Lose the Excuses to Lose that Weight

By Janice Elizabeth Small

The opportunities to overeat are everywhere these days. Someone is always bringing cakes into work to celebrate their birthday, their promotion or their escape. Then there are all the family parties and other social occasions you enjoy (or have to attend). And these days even if you're not in company there's food to tempt you everywhere you go. Fast food places are sprouting up on every corner and supermarkets greet you with the smell of baking as you walk in the door. So it's undeniable that it's harder than ever to avoid tempting food.

Yet we find excuses to eat too much all too readily, saying "I really shouldn't" all the while grabbing the piece of chocolate cake on offer.

If you've ever been on a diet and not reached your target weight, you probably had excuse-making down to a fine art. After all there's a ready-made excuse for eating in any set of circumstances if you want to use it. Everyone else was having someIt was thereIt looked so invitingIt smelt so appetisingI was fed upI needed a breakI was boredI had a really bad dayI need something with a cup of teaI always have popcorn at the movies It's ThanksgivingIt's EasterI had candy left over from Halloween I'm on vacation It's ChristmasIt's my birthdayIt's your birthdayThere are as many reasons to eat too much as there are calories in a double cheeseburger. The question is do you put your energy into finding excuses why you ate too much? Or do you concentrate all your efforts on losing weight?

It's really your decision.

There's no rule that's says you have to eat too much on ANY occasion. You can always choose to do something else: to eat just enough to satisfy and no more. You can decide to change your habits one day at a time until you no longer have the same psychological triggers to eat. And you can do this without being miserable and denying yourself everything.

It all comes down to how determined you are to reach your goal. If you're not really focused on achieving your target weight, the excuses will win out time after time.

But if you are ready this time to lose those pounds and keep them off, you'll find ways to get round the excuses most of the time rather than using them every time.

The difference between those people who lose weight and those who don't is simply how many excuses they make.

Are you ready to lose the excuses and lose the weight?

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!

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VITAMINS, MINERALS, AND OTHER DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS: DO YOU REALLY NEED THEM FOR YOUR HEALTH?

Copyright © Donovan Baldwin
http://www.DonovanBaldwin.com

Do you need vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements for your health? If you do, which vitamins should you take?

Most of us are willing to concede the necessity of having a good balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in our daily diet for good health, but many of us wonder if it is necessary to use vitamin pills and other dietary supplements to do this. Can't we get enough of the vitamins we need from our daily diet?

I suppose that some of us might be in good enough health not to need additional vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements, but IF YOU FALL INTO ONE OF THE GROUPS BELOW, you might want to consider adding at least a daily multivitamin supplement to your diet.

If you are a woman: Women are possibly deficient in such minerals as magnesium, folic acid, zinc, calcium, and in some cases, iron. If you are pregnant or using birth control, you may require additional vitamin or mineral supplements for good health.

If you diet for weight loss or follow a fairly limited diet or restricted nutritional regimen: Important vitamins and minerals are scattered widely across a broad range of nutritional options (i.e. foods), and if you are limiting your intake by volume or by type, you are likely limiting your intake of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients vital to your health.

If you eat the normal American diet: Actually, the normal American diet is not very normal, nor is it good for your health! It is, however, terribly lacking in the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones, and other nutritional elements a healthy body needs. Additionally, if your diet does contain all of these in optimal quantities, you are probably eating way too much food - Catch 22!

If you smoke or drink alcohol often: Smoking and excessive drinking (roughly more than two drinks a day - which is GOOD for you), depletes certain vitamins and other nutrients.

If you are already NOT in good health, physically or mentally: Your body may not be processing the vitamins, minerals, etc. that your are providing in your diet. Also, the EXTRA vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients you provide with supplements may have a positive affect on the condition. It goes without saying that an appropriate supplementation program MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED or lessened the impact of the health problem in the first place.

If you love junk food and it tends to be a major part of your diet: Once again, you are probably not getting the dietary balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional elements necessary for good health. Sadly, many of the constituents of these types of food, particularly refined sugar, actually leach vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from your body, or prevent the effective use, tranport, or absorption of these nutrients.

If you cannot afford a steady diet of the foods that you realize are most valuable to your health: A multivitamn pill costs only a few cents a day, and without changing another single fact of your life, can contribute significantly to your health and well-being.

If you are over 65 years of age: You have specific deficiencies and needs, as well as a possible array of health problems. Odds are that you are lacking in B-12, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, folic acid, zinc, Vitamin C, and other vitamins and minerals. As our bodies age (I'm 60, so I can talk), they become less efficient at processing nutrients of all types, so even if your typical diet contains all the nutrients you need, your body is probably not getting the complete benefit from them. I mentioned some possible deficiencies above. Let's look at only one - Vitamin D deficiency - as this is very common in folks over 65. This vitamin deficiency may contribute to some forms of cancer (including breast and colon cancer), muscular weakness, joint pain, and the well published one - osteoporosis. Again, a daily multivitamin can go a long way towards promoting health in the years both before and after age 65.

