthy Snack Ideas That Will Keep Cravings Away

Healthy Snack Ideas

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To begin with, do you struggle with staying on track for weight loss and healthy eating goals at nighttime?. If so we can conclude that  this is the most dangerous time of day from an eating perspective. Therefore there is a need to snack at night in a sensible way.

Here are 10 healthy snack ideas that can help you feel good about your choice and some will still feel like you’re getting a “treat”.

1. Trail Mix

Trail Mix, Fruit and Dip, Smoothies, Popcorn and Frozen BerriesTrail mix can be a high satiety snack and is one of the popular healthy snack ideas. Be careful as it can be high calorie, too, if you’re not careful. Making homemade trail mix can help you choose the right combination and in the right quantities while giving you control over sugar content.

This type of snack is great for people who like to “pick” at a snack. Measure portions out so you don’t find that you’ve consumed 800 calories while watching your favourite TV show.

2. Fruit and Dip

Healthy Snack Ideas

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A variety of fruit on a platter can be appetizing to the eyes and great from a nutritional standpoint. Fruit can be filling and it’s satisfying. Choose low fat dips (if using dip at all), such as a yogurt dip.

3. Fudge Pops

A fudge popsicle can be a satisfying sweet tooth cure for the chocoholic and it’s only about 100 calories a pop. It’s not the healthiest of healthy snack ideas but it’s a great option over a chocolate bar or bowl of chocolate ice cream.

4. Frozen Yogurt with Fruit

Fro-yo is a one of the great healthy snack ideas when it comes to substitutions for ice cream. But do watch portion control and be aware that some frozen yogurt has a pretty high sugar content. Consider adding a handful of berries to up the fibre and nutritional content and help you feel satisfied with a reasonable portion.Healthy Snack Ideas

5. Veggies and Dip

Raw veggies can help you cure the craving for crunch. A bowl of radishes with a bit of sea salt is a much better choice than a bag of chips, of course. A plate of peppers, carrots cucumbers, broccoli, and cauliflower with a low cal dip (don’t overdo the dip!) could be a great TV snack for the whole family.

6. Popcorn

Popcorn gives you the option for a large volume of food without a lot of calories. Do be careful however, about overdoing it with cheese or buttered popcorn as it can be calorie-laden and full of fat. You can buy 100-calorie bags, for instance.

7. 100 Calorie Packs

100 calorie snack packs have pros and cons. They don’t get you eating the right food as these are often cookies or other naughty snacks but do offer a limited portion of something that can be indulgent. Use them sparingly.

8. Smoothies

Healthy Snack Ideas

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Because fruit smoothies are a filling and deliciously healthy way to cure a nighttime sweet tooth! Therefore you can mix your choice of fruit, skim milk with a banana and you’ve got a great healthy snack for weight loss. You can also add probiotic yogurt or green powder for a nutritional punch, too.

9. Cereal and Cereal Bars

Cereal is a healthy snack idea that’s low cal and high nutrition. Opt for choices with high fibre content to really satisfy.

10. Frozen Berries

A bowl of frozen grapes, berries, or cherries can help the sweet tooth for movie night.

Healthy Snack Ideas

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Healthy snack ideas should encompass flavour and health in order to help you feel satisfied.

A few of the above ideas weren’t the healthiest snack options but the occasional indulgence will feel like a “cheat” but won’t have the same impact as some of the common nighttime snacks.

Tip: Ignore the commercials! If you can skip through them you’re less likely to see something tempting that causes you to reach for an unhealthy snack.

In conclusion, use these Healthy Snack Ideas to add variety to your diet and loose weight.

 

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Does Water Help You Lose Weight?

Does Water Help you lose weight

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Does water help you lose weight? In many diet advice articles and weight loss books you’ll read repeatedly to drink plenty of water when dieting. Why is that? What’s so great about water for weight loss?

