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How to fix Playstation 3 (PS3)

2011-03-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

How to Fix the Ps3 White Lines

Many of you have problems with your PS3's. When turned on, white lines appear moving up and down the screen. In some cases, there is a buzz noise. Here is just the way to fix it!

Steps

Get your PS3 all set up, and plug everything in, except the power cord.
Examine your power cord, the part that goes into the electrical socket.
Notice how there are 3 prongs, 2 flat ones, and a 3rd cylindrical prong on the bottom.
Find some sort of chord extension, that has room for the 2 flat sockets, and not the 3rd.
Plug it in, and do not have the third prong connected!
Turn on your PS3 with no trouble.
WARNING THIS WILL UNGROUND THE SYSTEM CAUSING IT TO FRY IF THERE IS A POWER SURGE

Tips

If you have no extension, just use some pliers and cut off the 3rd cylindrical prong.
Do not waste your money on the HDMI Cables.
The 3rd cylindrical prong is what causes the lines, they interact with the Cable chord, and it makes a ground loop. The 3rd prong is the whole problem.

Warnings

Do this at your own risk! This may void your warranty.
Cutting off the prong may damage your chord. Take caution.
Do not waste your money on the HDMI cable, buy a new game instead!

Things You'll Need

A PS3)
A chord
A chord extension
Money to buy an extension.
Optional:
- Pliers

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How to Fix a Scratched Video Game Disk with White Toothpaste

This article will teach you the step-by-step instructions of using simple household items to repair a scratched disk. Refer to the "Things You'll Need" section before attempting this.

Steps

Determine if your disk could be faulty due to a scratch. To do so,make sure to clean your disk thoroughly with a soft cloth before following the steps below
Locate the offending scratch(es).
Apply a very small amount of toothpaste to each scratch, making sure to only lightly cover each scratch.
Using a dampened cloth or your finger, rub from one end of the scratch to the other in a back-and-forth motion. Apply force(this works because of friction) when rubbing.
Rub the toothpaste on the scratch anywhere between 2-5 minutes(depending on the size of the scratch).
Wash the disc off with cold water after you have finished, ensuring you wipe off all of the toothpaste.
Dry the disk with a towel, making sure the disk is completely dry before testing if it works.
Place the disk into the drive of your gaming system of choice, and see if it is readable. If so, then you are done. Congratulations!

Tips

Be consistent. It's better to press with the same force and move at the same speed because it ensures a smooth resurfacing.

Warnings

After 4 times, you risk damaging your disk even further. Instead, either send the disk to a professional disk resurfacing service(Google it) or purchase a new one.
This seems to work on a 50-50 basis so it may not work for you.

Things You'll Need

White toothpaste(preferably Crest Whitening or Pepsodent)
A soft cloth('soft' being the operative word) or, in a pinch, your finger
Running water

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How to Play World of Warcraft

2011-03-22T09:10:00.001-07:00

How to Play World of Warcraft

Don't you hate it when you're stuck trying to do the simplest things in World of Warcraft? Never fear; this guide will help you with your basic training.

Steps

Verify that your computer meets the system requirements, and then purchase and download the World of Warcraft basic game. Expansion packs, such as The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King provide additional content, but are not required to play. It is also possible to play using a trial version, but they come with significant limitations, and only last 10-14 days.
Start your game! When you log in, you'll be prompted to select a server from the following types:
- Normal: The standard game. Most players choose this option.
- PvP: The standard game is modified in that Player versus Player combat can occur at any time.
- RP: RP is an abbreviation for roleplaying. These servers have specific codes of conduct and naming guidelines. It is best to read them thoroughly before selecting this type of server.
- RP-PvP: A Player vs. Player server that follows roleplaying rules.
To get a feel for the basic game, start on a Normal server. You can always make a character on a different server type, or, in many cases, transfer to another server, once you're familiar with the game dynamics.
You should also consider server population during your selection process. Unless you have a friend on an existing server, "Medium" populated realms are recommended because they are neither deserted nor overcrowded, and tend to have a stable economy.
Create your first character! Pick Horde or Alliance, and then your specific race. Then, choose your class. Don't just pick a class or race "because they look cool". Read the info about them on the side, and follow your instincts. Have a reason for your choice!
Once you're in the game world, take some time to get acquainted with the user interface. There are add-ons that you can download to modify, or supplement the default interface. www.curse.com has a good collection of these, as does www.wowui.net. Even if the interface you intend to download says "virus scanned upon upload", always scan any such downloads with anti-virus software before installing.
You can move around with the WASD keys, the arrow keys, or the mouse or trackball (by holding down the left and right buttons at the same time).
Once you've gotten used to the controls, take a look at your action bar at the bottom left of the screen. This is where all your spells and abilities are stored. The numbers in each box correspond to one of your number keys on the keyboard.
When you become more comfortable with the key strokes as your character advances, you will be able to take advantage of built-in add-ons such as additional action bars and key binding. Since your original action bar coresponds with the numbers at the top of your keyboard, you should consider any changes you make in your bindings to remain close to your most used keystrokes. This insures that you are not playing hunt & peck on your keyboard while you are drawing hits from the environment bent on destroying you.
Near the spot where you first appeared in the game world, there should be a quest giver. NPCs, or non-player characters, with quests have yellow exclamation marks above their heads. You will also see them in your display map in the upper right hand corner of your screen (or wherever your UI places it). Right click the NPC to see the quest text, read it, and then click "Accept" to accept the quest. Doing this will either send you on your way to another NPC, or direct you to perform a mission task for the NPC at which point you will see a grey question mark appear above their head.
When you have completed quests, those NPC's to whom you are to report with your findings, reports, or bag of collectable goodies, will have a yellow question mark above them (this too you will see in your display map). By selecting them, you will be able to complete your quest and gain the experience from that mission as well as any items or money they are offering as specific rewards.
You will also note as you adventure different colored exclamation points and question marks along the way. Grey exclamation points are to draw your attention to the fact that the NPC below it has a mission for you to perform once you meet the required level. As you advance, make sure you revisit the areas you have been to collect these quests. Green exclamation points (which will appear as the yellow ones do in your map) are new flight paths. Always be on the lookout for new flight paths. They will make traveling the map much easier. Blue question marks are reserved for continued collection missions or those that have no limit to the amount you can turn in for XP or reward.
Your first fight! There should be several level 1, 2, and 3 enemies not too far away from where you start out. To begin your attack on one, right click it. You can use your spells and abilities by clicking buttons in the action bar, or by hitting the corresponding key on your keyboard.
That's it! Continue on your journey through Azeroth by completing quests, and by killing baddies.

Tips

While travelling, kill any monster that is two levels higher than your level or lower. The experience will help.
Before going to the next zone, try to complete every quest in the current zone until you reach level forty. You will be happy that you did, as you will gain more experience and get rewards for doing them. some of your quests will have you going to other zones, but come back to these (and get your flight path while you are there)
When you reach level 10, you will be able to enter the Warsong Gulch battleground, in which two teams from the Alliance and the Horde play Capture the Flag against each other, however it is recommended that you wait until levels 17-19 to be able to be a considerable challenge.
Certain quests recommend grouping with others to complete a task. Many of these are dungeon quests, but some difficult creatures out in the world are too challenging to solo until you are higher level than they are. Ask for help from your friends or guild mates, or use the LFG tool to find other players.
If you're having trouble completing a quest, finding a certain item/NPC, there are several web sites you can go to for help. www.thottbot.com and wowhead.com are probably two of the more popular search engines. Or you can get the quest helper add-on from curse.addons/downloads you download it into the add-ons folder.
You can get to the add-ons folder on a PC by going to start, my computer, c drive, my programs, world of warcraft, interface, and then add-ons. For Mac Users, the path is (on your main hard drive) Applications / World of Warcraft / Interface / AddOns.
The quest helper add-on will help you save time by getting all of your quests and find the quickest route to do it in, and it shows where all of the mobs (monsters) are
You can add more action bars to your screen by opening up your options menu (esc), clicking 'interface', and opening up the 'Advanced' Tab.
Familarizing yourself with Warcraft lore can help you out with quests and make your gameplay more exciting. If you can, play Warcraft 3 and its expansion and/or visit www.wowwiki.com
If you do not have a guild or friends to play with on a particular server, you may wish to select a class that is easy to level on your own. Pet classes, such as hunters and warlocks, are easier to level than many other classes.
If you are interested in seeing dungeon content, select a class that is in high demand: Warriors and Priests can almost always get a group.
Make use of ingame guides such as [url=http://www.1-80leveling.info]Zygor Guide Review[/url]
In-game guide mods can be very helpful in reducing your play time and leveling time. They will give you the chance to read a guide inside the game window and thus, you will no more need to minimize the game window to read your PDF guide. Many guides are available with in-game versions on the net. Check mod sites for a list of those. You will have to do a small setup and the guide will show inside the game. A recommended guide is Nubun WOW Leveling Guide because its in-game mod comes with a small application that will let you setup the in-game mod in just one click.

Warnings

When traveling, watch out for creatures with red-colored names. They are aggressive and will attack if you get too close.
Be careful when starting a fight with a creature. Other enemies in the area may join in against you, which is dangerous if you are fighting enemies close to your level.

Things You'll Need

World of Warcraft
PC or Mac computer
Lots of spare time
An average graphics card.

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Flight Simulator

2011-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Most Realistic Flight Sim On The Market

It's the next best thing to being up there!

ProFlightSimulator gives you the experience of flight right from your own computer. Everything from terrain, aircraft reactions, to planetary alignments & movements is based on actual world data.

The virtual controls are based on Real Life cockpits and you will find night flying more enjoyable with ground lighting concentrated in urban areas, car headlights on major roadways and accurate airport approach lighting. With realistic flight dynamics and controls,

It Doesn't Get Any Closer To The Real Thing!

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA	Accurate Terrain
Fly over The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France	Get Ready For Take Off

With ProFlightSimulator, you can learn to fly without ever leaving your home. This is a HIGH quality, professional grade airplane flight simulator with the option to add scenery and airports that encompass the entire globe! Over 20,000 airports can be added with additional scenery sets.

How to Land a Plane in Flight Simulator 2004

Landing your airplane is the hardest part of flying in Flight Simulator. However, once you master landings, flying planes will be a lot more simple than you thought it is.

Steps

Figure out at which airport you plan to land at. Then choose the runway on which you plan to land.
Get your plane into a position that the runway you are landing at is directly ahead of you and the tip of the runway is facing you. You may not be able to see the runway just yet. If that's the case, then check your flight analysis to make sure you are in the right position. This position may take a lot of time and effort to get into but everything is easy after that.
Pull back on your throttle and gently push forward on the stick. You should be going down at an angle less than five degrees but you should make your speed go down which will cause your plane to descent.
Get near the runway you can adjust your angle of descent. If you are to low, then descent slower. If you are to high, then descent at a greater rate.
Be very close to the runway, then even out your plane and pull back on the throttle gently, bringing it to idle. The back tires are suppose to lick the ground (softly.!).
Slow down. After you are going slow, apply the brakes and finally the parking brake. Now you have stopped.
Be proud of yourself because you have landed a plane which is very difficult.
There is a certain Procedure for executing a normal Landing. The basic difference is a Visual Approach and ILS Instrument Landing Sys.
Figure out the Nav frequencies of your runway and tune it. Press NAV in Autopilot for it to guide you through the Glide Slope & Localizer. At decision Height (200 ft generally for the ILS) disengage autopilot, Idle Thrust, arm auto brakes and flare. Engage reverser after the nose wheel touches the runway and apply Speed Brakes '/' key.
Good Luck.
Now you should be on the runway.

Tips

Land on a runway on which you are sure your plane will have enough room to stop.
Watch your Attitude indicator (artificial horizon) and Vertical speed indicator (VSI) to see at what angle you are going during the descent.
Get the information about the airport's runway by clicking on the airport on the flight analysis map.
It is much easier to land (and fly in general) if you use a joystick rather than the keyboard.

Warnings

Do not apply brakes too quickly or your plane might flip over.
If you descend too quickly you might crash.
If you don't follow the steps correctly your plane might crash
Remember that most plane crashes happen on landings. Be very careful.

Things You'll Need

Computer
Flight Simulator 2004

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How to Make an Espresso Coffee

2011-03-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

How to Make an Espresso (Espresso Machine Coffee)

Espresso is a single shot of coffee from an espresso machine. Making "good" espresso is an art form, and needs much research and practice to develop the best results. This is only a very basic starting place.

