Natural Weight Loss

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Losing weight is not just about calories in, calories out. Many personal trainers say that all you have to do is control the amount of calories going in versus amount of calories going out and you will lose weight. Unfortunately, that’s not always the way it works.

Our bodies are not machines or computers; our bodies are living organisms with cells, tissues, organs and chemicls that sometimes don’t work the way they should. Your body’s malfunctions can sometimes result in weight gain. Finding out the cause of why you can’t lose weight in spite of the “calories in/calories out” equation is important to living a healthy life.

Examples of conditions that cause you to gain weight include

 
• hypothyroid
• perimenopause
• too much estrogen
• metabolism adaptations
• emotional eating
• stress
• depression

Many of these problems are related to each other, such that one condition causes the other condition to kick in. For instance, when you have a hypothyroid, the hormones released by the thyroid to make your metabolism function properly are not released. It sets off a chain reaction in your body that makes it impossible to lose weight, no matter how many calories go in or go out.

Another example is when you are experiencing perimenopause, your body makes too much estrogen. This causes you to gain weight which makes your body produce more estrogen and the cycle continues resulting in weight gain and no weight loss.

Sometimes when you restrict your calorie intake too much, your body’s metabolism adapts to this decrease in energy and lowers your metabolism. Your body can survive on less calories and won’t go into your fat stores for energy needs because it doesn’t need to. As a result, your diet is causing you to not lose weight.

Emotional eating occurs when we allow our emotions to control our behavior. It doesn’t matter if you know that a particular food is bad for you, you consume it anyway, just like an alcoholic turns to liquor to deal with difficult emotions.

Too much stress can cause a physiological reaction that results in weight gain even though you are following the guidelines of a healthy diet. Stress can cause you to gain weight if you do not process your body’s “fight or flight” response in the right way.

Depression can cause you to turn to sugar for for an increase in energy and to lift your mood. Sugar causes an increase in serotonin which makes you feel good. But then it is quickly burned off and you need more, just like a drug addict needs more drugs to stay “high” and feel good.

So what can you do? If you are having problems losing weight,

1. Examine your habits and see if you are not eating the right things and exercising regularly. Keep a food and activity journal to see patterns in your daily living that might be sabotaging weight loss. If the calories in/calories out equation is coming out wrong,then
2. Investigate your overall health. The internet can be very helpful as long as you are careful to use credible sources of information.
3. See your doctor and have lab work done that includes a TSH test (shows thyroid function).
4. Look at how you handle your emotions. Do you eat when you are not hungry? Get to the bottom of those feelings that cause you to eat.
5. Are you under a lot of stress? Do you deal with it in a healthy way? Find out how your body can improve the way it reacts to stress.
6. If you are depressed, find out the reasons why and look for other mood-lifters besides sugar. If it’s really bad, your body may not be manufacturing enough serotonin. There are resources and supplements available to help you overcome this problem.

For most people, losing weight is all about calories in/calories out. But if that equation is not working for you, care enough about your health to find out the reason why your body is not operating the way it should.

Eunice Coughlin is the founder of http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com, a resource for moms of all ages and stages who seek spiritual and physical health and wellness.

Go for Scientific Weight Loss
By Karen Peralta

Considering the US Center for Disease Control’s advice is a very good idea. Fat, although systematically proven useful to the human body, is not only a waste of food. When you’re fat, if very fat, you’re obese, and you do indeed have a disease. It can sneak right up on you like a homicidal lunatic. In spite of how you feel about yourself emotionally, you should really do your utmost to keep your weight from assuming immense proportions—or you’ll only be dooming yourself.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE AN OBESE AMERICAN?

The USCDC estimates that six out of ten Americans are overweight to the extent that they can be considered to be nearly obese, and the obesity rate has doubled from 15% in the year 1980 to 30% in 2000. And one in 50 people being severely obese is only a conservative estimate. Now you know.

“Fat” may be in as far as emotionality goes, but it’s still a very effective method of accidental suicide. If the point is that you’re still a good person when you’re fat, why are you leaving your loved ones behind? Excess fat has been scientifically proven to lose you both your job and your life. Therefore, if you want to proceed for many more years to come, and if you love your own people enough, you should try to accommodate them to the extent that you and they want to go on living.

Obesity leads to death from diabetes, heart disease, strokes, cancer, osteoarthritis and physical injuries from the very fact that a fat person has more trouble getting around than a skinny or normally thin person does. Try bending over to pick up a pencil from the floor, and you will see what we mean by this. If you can’t even pick up that pencil from the floor, you’re in serious trouble. And if it’s very difficult to do it, what does that mean?

