Losing Weight quickly and easily has become one of the main goals of many people today. So, with all the information out there, where is the best place to find what you’re looking for? I believe it is here, as I will explain. Let me first begin by asking, “What have you been told about Ephedra, the miracle weight loss herb, that may or may not be true?” In this short article, we will be looking at some of those “lies” and dispelling the myths about Ephedra and how it can actually help you to lose weight quickly, easily, and most importantly, how it can do it safely; and how it can do all this while helping to make you feel better about yourself. This is one of those times when what you don’t know can really hurt you.

Just recently the FDA reversed their decision to ban products containing Ephedra. Which is good news for everyone! There was a legal battle, which you may already know, between the FDA and health officials because the health officials were not happy with the FDA’s decision, especially because it seemed the FDA had snuck around to get what they wanted. The FDA did not take proper actions in declaring the ban on Ephedra based products. So, how does this affect you? Continue reading and you will very shortly find out.

Let me first take this brief moment to explain why the FDA found it necessary to declare the ban in the first place. They felt there were too many problems occurring, some of which led to deaths, when Ephedra was involved. The most notable example being a professional baseball player who died sometime after taking an Ephedra based product to increase his performance. The FDA soon decided the drug was too risky and the negatives outweighed the positive aspects of the drug. So, why write an article about the ban on Ephedra? Well, since the use of Ephedra goes back thousands of years to the ancient Chinese civilizations where it was widely used for many reasons, I thought there must have been something good about the product that it would last all these years. I am also writing to give you confidence in knowing this drug is in no way more dangerous than any other drug which is used to help lose weight, one of the main differences in Ephedra is its benefits go beyond that of just losing weight, which quickly moves it up in the ranks of becoming a miracle product.

I have found that those who had serious problems with the use of Ephedra were the same ones who abused the drug thinking they could increase the benefits by taking more at one time. So how do YOU benefit from Ephedra products? Please, be smart and don’t abuse this miracle product. The FDA lifted the ban recently because they realized Ephedra products, if used properly, had astounding benefits, especially in helping to lose weight and increase energy and metabolism! This is what the ancient Chinese had found thousands of years ago. They knew Ephedra was a miracle, and its benefits were great, especially if used properly. So, what does

all this mean for you? Keep reading to find out how you can benefit from Ephedra and where you can find it cheap!

Ephedrine, which is the active chemical in the Ephedra shrub, has many different medicinal uses. It can be found in many over-the-counter medications such as Sudafed, Contac, Primatene, and Bronkaid. So from these examples we see many benefits from Ephedra and how common it actually is. It has been used for asthmatic problems, bronchial problems, and most importantly, weight loss. It has been shown that Ephedra is a powerful blood purifier, being a popular folk remedy for such conditions as arthritis, rheumatism, bursitis and other painful muscle and joint problems. Since Ephedra is a vasoconstrictor, it has been used to stop internal bleeding. These benefits are just a small sample of the many Ephedra has. It was soon found that one of the main benefits to users was the loss of weight, when the product was taken properly, which is very important for your health.

So how can Ephedra help you lose weight and feel great about the way you look? Keep reading and I will explain this right now. At the moment, because of the recent lift on the ban of Ephedra, there is only one company that is able to legally sell Ephedra based products. This company has bought the rights to market an Ephedra based product that aids in weight loss. The product they market is known as Betafuel and has many benefits, but the main goal of Betafuel is to help its users to lose weight quickly and easily. If you are interested in this product, and would like to find out more information concerning Betafuel, it can be found here at http://www.secretsofephedra.com.

Being overweight is not the end of the world and there are many things you can do to lose the weight. Many of those “remedies,” such as dieting and exercise, don’t work for many people, as you may already know. Now, because losing weight is something everyone is trying to do these days, many become frustrated and depressed when these “remedies” don’t work, but don’t give up. There is never a better time than now to start losing the weight you’ve always wanted. And Ephedra has been proven time and time again, as the ancient Chinese figured out, to drastically improve the lives of those who have used it properly. Betafuel is the only Ephedra based product available at this time with huge benefits of losing weight, as well as other life changing benefits. Once again, it can be found at http://www.secretsofephedra.com.

So, take charge of your life and start feeling great about the way you look by losing all the weight you’ve ever wanted. May this be the change in your life you will never forget, and always be thankful for. Thanks for reading.

Jan Dogterom is dedicated to providing the best weight loss product using Ephedra, an ancient chinese herb used to lose weight, increase energy and metabolism, and decrease appetite. Betafuel is one such product highly recomended as well as a product called Nitetrim.

