Weight of a person is basically a harmonizing performance of human body. In this harmonizing performance, the calories act as part of the equivalence to physique up a human body weight. The fat diets will work to enhance the body weight as well as the weight losing diets will reduce the weight of the body.

Conversely, obesity is actually a great problem faced by people in today’s world. Most of the people these days intend to drop off the weights for health as well as fitness. Most importantly, a proper weight makes people look good and that is the reason tumbling weight turned out to be a fashion in today’s world.

Burning up calories:

You will need to understand the equation of your bodily calorie balance. Working out is the best way to reduce calories from the body. So, carry on with exercise in day to day life.  You will need to understand about the body part which needs more caloric reduction. And on that way, you will need to continue to work out so that your body gets a flawless shape. Calories get burnt more effectively through physical bustle. So, whatever regime plans you are following, make undisputablethat you are working out every day.

Making the goal:

Once you understand the equation of the body, you must have to set a goal regarding how much weight to lose and which body part needs to be targeted more! You will need a plan of food habits and exercise. And you can sort your own plan, when you can comprehend the equation of the body to lose the encumbrance of extra fats. You can also talk to a dietitian who can help you understand your structure. You should have to get familiarized with the plan and you will find effective result on your body.

Take weight loss mission as a challenge. Stick to the plan, follow the doctor’s appointment and most prominentlyapprehend your physique. You can positivelydrop weight.

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It is scientific confirmed that some super foods can not only boost your wellness however also can help you lose weight the stat slim. The just meals could help you shedding as much as two pounds a week by inhibiting desires and boosting your metabolic process to burn additional calories. We will certainly provide in this article a listing of finest weight loss food.

Among the top incredibly foods for weight loss are the black beans. Merely a cup of them gives your body 15 grams of top quality proteins without adding any kind of saturated fat usually discovered in various other healthy protein sources such as meat.

An additional weight loss food is salmon. This is a leaner choice of meat that is rich in healthy and balanced Omega 3 fats and monounsaturated fats. Researches show that a diet plan rich in monounsaturated fats could aid losing a standard of 9 pounds.

Cereal are rich in Immune Carbohydrate, a type of healthy carbohydrate that assist boosting the metabolism rate and burning more fats. Oats are also rich in fiber and could keep you really feeling comprehensive for long time.

Avocado contains oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fats that gives a sensation of satiety. This fruit also includes higher amounts of protein and fiber. Lean sources of protein such as avocado can help you really feeling comprehensive without including fat.

Blueberries are not just having anti-aging effects yet they additionally can assist burning fat. Merely a mug of blueberries serving includes 4 grams of fiber and assist you feel complete, while giving only 80 calories.

Broccoli could aid you slim down, with less than 30 calories per offering. They have lots of healthy and balanced perks including cancer cells protecting against powers.

Wild rice is a heartier choice to the white rice. It includes a higher quantity of fibers and a fifty percent mug of brown rice serving gives 1.7 grams of Resistant Carbohydrate, the healthy carbohydrate that enhances metabolic rate and help burning more fat. The wild rice is also reduced in calories.

Pears are high in fiber and just one pear can offer you 15 percent of the day-to-day recommended amount of fiber.

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Many people don’t realize that belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is actually different than the rest of your body. The belly fat has been linked to risk for a number of different types of things, from insulin issues, metabolism issues, heart disease, increased cancer risk, and increased type 2 diabetes risk. Even if you’re not overweight, the fat that is in your abdomen can cause a lot of issues.

The body has three different types of fat in it. Check them out:

Triglycerides circulate in your bloodstream. It makes up about 95 percent of the fat within your body.
Subcutaneous fat, which is the layer that lies directly below the skin’s surface, between the skin and the abdominal wall.
Visceral fat is the kind located deep within your belly.
It’s not so much what is in the visceral fat that causes the problem; it’s where the fat is located. It is actually found beneath your stomach muscles, which means that they’re the closest thing to your internal organs. Because of this placement, your internal organs start to use it for energy because it’s more efficient than getting energy from your skin fat. Your body acts much like you do; efficiency is key.  If you have an option between two places to get the same exact thing, you’re going to go to the place that is closer.

So, why is this dangerous? In old times, people assumed that fat was just stored energy, but it’s actually much more active than that. All fat cells continually secrete hormones and chemicals; these hormones and chemicals are healthy if you’re at a normal weight, they actually do good things, like regulate insulin, help to regulate appetite by allowing you to feel satisfied after eating, and even help burn stored fat. Essentially, this fat acts how fat is supposed to act. The fat does standard metabolic functions and is absolutely nothing that you have to worry about. That’s why it’s unhealthy to be without fat; you can actually starve yourself or, at the very least, get ill, if you have no fat on your body at all.

