Jump Start Your Weight Loss In 2010

It’s time now to clear out the holiday sludge, get your appetite back under control, and kick your metabolism into gear. There is no better way to do this than my favorite quick weight loss plan, a modified diet plan that is high in quality protein and fiber.

Crash diets are detrimental to your health as they cause leptin to go into ’starvation mode’ which means you will gain back all the weight you lose as soon as you start eating more. My plan enables you to rapidly get back on track without inducing a leptin problem – to the contrary – you’ll get leptin pointed in the right direction.

In addition to losing weight this program helps shrink the size of your stomach and get you out of a metabolic rut. This plan is simple and easy to follow.

The Plan – Phase 1

Your basic meal is 1 scoops of one of our protein powders (Daily Protein Plus or Daily Protein), mixed with 1 heaping tablespoon of either of our fiber products (Fiber Helper or LeptiFiber). These are mixed in the beverage of your choice, such as 2% milk, rice milk, almond milk, vegetable juice, or 50% fruit juice/50% water (stay away from soy milk as it slows down your metabolism).

You may blend a serving of fruit into your drink or mix it with a spoon and have the piece of fruit afterwards. You may have coffee or tea with breakfast and lunch, but not dinner. You may have cream or half and half in your coffee or tea. You may not have any sweetener in your coffee or tea, natural or otherwise.Ideally, this is all you eat for the first three days. There is NO SNACKING of any kind between meals or at night. The first day or two is always the hardest, especially at night. Use your willpower, after several days you will be amazed that most of your cravings are totally gone.

On your fourth day, have a dinner. Your dinner can be in the range of 400 to 500 calories. Eat one 4 – 6 ounce portion of any lean protein or 2% cottage cheese. Two servings of vegetables. One serving of complex carbohydrate. One bite of dessert (or none).

You should now notice that you get a full signal eating this amount of food. If not, get away from the table and go do something, paying attention to your watch to see how long it takes for the full signal to come (without eating more). How long it takes to get a full signal is exactly how bad leptin is still whacked out in you. This means do another four days, and repeat the test on the forth day. Once you get a normal full signal eating a normal amount of food, then you are ready to move on.

Phase 2

Decide how much weight you want to lose and the rate you want to go. You can either do two protein/fiber drinks per day, usually breakfast and lunch, and then eat a 400 to 500 calorie dinner or you can do the three protein/fiber drinks and eat a dinner every other day or every third day.

If you have a social event coming up then plan your meal day to coincide with that event. If you end up eating more than the 400 to 500 calories, then exercise more the following day. Do not get off track.

Phase 3

Once you’ve done this for three to four weeks then either continue Phase 2 as long as you wish, or go to one protein/fiber drink at breakfast and two meals per day.

You should notice that you feel full and energized on the 400 to 500 calorie meals, you have no desire to snack or eat after dinner at night, and you continue to lose weight if weight loss is needed. If you find yourself back in a bad eating pattern, go back to Phase 2 – or if needed Phase 1.

Exercise, Sleep, Stress, Cravings, Immunity, and Other Needed Vitamins

The absolute minimum amount of vitamins you need in addition to the protein and fiber is a multiple vitamin (Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, 2-4 per day) and a high quality essential fatty acid with other anti-inflammatory nutrients (Leptinal, 2-4 per day). You can take as many other vitamins as you like and more may make the program easier for you, such as the entire Leptin Control Pack.

Exercise at least 4 hours per week, more is better, do what you can. If you like, you can use extra nutrients to support fat burning during exercise (like Q10, CardioHelper, MuscleMag, Pantethine – the supplements I recommend to burn fat while running).

You must get at least seven hours of sleep, preferably eight. As needed, use Sleep Helper, RelaxaMag, and Melatonin.

Stress is always a monkey wrench in any weight loss program. You will be amazed, if you consume enough fiber, that you can process stress without getting a craving to eat while you are on this program. As needed, use Stress Helper or any other nutrients that help you combat stress. Use Pine Nut Oil or LeptiSlim if you are getting food cravings from stress, or anytime between any meals.

Do not start the program if you are sick. If you start catching a bug while you are on this program cut back on exercise and boost immune support nutrients (like Super Immune Booster). If needed, suspend the program and try it again later when you are well.

Why This Program Works

This program brings leptin and other metabolic signals back in balance, while boosting your energy and muscle function, while eating less food. It is worth your time to read my two feature articles that explain in depth why this approach is the fastest and safest way for just about anyone to drop a few pounds and get back into a healthy eating pattern.

