medical health benefits

The Psychological Dimension of Weight Loss
Weight loss is often viewed through the lens of physical hardship—dieting, exercise, and restriction. However, a shift in perspective from deprivation to empowerment can dramatically increase the effectiveness of any weight management program. Instead of viewing weight loss as a loss, it should be seen as a gain—a journey towards a healthier, stronger self.

Reconceptualizing Hunger and Fullness
Understanding and differentiating types of hunger is crucial:

Physical Hunger: This is the body’s natural signal that it needs nutrients.
Emotional Hunger: This arises not from the body’s need for food but from emotional needs.
Asking oneself, “Am I really hungry, or is this craving driven by emotions?” can prevent unnecessary eating. If it’s emotional, deeper introspection into feelings like loneliness or frustration is necessary. Addressing these emotions directly rather than through food is a healthier strategy.

Visualization and Its Impact
Visualization is a powerful tool in achieving weight loss goals. Regularly picturing oneself at an ideal weight, imagining a vibrant and active lifestyle, can reinforce commitment and make the goal seem more attainable. This mental practice helps in curbing impulsive eating by reminding oneself of the larger goal during moments of weakness.

Strategic Eating and Meal Planning
Incorporating structured eating habits plays a significant role:

Frequent Small Meals: Eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day can prevent extreme hunger, overeating, and keeps metabolism active. A typical plan might include three main meals and two healthy snacks.
Mindful Snacking: Keeping healthy snacks readily available prevents deviations from the diet plan. Opt for low-fat, high-protein options that satisfy without guilt.
The Role of Exercise

Regular physical activity is indispensable in the weight loss equation. Not only does it aid in burning calories, but it also improves overall health. A balanced routine should include:

Cardiovascular Exercises: Such as walking, running, or cycling for at least 30 minutes most days.
Strength Training: Incorporating at least 15 minutes of weight training to build muscle and increase metabolism.
Monitoring Progress
Keeping track of progress is more than just stepping on a scale; it involves:

Regular Measurements: Tracking changes in body measurements can provide a more accurate reflection of fat loss than weight alone.
Non-Scale Victories: Noticing how clothes fit better or feeling more energetic are also important markers of success.
Rewarding Achievements
Setting up non-food rewards for reaching milestones in the weight loss journey can enhance motivation. Whether it’s buying a new outfit, enjoying a movie, or taking a short trip, these rewards can help maintain enthusiasm and commitment.

Conclusion: A Lifelong Commitment to Health
Weight loss should not be viewed as a temporary phase but as a stepping stone to a lifelong commitment to health. By aligning the mind with body goals, adopting strategic eating habits, and incorporating regular physical activity, one can achieve sustainable weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.

By understanding and implementing these strategies, individuals can transform their weight loss journey from a battle against the body to a harmonious, holistic growth process. For more insights on effective weight management strategies, visit authoritative sources like Mayo Clinic and Harvard Health.

Ready to transform your life with a safe, healthy approach to weight loss? The key word being Healthy. We’re not talking about a distorted perception of health by motivating you to be so skinny that it leads to dangerous consequences. If you grew up during the Barbie doll age: listen up. If you were built like Barbie, your back would be so weak that it wouldn’t support your upper body, and your waist would be so narrow that it would only contain ½ your liver and a few centimeters of bowel. Doesn’t sound too pleasant now does it? A real women built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition. Now that’s a diet for you.

Having worked with 100′s of celebrity’s over the years, I have personally seen how their images are prepped and airbrushed to unrealistic perfection. You don’t need to strive for perfection. Just strive to be at a weight where you are functional – I remember being so heavy – I was 60 pounds overweight that I couldn’t play with my child or even clean my bath tub without having to stop because I was so out of breath. Actually I couldn’t even reach the tub. And touch my toes? Forget about it – I couldn’t even see them. I finally got the weight off and have kept it off for 12 years. I’ll tell you how you can get great results by losing weight and keeping it for good later. First I’m going to give you some pointers to turn you into a fat burning machine.

1. Muscle Is lighter on Your Joints

Did you know that fat bulges 18% more than muscle, pound for pound. Simply put, lean muscle equals looser clothes. Less weight also equals less pain. Would you voluntarily walk around carrying a 100 pound bag of cement? When you walk, you place a force equal to 3X your body weight on your knees and hips and that force grows to 5X your body weight when going down stairs. So if you’re just 20 pounds overweight, your joints can feel like they are carrying around an extra 100 pounds.” If you really want to give your joints a break, start losing weight, no pun intended.