Where the problem comes in is when you are overweight or obese. If you are overweight or obese, your body has more fat cells, and those cells are much larger than they should be. These larger cells, as you would expect, work harder and secrete more hormones and chemicals than you need. Essentially, you’re getting “too much of a good thing,” which is when it becomes a very bad thing. The chemicals that come out of your fat cells start to impact your health over time. These chemicals play a huge role in diseases like diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and even certain cancers.

Alright, so why does belly fat get the short end of the stick? Don’t all fats do this? Absolutely not! Visceral fat cells actually produce more of those chemicals to start with, so if you’ve got a lot of fat in your stomach region, those chemicals are actually being produced at toxic levels. As I mentioned above, those toxins are getting into your internal organs because the visceral fat is where your internal organs are getting their “energy” from. So basically, by having the excess stomach fat, you’re actually poisoning yourself in a way in terms of what the fat is leaching into your body. That is incredibly scary.

This is why good health is important. Exercise and diet are incredibly important parts of keeping you healthy. If you’ve noticed that you have an excess of belly fat, make sure to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. The great thing is that belly fat responds well to time tested weight loss methods of eating and exercise. You doctor or health care professional can help you to get on a eating and fitness plan that can help you lose weight in that region so that you don’t continue to cause damage to your body.

Anyone can lose weight when taught the tips and tricks… that’s why diet plans generally preach only one method. Losing weight is about understanding your body – what tempts you? How do you feel about certain exercise plans? What are you willing to do? Here’s some weight loss advice (that I want you to share with everyone!):

Beware of invisible fat – it is still visible on your thighs!

Exercise is like sex. If you don’t get that feel-good feeling when you do it you aren’t doing it right!

Don’t buy packets of foods that tempt you & kid yourself that you will only have one at a time. You probably won’t.

If it’s not in your pantry, you can’t be tempted.

Mix it up. A little bit of the good-for-you stuff + a little bit of the good- tasting stuff = something that tastes good and is good for you too.

Eliminate excuses: “sorry, I’m not able to think about why this is important at the moment”, “ I’m too tired”, “I’m too busy”

Always have a bite-sized snack handy just to take the edge off your hunger while you prepare something more substantial.

Consider times that you have been intending to exercise, but your actions never followed your intentions. What got in the way?

Find a photo of your favourite celebrity body in their bikini and stick it on the fridge. A great reminder when you are feeling tempted.

What aspect of your life do you feel would be most improved if you lost weight and became healthier?

Expand your repertoire of healthy foods by trying new foods & re-trying foods that you think you dislike.

Something is better than nothing – a five-minute walk here, an apple instead of a donut there – it all adds up in the end.

We all have our weaknesses – and I’m happy to tell you, that’s okay. What’s not okay, is letting your cravings rule your weight loss journey. Here are some healthy weight loss tips you can apply to your everyday that will help you rule your cravings – not the other way around:

Think about whether you’re really hungry. Have a big glass of water or go for a ten-minute walk, and then see if you still really want something to eat.

Keep chocolate in the freezer. It’s a lot harder to binge on chocolate when it’s frozen!

When you have a craving, chew gum or have a breath mint—it’ll help distract your brain and your stomach!

If you’re going out to a restaurant or a party, eat something beforehand so you won’t be as hungry and risk over-indulging.

Record your favourite TV programs and fast-forward through the ad breaks. Then you won’t have time to go and get yourself an unhealthy snack!

Know your triggers. If you binge when you’re upset, try something different next time you feel that way—phone a friend or watch your favourite movie.

Don’t be afraid to say no. If work colleagues bring cake to the office, it’s ok to refuse a piece. Remember—you’re better off in the long run.

When you start craving, try deep breathing and mental relaxation exercises. You’ll calm yourself without food and without the guilt that follows a binge.

Reboot your brain. If you always done something one way or at one time (eg after dinner snacking) it has become hard-wired into your brain. Re-boot your software by doing something different.       Neuroscientists have recently discovered that this IS possible. Rather than following the usual path that you take, make yourself a completely new path!

Work out what works best for you. Some of these may work for others, others may just tempt you further.       Work out which is which and don’t lie to yourself that something that hasn’t worked before will suddenly work this time

I decided I had to lose weight on a research trip to Japan for National Geographic. After posing for a picture with a post-tsunami cleanup crew in northeastern Japan, I was immediately given a print of the picture as a keepsake. There I was, smiling broadly, and looking enthusiastic. I was also, to my eyes, enormous.

No one in Japan ever told me I was fat. Instead, relatives — my mother is Japanese — would say things to me like, “Wow. You are starting to look like your father, aren’t you!” Obesity, just so you know, is one of the major factors that contributed to my American father’s death.

My Japanese cousin asked me, “Are you considered large in America?”

“Small to medium,” I said.

“Oh. So I would be minuscule over there.”

“Yes. Very, very small.”

“It’s best to stay in one’s own country, isn’t it?”

My cousin’s comment initially struck me as the kind of naive thing a homebody might say to an inveterate international traveler. But now I take her words at face value. She meant that she ought to stay home to avoid what had happened to me.