Betafuel can be found at http://www.secretsofephedra.com

Nitetrim can be found at http://www.secretsoflosingweight.com

The Government of the Australian state of Victoria has started a campaign aimed at warning people of the dangers of fad diets. The campaign is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.

With Australians second only to the US in both obesity rates and weight loss expenditure, the authorities are getting concerned about more and more people risking not only their money but also their long-term health by following fad diets. Especially low-carb diets like Atkins, and radical deprivation diets like the Cabbage-Soup-Diet, seem to be the target of the warning campaign.

As it is often the case with politicians, the warning message is not accompanied by a positive alternative you could use to lose weight and improve your health. Some general comments about calories reduction are not only unhelpful, but also against the trend of latest scientific research – research proving that most overweight individuals actually consume less food than those at normal weight.

The problem for the Government is that any science-based recommendations, for example to reduce consumption of sugar and sweets, could be very dangerous politically, as the producers

of those products form strong political lobbies and may be able to swing crucial seats. So for the consumer it is a bit like those warnings on packages that we all hate – they tell you what not to do, instead of explaining how to actually use the thing!

In addition to the politics of it, there is also no universally accepted scientific truth about why we put on weight, and how to reverse it. While a lot of bona fide research points towards hormonal imbalance and the foods that create it, the powerful industries that produce those foods are easily able to fund twice as much research proving otherwise. We see the scientists becoming a little like lawyers: if you have enough money, they will prove whatever you want to be the truth.

Just like with all the other questions we have about life, looking up to the politicians is not going to give us an answer.

Darius Mikolajewski is author of books and articles that advocate safe and natural methods of weight loss. For more information about him visit http://www.dietofnature.com

The summer holiday season is over in the northern hemisphere; the days are shortening; and the nights getting longer and cooler. While you cling on to any remnant of summer you can find, through the odd warm day, the remaining summer flowers, and the holiday snaps you are now having printed, the remorseless progression into autumn and winter will continue.

For those of you who are overweight or borderline weight, you are now entering the danger zone. Autumn spills into winter and the winter holiday season, and the holiday season brings with it a lure to binge on all the traditional foods of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. So, as your outdoor activity is likely to decline, and your indoor activity likely to include lifting a lot of food and drink to your mouth, but not otherwise increase, it is a period of the year when you will be in danger of tipping your weight over the edge or up the scale.

If you are on, or should be on, a weight loss diet, or are on the brink of needing one, then now is a great time to take stock and plan ahead with fortitude. By being prepared for the diet battle of the Christmas holiday season, it can be a battle you will win with comfort. I do not say ease, because nothing comes easily when it means resisting some of your favourite foods; especially at a time when those around you are overindulging.

Once the summer holiday period is over, you have 3 months to get ready for the winter holiday season. So, what can you do to ensure you do not steadily put on weight during the autumn and then put your weight gain into overdrive from Thanksgiving to New Year? Here is the skeleton of a plan:

Prepare Your Mind For The Onslaught of Gluttony

Put against the perspective of the whole year, keeping to a sensible diet through the holiday season should not seem so difficult. Ask yourself, why on earth should you change so drastically over a few short weeks, especially over the Christmas holiday? Is it not possible to maintain a good diet through the whole of the winter, without spoiling your Christmas? Of course it is.

Much of any potential weakness will come from habit, peer pressure, boredom and stress. All of those things can be dealt with comfortably by a steady programme of meditation and relaxation. Inevitably, you will not be so encouraged into outdoor activities once the days cool down and the nights lengthen. From September, plan a regular yoga session, or other form of relaxation and meditation, that will help strengthen your resolve, and set you apart from peers in terms of individual mental strength. You will slowly assert your individuality in a way that will help you sail through the holiday season without succumbing to external pressures. You will be asserting control, which you can then apply to anything.

During meditation sessions, give regular attention to your diet. Not just your short term diet but long term, beyond Christmas. See yourself happily on a healthy diet all year; not just healthy, but a diet that you enjoy. Your Christmas diet can then just merge into that; the holiday season can be similar to the rest of the year without taking away from your enjoyment.

Get To Know Your

Favourite Diet Foods

Being on a diet does not mean all enjoyable foods are out; that is just not so. It will depend of course what sort of diet you are on, but even if you are calorie counting, as the weeks pass you can prepare in your mind, or even on paper, all the treats that are a normal part of Christmas festivities yet very healthy.Here are some that come to mind:

1. That Christmas turkey is not off the menu in most cases; lean white meat is likely to be acceptable. And is turkey not the symbol of Christmas lunch in some countries?