It means obesity has indeed reached epidemic proportions. We know this sounds like a pun and so funny, but it isn’t. Americans are growing larger according to a simple index which measures actual weight versus percentage of body fat. Scientists use a Body Mass Index, or BMI, to take lean body as well as fat body mass into account. A BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight and one of 30 or more reflects obesity. Having a BMI of 40 or greater is equivalent to having approximately 100 extra pounds of fat. Are you that overweight, or headed there? If so, it’s time to make that serious commitment to either stop “growing” — to actually lose some of that body fat. Not overnight, but slowly.

DON’T KEEL OVER—TAKE YOU DOWN EASY

Why slowly? It has been shown time and time again that going on a “fad” diet, or looking for “overnight success” is like weekend warrior syndrome. There is a tendency for trying too hard too fast to either put excess weight on you, causing you to lose lean body fat and other needed body tissues, and/or leading you right back to the major health problems you are trying to avoid. So you don’t want to use any “quickie” methods at all. Not unless what you’re really planning on doing is giving up.

There is no such thing as a “quick fix” when it comes to obesity. You’re only handing out money to people to pretend to fix your problem, when there are real solutions that can be found through proper diet and exercise, namely maintenance programs that involve a gradual loss of weight combined with a gentle and building exercise program that will cause you to become thinner and more healthy through slow, scientifically researched and progressively easier exercise. You don’t need to show off; you need to win!

Further about what not to do: some researchers point to high fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive, way too commonly used sweetener, as a major culprit in the obesity epidemic. A terrific first step, if you’re a soda pop addict, is to see if you can cut back to about half the sodas you ordinarily drink. If you’re used to, say, downing an entire liter of soda per day, consider cutting that to half that amount and replacing the rest with good, pure water, bought from the store or gleaned from your own purifying system. You want to drink clean water, not the stuff that’s probably loaded with minerals that aren’t good for you from your tap water. Either buy water or find a purification method, and start replacing your soda pop with water.

Research shows that the more water you drink, the less hungry you feel. The US Department of Agriculture has performed studies that show you can almost get rid of that feeling of hunger when you are eating less food by drinking water. And further research has shown that the water, clean and pure as it is, will flush toxins and waste out of your body while you are losing weight. Isn’t feeling good while you’re losing weight the best possible way to go? Don’t you want to live on, for your family’s and friends’ sakes, and to feel completely better about yourself? Replace some of that soda pop and some of your food with water. It is a proven dietary tool.

A PROBLEM CALLED NOWADAYS

We have become an increasingly sedentary society, we Americans. More people work sit-down jobs and are car-dependant, which means less walking, and there’s a tendency when coming home from a hard day at a stress-ridden job to plop down mindlessly in front of the TV. It’s like giving up—it’s so seductive, and so easy to do. And now we have personal computers, which are so addictive it’s tempting to just sit there and “grow.”

It has been shown that habits like those outlined above, especially computer addiction, lead to patterns of behavior established early on in life. You need to get your kids away from the computer if they’re spending four or more hours per day on it, studies have shown. And it they’re slowly getting plumper and plumper while surfing, you need to get them to play outside. Have them join up for soccer practice before they become the “fat kid” and get picked on by the other kids, and not allowed to play with them.

YOUR OWN DIET AND WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

Most diets work for as long as the individual sticks to the diet. That’s why “diet” refers both to your food intake and to “going on one.” It’s what you need to eat for the rest of your life. And to lose weight, you must reduce the total calorie intake to a level below the number of calories that you burn, each and every day. There is considerably more to designing a good diet than simply reducing calories, however.

A total program, therefore, is one that would incorporate diet and exercise with supplements that will help improve metabolic control. When choosing a weight loss plan, it’s important to seek out diets that preserve muscle mass. Crash dieting that induces “quick” weight loss generally promotes muscle and water loss and less fat loss. That’s why you should be unafraid to drink water; its loss is unimportant unless you grow seriously dehydrated, and you don’t really want too much water loss.

Fad dieting results in the “yo-yo” syndrome. When patients have gained their weight back, doctors have seen that they gained it as fat–not muscle. The best plan to follow is one that targets the change in body composition and preferentially enhances the lost of body fat rather than muscle mass. To some, this means low-carbohydrate diets, but unfortunately there is a tendency to start to treat “carbs” as something evil and think that you must avoid them at all cost. This is similar to the idea that fat in foods is evil and must be avoided at all costs. Neither case is true at all.