Feature Articles:
How Protein Helps Weight Loss
Fiber, Leptin, and Weight Loss

Don’t wait until the spring to dread the summer. Get on top of your weight issues now. Be consistent over the next three to four months and when next summer comes you will be one happy camper. If you have not yet read the Leptin Diet, get a copy and do so. It is the owner’s manual for your body and explains your relationship with food and how you can stay in charge.

By: Byron J. Richards

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Byron J. Richards, Founder/Director of Wellness Resources, Inc., is a Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist and a world renowned natural health expert. Richards is the first to explain the relevance of leptin and its link to solving obesity.

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7 Tips to Cut Calories When Eating Out
 by: Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP 

If you eat at restaurants very often (more than three times a week), you’re going to be carrying extra weight unless you take steps now to make some different choices. Here are seven easy ways to shave calories from restaurant meals.

When I eat out I want it to be special, consequently I don’t eat out often. You may have seen the advice on how to shave calories at restaurants but really, are you wanting to pay high restaurant prices for undressed salads and plain steamed vegetables? If not, how then can you solve the dilemma of too many calories when you eat out?

Here are seven tips for getting the calories out of restaurant meals while still ordering your favorites.

1. Say NO to super sizing. The size you ordered is already too big. Stop super sizing and you’ll save money. Better still, order one dinner and ask for an extra plate. Many restaurants will do this for a dollar or two, and it’s well worth it. Then share the meal with your friend and you split the cost straight down the middle. Another option is to order from the so called "appetizer" menu. Two people could order three entrees, one dessert and split the whole thing and it’s still a ton of food!

2. Skip the bread and rolls. Most family restaurants still serve a bread basket with your meal. Unless it’s a fresh baked loaf or some really special bread, just skip it. You don’t need to fill up on ordinary bread when you’re paying good money for a meal. Just ask for it to be taken away if you can’t resist, but frankly, you’re an adult, you can resist, if you want to. You can simply choose not to put a roll on your plate. Try it, just once and see if you don’t walk out of that restaurant feeling strangely powerful.

If you can’t skip the rolls, at least skip the butter. That’s right. Eat it plain. Whole grain bread is delicious all by itself.

3. Stop Ordering Drinks. Soft drinks are a huge cash cow for restaurants. For pennies they sell you a squirt of syrup and carbonated water and act like they’re doing you a big favor by only charging you $1.29 for a giant 64 ounce soda. Start saving those dollars. Especially if you’re ordering "to go" skip the drink. If you’re eating it there, ask for water, or at least switch to diet drinks. Never drink "fat pop."

4. Slow Down You Eat Too Fast! What’s the rush? Take your time, savor the moment, enjoy the flavors. A big part of getting in touch with your hunger signals and learning to eat what really will satisfy is learning to recognize the subtle signs of hunger. You won’t know when you’re approaching satisfaction if you’ve gobbled everything down in five minutes. Take a bite then notice how many times do you chew before you start wanting to swallow? Once, twice? Make an effort to chew your food and your body will be much happier. A very large part of digestion begins in your mouth, not to mention you’ll get much more pleasure if you let the food linger.

5. Trim Visible Fat and Skin. I know, you really love the skin–of course you do, it tastes good, it should, it’s pure fat. Do you want to get leaner, or do you want to eat fat? You choose. I never eat chicken skin and never eat the visible fat hanging off a steak, good taste or no. You have to decide what you want more, the second’s worth of pleasure of a yummy taste, or a lifetime of carrying around an extra 40 lbs? I know this is counter to the low carb crowd’s belief that fat is good, carbs are evil, but I’ve maintained an 80 pound weight loss for 18 years without dieting and I don’t eat visible fat or skin. Enough said.

6. Ask for a Doggie Bag at the Beginning of Meal. When the food is served, immediately portion off some to take home for tomorrow. Most restaurants in the US serve way too much. There is no law you have to eat it all. Do this frequently and soon you’ll find you’re getting an extra lunch out of that meal.

7. Get a copy of Restaurant Confidential by Michael F. Jacobson and Jayne Hurley, and start checking out how many calories you’re really eating. If you eat out frequently and you carry extra weight, then that’s probably the problem right there. This little book can help you realize why it seems you don’t eat that much yet you can’t lose any weight. Hardees recently introduced a new burger that clocks in at just under 1200 calories all by itself! Now that’s frightening.

If you really want to get a handle on your weight problem, look first to where you eat, second at what you eat, and third how much you eat. Where, What and How Much? Try these steps choosing one tip at a time, and see how easily you can take some of the calories out of restaurant food.