OKAY, WHO'S LEFT!

If you are male, under 65, in excellent mental and physical health, exercise regularly, have a nutritionally rich and diverse diet, do not smoke or drink, and are NOT QUITE CERTAIN that YOUR DIET contains all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional elements necessary for good health: You MIGHT want to tilt the odds in your favor with a good daily multivitamin supplement.

EVERYBODY ELSE CAN LEAVE!

Your health is fine. You don't need to supplement your present diet with vitamins and minerals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service. He has worked as an accountant, purchasing agent, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, instructor and long-haul, over-the-road truck driver. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. To learn more about what you can do to improve your health and to try a FREE Health Analyzer, please visit http://eherbsstore.com .
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NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)

Meal Replacement Products In Your Weight Loss Program

Copyright © Donovan Baldwin
http://nodiet4me.com

Meal substitutes or meal replacements, are usually powder mixes, premixed liquids, or meal bars which can, as the name implies, be used as a substitute, or replacement, for a regular meal. Meal substitutes or meal replacements should not completely replace the normal diet. However, meal substitutes can be a very convenient and efficient way to help reduce calories and control dietary intake in any weight loss program.

One of the great benefits of a meal replacement or substitute is the fact that you will generally have a very accurate description of the calories, protein, fiber, vitamins, fats, carbohydrates and other nutrients contained in the product. When we eat a meal, on the other hand, we may have to guess at, or approximate the amounts and qualities of the nutrients in the food we have eaten.

Another great benefit is usually ease of preparation and storage. This is a good thing for those of us with busy lifestyles. Many meal replacements are canned, and preparation usually consists of opening the can (hint: Most taste better when chilled, so you might have to force yourself to put the can in the fridge for a while). Powders, on the other hand, DO have to be mixed. Some may be mixed with water, some may be mixed with milk or a milk substitute, and some may be mixed with some kind of juice. Many powdered meal substitutes have various flavors, thus providing some variety.

If you are trying to get in some exercise, there is a chance you may be squeezing it in during your lunch break. It is a good idea to provide your body with some quality protein within 30 minutes after execise, and it might be difficult to get a decent lunch in the time left after exercising. A meal replacement can be finished, or even consumed completely at your desk, leaving your lunch time free for whatever you might need to do.

Many times, the options for lunch or other meals when you are away from your home are limited or at least confusing in the context of health and weight loss. A good meal replacement or meal substitute can give you a viable alternative.

Any meal replacement should include high protein content while being low in fat and calories.
Another thing to concerned with would be the fiber content. Many people who are restricting calories in weight loss programs often omit foods which might have a high fiber content. Fiber helps provide a full feeling, and high fiber diets may contribute to reduction of occurence of certain medical conditions.

Not all meal replacement products are created equal. Most over-the-counter (OTC) products are intended for general consumption, usually with weight loss as a target, and some are actually intended for weight gain. These last products would usually be from companies such as EAS and Weider.

Remember, however, that meal replacements or meal substitutes are helpers in a sensible weight loss program that includes proper and regular nutrition intake coupled with a regular exercise program, and should never BE the weight loss program.

Some OTC meal replacements or meal substitutes:

SlimFast
Veruini Advanced Weight Loss
Ensure

About the Author:
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The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service. He has worked as an accountant, purchasing agent, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, instructor and long-haul, over-the-road truck driver. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has had a keen interest in all things dealing with health, fitness, and weight loss since 1971 when he first read "Aerobics" by Kenneth Cooper. You will find more articles on weight loss, health, and fitness at http://nodiet4me.com.
------------------------------------------------------
NOTE:
You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)

10 Reasons Why Diets Don't Work

10 Reasons Why Diets Don't Work

Are you thinking that some diet program you heard about or read about might help you with your weight loss problem? Do you wonder if that diet program is good for your health? You know that weight loss is generally believed to affect health positively, but does the diet program you're looking at accomplish weight loss in a healthy manner?

Let's take a look at some basic facts about diet programs, their health affects, and their effectiveness on weight loss.

DIETS ARE NOT FUN!

Is this important? Well, as soon as you "go on a diet", you feel as if you are being punished. You begin to think about the pleasures you are going to have to forego, and the difficulties you will have to put up with. You think about the lack of support from others around you, and the possiblity of failure. Your future begins to look a little grim...not deadly, but not fun either. How long will you be able to sustain your commitment feeling this way? A healthy eating plan for weight loss should include some elements of fun, pleasure, and rewards. That would be a little more encouraging.

DIETS CAN BE BORING!

Again, how long are you going to be able to remain on a boring diet program? Many diets, in addition to limiting portion sizes and amounts, also call for foods that may be bland or unappetizing. Eating in much the same pattern day after day can become boring.

