Herbs to Fight Obesity By NickD

Obesity is one of the major health concerns that plague America today. Approximately two-thirds of American adults are considered overweight; while one in three are seriously overweight or obese.

Obesity is defined as having an abnormal amount of body fat; being 20 to 30 percent over the ideal weight for age, sex and height.

Aside from being a major cosmetic concern, obesity is a great risk factor for serious medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney troubles, prostate enlargement, female infertility, uterine fibroids, pregnancy disorders, gallstones, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cancer. Excessive body weight also puts great stress on joints increasing the chances of arthritis.

Everyone's metabolism (the rate at which the body burns calories) is different and is influenced by many factors, including genetics. Regularly eating even a few more calories than your body needs can lead to weight gain. By consuming only 100 extra calories a day, for example, you'll gain a pound in approximately a month (a pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories). Some experts think a sedentary lifestyle influences weight gain even more than eating too many calories. Exercise burns calories and builds muscle. And the more muscle mass you have, the greater number of calories your body burns at rest.

Aside from aggressive dieting and exercising, some herbal products may aid in raising metabolism or suppressing the appetite. But at the same time, you should also be wary of their side effects. Always check with your health care provider first.

• Aloe Vera, improves digestion and cleans the digestive tract
• Astralgus, increases energy and improves nutrient absorption
• Bee pollen, stimulates metabolism and quickly satisfy craving for sweets
• Bladderwrack, contains iodine which helps enhance thyroid function
• Brewer’s yeast, reduces various cravings for food and drink
• Cayenne, reduces hunger after meals and increases calorie burning by the body
• Chitosan, slows the absorption of fat in the intestine
• Chromium, helps the body use fat for energy and builds muscles
• Dandelion, flushes out kidneys, boosts metabolism, and off-sets cravings for sweets
• Ephedra, also known as ma huang, suppresses appetite
• Fennel, suppresses appetite and removes mucus and fat from the intestinal tract
• Garcinia cambogia, quells hunger pangs
• Green tea, increases energy expenditure and enhances the ability of the body to burn fat
• Guaraná, contains caffeine which curbs appetite, increases metabolic rates and has a mild diuretic effect
• Guggul, lowers cholesterol and promotes weight control
• Kelp, boosts metabolism
• Licorice, sustains regulated blood sugar level and reduces cravings for sweets
• Malabar tamarind, helps prevents the production of fat and suppresses appetite
• Siberian ginseng, stabilizes blood sugar and reduces cravings for sweets
• Yohimbine, raises metabolic rates, reduces appetite and increases fat burning

These herbs are not recommended to replace regular diet. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key.
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A Plateful of Valuable Weight Loss Tips By Morgan Hamilton

I don't know about you but I think that in today's world too much pressure is put on people to be thin. We see it every day on the television and magazine covers. The media has made the weight issue so important. What do you do in order to control your weight? Are you trying to keep one of the many diets available? Or probably you have your own workout regime at the local gym. No matter what exactly you do to keep in good shape, at least you are giving it all up. Unfortunately, many Americans have given up on their figure and now their weight issue is becoming bigger and bigger. I suppose you understand that once you give up on your figure, it all goes down hill. At the beginning you are size 9 and that's fine with you. Then you realize you've gained a few pounds but it is not a big deal. Soon your size number is 12 and then it turns to size 16. If you constantly keep avoiding the problem the size could go up and up. Nowadays it is very stupid to disregard your figure having in mind all the weightloss tips you can get. Have you tried searching the Internet for useful weightloss tips?

In the past finding some good weightloss tips was quite a difficult task. There were many gurus not knowing what they were babbling about. Have you seen one of those machines people would stand on with the giant belt? I will always remember the day when I first saw it on an old advertisement. This machine actually giggled the person's mid section all over the place. What do you think this can accomplish? Were people so blind that they actually believed the fat could be shaken off? We are lucky today as we are well aware of how things work. We know which weightloss tips are valid and which are useless. If you think that diet pills will help you reduce your weight you are wrong. The only thing they will do is to pull the water from your figure. But you don't want to get rid of the water, do you? Your problem is fat. In case you are looking for some good weightloss tips and dietary supplements then I would suggest you conducted an online research.

Do you need decent weightloss tips? Don't give up if you haven't succeeded to find the ideal weightloss regime for yourself yet. Do some browsing and you will see that there are hundreds of solutions available. Here are some weightloss tips as follow: always maintain a balanced and healthy diet including fresh vegetables, organic meats and drink plenty of water. The key to weightloss is eating reasonable portions and exercising on a regular basis. For further weightloss assistance and more useful tips you can open google.com and conduct a search with the key words "weightloss tips".