About The Author

Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP

~~ Copyright 2005, Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, Weight Loss Coach and owner of http://www.OneMoreBite-WeightLoss.com is the author of "Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss."

Learn to use Kathryn’s One More Bite Approach with The Daily Bites: Mini lessons in using EFT for weight loss http://www.OneMoreBite-WeightLoss.com/getnews.html.

This article was posted on November 13, 2005

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Cabbage Soup Diet – A One Week Diet Plan

When you looking for a convenient start to any diet plan, following the cabbage soup diet is a good way to jumpstart any attempt to lose weight.

It is said that a dieter could potentially lose between 10-20 pounds while sticking to the cabbage soup diet. Many favor this diet because you will prepare a soup that can be eaten at any time of day or night.

Low Calories

The cabbage soup diet doesn’t offer many calories, but allows people to lose weight because they tend not to overeat.

The soup acts as a filler, making sure that the dieter does not experience hunger or the feeling of starvation.

Due to the low amount of calories that the body is consuming, a dieter following the cabbage soup diet may experience a few side effects. This could range from a feeling of being weak to lightheadedness.

One Week Only!

Some of the advantages of the cabbage soup diet are that an individual can lose weight at a fast rate. Dieters should know that the cabbage soup diet should only be followed for a week – it is not meant to be adapted as a continuous lifestyle choice.

If someone attempts to stick with this type of diet for more than a week, they will experience a change with their overall health and body. For example, on one of the days of the cabbage soup diet, only bananas and skim milk are allowed. This means that an intake of about 1,000-1,200 calories will be received.

It cannot be stressed enough how this is not a healthy way to eat for longer than a week.

Here is a recipe for the cabbage soup diet:

Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe

Ingredients:

6 Large Green Onions

2 Green Peppers

1-2 Cans Diced Tomatoes

1 Bunch of Celery

1 Package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1-2 Cubes of Bouillon (if desired)

1 Cabbage Head

Directions:

1) Cut the vegetables into small pieces and cover with water, you can also use V-8 juice.

2) Boil the ingredients fast for 10 minutes.

3) Reduce to simmer and continue cooking the cabbage soup until all of the vegetables are tender.

4) Season the cabbage soup to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, or whatever spice you want to add.

When following the cabbage soup diet, you should be aware of some of the details.

No Straying!

It is also important to remember that the cabbage soup diet will only work if it is followed exactly how it is stated, meaning "No Straying!"

Day One allows you to eat all of the fruit you want, except for bananas. You can eat only the cabbage soup and the fruit for the first day. You can also drink unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water.

Day Two, you can eat all of the fresh, raw or cooked vegetables that you want. Keep in mind that leafy green vegetables are the best and that you should avoid dry beans, peas and corn. Fruit is not allowed on this day.

Day Three of the cabbage soup diet, you can eat all the soup you want, as well as fruits and vegetables.

Day Four, you should eat as many as eight bananas on this day, as well as drink as many glasses of skim milk. You should also keep eating the cabbage soup. This day is meant to suppress your desire for sweets.

Day Five, you will be eating 10-20 ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes. You should also drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water in order to wash out the uric acid within your body. You should have at least one bowl of cabbage soup on this day. If you don’t like beef, it is ok for you to exchange it for skinless, baked chicken.

Day Six incorporates beef and vegetables. You can eat all of the beef and vegetables you can, as well as at least one bowl of the cabbage soup.

Day Seven, you will eat as much brown rice, vegetables and unsweetened fruit juices as possible, as well as at least one bowl of the cabbage soup.

Cabbage Soup Diet Books

If you would like to learn more about the cabbage soup diet, you may want to look into such publications as The Ultimate Cabbage Soup Diet by Madeline Cooper and The New Cabbage Soup Diet by Margaret Danbrot.

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Weight Loss Through A Sensible Diet

For many people weight loss is one of the biggest challenges they face. It can take a bit of motivation to really get on top of your weight, but what people don’t realise is that it does not have to be that hard. Most people know what they have to do to lose weight; eat less and exercise more. We all know that, but how much do you need to exercise and how much less do you need to eat. Weight loss all comes down to the calorie differential between the calories you eat compared to the calories you burn. When you burn more calories than you eat, you WILL lose weight.

