Diet plan trends are changing all the time. Maybe you have tried each and every diet plan imaginable and absolutely nothing has worked. You truly wish to stay clear of bariatric surgery if at all possible, but what other possibilities do you might have? You might be not alone in this struggle and you can find other choices. Maybe you should consider visiting a medical weight loss clinic.

Clinics that give weight loss in a medical atmosphere are situated in numerous cities. These centers vary somewhat, but the fundamental concept is the same for most of them. Doctors assess your well being and assist you to choose upon a plan to lose weight. You ordinarily have access to nutritionists as well, so that you can understand to use food to keep you healthy. Your diet doctor will typically assist you to choose on one of three kinds of weight loss strategy.

The first option which is offered is really a diet plan specially developed for you to incorporate the calories and nutrients you’ll want to both lose weight and stay healthy. The medical team will meet with you frequently to assess your well being by way of blood pressure as well as other readings. They’ll also suggest the vitamins that you might want to be healthy.

The next option is actually a low calorie diet plan. These diets will have significantly lower calorie counts than a typical diet plan. If your physician recommends this diet plan, you’ll be monitored closely to ensure that your well being is maintained. This kind of diet can not be maintained long term, but your physician may use it to help you lose a massive quantity of weight rather speedily before helping you adjust into a a lot more permanent eating strategy.

The last option a physician may possibly use for you at a weight loss center, would be to prescribe a medication that will help suppress your appetite or block fat. There are some approved prescription medications for this purpose. So, when you physician believes this can be a excellent choice for you, they are going to provide you with the information. Naturally, you should research the medication just before agreeing to take it just like you’d with any other drug.

Medical weight loss clinics can be incredibly valuable for the individual who wants assistance with their weight loss. If your health is poor, this is also an excellent option for you due to the quantity of physician monitoring that goes on. Needless to say, there is certainly no fast fix for obesity, but making use of a center like this may possibly be a approach to help you jump starts your weight loss, whilst keeping you healthy.

Looking to find the best deal on childhood obesity

The Get Healthy-Diet Should Be A Cuss Word

This is all posted in meeting format as it is to be delivered.

==============MEETING 1==============

Since you are reading this, I can only assume that you are ready to say that enough is enough. I can assure you from the beginning that this will be a diet plan unlike any other which you have tried in the past. You won’t even have to stop eating all of the foods that you love. Interested? You should be…

When I began my most recent endeavor to lose weight, I had given up on all of the advertised diets which never worked. It was always something. There were diets that made me feel as though I was literally starving to death. I tried the no carb diet which was effective provided you never touch a carb again in your life. That wasn’t really it for me either. I was also unsuccessful at any diet that required me to weigh and measure food and count calories. I’m a mom so let’s get real; where am I supposed to find the time for all of that?

You will not be counting carbs during this diet. You will need to look at the grams of carbs on a label from time to time but you will never keep track. You will need to limit the types of carbohydrates that you eat however it will be much different from the Atkin’s diet. You will be allowed to eat pastas and breads as they are made with complex carbohydrates which are healthier for you. We will go into much further detail in the future but yes you can still have donuts even.

We will never count a calorie or measure other than for storing purposes. We will be discussing food preparation and storage at a later date also. Even in that circumstance which would be a choice, you will know about how much to place for each meal as we will cover that.

There is nothing that is hard to prepare. When we learn about food storage and preparation we will discuss what worked for me. My family was not interested in the diet. Since I worked full time it was hard to have meals prepared healthy that I could take to lunch. I decided that I would cook as much food as I would one Sunday. I ended up making 3 weeks worth of food. I eventually allotted one Sunday every 2-3 weeks as cooking time. I prepared a mass amount of foods at once and vacuum sealed meal size portions. Then when I was hungry I could either grab a pouch from the freezer or fridge then have a healthy meal in 5 minutes at the most.

Convenience is a major factor in this plan. I am far too busy of a person to dedicate the time it takes some people to have the perfect body. Most of you probably feel the same and possibly have even quit diets in the past for the same reason-inconvenience.

Even if you are unable to follow the recipes that you will learn, you can still successfully be on the diet. I didn’t always have time to cook. Sometimes my plans of cooking on Sunday were foiled and I had to suffer an entire week with other foods. It never had any negative effect to my diet because I knew what I was looking for and what to avoid. You will also learn how to shop and cook differently.


The exercise required is very minimal. I have never been a very active person. In fact, I can honestly say that I avoided it whenever possible. Part of that was due to pain issues that I had from an injury and the rest was because I just felt so run down all of the time. I can help to fix that also! The changes in your diet will eventually give you enough energy that you will actually WANT to get active.

For the first two weeks when you begin the diet you may possibly hate me a little but I can promise that by the end of those two weeks that you will see a huge change. For two weeks there will be nothing to drink besides water. You also will not be allowed to have any sugar other than those found in natural foods such as fruit. Relax because I promise you can have it back after the end of two weeks. In fact, you will have two days to eat whatever you want. Does that sound pleasing and like a good reward? You will get that every week. That’s right…. Two days every week to eat whatever you want and you will still lose weight.

So are you ready? Well then give me 8 weeks and you will learn everything that you need to learn to lose weight and get healthy and it’s safe for the whole family!


=============MEETING 2==============

In order to give you a full understanding of the diet, I must first tell you a little about myself and how this all began.

I suffered medical problems from December 2004 through February 2006. In a 14 month period of time, I had an injury to my back followed a few months later by a car accident, two abdominal surgeries, pneumonia, and somewhere in the middle depression.

I started to pack on the pounds between my immobility and feeding my depression. Not only that but I was in constant pain requiring procedures at the Pain Management clinic along with a daily regimen of muscle relaxants and pain killers for the back injury. I thought I was fat and happy but in reality I was overweight and miserable.