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning weight loss. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Weight Loss Tips
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A New Weight Loss Beginning

How long would you give a child to learn to walk? As long as it takes would be the obvious response. You would not berate the child for failures, bumps or bruises along the way. What would happen if you gave yourself that same luxury when in comes to achieving a body weight that you are comfortable with?

You may assume that by being hard on yourself, beating yourself up, and giving yourself a strong scolding when you "mess up," you are giving yourself the kick in the behind that will magically get you to stop your self-sabotaging behaviors. However, the opposite is more likely to be true. When you can open your heart to yourself and give yourself love and compassion for your struggle with food instead, you can begin to relax and take an honest assessment of your situation. As long as you take a hard stance against yourself, you will find yourself bracing against the inner onslaught, and even rebelling against your inner critic.

Of course, this inner critic has only your best interest in mind. It wants the same thing that you deeply desire-to be healthy, happy and at your ideal weight. It believes that you need "tough love." The problem is that your inner child needs gentle love and compassion in order to change her deep-seated, negative behavior patterns-not more criticism. She may appear to be compliant when the critic shows up and starts spewing advice and admonition regarding your latest chocolate binge, but in reality she is very likely cringing inside with shame and regret. Unfortunately these negative feelings begin to spin into the type of pain that all too often sets you up for the next binge.

Take a look at the cycle. You have "bad" feelings inside just lurking below the surface. Perhaps there is an incident that triggered you. Your mother-in-law criticized your cooking, you exchanged some harsh words with your spouse, or your 12-year old flunked his science exam. As you ruminate about the situation, you begin to feel uncomfortable. Before you even realize it, you are finishing off a bag of chips that had been left on the counter. As soon as you become conscious of what you are doing, your inner critic forges in, full steam ahead, "What is wrong with you? You are so weak! You said that you were going on a diet this week. You can not stick with anything. You'll always be fat. Don't even complain about it . . ."

How do you feel inside when subjected to this type of internal attack? Ashamed, humiliated, weak? Any of those reactions would be perfectly understandable given the tone of your harsh critic. And what do you do when you feel embarrassed and low? Chances are you just throw in the towel and agree with your critic's assertion that you deserve to be fat and nothing will ever change for you.

What would happen if you broke the cycle with a new, more productive response to mistakes that are bound to occur on the road to permanent weight loss? Imagine a new scenario with a much preferred outcome. An event occurs in your life that is upsetting to you. Perhaps you discover that you weren't invited to a local social event and you feel rejected. In this new scenario, rather than ignore your feelings or judge them or the situation, you simply respond to it (take responsibility for it).

You feel the feeling of rejection in your body. Perhaps you become aware of the inner voices that accompany this feeling and write them down. You may write down the following sentences:

"I should have been invited to Lori's party."
"I wish I had been invited to the get-together."

Then notice the assumptions that your mind may automatically make, for example:

"I never get invited to any social events."
"I am always left out."

Allow yourself full freedom to write down the chain of thought that continues,

"I am so lonely."
"I'm always alone."
"My only friend is chocolate."
"I am going to treat myself to a candy bar so that I'll feel better."
"I deserve it."
"Then I'll enjoy my time alone with my candy bar and soap opera."
"I'll just forget about them."

When you have the opportunity to observe your thoughts on paper like this, you gain perspective. You can begin to discern your own irrational thinking and recognize the voice of pain. Some obvious examples of unrealistic thinking are words like "always," "never," and "should." When you hear these inner words, you can begin to notice that inner pain is alive and operating in the moment.

Let go of any judgment you may have about that. If you can accept the fact that pain is a part of the human experience and you are simply experiencing your share, at this particular time, then you can let go of any desperate need to do something about it or "fix" it. Just sit with it, knowing that it will move.

Your wisest course of action right now is to continue to write down any thoughts as they pop in to your head so that you can separate your identity from them. They are not who you are. They are simply a manifestation of the inner pain that is activated in this moment. Witness your strong urge to drown the pain and the incessant mental chatter with your drug of choice-food. Notice that you do have a choice. This is your opportunity to break the vicious cycle of self-sabotage.