2. All the vegetables that go with the turkey can be delicious if you buy good quality and cook them well. Why not set your mind on organic vegetables only for the holiday season? That may seem an indulgence cost wise, but better to indulge in that than junk foods.

3. Fresh salmon is great for special occasions; how about fresh Scottish salmon delivered to your door. A treat, but one that should not damage your diet.

4. In the months leading up to Christmas, experiment with your own salad dressings, and try different olive oils. Salads with a difference can be healthy but still a treat.

5. Aim to have plenty of fruits around the house during the Christmas period. Want to indulge as it’s Christmas? What about your favourite fruits, something you regard as a treat? Can they not be fitted in to the Christmas spread?

6. There are a variety of nuts which make delightful snacks. In fact, my favourite food of all, and always a Christmas treat in England, is cashew nuts. Are you a cashew addict too? Keep lots of nuts around the home too over the holiday period.

7. As the evenings get darker, try finding some recipes for snacks that are within your calorie range but a little bit different, so they are special for Christmas. Select the best, and have them on hand over the holiday.

Really, there is an enormous amount of scope to make your holiday food a treat for you and those around you, without overflowing the tables with fattening foods. Mix in your mental preparations with the food selection, and over the next couple of months you will have a vision of a non-gluttonous, non-fattening Christmas indulgence. There is no need to indulge in quantity; just in the variety and quality.

Keep Up Summer Activity Levels

Without thinking about it, you have probably been more active physically in the summer months than you would normally be in the winter. Be aware of that fact, and plan regular exercise sessions throughout the winter. Visiting the gym twice a week would be great, but you can also build walking and swimming into your routines. Walking part of the way to and from work, or to the local stores, or taking the dogs on longer walks; all these things can contribute to your weight control, and make you feel better. If you feel better, coupled with your mental strength, keeping your weight down over Christmas will not be as difficult as you might have thought.

This Christmas weight control article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website. Roy also owns the Christmas gift website, Gifts For Xmas.

Weight Loss – Basic Lessons for Sustained Success

Weight loss is a goal for many people today, but cutting through all the hype and getting quality information can be difficult. This article will give you information on your metabolism, nutrition, and exercise that you can use to evaluate weight loss programs that you may be considering, or to create your own. For healthy, effective, and sustained weight loss, you need to learn some basics about how your body’s metabolism works.

Your Body Does Basic Math

One of the most important factors that directly impacts weight loss is a concept called “energy balance.” Quite simply, this is a measure of whether a person has eaten more calories than they burned that day, or vice versa. Because of all the scientific jargon, it can be baffling to read detailed descriptions of how your body and metabolism work. But when it comes to weight loss, all you need to know is that your metabolism does basic math – addition and subtraction; calories eaten and calories burned.

• Neutral energy balance – eating the same number of calories as you burn every day
• Positive energy balance – eating more calories than you burn every day
• Negative energy balance – eating fewer calories than you burn every day

In order to begin healthy, effective weight loss, you need to achieve negative energy balance. There are two primary ways to do this – daily diet and exercise. We’ll take a closer look at each very shortly.

However, it is important to note that most people who are aiming for moderate weight loss should not tip the scales too drastically into negative energy balance. For instance, if your daily activities result in 2000 calories burned per day, restricting your calorie intake to 800 calories per day would be excessive. You would lose weight, but probably not in the way you intended. Your body would see this drastic calorie restriction as starvation, and would begin hoarding body fat and burning muscle, in addition to losing valuable fluids and electrolytes, which is exactly the opposite of what you are hoping to achieve.

If you are at neutral energy balance and have moderate weight loss goals, then a calorie restriction of 500 calories per day will produce healthy, gradual weight loss. Be sure to consult your physician regarding appropriate levels of calorie restriction and activity if your weight loss goals are very aggressive.

Nutrition

There are two main factors that you should consider when evaluating your daily diet – total calories and composition. The term “total calories” is as simple as it sounds – the number of calories you have consumed in a given day. If you’re already mindful of the total quantity of food you eat each day, and are good at estimating serving sizes, you’re in a good position to determine where your current energy balance is, and monitor it as you progress. If not, it can be useful to purchase an inexpensive kitchen scale to get a better idea of how big a serving that you consider “average” really is. You need to know how many calories you’re eating on a daily basis in order to know where you can make improvements.

