Soda can cause health issues

I think it is pretty common knowledge that drinking soda can increase your weight.  In fact, for just about anyone looking to lose weight, cutting out sodas is usually the first recommendation from any experts.

But, a recent Danish study has found that soda could have much more dangerous effects than a few extra pounds.

Drinking a liter of regular cola every day increases the amount of fat in the liver and muscles, and surrounding the organs in the belly.
This type of buildup can lead to an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.

47 people participated in the study...each participant was asked to drink a liter of either water, milk, diet soda, or regular soda each day for six months.

At the end of the study, the regular soda drinkers had 25% more fat surrounding their organs, and nearly doubled the amount of fat in their liver and muscles.

So, I think the argument is pretty clear...soda simply isn't worth it!

 

**Source: Dr. Crandall's News Max Health Newsletter

losing weight - make smart decisions

It's no secret that food companies want us to buy their products.  
And, they use all sorts of marketing and advertising trickery to convince us to lay our money down.

Nowadays, these companies know that the focus is healthier, more natural foods.
So, they put their marketing departments to work, focusing on ways to convince us their products are what we need.
Sometimes, these marketing efforts are less than honest...or, at the very least, misleading to the consumer.

These marketing scams tell you things like "low fat" or "reduced calorie", but you have to do your homework.  Quite often, these items are packaged in a misleading way...you think it is one serving, but it is actually 2 (or more) servings.  

The biggest scam, for me, is Pop Tarts.  A single serving is one pop tart, but they are packaged in twos.  You are almost guilted into eating 2 servings, because you don't want to leave that second pop tart in the opened package.

There are many items packaged in this manner.  Yes, a single serving may very well be low fat or low calorie, but if you're eating 2 servings, that doesn't really help.  Did you know that a package of Ramen Noodles is actually 2 servings?

The key is to read your labels, and make smart decisions about the food you're eating, and how many servings you're having at one sitting.

There is a complete article, listing many of these food "scams" over the Men's Health Magazine.  You can read the full food scam article here.

Delicious food AND weight loss!

It is a common occurrence in the world of dieting...
Deprivation and Limitation.

But, the reality is that you should NOT deprive or starve yourself when you are trying to lose weight.

1). When you cut back to the bare minimum...celery, rice cakes, and water, you leave yourself feeling deprived, unsatisfied, and frustrated. 
This will eventually lead you to eating an entire large pizza in one sitting, or some other shame inducing type of event.

2). When you eat so few calories, your body begins to think it is starving, and begins to store EVERYTHING you eat as fat...because your body doesn't know when or how much more food it will receive.

I know this sounds crazy, but you have to eat MORE than celery and rice cakes in order to lose weight.  You need to eat nutritious, sensible food...and eat enough of it to fuel your body, and keep your metabolism at a high rate.

When you starve yourself, your body's metabolism slows down, which causes you to gain weight.
If you eat healthy meals, with enough caloric intake to fuel your body, your metabolic rate continues at a high rate, and you lose weight and keep the pounds off!

Check out these delicious weight loss foods 

Things like yogurt, eggs, fruits and nuts (among others) keep you full, keep you feeling satisfied, and keep your metabolism and energy levels nice and high!

Hooray...you can actually eat something, and still lose weight!
Happy eating everyone!

Cocktails and calories

Who doesn't love a nice cocktail...
or three.

Often people don't realize or forget that alcoholic beverages contain calories (with few other nutritional components), and can really throw a monkey wrench into your weight loss or healthy goals.

Do you know how many calories are in your favorite cocktail?  Do you know a proper serving size for cocktails?  Neither did I...

The folks at WebMd have a great source for low calorie cocktails

They also have a  list of popular drinks, and their calorie content.
I was shocked to learn that one chocolate martini had more calories than a chicken sandwich from McDonald's!

Check it out, find your favorite cocktail...how do you fare?

Best exercises for problem areas

Exercise...a necessary evil.

Exercise, along with proper nutrition are important in maintaining or improving your health and well-being.

Recently, Self Magazine asked the folks at ACE (The American Council on Exercise) to list the exercises that were most effective at addressing "problem areas" for most people.

Here they are:  9 great exercises

Some of the exercises are "old school"...but they are still quite effective.
Old school does not necesarily mean outdated or bad for you.
Some of the classic exercises can be the most effective.

These 9 exercises alone won't cure it all.  You still need to incorporate cardio activitities into your regimen.  But, these exercises are great to address those areas (like the butt, or tummy) where you want to firm and tighten a little bit more.  Of course, if you need a little help, there are plenty of videos and coaches to help you with your workout (like the link below).

Enjoy!

How many calories do I need?

Weight loss, weight loss, weight loss...it's on nearly everyones' minds this time of year.

No matter the time of year, the main reason that any attempt at weight loss fails is because there is no plan. 
It usually consists of "I'm gonna try and eat healthier and lose weight"...and that's usually where it ends.

The reality is, you need to develop a plan if you're serious about losing weight.  The reason that programs like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, or MediFast are successful is because there is a plan, and they help you stick to it!

I think everyone realizes by now that exercise alone doesn't get the job done.
Eating healthy is key to losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight.

Alot of people make a valiant effort to eat healthy.  The reason many people fail is because they really don't know how to make a plan and measure it.

If you're not sure how to change or monitor your eating habits, the folks at Real Age have a great tool for you!  The Calorie Calculator will tell you EXACTLY how many calories you need each day.

Click on the link above, input your information, and your desired weight, and it will give you how many calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein you need each day.

Then, just monitor what you're eating based on those numbers...it makes it so much easier than just guessing and wondering!

This tool has helped me a great deal...I hope it can help you too!

weight loss in 2012

Well, we made it!  
We survived another holiday season.

I'm sure, at the very least, one of your resolutions is to eat healthier.

Of course, the running joke is that, by March or April, all those resolutions are ancient history.

But, I am living proof that you can maintain a resolution for the entire year.  
On New Years Eve 2010, I made a resolution to give up all sodas (Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Sprite...all of them).  
I was drinking at least 2-3 sodas each day, on top of my morning coffee!  
I'm happy to say that I've gone the entire year without ONE SINGLE SODA!
The cool thing is that, as soon as I gave up Soda in, I lost 8 pounds...in a snap!  It was from all that sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

The key for me was finding a substitute.  I began drinking Seltzer water instead of sugary sodas.  Seltzer has no calories or sugars, no artificial flavoring, and still has all the bubbles that I love so much in Soda.

Whatever your goal is, look for a healthier alternative...so you don't miss it.

Think You Can Lose Weight Eating Muffins?  
The folks at Vitalicious definitely make it easier.  They make healthy desserts, so it is much easier to indulge and be guilt-free!  Click the link above for more information.