So then next question that needs to be asked is, how many calories does my body burn? Most of you will be pleasantly surprised at how many calories you burn each day for doing nothing. Let say for instance you were a female that weighs around 70kg, you will burn around 1900 calories per day. This is without any exercise! For weight loss, throw in some light exercise and restrict your calorie intake to around 1500 calories per day and you will lose around 0.5kg a week.

The biggest key in weight loss then becomes a proper diet. Did you know that there is over 250 calories in a bottle of coke? Or that there is over 300 calories in a slice of chocolate mud cake? You can certainly keep the foods you love in your diet, however for weight loss, moderation is the key. You need to be clever about food substitutions. Instead of having a slice of cake, have a healthy muffin. Have a can of tuna or some vegetables with dip. You need to come up with between 5 to 10 healthy snacks that you know you like and have the pre-prepared that way when the cravings come on you can go straight for your healthy snacks. It is the binge eating that really hinders weight loss progress so it is important to keep your body fuelled regularly with heavy food so you are not feeling hungry all the time.

Make sure you write out your goals. Studies have shown that people that write out their goals are twice as likely to succeed with reaching their weight loss goals. Start off by making them reasonable and something you know you can achieved. Then, when weight loss actually happens, you can reset your goals and make them more challenging.

The key for weight loss is keeping your energy balance in check. A great site that does all this for you is Australian Lifestyle & Fitness. They have a range of weight loss tools that allow you to keep track of all aspects of your health and fitness, and keep you motivated for sustained weight loss.

By: mihai

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

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Diet And Your Liver

The liver is a complex organ that works 24 hours a day and performs hundreds of specific functions in the body. More than 500 body functions have been identified with the liver, including system cleansing and detox, the breakdown and metabolism of dietary fat and sugars, production of certain plasma proteins and cholesterol, storage of iron, removal of poisons, drugs and bacteria from the blood, the regulation of blood clotting and the maintenance of a healthy immune system.

Liver

Because the liver is responsible for metabolizing nutrients, hormones and by-products, it’s exposed to everything we eat, drink and breathe. Liver health is essential for optimal enzyme production and youthful energy. Not checking your liver

health regularly can lead to missing opportunities to consider treatment if your liver health is deteriorating.

Liver cancer is the sixth most diagnosed cancer in the world and is much more common in people who have chronic viral infections of the liver such as Hepatitis B or C. Millions of Americans have liver disease and don’t even know it. In fact, liver disease is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States, even though many forms of liver disease are preventable and many more, if detected early, can be treated effectively.

Healthy Liver

Protect and nourish your liver by eating a healthy diet, avoiding harmful chemicals, and giving it the best nutritional support possible. Learn about what your liver does for you as well as what you can do for your liver in the form of healthy eating, keeping fit, energy conservation as well as maintaining a positive attitude. However, a combination approach, that includes nutritional remedies with specific herbs, can contribute to the restoration of a healthy balance within the body.

Diet

The typical American diet does not provide the extraordinarily important B-Vitamins which are crucial to daily functioning. Health practitioners recommend a diet centered on whole foods, with fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains being emphasized. Maintain a healthy diet by cutting back on alcohol consumption, exercise regularly to maintain healthy weight, supplement your diets with herbs & vitamins for a comprehensive herbal liver detox. It is believed that diets containing 30-35% non-vegetable fats promote both liver and heart health.

The combined fibers of rice, alfalfa, barley and high pectin apple fiber combine to gently "sweep" the lining of the intestinal tract, helping to eliminate both dietary toxins and carcinogens. Although fats are a good energy source, they are difficult for the liver to process, and the total fat in your diet should be moderate.

Cleansing

Antioxidants not only help the liver carry out its cleansing processes, but they also serve to protect the liver from excessive free radical damage. Additionally, supplements recommended in the liver cleansing treatment, such as milk thistle can help to support your liver functions. Although carrots are not a green vegetable, vitamins and minerals found in carrots are a very important in the cleansing factor. You should also look into cleansing the colon, lungs, and cardiovascular system every so often to get a full body cleanse.

Conclusion

A healthy liver is very important to a person overall wellness and optimum health. Physical exercise and diaphragmatic deep breathing are critical to lymph cleansing and to healthy immune response. An unhealthy liver can lead to weight gain, fatigue, poor complexion, and can complicate other health concerns. In promoting liver care, a healthy, balanced diet is always first and foremost.

By: Paul Rodgers

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Macrobiotic Diet

Macrobiotic Diet a healthy lifestyle which engulfs the very natural way of diet can bring wonders with its properties like low in fats, high in fiber carrying rich nutritious value and striking the balance between Yin and Yang properties of food stuff.