The composition of your diet is also very important. With all the competing diet programs out there, it can be difficult to separate the science from the hype. The guidelines in the USDA’s new food pyramid, called MyPyramid, are very helpful in identifying good food

choices – whole grain carbohydrates instead of processed carbs (whole wheat bread rather than white), lean instead of high-fat protein sources (chicken instead of prime rib), and healthy sources of fat (olive oil instead of Crisco). These guidelines will serve you well in formulating a daily diet that will keep you well-nourished with sustained energy levels and feeling your best over the long term.

Again, if working all the specifics out on your own seems difficult, there are high-quality programs available that help you specify meal composition, serving size, timing of meals and snacks, and even provide you with a shopping list. These programs can be helpful and convenient, but they are not absolutely necessary to achieve your weight loss goals.

Exercise

Exercise is a very important component of any well-balanced weight loss program. In its Guidelines for Healthy Aerobic Activity, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 to 45 minutes of moderate aerobic activity performed 3 to 5 times per week. This can be as simple as taking a brisk walk through your neighborhood.

With this as a “base” of aerobic activity, weight training can be an excellent way to burn more calories and encourage development of lean muscle tissue, which burns additional calories even when you’re sleeping! However, it’s important to get qualified instruction in how to perform weight training in order to ensure that you are performing the exercises correctly, and not putting yourself at risk of injury.

Another key element in the exercise equation is moderation. If you haven’t worked out in a year, you should not set a goal of running for an hour a day, five days a week. Begin moderately and allow your body to become accustomed to this new routine. When you’re used to walking briskly for 30 minutes three days per week, consider increasing to four days per week, and so forth.

Regardless of what specific kind of exercise you choose, if you perform it safely, moderately, and most important, regularly, you will be in a much better position to achieve your weight loss goals. Remember, the goal is negative energy balance and exercise is another tool to get you there. If your daily goal is a 500 calorie negative energy balance, it can be much more pleasant to exercise 200 calories away, and only have to restrict your diet by 300 calories.

Conclusion

Successfully combining a healthy diet and exercise program is the best way to achieve and sustain your weight-loss goals. A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 stored calories. Using the above example of a 500 calorie negative energy balance, over the course of a week you would lose approximately one pound, for a total of around 4 pounds per month. Experts agree that this is a healthy rate of weight loss. More importantly, by taking a gradual approach, you are teaching yourself something far more important, which is behavior modification.

Crash diets may promise that you will lose five pounds a week, but if you revert to the same patterns of behavior that you were accustomed to before you started your diet, you’ll gain the weight right back. No one becomes overweight overnight, so you shouldn’t expect to lose the weight overnight either. Allow your body to become accustomed to healthy new habits, so you can sustain your success over the long term.

Liz Smith writes about weight loss programs and diets for thedietchannel.com

Liz Smith is the Editor-in-Chief of Trouve Publishing.

GA Fitness Tips – diet plan, exercises, weight loss and gain muscles latest information.

Ever notice how your best friend can lose weight on the same diet that you don’t? Or how you often reach “plateaus”? The yo-yo dieting trend among frustrated women in this country is practically an epidemic!

Want to know the secret of why this happens? And how you can lose unwanted weight once and for all? Of course you do – we all do!

Sounds too good to be true, I know. But once you understand this concept, you’ll never again wonder why you’re not getting results on the latest diet or with your new gym membership. In fact, this secret will let you in on weight loss without breaking a sweat or refusing another Krispie Kreme.

This “secret” principle has been around for eons, but is being rediscovered across the country. People in the know are successfully putting it to work to achieve weight loss that’s easily maintained! If you want to join those ranks, follow along closely.

Drum roll, now, for the secret weapon against unwanted weight: The Law of Attraction!

What is it? Simply put, the Law of Attraction is a powerful universal law that says “like attracts like.” This force is at work in our lives every moment, although most are oblivious to it. Using the power of this law will allow you to create the body you want, without requiring unending weeks of blood, sweat and tears. (It also explains why we get such inconsistent results on the same programs!)

Here’s how it works. Without getting too technical (although quantum physics is happy to explain), know that everything in the universe is made up of energy. Including your thoughts and feelings. And that like attracts like. This means your thoughts and feelings are energy that attract similar energy.

So basically, as you think, so you attract. You’ve heard phrases that intuitively reflect this understanding: “you reap what you sow,” “ birds of a feather flock together,” etc.

What does this have to do with weight loss? Everything, my friend. This law is actually responsible for your original weight gain and everything else in your life, believe it or not. It’s time to understand this principle in order to get what you want, instead of what you don’t want!

Here’s a quick example to give you a feel for how it works. At 5’9” and 135 pounds for most of my life, I considered myself naturally lean. Although my European aunts regularly told me “my day would come,” I thought I would be thin for life.