Water’s Caloric Intake

Does Water Help You Lose WeightWater has zero calories, zero carbs, and yep… it also has zero fat. It won’t make you gain weight and it can be a great weight loss aid. But it does quench your thirst. Drinking water to help you lose weight can cut your calorie intake substantially. Many people drink 5-10 calorie laden drinks a day. Imagine cutting most (or all) of those out and just drinking water? You could cut thousands of calories from your diet on a monthly basis.

There have been cases of people losing a few jeans sizes in a short time just from the simple change of drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day in lieu of calorie laden beverages.

Water Fills You Up

Why else does water help you lose weight? People who drink water find that it helps you eat less. Drinking a glass of water before a meal can help you eat a smaller portion.

Drinking a glass of water when you get a hunger craving between meals will also often help you get to your next meal without snacking. People often mistake hunger for thirst. Staying hydrated could help kill the munchies.

Water Revs Up Your Metabolism

Does Water Help You Lose Weight

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Water helps everything move swiftly through your system. Increasing your water intake, especially if you currently rarely drink water, could have a very positive impact on your body.

Water Detoxifies Your Body

Water is great for your body. It helps with your skin, your organs, and your overall health and wellness. Water energises you and quenches your thirst. It can help you during exercise and it helps you change your eating behaviours. Those who drink water tend to crave less junk food than those who often drink carbonated beverages. Carbonated beverages often seem to wake up the junk food cravings whereas it’s much easier to drink water and eat healthy. Mindset is important when trying to lose weight and water is an excellent way to get the right mindset.

Baby steps can add up to substantial weight loss. The simple act of deciding to drink water could help you get well on your way to reaching your weight loss goals. If you want to know.. does water help you lose weight.. why not do an experiment and see how it goes. Eating your daily calorie allotment rather than drinking it will also give you more room for satiety.

Does water help you lose weight?, Without a doubt, the evidence is clear.

 

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Low Fat Soup Recipes That Taste Great

Low Fat Soup Recipes

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Soup is good for nutritional and dietary needs. It’s also a very budget-friendly food as you can make a large pot for a low cost and freeze a batch for another day. When cooking, don’t settle for commercial soups all the time, because they’re often high in sodium,preservatives and low on flavor.

By making your own low fat soups you will fill up with a low amount of calories and that is very nutritious.

Here are a few low fat soup recipes for you to try:


Vegetarian Chili Soup

This recipe serves about 4-5 people.

This is a combo of a soup and a stew. It’s low cal and high in flavour and fibre so will help you stay full longer.

Low Fat Soup RecipesUse 1 can each of:

  • diced tomatoes
  • tomato soup
  • baked beans
  • kidney beans
  • 1 small diced onion
  • 1 diced bell pepper (any colour or use several varieties)
  • Sliced mushrooms

1. Brown all vegetables and then mix all ingredients.
2. Then add salt, pepper, garlic, and chili powder to taste.
3. Cook over medium heat until peppers are tender.


Low Fat Macaroni Vegetable Soup Recipe

This recipe will make about 4 bowls of yummy low fat soup.

Low Fat Soup Recipes

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Low fat soup recipes include just about any veggie you like, because most vegetables are low calorie and high in nutrition.

Here’s a pasta vegetable soup you will love:

  • 1 envelope of Lipton chicken noodle soup
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 7 or 8 sliced baby carrots
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1 handful of macaroni (whole wheat if possible)

Method: Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer soup for about 30 minutes or until macaroni and carrots are tender.


Lower Fat Cream Soup Recipes

Creamy soups are delicious but aren’t exactly figure friendly, are they? You can substitute skim milk for the cream to begin with. Then trim the butter, and add chicken broth for extra flavour in just about any cream soup recipe. Finally how about some low fat soup recipes for Cream of Broccoli? Here’s one:

Low Fat Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup

Low Fat Soup Recipes

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This recipe will give you about 2-3 bowls.