In early 2009, I lost an uncle who was 39 years old. Prior to him was the passing of another uncle at 26 and my father at the age of 41. All passed away due to heart attacks. For my father it was the 2nd heart attack that claimed his life. I could not even begin to express the pain of watching a parent lay in ICU on life support and especially at such a young age. That’s something that I hope that my children never have to endure. I became motivated to get healthy and not just to lose weight.

I have always struggled with will power. I don’t think that I looked at it the same before as I do now. Will power is really not about if you are strong enough to change, it’s really about if you believe in yourself that you can and know that you will. It goes along with the self-esteem which rather we want to admit or not just isn’t what it should be when we’re overweight. I FEEL like a new person. What I got from losing the weight is just a feeling that you don’t get very often in life- a sense of major accomplishment.

I thoroughly enjoy making crafts as a hobby. Normally I complain the entire time that I am doing it. It never fails that a hot glue drips on my finger or I stab myself with floral wire. So why do I like making them? It’s all about the finished product. I have made some crafts unlike anything I could have bought in a store. I’ve made others that people bought out like crazy. It’s all about the end result. To see what you were able to create.

I looked at my adventure in exactly the same way. I wanted the end result to be me in a size 10 just as I want my wreaths to look a certain way when I start them. I had a vision and even a dress that was made stretchy enough that I could fit at a size 20 but would be lose fitting at a size 10. I knew what I was aiming for. I knew what I wanted to create.

So what is your motivation? What do you want the end result to be?

***Discussion and we will prepare a dish.


=============MEETING 3===============

This week we will go into more detail about the first two weeks which we discussed previously. This is going to be the hardest part of this diet. If you are going to want to quit it will be now. If you fall off of the wagon just hop back on. It’s going to hinder your progress but it doesn’t mean that you can’t still be successful.

During week 1 and 2 you will only be allowed to drink water. This will be a small change for some of you but for those of you that are where I was more than a year ago, it will be hard. I learned a lot about my body in those first two weeks. That’s what makes the initial 2 weeks so important to full success on this diet. You may choose to opt out of this portion for your family or only enforce it at home. It is not necessary except as a tool for you to understand your body and it will also help to kick start your metabolism. So what I mean is that if you want to see a major difference fast you will want to participate however it is voluntary.

This week we will focus on understanding the importance of beverage choices. Next week we will focus on food. Following our next meeting you will have the knowledge necessary to begin the diet.

If you are like most of the general population, your pee is probably yellow and possibly even dark yellow. During an emergency room visit back in 2005, I became alarmed when I handed over a sample of urine that was almost completely clear. I actually though that there was something wrong with me. That was the first time I even knew that yellow pee is actually not a good sign.

I was educated by the nurse that the more hydrated we are, the cleared that our pee will be. Mine was almost clear because I had enough fluids. Since I had been in the hospital for a week, I had more than my fair share of IV fluids. I also had not really had much to drink other than juice and water. Finding that out at 25 to me was alarming. Did you know your pee shouldn’t be yellow? In drinking water only, you will see a change within days to not only the color of your pee but also your skin and energy level.

You may still not be convinced that water is the best and only drink that you should have. Possibly it will help to take a look at why other drinks aren’t healthy. Soft drinks are fizzy because of the carbonation. If you shake it then you lose carbonation and the taste. The carbonated water used in soft drinks contains Carbon Dioxide or CO2. Have you ever taken a drink of soda and your breath is taken away? This comes from the flow of CO2 into your body instead of out as when we exhale.

Based on research conducted by Dr. David G. Haase, there is 2.2 grams of carbon dioxide in one 16 ounce bottle of Pepsi. That is 0.1375 per fluid ounce. That would be 2.75 grams of CO2 per 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi. That total rounded down is 2753.14 parts per million or ppm. Per Wikipedia, Carbon Dioxide becomes toxic at levels of 10,000 ppm or 1%. This means that consuming 4 sodas per day is toxic to your body. OSHA actually requires that a person not be exposed to more than 5000 ppm in an 8 hour period. Have you ever drank more than two sodas in 8 hours? OSHA considers that a hazard. I fail to understand why there is no disclaimer on soda bottles.

Another ingredient included in soda is Phosphoric Acid. Research has linked H3PO4 to lowered bone density and also kidney disease and stones. Phosphoric Acid also affects our pH level which in turn leaves our bodies more prone to health problems.

Our body’s normal pH level is 7.35-7.45 which is considered alkaline (above 7). When our pH level goes below 7 it is considered acidic. Have you ever heard of the phrase “robbing Peter to pay Tom”? When our pH level becomes too low then our body must borrow minerals such as potassium and calcium in order to restore pH levels to normal. This would explain the reason for Osteoperosis being an effect of long term consumption of sodas.

You can read more on the effects of pH on your body at How You Rot & Rust.

Sodium Benzoate is a common additive used in soft drink production. It is known and proven that Sodium Benzoate mixed with vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid turns the two additives to Benzene. Benzene is a known Carcinogen. What that means in layman terms is that Benzene damages your DNA leaving it open to develop into cancer and even make the cancer grow faster.

Many juices, soft drinks, and other flavored drinks contain additives which give the desired color. Yellow #5 aka Tartazine seems to be the most commonly color additive. Yellow 5 can be found in anything from Kool-Aid to pickles. It is known to provoke asthma attacks, cause hyperactivity, hives, chromosomal damage, thyroid tumors, and aspirin sensitivity.

Wikipedia also listed that Tartazine has been shown to increase the lymphocytes and eosinophils in lab animals. It also showed an inflammation of the stomach lining with long term exposure. So you’re wondering again what this means in English.

