Dieting: Essential Truths

If you appear to be overweight, there are certain truths you must absorb. I say "appear to be overweight" because you and I know that you are NOT overweight. There are people heavier than you and there are people slimmer than you. That's all.

Now, the self evident truths you need to absorb are set out below. They're very important, so learn them well:

1. Big hair, slim hips. You need to deflect attention from your 60" hips. This is really easy. Back comb you hair unto the point of death. Make it big, bigger, biggest. All attention will now be riveted to your very precarious hair style. See how that works? Brilliant!

2. If you eat standing up, it doesn't count. I'm always amazed that people don't know this. It is surely the most important truth of all. You absolutely must have a gallon of chocolate ice cream? No problem! Just stand in your kitchen and consume the whole thing standing up. Simply doesn't count. You don't need to include it in your list of calories consumed for that day.

3. Walking backwards doubles the calories consumed by this exercise. This is another truth most people don't seem to know. I'm amazed. It's so obvious.

Now that you've absorbed these self evident truths, there is another, very minor, truth you need to know. No diet food corporation will tell you this. They need to sell diet products. And the drug companies will not tell you this. They need to sell harmful so-called weight reducing chemicals that they expect you to consume forever to keep their coffers full. No, probably the only person who will tell you this truth is me. And here it is:

Expend more calories than you consume. It's easy. In order to lose weight, you don't need special food; you don't need harmful, addictive drugs. All you need is to use up more calories than you consume. If you don't take any exercise at all now, take a short walk every day. Nothing dramatic. NO need to climb Mount Everest or even run 200 yards. Just add a short walk to your day. If you already take some exercise, increase this exercise marginally. Again, nothing dramatic. Just add about 10 minutes to your preferred form of exercise. And do all this witout increasing your food consumption. I'm from the old school. Exercise always requires a chocolate bar as a reward. Don't do this. Drink a glass of water. Or chew some gum. And last of all, the most difficult truth for many people; Soda is BAD. Cut it out cold turkey. Just stop drinking it. These very minor truths will absolutely guarantee that you lose weight. Isn't that amazing? Let me know how you get on!

Patricia R. Moynihan is the Irish lawyer who founded Dealon Bracelets. Deaalon Bracelets are the world's premier therapeutic bracelets. She is a noted writer and speaker on alternative health and internet marketing. You can reach her at her web site http://www.dealonbracelets.com

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Dieting on a Shoestring

Officially the “recession” is over, but that doesn’t mean that all of a sudden we’ve got loads of cash pouring out of our pockets. (At least I don’t—if you’ve got tips, let me know!) We’re all trying to stay fit and free of fat, but that means spending exorbitant amounts of money on gym memberships and healthy, organic food doesn’t come cheap either.

Here are few ways to save money and maintain a healthy lifestyle:
1. Check out deals that your gym may offer. Special weekend rates, class-only rates, student discounts, etc. Also, getting any sort of job at the gym will generally get you free membership.
2. If a gym isn’t in your budget, work out in the beautiful world around you. Find a friend with a pool and swim some laps, go for jogs, or play tennis at an open court. Also, start relying your car less and your legs more. If your video store is a 20 minute walk, consider leaving your car at home for a change and power-walking or running to the store.
3. Buy your fruits and vegetables at farmer’s markets. It depends on where you live, but generally local farmer’s markets (or pick up trucks on the side of the road) offer higher quality fruits and vegetables than in large grocery stores.
4. Make a grocery list. People spend way too much money on groceries when they leave their lists at home. When you browse, you buy things that you’re in the mood for now, and that could be anything and everything. Stick to the list, buying only things you’ll need and you’ll likely come out with healthier food and not too much of it.
5. Buy in bulk. Make a run to Costco and stock up on brown rice and olive oil in bulk. This is also a good place to buy fruits and vegetables.
6. Cook your own food. Prepackaged food is never as healthy as home-cooked and can cost double or triple the price.
7. If your doctor suggests you try a diet pill, make sure you check out the generic versions (like generic Xenical or generic Meredia/Reductil. They can save you a ton of money, curb your appetite so you eat less food, and ultimately help you lose weight!

Tring to lose weight? Theres so many diets out there its hard to know which one to choose. Thats why taken the work out of it for you, by reveiwing them all here. Find out which diet is right for you by visiting www.dreamalean.com .

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Can You Don a Bikini and Hit the Beach Using the South Beach Diet?

Diet books and fad diets are nothing new. It seems every few months there's a new weight loss program being touted by the so-called experts as the "new miracle diet". We, as consumers, are bombarded by before and after pictures and testimonials from people who have successfully lost weight with some fabulous new program.