Steps

Research the different roasts and find what you like the best. Espresso can be made from a variety of roast levels. Roast preferences tend to vary by region. Northern Italy prefers a medium roast and Southern Italy prefers a darker roast. In America, espresso roast is assumed to be dark because the major companies that brought espresso (Starbucks) were influenced by cafés in southern Italy.
Get it fresh, it's better. Freshness is supremely important. The closer it is to the roast date, the better. Ideally not over three weeks max since the roast date.
It is best to grind your own beans; but not with a cheap, electric, blade coffee grinder. These can "burn" the coffee, and it is hard to get a consistent grind. Either use a good espresso grinder, or buy fresh ground/roasted beans from a good source espresso shop. Ask how fresh the beans are, and have them ground while you are there. A good espresso grind should be about the consistency of sugar. Too coarse, and the water runs through too quickly to pick up the proper elements. Too fine (like powder), and it packs too densely and brewing takes too long, making the coffee bitter. Good espresso, brewed right, should not be bitter.
Use purified water, without minerals or pollutants, heated to about 200F or 90C degrees. Never use boiling water. Boiling water stops the process of creating good coffee dead. Not enough heat, and important components are not extracted from the coffee grind.
Use the right amount of ground coffee. This is about 7 grams (1/4 ounce dry volume) for a single shot (one ounce serving of espresso), or 14 grams for a double.
It is about the grind and the pressure used with the tamper (assuming water temp is good) (the water is the easy part) you can compensate for too loose a grind with more pressure and too fine a grind with less.
Pack the grinds into the portafilter or group (handle) of the espresso machine using a tamper. A tamper is a flat object, approximately the size of the inside of the portafilter, used to compress the grounds to a density that will create just the right amount of resistance for the water being forced through the grind. Usually that is around 30 pounds of pressure. Again, too little resistance and the water flows through without picking up the needed elements from the coffee. Too much pressure and the brew takes too long and the brew will be bitter and without crema.
If everything above is right, it should take 5-10 seconds for the first 'reluctant hone' drops to appear & 20 to 25 seconds to create one or two ounces respectively. Grind & tamp to achieve these parameters. Place your cup's under the group/brew basket (making sure this is seated securely). Turned on your espresso machine. You should see a hazel brown cream, called crema or foam, appear at the surface of the coffee when its finished.

Tips

Serve immediately.
Patience and practice is needed because getting this wonderful and flavorful, illusive brew we call espresso is an art form. There is a learning process to be enjoyed, not fussed over. It's the process of learning that makes mastery a sweeter accomplishment.
Use fresh roasted espresso beans.
Grind the coffee beans to a sugar texture, depending on the type of machine used. Home 'thermoblock' ones seem to require an even finer "icing sugar" grind in order to achieve the 25-30 second 'pour'.
Use the Espresso quickly, as it can go stale very quickly. Or mix it with milk or flavoring to stop this.
Always start with cold water.
Find out more about espresso at the links below, and use Google.
Every machine is different. It is a matter of learning your machine and how to work with it. Also, practice good maintenance with it.
If you have a machine with a pressurized portafilter, sometimes called a crema enhancer, tamping could clog up the machine. Check the instructions of your machine to see if it can be tamped.

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Sources and Citations

How to Make a Ristretto (Espresso Coffee)

A ristretto is half a single shot (0.5oz or 15mL) of espresso. It is also known as a "short black" in other parts of the world and a "corto" in Italy. Because it is not a full espresso it is usually a more dense syrupy coffee.

Steps

Get hold of some freshly roasted espresso beans. Crema comes from trapped CO2 gases that fade as coffee beans stale. Traditional northern Italian style is a medium roast, while southern Italians tradition dictates a darker bean that looks slightly oily. Darker roasts will emphasize the roast flavors, while medium and lighter roasts allow for sweeter, floral tones to come to the fore. The flavors of a lighter roasts will fade faster, so it's easier to get a consistent result from a darker roast. Experiment!
There are three options for actually creating the ristretto.
The Lazy Way
Grind your coffee beans as normal, and don't change the tamp.
Start the brew pump and stop it after the group has delivered 0.5oz (~15mL) of coffee (approximately 15 seconds).
The Better Way
Grind your coffee beans as normal and tamp much harder than usual
Start the brew pump and stop it after the group has delivered 0.5oz (~15mL) of coffee (approximately 20 - 25 seconds).
The Best Way
Grind your coffee beans finer than normal, but do leave the tamp the same as usual.
Start the brew pump and stop it after the group has delivered 0.5oz (~15mL) of coffee (25 seconds).

Tips

The Lazy Way is only useful for those who are unable to vary the grind.
The Better Way will give you richer tasting coffee than basic espresso, and will make you feel like you've done a better job at achieving a real ristretto.
Only The Best Way is a true ristretto.

Warnings

1. Watch out for sourness when you do it The Best Way - your machine needs to be right up to temperature before pouring a fine-grind ristretto!

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Sources and Citations

How To Homebrew Wine

2011-03-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

How to Make Cheap Wine

As the title says, this is cheap wine. This hobo-wine is certainly not for connoisseurs. This is more for those who do not expect quality, but want to try an enjoyable, cheap, and easy educational project.
Another way to make an inexpensive wine at home, is to obtain unconcentrated varietal grape juice and some basic equipment from a homebrew supply store; the results are pleasant to drink. The procedure is also simpler; one pours the juice into a sanitized bucket and sprinkles yeast and then rests the sanitized lid over the bucket.
The time-saving shortcut instead of using frozen concentrate is to buy pasteurized grape juice with no additives, sugar, and champagne yeast. The juice is already sanitary in its plastic half gallon bottle at the supermarket. Add the bubbler gadget with a rubber cork on top to let the gas escape. Your enemy in the winemaking procedure is sulfur dioxide, so make sure the juice is natural. [The pasteurization killed the grape's wild yeasts and molds with heat instead of using sulfur compounds which would interfere with your fermentation.] Although your friends may never like your homebrew, fellow homebrewers will be impressed with your ingredients label, home brand, and all your work.

Food Ingredients

The following quantities make a gallon of wine.

2 cans of juice concentrate (room temp). You can use any type of concentrate like Welch's concord grape, strawberry, kiwi-whatever, etc., as long as it doesn't contain any preservatives, artificial flavors or coloring.
2 cups of sugar
1 packet of champagne yeast (more will not increase alcohol content but will impart a bad "yeasty" flavor) - IF you use bread yeast, if will taste like sweat socks. It is recommended that you use only champagne yeast.
Water, dump between half to a third of the water out of the jug. At the end, top up the bottle using tap water (boil it if it contains a lot of chlorine) - boiled water and tap water should be avoided - Reverse Osmosis water isn't needed but it may help during fermentation.

Steps

Never underestimate the importance of sanitizing! Sanitize everything you’re going to use to hold the fermenting wine, to keep bacteria from growing. The easy way to sanitize everything at once is to use your dishwasher at the high heat setting, with appropriate detergent. Some dishwashers are designed especially to sanitize your dishes (183 degrees F water temperature), this will at least reasonably clean the equipment, and it makes the task really easy. After the machine finishes the dry cycle you will be ready to start making the wine. If you do not have an automatic dishwasher, wash with detergent, then bleach the funnel and anything else you may use. You do not need to clean the jug, as it has only had pure water in it. Air dry.
Buy a 1-gallon plastic jug of Reverse Osmosis water at the store (or if you have a reverse osmosis filter you can use that to filter a gallon of water out of the tap). Bring the water to 144F for 22 minutes.
Add the room temperature juice concentrate to the clean, dry jug. Use the funnel if needed.
While the water is hot, dissolve 2 cups of sugar into the water. Stir while pouring.
There are different schools of thought here. You could activate the yeast following the directions on the packet. Another method of activating the yeast is to place 1 teaspoon of sugar into a separate bowl. Add 1/4 cup of luke-warm water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit). Add the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes. The yeast should become very frothy.
Pour the dissolved sugar-water into the jug filled with the juice concentrate. If it is too warm, cool it by placing the jug into a sink filled with cool water; add ice cubes to rapidly cool the mixture and limit the time the open container is exposed to bacterial contamination.
Touch to make sure the mix is cool, then add the yeast. Cap the jug and shake thoroughly to completely mix all the ingredients .
Remove the cap of the bottle, and follow one of the directions mentioned below, with the check valve being the preferred method.
- Option 1: Place a balloon over the top. Secure it by putting a rubber band or tape around it. The yeast produces CO2 and the balloon will expand. Very important: Poke a hole in the balloon with a pin. This will always keep the pressure positive in the jug and balloon to let CO2 out and at the same time does not let air in. (Air cannot be introduced to the mix or it will become vinegar.)
- Option 2 (Preferred): Instead of a balloon, use a US$1.25 check valve used in an aquarium. The check valve is a one-way valve which lets out the CO2 but does not let any air in. Run a tube from the check valve to a cup of water just so you can see if it is fermenting properly, by watching the CO2 rise in the brew itself by the next day.
- Option 3: Use play-dough to seal a tube into the mouth of the jug and place the other end in the bottom of a glass of water. Bubbles will be seen occasionally as the CO2 exits.
Keep the jug at room temperature and do not expose it to direct sunlight. After a few days, if it does not start to bubble, throw it away and try again being more careful to use sanitary equipment. Otherwise, wait 10-14 days, when the mixture will suddenly go from cloudy to clear. Then transfer into another bottle or smaller bottles, leaving the sediment on the bottom of the first bottle, and then enjoy!

Tips

If you do not have a large enough pot, it is perfectly acceptable to use two pots instead.
Not all of the water fits back into the gallon jug. Before boiling, dump out enough water to fit in jug.
When done fermenting, strain as you pour into a wine bottle or glass, leaving the clumpy yeast in the jug. Make sure to wash and sterilize again.
When adding the yeast, the juice should not be too hot or it will kill the yeast and ruin your wine. The jug should feel just warm to the touch.
The quality of the wine produced depends on the quality of the ingredients. Try experimenting with higher quality juices and different types of yeast (See Warnings).
When purchasing your juice, pay attention to the ingredients list on the label for "Preservatives" because these are intended to inhibit fermentation and spoilage.
As an alternate buy a gallon jug of apple juice (no preservatives), pour yourself a glass (for head space) pour in 1 cup of regular cane sugar, and 1 pack of wine or ale yeast, replace the cap just loose enough to allow the CO2 to escape. In 3-5 days you have hard cider. Let it settle, pour off into an empty leaving the trub. Foolproof.
Tips for adding the sugar - put the kettle on! 2 cups full from the 2ltr water bottle. Dissolve the sugar into the two cups of hot water. Then when its cool enough add it to your mixture.
the yeast will die around 10-20% alcohol concentration.
if you are using balloons, keep the cap on(under the balloon) just enough to let CO2 out, this will further prevent air from getting in, and will further ensure the pressure in the jug is positive.

Warnings

Yeast consumes and consumes until there is no food left (in this case sugar), then it becomes dormant (or until the alcohol content is so high that the yeast cannot survive). By adding more sugar, you increase the brewing time and also raise the alcohol content. Theoretically, if you add a lot of sugar you could ensure it would be very sweet when finished, but it would also be very potent, and take a long time to finish; however, likely, the yeast would die from the high alcohol content before it can produce more alcohol.
Use dry wine yeast, not the sparkling wine variety or baking yeast. When wine yeast is unavailable never use “rapid-raise” types.
Don't assume the alcohol content is as low as your average glass of wine. Plan not to drive for a while after consuming! (However unless you use specialist yeast for alcohol production the yeast will die before the alcohol content reaches much more).
Do NOT use "Brewer's yeast" as sold in health food stores - this is dead yeast, and won't do anything!
Baking yeast (active dried yeast) does not leave its taste if your wine has gone through ultracentrifugation.

Things You'll Need

1 gallon water container (use a water jug that is 60 cents at the store)
Bleach
Funnel
Rubber band
Balloon
Pin (can be a safety pin, earring, tac, etc.)