The U.S., in case you haven’t heard, is the world’s most obese country, followed by Mexico and the U.K. Japan is last on the list. I worry that we often have a deer in the headlights response to this news. In a recent New York Times piece , Health editor Tara Parker-Pope investigated how our biology can work against us in our battle of the bulge. “Once we become fat,” Parker-Pope writes, “most of us, despite our best efforts, will probably stay fat.” In a later interview, she concedes: “Hope springs eternal, and I really do believe that I will one day be able to lose the weight and keep it off.” She then states that she will try again to exercise more and track her food. This to and fro struck me as an example of how we distract ourselves from salient issues surrounding diet, weight loss and culture. Biology may well be part of the problem for some, but why have we become fatter than we were 30 years ago? Why are the Japanese staying so slim? Do they have a secret we in America have forgotten, or maybe never knew?

Over the years, while visiting Japan, I had started to move around my second homeland with a feeling of acute apology. I was sorry to have mistreated my Japanese genes. When I went to public baths, I’d suck in my stomach and look around to find women whose bodies matched mine. There were older women whose stomachs puffed out. Young mothers — and by last year I, too, was a mother — neither puffed out, nor sucked in. I couldn’t help thinking of the words of Dr. Sears, of the Attachment Baby Parenting book series: “Your body will never be the same again.” He, obviously, has never been in the female section of a public Japanese bath.

Many times over the years I have Googled “How much should I weigh?” and been given a range based on my BMI. I have always been within that range. I even asked my doctor in New York if I needed to lose weight, and he rolled his eyes. In New York City women either weigh less than they ought to, or far, far more than they should. I wasn’t a problem.

I occasionally mentioned my concerns to girlfriends, who commented on my need to accept myself. Too much of our culture, they insisted, placed a woman’s value on her appearance. I was too smart to worry about my looks. Friends would tell me about their anorexic years, and how they had since learned to love themselves as they were. Worrying too much about weight signaled a fixation on control — or an obsession with image and the media. Was I reading too many gossip magazines? I was too old to develop an eating disorder; this is the bailiwick of the young.

I still thought I might be fat. I thought that maybe with our Western concern about “acceptance” we had overcompensated when it came to facing the truth about weight, and that I was just one of many people who really ought to lose some pounds.

A Western acquaintance who used to be a dancer and who is very thin once remarked to me, “You sure don’t have your mother’s body.” For a while, I comforted myself that this acquaintance was probably anorexic and a little bit bitchy and that being bitchy went hand in hand with not eating enough. The girls who told me there was nothing wrong with my weight were never bitchy and always ate enough. But I noticed: The bitchy girl got a lot of attention from men. I said to her, “You like the thin look, don’t you?” She admitted, “Yes. I think the Audrey Hepburn look is the most beautiful look for women.” Her husband, who liked to go out and eat a burger with me because his wife wouldn’t, wondered aloud one evening what Nicole Kidman — she of the willowy frame — could possibly have done to so upset Tom Cruise. Nicole Kidman! But she was so beautiful!

I wondered about the split in my head: the idea that fun girls are willing to eat and can comfort us with a cozy, permissive warmth and that thin girls are the paragons of a beauty that only a very few can emulate. Who really wants to be so thin if it just makes you bitchy? Or does it? What about other cultures? Are the Japanese, who are almost uniformly thin, also uniformly bitchy, and if not, then how do you account for the fact that Japan is one of the most food-obsessed places I’ve ever seen?

I decided my doctor was wrong. I decided my kind friends who worried that I might develop body dysmorphia were wrong. I decided the bitchy girl who liked thinness was also wrong. I suspected the weight charts on the Internet that told me I was doing just fine were wrong. I decided the Japanese people — my family — were probably right and that their view of a healthy weight was probably closer to the truth.

So late one night, still jet lagged from my research trip to Japan and coughing from the pneumonia I’d picked up on the plane, I surfed the Internet. I was scared. I’d had pneumonia once before and it’d nearly killed me. The doctor said I wasn’t sick enough to go to the hospital and anyway, hospitals bred even worse infections. He’d put me on Avelox, which made me vomit; now I was on two different antibiotics.

Around 3 a.m., I saw an ad for the Dukan diet — a French diet — which promised to tell me my “true weight.” In a haze, I filled out the information box. Finally. Someone would tell me the truth.

You probably are looking for some stats about my weight. Let me pause here and tell you that I’m 5-foot-5. When I danced regularly over a decade ago, I weighed around 123 pounds. In the photo from Japan, I weigh about 143. According to the Dukan Diet, I “should” weigh 127 pounds. I was now at 138 (remember: vomiting). The Dukan Diet promised it could help. Later, my husband would tell me how angry he was that I’d decided to try “that French diet” while I was recovering from pneumonia.

