Keeping New Year's Resolutions: 5 Strategies

Well this is it... the week where millions of Americans stand up and announce that they will make a change, reach a goal, achieve a lifelong dream, or all of the above.

 

 

 

I am referring, of course, to the old faithful ritual of making New Year's resolutions.
Whether you intend to exercise more, lose weight, stop smoking, cut down on alcohol or eat a healthier diet, experts agree that one of the keys to making a successful resolution lies in one's own confidence that he or she can make the behavior change and the commitment to making that change!
Here are my top 5 tips to keeping you on your path to a better you.
1. Think about what you would most like to do or change and stick with one resolution for now.
Trust me on this one! I have been told by past clients that they were going to lose weight, stop smoking, begin an exercise program (after 25 years of sitting on the couch)... and to do all of this while they are going back to school for a second career!
Urgh! Talk about setting yourself up for failure. It is far better to add another resolution -- even if you add it in May -- after you master the first than trying to accomplish three major changes all at once.
2. Once you pick what's most important be clear as to why you want this.
It is definitely all about commitment. For example, do you really want to lose weight or are you doing it because someone else wants you to?
3.Have an emergency plan ready.
Know what you will do in case that stressful event comes up which has triggered you to eat everything in the refrigerator, pantry and local convenience store! Have coping strategies and alternatives to eating in order to deal with problems that will come up.
4. Break down a huge resolution into smaller goals.
You are more likely to achieve your goal by focusing on 5 pound increments rather than the 50 pounds. Set weekly and monthly goals and focus only on those. Once achieved, reward yourself. Treat yourself to a spa day, a pedicure, a favorite perfume you've been meaning to buy or even a new hairstyle!
5. No matter what, always love and accept yourself.
You are NOT that 50 pounds you need to lose. You are a great and beautiful person who just happens to want to lose 50 pounds. Remember, You are the same person with or without the 50 pounds. So be you! Don't wait to be happy until you lose that 50, be happy now!

How the Cabbage Soup Diet Works

When winter winds to an end, there are plenty of things to look forward to -- warm weather, blooming flowers, cookouts and the beach. But, for many people, that last item comes with a bit of hesitation. Before you strip down to that bikini, that winter weight has got to go. So when spring and summer are just around the corner, many are looking for a quick fix.

That's why the cabbage soup diet has withstood the test of time, outlasting its "fad diet" reputation. The diet lasts one week and is said to result in weight loss of about 10 pounds (4.5 kg) [source: Zelman]. In a short span of time, double-digit losses are possible. Some people, maybe because they became discouraged and unmotivated by the slower results of other diets, swear by the quick cabbage soup diet. After all, participants cut their caloric intake by at least 50 percent, taking in roughly 800 to 1,000 calories a day [source: Zelman]. The diet isn't by any means appropriate for a lifestyle, but it does help incorporate vegetable and fruits into an individual's meal plans.

Of course, the cabbage soup diet has its drawbacks. First off, it's a bit bland and boring, which makes cravings tough to ignore. It also cuts out a good amount of nutrients along with those calories. The extremely restrictive nature of the diet makes entire food groups off-limits on certain days. And while it does produce quick weight loss, much of this is water loss, not the more beneficial loss of fat. This means dieters will likely gain back a lot of the weight after they return to their normal eating routines.

So, the diet has its pros and cons, but you get to lose weight while keeping warm those last weeks of winter, right? Continue reading to learn more about the cabbage soup diet and its possible side effects.

6 Core moves and Stretches

When you hear the word core, what comes to mind? Abs? Lower back? Obliques?
If you thought one or more of these answers, you're partially right. Basically, your core comprises all the muscles that are responsible for moving and stabilizing the trunk or spine. Simply, your core is your body without arms and legs. If there's any weakness in any muscle of this system, your core is compromised.

I hear all the time about people who have strong abs, but a bad back. One of the reasons is because they do 5 million crunches a day and neglect the other muscles of the core like the lower back muscles, transverse abdominis, or obliques.
Tight upper body muscles like the lats or pecs, which would give you rounded shoulders (the caveman posture), do not help either. They would pull on the spine, forcing it to be out of alignment, or its natural curve.
What ends up suffering for most people is their lower back. Think about it. How many people you know wake up in the morning and say they're suffering from ab pain? If they do, it’s more likely from stomach issues. Many people wake up, or go throughout the day with back pain - that annoying feeling like you have two pit bulls gnawing on your lower back muscles. Or it may be triggered from simple tasks like driving, or carrying a baby. I've been there.
Strengthening all the muscles of your core, while stretching the tight muscles, is the most effective way of preventing or alleviating back issues.
The muscles of the core that surround and stabilize the spine are mostly made of slow twitch muscle fibers. In laymen’s terms that means they fire more slowly than fast twitch fibers and can go for a long time before they fatigue. (Hence the 5 million crunches.)
However, a plethora of repetitions are not necessary. Your core is at work all day long when you breathe or move. But don’t fool yourself and think that breathing and moving will get you a six-pack or a healthy back.
I would suggest 15-20 repetitions for various core exercises, with the proper amount of resistance that’ll bring you to fatigue.