You need carbohydrates, proteins and fats in your diet in a correct proportion, with no one or any amount of the three of them out of balance. That’s right; you need to eat a balanced diet. Although you do need slightly less fat than the other two types of basic foods, depending on the nature of your lifestyle and exercise program, you don’t have to overemphasize one food group over another. This has been proven in case after case throughout all of human history. Generally, a rule of thumb is to cut back on all simple carbohydrates, such as table sugars and sweets, and eat more complex carbs such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Eat your ice cream, but only about two cups worth at a time. You need minimal fat whether you’re trying to lose weight or not, but just cut the fat off your meat and eat lean meats. You don’t have to “go overboard” and remove all fats from your diet. Fat is absolutely necessary for the brain growth of children, and you may need it in your diet for very similar brain metabolism purposes. Also, a tip: avoid drinking soda pop in aluminum cans. Regarding your brain, this can be very bad for it, as the pop contains a lot of aluminum, and this has been shown in studies to be a potential cause of Alzheimer’s disease, way too early in life for it to be a mere coincidence.

And relax. You don’t need to “beat yourself up” for what you eat and don’t eat, or if you accidentally didn’t exercise for one single day.

SUPPLEMENTS ACCELERATE WEIGHT LOSS

What’s important to remember while going on your weight loss plan, using both dieting and exercising, is that muscle dictates your metabolism and high body fat slows metabolism. Preserving or even building a little more muscle can have dramatic effects on metabolism. There are many dietary supplements which can help enhance weight loss when a low-calorie diet and a decent, slowly accelerated exercise plan are both followed. Also, these supplements can help improve blood sugar control, metabolism and body composition. They may also help prevent long periods of no weight loss, or the “plateau effect,” that can be quite frustrating to you and can cause you to “fall off the wagon.”

Believe it or not, we’re almost religiously talking “temptation” here. You need to watch what you’re eating as often as humanly possible. Take little breaks, eat your “bad foods,” but only about once per week. Do it to reward yourself for a long week of sticking to your diet and exercise program, and if you do fall of the bandwagon, don’t give yourself such “fun food” rewards at all. They’re harmless if you just consume them in very low quantities or even moderately, and can be a great reward if you’re sticking with your exercise plan and taking it well.

READY FOR SOME FANCY FOOTWORK?

According to current ongoing medical research in both the US and China, supplements may also help prevent weight gain with occasional “cheats”– and that means occasional! The thermogenic effect of green tea (Camellia sinensis) was originally attributed to its caffeine content. However, green tea stimulates brown fat thermogenesis far greater than a comparable amount of pure caffeine. It appears that the catechin-polyphenols, in particular epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and caffeine that naturally occur in green tea work synergistically to stimulate thermogenesis and augment and prolong sympathetic stimulation of thermogenesis. It has been shown to increase 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation (caffeine only increases metabolism during the time you take it).

Drinking one or two cups of green tea each day also has well documented anti-cancer effects, particularly with respect to the prostate, breast, uterus and ovary. Green tea is generally taken as a standardized extract in capsule or tablet form to provide 50 mg of caffeine and 90 mg of epigallocatechin gallate to be taken three times daily before meals. Although green tea contains a small amount of caffeine, it is generally not enough to create any adverse side effects. Drinking several glasses of green tea each day may yield a similar thermogenic effect to the supplement, although this has not been studied thus far. Coleus Forskohlii Coleus has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine. One of its active compounds is forskolin, which has been studied as a weight loss aid. Animal studies have shown that forskolin has anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. Human studies have shown that forskolin may be effective for glaucoma (as eye drops) and may have other therapeutic effects. And finally, green tea is a great way to flush out your system, similar to simply drinking water. It’s a clean and effective tonic, and you can even drink it at night in a small amount before you go to bed. It will take away your “cravings” and promote a healthful night’s sleep.

LASTLY, A CRASH COURSE IN THE ETIOLOGY OF FAT 

From Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of The Total Health Program:

• Obesity is a chronic condition that develops as a result of an interaction between a person’s genetic makeup and their environment. How and why obesity occurs is not well understood; however, social, behavioral, cultural, psychological, metabolic, and genetic factors are involved. And yet, most of why a person is fat is up to that person.

• Among possible hormones involved, leptin, discovered in 1994, has received the most attention. Leptin appears to regulate adipose proliferation and modulate eating behavior. A 1999 study showed that subcutaneous therapy with recombinant leptin produced weight loss in both obese and lean subjects. Isn’t that exciting? Perhaps science will someday find an actual cure for the disease that is obesity!