2. Why Muscle Burns More Fat

Have you ever gone on a diet with your husband and noticed they lose weight much faster, even though you’re eating sticks and grass and they are munching away on steak! Men have more muscle and more muscle equals a faster metabolism. Pound for pound, muscle burns fat at a faster pace than fat. A person with more muscle burns more fat even in his sleep! So pick up the weights, incorporate 2 days a week of strength training into your routine and rev up your fat burning engine.

3. Watch Your Portion Size.

To lose weight, you need to burn off more than you take in. A simple way to check your portion size is to fill your plate ½ with vegetables, (steamed, baked or microwave without butter) fill ¼ of your plate with a starch and the other ¼ with a lean baked, grilled, or broiled meat. If this is hard to imagine, get yourself a paper plate that is already divided and your measuring work is done!

4. Turn Stress into a Small Size Dress

We all face those moments that feel almost insurmountable, day in and day out, at home, at work, in our car and in social situations. So what do you do about it? Think about how you handle stress. Do you eat? You’re not alone. 80% of the people who take my class along with people who email me tell me that this one tip I’m about to share with you, helped them not only get the weight off, but keep it off. The first thing you do when stressed is stay away from foods that begin with the letter ‘C’ – Cake, cookies, chocolate, chips, candy.

5. Breath away Stress

A yoga client of mine, (who is also a working mom living with diabetes) Kelly, lost 4 dress sizes, incorporating this technique into her daily weight loss routine. You can practice this anywhere, in your office, even in the bathroom. First recognize that you are in a stressful situation and take a moment for yourself.

Yoga is so much more than just exercise. When yoga movements are incorporated with meditation, yoga becomes a healthy lifestyle, reaping positive rewards for your mind, body, and spirit. This meditation is simple and yet has far reaching effects in allowing you to become aware of your inner strength to handle outer stress. Begin seated on a chair with your feet firmly planted on the ground or on the floor – whatever is most comfortable for you.

A.) Inhale through your nose as if you’re smelling flowers and expand your belly followed by expanding your chest. B.) Exhale as if you’re blowing out your birthday candles. Make sure you take twice as long to exhale. Do one set of 3 and not only will you decrease stress; you will also increase oxygen and speed up your metabolism. You may have heard this technique being touted as an independent weight loss tool and that is nonsense. This is one very important tool, but, as a health care practitioner I feel obliged to inform you that you can’t just breathe this way and lose weight. You must practice this with regular yoga exercise, cardio, and 2 days of strength training to quickly say goodbye to your pounds and hello to the healthiest body you ever will have!

Understanding Weight Gain in Vegetarians
Many vegetarians struggle with weight issues, mistakenly believing that a plant-based diet will naturally keep them lean. However, without proper knowledge and strategies, vegetarians can still face weight gain. By identifying the triggers of weight gain and implementing targeted solutions, vegetarians can achieve their weight loss goals with ease.

The Sugar Trap in Vegetarian Foods
A common pitfall for vegetarians is the consumption of sweetened foods laden with refined sugar. The body expends essential nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins, to metabolize refined sugars. These nutrients are crucial for maintaining a functional metabolism and managing weight. Consequently, a diet high in sugary vegetarian foods can lead to an expanding waistline.

Tip: Satisfy your sweet tooth with natural alternatives like stevia nectar, which is not only calorie-free but also rich in beneficial minerals (Why is Stevia Banned in Europe?). Unlike refined sugar, which offers empty calories, stevia provides sweetness without the caloric impact.

The Vegetable Deficiency
Despite a plant-based diet, some vegetarians neglect vegetables, favoring fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains instead. This aversion often stems from a dislike of vegetables’ taste and texture. This lack of vegetable consumption can lead to a nutrient imbalance and a weight loss plateau.

Tip: To make vegetables more palatable, blend them with fruits in a smoothie using a 2:3 ratio of vegetables to fruits. This method makes it easier to consume the essential nutrients from vegetables that aid in weight loss.

The Overconsumption of Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is a popular meat substitute that helps ease the transition to a vegetarian lifestyle. However, excessive intake of TVP can lead to increased calorie consumption due to added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy saturated fats.

Tip: Gradually reduce your TVP intake to avoid cravings. Incorporate a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil into your meals containing TVP. Coconut oil contains fat-burning saturated fats that can help counteract the less desirable fats in TVP.

Conclusion
By recognizing these three common causes of weight gain, vegetarians can tailor their diets to avoid these pitfalls. Implementing the suggested tips can lead to successful weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.