Lymphocites are made of lymphatic tissue. This tissue includes the tonsils, lymph nodes, speen, and thymus. They are white blood cells created to help fight disease. They can be found in elevated levels in those suffering from Hepatitis B or C, Tuberculosis, Chicken pox, Leukemia, Hodgkin’s Disease, Anemia, and Arsenic or Benzene poisoning (cough cough…. Mt. Dew).

Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell made to fight parasites and infection. They also control the reaction in asthma and allergies. They work by forming an army and traveling to the site to attack. When they attack they release toxins. In a person with asthma, the lungs are damaged due to the frequent release of these toxins into the lungs.

Red #40 or Allura Red is another color frequently used in food and beverages. The only item listed by Wikipedia as a symptom is hyperactivity however other research also indicated that it caused cancer in lab animals tested with prolonged exposure.

Another common beverage additive is Aspartame. Aspartame is better known as artificial sweetener such as Equal or NutraSweet. I was an avid Diet Pepsi drinker until I began researching Aspartame Toxicity. At this point there are 92 symptoms which have been associated with even one time use of Aspartame.

Wikipedia lists that under strongly acidic or alkaline condition that Aspartame may generate methanol. As little as 10mL of Methanol can cause permanent blindness and 30 mL can be fatal. So how do you know how much Methanol is in your system if you ingest Aspartame? You don’t…

***Discussion and prepare a recipe

*****Discussion questions:
Now is the diet making more sense to you? Do you understand why this will benefit your family? Do you think you will make any changes for your family because of the information you now have which scientifically proves you should drink water?


==============MEETING 4==============

This week we will be focusing on food and of course what comes in must leave so we will also talk about bowel movements. I know that the subject is a bit taboo for most people however this is another element of the diet and getting healthy which is so important.

Prior to the diet I found myself with a problem all too common in so many women. There was nothing habitual about my bowel habits. It was common to only go once every week or week and a half. I know this isn’t only me as I’ve spoken to many other women with the same complaint.

The two main causes of constipation are lack of fiber and dehydration. A normal diet should include 25-30 grams of fiber per day. The fiber acts as a filler for bowel movements. How could you make a building if you have blocks and no cement? The blocks would have no way of sticking together. Fiber is that important in our diet. If you are only having a bowel movement once a week it could very well be that you just aren’t eating enough fiber to literally make poop.

Hydration plays just as important of a role in being regular as fiber. Constipation can occur when our bodies are dehydrated. The dehydration signals to our body that it must begin to conserve on water. The colon muscles will then begin contracting to squeeze the liquid out and reabsorb it to be filtered through the liver and kidneys. This will create harder stools which become more difficult to pass. Since our bodies are conserving on water there will also be less lubrication to help the bowel movement along. Part of the goal to achieve optimum health will be to ensure that you are having a bowel movement at least every other day.

Last week we also discussed some additives found in drinks and the effects that they have on our body. This week there are a few more that we will discuss. In total there are 12 items which you should avoid completely if at all possible. We have already reviewed carbonated water, phosphoric acid, aspartame, sodium benzoate, yellow #5, and red #40. The remaining are yellow #6, sodium nitrite, TBQH, BHA, BHT, and MSG.

Yellow #6 is also known as Sunset Yellow. Symptoms of ingesting it include runny or stuffy nose, hives, allergies, hyperactivity, chromosomal damage, kidney tumors, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal pain, and lab animals showed an increased rate of tumors. At one point there was a voluntary recall requested for Sunset Yellow however it was never made mandatory. It can be found in cereals, snacks, ice creams, drinks, and medications.

Sodium nitrite is used mostly in cured meats like bacon, ham, and lunch meats. It is considered to be toxic if too much is ingested however there isn’t too much information on what can be considered too much. It is known for it’s carcinogenic properties like Benzene. There is also some medical research which links sodium nitrite to migraines and COPD.

TBHQ is short for Tert-butylhydroquinone have you ever heard of it? Neither had I until I happened to notice it on the ingredient list of hard shell tacos that I had at home. It can be found in taco shells, microwavable popcorn, crackers, and other snack type items. Wikipedia cites that lab animals showed a precursor to DNA damage and stomach tumors when being exposed to high doses and that it is also thought to be a carcinogen. Another site lists symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and delirium.

BHA and BHT were two other additives which I had never heard mention of in the past. I found BHA in chocolate putting and the BHT was in butterscotch pudding and a few cereals that I had been under the impression were healthy. In the information listed online, it looks like there is no proof but at this time it is suspected that both BHA and BHT are carcinogens.

The last additive we will discuss on this diet is MSG. MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. I think most of us have heard of it and associate it with Chinese food. Wikipedia shows that MSG can cause a worsening of asthma symptoms and also it mentions MSG symptom complex. In further review, I found that MSG symptom complex include headache, flushing, sweating, facial tightness and pressure, racing heart, chest pain, nausea, weakness, and numbness to the face, neck, or other areas. MSG is commonly added to products such as soups, dressing and dip mixes, bullion cubes, boxed rice dishes, and more. There seems to be some correlation if you look at the nutritional label to high sodium and MSG in the ingredient list.

So enough of the negativity already! Now let’s talk about what you can eat.

Before you take a bite there is an easy question that you can ask yourself. Is this something that your grandparents or great-grandparents would have eaten. Generally if you answer no then I recommend not to eat it. Another good indication is shelf life. The more time that a product stays “fresh” often is a good idea of how much chemicals went in it for preservation.

The food pyramid lists the 6 groups set out by the USDA to teach us proper nutrition. Grains are an important part of our diet which supply us with complex carbohydrates. The two forms are simple and complex. Complex carbs take longer to digest while simple carbs digest much faster and create the sudden burst of energy like a sugar high. Grains vegetable, and legumes make up complex carbs while simple carbs come from fruit, dairy products, and processed items which use refined sugar. Think of them as fact acting (simple) and extended release (complex) medicine.