When I joined the corporate world, however, things did change. I noticed women in the office bonding over weight issues. They advised each other on fat grams in each other’s lunches, they swapped low fat recipes, shopped together for outfits that smartly concealed extra pounds, and shared exercise tips.

As a naturally lean person who could eat whatever she wanted (and did so regularly), I was soon on

the outs with this crowd. All I wanted to do was fit in, so I quickly followed suit and joined their misery. I began complaining about sneaky extra pounds, and appearing cellulite. I swore off fat-packed foods and joined them in break time snacks of carrots and celery sticks.

At first it was an act. I was thin and I knew it; I just wanted to fit in.

Strangely enough, though, I began to notice that clothes were getting tighter, and thighs getting jigglier. My complaints became much more authentic and alarming as time went on. Soon enough, I was carrying the extra pounds that every woman in the office complained of.

This was the law of attraction in action! My thoughts attracted circumstances that matched. Because I talked about being overweight, acted overweight, and commiserated with overweight women, I soon enough found myself overweight. At the time, I just assumed my wise old aunts were right. My time had indeed come.

Several years later after unsuccessful diets and exercise programs, I discovered the Law of Attraction. I then understood that my thoughts and actions created my problem and that new thoughts and actions could create the thin thighs and flat stomach I deserved.

So I began thinking thin, and doing things I thought a lean person would do. I talked to myself and supportive friends like a perfect-weight person would (required imagination, I assure you). And I gradually curbed habits of critiquing my body and feeling hopeless about changing it.

And lo and behold –- in less time than you would believe — there were my thin thighs and flat stomach waiting for me. Law of Attraction, folks. It’s magic!

Now I will say the Law of Attraction works in accordance with your beliefs. (Beliefs being nothing more than oft-repeated thoughts.) So if you believe it takes blood, sweat and tears to drop weight – then that’s what you’ll have to experience unless you change those beliefs.

On the other hand, if you can realign your beliefs for an easier experience, you can skip the baloney we’re regularly fed about good fat/bad fat, red light/green light carbs, required aerobic & weight sessions, etc. There are plenty of women out there, though, who would happily suffer through those rules if it would just get them where they want to be!

If only they knew the key isn’t food or exercise; it’s thoughts and feelings. It’s the energy that creates the reality. Tell your body what to expect, through aligned thoughts and feelings, and let it happen. It will soon be your reality, regardless of what your European aunts and overweight colleagues say!

Jeannette Maw is a Law of Attraction Coach and founder of Good Vibe Coaching. She specializes in helping women get the bodies and bank accounts they’ve always wanted. Learn more about what the Law of Attraction can do for you at http://www.goodvibecoaching.com

Have you checked your cholestrol level recently? If not, you should consider doing it. Too many people currently have high levels of cholesterol. Are you among those? If your answer is ‘yes’, then a low cholesterol diet, like for example a mediteranean diet might be good for you. Actually, if your cholesterol level is to high, you have two major options.

• Adjusting your life-style
• Take pills that lower your cholestrol

If you don’t have extremly high cholestrol level which calls for immediate action, you should try the first option before you even consider to start taking pills.

Unfortunately some of these cholesterol lowering pills have a few disadvantages: Statin drugs like Lipitor and Baycol might cause muscle damage and some doctors have even linked these pills to deaths. This isn’t strange at all, seeing that the heart is a muscle. This is probably the reason some of these drugs have been pulled from the market in some countries. Like all medications the benefits have to be weighed with the risks. So if your cholesterol level is too high, I would recommend that you start with adjusting your life style. If this doesn’t lower your cholesterol level in a significant way, then you can consider pills to lower your cholestrol level.

What do I mean with “adjusting life-style”?

• Did you know that oatmeal contributes to lowering your cholesterol level? It most certainly does. Therfore you should eat more of this.
• Olive oil consist of unsaturated fat and is very much used in the mediterranean countries. Why not fry

  your food in this instead of butter? If you’re using this as your main fat source regularly, your cholesterol level should decrease. Stay away from commercially produced and saturated fats.

• A great supplement is cod liver oil. It contains essential Omega 3 oils, which is rare in most weight loss diets. Take it once a day. If you are like me and don’t like the taste, do as I do and take it in capsules form. It supplies you with ‘good’ cholesterol. Other benefits are an improved look and feel of your skin, increased energy, improved memory and even pain relief.
• Eat vitamin A and vitamin E daily as they also have proven to lower cholesterol level.
• Start up with some moderate exercise. It is sufficient to take a thirty minutes to one hour walk daily. This will also contribute to your cholesterol level lowering.