Additional Insights on Vegetarian Weight Management
While the above tips are crucial, there are additional factors and statistics that vegetarians should consider:

Protein Quality: Vegetarians often consume less protein than non-vegetarians. High-quality protein sources, such as legumes, tofu, and tempeh, are essential for satiety and muscle maintenance during weight loss.
Portion Control: Even healthy vegetarian foods can contribute to weight gain if consumed in large quantities. Mindful eating and portion control are key.
Physical Activity: Regular exercise complements a vegetarian diet for effective weight loss. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (CDC Physical Activity Guidelines).
By combining these insights with the three tips provided, vegetarians can create a comprehensive approach to weight management that is both sustainable and effective.

We all need motivation to make changes in our lives. But some motivations can have short-term effects whilst other motivations can have long-lasting, life changing effects. This article takes a very quick look at how we can cut to the core of making the long-lasting, life changing decisions easier.

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Why do you want to lose weight? Do you want to make someone else happy? Your kids, your husband? The only way to lose weight in the long-term is to lose weight for you.

While some or most of this article might sound like pointless new-age psycho-babble, at its core are valid, solid ways of changing your life. Do not give in, it may well be a life changing experience.

Whilst these are all valid reasons for losing weight they may actually be the reasons why so many people fail to lose weight or lose weight but then put it all back on with a little extra just for desert. In order to understand long term weight loss we need to look at the nitty-gritty at how the mind works and how we become, and remain motivated, to do something.

When we want to change something about ourselves we need to look deep. Not just “Because the doc said I need to lose a few pounds” deep or “I want to look nice when I lie by the pool” deep. We need to look at where we are now, where we want to be and the difference between the two. That is where the deepness lies.

Ok, let’s take any weight measurements out of the equation and look at body size and shape. We might imagine ourselves to look a long way from the way we want to look. But how does that make us feel? Pretty miserable right. But that’s where your change begins – connect with the feelings caused by the difference between the two you’s. The discrepancy between the you now and the person you want to be is the reality and sometimes the reality hurts! The difference between where we are and where we need to get to needs to be bridged.

You need to imagine what it would feel like to be the person you want to be. Stop for a second and think about it. Close your eyes. Really think about it. Think about the person you want to change for. Because this is only a short article I will give you the answer you need to come up with.

The only person you want to change for is you. There are just so many reasons you could have come up with for changing. Kids, husbands, wives, parents, friends, pets, teams – the list is endless.

The only person you need to change for is you. If this sounds too selfish and self-centred for you then I’m sorry. However, the chance of you changing long-term for anybody other than yourself are minimal. If you think about it another way, what would make the person you are changing for happy? Would they be happier to see YOU happy or would they be happier watching you trying to make THEM happy? So if we want to change we have to look at ourselves and see ourselves as we really are. We need to look to the person we want to be. From then on the person you want to be is going to be the person you are.

If you want to lose weight you need to do it for yourself, no-one else. Not only do you get to be the person you want to be but everybody else gets the benefit of basking in the glow of your happiness and success.

Are you interested in formulating an exercise plan that will assist you to remain trim and help you to get thin? Studies regularly show that there are two basic types of exercise that are both extremely efficient and successful. Of course, it stands to reason that you must be motivated in the first place, and that is why therapeutic hypnosis can help solve your problems.

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If you’re like most people, you are interested in creating an exercise system that will assist you to remain healthy and slim. It may shock you to find out that research studies usually demonstrate that only two core kinds of exercise are useful — which suggests that you can’t just choose any type of exercise to become trim.

Due to the fact that so many people have trouble with the motivation to exercise, performing the most efficient kinds of exercise is imperative, since the less time you spend exercising – and the less time you waste on low efficiency exercise – the more likely it is that you will persist in your exercise routine and therefore achieve your personal weight and strength target.

Our first type of exercise which has been regularly proven to aid people to lose weight and get trim is progressive resistance. In brief, progressive resistance is one type of strength training. It functions by progressively ramping up the pounds lifted, the number of sets, and number of repetitions performed. As a result, your muscles are never strained or subjected to damage – instead, they slowly and steadily strengthen without any setbacks.

Our second type of exercise that has been scientifically studied is cardiovascular training. This is any type of exercise that gets the heart rate up to 60 – 85 percent of its maximum rate. Some kinds of cardio training may involve jogging, jumping rope, aerobics, or treadmill, among other types of exercise, but it is your choice.