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Sources and Citations

http://www.leftofme.com/how-to-brew-cheap-wine/ Original source of this article. Shared with permission. (Later edited by WikiHow members)
http://www.how-to-make-wine-at-home.com/ Discover the joy of making delicious wines & spirits from the comfort of your own home. Step-by-step instructions, over 90 recipes & tutorials - A complete blueprint for perfect wines & spirits.
To brew appropiately, please visit http://mbhp.forgottensea.org/

How to Make Kool Aid Wine

This is a fun, extremely easy way to make very cheap but drinkable alcohol. It won’t replace a nice beer or wine, but it's perfect for occasions where you need plenty of cheap alcohol. The initial equipment investment is about $5, and ingredients will usually only cost you about $4 for 4L of “wine.” It’s around 8-10% alcohol. A litre translates to $1 for a night - you can’t beat that price in any store! It’s drinkable after about 2 weeks, but improves greatly after 3-4 weeks.

Ingredients

3.5 cups (830 mL) of white sugar
1 packet of traditional dried bread yeast (avoid “quick-rise”)
2 packages of Kool-aid in whatever flavour you want.
14 cups (3 1/3 L) water

Steps

Assemble your equipment and ingredients.
- Most of the equipment used can be stuff found around the house, and bottles can be fished out of people's recycling bins or reused if you drink bottled water. If you clean the bottles with dish detergent and let them soak in bleach for a few minutes, then rinse them well, you'll have nothing to worry about.
- The rubber tubing can be found in Home Depot for about $4. It is intended for use with ice makers. You could also find it in aquarium stores or just about any hardware store, but may pay a bit more.
Disinfect the equipment that will be used in the bottling process, including the bottles, funnel, and rubber hose, in a large pot of boiling water for at least three minutes. This will kill the critters that could potentially be plaguing your equipment. If you fail to do this step, the bacteria could kill the yeast and/or spoil the wine.
- Be sure to use a different pot than the one you use to make the sugar water.
Boil the water to kill any form of bacteria. Use the jug or bottles to measure how much water you will need. Fill a large pot with water and the sugar. As it gets hot stir to dissolve all of the sugar. Let the water and sugar mixture cool to room temperature.
Activate the yeast. Pour the packet into half a cup of warm water (not hot or you'll kill the yeast) with a teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then stir it lightly. Move on to the next step.
Use a clean funnel to fill the jug or bottles with the cooled sugar water. Do not over fill. Leave some air space for foaming.
When you can see that the yeast has been activated (getting foamy) use the funnel to pour it into the bottle. Add 4 more cups of warm water, cap it, and shake it again. Make sure all the sugar is dissolved and that the yeast is mixed in.
Find a safe location where you’ll be able to store the bottle upright, such as inside a bathroom cabinet, in a basement, or behind a desk. Take the balloon and poke a few holes in it using the pin. Take the cap off the bottle and stretch the balloon across the opening. Put an elastic around the balloon on the top of the bottle to hold it in position. Carefully put the bottle in a plastic bag that will catch any wine that overflows or spills. Put the bottle in your decided location and leave it there for about 2 weeks, until the balloon isn't full of gas anymore. The balloon will fill up with gas which will leak out the holes in it, but when the gas stops, the holes will close and air won’t be able to get in and ruin your wine. This process is where the alcohol is being produced, and is called fermentation.
- If you use 2-Litres, then instead of using balloons you can tighten the cap to just before it is fully sealed, which will let gas escape when it builds up but won't let any in when it stops fermenting.
- Instead of a balloon, you can use a common fermenter airlock. They cost about $1.50.
When you can see that the balloon isn't full of gas anymore, the fermentation is over. Remove the bottle from its location, and be very careful not to shake it up. At this point, the alcohol has actually been produced and this stuff will get you drunk, but it is “flavorless” and is an acquired taste. (If it has gone bad, usually from something unsanitary, it will taste like vinegar. It makes you want to puke on one sip, so it's pretty obvious.) Waiting a little bit longer and finishing the rest of this will yield a much better tasting product.
Separate the dead yeast. There should be a fine layer of dead yeast and such lying on the bottom of the bottle. This stuff isn’t poisonous, but it tastes awful and is known to give you bad gas. Place the bottle somewhere relatively high, such as on a counter, and put the second 4L bottle on the floor underneath. Using the rubber hose, siphon the unflavoured wine into the empty bottle without sucking up any of the gunk on the bottom. Try not to let it splash around too much. When only a small amount of wine is left right above the sediment, stop siphoning and throw the rest out.
- Another way you can remove the dead yeast is to strain your liquid through a properly cleaned cloth.
- Switching containers is not necessary; it's done to get rid of the dead yeasty-beasties. Yeasty-beasties cloud the wine, taste bad and can give you diarrhea. Aesthetics count. It is difficult to be proud of cloudy wine but a crystal clear 14% wine is something to be proud of, regardless of how you did it or how cheap it tastes!
Add the two packages of Kool Aid powder to the wine in the new bottle, cap the bottle, then shake it for a few seconds to mix it thoroughly. Try tasting a bit, it will probably be awful. Don’t dump it out, it will get way better! Adding some more sugar here may improve the flavor a bit, but it really needs to age a little while longer. Leave it in the second 4L bottle for about a week or so, and check on it whenever you can to make sure there isn’t gas building up inside the bottle. If it is bulging a bit, just open the cap enough to let the gas escape then close it again.
After the third week has passed, siphon it again except into small water bottles. You will fill nearly 8 regular 500mL water bottles. The smaller bottles are much easier to hide and to drink from.
When the wine is around 4 weeks old or older, it should be ready for consumption. Have fun and don’t be afraid to tell people you made it yourself!

P.S. Best way to do it without getting blown up

Tips

Plain sugar doesn't contain trace elements that yeast needs to live. For better yeast health, buy yeast nutrient at a homebrew shop, or add a few raisins to the solution.
Increasing the sugar and yeast won't make this alcohol any stronger. The yeast dies when the alcohol reaches about 10%, extra sugar will just make it sweeter. If you want to get hardcore, you need to build a "still", and distill the stuff. The thing with this is it's way more complicated and dangerous if done wrong. It's often called moonshining, you sometimes hear stories of alcohol fires or stills blowing up, which is no laughing matter. Home-brewed alcohols (beer and wine) are perfectly legal to produce, but illegal to sell without the proper tax stamps. Home-distilled alcohols (spirits) are illegal to both produce and sell in the United States [1].
You can try putting the wine in a fridge a couple days before you plan to switch containers. This can help cause the yeast and other sediment to settle to the bottom, making the transfer easier.
Kool Aid is entirely for flavouring. You could easily use Gatorade or any other flavoring.
After the wine is finished and has been bottled, check on the bottles every week or so to see if any more gas is being produced. If the bottle is bulging a bit, just loosen the cap until the pressure escapes then tighten it again. Keeping them in a fridge can eliminate this issue.
Using a Clean American Ale beer yeast (available at any homebrew shop) will produce a better, less phenolic taste. Keeping the "ferment" between 68 degrees F and 75 Degrees F will also limit phenol production.
The wine should last for at least two months, but it is best to drink when it is between 1 to 2 months old.
Higher Alcohol levels can be achieved if better yeast is used. Some homebrew shops carry a turbo / distilling yeast that can get around 20%.
The biggest tip possible with homebrew wines is "patience", at two months it's generally drinkable, at six it gets it interesting, it a year "that's nice", at five .... "wow... why do we buy wine?"

If you boil plastic 2 liter plastic bottles they will shrink by half their size.Keep an eye on them.

Warnings

When adding the Kool Aid, do it in a sink or bathtub. Occasionally, by the same process as that of Mentos and Diet Coke, the 'wine' foams rapidly and overflows the jug as the Kool Aid is added. Since it's just foam overflowing, you'll hardly lose any of the wine. However, spilt Kool Aid is brutal to clean, so do it in a sink just in case!
This is real alcohol, it has the same health risks as any other wine or beer. In moderation you are fine, but drink too much and/or too often and you may face serious health problems. It will impair you, so don't drink it and then drive.
If you absolutely have to take this in your car, at least make sure it is in the trunk. Depending on laws for your area, you might face fines if it is found, since the bottles are not sealed.
In most areas, making your own wine is perfectly legal, but you are not allowed to sell it. Regular laws regarding minors still apply. If you think it may be an issue, check with local laws before making this.
This will smell horrible after fermentation.
Never ever put the original 2 liter cap back on the bottle during the fermentation process or the pressure could build until the bottle violently explodes.

Things You'll Need

a measuring cup
two 4L (1 gallon)water jugs - or 2L bottles
eight regular size (500mL) water bottles
a fairly long piece of thin rubber hose
a balloon
an elastic band
a pin
a funnel.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

↑ http://www.atf.gov/alcohol/info/faq/genalcohol.htm

How to Lose Weight

2011-03-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

How to Lose Weight Fast

Do you want to slim down fast for that beach vacation or high school reunion? While there are many things you can do to shed pounds, losing weight too quickly, like any sudden change to your body, can be dangerous. While fad diets, diet pills, and fasting may indeed induce rapid weight loss, these methods can cause you to get gallstones[1], start losing muscle and hair and may also injure your heart and other organs fairly quickly. The best solution? Don't go for an overnight miracle. Instead, follow these steps to lose weight rapidly, healthily, and sustainably.