The Dukan team sent me daily emails in English that had clearly been translated from French. This was often amusing. Early on, I was advised that if I were to regain my power of “seduction,” I would need to lose weight. One email read: “Our need to feel desirable, our need for well-being, our fear of illness, our need to belong to a group, and our need to conform to prevailing style trends comes from (instinct).”

Conform? Me? How dare this French diet company accuse me of conformity! But after my ire subsided, I started to wonder if there wasn’t some wisdom here. I began to wonder if we, like Keanu Reeves, weren’t in some Matrix-like environment in which we slumber in some extra pounds and feel it’s OK because, well, everyone is doing it. Is that why my nice friends were telling me not to lose weight? Because they didn’t want me to wake up? And if so, do the Japanese suffer from a reverse pressure?

When I was younger and my mother was out of the country, my dad and I liked to go off and eat burgers together at a small hole-in-the-wall eatery near our local military base. I knew my Dad counted on me for this kind of release. I repeated this behavior with the men I dated. I was your “fun meat-eating and good listener” kind of girlfriend.

My mother is not a closet burger eater and has never been obese. Her frequent and irritating lament over the years has been that she needs to gain weight. She and her friend Hanae-san and I would go out to lunch in Japan and I’d sit there and listen to them both complain about how they couldn’t finish their meals. Once, I was sick of listening to their not-so-subtle anorexic competition and I said, “You know, you might think it’s cute to complain about how you can’t eat, but it’s actually annoying.”

There was silence. Then, Hanae-san said, “We don’t think it’s cute. It’s a problem that happens to women as we get older. We lose our appetites. I see it all the time in my friends.”

A funny thing happened to me on that trip and others that followed. I too began to feel full very quickly. I, too, craved tiny but rich meals composed of fish, vegetables and a little rice. After three weeks, my clothes hung slack.

Once, after one of these trips, I said to my dad on the phone, “You know that feeling when you are full, but not stuffed? It actually feels good.”

He didn’t like that feeling at all. In public, he ate and praised my mother’s healthy meals, but then he’d go eat a second meal in private until he felt stuffed and happy. I know this because for months after his death, we found bags of cookies stashed in his office, his tool shop and car. He had always sworn that his weight gain was a mystery. I now think that behind most weight gain mysteries, there are probably very specific reasons, if we are brave enough to look.

I continued on the Dukan Diet, which stresses lean protein in its initial stages, then adds in vegetables, fruit and whole grains. It is, in other words, one of many “low carb diets.” Scouring the Internet, I started to read about not only the Dukan, but also other diets, trying to understand how and why they worked. Low-carb diets are effective, experts said, because they force us to lower our caloric intake. Though I wasn’t supposed to, I started to track calories, fascinated that simple math can actually result in weight reduction. I’ve since learned that among lifetime dieters, counting calories is seen as a “bad” thing to do: too obsessive and anal.

The reasoning goes something like this: If you feel you are denied food, you will later binge and gain back all the weight. Therefore, you do not want to feel that eating is bad. Over and over again, I would run into the following sentiment: “I don’t want to feel deprived.” Freedom from this yoke of torment can only come from a transcendence that does not involve calorie counting.

The fun girl — the one who goes out to burgers with you and lets you smoke and drink as much as you want — doesn’t care about transcendence and she certainly doesn’t care about rules. In Scotland this fall, as I pondered another piece of pie, my mother-in-law said to me in her low, throaty voice, “Go on. Be tempted.” And then it dawned on me: Are we in some perpetual Garden of Eden? Is every pie an apple? Every dieter an Eve?

Do I really feel this way? Do you feel this way? At a certain point, how can any of us miss the Judeo-Christian thinking in the way we talk about and value food. Sinful desserts. Guilt-free brownies. Binge and purge. Comfort eating. Boring steamed fish. Don’t be tempted by empty calories. Indulge in richness. Reward yourself. Cleanse for the new year. Do I hear this kind of talk in Japan? Never. Do we have a psychological hang-up that they don’t? Or is it something else?

From the minute my son was born two years ago, Japanese friends and relatives gave me advice about what he should eat. “What you feed a child until he is 3 will stay with him for life.” There appears to be truth to this sentiment. Scientists tell us that we develop a taste for sweet and salt very early on in life — even in infancy. Our adult cravings — and the intensity of our cravings — may be determined by what we eat in childhood.

I didn’t want my son to suffer my father’s fate, so I bought a book in Japanese on how to feed babies, and followed it religiously. I translated a spreadsheet into English, and put it into Excel so my husband could see what foods we would be introducing each month. I want to stress that many Western baby-feeding books emphasize the introduction of texture to a baby’s mouth. In Japan, it’s all about food. The emphasis is on rice, fish, vegetables and fruit, and light seasoning. Japanese relatives and friends maintained their pressure on me to stay vigilant. Once my son turned 3, he would go to school and the Western world would intervene, but by then it wouldn’t matter. My son could return to the palate I’d set for him.