A fast acting medicine is best taken for an acute condition like a headache. The medicine is taken and begins to work immediately however it doesn’t have a very large life span and will wear off quickly. The extended release medication on the other hand is used for more chronic conditions when daily treatment is required. It allows small doses of the medication to be released throughout the day covering you in the same way but over an “extended” period of time.

When we eat simple carbohydrates, the end result is usually energy at that moment that lasts a while but really is not sufficient to keep us going through the day. On the other hand when we eat the complex and healthy carbohydrates, they feed our body energy throughout the day.

In the Atkin’s diet, you are to eat no carbs however you are to continue eating fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. If you haven’t already caught the lack of logic, 2 of the 3 fall under the simple carbohydrate category. This is why a person on the Atkin’s diet can expect to feel run down. There is very little intake of extended release energy carbs.

Something else that we will take from a diet is MUFA’s which I had mentioned previously. Research has indicated that consuming Monounsaturated Fatty Acid’s or MUFA”s at every meal can help lose weight especially in the tummy area. According the the Flay Belly Diet, you should consume MUFA’s with every meal. This includes avocado, nuts, seeds, nut amd seed oils, olives, and dark chocolate. Foods containing MUFA’s are no to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) while possibly raising HDL or good cholesterol.

Whenever possible, I try to use MUFA’s in the form of seeds and nuts (occasionally some dark chocolate) versus anything else. I buy the types of nuts that I enjoy but generally by themselves as it is more cost effective. I try to always ensure that I have plenty on hand for the times when I really just want a snack.

Attached you will find a list of foods which you may eat freely over the next two weeks. Please keep in mind all that you have learned thus far. Next week I look forward to discussing with each of you the changes that you feel after a week of detoxing.

***Discussion but no meal prep today


==============MEETING 5==============

In Moderation

I mentioned this before however we really haven’t discussed what it means. I think that everyone’s view of a small amount can be much different. For this week we will focus on portion control.

In weeks 1 and 2 you will notice that you are allowed to eat nuts and seeds and beef sticks like Slim Jims. Since normally there is a considerable amount of sodium in both, you will want to use caution as these are the only real snacks that you can have so you will not want to overdo it.

After the 2 weeks, you will see that the items that contain complex carbs are listed as “in moderation.” While you do want to keep eating these good carbs which will give you extended release fuel, you will want to get them more from vegetables than from flour containing items which often include a larger amount of carbs based on additional benefits like fiber.

1. Sodium/Salt

Most of my recipes are not made with salt because the sodium is found elsewhere. For 5 days a week, salt and sugar should be limited to a minimal. If at all possible for you to not use them at all that would be the preference.

I normally never salt my food. I do not hold back on butter use. If you are making scrambled eggs for example, you will have enough sodium from the butter for the eggs. Try to avoid adding additional if possible. A diet high in sodium can cause high blood pressure, Osteoperosis, and increase your risk of stomach cancer just to name a few.

2. Carbohydrates and Fiber

After the 2 weeks, you will see that the items that contain complex carbs are listed as “in moderation.” While you do want to keep eating these good carbs which will give you extended release fuel, you will want to get them more from vegetables than from flour containing items which often include a larger amount of carbs based on additional benefits like fiber.

For example:

• Carrots 8g carbs for half a cup AND 3g fiber
• Corn tortilla 10g carbs for 1-6” shell AND 2g fiber
• Grape Nuts 48g carbs for ½ cup AND 7g fiber
• Tomato 8g carbs for half a cup AND 2g fiber
• Banana 26.9g carbs for 1 banana AND 3g fiber

What you can clearly see from this is that the highest carb intake will come from the simple carbs. While it would take nearly 5 ½ cups of carrots in order to reach the daily amount of fiber, you would only be consuming about 80g of carbs. You would need to eat 17.5 tortillas to amount to the 35g daily fiber with carb consumption at 175g. If you chose instead to eat about 12 bananas then you would have your fiber but a whopping 314g carbs. Of course the 1st two and lower carb amounts come from complex healthier carbs while the bananas are simple carbs that give you instant energy which wears off soon after.

Complex carbs in the form of vegetables should be eaten daily. Items made of grains that fall into the complex carb category should be used sparingly for the most part. Grape Nuts are a wonderful source of fiber that can easily help you make it to the 35 grams of fiber per day. Of course you will not be counting the amount you are taking in, but try to get as much as you can without overdoing it on the carbs which as you can see is easy to do. I recommend that if there is not an extremely high fiber benefit that you only consume products made with flour to 2 days a week aside from your free weekends.

3. Fruits and Vegetables

Tomatoes are something that you will eat a lot of. In fact, I normally eat something with tomatoes every day. The nutritional benefits are outstanding with vitamins C and A, potassium, iron, and lycopene. They are a good source fiber and do not contain an excess of carbs. Unlike some other fruits and vegetables, they do not lose any nutritional value when cooked. There is also some new research which indicates that tomatoes can block the carcinogen nitrosamines and help prevent lung cancer.

The only items that you will need to eat a minimal amount of is corn, potatoes, and yams. While there is some benefit to them, the natural sugar and carbohydrate contained in them is counter-productive to weight loss. I’m not saying that you cannot eat them on your free weekends, but try to avoid them during the week.

Think colors when you are buying fruits and vegetables. Green vegetables contain fiber, lutein, calcium, and chlorophyll just to name a few. They can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol while boosting your immune system and reducing the risk of cancer.

Red fruits and vegetables contain lycopene and many other nutrients. They help to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, help with arthritis, and reduce tumor growth just to name a few.

The orange and yellow produce helps battle the effects of aging while also balancing out the alkalinity of our pH levels. There is also research which shows that they can help to build healthier bones.