To summarize: If your cholesterol level is too high, start up eating foods that contain substances that have been around for many years and have been tested and tried by generations, instead of starting out with pills that might have health damaging side effects. Add some moderate workout and you’ll be well on your way to a normal cholesterol level. If this doesn’t work, then consider medicine. I wish you a good luck!

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net.Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with fast weight loss with low cholesterol diet as well as diets high in protein like the mediteranean diet.

Pills Reviews – side effects, reviews and advice.

When you really need to lose weight, it helps tremendously to actually read the labels of food you’re buying and eating. Even better than reading those labels though, is understanding what they mean.

Many food items these days carry labels boasting how healthy they are for you: “Low Fat”, “Reduced Calorie”, and other claims are written all over the packaging… but do you really know what those claims mean? You might actually be surprised.

These labels – or claims – are regulated by the FDA. What they actually mean however, isn’t always exactly what they say. For instance, something marked “Cholesterol Free” might actually have Cholesterol in it. Takie a look at some of the FDA guidelines and you’ll see what I mean:

* Fat-Free: Less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, with no added fat or oil

* Low fat: 3 grams or less of fat per serving

* Less fat: 25% or less fat than the comparison food

* Saturated Fat Free: Less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans-fatty acids per serving

* Cholesterol-Free: Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving

* Low Cholesterol: 20 mg or less cholesterol per serving and 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving

* Reduced Calorie: At least 25% fewer calories per serving than the comparison food

* Low Calorie: 40 calories or less per serving

* Extra Lean: Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood

* Lean: Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat, and 95 mg of cholesterol per (100 gram) serving of meat, poultry or seafood

* Light (fat): 50% or less of the fat than in the comparison food (ex: 50% less fat than our regular cheese)

* Light (calories): 1/3 fewer calories than the comparison food

*

High-Fiber: 5 grams or more fiber per serving

* Sugar-Free: Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving

* Sodium-Free or Salt-Free: Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving

* Low Sodium: 140 mg or less per serving

* Very Low Sodium: 35 mg or less per serving

(Source: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flg-6a.html)

As you can see, reading the labels becomes very important with most of the claims made. If someone where to buy a product labeled “Reduced Fat”, they generally think they’re eating healthy. But if the product is normally extremely high in fat, the “reduced” version only has to have 25% less than the regular one in order to put that claim on their package. And 25% less than something that’s pretty high to begin with is usually higher than you want for optimal health and weight loss.

The same problems occur with food items labeled “free”. Cholesterol free, sugar free, calorie free, etc. – these are a bit misleading. When you buy a cholesterol free product, you’re not getting zero cholesterol. You’re only getting a small amount, but the point is you’re not getting “zero”, which is what the label implies.

So when you’re working hard to lose weight, be sure to read the labels… even on those items that say sugar free, calorie free, or fat free. And if they actually do have a little bit of sugar, calories or fat, be sure to factor that in to your overall daily intake. Doing this one little thing can make a big difference in how fast you lose weight, as well as how much you lose.

Need more help with your weight loss efforts? Click here for an excellent, safe, and all natural solution.

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Kathy is a professional published writer who covers a variety of popular topics such as health, fitness, decorating, and gardening.

Need more help with your weight loss efforts? http://www.electronicperceptions.com/new/category/free-content/

ND Fitness Tips – diet plan, exercises, weight loss and gain muscles latest information.

Two basic approaches to losing weight; one approach is correct and the other is wrong. Which approach do you think we consistently choose? Yep…the wrong one.

The Real Weight Problem

Gaining weight is your problem, not losing it. Until you learn how not to gain weight, all weight loss efforts are done in vain. First, recognize that there are two types of weight gain…Natural Age Related Weight Gain and Weight Regain.

1. Natural Age Related Weight Gain

   Gaining weight as you age is inevitable. Even body builders, athletes purposely building muscle, can not keep up with the body’s relentless drive to slow down the metabolic rate.

   As the rate drops, the amount of energy consumed each day drops developing a huge positive energy balance, perfect for gaining weight. You have to do something with all the extra energy you’re consuming.

   Unfortunately, the law of thermodynamics tells us we can not create or destroy energy. So if you eat it, plan on burning it. This way you’re never left asking, “Where did I go wrong?”

2. Weight Regain–The gaining of weight during or immediately after dieting.

   Weight regain is completely avoidable. It also is the most dangerous type of weight gain to your

   health.

   Many recent reports have shown that weight cycling or the Yo-Yo Diet may have associated risks far worse than obesity itself. Personally, I don’t think comparing the degree of risk between yo-yo dieting and obesity is useless. Who cares?