Two years ago, another new diet book hit the shelves. It was called "The South Beach Diet", written by Dr. Arthur Agatston. Since its release in 2003, The South Beach Diet has been listed on the New York Times' bestseller list for an impressive 103 weeks. Dr. Agatston has released companion books, started a fee-based website, and is working with Kraft Foods to create a line of pre-packaged South Beach menu items. How is this diet any different from the others, and more importantly, does it work?

The main idea behind South Beach is to eat three meals a day along with snacks and even dessert, while avoiding highly processed foods. Dr. Agatston says that South Beach is not low carb or low fat, but rather good carb and good fat. The diet is broken down into three phases: phase one is very restrictive and lasts about two weeks, phase two is much more open with food choices and lasts until you reach your goal weight, and phase three is called 'maintenance', which should guide your food choices for the rest of your life.

During phase one, you can eat until you are full (not stuffed full, just no longer hungry) from a list of approved foods. The list consists of mainly vegetables and lean meat, including seafood, as well as low fat or fat-free dairy products and legumes. You can have sugar-free Jell-o or popsicles as treats; up to 75 calories worth per day. Nuts and natural peanut butter are also on the list, but with limits. You're basically giving up bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and sugar in all of its forms. The South Beach Diet book claims that you can lose 8-13 pounds in just two weeks on phase one, and that you will lose belly fat first.

Phase two widens your menu quite a bit. You can now eat whole grain bread and pasta, brown rice, select fruits, and (my personal favourite) sugar-free Jell-o pudding. Still no sugar though, except for the occasional bite of dark chocolate. Good carbs in the form of whole grains and legumes, and good fats in the form of unsaturated, non-hydrogenated things like I Can't Believe it's Not Butter spray and olive oil are all approved.

Once you've reached your goal weight, you're pretty much on your own. Phase three lets you eat within the phase two guidelines, adding occasional treats and 'white' food, but omitting the snacks you've come to depend on. There isn't much guidance here, since by now you should know what your body is able to handle. Dr. Agatston recommends that you return to phase two if you find yourself gaining weight again.

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? The book even claims that you don't need to exercise to lose weight with this plan (although it does recommend that you add physical activity as part of your weight loss effort). While the eating plan is certainly healthy, there are some drawbacks to this diet - or at least with the way it is presented.

Phase one is very restrictive. Sure, you're only on it for two weeks, and the potential weight loss is very encouraging. Many people, however, do not lose the 'guaranteed' 8-13 pounds in phase one and get discouraged. Not only that, but suddenly dropping all sugar and refined carbs from your diet can cause dizziness, light-headedness, an inability to focus or concentrate, and constipation (believe it or not). This rapid weight loss phase is designed to control your cravings, but sometimes the side effects just aren't worth it. If you think you can manage your cravings, head straight for phase two.

South Beach also recommends that you use sugar substitutes, specifically Splenda. Some people have trouble digesting aspartame, while others prefer to avoid one unhealthy substance and substitute it with a chemically processed alternative. Explore your options in this case – there are other ways to sweeten foods without sugar or chemicals.

While you're on phase two, your weight loss should slow down to one or two pounds a week, according to the book. This is reasonable, and slow weight loss is definitely healthier than dropping pounds rapidly. It is a balanced diet and has great effects on your health, with the added benefit of losing unwanted pounds. What is confusing as far as the book is concerned though is that there are ingredients in the recipes that aren't found on the recommended "Foods to Enjoy" list. Also, Dr. Agatston asks that you add grains and fruit back to your diet slowly; only one serving a day to start, and gradually increase your servings until you find your weight loss slowing down. If you follow the daily menu plans in the book though, there are several fruit and grain servings for each day.

For anyone who needs a structured plan based on numbers, The South Beach Diet is not the way to go. But if you like the freedom of not having to count anything and using common sense to lose weight, then South Beach is more of a strategic eating plan than a rigid diet and would work very well for you. Keep in mind that all diets revolve around the same principal: take in fewer calories than you burn off. Burn more calories than you consume, and the weight will come off. Eating well and enjoying healthy food is integral to this process, and that's where The South Beach Diet shines.

Jacob Mabille writes for Health Guides & Articles where you can find more health tips and related articles. You may republish this article only if you retain resource box and active hyperlinks.

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Are you chronically dehydrated?

For many of us, when we hear the term dehydration, we immediately think of a man staggering in the desert, or an athlete having just finished a gruelling event. We are correct in a sense, however these are both examples of acute dehydration.

You may be surprised to learn there is a far more widespread form — chronic dehydration — that we should all be concerned with.