As you listen to the negative voices urging you to indulge in chocolate or sugary, fattening food to deaden the pain, create an internal mental image of this dark, hurtful and fearful energy. Perhaps it is nothing more that a big cloud of smoke. Stand up to that voice of pain, and tell it that you are not listening to it anymore. Demand that it go away and leave you alone. Be firm and strong. Tell that voice that you are not succumbing to its fear-based thinking. No matter how solid the fear feels, it can only dissolve in the presence of true strength and self-care.

Now feel your own body. Send some appreciation and mercy into your being. Breathe into your chest and belly fully. Notice that you are separate from that negative thinking. It is not who you are-it is simply an energy passing through you. This energy actually feeds on your reaction to it. By disengaging from it, you stop it dead in its tracks.

Now is the time, to give yourself love and support. In the energy of love, pain and fear dissolve. You can not get rid of discomfort, but you can submerge it in a higher vibration of love, rendering it lifeless.

Hold yourself the way you would hold a small child who you just rescued from an adult abuser. Support yourself in this new way and soon it will become a new, positive habit. Ask yourself what you are needing. If you are hungry, take a moment to hold an inner picture of various food choices, and see which one will actually support the health of your entire system-mind, body and spirit.

If you are not physically hungry, take this opportunity to let your inner child play. Turn off the mindless soap opera and go for a walk outside. Turn your cd player or iPod to your favorite music and enjoy the thrill of moving your body. Go out and smell the flowers-literally. Celebrate this day and your inner victory.

It's only by releasing your old way of responding to the pain you inevitably encounter on this journey called life, that you can begin to embrace something new for yourself. The old way of beating ourselves up for getting it wrong just isn't going to work. When you take space for yourself and give yourself the love and gentleness your being craves, while at the same time redirecting old, harmful, self-sabotaging behaviors, you slowly learn to relate to yourself in a new way. You can truly begin to rejoice in the preciousness of your life and this new beginning that is being created. Be patient with yourself. In the same way that every baby who is physically healthy learns to walk eventually, we do ultimately learn from our mistakes as long as we stay focused on a new, positive outcome.

About the Author:
Rena Greenberg is the author of the acclaimed, The Right Weigh, Hay House Publishing 2006, which offers a natural, sane, and highly effective approach to permanent weight loss. Learn more at http://EasyWillpower.com (http://easywillpower.com)

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Natural Weight Loss: Lose Weight the Fun Way! Learn More By Ashley Green

Real success comes from enjoying what you do. That will make you stick around enough to see the results. Same happens with weight loss. Many people end up being unsuccessful in their quest to lose weight just because they are force to do things which they inherently dislike. Here are certain tips which can really make you enjoy your weight loss journey!

Most people who are trying to lose weight feel they love food so much, they cant go on a diet or follow an exercise routine. They lament that even if they try to diet and exercise, its emotionally so depriving that they cant sustain it.

So, the trick lies in finding out the things that appeal to you , make a list, and start working on them. Lets take an example to make things clearer. Consider, Julia likes sweets, brownies, Thai food, ice cream and loves dancing: then this is how she can proceed:- First, set priorities and see where health figures in your chart. Is staying healthy and looking good as important to you as buying a new car or having a beautiful house? Look around in the family. Are the elders of the family healthy or do they have a long list of prescriptions? GENETICS MATTER.

. Secondly, understand your tastes. Do you like the rich taste of creamy dairy products? Or, perhaps chicken?

. Buy books on healthy cooking. There are thousands of recipes that can help you cook a delicious and healthy meal which can satisfy your appetite as well as your taste.

Tip: Many people in low calorie food workshops are amazed at how delicious healthy food is. Many foods like brown rice, momos, oat and soy breads, stuffed chapatti, cold coffee with skimmed milk, black salt, whole wheat pasta, chicken made in hung curd, bran biscuits with jaggery, salad with balsamic dressing, or a roast potato and walnut salad with hung curd and mustard dressing, are outstanding.

Must Read: Weight Loss, It's all in your head! Read more at http://www.weightloss-health.com/weight_loss_head.htm

. Organize yourself. Many people fail, not because they do not have a will, but because they are too causal about their diet.

. Join an exercise routine that you will enjoy, be it dance, aerobics, salsa or swimming.

. Once a week, let go, as we all need some indiscipline in our lives.

. Open your mind to fun avenues like good music, movies, aroma candles, smart clothes (according to studies, people who are depressed about their body shape frequently stop shopping).

. Being in the company of positive people helps you fulfill your goals!

Make losing weight an enjoyable endeavour. It requires commitment, goal setting and planning. Stick on to wall your specific goal, goal date, reason to lose weight, life once you lose weight and read it every morning. Be loyal to yourself and there's nothing which can stop you from losing weight. Wish you all the best in your endeavour!