Blue and purple fruits and veggies act as anti-carcinogens in the GI tract and also limit cancer cell activity. They have many other benefits which includes promoting digestive health, boosting the immune system, and reducing tumor growth.

And finally, the white fruits and vegetables balance hormone levels to reduce the risk of colon, breast, and colon cancers.


4. Meats and Seafood


I recommend the staple meat of your household to become chicken. I try to eat pork and beef once a week, seafood once every other week, and chicken every other day. Since you are free on the weekends, you can choose whatever you like for those days.

Chicken is the leanest and contains the least amount of fat. Beef is more than double the grams of fat as chicken while pork falls in the middle. When purchasing beef and pork, you can get leaner cuts of meat by looking for loin or round in the name on the label. While seafood is not fatty, it does contain mercury. In low doses there is little health risk however in large quantities it can prove to be fatal.


5. Dairy Products/Eggs

Milk has a pH level which falls under the acidic category. Since I am lactose intolerant, my only milk consumption comes from what my cereal sucks up. I am not a fan of 2% or skim milk. You are free to continue using whole milk if you choose to do so.


Someone once told me- “Think of cheese as a luxury.” Cheese can be fattening. Another problem with cheese is that when you are buying shredded cheese it is processed. What that means for you is that you are not getting the full story. When making ingredient lists for foods, if a food is received whole such as a block of cheese in order to make shredded cheese then it is listed as cheddar cheese. You lose all of the information about how THAT cheese was processed. When possible by clock cheese to shred by hand. Though it does take longer, it is the only way that you will know what you are eating.

I can’t really say too much in the line of butter. I use 1 stick every time I make gravy. We love butter in our house. The key is that since I am rarely having bread products or cooking with it, it really is used in moderation. You can use it to cook eggs, put it on the bread or English muffin you eat twice a week, and occasionally use it for sautéing but use is as infrequently as possible.

6. Seeds and Nuts

I try to keep them on hand at all times as a snack. They are very high in calories so it’s not something that you will want to make a meal out of. I normally buy my nuts and seeds in bulk like shelled pistachios, cashews, sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds, and macadamia nuts. I bring them home then mix them in a bowl and store them. It’s kind of entertaining to watch them disappear also as it seems like it’s always the pecans and almonds left at the bottom of the bowl. As a portion, I would say to fill your hand with nuts and seeds and walk away. If you need to come back for more once in a day then that’s fine but try to keep it at one hand full a day.

7. Portions

The last item we will discuss in regards to “in moderation” is portions. It’s very difficult to decide what a portion should be for you versus what it should be for me or anyone else.

In the beginning, your portions will be larger because you are just beginning the diet. You will have to test yourself a bit to find out just how much you really do eat in one meal. The days of second helpings are gone from this moment on except on your free days.

The best advice that I can give you is to experiment with bowls. Find out which bowl (plastic or not) in your house is the perfect portion size for you. This will require some trial and error. If your bowl fits say 3 cups of food then in 2-3 weeks try to put ¼ cup less.

***For next week I would like everyone to bring in their bowl. Please be completely honest in the size you are using. We will be reviewing more about portion sizes and also we will be learning about vacuum sealing. In order to properly vacuum seal the portion size that you need for lunch or dinner, we will need to know where your starting point is.

It is by no means a contest for the smallest bowl. This is to get an idea of where you stand today. It will change in the future.


===============MEETING 6==============


Have you ever heard the phrase, “you eat like a pig”? Molasses is often used in feed to sweeten the flavor. The goal of a pig farmer is that the more you can get them to eat, the more their stomach will grow allowing them to eat more and in turn bulk up for slaughtering.

Humans in general if you look at that do the same thing. We all eat like pigs. We enhance the flavor of foods to make them more appealing. In turn they taste better and we eat more. But who wants food that doesn’t taste good?

I have proven my theory time and time again on my weekend food fests that sugar will make you want to eat more. The first weekend this theory was tested was Easter of 2009. That was the first weekend that I allowed myself to have a mass amount of sweets. It wasn’t even that I overate, but I contributed it to the sweet potatoes. From Sunday through Wednesday I just couldn’t get enough to eat. Sugar gives me the munchies…

I thought possibly that this was a fluke however the theory was tested again and again, weekend after weekend. I found that the less sugar I ate on my free days, the easier it was to get back into the routine come Monday morning when I resumed my diet. Though you are allowed to eat anything that you choose on your free days, it is important also to keep in mind that you may need to cut back if you feel it hard to get back into the loop.

Since we eat like pigs, we need to learn to eat less at a sitting. The shrinking of your stomach will not by any means be immediate. It will take some time for that to happen. The only way this will be possible is to slowly decrease your food intake just as you slowly began eating more.

To this day I will be honest in saying that sometimes my eyes are bigger than my head or possibly better said that my mind hasn’t figured out yet that my stomach shrunk. Even after more than a year I still have an instance at least once a month that I overeat and make myself sick. It’s of course not intentional but it takes time to learn to eat again.

I have heard numerous times that it takes 20 minutes for a person to feel full after eating. I’m personally not sure that it takes this long but that’s what research says. If you are like me, I eat my food very quickly. I attribute part of that to being a mom and always being on the go. The problem with woofing down your food is that you don’t realize that you are full right away.

How many times have you finished eating then 10-20 minutes later feel like you are so full you can’t move or are going to get sick. The reason is that you have eaten your food too quickly thus putting more calories, carbs, and everything else in your body than what you actually needed. This is why it’s important to know how big of a bowl of food you can eat. It’s not about the amount you can fit in your stomach but rather the amount your body needs. You don’t literally have to be full.

One way that you can begin shrinking your stomach is to take more time eating. In turn your body will realize that it’s full before you finish what you thought you would eat. Another trick is to eat more often and smaller portions. Both are important to battling the bulge.