So how do you know if you are chronically dehydrated? Again, many people have the belief that when they require fluids they will feel thirsty. Not so. By the time the mouth is dry and you feel thirsty, the body is well and truly dehydrated. You may also be surprised to know that a dry mouth is a sign of acute dehydration. You have gone beyond chronically dehydrated by that point.

The body is a smart system though, and before you reach the point of dry mouth, the body will give signs as it begins the process of redistributing the available water. When the body is in a state of chronic dehydration, then fatigue/energy loss, constipation, digestive disorders, high and low blood pressure, stomach ulcers, respiratory troubles, acid/alkaline imbalance, excess weight and obesity, eczema, cholesterol, urinary infections, rheumatism and premature aging will take place. I can (and will) write an article on each of these problems, but they are all caused by being chronically dehydrated. Any way you look at it, having to go to the bathroom more than once a day is a small price to pay for feeling great and being healthy.

The human body consists of 70% water, the brain consists of 80% water, the blood consists of 90% water. Let’s face it, we rely on water as the basis of our existence — not soda, or juice or coffee, tea and beer. We need to ingest water in its purest form, free from any chemicals in order for our cells to remain hydrated and our body systems functioning as they should.

How much water do you need? The best way to calculate your daily water intake is to take half your weight in pounds and convert it to ounces. If you weigh 160 lbs and work in an office, then 80 oz of water throughout the day is what you need to be drinking. If you are working strenuously outdoors in a hot climate, then you would need more. It should seem like you are constantly going to the bathroom and your urine should be clear. This is how you know you are properly hydrated. Every night you sweat as you sleep, so you need to repeat the same process every day of every month of every year you are on the planet.

We know that a 1% loss of total body weight in water will result in a 10% loss in physical ability. When you consider at a temperature of 82 fa, water loss is 3 liters an hour, or more than 4% of total body weight, that means we can expect a 40% loss in physical ability. If you are working in that temperature, it increases. I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of places I’ve lived that get to 100. In such warm environments, you need even more water to stay hydrated. For your physical and mental well being, it certainly pays to consider both the quality and quantity of the water you drink.

Are you hungry or thirsty?

If we need water, we can either ingest liquid or we can ingest food with water content. Our bodies will settle for either, but it is usually the food we go for instead of the liquid. Yes, in many cases, we mistake hunger for thirst, eating as much food as we need in order to get the water our body requires. The result of this is added stored fat — assuming the foods consumed are processed or take away as most busy people are inclined to eat. And the more you eat — you guessed it — the more water you need to digest and eliminate waste from your body.

Our bodies are made of water and without it, we are lucky to survive 3 days. Despite this, so many of us live our lives with uncomfortable medical problems such as constipation, simply because we don’t drink enough water. Einstein once said, “insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different results.” So, do it. Drink more water. Hydrate your cells. They will be happy and you will also be happy as a result.

Matt Canham runs http://kangen-water.ws, a site dedicated to information about staying alkaline, hydrated and ultimately free from disease.

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Adipex- An amazing weight loss pill

Weight loss has always been a major concern to all those who are suffering from the truce ruining effects of diseases like obesity and overweight. Obesity and overweight are defined on different parameters though the base parameter for both of them is the same. Obesity and overweight are characterized by an improper BMI (body mass index).In case of an obese person the BMI is equal to or more than 30 lbs.

Overweight and obesity are the results an improper metabolic rate in one’s body. In a common man’s language the body’s metabolic rate is responsible for the proper functioning of one’s body and similarly the proper structure of the body. A balanced metabolic rate is the result of a proper calorie intake ratio. Calorie intake ratio is defined as the average of the amount of calorie intake and burnt on a daily basis in one’s body. Better this ratio would be, better the metabolic rate will be and hence better are the chances of attaining a proper weight according to our body length.

To achieve a better calorie ratio it is highly advisable to have a proper check on the amount of food consummated and for that one can take help from the diet reducing pills such as Adipex. Adipex being an appetite suppressant acts as an helping agent for all those who always wanted to have a controlling unit to control the unwanted hunger strokes but were unable to find it as yet.

Adipex works by stimulating the central nerves that stops the unwanted frequent hunger signals hence allowing the body to take the food only and when necessary. This in turn helps in maintaining a proper calorie intake amount. Adipex acts as a short term management pill to combat obesity hence providing its users the results in a very short duration without examining the patience level of the users.

Adipex guarantees a 5-15% of weight loss within a considerably shorter duration. Apart from that as Adipex is a prescription based diet pill it provides the authenticity of its usage in terms of its quality driven performance and your physician’s faith in it. Adipex is also very famous amongst all its users because of its cheap price and quickest of the results.