Must Read: 10 tips to lose weight on hips and thighs at http://www.weightloss-health.com/slim_thighs_hips.htm

Random Tip: Irrespective of the Weight Loss program you follow, you need to exercise daily. It not only keeps you fit but increases your metabolism.

About the Author

Ashley Green: for http://weightloss-health.com/ your complete and most comprehensive family guide on Health.

Also get free tips and tricks on weight loss and a chance to go through other informative articles targetting various health issues at Natural Weight Loss Tips/Programs Article Directory

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Weight Loss Products Reviews - The Lowdown On Weight Loss Diets And Programs By Graham Grant

Weight loss is an all year round preoccupation for a lot people. This means there are a lot of weight loss products on the market to cater for this problem which, some say, has become the scourge of modern western society.

There are many weight loss product categories on the market today. Each one claims to be the ultimate weight loss cure. Inevitably some will be anything but the cure they purport to be, while some will work moderately well, and some very well. The ones that comply to the latter are usually weight loss plans that are based on common sense rather than an unlikely miracle.
Here are just some of the weight categories that you can find in the market today:

Weight Loss Diets

OK, this is a massive subject in itself. It is all about what you eat and do not eat to control your weight. Early on when diets started to become popular, it was all about high fiber diets replacing the more fatty diets. Fiber diets are also good for countering heart disease as they clear arteries of fat.

Low carb diets like the Atkins diet introduced a diet program that concentrates more in taking in protein and cut down dramatically in carbohydrates. While it has proven successful at losing weight, the medical profession advises against this style of diet, although so far no major side effect sufferers of this diet have been reported.

Weight Loss Liquid Diets

In the main this is a kind of diet that should only be temporary. Basically the idea here is to take all your nutrients in liquid form, from fruit juices, milkshakes, and smoothies. In some cases solid foods can be reduced to liquid for easier ingestion and digestion which enhances metabolism and burning of fat. The downside of this diet is that results in little intake of fiber and byliquefying fruits you can often leave out important anti-oxidants our body needs.

Weight Loss Pills

Pills as a solution to lose weight has been around since the 1980's. Taken alone they are ineffective, even the best the money can buy. There is really no substitute for a sensible diet but pills can effectively be used to boost your metabolism to encourage exercise, or to suppress appetite if the dieter has issues with controlling their hunger. Common sense rules as usual when any drugs are used as part of a diet.

Herbal Weight Loss

Probably the safest kind of weight loss supplement you can take. Like artificial drugs there are many that do not live up to their claims. Best ones to consider are amino acid based herbal remedies that aid the transport of fat to cells ready to be burned while doing exercise. Without exercise you will probably not get much joy with any diet.
Green Tea is also hailed as a great herbal product for weight loss due to its anti toxin agents that aid digestion and boost metabolism.

Weight Loss Cardio Workouts

This is again not a way to lose weight that should be used by itself, one one that should be used in conjunction with a sensible diet. Also as well as strenuous cardio weight training should be included. It's not a method that works overnight, but one that if stuck at will yield the best long term results.

Graham Grant is the editor of Weight Loss Product Reviews,where you can find the best reviews for weight loss products found on only the net! Click on this link to find out more: Best Weight Loss Products

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Good Food/Bad Food What's Left to Eat?

We've entered the Twilight Zone when it comes to the multitude of diets being promoted today. Starting with the Atkins Diet, then the South Beach Diet, now the Hamptons Diet and more. All higher in protein, lower in carbs, but the distinction should be quality of carbs, not singling out one nutrient entirely. If you are on the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet or any other variation of a high protein/low carb diet simply adjust from eating low quality carbs like refined flour and sugar products (think if it comes in a box, it's likely low quality) to eating more whole food products like fresh vegetables and fruits - yes fruits.

Apples vs. Apple Jacks - You be the Judge

I know the traditional Atkins Diet doesn't advocate much fruit (too high sugar) but think about that for one minute. My strong belief is that an apple is a good food, a bowl of Apple Jacks cereal may not be on an equal level. One is highly processed sweetened by added white sugar and corn syrup, and one is natural, plucked from a tree and sweetened by the sun. Which would you choose? Don't shun fresh fruit for the sake of following your low carb diet to the letter.
Eliminating healthy, wholesome foods is not the best way to learn to eat better, but severely cutting back on the frequency of eating highly processed foods is. I saw a site which called it GM or MM: God Made or Man Made. If you think of those terms when you go to choose your foods, it starts to make more sense. No one says you shouldn't eat chips, or whatever strikes your fancy, but make them a treat - and eat the GM foods more often.