Steps

Have confidence in yourself. You should know the exact reason that stimulates you to reduce your weight. This will help keep you motivated in your weight loss program. Know that millions of people do it, and so can you! You're never too out of shape to get into shape!
Set an achievable goal for your weight reduction. If the aim is not practical then you will easily get disheartened and stop following your regimen. You must set a target that has a time limit. The amount of weight you want to lose and the time within which you would like to lose it should be decided beforehand. If the time and amount of weight is clearly decided primarily, your enthusiasm will keep you on the track until you reach your destination.
Determine your daily caloric intake. Losing weight is simply an activity. Lower your calories intake without starving. Remember to calculate your metabolism. The metabolism is a large part of your calories burned in an average day. To win the battle, know how many calories you consume in a day.
- Write down all the things you eat on a typical day. Carry a small notebook with you and write down every snack, every drink, and the contents of every meal. There are also great websites that you can use to keep track of calories, get recipes, and help achieve your goal. Don't forget to include the pats of butter or the spoonful of sugar in your coffee. It's best to do this for at least a couple weekdays and a weekend; it's even better if you can go a full week. There are also calorie tracking websites that can help you to do this, such as the US government Pyramid Tracker website.
- Do an itemized calorie count. When possible, write down the number of calories in each thing you eat as you eat it. Keep in mind that the recommended serving size is often considerably smaller than the serving you actually eat. Look up the calorie count on the internet for foods that don't have calories listed on the container or for fast food meals. You don't have to be 100% accurate, but you do want a good estimate of the number of calories you're taking in. There is an idea that multiplying your ideal weight by ten will produce a rough estimate of the number of calories you need to eat per day to maintain your weight. This is not true for everyone. You may wind up grossly under or over estimating the number of calories you should be eating. Consult a nutritionist. Use a scientific or health website to determine the number of calories you should eat a day or consult your doctor. Everyone has different metabolisms and there is no blanket rule that covers everyone's recommended calorie intake. Reducing 500 calories per day from the calories you eat to maintain your weight can help you lose a pound of fat per week. [2]
Go over the list and decide which foods to cut out or reduce. Cutting calories is usually a lot easier than you might think. For example, that daily tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories. Since a pound of flab (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a pound a week. Other easy cuts include salad dressing (salad dressing is the number one source of fat in the average American woman's diet[3]), soda pop, candy, and butter. Look at the nutritional information for the foods you eat, pay special attention to your intake of saturated fats and empty calorie, high-sugar foods. You don't need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods you'll lose weight faster.
Seek out alternatives to the unhealthy foods you've identified. You can simply reduce the amount of soda you drink or mayonnaise you put on your sandwiches, or you can substitute healthier choices. Drink water instead of soda, for example, or use mustard instead of mayo. Low-fat and low-calorie options are also available for most foods, and many of these are natural, (although some may contain chemicals), and tasty. Start trying to eat healthy in most meals:
- Choose lean meats. Chicken and fish are both very low in fat, and certain fish like salmon, sardines, and fresh tuna are an excellent sources of antioxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are also beneficial to your health, so aim to replace some or all of the beef or pork in your diet with these foods.
- Replace high-calorie side dishes with healthier alternatives. Many people get a ton of calories from side dishes such as macaroni and cheese, French fries, or potato salad. You can eat healthier and lose weight by replacing these with fresh vegetables and salads. Pre-made salads are practically effortless, and when accompanied by a reduced-calorie dressing or no dressing at all, they're weight-loss gold.
- Start your days off right. A fattening breakfast of bacon and eggs or a pastry can be replaced with yogurt, oatmeal, high-fiber, low-sugar cereals; or fresh fruit for fruit smoothies. However, for those on a low carbohydrate diet bacon and eggs are a great combo for breakfast, since neither have carbs. But don't fall into the trap of skipping breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast increases your rest metabolic rate earlier in the day, and reduces snacking before lunch.
Plan your meals. Look for healthy, delicious meals online or in your cookbooks, and create a menu for the week. Make sure that your meal plan reduces your total calorie intake: you're not going to lose weight if you consume the same amount of calories by eating different foods. Make a list of what you'll need for these meals, and -- except for a few snacks, of course -- don't stray from your list when you get to the market. Planning your meals helps ensure you get a balanced diet and reduces the temptation to stop off for fast food or order a pizza. Remember, it's easier to stick to your shopping list if you shop when you aren't hungry - this will help avoid impulse buys which contribute to calorie consumption.
Watch your portion sizes. Eating a whole bag of rice cakes in one sitting won't help you lose weight. When eating chips, nuts, or dried fruit, put a portion in a small bowl and then put the bag away. That way you won't mindlessly eat a larger portion than you had intended. Even if you only make minimal changes to your diet choices, reducing portion size will inevitably reduce caloric intake. A great way to watch portion sizes while snacking is to buy one serving 100 calorie packages - and they come in many favorite snack food items! Eat slowly to avoid overeating; you will get satisfied with less calories.
Graze on healthy snacks. Just because you're getting healthy doesn't mean you can't snack. In fact, eating small meals and snacks throughout the day, or grazing, has been shown to aid weight loss, compared to eating three large meals a day, by keeping metabolism steadier. Pick snacks that are low in calories and fat and high in fiber dried apricots, nuts, rice cakes, fruits, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and so on. Vegetables are generally very low in calories, very high in fiber, and full of flavor and nutrition. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, and try to eat vegetables plain, without fatty dressings or dips. Fruit also makes a good snack. Fruit contains more soluble fiber than vegetables, which slows your body's absorption of carbohydrates, thus releasing energy more slowly preventing sugar highs, and keeping you feeling full longer. Fruit juices are not a replacement for the real thing. You need that fiber, and juices often have more calories than the equivalent serving of fruit and as many calories as soda! Be careful with dried fruits, because without the water, you tend to eat more, and fruits, when dried, are calorie-rich per ounce. With any dry or dried food, be sure to drink plenty of water.
Get more fiber. There are many myths about fiber, but there is science to back up its helpful role in the diet. Fiber keeps the right amount of water in your intestines, making your digestive system work more efficiently and helping to keep you regular. Thus, just eating enough fiber may help you feel slimmer in just a day or so. There is also evidence that fiber in the diet can help prevent stroke and heart disease, ease the effects of diabetes, and may even directly help in weight loss.
Drink plenty of water. An adequate amount of water is essential for health, and a great many people simply don't get enough. What's more, if you're chronically dehydrated, your body will retain water in unflattering places, so if you make sure to get plenty of fluids you can start visibly trimming down in as little as a day. Remember, the more you exercise, the more water you'll need. See the related wikiHow for more details on how much water you should be getting. Drink one glass of water before your meal; it will help digestion and also to get the sensation of fullness in your stomach that will keep you from overeating; that in combination with eating slowly, will allow you to stop eating when you are satisfied, not when you already ate too much (If you eat too fast you can get full, even bloated but still be hungry) .
Write down your targets on sticky note pads and then stick them in most spaces of your home. These stuck notes will always remind you of your goal and will further inspire you to stay on your regime. They would not let you forget your goals at any time.
Exercise. Remember, you can lose weight either by decreasing your calorie intake or increasing the number of calories you burn. Any health strategy should include both, but if you want to lose weight fast, exercise is essential. By making time for exercise and other healthy, productive activities, you can also avoid temptation to overeat.
- Perform low impact aerobic activities. Moderate aerobic workouts incorporating brisk walking, cycling, aerobic machines, or swimming not only burn calories they also keep your heart healthy. Swimming is great, especially if you are quite overweight or have joint problems, because you can get the same benefits of running typically burning even more calories with much less stress on your joints. Try to get at least 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three or four days per week.
- Pump some iron. Resistance training, weight training, can help both sexes stay lean by building muscle and raising metabolism. The fact is, hours and hours of aerobic exercise won't help most people lose weight fast because your metabolism drops back to normal fairly quickly after stopping the exercise. If you gain muscle, however, your body's resting metabolism, (the amount of calories you burn when you're just sitting still), increases, because muscle requires a lot of calories to maintain. Studies have shown consistent weight training to raise the body's metabolism by 15%. This means an average woman might burn 200-300 more calories at rest every day! Resistance training is the gift that keeps on giving!
- It can be fun! Although you're losing weight through possibly painful exercises, it doesn't necessarily have to be a boring and painful procedure. If you want some extra motivation that will cover up the pain, get the video game Wii Fit. Built by Nintendo, this system helps you do exercises such as yoga, aerobics, strength training, and balance. If you want to work on burning calories, you can always run, but when you run on Wii Fit, it's twice as fun, because you always have a score to beat, and if you're competitive enough, it's a great way to burn the calories and get in shape.
Rest properly. This means not only taking at least 24-48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and taking 1-2 days off from exercising each week; it also means knowing how much sleep you need, since sleep deficiency impairs your ability to lose fat.
Be realistic. Don't expect a miracle. Healthy weight loss can be achieved fairly quickly, but you'll need to be patient. In addition, be sure to set realistic goals. Make sure that the weight you're trying to reach is a healthy weight for you, and keeping in mind that gaining pounds of muscle will help you lose fat, be trimmer, and look better even though you don't actually lose any weight. Your goal should be a healthy body, not a number of pounds! Everyone looks good at a different weight. A short person may look really good at about 112 pounds, but a person of a taller height would just look unhealthy. Keep yourself at a weight that makes you look good, not at a number that sounds good.
Make adjustments. A successful weight loss strategy based on reducing calorie intake and increasing activity can be adjusted to maintain your desired weight once you reach it. Unlike typical diets, this method is sustainable; it is a lifestyle change, not a binge-and-purge exercise. Slowly adjust your diet and exercise to include more weight training and calories, as much as is comfortable for you. If you do gain any weight back, you want that weight to be lean, toned muscle, not fat. In addition, weight training, no matter what your age, prevents muscle atrophy and can help stave off osteoporosis.
- Instead of thinking of it as losing a certain amount of pounds, think of it as being a certain weight. So if you are 145 pounds, and you would like to lose 10 pounds, think of it as being 135 pounds. This helps you think about it as a long-term goal and not just losing the weight to gain it back again.
Be confident. You need to believe in yourself! If you want to diet, and you know that it will make you feel better, then you need confidence. Otherwise, the temptation to cheat on your diet will make it harder, and you will not feel better when you do lose weight. Avoid temptations like chocolate, ice cream, and cookies. They may taste good, but there are other foods that taste delicious, too, without being unhealthy. You need to always encourage yourself to achieve the goals that you have set. Learn to evaluate your efforts fairly and objectively. If you fail to achieve your target for the week, find out why is it so. Is it because you have missed an exercise session? Or you have been eating junk food for one of the days? After evaluating, look ahead to next week and try your best to stick to your plan.
Be consistent and disciplined, and have self motivation. To lose weight effectively, you need to stick to your weight loss plan religiously so as to see results. When you think about giving up, visualize the benefits of slimming down successfully.
After you achieve your targets successfully, you must maintain your weight loss. You must form a way of life that is healthy for you. Make certain that you don't gain back the weight you lost by returning to your old eating habits.
You can simplify weight loss with a pre-planned diet, many of which involve ready-made food. Be especially cautious of and do not spend long (more than, say, a month) on a diet which involves an extremely restricted variety of foods; do not use any that involves drugs without consulting a doctor. Some involve special versions of a variety of more-or-less ordinary food.

Preparing menus and queuing up portions of food well in advance can help you stick to a diet (by having a well-defined diet to which to stick) and avoid reminders to think about varieties of food daily, which is very helpful when trying to eat less of it. This can help you Easily Stick to and Enjoy a Diet Such As Nutrisystem or any other.

Tips

It is best to drink freshly made juice right away, as the longer it is stored, the more it will decline in nutrition. You can put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimal amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will “oxidize” and damage the juice. Wrap the jar with aluminum foil to block out all light. Light damages the juice.
Motivation is key when losing weight. If you are not motivated, you will forget about your goal and simply drop out. If you want to stay focused, the best strategy is to get a book on losing weight and bring it everywhere you go. By doing this, you're remembering to lose weight no matter where you are. There are books on weight loss everywhere. Just pick one and you're all set to go.
For maximum health, especially if you are changing your dietetic routine in any drastic manner, start a diabetic diet of vegetables, fruits, proteins in small portions of poultry, fish, eggs, and meat. Build your diet from there.
Determine your objectives to lose weight. To succeed in doing something, you need to have a very compelling objective or reason so that you will not lose track of your goal. Losing weight just for vanity's sake is usually less helpful than losing weight to improve health. Other than just exercising, you need to have a healthy diet so that you will have a better body and more energy to be positive throughout the day.
It's very good to do a blood test before you begin your new diet and exercise regimen. Some people may not need to lose a lot of weight, but they may need to lower the blood sugar level slightly. You can also check for mineral deficiencies.
The goal is to lose fat, not just weight in general. If you are doing strength training during your weight loss (which you should be), you might actually see an initial gain in weight -- don't worry! You have probably lost fat and gained muscle, which is denser than fat and is much healthier.
- A better measurement than what a scale reads is body fat percent. If you don't have access to calipers or a body fat scale, a better gauge is how your clothes fit and how you look rather than your absolute weight. If you can, though, it is good to measure your body fat about once per month. Men should be between 15%-25%, but no lower than 4%; and women 20%-30%, but no lower than 15%. Females have higher fat percentage due to pregnancy and menstrual requirements.
- Generally, with a combination of calorie reduction and increased activity, you want to reduce and burn a certain number of calories a day, causing a net loss of calories so your body is forced to use its own stores of fat. How much aerobic exercise you need to perform depends on what you eat, how fast you'd like to lose weight, and how much muscle you gain. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Men can safely lose around two pounds a week, and women can safely lose around one pound a week. Any more than this and you might be losing more muscle mass than fat. Thus, with a combination of calorie restriction and aerobic exercise, a man should aim to run a 3500-7000 calorie deficit each week, and women should aim for a 1750-3500 calorie deficit.
With regard to weights, men and women differ on their goals with weight training. Women, don't worry, no amount of weight training will make you as bulky as a man; women just don't have enough testosterone to build large muscles. The female body-builders you see are either taking steroids or training 2-3 hours every day. Male and female beginners should start with 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions, and should use the heaviest weight you can while still maintaining good form, even to the last repetition of the last set. Get a weight training book or find a reputable website that will show you different exercises and the correct form. When lifting properly, you will stretch the muscle during the exercise, but you should still stretch properly to prevent injury!
No matter what the magazine article says, spot improving is a myth! When your body burns fat, it takes it from all over your body, even if all you do are crunches. No amount of crunches will get rid of that gut if they are not backed up by proper aerobic exercise and diet! Washboard abs do not come from millions of sit ups; they come from having low levels of body fat. So if that is your goal, make sure you do plenty of aerobic exercise in addition to your ab routine.
Sugar comes in many disguises. Check your food labels: fructose, glucose, molasses, and corn syrup are all sugars. Limit all sugars, but especially stay away from high-fructose corn syrup. It is just a corn syrup full of sugar. Choosing foods without it will help you reach your weight loss goals faster.
Remember your body needs 'fuel' just like a car needs 'fuel'. Your body needs the 'right' kinds of food to lose weight effectively.
Don't taunt yourself by not letting yourself eat the occasional snack that you're craving. Just make sure you burn it off later with exercise
Despite popular belief it is not terrible to eat after 6 p.m. A reasonable dinner with extra protein if you've had a good weight training session is going to help deliver nutrients to the body to prepare it for the next day. Additionally if you find yourself very hungry before bed, a small bowl of high fiber cereal and low fat milk will actually help maintain your metabolism while you sleep. The key is to not overeat in the evenings.
Take the right vitamins for your requirements. While it is better to always get your nutrients from your food, most people miss something in their diet, especially when they're trying to cut calories. Vitamins and minerals play an important role in keeping your body chemistry balanced and your energy levels healthy.
If you find yourself missing some of your favorite foods, don't worry. There is no harm in having your treat once a week. Pick a day each week where you treat yourself to your guilty pleasure in moderation. If it's pizza, try going to a gourmet pizza place that will use better ingredients and fresher vegetables. If it's a fast food burger, try making your own. A homemade burger is generally much healthier than the food they serve in fast food restaurants. Electric grills that are slanted to allow most of the fat to slide off make nice, lean burgers.
Save some calories for potassium and protein for after you work out, this will help reduce soreness. A banana and an egg does the trick.
Do not forget to stretch. Stretching can help increase your strength and flexibility.
Cut down on your sodium. Many prepared foods have as much as 30% of your daily value. You get your daily requirement of sodium from a healthy diet; too much can cause you to retain water weight.
Try not to skip any meals as this only makes your body to retain fats for energy. A good weight loss plan is to eat healthily and exercise regularly.
To continue to lose weight fast[4] - eat a variety of foods. Just like in weight training, the body will get used to the same routine and plateau. Mix up the foods you eat to keep your metabolism high and prevent a metabolism plateau.
Your breathing can also help increase your metabolic rate, and in turn enable you to burn calories more efficiently.
You can reduce your caloric intake by eating slowly; your brain needs about 20 minutes to get the signal that you are not hungry anymore, if you eat fast your stomach can get bloated and you will still feel hungry, the extra calories will be accumulated as fat. Eating slowly gets you satisfied with less food without feeling hungry or deprived.
You can actually lose weight by eating slowly. Because eating slowly gives your the hypothalamus in your brain to register that you are satisfied and that will allow you to stop before you overeat; it takes your brain about 20 minutes to get the signal that you are satisfied. This is why doctors recommend that you eat several small meals while keeping the same daily calorie/carbohydrate limits. The healthy goal is to be satisfied, not full. If you've satisfied your biological needs, but you're not full, then you've probably over indulged in the past to the extent that your stomach is expanded too much. Eat until you are satisfied, and no more, and your stomach will shrink back to its normal size.