1. To start boil or steam a head’s worth of broccoli flowerets (or broccolini) until it’s tender. Reserve a cup of the steaming or boiling broccoli water.

2. Follow by mixing a tablespoon of flour into a tablespoon of melted butter in a saucepan. Make a roux by slowly adding about 1 cup of skim milk.

3. Then add some soup stock (chicken bouillon. The condensed jelly type if possible – about 1 tablespoon).

4. Add broccoli and a tablespoon of light cream cheese and then about 1-2 tablespoons of light Parmesan cheese.

5. Add reserved broccoli water, and slowly add another cup of milk.

6. Finally simmer 20-30 minutes to melt all the cheese and blend flavours. Add salt, pepper, and other spices to taste.


Overall, soup is a low fat food. When you make it homemade, you control the salt and fat content. It’s budget friendly, figure friendly, crockpot friendly, and freezer friendly, too. Why not experiment with some low fat soup recipes today!

 

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Healthy Shopping List Principles

Healthy Shopping List

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The more often you opt to make a healthy shopping list before you buy groceries, the easier it will be to eat properly and not only feel good but look good, too. There are a few problems with going grocery shopping without a list..

1. You may not have enough food to get through the week (leaving openings for junk food / fast food nights).

2. You won’t necessarily have the right food for balanced meals.

3. You’ll probably do some impulse buying when you shop, resulting in unhealthy food choices and overspending.

Healthy Shopping List Preparation

Plan by the day. If you’re shopping for the next 7 days, make a meal plan first, covering the meals you’ll be having at home as well as meals you need to prepare for lunch for. Make the menu

first, and then add items not already on hand to your healthy shopping list.

Use coupons and store flyers to help you save money. Shop based on ideas in the grocery advertisements for what’s on sale. Shop based on healthy foods that you enjoy, as well. This is more likely to keep you focused on the right foods at home. This will help you save money and looking at sale items may help you add more variety into your diet as well.

Plan for healthy snacks. If you are trying to avoid snacking and don’t buy any snacks at the grocery store, you might end up cheating and ordering take out or running to the local shop for nighttime snacks. Therefore, it is better to plan healthy shopping list snacks that you’ll enjoy and eat. Think fresh fruit, low cal snacks, and an occasional indulgence. Don’t try to swear off snacks and don’t try to swear off treats otherwise you’ll be less likely to stick to a healthy eating plan. If you buy low calorie but enjoyable healthy snacks, you’re less likely to feel deprived.

Stick to your healthy shopping list. Don’t fall victim to impulse buys. That’s why it’s a good idea to read the shopping flyer before you make your list. That way you won’t be tempted by unhealthy things that are on sale.

Consider your weekly schedule when you plan your healthy shopping list.

If need be, choose one or two major cooking nights (or cook on a Sunday) for the majority of the meals during the week. That way you don’t wind up with a bunch of really ambitious meals to cook on busy weeknights when you have no time. Crockpot cooking, making double duty meals, and heating up leftovers from the extensive cooking nights really helps. Consider prepping a big salad every few days, for example, so that it’s ready for future meals (it often keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days).

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Healthy Ways to Lose Weight Permanently

Healthy Ways to Lose Weight

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If you want to lose weight, it’s important to choose healthy ways to lose weight. Not only is this better for your overall health but it will increase the chances in your being able to keep that weight off. Crash diets, for instance, typically offer temporary results. Read on for some healthy ways to lose weight.

Exercise

Healthy Ways to Lose Weight and Keep it DownIt’s totally obvious but worth mentioning because many people try really hard to lose weight without exercise. Not only will your weight loss results be faster with exercise but your body will look and feel better. Exercise, at first, makes you sore and tired. But soon it’ll start to exhilarate you and you’ll crave it.

Drink More Water

Drinking 8 glasses of water per day can help you lose weight. It’s a healthy way to rev up your metabolism, facilitate waste and toxin elimination, and it’s a good way to lose weight because most people who drink enough water eat fewer calories. Drink water with your meals and in between to ward off snacking temptations.