Common Sense Diet

Common sense will answer the question about what to eat. If you are on Atkins, South Beach or any variation of low carb diet, avoid processed foods, not natural foods. Stop using "instant" breakfast, and cook whole rolled oats for instance. Sure you might have to get up 10 minutes earlier, oh well. You're worth it!

You can still stay on a higher protein food plan, but this one minor adjustment will allow you to continue with your eating plan for a lifetime, rather than a short-time. I'd go insane if I couldn't eat my daily apple, banana or other fruit. I love fruit. I think there's a very good reason humans desire sweet foods - Vitamin C, and other nutrients, including bio-flavnoids.

Can You Be Addicted to Fruit?

I heard someone complain they were "addicted to fruit" and I had to wonder, what do they eat? The person who refuses to eat fruit because they believe it is too high in sugar, probably does eat cookies, crackers and sugary cereals. They might even drink artificially flavored and sweetened drinks, but they refuse to eat a natural food, grown from our earth? That makes no sense, if you think about it. Did our planet develop and thrive based on processed foods? No, of course not. They are very recent in the evolution of our world. Very recent. In fact, we've had processed foods less than 200 years while our planet is millions of years old.

With the high incidence of obesity, and our high consumption of processed foods, it's hard not to draw the conclusion that one causes the other. You won't hear big industry stating that case because our economy depends on us buying the products being produced by the companies that employ us. You'll never see it reported that "scientists discovered refined flour kills," even if it were proven true because it doesn't support our way of life. We need industry.

Witnessing the epidemic of food illnesses such as Mad Cow, and now Bird Flu, I can envision a society without the mass produced meat industry. It will come to pass - nothing but your local farm will be allowed to sell meat because the big farm industry cannot guarantee safety of the food supply. Meat will become much more expensive because when they can no longer mass produce it, there is nowhere for prices to go but up. So do we whine and cry and moan about our misfortune or do we start to think of meat as something to savor and enjoy like the Sunday roasts we had years ago? We never ate meat every day then - and we weren't so fat either. We simply didn't eat as much processed foods. Most of us had moms at home cooking us dinner, making our lunches and even fixing our breakfasts.

Yes, progress marches on, but when it comes to your body, common sense rules the day. The Common Sense Diet! Try it on for size today.

Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com
Get the Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Martyn,_M.NLP

The How To Guide for Six Pack Abs By Ryan Cote

First off, I want to mention that, for most people, getting six pack abs is not an easy task. It requires dedication, but it is possible! Below is a general 2-step guide that, if followed religiously for 3 months, will produce results.

Step 1: Nutrition

This is the single most important part of the puzzle, hands down. You can have the most impressive set of abs, but if they're covered with a layer of fat, you won't see them! Break up your day with 5 or 6 mini-meals because this jump starts your metabolism. And stop eating the food that is preventing results: white bread, loads of pasta, soda, candy, fast food, hydrogenated oils, sugars and fructose corn syrup.

Instead, replace them with foods that will help you reach your goal: oatmeal, olive oil, whole grain breads, fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, natural peanut butter, chicken, fish, protein and water. Be realistic- you'll slip here and there, but make a conscious effort to radically improve your eating habits because getting a six pack will be impossible if you don't.

Step 2: Exercise

You need to concern yourself with 3 different exercises: cardio, weightlifting and ab exercises. And aim to workout 3- 4 times a week.

The cardio you do can be anything: walking, running, biking, swimming....whichever cardio you don't mind doing so that you'll stick with it. Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week.

Weightlifting is important because 3 pounds of added muscle burns as many calories as a 1 mile jog...and this is while you're just sitting around! Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week. If you're confused as to what exercises to do for each body part, check out out the following website. It features professional bodybuilders, but the information is great and can be used by anyone.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

The last exercise you need to incorporate into your workout is ab exercises. Aim to work your abs a minimum of 3 times a week. There are a ton of different ab exercises you can do so try to find 3 or so that you enjoy doing so you can mix it up. A good database of different ab exercises is:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exername.php?MainMuscle=Abdominals

Tip: mix up your workout routine every 2 weeks to keep your body guessing and changing. Add or take away different weight or ab exercises, or at the very least, vary the weight, reps or form of cardio you do.

Well, there you have it. Follow the above for 3 months religiously, and while results will vary from person to person, you will experience improvement.

It will take dedication on your part, but imagine the feeling you'll get when you look in the mirror and like what you see.