Although progressive resistance and cardio training by themselves have been found to be very efficient forms of exercise, scientists now know that performing both of these types of exercise is the best bet for success. If you combine both progressive resistance and cardio training, you will increase the strength of your muscle groups and increase overall endurance. According to a recent scientific study, exercisers who used both cardio and progressive resistance during a two month time period lost 45 percent more weight than exercisers who did cardio training or progressive resistance alone.

Just as important as the type of exercise you perform is, the way in which you exercise is also important. It probably will be unsurprising that being consistent is the name of the game. Exercising inconsistently may strain your muscles and will probably not aid you to build strength and endurance. In addition, it is unlikely to improve your whole-body health. According to most scientists, the best regime is to exercise for forty minutes to an hour three to five times per week.

Unfortunately, it turns out that for a significantly sized subset of the population, getting sufficient exercise is not as easy as attending the health club a few times every week or listening to what scientists claim. For this group of people, the motivation to exercise is the primary issue – this group of people simply doesn’t have the motivation to go to the gym. Actually, they might resist any and all exercise, to the point of severe anxiety.

Nobody knows what percentage of the population suffers from problems with the motivation to exercise, but scientists say that up to 20 to 40 percent of people claim that they “hate” or “dread” exercise. An even larger percentage of people might have more mild problems with the motivation to exercise, finding that even though it is simple enough to commit themselves to an exercise regime for a week or two, motivation eventually degrades, leaving them where they were initially – unhealthy and heavy.

If you are one of these people who struggles with the motivation to exercise, the good news is that there are some easy strategies to deal with the struggle. In a recent research study, volunteers who needed to start an exercise program were provided with a brief learning program that aided them to decide on the right kinds of exercise, were provided with a therapist who specialized in exercise motivation, and were given a brief course in hypnosis. After six months, they were asked to evaluate their progress. It turns out that over 85 percent of the participants had adhered to an exercise program throughout the whole six months. Even better, they generally lost an average of fifteen more pounds than the control group.

If you have an interest in this study, it might make sense to look into locating a motivational therapist, habit control therapist, or therapist who deals with hypnotherapy. These therapists are provided with special training in helping people to transcend anxieties, build the motivation to exercise, and reinforce the creation of good habits. One more choice for exercise motivation is self-hypnosis – which is a simple and inexpensive process that often helps people take control of their own inborn abilities to be motivated.

Hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis are risk-free ways of increasing motivation that have been proven to provide success in the case of exercise motivation. Hypnosis works by using hypnotic relaxation to enhance the powers of the unconscious mind to influence the modification of behavior and habit development. Hypnotherapy is a good choice for the exercise adverse because it can help increase the drive to get trim and lose weight easily and effectively.

Are you tired of the yo yo effect? These simple 5 steps can help you KEEP the weight off once you do lose it

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Why do some dieters suffer the endless frustration of losing and then gaining weight again and again, while others lose weight and keep it off forever?

And we know you don’t want to be the latter group?

Here are 5 very simple tips successful dieters implement – and you can easily adapt these good habits yourself.

1.) You know that old conventional wisdom that goes “The scale doesn’t matter when you’re dieting”? For a long time experts scorned the idea of frequent weigh ins, pointing out that the scale can be inaccurate because of fluctuations caused by water weight. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. So if you’re exercising you may be gaining muscle and that will throw the scale off.

However, it turns out that weighing yourself every day is actually an excellent motivator for dieters. A study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that dieters who weighed themselves every day lost the most weight, and kept it off more successfully, compared to a group of dieters who did not weigh themselves regularly.

2.) Keep a log of everything you eat. When you log everything you eat you will feel MUCH more guilty when you cheat because you have to see it and read it.

3.) Do at least 1 15 minute activity everyday. ANYTHING. Walk your dog, go jogging, do tae bo. Most of us work at desks and sit at home all day – then do it at least three times a week. You will lose weight quicker and this is one of the big contributors of keeping the weight off.

4.) Plan ahead. If you are going out to dinner with friends or to a holiday office party or even to the movies, what are you going to do when hunger pangs hit? Eat something before you go and decide BEFORE you get to the party or movies.

5.) Schedule the occasional indulgence. Most weight loss experts suggest and encourage a cheating day. When you get to eat some pizza, brownie or some ice cream at some time in the week your chances of ditching your plan is much less likely. This can also be a day when you throw in some more activity.

For those of you out there who believe that you can only lose weight through fasting, you cannot be more wrong! Facts have shown that it is not how much you eat but actually what you eat that results in weight gain in most people. If you decide to eat correctly, you will surely be eating your way to weight loss naturally.