Case in point, they said; I had returned to mine.

When I went back to Japan this past November, I was 20 pounds lighter. For the first time in a long time, I moved through the crowded trains, and the narrow aisles of restaurants with confidence. I fit.

Then, I got annoyed. No one noticed that I had lost weight. About a week into the trip, I asked a good family friend, “Can’t you tell I’m thinner?”

“Come to think of it, last time I thought you had ballooned up a bit.”

Just like that, I felt defensive. “Last time I saw you, I had just had a baby, you know.” Your body will never be the same again.

“Oh, yes. That sometimes causes weight gain.” Sometimes?

I wouldn’t let the subject die. “What do you think when you see a fat Westerner in Japan?”

My friend thought for a few minutes. And then she said that “fat” seemed to be a normal condition for Westerners. “But our idea of fat is different from yours,” she continued. “I think you become seven times fatter than we do before it occurs to you that you are fat. Anyway, you should relax,” she said. “You already know what you need to do. You just need to remember: Eat like us.”

By the end of my trip in Japan, I was convinced I had gained back all the weight that I had lost. I hadn’t been able to track my calories and I felt nervous without my dietary tools. I got to the airport lounge and was surrounded by Western businessmen going home. They looked enormous. You become seven times fatter than we do before it occurs to you that you are fat.

And then at home, the next morning, I got on the scale.

I hadn’t gained an ounce.

Have you ever heard of people who said that they want to lose weight? Why were they unable to do so? Maybe they weren’t able to follow good weight loss plans.
Why should you follow a weight loss plan when you can just workout, diet and use supplements to lose weight.
Working out will help you lose weight by letting you burn all the extra pounds you have. All the fats that you have stored will be burned as long as you work out regularly. Furthermore, you will be able to build your muscles and stay fit if you workout.
Dieting will help you prevent the consumption of excessive fats. Hamburgers, fried chicken and other delicious foods contain too many fats, so you should not eat many of these. A diet plan will help you stray from these types of foods and instead eat only healthy foods.
A supplement can help you lose weight faster. Weight loss supplements can boost your metabolism, which helps you burn fat much faster than usual.
With these three methods, you may not really need weight loss plans. But you can easily quit doing all these three. You might get tired of doing it because you don’t see its effectiveness. In effect, you will become one of the millions of people who are unsuccessful in losing weight.
There are various weight loss plans out there but you need to find one that works for you. Here are some tips on choosing weight loss plans:
? Find a plan that will set you sensible goals. You should aim for steady weight loss too.
? Find out how much weight you can lose per week. Also, ask how long would it take for you to reach your goal.
? Research on the credentials of the people involved. Nurses, doctors, counselors and dieticians are the ones who commonly create a weight loss plan.
? Ensure that the weight loss plan gives you all the nutrients you need daily.
The Recommended daily allowance (RDA) must be followed so you get all the vitamins, minerals and protein that you need.
? Look for a plan that combines dieting with working out so that you can lose weight faster.
? Follow the diet plan that not only helps you to lose weight but also teaches you to maintain it. You might need a permanent lifestyle change if you want to maintain a healthy body.

If you’re frustrated in your efforts to lose weight, don’t give up yet!  At Dr. G’s Weight Loss & Wellness, we see all kinds of people who are doing what they can to lose the weight.  We help them with our medical weight loss centers, meal replacements, access to our weight loss doctor and other diet professionals, a healthy support system and follow up care.  All of these things make for a great diet plan and our clients see excellent results.  Here are some other tips from a weight loss
doctor that will make your dieting efforts even easier.

Don’t Skip Meals

It may sound counterintuitive, but when you’re dieting, you should never skip a meal.  That’s because when you do, your body will go into starvation mode and be able to burn fewer calories.

Reduce the Stress

When you’re stressed out, your body will crave carbs because they make you feel good mentally.  In
order to avoid this, it’s important to incorporate stress reducing activities in your diet plan.  Exercise helps relieve stress, as does meditation, prayer, and any other activity that you get
pleasure from.

Shop With a List

Run, don’t walk, from snack and processed foods in the grocery store.  In order to avoid the
temptation, be sure to plan your meals and then make a list before stepping foot inside of the store.  Remember, most of the unhealthy foods are located in the center aisles of the grocery store.

Drink Water

You’ve probably heard this before, buy you might not understand the “why” of it.  When your
body is thirsty, you might confuse that craving with hunger.  Rather than automatically reaching for food when you feel a craving, try drinking a glass of water and waiting a few minutes.  You might find out that it was all you really needed.

Talk a Walk

Before you eat, go for a brief walk outdoors.  Odds are that by the time you return, you won’t be as hungry and you’ll be more likely to choose something healthy to eat.  Do this before your lunch and
dinner and watch the pounds melt away.

Of course, these are just some of the things you can do to increase your chances of a successful weight loss plan.  When you join our medical weight loss center, our weight loss doctor will create a personalized plan for you that will help you reach your ideal body weight.