Ryan Cote is the owner of WeightLoss-Programs-Reviewed.com, a website that reviews the top 5 best weight loss programs. A large directory of health and fitness tips & articles is available as well. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Cote

HOME::Health-and-Fitness/Weight-Loss By Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP

Can You Lose Weight Where You Want?

If you have excess weight only in specific parts of your body, you still must look at yourself as a whole. It's not possible to spot reduce; in other words, you can't dictate that you only want weight to come off one place or another. In most cases your so called "trouble spots" is where the fat will come off last, so be prepared to lose weight in your fingers (rings fall off) and your face (friends may ask if you're feeling all right) first. There is hope for losing that belly fat though.

Work Toward Building Muscle and Reducing Body Fat

If you work toward building muscle and reducing body fat you will eventually tackle those trouble spots though, and develop a better physique in the process. Muscle tissue is active meaning it requires calories to be maintained. If you were stranded without a food supply, eventually your body would turn to its own muscle tissue as a source of nutrition first (muscles are protein) while saving the fat stores for last. Simply put, fat is nature's way of ensuring survival during times of famine. That's why the prevalence of heart failure kills someone who is severely malnourished. By building more muscle you become a more efficient energy burning machine which translates to mean you can eat more food! That to me is a good thing.

The More Active You Are, The More You Get to Eat!

That explains why some people can eat so much more than others yet not gain weight; your efficient energy burning friend simply has a greater proportion of muscle to fat than you. Muscle is more dense than fat. It's often said that a pound of muscle is heavier than a pound of fat, but the truth is a pound is a pound. What they mean is a one pound volume of muscle is a smaller package than a one pound volume of fat, or put another way, fat is billowy and fluffy while muscle is sleek and compact. Lady No. 1 weighs 120 pounds with 30% body fat so she has 84 pounds of lean tissue and 36 pounds of fat, while Lady No. 2 also weighing 120 pounds but at 18% body fat is carrying roughly 98 pounds of muscle and 22 pounds of fat. Would you rather be Lady No. 1 or Lady No. 2? Which do you think takes up more space, 22 or 36 pounds of fat? I'd say 36 pounds of fat would be a lot bigger package than 22 pounds.

How Much You Weigh is Meaningless

That is why body weight as a number by itself is meaningless, but your ratio of fat to muscle is very important and worth working to change. Strive to decrease your body fat and increase your muscle mass and you'll look better, you'll feel stronger and more energetic and you'll simply be healthier.

You can generally have your body fat tested at fitness centers and most gyms so ask about having it done. It's better to know you have 30% body fat and work to reduce it to 29, than not to know and only think in terms of body weight. Most people who think only of how much they weigh tend to do everything to reduce that weight, and it's usually at the expense of losing more valuable muscle.

The best way to increase muscle and decrease fat is through a consistent exercise program. Start at whatever is your beginning, but do start.

Begin with an overall body conditioning type exercise program, doing whatever you enjoy, whether it be a sport, gardening, weight lifting, biking, hiking, or any other activity. Any physical movement you do regularly counts as exercise even if it is doing laundry or taking out the trash. Get as much as you can out of every chore you do, and stop thinking of it as a chore but instead as an opportunity to move your body.

In the early 1900s a washing machine was a new invention. People used to wash their clothes by hand, and hang them outside to dry. Being a housewife was actually a pretty strenuous job. It's no wonder women were thankful for modern conveniences like automatic washers and dryers, but now we've come to where our daily activities are not taking our bodies at all, so unless we want to get fatter and fatter we must do something about it.

Get Fit and Belly Fat Disappears

It doesn't make sense to drive around and around in the parking lot looking for the closest space when you're on your way to run or walk on the treadmill. Why take the elevator five flights every day at work and then pay a monthly fee to do the StairMaster after work? What if we all started to notice that our world is full of exercise equipment.

We could become so much more fit if we'd just start to notice all the opportunities for physical movement we miss in the name of convenience. Look around and see if you can spot some exercise opportunities, and then get busy and get fit.

~~ Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of the free e-book: Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com Get The Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Martyn,_M.NLP

Healthy Weight Loss - The Truth about Dieting by: Christine Sutherland

Very few people realise that nearly 100% of people who lose weight through a diet program put that weight back on even more quickly than before. Read on to discover why our health departments are now saying that even healthy diets should be avoided.