A key point of this diet for me was vacuum sealing. With three kids and a full-time job that was an hour commute each way, I just did not have the time necessary to devote to eating healthy. The vacuum sealing of meals ahead of time serves so many more purposes than just the convenience.

If you know how big your bowl is, that will help you to determine the amount of food that you will set as a portion when vacuum sealing or storing meals in plastic containers. You will also learn with time which foods fill you up faster that you may want to package in smaller amounts. For me it was normally about 2 cups meat item (main dish) and ½ cup vegetables. I decreased this a little through the course of time but not much.

Every day when I got to work I would heat up my lunch (I worked 12:30-9) and pick at it. It was rare that I ate the entire meal at once eventhough it was not a large amount of food. I also took fresh fruits cup up that I could snack on. While I realize that not everyone is able to eat at work, there are alternatives.

You could split your lunch in half. Eat half during your first break and the other half at lunch. I have also tried this and found it to be effective. The key point is that you need to fill your stomach less so that it has the ability to shrink. This is why diets that require 6 meals a day are more effective. Since you burn calories every time you eat just from the process of digestion, it technically is possible to never have a meal count if you keep them small.

For a typical day I would eat a Nutri-Grain bar for breakfast, my prepared food for lunch, fruit or cheese as a snack and either prepared food or Grape Nuts for supper. I sometimes ate an extra Nutri-Grain bar when I felt hungry. The amount of calories that the body burns each time you eat is almost the equivalent of a Nutri-Grain bar. If you are eating it about 2 hours apart from another meal then it’s almost like it never happened. Keep this in mind anytime that you are snacking. If it’s about 100-150 calories then your body is going to use most of it just to digest the food. This is where snacking on fruits and cheese can be helpful also. You can research this more by looking up Dietary Thermogenesis which is the burning of calories during digestion. This is how it is possible to have negative calorie foods.

The absolute greatest benefit to me personally of vacuum sealing was convenience. Before I would come home from work and feel like I was starving. If it doesn’t happen to be a meal time like 10 at night then there was even less of a chance that I was going to cook something healthy. It usually ended with me grabbing for a bag of chips or pretzels as a snack. Unfortunately, I made a meal out of them.

I don’t think many people at all really pay attention to serving sizes. I know that I didn’t. It was common for me to eat a half a bag of chips. In the end I was full but could have eaten 2 of my meals and still not reached the amount of sodium or fats.

The convenience of having foods ready to heat has proved to be invaluable. I can warm up my food in the same amount of time that it takes you to nuke a TV dinner or Hot Pocket and eat healthier.

Americans tend to live a fast paced-fast food lifestyle yet find it hard to understand why the majority are overweight. Nothing that can be prepared fast is healthy unless it’s left overs.

In the beginning I prepared my lunches for the week by placing them in plastic containers in the fridge. The fault became that I had to prepare smaller amounts as they did not keep as long. I tried freezing them as they were but it did very little in preserving the taste of the food and also was more prone to freezer burn.

If you buy nothing else for the purpose of the diet than the vacuum sealer, I think that you will be very happy with the results. It is also beneficial in buying in bulk to save money at the store.

***We will take time to make a meal and vacuum seal it.


==============MEETING 7================

I have never been really big on exercising. I never tried a diet in the past that said I had to exercise for it to work. I just really did not have any interest. Like others, I wanted to lose the weight without any work or inconvenience.

At the beginning of the diet I did not exercise at all. I don’t think that I began until at least 3 months later. Even then and even now it’s not something that I can say that I do on a regular basis.

The most important thing that I want you to remember about exercise is that whatever you do today is probably more than you did yesterday. I started walking up escalators and parking further away at work. It wasn’t much but again it was more than what I was doing before.

One item that I use at home is the door gym. It’s a bar which hangs in your door frame. With it you can give your abs an awesome work out. I normally do reps of 10. Instead of trying to pull your weight up, start by trying to pull your knees as close to your chest as you can. When I started I was only able to do 3 or 4. It’s okay though. Start of slow. Just remember that those 4 were more than the 0 that you did yesterday.

I also have an ab wheel. The ab wheel helps in that you stretch your arms as far away from you as you can by sliding on the floor. Then you use your abs to pull yourself back up. You will want to start slow on this also as you will find some muscles that you never know existed. Start with 5 then increase as you can.

Walking is a very effective form of exercise. Due to problems with my ankles since birth, I am unable to run. Research also shows that walking and running burn about the same calories per mile. Up to this point I have not made walking a daily activity. I try to walk at least 2 miles or ride my bike once a week. Hopefully as summer weather begins I will be able to walk more often.

Another important item that I purchased was the waist trimmer. We will put the greatest amount of focus this week on this. Like the vacuum sealer, if you buy nothing else for you diet at least you should get this.

The waist trimmer can be purchased for as little as $10-$15. Avon has one which is made by Curves. It is designed for use during exercise to make your stomach sweat and in turn help lose inches. This is not the purpose for which we will be using it.

In Mexico, it is common for a woman to wear what is called a faja for 40 days after birth. The idea is that it helps to return the stomach to pre-pregnancy size. The faja used in Mexico is much like an ace bandage but about a foot in width. The only time during the 40 days that it is removed is for bathing purposes.

When I began my diet my uncle had given me a waist trimmer from Bally’s. He told me just to try to wear it when I could. The end result was that I began wearing it every night. As soon as I got home from work it went on and did not come off until I showered for work the next morning.

During the night I found that my shirt around my waist would actually sometimes get damp but that wasn’t all that I noticed. Within a week I had decreased almost an entire size. I cannot offer you medical research as to why this worked however I can offer my assumptions.

