The 5 Must-See Pit Stops on the Road to Weight Loss

Diet trends come and go as frequently as the sun rises and sets.  Each one has such amazing benefits in the early stages, but quickly seems to fizzle and fade all the while producing negative byproducts.  Different diets work for different people, but no matter which one works for you there are a few simple facts that are beneficial across the board.

Eat Slower

Untamed lightning is pretty fast, but did you know that it takes 20 minutes or more for the electrical signals that signify fullness to travel from your stomach to your brain?  When you eat faster, you eat more.  You’re likely to overshoot your calorie goals by leaps and bounds if you don’t take your time.  There are plenty of other negative effects from eating too quickly ranging from simple indigestion to far more serious long term issues in your digestive system.  If you eat slower, you chew slower and you’re likely to eat less.

Crash Diets

Crash and fasting diets can provide quick results, but the effects don’t often last.  When you lower your calorie intake to the degree that most of these call for, you significantly lower your rate of metabolism.  It works for a while, and makes perfect sense: if you have fewer calories to burn, you’ll burn them more slowly.  However, once you’re satisfied with your rapid weight loss and end the diet your body retains that rate of metabolism.  Therein lies the problem.  You return to eating as you did before, but your body’s metabolism stays at the same slow rate and the pounds will likely pile back on.

Skipping Meals

It may make sense at first thought that skipping a meal here and there will provide the same result as eating less.  This is another case of “great in theory, poor in execution”.  Skipping meals (especially breakfast) can lead to results similar to the crash diet.  If you skip a meal early in the day you’ll be likely to snack more frequently and lose track of those calories you’ve been keeping watch over.  Frequent, smaller meals or snacks are a great way to maintain your metabolism and curb hunger.

Frequent Weigh-Ins

Set Realistic Goals

When starting a diet it’s of vital importance to have a realistic goal in mind.  Whether it’s a long term or weekly goal, put it within reach.  Give yourself a challenge, but one you can defeat.  With this mindset you’ll be more likely to celebrate your success and continue doing what works best.  If you set out telling yourself that you’re going to lose 25 lbs in your first week, it will have more chance of also being your last.

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As our lives become busier and faster paced, it’s hard to remember to take the time to “stop and smell the flowers” as they used to say. Stress can build up to enormous levels that will seem insurmountable to most, and lead to some serious health risks if not dealt with in a timely manner. Everyone is familiar with the feeling of being ground down by the daily events and unexpected emergencies that can arise in our day to day lives, but many people aren’t aware of the long term effects that can be left by it. Here are just a few of the lesser known conditions that can be caused or affected by stress:

• High cholesterol
  
• High blood pressure
  
• Insomnia
  
• Headaches
  
• Hair loss
  
• Weight Gain
  
• Acne
  
• Wrinkles
  
• Cancer

One way of combating stress that won’t cost you anything more than your time is meditation. Whether or not you have any of these kinds of conditions, you can feel the effects of meditation even if it’s just for five minutes a day. Just like with exercise though, the more you can do it, the better. There are many types of meditation, but whichever you choose, do it as often as possible. Whether it’s during the day, or when you lay down to go to sleep at night.

For a quick meditation, try these few steps:

1. Take a deep breath, hold it, and count to four, then release it. As you release it, feel the tension in your body begin to drain away.

2. Repeat the deep breath, but this time hold it until a count of eight and again feel the tension lift as you exhale. Try to allow your entire body to go limp.

3. Take a third deep breath, and hold it as long as you comfortably can this time. Feel your entire body relax as you let it out.

4. Concentrate on your breath. Try to imagine seeing the air going in and out of your mouth, expanding and relaxing your lungs.

5. Imagine the oxygen filling your lungs and entering your blood stream as fresh, new energy. Energy that will revitalize your whole body. Imagine the air you breath out to be all the stress and anxieties you may carry with you.

6. Repeat this whenever you can.

• Magnesium

Magnesium deficiencies can lead to numerous health conditions, but did you know that high blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension, was one of them? Magnesium helps balance calcium in your system by dilating the muscles in arteries that calcium causes to contract. If magnesium levels are too low, the muscles in the artery walls stay constricted and cause more pressure on the blood flowing through them. Not many foods other than fish are very high in magnesium, so a supplement or fish oil capsules are a good alternative to help keep balance as well as provide other helpful nutrients like vitamin d and omega 3 fatty acids.

• Potassium

The body’s cells need a balance of minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in order to function. Most people ingest more sodium through salt and carbonated drinks than they do potassium, and this can cause an imbalance between the two. When sodium levels are too high, the kidneys may struggle to dispose of it, and in some cases vascular systems near them will close off in order to raise blood pressure, which will in turn push the kidneys to dump the excess waste products your body doesn’t need or want. Potassium supplements are available to help keep balance, but you can also get plenty from fruits and green vegetables, and even some fish like tuna or halibut.

• Garlic

Garlic contains an organic compound called allicin, which has been shown to affect lipids in the bloodstream. This can reduce cholesterol, and its damaging effects to the walls of your blood vessels. Supplements are available if you’re concerned about odor issues from whole garlic, although you get the maximum benefits of it when taken whole. Two to three cloves per day are recommended for treating hypertension.

• Fats

Everyone knows how bad saturated and trans fats are, but are you aware of the positive benefits of those good fats that exist? Polyunsaturated fats can help improve the levels of the good forms of cholesterol in your system, and also help keep blood pressure down. These are found mostly in plants like corn, soy, safflower and sunflower, whereas unhealthy saturated fats are mostly found in meats and dairy products.

1.    Lose Weight Without Dieting.  Seriously.

Cutting down salt and excess sodium could help you shed pounds without even being on a diet.  When your intake of sodium is too high, your body retains more water.  This can cause up to seven pounds of extra fluid to be kept in the body.  Food servings should have somewhere between 200-400 milligrams of sodium to avoid overdoing it.  You can get rid of a bloated feeling and appearance just by limiting the salt.  If you’re exercising, drink water instead of sports drinks as they can contain the same amount of sodium as a can of soda.
2.    Get. More. Sleep.

More and more research points to a link between sleep deprivation and obesity.  One of the simplest facts is that if you’re up later, you’re more likely to overeat.  Another fact is that when your body is deprived of sleep it changes the levels of hormones that have to do with how full you feel, leptin and ghrelin.  If you get more rest you’re also more likely to have more energy, which will benefit you when implementing an exercise plan.
3.    Crave Control
The next time you have a hankering for that favorite high calorie treat of yours, curb the craving with your mind.  Think of a food that you absolutely hate, and then imagine eating them both together.  Let your imagination run wild with it, but to really hammer it home, focus on the taste and texture and you’ll likely forget that you ever wanted that brownie.

4.    Dine Out Without Gaining
You can eat out and keep from gaining weight by following a few simple rules.  Try asking for the lunch portion, or choosing an appetizer instead of the larger dinner portions.  This will likely guarantee you more of a single serving portion.  Ask for a “to go” box with your order and pack up half of your entrée before you even start eating.  Some places will even let you order half of the order “to go” when it’s served.  Limit starches by skipping the bread before your meal, but if you can’t resist the temptation then try to steer clear of potatoes or rice that may come with your meal.