Adipex is bound to prove its results to all its users if followed religiously. Adipex if coupled with daily exercises can do miracles to one’s body and the aim to weight loss. Adipex is a safer weight loss pill and serves its user with the minimum of the side effects (if any, at all). Though Adipex does not result into any serious side effects however before taking Adipex it is always recommended to get consultation of your physician about its effects on your body.

Sharon is an online editor to site www.slimtour.com, Committed to provide users with complete information on weight loss related topics like diet pills (Phentermine, Adipex, and Didrex) Obesity. Your feedback will be highly appreciated at sharonfernandis@gmail.com

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Drinking Water Scams Revealed

Read this article before you consider paying for your drinking water. Wouldn't it be nice to stop poisoning ourselves with polluted or unhealthy drinking water? I, for one, felt that I would love to find a source of safe inexpensive drinking water. (Ideally, I'd love to turn on the tap, and out it would flow!) Whether it's curing cancer with magnets or herbal wonder-remedies or Vioxx, we've all seen the fantastic claims people make about their health products AND about how your whole life will be changed! I can tell you right now that 90% are frauds. You may even have fallen prey to some of these scams, selling you the latest fad. Me too. I've bought so many kinds of drinking water, I can't recall. (If a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes "the truth"). Finally, after many disappointments I got FED UP. I decided to get to the bottom of this desire we all have to make sure that our most basic nutrient -- water -- will keep us healthy, not make us sick. I checked out endless commercial websites and a number of university and government sites; and I was dismayed at what I repeatedly found: --Outdated information or info repeated from other websites --Wild and sensational claims --No research --No refunds, etc. I already knew that we can't trust our tap water because of the presence of up to 2000 contaminants. Specifically, I found: a) Bottled Water: a real mish-mash of quality, often no more than filtered tap water sold at outrageous mark-ups, and at quite an environmental cost. b) Reverse-osmosis and distilled water: completely ignored the medical evidence of the dangers in the ongoing drinking of water that is void of minerals, acid in nature and oxidizing. I quickly realized that these products were either useless, overpriced or potentially harmful long-term. And the companies were smiling all the way to the bank. Nevertheless I was able to find products that were well-researched and legitimate: water ionizers and certain filters. I found two websites providing comparisons of reliable water purifiers: Water Filter Comparisons and Water Purifier 101 (While the first of these sites does not address the problem of acidity in drinking water, it is straightforward in its assessment of what various water filters do.) I hope that you're not misled by false claims, and take a look at objective comparisons, for the sake of your health.

Stan Howard is a researcher with Best Water, which offers a free report comparing all types of water purification, and other vital information on drinking water quality. Receive your free report here: Water Purifiers

To find other free health content see e-healtharticles.com

Drinking Water Scams Revealed

Read this article before you consider paying for your drinking water. Wouldn't it be nice to stop poisoning ourselves with polluted or unhealthy drinking water? I, for one, felt that I would love to find a source of safe inexpensive drinking water. (Ideally, I'd love to turn on the tap, and out it would flow!) Whether it's curing cancer with magnets or herbal wonder-remedies or Vioxx, we've all seen the fantastic claims people make about their health products AND about how your whole life will be changed! I can tell you right now that 90% are frauds. You may even have fallen prey to some of these scams, selling you the latest fad. Me too. I've bought so many kinds of drinking water, I can't recall. (If a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes "the truth"). Finally, after many disappointments I got FED UP. I decided to get to the bottom of this desire we all have to make sure that our most basic nutrient -- water -- will keep us healthy, not make us sick. I checked out endless commercial websites and a number of university and government sites; and I was dismayed at what I repeatedly found: --Outdated information or info repeated from other websites --Wild and sensational claims --No research --No refunds, etc. I already knew that we can't trust our tap water because of the presence of up to 2000 contaminants. Specifically, I found: a) Bottled Water: a real mish-mash of quality, often no more than filtered tap water sold at outrageous mark-ups, and at quite an environmental cost. b) Reverse-osmosis and distilled water: completely ignored the medical evidence of the dangers in the ongoing drinking of water that is void of minerals, acid in nature and oxidizing. I quickly realized that these products were either useless, overpriced or potentially harmful long-term. And the companies were smiling all the way to the bank. Nevertheless I was able to find products that were well-researched and legitimate: water ionizers and certain filters. I found two websites providing comparisons of reliable water purifiers: Water Filter Comparisons and Water Purifier 101 (While the first of these sites does not address the problem of acidity in drinking water, it is straightforward in its assessment of what various water filters do.) I hope that you're not misled by false claims, and take a look at objective comparisons, for the sake of your health.

Stan Howard is a researcher with Best Water, which offers a free report comparing all types of water purification, and other vital information on drinking water quality. Receive your free report here: Water Purifiers

To find other free health content see e-healtharticles.com