• Heritability studies indicate that genetic factors may be responsible for up to 70% of the variation in people’s weight. However, this is not technically proven as yet to be a genetic trait. Families which overeat tend to produce children who then overeat, and it may be socially caused. So consider your friends. You might want to join a club.

• Weight gain, in short, is almost entirely dependent on a person’s energy intake being greater than his or her energy expenditure. One pound (0.45 kg) is equal to 3,500 calories. Therefore, a person consuming 500 calories more than he or she expends daily over a brief period of time will gain one pound per week. And the same is true the other way around. You can lose weight simply by reversing the process, but do take it easy as you keep going. You might want to consider cutting only 200 calories per day from your diet.

• A person’s body weight tends to range within 10% of a set value. Weight alterations in either direction cause changes in energy expenditure that favor a return to the set point. You may have heard of this before; it’s what your body “wants” to weigh, and it may not be quite what you want to weight. This mechanism helps explain the terrible problem of recidivism following attempted weight loss. Recidivism means, once again, falling off the wagon.

Now that you see why you need to lose weight and that it is a tricky but doable uphill battle, are you ready to have a go at it for your own sweet sake, and that of your social network, your friends and family, your pets, and American happiness in general? Remember, fat can be “contagious.” People who look at fat people who are doing fine tend to think that they will be fine as fat people too, and such is not the case. For all we know, we eventually can’t do without any of us.

What if your life is like Jimmy Stewart’s in “It’s a Wonderful Life”? What if you died suddenly, and many people around you suddenly found you to be a significant loss? Not just your income, but because they truly and honestly love you? Obesity can lead to this exact problem. And the worst part is that it can come in the form of a long, slow, obnoxious, and nasty death, ruining your relationships even as you’re trying to make them, and eating away at the more guilt-ridden parts of you.

Join the good fight. Start that easy lifelong diet and nice, slowly building exercise program, and start it today—not tomorrow, but today!

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Peralta

Weight Loss - With The Atkins Diet
By Michael Russell

What if I told you you’d able to eat all the juicy steaks, succulent seafood with butter and bacon and cheese omelettes and still lose massive quantities of weight? What if I also explained to you that you wouldn’t necessarily have to exercise to lose this weight? If I’ve got your attention and you’re willing to take the plunge, let me introduce you to the Atkins diet. The Atkins diet is known as a Standard Ketogenic Diet. The term ketogenic refers to the fact that your body must enter ketosis in order for this diet to work. Ketosis is when your body and more so your brain stops using glucose (sugar) to function and now adapts to using ketones. Is it safe? Well it’s a diet that has been used as far back as the 60s by bodybuilders to shed unwanted fat. The mistake most people make is assuming that this is a fairly new diet while all that’s really happened is that it’s become more main stream in the last decade or so. Many studies have been done not only on the long term effects but also on the overall efficiency of this diet and they all conclude that it does indeed work and there are no apparent short term health risks.

Before taking the Atkins diet for a test run you should contact your personal physician and talk it over with them. The initial stage of the Atkins diet is the hardest as it is the time when your brain tries to adapt to using ketones. Most people encounter a sort of brain fog where they feel a little lethargic and may encounter headaches. After the first 2 weeks this will subside and you’ll feel even better then you felt before. The first thing you’ll need to buy is ketone sticks. They sell them at most pharmacies and they are a vital part of your diet as they are the only indication of if you are in ketosis. The first stage of the Atkins diet is the induction phase and it last 2 weeks. This is where you will see the most significant weight loss while on the diet. After this phase is through you’ll evaluate if you’d like to stay in this phase or if you’d prefer to add some carbohydrates back into your diet and taper off the massive weight loss. First let’s look at how to get you into ketosis.

Both entering into and maintaining ketosis is amongst the most misunderstood aspects of the Atkins diet. Many people have a difficult time getting into ketosis and while in it they don’t quite understand what it is they’re doing to be knocked out of it. The ratio of protein to fat is what causes this confusion and the lack of explanation on this critical issue is why most people never succeed on this diet. When attempting to enter ketosis you must keep your daily protein intake at no more then 20%. Your fat intake must be at no less then 80% while your carbohydrate intake must remain at 0! Yes that is correct you can’t have any carbohydrates at all until you have successfully entered ketosis. This initial stage usually lasts 2- 3 days. After you have entered ketosis in order to remain in ketosis you must change your ratios to approximately 5% from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 65% from your fat intake.