Eating Clean

Just getting rid of junk food alone, while hard, can be one of the great healthy ways to lose weight. A large portion of the population dines on fast food several times a week. This results in health problems and weight gain. Eating cleaner with less junk and fewer processed foods can quickly add up to weight loss and improvements in multiple areas of your health and wellness.

Take Healthy Diet Supplements

There are a number of healthy weight loss supplements on the market that can increase your metabolism, provide you with nutrition, regulate blood sugar and cravings, and provide you with other health benefits. Do your research before trying just any weight loss supplement so you’re sure you’re making a wise and healthy decision.

Avoid Crash Diet Temptation

There are a number of jump start diets that can help you get going. But if you use them as a springboard with the plan to use healthy ways to lose weight, you’ll have a better chance of success. You can’t live on grapefruit for two weeks. Never take laxatives for weight loss. Choose healthy ways to lose weight so that you can sustain those methods for the long term. There are doable healthy weight loss plans that may limit junk and sweets but that won’t totally deprive you. Deprivation diets and starvation diets might help you lose weight fast but that weight will creep back and people often gain more than they lost because their body rebels. The more tolerable and satisfying your healthy diet plan, the better you’ll be able to stick to it.

In conclusion, the Healthy Ways to Lose Weight require doing it right from the start.

 

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Healthy Eating Plan – How to Succeed in Losing Weight

Healthy Eating Plan

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Whether you want to lose weight or just improve your health, a healthy eating plan is important. It doesn’t have to deprive you of flavour or comfort but it needs to be sensible. Read on for some advice for setting up a healthy eating plan that you’ll be able to stick to.

Strive for Variety

The best way to stick to a healthy eating plan is to make it enjoyable. If you eat steamed vegetables and broiled chicken for dinner every night, you’re going to have trouble sticking to your eating plan. Vary your protein sources, find ways to mix up your veggie intake, and you will have a better chance of being able to stick to it. There are a lot of healthy eating options. Look for variety in terms of food and ways to prepare the food.

Planning is Paramount

Healthy Eating PlanOne of the surest ways to the drive thru is being hungry without a plan for what to eat. A key to a healthy eating plan is to actually plan in advance. Sit down weekly and put a healthy eating plan menu together and then shop. Go shopping with a list in hand and stick to the list.

Know what you’re eating for dinner, lunch, breakfast and snacks every day until you’re planning for the next food shopping trip. Plan what you’re going to buy BEFORE you shop.

Eliminating Temptation

Temptation happens when unhealthy foods are within your reach. Don’t buy them. Don’t go to places that will provide a lot of temptation until you’re sure you’re over your junk food cravings. Some find that this takes a while and for others it happens fairly quickly.

Know your weaknesses and make sure that you remind yourself that you have goals of healthy eating for good reasons. Whether it’s for your weight loss goals, to tackle cholesterol problems, because of blood sugar reasons, or you’re embarking on a healthier eating plan for another reason, temptation will be there. And if you do fall off the healthy food wagon, just get back on. If you’re eating healthfully the vast majority of the time, it’s okay to have a treat once in a while. The good news is that once you’ve eliminated some bad habits, it gets easier and the cravings diminish.

Change your Bad HabitsHealthy Eating Plan

If you always eat dessert after a meal or you always snack in front of the TV at night, these may be hard habits to break. Start off small with better choices and with portion control. Eat a snack sized bag of potato chips for 100 calories instead of opening a large family sized bag. Transition to a bag of apples or grapes. Choose alternatives instead of deprivation and it’ll be easier to do.

While you’re adjusting to your new, healthy eating plan:

Find something else to do at night other than watching TV.  Change your shopping habits, change your bad habits, and plan ahead with variety in mind and you could dramatically improve your health and, if it’s your goal, your waistline as well.