Warnings

If you smoke, it would be best to quit before you start losing weight. Smoking is very dangerous and it has many unhealthy chemicals that could cause your road to weight loss to be a lot more difficult. When you quit, you will gain a few pounds, but it will come off a lot easier than if you still smoked.
Always consult a doctor before changing your dietetic routine. Also, make regular appointments with a registered nutritionist.
Do not try to starve yourself. In the short run, reducing your calorie intake to unhealthily low levels will slow metabolism and actually cause you to lose weight more slowly. Then your body cannot process potassium so when you DO eat again, (the alternative to dying), you will gain much more weight than you would if you weren't starving yourself and overall, you may end up gaining more than you lost. In the long run, starving yourself (anorexia or bulimia) can kill you. It's better to eat moderate amounts of healthy food than it is to not eat at all.
Muscle mass weighs more than fat, so don't be surprised if you gain weight but look slimmer.[5]
When starting a weight lifting routine, do not focus on a single muscle or group, doing so will overbuild that muscle while under building others - in other words, if you work your biceps, and not your triceps, your arms will begin to curl inward and you will look silly. If you work your chest and not your back, you will have a hard time maintaining good posture as your pectoral muscles overpower your back muscles and pull your shoulders forward.
A balanced workout also strengthens all the joints and smaller tie-in muscles, those most likely to become injured if bigger muscles over power the smaller ones. Have a personal trainer or a fitness facility provide a balanced workout and stretching routine.
If you have a serious medical condition (such as asthma or diabetes, or allergy to protein such as dairy products or you have lactose intolerance) or you are severely obese, consult with your doctor as well as a dietitian.
Do not take any harmful drugs. They are unhealthy and may ultimately make you gain weight instead.
Carefully consider whether you need dietary supplements. Most people may get the basic minerals and nutrients they need to sustain life through eating food. For example, excessive multivitamin supplements can make you overdose in some vitamins you need, and you can't store most water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C as any excess will be urinated. Although you could be below the recommended daily intake, that doesn't necessarily mean you are deficient in it if it's a kind that is stored. So you may wish to consult with your doctor or dietitian to inquire whether you need supplements and how much you should take.
Losing weight too quickly is dangerous and can have adverse effects on your health. For instance, it can in some people cause the gallbladder to damage itself by accumulating gallstones. Despite the title of this article, getting into shape is best done slowly. If you find yourself losing more than 2 pounds, or more than 1000g, each week, you are probably doing something wrong.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

How to Lose Weight

You already know that to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. You've tried dieting, keeping a food diary, creating an exercise regimen, and perhaps even hypnosis. It's now obvious that the problem isn't with the technique, but with your willpower. Old habits die hard. If you're having a hard time maintaining your efforts over time, here are some radical ways to break away from the routine.

Steps

Don't neglect the tried and true. Ultimately, losing weight comes down to one key principle: Burn more calories than you consume. The steps that follow won't work if you have a thousand more calories coming into your body on a daily basis than you have going out. Lay the foundation for weight loss with these practices:
- Count calories and keep a food diary.
- Go on a diet.
- Cut down on sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats and saturated fats.
- Burn more calories by exercising: Run, walk, even exercise at the computer you are sitting in front of now.
- When possible eat food cold. If it's reasonable, eat food cold or room-temperature as opposed to warm, examples include eating cold soup, leaving those hard-boiled eggs you had yesterday for dinner cold, and eating ice cream in stead of drinking overly-sweet fruit juices. Your body requires more calories to warm something up if it's cold. There's a very advanced formula to find out how many calories certain temperature water (yes water) will burn, which is another good example, when possible drink ice water instead of regular temperature tap.
- Raise your metabolism.
Downsize your kitchenware. The human mind works in mysterious ways. It turns out that using smaller bowls, plates, and containers can subconsciously influence how much you serve yourself. Even nutrition experts are victims of this phenomenon; when 85 of them were given a random mix of small and large bowls and scoops, those who got larger bowls served themselves 31% more ice cream, and added on another 14.5% if they had bigger scoops![1]
Put down the knife. By putting down whatever utensils you're using between every bite, you can significantly slow down your eating time, leaving your stomach a chance to feel full and reducing the likelihood that you'll go for seconds. Another technique that can have a similar effect is to take a sip between each bite. Numerous studies have shown that eating slowly results in eating less.[2] There's even a device you can get from a dentist that you wear to make your oral cavity smaller so that you take smaller bites,[3] and "diet forks" that are so awkward to use that you'll get less food per bite! There are also plates for eating slowly that keep your food warm, also called "Heat Retentive Plates"
Know the enemy! Make a list of the food items that are your weaknesses. These aren't always unhealthy foods, either. Sometimes we fool ourselves into believing that as long as we avoid the "bad" foods, we're making progress. At least, that's what we like to think as we get up for our third serving of fruit salad, or finish a bag of pretzels in one sitting, saying that they're healthier than chips. Remember that too much of anything is bad. You probably don't need to keep a food diary to know your enemies. Common culprits include soda, bread, alcohol, and fast food. Whatever your weakness is, cut down on it. If you cut it out completely, you're more likely to binge. Buy only small packages of it and have it only once in a while. If cutting down doesn't work, you might need to go cold turkey.
- Also seek out and reduce needless sedentary activities that burn few calories and can make you more susceptible to temptation to overeat.
Choose whole grains over a whole belly. If you switch out all of your refined grain food (white bread, food made with white flour) for whole-grain food (oatmeal, whole-grain cereal, whole-grain pasta, brown rice and barley) you won't lose additional weight overall. However, you will lose more weight in the belly area, which will make you look thinner--at least, that's what a Penn State study implies.[4] Not only will your slimmer profile make you feel better about your progress, but by losing the VAT (visceral adipose tissue) you're also doing away with a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, coronary vascular disease, and some types of cancer.[5] Check those labels and make sure that any grain-based foods you buy are made up of at least fifty-one percent whole grain.[4]
Limit your spending. Some people have an easier time controlling their wallet than controlling their diet. Go ahead, cut up those credit cards, and build up your emergency fund, if you haven't already (in its own account, and leave the bank card at home). Limit the amount of cash you have in your wallet, especially if you're subject to spontaneous fast food indulgences. When you go grocery shopping, have a list prepared, and bring just enough money to cover those items (this might take a few dry runs). The embarrassment of not having enough money at the register will keep you from throwing a few extra items in the shopping cart. If you don't do the grocery shopping, then offer to take on this monumental role. Your family or roommates might complain about the absence of junk food, but you'll be doing them a favor by stocking the kitchen with healthy stuff. They'll thank you...later...years later.
Set a digital watch to go off every two hours. Eat only when the watch tells you to. Spontaneous eating sessions (those times when you feel those hunger pangs, those cravings, and you scour the cabinets or the streets in search of satisfaction) are your weakest points. This is why all weight loss books tell you to avoid skipping meals. If you eat every two hours, you won't get so hungry that you gorge yourself when you do eat. You know how it goes: "Oh...I'm so hungry...the brownies are right there...I'd have to walk all the way to the deli to get a sandwich, but my stomach's churning...." Of course, if you eat the equivalent of a cheeseburger every two hours, that's a recipe for obesity, but again, you're more likely to retain self-control and stick to your diet when you don't have hunger pangs to cloud your judgment. It wouldn't hurt, however, to plan out what you'll eat (smoothie at 10, chicken salad at 12, a single piece of leftover cherry pie at 2, a slice of bread with peanut butter at 4, and so on).
- This has the added benefit of increasing your metabolism. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into "starvation mode," which will slow down your metabolism in response to the perceived threat of starvation. This is why fasting and skipping meals will only make things worse. In addition to having four to six small meals per day,[6] eating healthy snacks will also increase your metabolism.[7]
- Another useful way to think about this is to use a "hunger scale." Rate your hunger on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being so hungry that you feel weak and 10 being so full that you just want to curl up in bed and digest. Eat when you're at about 3, which is when you're just a little hungry, but not famished.[8]
Trade weight for cash. A 2007 study showed that the more you pay people to lose weight, the more pounds they drop over a three-month period.[9] If there's someone who keeps nagging you to lose weight, ask that person about paying you for every pound you lose. If your employer is self-insured, he or she might consider enlisting the services of a company that develops reward programs to encourage employees to lose weight.[10] You can also sign a contract that forces you to pay up for every pound you don't lose (or every pound you gain) and whatever money you pay (or gain) can be donated to charity.

Tips

One thing you might notice that happens if you eat slowly is that your food gets cold before you finish it. To address this, you can serve yourself smaller portions (heating as you serve) or even purchase plates specifically designed to keep food warm (heat retentive plates).
Don't cut fat completely from your diet. It's important to recognize that fat is necessary for good health and sustainable weight loss. Remember that weight loss is about calories, and while fat does have more calories per gram than carbs or protein, foods like ground flax, nuts, and avocados are all high fat foods that are touted for their health benefits. Taking this approach will promote healthy weight loss by keeping you feeling full longer, and provide your body with the nutrition it needs to properly absorb and process nutrients.
Keep a fitness log: Get a blank piece of paper and draw about forty small squares or print a spreadsheet from Microsoft Excel. Try to figure out your most common exercise-related activities and make two letter (or number) codes for them. Add a few more activities to get you moving. Set a date to complete all of your squares. Consider going over your log daily to fill in the squares, as you will not remember what activity you did three weeks from now. Make sure that your date goals are reasonable and timely.
For physical activity, try something different. Maybe you’ve stopped going to the gym because it's boring. Do something unique and preferably something that involves a long-term commitment and contract, such as swing or salsa dancing, swimming lessons, fencing, or martial arts. Choose a school or instructor you like--you're more likely to show up, especially if there's someone holding you accountable. The more expensive the contract, the more likely you are to stick with it...unless you're filthy rich, in which case you can hire a personal trainer.
Knowing your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) can help with this. Your BMR is the baseline number of calories your body needs to function of you were to just stay sedentary all day long. Consuming about 500 calories under this number is a way to boost your diet and ensure at least some weight loss.
If you are having a hard time getting started or maintaining an exercise routine, use Monday as the day to recommit. Instead of making it a New Year’s Resolution or something you start doing on your birthday, using Monday gives you fifty-two chances to get on track!
Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise. Different activities burn different quantities of calories, but the important thing is to raise your heart rate and sustain the activity for approximately thirty minutes.
Boost metabolism in the long run with weight training. Muscle burns more calories than fat does--73 more calories per kilogram per day, to be exact.[11] Every muscle cell that you gain is like a little factory that constantly burns calories for you, even while you sleep, and revs up when you exercise.