In the induction phase you will be relegated to eating mostly cheese, eggs and meat but as you progress to the next phase you will be able to add vegetables and even the occasional fruit back into your diet. As I stated before the initial phase of this diet lasts 2 weeks and now you’re faced with the decision of continuing the induction phase or moving on to more of a maintenance phase where you’ll gradually increase your carbohydrate intake, until you’ve noticed you’re being knocked out of ketosis. At that point you will have determined how many carbohydrates you can handle while still being in ketosis. The Atkins diet is definitely not for everyone but if you do feel you can handle it you’ll be able to lose sizable amounts of weight with a minimal effort. You will experience energy levels that you never knew you had and most importantly you’ll never feel hungry or deprived.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Weight Loss

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Tsuoni Success

I love TsuNoni. I used to drink several cans of diet soda a day. When a friend gave me some TsuNoni, I thought it would be just another diet drink. I was wrong. I’ve replaced my diet soda with TsuNoni and I’ve already lost 15 pounds! I cannot believe the difference.
Angela K.
Tallahassee, FL

I love TsuNoni because I can take it anywhere. It is so tasty and I never get bored with the four delicious flavors. I’ve lost a few pounds since I’ve started using the system and I couldn’t be happier.
Melanie M.
Sheboygan, WI

This is a great energy booster. I heavily relied on energy drinks in the past to get me through the day. I drink two bottles of TsuNoni each day and wear the patch, and I never have the 3:00 lull at work.
Andrew G.
Twin Falls, ID

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East Meets West

Asian cultures have realized the medical benefits of green tea for centuries. Those who drank it lived longer, healthier lives. Now science has discovered the reason behind the green tea phenomenon. Polyphenols, the antioxidants in green tea, can actually help lower cholesterol and promote healthy heart function. Plus studies show it is a great weight loss aid, helping to boost metabolism and suppress appetite. Given the amount of green tea needed to deliver these health benefits, it is almost impossible to drink enough in our busy lives.
Across the ocean in Polynesia, Noni is used for its’ health-regenerating properties. Polynesians rubbed this tropical fruit on burns and sores to relieve pain. Extensive research has finally unlocked the secret of Noni. The polysaccharides in Noni are different than the typical sugar type. Those in Noni are actually a form of dietary fiber, promoting proper digestion and enhancing your immune system. Unfortunately, the awful taste and foul odor prevent most of us from drinking it.

Green Tea Meets Noni

When combined, one would think green tea and Noni would make an unpalatable combination. However, just the opposite occurs. These two bitter ingredients actually become a tasty and powerful blend, known as TsuNoni.
In fact, this synergistic result is so rare, TsuNoni was issued a patent. When separate, Noni contains 11 mgs of antioxidants per gram and green tea has 88 mgs per gram. But when combined, lab studies prove these super-foods deliver 47% more antioxidants per gram. This 1+1=3 combination packs over 400 mgs of polyphenols and 70 mgs of polysaccharides per serving. TsuNoni is a healthy, effervescent fusion that tastes absolutely amazing.

Tradition Meets Technology

TsuNoni comes in an easy, instant beverage. The portable instant beverage compliments your busy lifestyle. Just mix one packet with a bottle of water and shake. With four delicious sparkling flavors, TsuNoni leaves you refreshed and your taste buds craving more.

Meet TsuNoni

TsuNoni is revitalizing, potent, and portable. Used in combination with a healthy diet and exercise, TsuNoni promises you good health. Taste the wave and lose the weight.

By Lisa Hyde-Barrett

Obesity — it is as much the scourge of the developed world as poverty is of the Third World. Thousands in the developed world have been desperately — and rather unsuccessfully — trying to shed their pounds, even as thousands in the underdeveloped world have been trying to put some fat into their bodies.

The World Health Organization says that the United States is now the fattest country in the world. Ask anyone who has tried to burn away those calories. It’s easier to look for the proverbial needle in the haystack! And they will tell you that there are no shortcuts in a fat loss regimen.

There are many causes that contribute to weight gain. Often, it may not only be the intake of food. Hormonal factors, side-effects of medical conditions, and many other factors cause weight gain. Recent research has shown that the increased amount of chemicals and toxins in the environment is a factor contributing to obesity.

Dieting and fat burning exercises are often considered the only solution for fat loss. But such a regime should be tailor-made for your body composition and lifestyle to be effective. However, many people do not follow professional advice and cause more harm to their body than good while on a fat loss regime.