   If you’re obese or overweight, lose weight and feel better; just don’t weight cycle while you try to lose the weight.

So, how are you going to lose weight, keep it off, and avoid weight cycling? I have a few suggestions…check out my next article in a few days.

In the meantime, do your own research and investigate ways to speed up your metabolism. Then, if you’re feeling really academic, find ways to stabilize a fast metabolism.

If you can keep your metabolism from slowing down, weight gain of either type are non-issues.

To Healthy Living!

Michael A. Smith, MD

Chief Medical Consultant

Diet Basics

Home of the On-line Dieter

Dr. Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a content rich website dedicated to the on-line dieter. Keep weight off is his new theme. Visit his site and learn all you can about how not to gain weight. Visit the Weight Loss Professional

It’s January 2, the day of reckoning. You glance at a full-length mirror as you dress in the morning, and you don’t like what you see. Before Thanksgiving, you were on your way to becoming a thinner, healthier you. Now, every canapé, slice of cheesecake, and glass of wine you indulged in over the holidays seems to be laughing at you from its new-found perch in your belly, butt, and thighs. Of course, you tell yourself you’re imagining things. You couldn’t have gained all that much weight. Just to prove it, you tentatively, almost timidly, climb onto the bathroom scale, and allow yourself to peek down with one squinty eye.

Don’t scream and do NOT allow yourself to plunge into depression. That number is a minor setback on the road to having a slender, healthier body. You can get back on track and barely miss a step on your way to your weight loss goal. You can also learn a new way of eating, using principles from the Cheater’s Diet, that will allow you to enjoy the holidays next year to their fullest without gaining a single extra pound around your middle.

First, you’re going to shock your metabolism back into action with a month of the “Four F’s” plan. It won’t be easy, but you’ll love the results. After that, you’ll ease your way into the regular Cheater’s Diet plan, which allows you to eat all kinds of food that you thought, as a dieter, you would never be allowed to eat again.

The “Four F’s” are:

• Fish
• Fluids
• Fiber
• Frequent meals

Fish- is an excellent source of protein and healthful Omega-3 fats, both of which will help you to feel sated and cut your appetite. Try to eat fish at least three times a week. Cold water varieties like salmon, tuna, sardines, and herring, contain the highest amounts of Omega-3′s.

Fluids- are extremely important for weight loss. Not only does drinking water, tea, coffee, diet sodas, or even soup help to cleanse your body of toxins, but it also keeps the kidneys functioning properly. When the kidneys are out of whack, the liver takes over for them, which means it can’t continue doing one of its other major jobs—turning your fat into fuel. Drink at least 2 quarts (8 cups) of fluids a day, and if you’re overweight, drink even more.

Fiber- helps move food through your system more quickly, makes you feel full, and keeps your digestive tract healthy. For the purposes of the Four F’s, fruit is the best source. Apples, pears, plums, strawberries, and prunes are all good sources. In addition to the servings described below, have at least one additional fruit serving at every main meal.

Frequent meals- means eating three main meals a day with snacks in between. Never go more than two hours between meals Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should always consist of one serving of protein (eggs, fish, white poultry meat, or lean pork loin) and one of a complex carb, like a vegetable, legume, or whole grain. A serving size is about one quarter of dinner plate. Snacks can consist of a serving of fruits, vegetables, nonfat dairy products, nuts, legumes or any other no sugar/low fat food.

So to recap—lots of meals, lots of fiber, lots of fish, lots of fluids.

Don’t worry about the rate at which you’re losing. An average of two pounds a week is very respectable, and three pounds should be your maximum. Any more than that

and you’ll be burning muscle instead of fat.

Speaking of muscle.

Eating is only half the picture. If you want to maintain the weight you lose, you need to perform some kind of physical activity. That doesn’t necessarily mean formal exercise. Just get up and move every chance you get. Studies show that doing vigorous, day-to-day activities is far more important for maintaining a healthful weight than is a membership to the local health club. Here are some that really burn the fat:

• Washing and waxing a car
• Washing windows or floors
• Playing volleyball
• Playing touch football
• Gardening
• Walking
• Basketball (shooting baskets)
• Dancing fast (social)
• Pushing a lawnmower
• Raking leaves

Past the first hurdle

After you’ve gone four weeks sticking strictly with the Four F’s, you can begin to relax a little. How? Cheat on the weekends. Now, I know that the word “cheat” generally makes dieters a little nervous. It represents failure to many of them. But it doesn’t have to. In fact, cheating can be your greatest tool in reaching success.