Here are the first six tips, tricks and techniques that helped me lose weight (in no particular order):

1. Nuts and nut butter. Huh? That’s it? Well, they have been instrumental in warding off hunger. They pack a powerful punch between the satisfying fat and the stick-with-you protein. The key is to eat very small amounts. A few ways nuts have helped me:

I carry a small amount of nuts with me at all times so I’m never tempted to buy anything when I’m shopping and missed lunch.
I often eat about an 1/8 cup of nuts or a nut butter granola bite with some tea at about 4:00, which sees me through until dinner.
I add 2-4 walnuts to my granola every morning to up the protein and Omega-3's.
I add a tablespoon of peanut butter to a half an apple for a snack or at lunch. I’ve found this helps the apple “stick with me” and I’m not hungry so quickly again.
2. Never eat out of a box or a bag. The other half of this rule  tip is not to buy as many bags and/or boxes (which also part of eating more real foods). However, we do buy things like chips or crackers (with only 2 or 3 ingredients) that we eat occasionally. Dried fruit and nuts also count- basically anything I might lose track of, I put in a small bowl or container first to make sure I don’t eat too much before I’ve even thought about it.

This “unthinking” eating has been my downfall my whole life. Did you know your stomach doesn’t register fullness until about 20 minutes after the first bite? Think about how fast we eat in our culture now…and how much we can put away in 20 minutes. Yeah…I know that “oh my gosh, I didn’t realize ate that much” feeling all too well.

Along this same line of thought, at dinner I often serve the salad before I put anything else on the table (as a “first course”) just to get us used to taking a bit longer to eat our meals.

Now…do I really NEVER eat out of a bag? No, I’m a real person and there are times I dip my hand into a bag. But it’s the goal, and I’m often sorry when I’ve forgot it.

3. Drink afternoon tea. And morning tea or coffee. The ability of liquids to fill us up cannot be over-emphasized. Instead of reaching for a snack in the morning around 11:00, I am in the habit of drinking a cup of liquid (usually coffee with milk) at 9:00 or 10:00 which sees me through the “elevenses.”

Likewise, I always have tea around 4:00 each afternoon along with a small snack (much smaller than I would’ve had in the past), and together they fill me up and satisfy my hunger.

What kind? It doesn’t matter – I have my favorite herbal flavors, but I also like a good cup of black tea with milk and a bit of sugar. In the summer I drink iced tea or a spritzer made with one of my fruit syrups and seltzer water. But…I live in Oregon, and there are still times in the summer when a cup of warm tea is just right. Sigh.

In the past year since I’ve become intentional about tea in the afternoon, I’ve come to see it as comforting – it’s warm and I enjoying holding it while reading my email. This is a great change for me, since I’ve spent many years associating food, not liquid, with comfort.

4. Use smaller plates and bowls. I know we hear this one a lot and I used to ignore it. I mean, I have a dish set and I use what I have, right? {wink} Here’s what I found after a trip to a thrift store yielded some small, old restaurant-ware ironstone bowls: a 1/3-cup of granola looks a lot more substantial in a smaller bowl than a bigger one. That was my “duh” moment.

And we have to get past our cultural “bigger is better” mentality. I’ve heard others talk about new dishes not being able to fit into cupboards and silverware that hardly fits into drawers. When we needed new everyday flatware a couple of years ago, I brought home three different patterns before giving up and buying a vintage (1980's) set on Ebay. Why? The forks were so large I felt like I was going to stab myself. The “teaspoons” were now the size of soup spoons. And it all looked incredibly silly with my vintage (1940's) dishes.

Is it any wonder that a “normal” sized portion looks tiny on these new plates?

5. Use measuring cups. Especially for cereals. And “prep bowls.” They look like this:


I was given a set of similar bowls a number of years ago which I used sporadically, but in the last year the smaller bowls in the set have become something I use almost daily. They’re like a bowl, so I don’t feel like I’m “measuring” my food, but they help me know just how many nuts it takes to fill 1/8 cup. Or dried cherries. Or chocolate chips (yes, I eat chocolate chips sometimes…more on that later).
And it’s been eye-opening. What I thought was “just a handful” or “a little bit” before was, well…not.

6. Listen to your stomach, but don’t eat every time hunger occurs. If you’re hungry 30 minutes before a meal, it means you’re ready for the meal- drink water or tea to tide you over. Or maybe a couple of nuts (but just a couple).

Sometimes, if I’ve eaten lightly at dinner (the goal, *a-hem*), I will feel hunger at 9:30 or 10:00 at night. I’ve learned to ignore it and use it as my signal to go to bed. By the time I’m reading in bed, the hunger is gone.

It’s OK to be hungry sometimes. When I’ve gotten into the habit of putting something in my mouth every time I’ve felt hunger in the past, I ended up eating too much throughout the day. The worst is when I’ve eaten a big snack and then am not hungry for dinner. But it’s a meal I really like. So I eat anyway. Which is…guess what? Yep, overeating.