Warnings

Don't lose weight too quickly (more than one or two pounds a week). Losing weight quickly has its own health risks, as does being underweight. In addition, pushing yourself too hard can increase the likelihood of relapse. Slow and steady wins the race in this department.
Consult your doctor before making any major changes to your lifestyle if you have a medical condition that could be affected. Consulting your doctor can also help you rule out medical conditions that could be contributing to your weight.
Avoid "fad" diets such as the cabbage soup diet, "carb-loading," boiled egg diet, etc.
Avoid smoking as a weight-loss method. While nicotine is a metabolism booster and appetite suppressant, the health hazards far outweigh any benefits.
Expect your metabolism to slow down as you lose weight. The more weight your body is carrying, the more calories your body has to burn in order to sustain itself, even at rest. When you begin restricting your calorie intake, you'll lose weight relatively easily because your body's high caloric needs are not being met. But after you begin to shed the weight, the body has less mass to carry and thus needs fewer calories. In order to continue losing weight, you will have to restrict your caloric intake even further in order to maintain a difference between what your body needs and what you are providing.[11]
Remember that being healthy overall is more important than losing weight. Preventing obesity should be like preventing diabetes or cancer or hypertension; you are preventing a disease. Never do anything unhealthful to lose weight. You don’t want to substitute one disease for another.

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Sources and Citations

How to Become a Restaurant Chef

2011-03-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

How to Become a Chef

Don't do it for the money. Except for a handful of celebrity chefs and restauranteurs, the income level is fairly average. A Sous Chef in a small restaurant may make $9-$10 per hour in the U.S., while an Executive Chef for a large hotel may make $125,000. Just do it because you love to cook.

Steps

Ask to work in the kitchen of your dreams to see if this is the life you really want. Even fast food experience is applicable. The most important thing is that you get exposure to the conditions, techniques, equipment, and culture.
Executive Chefs tend to fall into two categories; those who teach, and those who don't. Those who teach are willing to share their knowledge, expertice, and experience with any employee who is willing to learn, and seeks out the information. Those who don't expect absolute precision in faithfully rLove food - if you don't, you'll be a cook, and even though that is good too it is not a chef. Not just anyone can be a chef. You have to have passion for food!
Learn everything about the food you love and, more importantly, about the food other people are willing to pay money to eat. Organic, free range, kosher, kobe - these are all good to know. If it's patisserie you're interested in, know that a souffle isn't just a bunch of hot air.
Become confident with a knife. You don't need to butcher a chicken with surgical precision just yet, but knowing the breast from the thigh will certainly help you alot, both in life and in cooking. Know that size doesn't matter because a 2" turning knife can do some jobs faster than a 10 inches chef's knife.
Try working in the industry. In Europe, the interview process is a day working at the restaurant, for free. You see what they can do, they see what you can do, if it's a match made somewhere close to heaven, or you're a cooking good, you're hired. Students are allowed to learn through work experience under similar circumstances, where they are not paid, but put eplicating their ideas and concepts, with no room for creativity and expression. While both have their place, it is important to work with someone willing to assist you in your future goals. Once you have acquired a skill set, you can go work for the demanding tyrant (Gordan Ramsey).
Buy or borrow copies of Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential", "The Professional Chef" from the Culinary Institute of America, and "Becoming a Chef" by Dorenburg and Page. read Bourdain and Dorenburg. Put Professional Chef on your shelf - it's an indispensable reference.
If after all this you still want to be a chef, you have a couple options: a) Go to cooking school. As most cooking is seeped in the French tradition, a French training-based course is an option. b) Try on the job training - through your school or job centre you may be able to find a paying position at a restaurant. Always pick the places that emphasize good hygiene - both yours and theirs.

Tips

Check out the local chapter of the American Culinary Federation.
Eat Out! Cooking at a restaurant is nothing like cooking at home, and there is a lot of good information and ideas on menus.
Check out culinary programs at the community colleges in your area. More and more schools are offering night classes, certificate programs, and full culinary degrees.
Be nice to everyone. The potwashers and guests you meet today may be opening the hot new fusion restaurant tomorrow.
You must have a step by step plan of how you are going to become a chef.

Warnings

Don't fall into the wrong crowd.
Don't let people tell you can't do it. Just do it.
Always wash your hands
Working in a kitchen is hard work, especially if you're not the executive chef. Be prepared to be yelled at a lot if you're just starting out in a kitchen.
Do it to your best ability.
Cuts are unavoidable. Use caution when working with knives, as it is easier to cut yourself once you become good with a knife since you trust yourself more. Be careful, and make sure those little nips at your fingertips dont actually cost you a finger.
Burns are unavoidable Use caution - always presume that everything in a kitchen is hot. Make sure to keep your ears open - and make sure to communicate when going behind someone.

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How to Cook With/Without a Recipe

2011-03-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

How to Cook Without a Recipe

As information becomes easier and easier to access, so do recipes. However, cooking with feeling instead of recipes will get the best of your cooking ability (and is much more fun/pleasant!). Furthermore, it's much more convenient to cook from what you have, rather than get what you need to cook, and even ecological; learn to cook according to the seasons; there is no point in using fruits and vegetables raised in greenhouses sometimes on the other side on the world, when you'll have them fresh from local producers in a few months. Plus they will be tastier, and your cooking will be more diverse.In home setting, cooking without a recipe gives you a chance to experiment with new spices, flavors, aromas, and lets you really make your meal unique and original.

Steps

Practice, practice, practice. Start cooking from recipes, eventually you develop your own tastes for what you think would go together well.Check your time available, good cooking takes time.
Start with cooking with recipes. Also, sit down and read some good cookbooks. Some of the best are the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, the Pillsbury's Best is great, the New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne. Another old standard is "The Joy of Cooking" and the food network chefs have all published cookbooks, too. You'd be surprised how much of a feel for cooking you can get just reading (and trying out) different recipes. Watch the Food Network on TV and watch their videos on their website (www.foodnetwork.com.) After a while, you know what you like and can experiment, and get a "feel" for what goes well together. But first you need cooking and baking basics.
Put complimentary ingredients into something it has to taste good. Do a little experimenting and season to taste. Don't be afraid to try. Some of the best dishes are made by accident.
Watch your mom , your grandmother or people who expert in cooking and start by adding a little flavor at a time .You can always add more.
Try different things, learn from your mistakes (and successes!), and make sure you know the basics of cooking. For example if you know the science behind making a basic sauce, you can do all sorts of things to vary it. Recipes limit people, chances are if you think something will taste good, it will, or if you think it tastes good, then other people will too!
Think of a casserole, it's fun to taste the outcome of an experiment. Breakfast casseroles are always a hit. Try new herbs -n-veggies vs. salts -n-such.Start small and before you know it different ingredients will just fit.
Think of foods & flavors you like together & create a combo of those. Or take a standard recipe & add to it.You will never make something same twice.Probably it gets close, but never the same.
Learn to estimate amounts with your eyeball, go with what looks good. It'll take practice. Hopefully your critics will be gracious when you mess up, because you will probably mess up a couple of times.
Use your imagination. Some great combos are, sweet sauce/spicy seasoning, olive oil seared garlic with lemon zest, and BBQ sauce with brown sugar. Cooking is so much fun when you can be the creator.
Cook often enough, you will become really familiar with your ingredients, what compliments, what brings out the flavour and what is good to use to counteract some taste or smell. You have to love food! If you love food, you will be the sort who will seek out places to try new tastes and smells, and from there you will learn too.

Tips

You might also want to look into taking a brief cooking class in your local community college or some High Schools have night courses.Once you start cooking a lot and especially reading and watching other people cook, you can start experimenting.
Checking some recipes on books or internet never hurts, however don't stick to it!
Best is to start from a well know dish, and then add your personal touch.
Learn first the basics of cooking (how to make a pie or pizza doug, creams, sauces, bake meat, fish, vegetables, etc.)
Taste every part of it frequently ! This way you'll know exactly what to add (be careful not to eat too much though !)
Have good quality and fresh ingredients (organic/homegrown is best)
Have basics cooking tools (knives, whisk, pan, burners, oven,etc.)
Plan well in advance: many things can or require to be done days or hours in advance, and you can buy, even book, that specific ingredient you'll need.
Be Positive and happy: it will show in your cooking !
Sometimes it's good to cook your favorites dishes, but it's also good to try new things to improve your cooking weak spot (whether be it cakes, meat, etc.)

Warnings

Don't try this if you don't have some previous cooking experience
Make sure you have the required equipment (a microwave won't stand for a oven, neither will an induction plate for a burner)
Don't stick to precise time, weight or quantity, just taste it !
If this is your first try, don't invite friends as this is likely to mess at some point. Don't panic, take note of what is wrong, and adjust it for next time.
Don't try to bake or make candy without recipes, these usually require very specific chemical balances, and only change things if you know what you're doing

Things You'll Need

Practice, practice, practice (best is to know different recipes for the dish you want to make)
A good intuition (you need to "feel" it)
A good cooking budget
Friends to share the great dishes you're going to make

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How to Write a Recipe

Some wizards of the kitchen spend countless hours mixing and experimenting with different ingredients, cooking times and temperatures, and other techniques, only to get a certain dish perfect, and find they cannot duplicate it again. Writing an original recipe requires careful recording of each step and ingredient in a dish.

Steps

Prepare for your cooking session with any ingredients you may choose to use, the utensils, pots and pans, bowls, and other kitchen tools you will need, and a notebook or voice recorder to take notes of each step in preparing your chosen dish.
Keep a list of each ingredient you use. You will want to be as specific as possible in type, quantity, and the method used to prepare it for addition. An example might be, "One medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped". Note, a yellow onion is distinctly different from a red onion, and finely chopping is different from slicing or coarsely chopped.
Proceed through each step of preparation, being as exact in your measurements, cooking times, temperatures, and sequence of adding ingredients as possible.
Use the correct term for each step in your process. Using the correct nomenclature for these will enable another person familiar with standard terminology to more closely duplicate your success, and avoids potential confusion.
Simplify the process and keep descriptions as brief and to the point as possible, without compromising the accuracy. Reading a recipe often occurs while you or someone else is trying to follow precisely timed steps, and it is easier to focus on what the cook is actually doing if the instructions are clear and concise.
Make a point of adding descriptive phrases where they are needed. If you are to saute one or more ingredients until lightly browned, there may not be an exact cooking time or even temperature that works every time, so telling the person trying your recipe what they are looking for will be helpful.
Give sufficient warnings about any problems which may occur during the cooking. An example of this might be "Do not open the oven door while baking, or your cake may fall", or "Do not let the oil get too hot on the stove". In candy making, especially, urging the cook to "Pour the mixture quickly after the ingredients reach a certain temperature, because they will set quickly as they cool" is a critical warning, since any remaining candy will turn into a hard, formless mass in the saucepan.
Cook the course or item you are writing your recipe for, and see if it turns out just right. If it is too sour, sweet, salty, spicy, or otherwise fails the taste test, consider what you might do to correct the problem, then begin the process over again. Guessing an adjustment, either in ingredients, cooking times, or temperatures does not always yield success. This is the reason "Test kitchens" are operated like laboratories, and results are carefully documented and repeated.
Write your recipe out using your notes. This does not have to follow any certain format or style, so long as it is readable and can be followed someone else if you desire to share it. The following items are a rough guideline for a typical recipe:
- Name of the food (or dish).
- Servings produced.
- Ingredients, with measurements for each one. Clearly write out the measurements. For example: 1 teaspoon not 1 t. or 1 cup not 1 c.
- Use numerals when writing the recipe. Write bake for 15 minutes not bake for fifteen minutes. This makes it easier to read recipes which follow a somewhat standardized format.
- Oven or stove temperatures. Many baked recipes will state at the beginning "Preheat oven to ____ degrees".
- Preparation steps, including all special instructions and cooking times.

Tips

For original recipes, look for basic food compatabilities and standard cooking times.
Learn about the many different spices and seasonings, and their appropriate uses.
Consider reducing fats, salt, and other ingredients that are not considered healthy when possible.

Warnings

Make sure all food products that contain pathogens which can cause illness are handled and prepared in a safe manner.