Being a woman, I normally suck in to some extent every day. It’s not a lot and most of us don’t even realize that we do it. When we are at home we “let loose” and looking skinnier becomes much less important. While we sleep we don’t hold it in at all as our muscles are relaxed. By wearing the waist trimmer, you are keeping those prone muscles from completely relaxing. I can’t say that is why it works but it seems to make sense.

You should try to wear the waist trimmer as much as possible when at home. You will even notice that if you have it on when eating a meal that you will probably eat less. Have you ever unbuttoned your pants when you really had to pee so that you could make it a little longer? It’s basically the same idea. If you unbutton you can hold it longer because you have just freed a little bladder space. With the waist trimmer on you are taking away stomach space.

Even if you choose not to continue the diet, I feel confident enough to say that I am 95% sure you will still lose some inches around the waist if you can just make it a habit to wear the waist trimmer whenever you are home. It will add about a size to you if you try to wear it under clothes.

When purchasing a waist trimmer, you will want to keep a few things in mind. They come in all sorts. The first one that I had was made with 5 zippers and could fit smaller sizes. Sometime last month the zipper broke. I had no idea where to buy a new one. I decided to make use of the abdominal binders that I had at home from a previous surgery. They were also effective however they were made with Velcro. Then I found that Avon sold one made by Curves. I was pleased when I got it however when I reached a size 6 it no longer fit tightly even at the smallest of the 3 zippers.

When you go to look for one remember that more zippers probably means a smaller size. You will want to make sure that it fits snugly but not so tight that it is uncomfortable. On the other hand if it fits too loosely then it is completely ineffective. Keep in mind what size you would like to be in the end. If you’re aiming for a 30” waist then you will want to make sure at the smallest size that it’s around 28”.

***Will have exercise equipment on site and do demonstrations.


===============MEETING 8===============

******************Will post soon********************



================FOOD LIST==============

Okay to eat weeks 1 and 2

• Meats
• Seafood
• Eggs
• All dairy products
• Fruits
• Vegetables (try to stay away from corn and potatoes as a rule but okay to have in moderation)
• Rice (not instant)
• Nuts and seeds (in moderation)
• Olives
• Beef sticks like Slim Jims (in moderation)

Okay to drink week 1 and 2
• Water
• Caffeine free tea or coffee with no sugar or sweetener

Okay to eat starting week 3

• All of the above
• English muffins (in moderation)
• Nickel’s 35 calorie bread (any of the 3) (in moderation)
• Corn or flour tortillas (in moderation)
• Pasta (in moderation)
• Oatmeal
• Life cereal
• Grape Nuts cereal
• Any other high fiber low sugar cereal like raisin bran
• Cereal bars (I don’t like all of the additives in Nutri-Grain but this makes a fairly healthy snack)

Okay to drink starting week 3
• Water
• Caffeine free tea or coffee with no sugar or sweetener

For 2 days a week after the initial 2 weeks, you will be allowed to have 2 free days per week. Mine normally ran Friday evening through Sunday evening. I urge you to use extreme caution on your first pig out after the two weeks. It is quite possible that you will throw up if you overdo it or get extreme diarrhea. I recommend starting off slow. Chips especially because of all of the fats, pretzels chips, and crackers you will want to be careful because of the sodium and possibly MSG or other preservatives. You will also want to limit the amount of sugar intake and look out for blue, red, and yellow coloring in foods.

READ LABELS! I recommend staying away from the additives we discussed before even on the free days however I don’t expect you to read labels everywhere you go either.


I'm working on my phase 2 of The Get Healthy right now which will be body sculpting with exercize.

To provide all the meals for a weight loss program as well as for other purposes, one may choose Freshology, the home delivered diets delivery service

Demi Moore has showed off her beach body as she snapped pictures of herself in the bathroom mirror.

Actors/entertainment power couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore arrive on the red carpet for the 2010 Time 100 Gala, celebrating the magazines special issue featuring their picks for the 100 most influential people in the world. Held at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, NYC - Johns PkI / Splash News

The Charlie's Angels beauty, 47, posted the images online.

Posing in a skimpy bikini and shades, the mum-of-three used her iPhone to take the photographs.

She shared them with fans on her Daily Booth photoblog earlier this month.

Demi wrote, 'Maybe this is more like summer!'

The screen star recently told how she has turned her back on extreme diets, opting instead for eating just 'clean' foods.

She announced she was following the Clean Program, a plan that cuts out junk food without being a strict detox.

'There is no starving involved! It's all about nourishing the body!' Demi revealed on social networking website Twitter.

Have you heard about the South Beach Diet delivery? Or, are you familiar with the South Beach Diet delivery? If so, then excellent for you!

The South Beach Diet is one of the well-known diet in the world these days. Having received excellent compliments from the individuals and having reached a great reputation, the South Beach Diet continues to prosper via its new developments within the diet plan field. Nevertheless, when dealing concerning the South Beach Diet delivery service, as what most of the other diets like the zone diet plan catered to, the South Beach Diet delivery service isn’t well-known to everyone.

So does a South Beach Diet delivery support exist?

With the info given by most of the notable resources on the web, there isn’t any such point as South Beach Diet delivery support. Actually, several resources have noted that the South Beach Diet as a leader in the packaged diet plan food sector does not provide fresh food South Beach Diet delivery solutions. But is this explanation an exact basis to conclude that there isn’t any this kind of thing as South Beach Diet delivery solutions? Nicely, I don’t believe so. Perhaps, wholly yes, but partly no.

For much info, numerous resources have considered that unlike the Zone diet which made an availability for a Zone diet plan delivery services from areas within the United States and Canada, the South Beach Diet does not open up to a South Beach Diet plan delivery solutions. Along with that, the prices noted for delivery meals range from about $35 to $45 a day. It might be a little pricey, but some individuals still feel that it’s an investment for their health and way of life.