I've come up with some general but effective exercises that can strengthen your core, along with a few stretches for common tight areas.

How do diets that limit your carbohydrate consumption cause weight loss?

When your body is not given fuel in the form of carbohydrates, it uses fuel in other ways. So, let's say you've just started following the Atkins plan and are consuming a modest 20 grams of carbohydrates or less. Here is what's happening inside your body:

• The liver stores glucose by converting it to glycogen. It holds perhaps a 12-hour supply of glucose in its glycogen. Once you finish digesting all of the carbohydrates that you last ate, the liver starts converting its stored glycogen back into glucose and releases it to maintain glucose in the blood. Lipolysis also starts breaking down fat in the fat cells and releasing fatty acids into the bloodstream. Tissues that do not need to use glucose for energy (for example, muscle cells) start burning the fatty acids. This reduces the glucose demand so that nerve cells get the glucose.

• Once the liver runs out of glycogen, the liver converts to a process called gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis turns amino acids into glucose.

• The liver then begins producing ketone bodies from fatty acids being made available in the blood by lipolysis. Brain and nerve cells convert over from being pure consumers of glucose to partial consumers of ketone bodies for energy. This process is called ketosis -- which is why the Atkins plan is also known as a ketogenic diet.

So, what does this mean in simple terms? In theory, the Atkins diet enables your body to switch from a machine that uses carbohydrates for fuel to one that uses fat for fuel. Therefore, a diet with little or no carbs forces the body's storage of fat to become its main energy source.

To further understand the way your body loses weight on the Atkins diet, you must consider the way the body uses sugar as fuel. To turn sugars into fuel, your body uses the hormone insulin. Insulin enables our cells to turn carbohydrates into glucose by controlling the amount of sugar in our blood. The body secretes insulin to keep blood sugar from getting too high. Insulin is a storage hormone, meaning that it causes sugar we don't use for fuel to be stored as fat. It also keeps the body from burning stored fat. The Atkins diet suggests that it is this "insulin response" that continues to add fat to our bodies. This function is an asset when food is scarce, but an abundance of sugar-filled and high-carbohydrate foods will promote the accumulation of body fat.

On the contrary, a low-carbohydrate diet allows your body to release less insulin. According to the Atkins plan, when insulin levels are normal, your body will begin to burn its own fat as fuel -- thereby resulting in weight loss. By keeping insulin levels stable, not only does your body burn fat, but it may also lead to less hunger and fewer cravings. Simply put, according to the Atkins folks, their diet attempts to control insulin levels by controlling the amount of carbohydrates you eat.

How Diabetic Diets Work

Diabetes is an increasingly common disease, affecting about 8 percent of Americans -- and nearly a quarter of all Americans older than age 60 [source: CBS]. It's so common that it has made its way into regional dialects; it's known variously as "sugar," "the sugar" and "sugar diabetes" [source: Patrick].

As those nicknames suggest, diabetes affects the body's ability to process dietary sugar. If untreated, it can lead to numerous complications, including blindness, nerve damage, heart and circulation problems, gangrene and amputation of the feet, kidney failure and early death. The good news is that, in many cases, treatment, which usually involves a combination of diet and medication, can greatly reduce the risk of these complications.

There are two types of diabetes. Type I (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) is sometimes called insulin-dependent diabetes. That's because Type I patients have to take insulin, either via regular injections or via an insulin pump. Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body process sugar. Type I patients don't make enough insulin on their own.

Type II diabetes (formerly known as adult-onset diabetes) is almost always a complication of being overweight. Although its causes and treatment are different from those of Type I, its symptoms and complications are highly similar. In type II diabetes, the body stops being able to use its own insulin.

Type II patients may take insulin. They must also change their eating habits. The goal of a diabetic diet is twofold: to get the patient to a healthy weight (thereby reducing the physical causes of diabetes as well as many of its complications) and to regulate blood sugar by regulating the intake of the foods that produce it.