DIETS CAN GO BEYOND JUST BORING!

Some make it all the way to disgusting, either in the foods you are allowed to eat (want to eat cabbage soup all day long), or simply by the fact that you DO have to eat the same thing day after day. Ice cream can become loathsome if it is all you ever get to eat.

DIETS CAN BE COMPLICATED!

Eat this for lunch, that for dinner. Count carbohydrates, don't count carbohydrates. Eat protein, don't eat protein. What are the calories and nutrients in this food and that one? Which one is the best one? You almost need a full time dietician working with you to accomplish your weight loss goals on some diet programs.

DIETS INTERFERE WITH THE JOY OF LIVING!

Well, are we surprised? They're not fun, they're boring and complicated. What else can we say about them? Well, could you see yourself not going on a trip, or missing a family gathering because you're on a diet? If you go, you will possibly give in to the desire to savor the moment and enjoy the experience, but you will possibly feel guilty and weak before, during, and after the event. If you go, but stick doggedly to your diet while everyone else is sipping champagne or eating turkey and dressing, how much joy are you going to get out of it? Not only that, how are you going to treat everyone around you? Are you going to be snappish to your family because you are hungry all the time and miserable because you're "on a diet"?

DIETS ARE TEMPORARY FIXES TO A PERMANENT PROBLEM!

You will need to learn a whole new style of eating and living for weight loss to become permanent. Simply cutting down on calories for a while is not the real answer. You must change the way you live your life. This may be scary, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Is it bad to look in the mirror and like the person you see? Is it bad to become healthier and more alive?

DIETS CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

Isn't weight loss good for your health? Well, of course it is, but the diet itself may be bad for you. Your body requires a broad range of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and yes, even fat, in order to remain healthy. It can be difficult to get the entire range of nutrients needed even in a normal diet, not to mention getting them in the amounts and combinations which are most effective. If your diet restricts foods, types of foods, and amounts, you may seriously injure your health.

DIET FAILURE MECHANISM NUMBER ONE!

Diets are self defeating, even if we ignore the problems we have already mentioned. Your metabolism is the rate at which calories are used. This varies from person to person and even within the person based on life style, age, environment, inherited characteristics, etc. As we get older, our metabolism tends to slow down, for example. That's why most people tend to put on weight as they age. There are ways to increase the metabolism, the most common being exercise. The body, whatever its normal state, called homeostasis, tries to maintain that state. If you decrease the flow of calories that the body is accustomed to receiving, it will, after a while, learn to establish a new homeostasis based on the lower amount of calories. In other words, although you may lose weight at first, you will probably eventually level out long before you reach your weight loss goal. Even worse, if you go off the diet after the body has learned to sustain itself on fewer calories, you may actually gain back the weight you have lost AND MORE!

DIET FAILURE MECHANISM NUMBER TWO!

Remember that metabolism thing above? If you gain muscle mass, you will burn more calories, If you lose muscle mass, you will burn fewer calories. One common effect of exercise is an increase of muscle mass (no ladies, you are not likely to look like the new governor of California if you exercise...even if you lift weights. In fact you may look more like Miss America if you exercise...most Miss Americas do). Additionally, not only can you burn more calories during exercise, by exercising regularly, you can lift your body to a higher metabolic rate as it goes about its day to day activities...including sleeping. Unfortunately, on a diet, your body tends to rob your muscle mass since you are cheating it out of the nutrition it believes it needs. This will also tend to depress your metabolic rate as in diet failure mechanism number one, increasing the affects. Again, if you stop your diet, the loss of muscle mass may increase the weight gain.

DIETS DON'T LET YOU SNACK!

Is that a biggie? Well, to me and a few other people it is. Those stretches from breakfast to lunch, lunch to supper, supper to bedtime. Do you really get thru them without a snack...even if you ate a big meal? Probably not. You want that little treat. You want to stop that little hint of hunger until it is time for a meal. You want to live normally, and for most of us, snacks are normal!

There you have it. Ten reasons why diets don't work and may even be unhealthy. So what can you do about it? There's a lot you can do.

You can substitute healthier items or remove unhealthy ones. Drink a diet drink instead of one with sugar. Put less on your plate the first time around, and eat more slowly. By the time you finish, your hunger may have begun to ease, you will have satisfied head, heart, and stomach...and everybody else will be getting up from the table.

Change your activities to help your body burn off a few more calories. You don't have to start by running a marathon, just get out and walk a little more. Spend less time in front of the TV. Instead of a piece of pie, go have sex. That burns a lot of calories.

Find an organization or weight loss program which can make the foods more appealing, that can plan the food choices for you, that can help you snack and still lose weight. In addition to these, many weight loss programs such as NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, TOPS International, or Weight Watchers can also provide a key element....SUPPORT!