In the first month of a diet the weight you lose is mostly water and muscle weight. As soon as you go off the diet, those are replaced with more fat! In addition, almost no-one can stick to a diet because it is so out of kilter with the person's familiar eating patterns. The very act of dieting both lowers metabolic processing, and increases food cravings. No wonder that three years after going on a diet, over 95% have put that weight back on or are even heavier!

Nevertheless there is no doubt we have a serious weight problem. In Australia the latest National Nutrition Survey showed that we have 45% of women and 65% of men overweight. Over the last 20 years our obesity rate has doubled to 17% of men and 19% of women. According to the National Health & Medical Research Council paper “Acting on Australia’s Weight” our children are 2-3 times more likely to be obese, as their rates have also doubled since the 1980’s.

The costs of overweight are enormous: over $700 million dollars of the public purse, and over $500 million spent attending diet or weight loss clinics. Our hospitals are clogged with people who have diseases which are a consequence of overweight: heart disease, metabolic disorders, diabetes, oedema, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, cancers of the endometrium, biliary system disease and respiratory problems. The cost in loss of life is even worse. Every year in Australia we lose many thousands of people to the effects of overweight. We also lose thousands of young women every year dying from dieting diseases such as anorexia and bulimia.

So not only does dieting not work, it's dangerous, and we can no longer afford to tolerate a culture of dieting.

The following are a list of health problems caused by dieting, all of which are thoroughly backed by worldwide consensus research:

1. Diets have been linked with fatal eating disorders, particularly amongst children, and particularly amongst children of mothers who have dieted.

2. Weight loss dieting can cause health problems and can even lead to gall bladder disease and emergency surgery if the decrease is too rapid.

3. Dieting has been linked with lowered libido. Diets can wreck a wonderful sex life and a great relationship!

4. Diets usually cost money, money that could have been spent on lovely new clothes or family treats. If diets worked, this would be a wise investment, but the problem is, the weight loss effects are merely temporary and the damage done by dieting persists!

5. Diets often don’t provide correct nutrition, leading to problems with concentration and memory and also decreased well-being, lowered immune system and more illness.

6. Food deprivation causes food cravings that become so intense that sooner or later everyone busts out of their diet! At this point the myth of willpower is shown to be the awful lie that it truly is.

So why diet? It doesn’t work. It causes problems. And there’s a much better way!

What is this better way? Certainly we now know that healthy weight loss does not involve any special eating regime or exercise regime. Instead the best weight loss programs will ensure that a thorough study is made of how the person behaves and the lifestyle choices they make when they are NOT trying to lose weight. This is the realistic baseline that we're starting from.

Often we find that if the person is fairly active and not overeating too severely, that it is something very small that is nevertheless making a very big difference in weight. It could be that they're eating or drinking something on a regular basis that they had no idea contained so many empty calories. The café latté is a perfect example, as some of these can add up to as much as half one's daily calorie needs! One of these each day could easily add 0.5 kg per week in excess weight. Many people are surprised to learn that it only takes an excess of just 250 calories a day for most people to accumulate an extra 11 kilos of fat every year!

Or it could be that the person has reduced their physical activity level by giving up some sport or activity that they enjoyed and need to give themselves permission, even as adults, to get out there and play and engage with life again. This should not on any account be confused with an exercise regime. This really is about PLAYING and genuine pleasure is the key.

So this is why we should focus on healthy weight loss practices only, and really look at what choices people are making, and why they are making them, before we even begin to construct a plan, not by imposing it on someone, but by working together as a team to build an informed, customised, workable and permanent solution.

Finally, the compulsive and addictive components of weight loss have been so poorly understood that they've been ignored totally, leaving the poor overweight person out of control with cravings. Until now there has not really been a satisfactory answer to cravings, but by using modern deconditioning methods, people can now learn to literally switch off these cravings, quickly and permanently. I hope after reading this article that you would never again consider dieting, and instead look at the real reasons for your weight issues, and real solutions for healthy weight loss! Thank you for reading.

About The Author:

Christine Sutherland is the owner of http://www.weightchoice.com.au , an information-packed resource for people who want healthy weight loss from real, permanent solutions. You can view more interesting articles, videos and audios on the WeightChoice web site.

Is Your Weight Issue Controlling You? How to Add More Joy into Your Life with Small Changes

When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you cringe, or just cover up the mirror? You may hear the statistics, know that you don't feel physically well by having this extra weight, yet you aren't able to move forward to make any changes. It feels overwhelming to handle both your extra weight and the negative thoughts you have every time you have to look at your body. What if you were to look at the situation differently?