 

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Weight Loss Programs for Women

weight loss programs for women

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Regardless of whether you have a little or a lot of weight to lose. There is definitely a very big industry of weight loss products on the market. If you’re looking at the options for weight loss programs for women, take a look at some of the more popular options..

Jenny Craig & Weight Watchers Type Programs

weight loss programs for womenThe Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers programs often cater to women. While many will cater to both genders and both of these programs are used by men or by women. Most of their commercials however, revolve around females trying to lose weight.

These types of programs either send you food so you eat their portion controlled food or they operate on points based systems to help you count up the amount of food you can eat per day that will let you stay within a specific limit that is conducive to weight loss.

Follow these types of plans, you will lose weight steadily. Many will offer additional perks, such as support groups to help you work with others toward common goals. You’ll find free men’ and women’ weight loss membership plans or plans that let you join for as low as $1 per kilo plus the cost of food.

Women’s Fitness Centers

Women’s fitness centers offer women a place to exercise that is male free. Therefore it may make some women feel less self-conscious about working out in an environment with others.

Weight Loss Supplements

There are many weight loss supplements that are marketed specifically at women trying to shed extra pounds. You’ll find meal replacement shakes, pills that will help you feel full sooner, bars and powders, and other supplements as well. Choose wisely. Many of these are meant to be supplemental to other weight loss efforts, such as dieting or exercise.

Free Weight Loss Programs for Women

You’ll find free websites, ebooks, and blogs dedicated to providing free advice as well as programs you can download to offer advice on weight loss foods and menu planning, nutrition, and exercises to target specific problem areas. Many offer advice for free but also sell additional products that could help your efforts along.

There are weight loss programs for women only, and some are for anyone. When deciding to try something new, do tread carefully. Some products are excellent and effective and others are not going to work all that great. One ingredient for weight loss is definitely essential – willpower. The right advice along with willpower and motivation to lose weight will be the right combination to help you reach your weight loss goals.

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Weight Training for Women is it a Good Idea?

Weight Training for Women

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A lot of women shy away from weight training. For women, for the most part, the idea of big muscles on themselves is a turn off. But nearly 99% of women who take on weight training will not get big and bulky.

Weight training for women is a great way to burn fat fast and to help you get a lean and toned body.

Weight Training for WomenWomen simply don’t have the ability to bulk up as easily as men. For one thing, women don’t have the level of testosterone needed to generate bulk. And it takes a lot of weight training for women or men to get bulky muscles. The average workout can be very useful in terms of losing weight, building strength, and toning the body.

Another reason many women shy away from weight training is that it sounds like extremely hard work. Most women associate this sort of strength with males and can’t imagine lifting a large dumbbell. But despite how hard it looks, you don’t have to start at bench pressing or at lifting large weights. Even starting with a few pounds in hand weights can make a difference to you in terms of pounds and inches lost.

Women who do weight training for weight loss also find that they lose weight more gracefully than those who do not. Weight training and a good diet can reduce the chances of your having excessive amounts of loose skin after weight loss as well as having the benefit of giving you extra calorie allotments due to all the fat you’ll be burning with weight training.

Weight Training For Women – Tips

  • Take a day off in between weight training sessions. Your body needs time to recover.
  • Start with about 3 days of training a week. After several weeks, increase the weight and the reps.
  • Resistance bands are great, too. Find resistance bands at many online sites and retail stores as well as a part of some weight training equipment that helps you target different parts of your body.
  • Don’t invest heavily in weights at the start. You can start by doing bicep curls with bottles of water and then transition to cans of apple juice at first. Also use your own weight for strength training with push ups and chin ups.
  • Get enough protein. Adequate amounts of protein can help you build more muscle.
  • Get some help. You might want to get consulting to start on a weight training regimen. There are also books and videos that can help you, as well.

Interested in weight training for women? Investigating this can help you develop a highly effective workout regimen that could help you lose weight fast and leave you feeling more confident, too.

 

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