The word ‘macrobiotic’ originates from combination of two Greek words-macro means large or long while bios means life. Thus, Macrobiotic Food is a lifestyle which encourages living within the natural order of life. In old ages, the word can be found in the works of the great Greek Hippocrates. However, in modern era, the word was again used by the German Christopher W. Hufeland in his book Makrobiotik, the art of long life.

Since ages, macrobiotic diet is used as a lifestyle that lays significance over eating simple, balanced food that is more natural and less processed. It advocates the philosophy that food, its quality and its environment largely affects our own lives. Throughout history, people have adopted this most natural, organic diet with traditional style of cooking in search of health, happiness and prolonged life.

Earlier, before introduction of Macrobiotic Diet to the world it was known as Unique Principle in Japan. George Ohsawa, the Japanese philosopher introduced this methodology to Europe in 1920. He propagated the theory as he believed that the simplicity and natural and traditional diets hold the key to optimum health. Later, one of his pupils Nishibata Manabu brought this theory to America. Manabu with help of Michio Kushi expanded this theory to bring forth its present version.

The core of macrobiotic diet is Chinese philosophy. According to Chinese philosophy, there are two extremely opposite forces governing and enveloping all aspects of life. These two forces are better known as Yin and Yang. While Yang represents the centripetal force of life, Yin denotes the centrifugal movement. Thus Yin symbolizes expansion while Yang denotes contraction. In diet, Yin is cold while Yang is hot. While Yin is said to be sweeter Yang is said to be saltier. Ohsawa’s macrobiotic diet theory signifies the perfect balance between Yin and Yang sources of food. In no condition, extreme Yin or extreme Yang foods are allowed in a diet to maintain a great health.

The foods are classified into Yin and Yang based on numerous parameters. The location of food (the area or region), the origin of food (from roots like vegetables or from trees like fruits), the color, the flavor (sweet/salty), the shape, the moisture content are some of the few parameters useful in deriving the properties of food. The macrobiotic diet is also based on many other factors and subject to change according to the change in parameters. Such parameters are:
1. Time of preparation of food in the year – the preparation of macrobiotic dishes used to change according to summer, winter, autumn, spring seasons.
2. Time of preparation of food in the day – the preparation of macrobiotic dishes used to change according to morning, noon and evening.
3. Existence of five colors in diet – five colors mainly red, white, blue, yellow, black should be present in the recipe.
4. Existence of five tastes in diet – food carrying tastes like sweet, salty, sour, bitter, sharp should be included in diet.
5. Sum of Yin and Yang properties – as foods will strike out the balance between Yin and Yang the sum of such properties should be either zero or very close to zero.
The writings of Ohsawa recommended the constituents of macrobiotic diet.
1. Whole grains- This should make 50 to 60% of daily foods that include brown rice, whole wheat, barley, oats, corn, millet. Though great emphasis is laid on whole grains, small amount of flour made stuff is permitted.
2. Fresh vegetables- They should make 25-30% of daily food. cauliflower cabbage, onion, broccoli, mustard greens kale, , collards, turnip greens, radish, pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash are highly recommended. Preparation of vegetables should be done with help of light steam and unrefined cooking oil.
3. Beans and sea vegetables- they should make 5 to 10% of standard macrobiotic diet. Garbanzo beans, tofu, lentils are highly recommended. Sea vegetables like Kombu, nori, wakame are highly recommended as they provide rich sources of minerals.
4. Soups – they make 5 to 10 % of diet. Soups of miso, soy, vegetables and beans are great.
5. Foods carrying extreme Yin values like eggs and dairy products should be avoided. Foods carrying extreme Yang values like sweets, chocolates, coffee should be avoided.
6. Processed food with artificial flavors, colors are not allowed.

Advocacy of Macrobiotic Diet
This diet is low in fats, high in fiber. This diet is also rich in vegetables and soy products. It is characterized by phytoestrogen presence which is supposed to be preventive measures against cancer like diseases. A pre dominantly vegetarian diet having comprised of whole grain and vegetables claims to support the cure of many diseases such as pancreatic cancer.

Critics of Macrobiotic Diet
Many nutrition experts discard this theory as strict implementation of macrobiotic diet can lead to deficiencies of calories in daily intake. A person can suffer from the deficiencies of calcium, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D. the claims of curing diseases like cancer have not been substantiate yet, although proper studies have not been held in this regard.

If macrobiotic diet is followed with certain exception of supplementary foods to makeup the deficiencies, this diet can bring wonders in human life!

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