How Else can I Lose Weight?

Hello All,

I’m down about 10lbs over the last 1.5 months.  Part of the reason I lost the weight was I found out I was having excessive acid build up in my stomach, so I never felt hungry!  I’m taking a prescription acid reducer which has increased my appetite, but am closely watching what I’m eating.  As I normally take a multi-vitamin, the doctor wasn’t too concerned.  One thing he did suggest was that I may have slowed down my metabolism.

So what else can you do to lose weight?

Here are a few simple suggestions that I have:

1.  Plan Ahead.  Being a guy, I know how tough this is.  For example, this afternoon I felt hungry and went out shopping.  I spent $20.00 on “prepared” meal (soup, salad and sandwhich).  Had I prepared in advance, I could have bought a bag of pre-mixed salad, some bread and several tins/packages of soup and had lunch for a week or so.  By planning ahead you ensure that when you’re hungry you eat — rather than starve yourself and then over indulge.

2.  Grocery Shop in Style.  Ok, ok, no such thing.  But make a list when you decide to grocery shop.  You may still buy a few items not on the list, but since you’re conscious about what you’re buying there will be less tendancy to over buy and over fill your cart with less nutritious foods.  As you shop read the labels!  You can find a GREAT tool at “Lose Weight ‘n Feel Great” that will give you calorie counts for over 7,400 different foods!

For example, I entered “Peanut Butter” and it came back with 39 items with the words “peanut butter” in them — foods like Cap’n Crunch all the way to reduced Sodium peanut butter.

So when I clicked on “Reduced Sodium Peanut Butter” (the URL is http://www.lose-weight-n-feel-great.com/ffd.php?ndbno=42291&fdgrpcd=1600) I’m told that per 100g serving there is 633 calories.

3.  There is NO magic pill.  Pills won’t help you, they don’t work.  I don’t say this — doctors say this, the FDA says this, dieticians say this.  You gotta lose weight the old fashioned way.  Heck, if I can loose 100lbs — why can’t you?

4.  Understand what your motivation is to lose weight.  My motivation was easy: the birth of my son.  For those of you that know (or care) my wife and I were told that we could not have children.  The birth of our son (through traditional means) was nothing short of a miracle.  I decided that I wanted to see his kids.  Now if you do the math, when he’s 25 I’ll be in my 60’s — I want to see him get married and have kids.  If I’m overweight, chances are I may see him get married but won’t see his kids.

I’d like to get his kids all the noisy toys we were given! 

What is YOUR motivation?  Perhaps to enjoy your retirement years with your significant other?  Be fit so that you can travel?  The opportunity to wear designer clothes?  Eat an ice cream cone without people staring at the “fat person” eating an ice cream cone?  There has to be something — think about it.

5.  Monitor yourself.  Write down what you’re eating, and when.  Why did you eat?  Write down how you were feeling.  I bet ya that when you go through your list you’ll see that you’re eating when you’re bored or not being challenged.  That’s my weakness — as such I’m quite a workaholic and spend countless hours at work or other activities.  Keeping a log sound silly, but it works.

6. Work with someone.  When I first decided to lose weight, a bunch of us went to WeightWatchers.  It really helped motive us to stay on top of it!  It was great, until we stopped going.  Then we ALL gained the weight back.  Ideally work with your significant other.  They’ve got a vested interest — your health and well being.

7.  Eat breakfast!  Why are you starving yourself? Your body needs breakfast to give it the push to complete the day.  Even if breakfast is a cup of coffee/tea, slice of toast with butter and an apple.  It doesn’t have to be fancy to be filling.

Here is to YOUR HEALTH!

Regards,

Mohamed

Technorati Tags: weight loss, lose weight, how to lose weight, how can I lose weight fast, lose weight easily

 

Diabetes and Weight

Hi Everyone,

Diabetes should be on your minds.  Once someone is overweight, their chance of becoming diabetic increases and along with the diabetes there are a whole range of issues that will come up if the diabetes and blood sugar levels are not monitored regularly.

But you can fight back by eating sensibly and watching your sugar intake.  Here are 10 “power” foods to help fight diabetes:

Apples: As it turns out, an apple a day might be just the thing you need to keep the doctor away. When it comes to beating diabetes, there is nothing forbidden about this particular fruit. Since they are grown in temperate zones around the world, apples come in thousands of different varieties. But whatever type of apple you choose, you will get the maximum health benefits by including the peel in your healthy snack. Apple peels contain quercetin, a flavanoid that has been found to reduce diabetes due to its antioxidant effect.

Asparagus: Though it is a member of the lily family, the edible part of the asparagus plant is actually a sprout or shoot that appears underground. Asparagus is an excellent source of glutathione, an antioxidant compound that can help keep your blood sugar stable.

Beans: Not only are they good for the heart, but these members of the legume family also contain many different phytonutrients that can help you manage your battle against diabetes. Though dried beans are the healthiest choice, you must soak them in water for several hours before cooking.

Broccoli: President George Herbert Walker Bush may have banned this cruciferous vegetable from the White House menu, but broccoli is also an excellent source of quercetin. These days most broccoli is green, but purple, red, cream and brown varieties were also popular at one time.

Carrots: As it turns out, Bugs Bunny was smarter than you might think. His favorite snack is full of carotenoids, antioxidant compounds that can help protect the heart and balance your insulin levels.