For most people the extra pounds came about slowly, year in and year out, new pounds, less activity entered our lives. We slowly changed our eating habits, exercised less, or added more stress to our daily lives. By the way, research is showing that stress adds pounds. With so many pounds to shed, you just forget about doing anything as it feels too daunting an effort. It's normal that when we feel overwhelmed we tend to do nothing. So what needs to change is the belief we have attached to our weight issue.

What you weigh is not who you really are, even if society places a high premium on looking slim. You have internalized that message either from parents, society, or peers and you believe that you are not good enough because you are overweight. There are a lot of overweight people contributing in many great ways to society. They are also mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, employees, employers and the list goes on regarding the many potential ways each of us add value to society. Yet you keep coming back to your weight as an indication of your worth.

Overcoming the significant belief that you are valued less because of your weight adds to the struggle of losing weight. It's a habit that is fully imbedded into your thinking patterns. How about you change the rules of the "belief" game you have played for so long. I'm not advocating that you don't lose weight, but more so, how you feel about yourself is most important. You may still want to lose weight but the process is different. Let's put the actual pounds on hold and start looking at how you can feel good about yourself. Follow the next steps and see where you end up.

Do you want to lose or gain?

So you have a number in your head about the perfect body - 10, 30, 50, or 100 pounds less of you. You want to lose them today…right! Lots of people state how many pounds they need to lose in order to feel good about themselves. Well 30 pounds could take some time and does that mean you can't feel good about yourself? Instead of using poundage to evaluate how you feel about yourself, how about you replace that focus with a different goal – how much self-love do you want to gain today in your life?

Self-Love is Important

Sounds hokey, doesn't it. Your are thinking, "Feeling good about myself never helped me lose weight, so why bother." That's only because, just repeating "I love myself" doesn't make you feel better. Instead, adding small changes in the choices you make around food can help you build your self-love muscles.

How to Build Success into Your Life

If you make small changes in the way you deal with food, you build success into your life. Success is important in building your self-love muscles. In the present, every day, you are in charge in deciding what success is.

Let's use an example; you want to lose 30 lbs. You could select some type of diet and try to follow it until you lose the 30 lbs. You may or may not gain the weight back. Maybe you are successful for a short period of time, lose some weight, and then slowly go back to your old habits. Or you try the diet for one day, feel so deprived that your normal eating habits will take over and you don't feel good about yourself. Why not try something else?

What if you were to look at your eating habits and say, "I can eat one less slice of bread at lunch." Very specific…very small…yet very manageable to handle. Today, you eat one less slice of bread. That is a small success for you today. You decide to take 3-7 days eating one less slice of bread, or cup of pasta or one less of anything in your food day. At the end of this time period, you will have less calories and more success in your life. It's manageable, doesn't overwhelm you and is something you can do.

Two Warnings!

First, your negative thoughts will pop up quickly stating, "What a waste of time, one less slice of bread will do nothing in losing 30 lbs." In a day, even if you were to eat nothing, you still wouldn't lose 30 lbs. Don't let your negative thinking take over as you build your self-love muscles.

Second, I would recommend that you keep the small changes you are making to yourself, or be very selective with whom you choose to share what you are doing. Though people do care for us, they also have their own issues and can add more negativity to your life.

Why a Small Change?

You have to make sure your change is small because otherwise your negative thinking will come in and take over. If you act on small changes, they are quickly incorporated into your life without a lot of resistance from you. After 3-7 days, or when you feel ready, select another food that you would reduce in a small way. Now you will have one less slice of bread and maybe one less cookie at night. Success is built in small steps.

At the End of the Day

I suggest you keep a success journal to capture your activity for the day. Keep it simple or write to your heart's content. The goal is to write down your successes for the day: You can write: 1) ate one less slice of bread and 2) felt really good about myself because I stuck to my choice, or any other words that express how you experienced success in your day. You can also add other successes that have nothing to do with food. It's your success journal.

How Do You Feel Now?

It sounds too simple to be true, yet this powerful technique of making very small changes and writing in your success journal can add success and self-love into your life. Try it for 30 days, one day at a time, and evaluate how you feel about yourself at the end of that time.

Remember small steps are wonderful and bring more energy into your life. This is your personal journey in creating more joy in your life.

Copyright (c) 2006 Pat Brill

About The Author

Pat Brill is co-founder of http://www.SilkBow.com which supports Busy Moms with free gift ideas and helpful tips to meet the challenges of motherhood. She is also co-founder of http://www.WellnessArticles.net , a directory of articles covering many areas of wellness. You can reach Pat at pat@SilkBow.com.