Things You'll Need

Notebook or voice recorder.
Measuring devices (teaspoon, tablespoon, measuring cups, etc.)
Cooking thermometer (may be optional)
Normal cooking equipment, may include mixing bowls, pots and pans, etc.

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How to Get Rid of Bad Breath

2011-03-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

How to Get Rid of Bad Breath

There are many ways to cover up bad breath, but if you're tired of quick fixes and want to get rid of halitosis once and for all, take these instructions to heart--or should we say mouth?

Steps

Clean your mouth thoroughly and regularly. Two major sources of mouth odor are bacteria and decaying food particles. There are hundreds of nooks and crannies in the landscape of your mouth where these offenders can get lodged. Brushing is not enough.
- Clean your tongue. Your tongue, unfortunately, is like a shaggy carpet where all kinds of smelly stuff can hide.[1] When you brush your teeth (which should be at least twice a day) use your toothbrush, the edge of a spoon, or a tongue cleaner to "scrape" your tongue.
  - If you have a sensitive gag reflex, you might not like this task. You need to clean your entire tongue, including the part close to your tonsils. Read How to Suppress the Gag Reflex for some tips.
- Floss. Make it as much of a mindless habit as brushing your teeth. At first, your gums might bleed as you dislodge chunks of food that have "stuck" to your teeth and gum for who knows how long. But take a second to smell the floss after you pass it through your teeth, if you dare. You'll see (or smell) where the bad breath is coming from.
Keep your mouth moisturized. A dry mouth is a stinky mouth. That's why your breath is worse in the morning; your mouth produces less saliva as you sleep. Saliva is the enemy of bad breath because not only does it physically wash bacteria and food particles away, but it also has antiseptic and enzymes that kill bacteria.[1]
- Chewing gum stimulates saliva production (in addition to covering up the odor with some kind of scent). Mints do not encourage saliva production.[1]
- Drink water. It won't necessarily increase saliva production, but it'll wash out your mouth and it's good for you. See How to Drink More Water Every Day.
- Dry mouth can be caused by certain medications and medical conditions. Ask your doctor about switching medications, or addressing the underlying condition.
Choose your gum carefully. As mentioned in the previous step, any gum will help with bad breath because the chewing action results in more saliva being produced. Some gums, however, have better bad-breath-fighting abilities than others:
- Cinnamon flavoring seems to be especially effective in reducing bacteria counts in your mouth.[1]
- Look for gum sweetened with xylitol. For one thing, sugar's not good for your mouth. Xylitol is a sugar substitute that actually works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth.[1]
Eat a banana. You probably already know to avoid notorious stink foods like onions, garlic, cheese, and coffee (or at least brush vigorously after eating them). But did you know that if you're on a low-carb diet, you might have "ketone breath"?[1] Basically, as your body breaks down fats instead of carbs for energy, it creates ketones, some of which are released in your mouth. Unfortunately, ketones smell bad, and so will your breath. If you're on a strict carb-restricting diet, or any diet that forces you to burn fat instead of carbs, consider throwing healthy carb-rich snacks into the mix, like apples or bananas.
- This will also happen to anyone who fasts, whether for religious reasons, or because they are anorexic. If you are anorexic, bad breath is only one of the reasons to stop starving yourself. Read How to Cope if You Want to Become Anorexic.
Talk to a doctor. If you've followed the above steps diligently and the bad breath persists, you may have a medical issue that needs to be treated. Here are some of the potential culprits:
- Tonsil stones. These are lumps of calcified food, mucus and bacteria that appear as white spots on your tonsils. If seen, they can be mistaken for a throat infection, although sometimes they are not visible to the naked eye. You might also notice a metallic taste in your mouth, and/or pain when swallowing.[2]
- Diabetic ketoacidosis. If you have diabetes, it may be causing your body to burn fat instead of glucose, creating the ketone breath referred to in the previous step. This is a serious condition that needs to be treated as soon as possible.[3]
- Trimethylaminuria. If your body can't break down a chemical called trimethylamine, it will be released in your saliva, causing bad breath. It'll also be released in your sweat, so persistent body odor might be an accompanying symptom.[3]

Tips

Mouthwash is only a temporary fix. It masks the odor.[1]
Microbes are naturally everywhere. In some areas of the body, including the mouth, bacteria can be helpful.
When you brush your teeth, also brush your tongue. This is also a good way to prevent/cure bad breath.
Find more tips on getting rid of bad breath at Cure Bad Breath Naturally

Warnings

Do not stop prescription medication without consulting your doctor first.
Sometimes bad breath is caused by a medical condition, such as tonsillitis. See your doctor if you are concerned, or if it persists.
Beware of gum with xylitol if you have pets- it can be toxic to dogs.

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Sources and Citations

How to Fix Bad Breath on the Spot

You are sitting at the dinner table with your new boss or with a potential new client and suddenly you realize your breath has an odor. It might have been the garlic dip at lunch, or just from an upset stomach, but at this moment you know you can't get rid of bad breath for good - you just need to temporarily fix it right now. Here are some ideas for sweetening your breath, and maybe saving the deal!

Steps

Keep your mouth moist. Bad breath is often related to dry mouth.
- Drink water and ask for a bowl of lemon or lime to be included. Squeeze as much of the lemon/lime into the water as possible, as it will help cover up the odor.
- Chew some gum: Sugar-less gum will help to stimulate saliva production. This will help wash out some of the bacteria and food particles and to keep the mouth moist.
Rinse with hydrogen peroxide. Most households and some businesses have it for antiseptic use. If it hasn't been contaminated, it can be used as a quick mouthwash and is one of the best long-lasting bad breath cures.
Ask for a dish that comes accompanied by ginger, basil, mint leaves or parsley. Chew on any of these for instant refreshment. Excuse yourself and visit the bathroom to check for flecks of herb on your teeth.
Order a Waldorf salad and request additional apple. Apples freshen and remove any pieces of stuck food in your teeth that may be causing the stale breath.
Use salt (it'll be sitting on the table), if you can take it without raising suspicious glances. As an alternative, leave for the bathroom and ask the waiter to kindly bring you a little bit of salt for medicinal purposes. Gargle it to neutralize some of the odor. It is more effective if combined with baking soda.
Note that, if you like whiskey and it befits the occasion, having a glass can help get rid of the odor. Whiskey will help kill the germs on teeth causing smells and will mask the bad odor in small amounts. Don't overdo it though - besides creating a bad impression, breath worsens the more alcohol consumed.
Ask for strong, "black" coffee. That can cover odors rather well with its on own odor. But, cream and sugar can increase bacteria and odor.
Sneak a spoon into the bathroom. Check to make sure you're alone. Look into the mirror, stick out your tongue and check for a pasty white goo on it. Turn the spoon upside down and use it to scrape your tongue, using a back to front motion. Try to relax or you will gag. Rinse your mouth and the spoon and sneak it back to the table. Make sure you rinse the gunk off! This most likely indicates a thrush thrush cure infection.
Remember that, if you can't manage to sneak off with a spoon, you should head to the restroom, wash your hands, use your fingernails to scrape your tongue, then wash hands a second time to get rid of the foul-smelling goo. It might seem nasty, but if you wash your hands, it's not as bad as it seems.
Rinse your mouth with water. Then use dry paper towel to rub each of your teeth. You can also use the inside of your shirt. This will make your teeth super smooth, like you just brushed your teeth. Then rinse your mouth again. If you have the rough brown type of paper towel, you can rub it on your tongue outwards and get some plaque coating off. Just be sure that the towel and your shirt is clean, otherwise it might make your breath worse.

Tips

Don't lean in too closely towards your dinner partners. Keep a civil distance and smile a lot. If you feel the need to cough, sneeze or exhale deeply, use a tissue or handkerchief or quickly excuse yourself. Otherwise you risk allowing your mouth's odor to travel across the table.
Brush your teeth twice per day. It is most important to brush before going to bed as the bacteria that cause bad breath are most active while you sleep by multiplying. Flossing at bedtime is not optional. The bacteria in your mouth will use the food bits between your teeth to stink up your mouth and make cavities in your teeth! Also consider getting a tongue scraper and mouthwash (from the toothbrush aisle at the grocery store) for a truly fresh mouth.
Carry a small travel toothpaste and brush kit. You can use a flat, slip-over-the-finger toothbrush that goes nicely in a wallet or purse. These come small enough to fit in a purse or bag and will take care of the problem without risking sugary snacks or chemicals. You can find these in travel and camping stores.
Always carry a sachet of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) in your carry bag. This will allow you to discreetly visit the bathroom and rub it into your teeth, gums and over your tongue.
Other useful breath fresheners to have in your bag or pocket include mints, a candy cane during the holidays (bite off a slice and dissolve it on your tongue for kids), ginger candy, ginger cookies, Listerine Pocket strips, chewing gum (but not during dinner, only before arrival or you'll look unprofessional) and cinnamon chews.
You can use scent but be careful not to be overpowering - many people don't like heavy scents and this could be off-putting at a business dinner. It'll also be far worse if they get a whiff of the bad breath and the scent all rolled into one!
Brush your tongue as part of your daily dental care routine. You don't need a special tongue cleaner: a toothbrush and some toothpaste will do. A large percentage of people with bad breath apparently do not realize that food particles and bacteria lodge into lines and grooves of the tongue and stay there until the tongue is cleaned properly. When brushing your tongue, get as far back on the tongue as possible (yes, food gathers there, too) but don't jam the toothbrush so far back into your mouth that you induce vomiting: Few things will give worse breath than an instance of vomiting!
There are some lip glosses that taste like mint , you may apply and then discreetly lick your lips.

Warnings

If bad oral hygiene is the cause of bad breath rather than a bad choice at lunchtime, use the embarrassment of worrying about bad breath to motivate you to floss, brush and mouthwash properly from now on. It's easier than having to find a quick solution!
If bad breath is a frequent problem, consider how long it has been since your last trip to the dentist. Bad breath can be caused by periodontitis (gum disease).
Bad breath can also be caused by a candida (yeast infection), you may have a constant white furry tongue. Look at cutting down your intake of sugars and processed foods, as well as those containing yeast. - Search for Anti-Candida diet on a search engine for more info.
Also make sure you don't excuse yourself too much. They will think you're weird.
Drinking too much whiskey(or any alcoholic drink)can be a bad idea for obvious reasons. Although being drunk might get rid of your worrying about bad breath, be advised that most will notice strange behavior more than bad breath.

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How to Cure a Toothache Home Remedy

2011-03-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

How to Cure a Toothache

There's a difference between easing a toothache and curing a toothache. There are many ways to ease the discomfort and pain of a toothache, but there are very few ways to stop it for good.
Here are the common ways to get rid of toothaches:

Steps

Have a dentist give you a simple filling if the cause of your toothache is pulpitis (inflammation of the pulp of the tooth). If you don't have this done soon enough, the pulp will die and become infected, causing a dental abscess, which means a more severe toothache.
Cure a dental abscess by having a dentist perform a root canal or extract the tooth. (Of course, if you have to remove a tooth to get rid of a toothache, you should definitely brush your teeth more.)
Keep your teeth and gums healthy to prevent the toothache (and the infection that causes it) from returning.
Use a popular brand of toothpaste formulated specifically for sensitive teeth. Use it as a paste and apply to the aching tooth. Cover with a 1x1 inch folded piece of kleenex (or anything else that might work well) and keep it there folded in half (half against back of tooth and half against front), trying not to spread the toothpaste beyond the tooth itself as the toothpaste can cause gums to "peel" if on too long. Let the kleenex-covered toothpaste sit on affected tooth for about ten minutes. Remove kleenex. No need to rinse, but you can if you prefer to.
Brush your teeth and get all the waste out of your body.

Tips

Try not to eat hard food (such as... apples, nuts, etc ).

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How to Remedy Toothache

Here are some home-tested cures for the common toothache. They say it helps! Try these, but if the problem is chronic, consider seeing a dentist -- it could be a symptom of a more serious problem.

Steps

Rub any of the following on your aching tooth:
- Cucumber
- Dried peppermint, salt water and oats
- Raw potato
- Real vanilla extract
- Tea bag, garlic cloves and ginger root
- Olive oil
- Iodine
- Table salt and warm water
- Oil of oregano
- Hot, wet washcloth

Warnings

You should be extremely careful when experimenting with your teeth, though none of these recipes are dangerous; they can be procured in any grocery store.