So yeah…learn to listen to your stomach, eating when hungry and stopping when you’re full (at the first sign of fullness). But don’t let your hunger control you. Thankfully, most of us know another meal is close at hand.

Happy New Year, Skinny Bitches! 
We know some of you aren’t at your ideal weight, and that today marks the first day of your new diet. Good for you! Feel the empowered spirit and eat that kale! Katherine Pennington of Be in Balance  is guest bloggin’ her way to heaven below with some of her favorite myth’s and tips of how to healthily embark upon a juice fast;

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Weight Loss Myths:

As a nutritional counselor, I see many people who come to me after several failed attempts at dieting. There are a few myths that I would like to dispel:

Avoid eating carbohydrates if you want to lose weight.

Repeat after me “carbohydrates are not the enemy” and they won’t make you fat! While high-protein diets like Atkins and South Beach will work at the onset, for most people these diets are disastrous and not only affect overall health but also the pounds come right back on (and more) when they go off the diets. Complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, quinoa, 7-grain bread and whole wheat pasta fill us up and are high in fiber, protein, and B-vitamins and essential for energy, mental clarity, digestion and overall optimal health. Avoid simple carbohydrates such as white bread, rice and pasta, which are basically starch and turn into sugar when digested. For those of you who want to learn more about this, please read my article on Complex Carbohydrates .

Eat low fat foods if you want to be skinny.
NO! Eating low fat foods just leads to our feeling like we are deprived. Most people who eat low fat items eat more of them and more calories leads to more pounds. Additionally, foods where the fat has not been taken out such as whole fat yogurt (mind you, the kind without all the added sugars!) will leave you feeling satiated and full and, as a result, you will eat less. Studies show that adding healthy fats to our diets such as olive oil, avocados, and nuts can actually aid weight loss.

Eat late and you will gain weight.
Again, untrue. Your weight is determined by the amount of calories that you consume and expend over the course of your day. We do tend to eat more calorie-laden food late at night- especially after a drink or two- so if you do eat late, make good, healthy choices and you will find that it does not matter when you eat. If I eat late I usually start off the next morning with a cup of hot water and lemon and then wait to eat until I am truly hungry.

I can be skinny and have curves.
Sorry girls, we can’t have a skinny bod and curves. Just not happening unless you have been naturally (or surgically) endowed. I have had so many clients coming to me working with weight trainers who have told them otherwise. Our chest size is hugely dependent on our overall body weight. Choose to be skinny or have breasts but both is not an option. Be ok and embrace the body that you have. (ED’s note from Chloe: I am thin and have C cup bazongas. I think you can be thin and have some boobs, but don’t expect to keep ‘em Pammy Anderson sized when your jeans are a 25 unless you are a fan of silicone boobs. There is the rare, rare super skinny girl who has a natural rack, but it’s pretty unusual.)

Walk your weight off.
I am probably going to be shot saying this but you can not walk major weight off unless you are just starting a workout program, are walking long distances or at a very fast pace or have an illness or injury. Walking is a great exercise if you are at your target weight and maintaining overall health, but if you want to lose weight you need to speed it up! Run outdoors or on the treadmill, sweat it out on the stairmaster at the gym, do a rigorous yoga class- whatever you do increase your heart rate and do aerobic work for at least 30 minutes working up to 45 minutes a day four days a week and you will see results. Additionally, working out stimulates serotonin, which makes us feel good, and when we feel good we make better food choices! Exercise and you will look and feel better. (ED’S NOTE: We so, so recomend working with a trainer if at all financially possible, namely ours at Barefoot Tiger .)

You can do it all!
Sacrifice that extra hour of sleep for a workout and go, go, go even if you are feeling tired!
Again, big no! Loss of sleep is linked to the body’s inability to regulate insulin and, ultimately, to weight gain. When you run yourself into the ground, your body goes into a “fight or flight” mode and secretes the hormone cortisol, which helps the body convert protein into glucose or sugar. When this glucose is not used it is turned into fat. So, while you are going a 100 miles an hour trying to go to the gym, take care of your family and perhaps even logging in hours at the office, your cortisol levels are raised making it literally impossible for you to lose weight. While of course it is ok to wake up early before the kids and hubbie and get that workout in, make sure you get in bed at a reasonable time so you can get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Studies have found that lack of sleep negatively affects levels of the appetite-regulating hormones ghrelin and leptin. Take care of yourself. Sleep is not a luxury- it is a priority! So, make time to rest and take care of yourself and you will feel so much brighter and clear-headed and the pounds will melt away.

Want to start the new year off with a juice fast?