So just recently, to attack those claims that there isn’t any South Beach Diet delivery services, here is the noted organization, the NutriFit, which is regarded to have open up for a South Beach Diet plan delivery service in Los Angeles. Fortunately, with their South Beach Diet delivery support, the South Beach Diet can then be delivered to you door in Los Angeles.

It’s noted that their South Beach Diet delivery service is actually a South Beach Diet personal catering that is a comprehensive meal service that’s designed to accommodate the dieters’ well being and way of life needs. Because of the intense requirements from the people to have receive a South Beach Diet plan delivery support, the company has been opening their South Beach Diet delivery services which are basically maintained by their effort to deliver personalized meals since the year 1987. As such, they customized the dieters’ meal plan to level the preferred taste, nutrition and fitness objectives, and including specific well being concerns. So it’s noted that whether the aim is weight loss or gain, disease management or health enhancement, the company can assist. So for you to receive a South Beach Diet plan delivery support from them, they match the number of meals you need to your schedule and by telling them what fits into your way of life, they can definitely give you a South Beach Diet plan delivery service.

If you want more information on Bistro MD

The Latest Dieting Trends

It looks like every time you turn on the television they’re talking about the latest diet pattern and latest scientific research that proves this or that helps you lose weight probably the most effectively. Then six months later you’re studying the diet is definitely harmful and the most recent diet is the way go as a result of it’s the entire opposite. If the first diet tells you carbohydrates are evil and it’s best to eat all protein the following diet will let you know carbs are good and an excessive amount of protein is bad. It seems like you possibly can never win. But not all diets are bad, actually there are some really good health and health plans out there. Here are the most recent dieting trends, whether or not or not they work for you is debatable as a result of what works for one person may never work for an additional simply due to body chemistry. So the only way to know for sure if a diet will work is to attempt it.

The Biggest Loser Diet

Inspired by the hit tv show which pits people against each other to lose probably the most weight in hopes of winning an enormous cash prize, this diet focuses on each day meal plans, grocery procuring lists, fitness programs and holding a journal to trace your progress and maintain you motivated. While at residence you may not be competing to win a cash prize you possibly can set your own goals and thus create a prize for yourself for those who reach such and such a goal.

This focuses on a easy meal plan system that consists solely of organic meals such as whole grown oats, wheat, and contemporary vegetables and fruit. According to the macrobiotic diet you are to keep away from all processed meals and within 5 days you may lose an average of five pounds as well as lower your cholesterol. The macrobiotic diet additionally claims to prevent and treat over 200 illnesses and conditions. This is due to the natural merchandise that promote natural therapeutic and total health from the inside out.

The Nutrisystem Diet

The Nutrisystem diet is rather like that of the Weight Watchers, South Beach and Atkins kind diets that target a certain proportion of each day intake coming from specified food groups. All these diets all have a line of merchandise they promote and sell that are supposed to conform to those standards and make weight loss more effective and efficient. The drawback with loads of these is that the distribution of calories, fats and such don’t work for all body types. They are additionally quite costly and hard to keep up with when out in the real world. The Nutrisystem diet focuses on a lowered calorie diet consisting of 60% carbs, 20% protein and 20% fat.

The primal diet is a diet that I really agree with and do myself. The foundation for the diet is that you need to eat like a caveman from 10,000 years ago. All of the newer man made meals are contributing to our weight problems and well being problems.

Focus on lean meats like chicken, fish, pork and steak. Also it’s best to lots of fruits and vegetables. Basically if it doesnt come from an animal or the ground, do not eat it. Also steer clear of all foods that are processed.

Discover how to feed your body naturally with the best effective diets currently online. You can visit effective-diets.com for tips on effective diets that work.

Get useful recommendations about the topic of lose weight fast – make sure to go through this page. The time has come when proper info is really within one click, use this chance.

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Freshology is a home delivered diets business that will give you weight loss meals in addition to giving you meals for other reasons. This type of program is effective in achieving weight loss via a fast reduction in fat. Anyone serious about losing weight should join the program, which uses a healthy system to shed excess fat.

The way it works to deliver this is home delivery diet meals:
When you join freshology, you will be delivered top quality meals which will serve you for five times in a day.
This typically ranges from fourteen to ninety days dependent upon how many days within this time frame you select. The diet to your door is cautiously created by top cooks to meet your weight loss needs. The ideal program that functions most optimally for individuals desiring to lose weight efficiently is freshology’s fresh lite or fresh dining program.

Reduced calorie meals will begin to be delivered at sunrise. The program provides your 3 daily meals, which are designed specifically for you, including a snack. The meals you will get will have an international variety to them. You’ll find the meals flavorful and delicious, plus the menu is varied to prevent repetition.

On average, approximately 90% of people who join–and stick to–a freshology home delivered diet program lose their target weight in few months, especially if the program was the fresh dining type. The reason that the remainder of the ten percent of individuals don’t achieve their goal weight is due to the fact that they chose to quit or didn’t stick with the diet.

More Home Delivered Diet Reviews

Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins joined the Nutrisystem diet program and lost weight. Do you need to lose weight? Why don't you consider joining Dan's team over at nutrisystem.

The heartiest, most delicious NutriSystem ever! Guys, can dive into the great, new Nutrisystem Advanced Program.

Dan has had success with the nutrisystem program and I think Nutrisystem made a smart move choosing him as spokesperson.

Dan Marino is a well know football star and highly recognized.

Most diets are designed for women. They cater to a woman's lifestyles. But NutriSystem knows what works for guys. Now, for the first time, you can experience a weight management system scientifically designed to help men achieve their weight loss goals and get the looks and energy they're after.

The Dan Marino Diet - Nutrisystem Men