This is where we need to look at the new low-glycemic standard of healthy eating. Glycemic indexing basically measures by how much a given food raises blood sugar and insulin response. This is important because the rate at which your blood sugar rises after eating is important in managing your weight.

High-glycemic food causes many negative effects, including weight gain. They increase your appetite, and raise fat in your body system by increasing triglycerides. However, a low-carbohydrate diet is not necessarily a low-glycemic diet as is the popular misconception. Such a diet will only lead to more fat in the body.

So what is a low glycemic diet? Fruits and vegetables are low-glycemic food, and you should include them most in your daily diet. However, it is often not quite possible to stick to such a diet.

That is where glyconutritionals or glyconutrient supplements come in. Glyconutrients are a class of sugars that are found in fruits and vegetables and are necessary to keep the body ticking along perfectly. The are needed to some the fundamental biochemical process of cell-to-cell communication in the body, and tone up the immune system.

Eight of these essential sugars have already been discovered and six of these are not available in our daily diet. Taking glyconutritional supplements made from fruits and vegetables helps in two ways: they help you maintain a low-glycemic diet and also keep your body strong while on a fat loss regime.

Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a registered nurse and wellness advocate, understands the relationship between good nutrition and good health. She’s become passionate about the new research behind sugars, specifically glyconutritional products.
Want to learn more about fat loss? Go to http://www.deadly-health-myths.com/healthy_weight_loss.html

We all know that yoga is good for your health and well-being, but does how does it tie into weight loss? After all, it isn’t aerobic exercise so can it really help to shed pounds?

A recent study conducted by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA investigated the effects of yoga on weight, which is the first study to investigate the role between the two. More than 15,000 participants were asked to recall their physical activity patterns and weight history between the ages of 45 and 55. The study found that during this period, most people gain about 1 pound each year. The people who practiced yoga at least 30 minutes once a week for four or more years gained 3 pounds less weight than the non-yoga participants.

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This is not necessarily staggering results but it gets better! Both men and women who were overweight at the beginning of the period and who started to practice yoga lost about five pounds, while those who were yoga free gained an average of 14 pounds within the next ten years. Now that is news! Imagine what the results would be for people practicing yoga 2-3 times a week.

The researchers have not concluded why the yoga participants lost more weight especially when most of them were not in advanced levels. More studies are needed at this time to give us more insight into the topic.

Participating in regular yoga classes and even getting good enough to venture into some advanced classes, has so many benefits. Here is what yoga can do for you.

• Physical Benefits: Creates a toned, flexible, and strong body…yes, it helps to build muscle which will also help to improve your metabolism. It also promotes cardio and circulatory health.

• Mental Benefits: Helps you relax and handle stress more easily. Teaches you to quiet all that chatter in your mind so you can focus on how you want to direct your energy. Encourages positive thoughts and self-acceptance. This alone can do a lot for those emotional/stress eaters out there.

• Spiritual Benefits: This is a nondenominational value that helps to build awareness of your body, your feelings, and the world around you. It also helps you to learn patience, forgiveness, and the value of gentleness. We all could use some regular reminders of this!

So why not join a yoga class? It can add so many benefits to your life and now you can add weight management to the list! Take action and sign up for an introductory class today!

Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. Learn about her online Balance Weight Loss Program and sign up for her free monthly newsletter to receive nutrition tips, inspirational stories, and healthy recipes.

By Terje Ellingsen

Which food should you eat and which drinks should you drink to increase your metabolism and thus increase your weight loss? Is there a connection between food and metabolism? Actually there are many types of food and drinks that increase your metabolic activity. We will describe a few foods that surely could be incorporated in a fat burning diet. Why not start with them?

Green Tea has proven to increase metabolism. This has been showed in quite a few studies now, and most conclusions are that this drink seems to raise metabolic rates with fat loss as a result. It also contains significant antioxidant components, which protects you from heart disease, stroke and even cancer. Add this to is a metabolism boost, and you’ll get real value for your money.

We all know that lean muscle mass increases metabolism. The more muscles the higher metabolic rate. Protein builds your muscles. If you add about 5 grams of protein per pound of your body weight, you’ll cover your daily need for protein.
There is a drink that your should consume less of if you want increased metabolism. Research has showed that alcohol may suppress your body’s ability to metabolize fat. When drinking alcohol, your body metabolises fat more slowly than without when having a meal. So slow down your alcohol intake.

These were only a few tips of what to eat and drink to increase you metabolism. Start here and follow more tips later.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net.
Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with fat burning diets like negative calorie food and high protein diets.