Fasting is not some new-age 20th Century fad! It has been an integral part of different religions and cultures around the world for thousands of years. Fasting is described as intentionally abstaining from food, and is usually done for religious and health reasons. Fasting is nature’s way of giving the body a chance to overcome disease and rest. When animals are sick they instinctively quit eating until they feel better. This internal awareness is even present in our children who do not eat when they are not hungry. Somewhere along the line we lost the knowledge of the importance of fasting to regain and restore health.

While fasting is used for weight-loss, it is also a tool for cleaning, flushing, detoxifying, maintaining the body and even healing both major and minor illnesses. When we eat, all of our body’s energy goes towards digesting that food. And, when we go on a fast, we are giving our body a break. If you are trying to lose weight or get your diet off to the right start, then a fast is a wonderful way to break away from unhealthy eating habits and give your body a clean slate to work from.

During our lifetime we are exposed to a variety of chemicals and toxins both in our food and drinks as well as in our environment such as cleaning products and pollution. Our body eliminates some of these toxins through waste but after years and years more and more remains in our colon. These chemical products and free radicals contribute to pre-mature aging, heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Fasting is a way of getting rid of these toxins and allowing your body to heal.

Additionally, fasting increases the white cell count in our blood, which boosts our immunity and protects us against disease. It has also been known to reduce the symptoms of menopause such as night sweats and weight-gain. And, it also aids our circulatory system, which improves the quality of our skin, hair and nails. Fasting is a way to jump start our system and get back on track and something I recommend everyone do once or twice a year for ultimate health and well-being.

Juices furnish the body with live enzymes and bioactive vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals that are destroyed when a food is cooked. The juices bring an alkaline force into the body that helps neutralize the toxic acidity that we have as a result of our modern diets. They also speed the recovery from disease by supporting the body’s own healing activities and cell regeneration, and improve the cells ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste and other toxic material from the body.

Similar to herbs, juices have specific healing properties. The principal of food relating to certain diseases is a well-established clinical finding in Western naturopathic systems as well as in Chinese and Ayurvedic systems. Since each juice has its own healing properties, it is beneficial to rotate them. Some juices include carrot, apple, kale, spinach, beet, wheatgrass, orange, cucumbers, celery and watermelon.

Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A and also includes vitamins B, C, D, E, G, and K, the electrolytes sodium and potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. Carrot juice helps improve the health of the eyes, skin and teeth, has been said to be a natural solvent for ulcerous and cancerous growth and and it has even been claimed to help prevent sterility.

Kale and other leafy greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, fiber, folic acid and chlorophyll. Greens help purify the blood, prevent cancer, improve circulation, strengthen the immune system, improve liver function, clear congestion, improve skin quality, lift spirit, eliminate depression and increase energy and vitality. Beets are high in vitamin B and folate and are a very good source of manganese, potassium, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Beets help purify the blood, cleanse the liver, aid in resolving menstrual in-balances, and have been even said to fight cancer.

So, why not just eat your vegetables instead of juicing them? When we juice them we take out the fiber and leave only the essential nutrients. There is no way that we could eat the quantity of vegetables needed to equal that of vegetables in a juice form. Fiber certainly has its place in our diets but if you could do one thing to improve your health and energy it would be to add one green juice or other vegetable juice into your diet each day. If you can’t do a fresh juice then do one with a green powder. You will feel an immediate improvement to your mood, energy and outlook on life. Your skin will be clear, your hair shiny and you will feel great!

For anyone interested in finding out more about juicing and resources for juicing please read my article  on juice fasting or email me for an initial consultation about how you can go on a safe, easy juice fast.

Some yummy juice recipes;
Refreshing cleansing juice
2 pears
4 stalks celery
2 cucumbers
Juice in juicer and drink throughout the day

Green lemonade
4-8 leaves of romaine lettuce and/or kale
2 large apples
2 lemons
Optional (carrot)
Stir in agave nectar for sweetness if needed. You can also add a carrot if you want to cut the astringent flavor more. Drink this and your skin will be glowing!

Carrots & green juice
2-4 carrots
4-8 leaves romaine, spinach and/or kale
2 apples (optional to cut astringent taste)
Carrots are great because they contain natural sugars that your body will crave during a fast.

Green Powder Smoothie
Berry Green, Kyo-Greens or Nature’s First Food Powder
Vanilla almond, soy or rice milk (I prefer vanilla almond milk)
Silk Milk vanilla creamer
Frozen banana (optional- or use ice to make thicker)
*** If you use regular soy milk then add vanilla and a dash of agave nectar
Add green powder, 1 cup of the milk and 1/2 cups of the creamer and the frozen banana or ice in the blender and blend. My 5 year old daughter and I make this all the time for a healthy snack in the afternoon before or after sports and she adores it!

(ED’S NOTE: We can’t handle the juice fast, our Jewish asses like food tooooooo much, so we do whole foods cleanses regularly where we only eat raw fruit and veggies for a few days at a time. We truly always feel more alive and energetic – not to mention slimmed down – when all is said and done. Raw is definitely the way to go to feel clean on the inside.)