Fish: Even if you’re not hooked on the taste of fish, perhaps the health benefits will help reel you in. Not only can these sea creatures help protect your heart, but the omega-3 fatty acids can also help balance your blood sugar levels.

Nuts: Even though they have been cultivated for more than twelve thousand years, nuts are still one of nature’s richest foods. Since they are packed with minerals and healthy fats, incorporating healthy portions of nuts into your meal plan can help protect your heart and balance your blood sugar. You’d have to be crazy not to eat them.

Oranges: Orange you glad that the world’s most popular citrus fruit has a low rating on the Glycemic Index? Oranges are also a source of many other phtonutrients that can help you fight diabetes, including flavonoids, carotenoids, terpines, pectins and glutathione.

Soybeans Oh say, can you soy? Not only are these members of the legume family a complete source of protein, but soybeans also provide phytoestrogens, isoflavones and saponins that can help balance your blood sugar.

Tea Tea time may be the healthiest time of the day. Whether you have two for tea or you drink this healthy substance by yourself, tea has phytonutrients such as catechins and tannins that can help balance your blood sugar.

Enjoy!

Here is to your health,

Mohammed

Technorati Tags: diabetes, type 2 diabetes, blood sugar, hba1c, diabetic foods, diabetic complications

P.S. This full article can be found at http://www.nowgoto.ws/edietdiabeticfoods

A Day with the Family

Hi All,

It was a beautiful day in my neck of the woods (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada).  My wifes sister has come to visit from Dar Es Sallam, Tanzania along with her 2 year old, and two daughters.  We decided to spend the holiday (today is a holiday called BC Day — a time to spend with your friends and family) at a local place called Cultus Lake Water Park — yup, the typical water park. 

The last time we went was when my son was 2 years old and he was terrified of the water.  This time, he took part in almost all the activities there!  He even dared to go down one of the “adult” slides with his cousin.

One thing that I saw there was the number of large kids — not adults; there are plenty of those around.  But there were a lot of large kids.  They were from every ethnic group: Caucasian and non-Caucasian (East Indian; African; Asian).  Some were SUPER SIZED — while others were on their way there.

I was sitting on a bench and a couple of large kids were running to their picnic spot.  There were some other kids sitting behind me, and when they saw the big kids running, comments flew!  “Man that kids is fat!”, “Geez, his tits are shaking!”, “He looks like a whale”, “His shorts are gonna fall off his tummy is so big…”.

The comments made were pretty disturbing, but this is how children see others.

At the same time, there were also a lot of parents encouraging their children to keep and stay active — some kids were “tired” but their parents would encourage them to rest a bit then keep going.  It was truly great to see so many kids that are not tied to their video game machines, and computers.

That is what parents need to do.  Get their kids away from the influences that prevent them from going out and having FUN in the SUN!  Get fresh air and let their kids enjoy their time while young.

Also it doesn’t hurt to teach kids how to eat right… here are a few tips for parents:

1.  Make sure your kids eat breakfast!  It’s a fact, if they have a good breakfast they will feel full longer and the temptation to snack with unhealthy foods will decrease.  Breakfast should not be bacon/sausage and eggs daily.  Make it interesting for the kids!  Try some fruit; throw in some color to keep things interesting!  Berries are great also.  Why not try something daring like Papaya, or Mangoes?  How about something more exotic like Guava?

2.  Limit fast foods.  Hey, can YOU stay away from it?  Make fast-food a “treat”.  Maybe once per month or twice per month?  Make it a “kids day” and they can pick whatever they want.  We do that with my son, and although it tends to be pizza every time, he likes it and he feels that it’s his treat for being good!

3.  Stop with the sugar already.  One thing I noticed when we were at the water park was the proliferation of soft drinks.  ALL the kids were drinking it!  Stop the soft drinks, and don’t go near diet sodas.  You want to teach your children good habits.  Don’t substitute one bad habit with another (non-diet with diet sodas).  Look for apple and orange juices that are not from concentrate.  You could even dilute them a bit with filtered water.  I take orange juice and add something like Perrier to it.  It give it the bubbly taste that tickles the tongue!

4.  Family meal planning.  Get the family involved in planning meals.  Yes I know it is alot of work, especially when both parents are working, or if you’re a single parent.  But getting the family involved means that everyone will eat what you make, and you’ll make what everyone enjoys eating.  Mix it up!  Once per week you could do something like tacos — it’s still healthy!  You get veggies, carbs, protein and dairy (lettuce, taco shells, meat or chicken, cheese).

5.  Let the kids take control of their meals.  In “Indian” families (I use the term to mean those of Indian or Asian descent) parents tend to tell kids how much and when to eat.  Why not let the kids decide?  Yes, I know it’s a pain (trust me, with a 4-year old who always seems to be hungry it is a lot of work) but they will eat what they want when they want.  We follow this rule with my son, but let him know that main meals are eaten 3 times per day and he can snack on fruit or veggies any other time.  We just let him decide how much he wants intead of dictating how much he should eat.

6.  Exercise.  Get the WHOLE family involved in exercise.  It doesn’t need to be excrutiating!  How about a walk 2-3 times per week?  Or a bicycle ride?  Why not head to the park?  ANY exercise is a step in the right direction!

7.  Practice what you preach.  Do anything contrary, and your kids will tell you about it.  I promise you!

Take care of yourself, your health and your family!

Regards,

Mohammed

Technorati Tags: fat children, fat kids, obese kids, diet and weight loss, big children, big kids