Forget everything you've been told about dieting and
weight
loss
diets.
Because if you
want
to lose weight and
change your life you must change the way you think about
dieting.
 Stop worrying about being
overweight
No matter how overweight you are, stop worrying!
Why? Because worrying keeps you
fat. (It does, trust me) When you get anxious
about your job or worry over a relationship, your body deals with the problem by
producing cortisol or the
stress
hormone. Cortisol is
released into the blood stream where it hastens the formation of fat deposits,
particularly around the
waist and more so in women. In fact, studies have also
shown that on-again-off-again dieters, who constantly worry about their weight,
tend to have higher cortisol levels, making weight loss even more difficult.
Cortisol helps the body maintain vital processes in times of stress. However, an
excess of it causes progressive loss of protein, muscle weakness and breakdown
and loss of
protein, muscle weakness and breakdown and loss of
bone mass. This, in
turn, lowers the
metabolism rate. The body goes into emergency mode and stores higher amounts
of fat.
The first step towards solving your weight problem is to
relax. Because once you relax, you can begin to sort things out
  Forget about quick-fix diets, or overnight cures
Why? Because they don't exist. (Trust me) I can help you to
lose weight fast and slim down to a beautiful figure, but it won't happen overnight. WF health experts can help you analyze your diet to determine if you are getting not only the right types of food for good health, but also the right amount of food to stay lean. Question:
How fast can you
lose weight? Truthful answer: It depends on your present
weight, your lifestyle, how much stress you're under and several other factors.
 Forget about being afraid of food
Why? Because food is wonderful, especially for slimmer. The best way to lose weight is to make friends with food. Eat real food. It�s really tough to feel anxious about a food that you know is good for you. Choosing wholesome,
nutritious foods
are always an easy decision. For example, the thought of fresh carrots or a crisp golden delicious apple is anything but scary.
  Forget
about eating small helpings (portion-control)
Why? Because losing
weight has nothing to do with eating small helpings The
best way to lose weight is to pile your plate with good food. The first step
in successful
portion control is learning the correct serving size � the amount of food recommended by government agencies, such as
the Dietary Guidelines for Americans put out by the USDA and Department of
Health and Human Services, and the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. The serving size
can usually be found by reading nutritional labels. But the portion
is the amount of food or drink a person chooses to consume. In many cases,
the portion eaten is larger than the serving size simply because we don�t
know any better. Eat when
hungry and stop when satisfied or comfortably
full.
�For example, three ounces of cooked meat, fish, or poultry is about the
size of a deck of cards.� Other easy measurements to eyeball include:
-
� cup is the size of an ice cream scoop
-
1 cup is the size of a tennis ball
-
1 ounce of cheese is the size of a domino
 Forget about eating by yourself
Why? Because the best way to lose weight is to put the whole
family on it. Instead of
separate
meals for everyone, make something
that fits into your weight-loss plan, then make easy tweaks to it for the rest
of the family. For example:
-
Lunch: Sandwiches can be made open-face on one slice of bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and crunchy baby carrots on the side (for you) or on 2 slices of bread with cheese and baked chips on the side (for them).
-
Dinner: Salads can be topped with low-cal dressing (for you) or full-fat
vinaigrette, cheese, dried cranberries and slivered almonds (for them). Turkey
meatballs can be served with steamed veggies (for you) or pasta (for them).
-
Desert: Dessert can be berries topped with a dollop of vanilla nonfat yogurt
or whipped cream (for you) or low fat ice cream topped with berries (for them).
  Forget about buying special 'diet' foods
Why? Because losing weight has nothing to do with special 'diet' foods The
best way to lose weight is to buy ordinary good food. The closer a food is
to its natural state, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are
great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of
vitamins and
minerals, so eat more green, orange and yellow vegetables.
Steam them to retain the most nutritional value and be careful with sauces,
they may be high in calories and fats that aren't good for you.
 Forget
about calorie-counting or diet pills
Why? Because counting
calories or eating diet pills doesn't help you to
stay slim and it certainly doesn't help you to stay healthy Diet pills do
not cure the real cause of obesity... so in virtually every case all the
weight that is lost comes back. The best way to lose weight is to learn good
eating habits
 Forget about walking your butt off
Why? Because losing weight has nothing to do with walking your butt off!.
Yes, exercise is very healthy. But in my experience, it tends to distract us.
From more important things, like EATING properly.
If you really want to lose weight, first change your eating habits, then take
regular exercise. You can achieve full-body fitness with a simple 20 min of
daily cardio
will build up to 1hr 40 min of cardio per week, 6 hrs of workout a month and so
on. That sounds a pretty good effort for your physical and
mental health.
Walk or
bike
to work or on errands whenever feasible. According to the league of American
Bicyclists,
cycling to work not only can help your health, it also can save money. At
work, try to devote your lunch hour to some sort of
activity; a
workout at the gym or at least a walk around the block � or several blocks. If
you move briskly, you should be able to cover a mile in about 20 minutes, one
you've gotten into the walking habit.
&
  Forget
about drinking gallons of water
Why? Because losing weight has nothing to do with filling up with liquid. Drink
to quench your thirst, not to lose weight! To maintain normal, adequate
hydration, a simple calculation of bodyweight, multiplied by 0 .55 will equal
the amount of water a
women should drink in ounces on a daily basic. For
example, a women who weighed 110 lbs, should drink 60.50 oz. (110 x .55) of
water every day. If you are indulging in strenuous activities which involve more
sweating, such as long-distance running or exercising in extreme heat, the water
amount should be increased by multiplying the bodyweight by 0.66.
 10. Forget about your past dieting
failures
Why? Because the past is dead. Besides, nearly all most successful slimmer
were self-confessed 'failures' before they lost weight on my diet.
Note that, food in general does not make you and I fat BUT it�s the type of
food and portion size that really does the damage.
Plan, plan, plan. It takes a little effort, but it�s always worth it. Not
having healthy options on
hand (or in mind) makes it easier to give in to
temptation and resort to eating something not-so-healthy, especially when you
have hungry kids (and/or a husband!) clamoring for food.
- WF Team
Dated 25 July 2011
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