Here’s how. After being subjected to a strict regimen like the Four F’s throughout the first month, your body begins to outsmart you and slightly slows down the rate at which it burns fat. If you suddenly give it more work to do by feeding it more calories, it speeds up again. Then, after two days, you go back to your strict regimen.

The body is still going with all fires blazing. It will take awhile for it to realize the trick you’ve pulled. So because you’ve eaten more for a couple of days, you’re now burning fat even faster! Doing this every weekend keeps the body in a state of playing perpetual catch-up. So cheat! From Saturday morning to Sunday evening, eat anything you like, with the exception of foods you’re likely to binge on. You can have chocolate, hamburgers, whole grain bread, ice cream, cinnamon buns, wine, beer, strawberry shortcake—you name it. Or you can just have a whole lot more of the healthful foods you’ve been eating since the New Year.

Cheating has one other advantage that’s hugely important in maintaining a healthful weight—it keeps you from getting bored. The average person stays on a diet for about two months before giving up and going back to his or her old ways. Why? The tedium of restrictive diets. The Cheater’s Diet restricts you from nothing. It simply puts you on a schedule, just like going to work five days a week and taking off for two.

Cheating for life

By the end of the second month, you will probably have reached the end of your patience with eating six meals a day. So don’t. Go back to three meals a day, and allow yourself four servings per meal—one or two of protein, two of fruits or vegetables, and one of whole grains or legumes. You can still have snacks every two hours if you like.

By summertime, you’re going to look amazing. And when the holidays come next year, just stick with the Cheater’s Diet!

Paul Rivas, M.D., author of The Cheater’s Diet: The Medically Proven Way to Supercharge Weight Loss, has specialized in obesity for over a decade and has successfully treated over 15,000 patients. A sought-after expert, he has been interviewed on more than 50 radio and TV shows, including Good Morning America, and has appeared in articles in the Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan and the Los Angeles Times.

For many people losing weight is not so much the problem as keeping it off. You may find that you have the willpower to stick with your diet and reach your target weight. But although you feel great having achieved your goal, somehow the weight always creeps back on.

The fact is to lose weight permanently you need to make permanent changes to your lifestyle. After all your lifestyle made you overweight – so if you don’t change that lifestyle you’ll get right back to your overweight state no matter how much weight you lose.

1. Set your standards

Decide right now to stop putting up with the standards you’ve set for yourself so far. Is how you treat your body and how you spend your time really how you want to live your life? Are you satisfied with how you are looking after your health? with the food you eat? with your energy levels?

You don’t have to put up with a flabby out-of-condition body, junk food and lack of physical activity. You can have a life where you eat delicious nourishing food all the time, where you have plenty of energy, a sparkle in your eye and a spring in your step and where you are toned, fit and healthy.

Decide right now to raise your standards and play in a new league.

2. Squash your limiting beliefs

You may want to change your lifestyle but you’ll never succeed unless you believe you can. Failed diets and abandoned exercise regimes (and maybe you’ve had many of those) can destroy your confidence in being able to make changes. But actually all you need is the right strategy and anyone can succeed at making quite far-reaching changes without backsliding.

If you’ve not succeeded before you just haven’t found a way to make changes which is right for you. It doesn’t mean you can’t ever succeed.

Start by imagining yourself living to your new standards. How will you look, how will you move and how will you feel? Become comfortable with these images so that they will

feel less and less foreign to you. The more you use your imagination the more you start to accept in your subconscious mind that this could be a realistic future for you and it will give you the motivation you need to make changes.

3. Make changes stick

We all have a comfort zone which consists of everything that we are used to in our lives. To make permanent changes that you are happy to stick with forever you have to expand the things you are comfortable with.

The problem with standard diet and exercise regimes is that they ask you to make huge changes all at once – they have you stepping miles away from your zone of comfort.

If you are happy making drastic changes – go ahead. If you can stick with it you’ll lose weight quickly and permanently.

But chances are you’ve tried this – probably many times – and although you start out with great intentions you just can’t keep those changes up. It’s no wonder – because they work right against human nature.

The secret of making changes permanent is to expand your comfort zone gently. Make one or two small changes and get used to them before you try and change anything else.

Only you will know the scale of the changes you’re happy to make and how long you’ll need before those changes feel like part of you. Research suggests it needs about 21 days to form a new habit.

If you create new healthier habits one after the other in this way, the weight loss will follow automatically. And because you have become comfortable with each change you will lose that weight permanently too.

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of “The Diet Exit Plan”, an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Request her FREE 15 page report “How to lose weight without dieting – 7 secrets the diet industry doesn’t want you to know” at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!