In this article, we'll look more closely at diabetic diets -- what goes into making a diabetic eating plan, which foods you'll need to be careful about, and some tips for sticking to a diabetic diet in our decidedly unhealthful world.

How Diet Pills Work

Diet pills are a tempting quick fix for an increasingly overweight American populace.

 

Their ads claim they can help you "feel more fit," "boost your energy" and "melt away the pounds." Who needs diet and exercise when a little pill can erase the weight quickly and easily? With more than 60 percent of Americans now considered overweight or obese, diet drugs have turned into a multibillion dollar industry in the United States.

But although diet pills promise a quick fix, can they deliver? Can they help you lose weight? And if so, can they help you keep it off? Weight-loss questions aside, several diet drugs over the last decade have been associated with serious heart problems and other health-related issues, and diet pills have even been linked to a number of deaths.

Diet drugs are available in several different forms, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements.
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­Prescription drugs such as Meridia and Xenical are only available with a doctor's prescription. They are carefully regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and their use is closely monitored by the prescribing doctor.

Over-the-counter drugs are available without a doctor's prescription, right in your local drugstore or supermarket, and are also regulated by the FDA. According to AnneCollins.com, "Products considered by FDA to be over-the-counter weight control drugs [as opposed to dietary supplements] are primarily those containing the active ingredient phenylpropanolamine (PPA)." In 2000, the FDA requested that drug manufacturers voluntary reformulate PPA-containing products in the wake of evidence that phenylpropanolamine can increase the risk of stroke, so there are few diet drugs on the market that still contain this ingredient. OTC drugs also fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Herbal diet supplements are also available without a prescription. You'll typically find a huge variety of these in health food and nutrition stores as well as in regular supermarkets. Herbal supplements are often labeled "all natural" and are considered by the FDA to be food products as opposed to drugs. As such, they fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and are regulated differently from OTC drugs.

There is also a selection of diet aids that are administered by patch, as a powder or in liquid form. These types of drugs may fall into any of the above categories -- it is only the delivery method that is unique.

In this article, we will look at the wide variety of diet pills available, find out how they work and what their side effects are and see if they live up to their promises.

Weight Loss Myths

 

There are dozens of weight-loss myths that help to derail people. Here is a list of some of the most common so you can try to avoid them:

• The myth that some kinds of calories are different from others - A calorie is a calorie. If you consume 4,000 calories by eating 1,000 grams of white sugar or 4,000 calories by eating 444 grams of fat, it is still 4,000 calories.
• The myth that low-fat foods are okay or that you can eat as much as you want if it is low-fat - A product can have 0 grams of fat but still have lots of calories. Many fat-free foods replace the fat with sugar and contain just as many or more calories as a fat-containing product.
• The myth that any passive device, acupressure rings and bracelets or soaps or whatever, can help - There is no way to burn calories but to burn them.
• The myth that you can lose 54 pounds in 6 weeks - Despite what the ads say (I LOST 54 POUNDS IN 6 WEEKS WITHOUT DIETS OR EXERCISE!!! or LOSE 10 POUNDS THIS WEEKEND!), you cannot lose a pound of fat unless you burn off 3,500 calories. To lose 54 pounds in 6 weeks, you would need to lose 9 pounds in 7 days, or 1.3 pounds per day. That 1.3 pounds of fat is equal to 4,500 calories, so you would have to burn off 4,500 calories per day. The only way to do that would be to eat nothing AND run a marathon every day for 42 days. That's impossible. The only way to lose that much weight that quickly is either through dehydration or amputation. The ads are lying.
• The myth that anything can create an "enzyme-driven fat-burning cycle" - All sorts of things, from nettle seeds to apple pectin, are supposed to contain enzymes that create an ENZYME-DRIVEN FAT BURNING CYCLE THAT BURNS CALORIES 24-HOURS-A-DAY!!! No.

What is true is that you have to eat fewer calories than you burn in a day if you want to lose weight. You can do that by eating fewer calories than you need, or by exercising more, or both. It is true that some people burn more calories per day than others (just as some people are taller than others, some people have to use the restroom more frequently than others, some people lose their hair faster than others and so on -- people are different). You simply have to find the number of calories your body burns in a day and consume fewer calories than your body needs. That's not to say it's easy -- the psychology of food and eating is very powerful. But that is what you have to do. It is a mental game, and there is no way around it. But now you know the rules of that mental game.

For more information on dieting and related topics, check out the links on the next page.