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In the developed world today, a whole lot of people seem to be struggling with a particular challenge common to them all and that is the issue of how to lose weight so as to live a healthier life. In the same vein, a good number of the people concerned tend to believe that the only way to lose that excess fat is by starving themselves or fasting. Nothing can be further than the truth in this case. It has been proven by the experts that one can achieve weight loss naturally through correct dieting.

In order to lose weight naturally, the main thing one has to keep in mind and practice is to eat wisely, take enough water and do some regular exercise. This combination of actions will surely help you get rid of that unwanted fat as well as give you a fitter and sexier physique.

It is pertinent at this stage to note that when I talk of losing weight naturally through correct dieting, I am not talking about some very strict diet but simple ones that can be found in some cook books such as the Metabolic Cooking. I am also not talking about a particular diet for the whole day but an intelligent mix of recommended diets that will end up giving you a healthier body through weight loss.

I suppose that at this stage some of you out will want to know exactly how to eat wise and reap the benefits of losing weight naturally in the shortest possible time. It is not rocket science but simply doing what is right as already suggested. For an example, the diet experts claim that our ability to shed fats is eighty percent correct dieting and twenty percent how much exercise we give to our body. This also means that you need to steer clear of that attractive and sweet junk foodstuff you have been destroying your system with only to go back to the gym to try to burn the fat you got from wrong dieting practice.

Another important aspect of correct dieting is the issue of the water intake level. It is a fact that taking a good amount of water on a daily basis helps in ensuring a clean body system. As a matter of fact, the experts have made it abundantly clear that in order to keep our body system in a clean condition we need to take as much as sixty ounces of water daily. This is much better than the sugary drinks that many people use to replace water in their diet. It is recommended by medical experts that every adult should drink at least eight glasses of water in order to enjoy a healthier life devoid of obesity.

In summary therefore, anyone who wishes to enjoy the benefits weight loss simply needs to combine a correct diet with a good water intake and do some exercise. That also means such a person needs to as well avoid taking junk food and replace that with the consumption of lots of fruit and vegetables. When fruits are added to your meals, it is easier for you to ward off the cravings for sweet since you are ingesting natural sugar instead of the artificial one. You are advised to take fruits such as oranges and or apples in between your meals as a means of eating your way to weight loss and good health.

You can begin to lose weight by reducing your stress level. Here’s how!

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There may be many reasons why you engage in the behavior of overeating. Overeating helps some people gain a sense of control over their lives. Other people overeat when they are stressed or upset. Think about the times that you have had a binge eating session? What was the motivation behind it? Do you turn to food when you are upset or have a stressful day? Do you find a sense of comfort in the food that you eat? If stress is a major factor in your eating habits, finding ways to help reduce stress can help you lose weight.

1. Find a Support System

Having people that you can rely on is a great way to start reducing stress. Call on your friends or family when you are in a stressful situation. They can be a great source of advice or just a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes going out with work friends after a long stressful day can work wonders to melt the stress that you feel. We all need to rely on our friends and family at some point. Being able to talk about your stress is a health alternative to overeating.

2. Post Positive Mantras

Think about the negative comments you make about yourself when you are feeling stressed. Most people struggle with negative self-talk at sometime in their lives. Begin to challenge your old ways of thinking. Replace those old thoughts with positive thoughts that will help you push through stressful times. If a long stressful day at work leaves you thinking that you are “no good at my job”, change your thoughts. Think about how hard you worked today. You put in your all and achieved a goal you had set. Whatever your new thoughts are going to be, post them around your house. This will help you stay focused on them even when you are headed for a stress out moment. Thinking positively can help curb overeating.

3. Find Time to Relax

It is important that you take a few minutes everyday for relaxtion. There are many different things you can do in order to relax. If you had a busy day at work and spent the evening running errands, take a long soak in a tub. If you find yourself working late one night, close your office door and read a chapter in a book. On the weekends, go for a walk around a nature trail. The activity can last five minutes or five hours; the important thing is to take some time to relax.

4. Meditate or Journal

Another great way to reduce stress is to be alone with your thoughts. This can help you sort out what is going on in your life in a healthy way. One way to do this is to meditate. Another way is to write in a journal. Writing in a journal is a great way to begin organizing your thoughts about the stresses in your life. Dealing with your stress in this productive way makes it less likely that you will overeat.

5. Listen to Your Body

Stop beating yourself up for overeating. Move forward into a new way of thinking about eating and food. By listening to your body, you will learn when your body is telling you it is full or hungry. Know the signals that your body gives off in order to begin recognizing the difference between hunger and emotional eating. You can pull through this struggle and be on your way towards a natural weight loss.