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Whitening the Teeth

2011-03-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

How to Whiten Teeth

Do you think your teeth are not quite as white as they should be? There are many reasons why teeth lose their "whiteness". It happens naturally as the mineral structure of your teeth changes over time and as the enamel becomes less porous. Teeth can also become discolored by smoking, coffee drinking, and even some antibiotics.

Steps

Understand what causes discoloration in teeth.
- Cracks appear in the enamel and are exposed to food and other debris. This accumulates and causes yellowing or browning.
- While the enamel is white, the natural color underneath the enamel is a yellowish-brown. As enamel chips away or breaks down, this natural color can be seen.
- Younger teeth have less natural yellow showing and they also have fewer cracks in the enamel, thus less build up. Therefore, a younger person will usually have more response to teeth whitening processes.
Review the options below and choose one.
- Let's consider your budget. Store bought kits run from $20-50 per treatment. For tough staining you may need more than one treatment. So, should you consider the dental office kits? Those range from $100-$300. This is a big price difference, but perhaps your needs will require more than what a store kit can offer. Teens and twenty-somethings will likely have a much better response to the store kits than would a person who is fifty-something. What about office visits? These visits average about $600 each. The good thing about this method, is that results are long lasting, sometimes up to a year. Again, it all depends on what your teeth have been exposed to and how long the problem has existed.

Prevention

Avoid tobacco products.
Stop or cut back on drinking coffee or tea.
Pass on the grape juice. And that includes red wine!
Stay away from curry.
Brush your teeth immediately if you choose to partake in any of the items just mentioned.
Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

Whitening Toothpaste

Find commercial toothpastes with chemical tooth-whitening agents. Look for a toothpaste with American Dental Association approval, and use it regularly.
Make your own whitening toothpaste, but see the warnings first. Mix one tablespoon of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide to make a paste.

Whitening Kit

Use a whitening kit according to package directions. You can look for an over-the-counter whitening product with ADA approval, or you can ask your dentist about professional whitening kits. The kits given out by dentists use a lower peroxide concentration and can be left on longer, sometimes overnight. Application is with a custom made bleaching tray that fits in your mouth, similar to a mouth guard. In general, use a whitening kit as follows:
- Brush and floss your teeth as usual.
- Insert the whitening gel into the mouth tray. Put a teardrop-sized quantity of whitening gel in each compartment. Use the same amount in each tooth compartment for uniform whitening of all your teeth.
- Don't apply too much gel. It could squeeze out of the mouthpiece and irritate your gums, aggravating any existing condition. Avoid contact between the whitening gel and the gums. Do not use the whitening gel in any method other than the directions provided on the packaging.
- Place the whitening tray in your mouth slowly and ensure it is snug to your teeth. Often whitening trays can be formed to fit your teeth by placing them in hot water for a minute or less. Follow directions for the tray if the whitening kit you purchased includes this feature.
  - The ingredient that makes at home teeth whitening kits work is that chemical called Carbamide Peroxide. The peroxide plunges into the surface of the tooth and begins to wear away the substances that were left behind that are causing the discoloration. This is a completely safe procedure that is usually painless. In fact, you won't feel a thing unless you have an issue with your teeth-people who do not have good dental health are not advised to use at home teeth whitening kits unless they first check with their dentist.
- Leave the whitening trays in your mouth for the recommended time in the kit's directions.
- Remove the trays and wash them with cool water. Store them in a clean, dry place.
- Rinse out your mouth and brush your teeth again to remove all excess whitening gel.

Dentist Treatment
Dentists or trained dental technicians will apply a higher concentration of peroxide and leave it on for 15-20 minute intervals. Total time does not exceed an hour. Depending on the factors like a person's age and the stubbornness of the stains, further visits or home supplemental treatment may be required.

Tips

Clean your teeth thoroughly. Get a professional cleaning if you haven't lately. You should get a professional cleaning every six months. A professional cleaning will remove stains from food and ensure that your teeth and mouth are otherwise in good condition. Regularly having your teeth cleaned by a professional is great preventative medical care that will help you avoid many common dental conditions.
Your dentist has additional teeth whitening options available, including whitening gels, laser teeth whitening, and even cosmetic, paint-on treatments.
Be sure to wipe away excess carbamide peroxide gel because it can irritate your gums. Using too much gel in the whitening tray can also irritate your gums, as it will squeeze out of the tray during use.
The higher the carbamide peroxide gel agent the faster your teeth will whiten. Most home teeth bleaching kits are 10% to 23% carbamide peroxide gel. Stronger concentrations may be available as a prescription, so ask your dentist if using a higher concentration is safe for your teeth and mouth.
Keep in mind that if you have had extensive dental work done such as crowns or veneers that match your actual tooth shade, using at home teeth whitening will not do anything to change the color of those particular teeth.

Warnings

If your gums look swollen or hurt after a whitening treatment, stop immediately. If limiting the frequency or duration of at-home teeth whitening treatments still results in irritation, discontinue use and consult your dentist immediately.
Any small cuts in your mouth may be sensitive to the peroxide, but it's actually just cleaning out the wound, and it does tingle a bit. This is a normal reaction.
Do not swallow toothpaste, it can and will irritate your stomach and may cause vomiting. Excess fluoride can be poisonous for small children.
Baking soda actually removes the enamel, which is the reason for the whitening since you are getting down to unstained layers in the teeth, but this exposes the teeth directly to bacteria and the like without the enamel protecting them.

Things You'll Need

Baking Soda
Peroxide or over-the-counter whitening kit.
Toothbrush
Toothpaste

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Sources and Citations

Cosmetic Teeth Whitening

How to Whiten Teeth With Baking Soda

Everybody brushes their teeth with normal toothpaste, right? Well, with this at-home product, you can brush your teeth and make them even whiter in fourteen days!

Steps

Wet your toothbrush with some water and dip it into baking soda. All of the bristles should be covered so that your toothbrush is white.
Brush your teeth for 2 minutes (spitting if necessary) two times a day.
Spit out the baking soda and rinse your mouth clean with water(You dont want baking soda in your mouth for a long period of time).If there is a tingling or burning feeling in your mouth, this is bad. See Warnings for what might not be normal. Brushing your teeth twice a day can be monumental for the whitening of teeth even without these tips & tricks - especially with the regular use of dental floss and mouthwash. Using mouthwash after can help to get rid of the bad taste of the baking soda.

Tips

After brushing your teeth, brush your tongue with your favorite spice and/or use a fruit. Bad breath is related to teeth only when they house food debris and plaque. The main cause of bad breath is bacteria growing on the gums.
An alternative method involves putting baking soda on the toothbrush and wetting it with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide (the cheap stuff one pours on cuts). It really does work!
Also try mixing the baking soda with a little bit of water and toothpaste in a container and brush your teeth that way. Don't use this method too much, as it can damage your teeth.
You can also mix lime juice with baking soda. Keep stirring until a paste is created. You may be require to add more baking soda depening on how much lime juice you use.

Warnings

Do not use this method too often as the abrasive can permanently damage the enamel of your teeth. There are some special toothpaste brands (often for smokers) which contain much gentler abrasives than baking soda. They can be used daily without any risk for the health of your teeth and help to remove not only tobacco stains but also stains from coffee, tea, and wine.
Baking soda can dissolve orthodontic glue. Do not use this method if you have braces or a permanent retainer.
Best used only once or twice a week.
Don't brush too hard for a longterm as it may damage your enamel (which is called as abrasion),leading to hypersensitivity.
Don`t put too much baking soda or it will cause teeth to bleach.

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How to Lose Belly Fat

2011-03-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

How to Lose Belly Fat

There are a lot of gimmicks and infomercials around about how to get rid of that pesky, unflattering belly fat. If done properly, weight loss doesn't have to be the hell most people believe it to be, you may in fact feel better during a proper diet regimen. While there's no "magic bullet" that will target abdominal fat in particular, this article will explain what causes an expanding waistline, and how you can make the extra baggage go away.

Steps

Exercise for weight loss. Aerobic exercise will facilitate fat loss all over your body, including your belly. You can't "spot-burn" belly fat, but it's usually the first to burn off when you exercise, regardless of your body shape or size.[1][2] Just be sure that you focus on calorie-burning exercises, rather than sit-ups or crunches. If your abdominal muscles are covered in fat, no strengthening of those muscles is going to change that. Aerobic exercise is key.[1]
Add resistance training. A 2006 study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism suggests that combining cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise with resistance training is more effective than cardiovascular training alone in getting rid of abdominal fat[3] You can do resistance training with free weights, exercise machines, or resistance bands.
Reduce your calorie consumption, and swap out certain foods for others. Unless you restrict your calorie intake, you're not going to lose belly fat. There are some tactics that might help do away with belly fat faster, but only when you've already consistently restricted your calorie intake. For example, eating an avocado after eating an entire bag of chips isn't going to help you get rid of belly fat--in fact, it'll probably make the problem worse! By reducing your daily calorie intake to 500 calories below your maintenance level you can expect to loose around 1 pound per week. It is not recommended that your daily calorie deficit exceed 500, and never consume less than 1,100 calories / day. Always consult a physician before starting any diet plan.
- The key point here is that a real diet does not involve removing or drastically reducing your intake of calories, there should only be a slight reduction. If you do not get out of hand when reducing your caloric intake, weight loss should not be incredibly painful. It's much easier to maintain a slow, gradual loss of weight than attempting to lose lots in a short period of time.
Switch out refined grains for whole grains. In a scientific study, people who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more belly fat than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains. A diet rich in whole grains changes the glucose and insulin response in your body, which hastens the melting of fat, and visceral fat, that deep layer of fat, is easier for your body to burn than the subcutaneous fat under your skin (the fat that you can see and grab).[1]
Eat the better fats. Studies suggests that a diet with a higher ratio of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) (avocados, nuts, seeds, soybeans, chocolate) can prevent the accumulation of both types of belly fat.[4] Some experts argue, though, that it's not that these fats specifically target abdominal fat in any way; it's that anyone will probably lose weight on a lower calorie diet (regardless of where those calories come from) and as discussed earlier, belly fat is usually the first to go.[1]
- Trans fats (in margarines, crackers, cookies--anything made with partially hydrogenated oils) seem to result in more fat being deposited in the abdomen, so avoid these as much as you can.[5]
Get more fiber in your diet. Soluble fiber (apples, oats, cherries) lowers insulin levels, which, as mentioned earlier, can speed up the burning of visceral belly fat.[5]
- Add fiber to your diet slowly. If you are currently getting 10 grams of fiber a day, don't jump to 35 grams of fiber the next day. You need to give the natural bacteria in your digestive system time to adapt to your new fiber intake.
- Leave the skin on! Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet will add fiber, but only if you eat the skin, because that's where all the fiber is. So don't peel those apples before you eat them. If you're eating potatoes, try to leave the skin in the dish (such as if making baked or mashed potatoes) or if you peel them, make a snack out of them, such as baked garlic Parmesan peels. It's also worth knowing that keeping the skin on potatoes when you cook them will help keep more vitamins and minerals in the flesh. Just don't eat any parts of skin that are green.
- Eat more split pea soup. Split peas is a fiber "power food". Just one cup of them contains 16.3 grams of protein!
Motivate yourself by understanding the risks associated with belly fat. Losing belly fat doesn't have to be solely a cosmetic goal; understanding the health issues linked with belly fat can help motivate you. Belly fat is linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Specifically it's the deepest layer of belly fat--the fat you can't see or grab--that poses health risks. That's because these "visceral" fat cells actually produce hormones and other substances that can affect your health (e.g. increased insulin resistance and/or breast cancer risk).[2] The fact that they're located right next to and in between organs in your abdominal cavity doesn't help. For example, fat next to the liver drains into it, causing a fatty liver, which is a risk factor for insulin resistance, setting the stage for Type 2 diabetes.[6]

Wrap a tape measure around your waist at the level of your navel. A measurement of more than 35 inches (women) and 40 inches (men) is considered to be unhealthy.[2][1][6]

Tips

An additional benefit to exercising is that it reduces stress and insulin levels, which reduces the presence of cortisol, a hormone that leads to more belly fat deposits.[5]
Since cortisol leads to more belly fat, and cortisol is linked with stress, anything you can do to cut stress in your life will also indirectly cut (or at least prevent more) belly fat.
The way your body distributes fat is largely beyond control (heredity, menopause). What is within your control is your level of body fat overall--if you keep that low, it won't really matter where the fat goes, because there won't be much fat to deposit in the first place.
Many women start gaining more weight in their belly as they get older, especially after menopause. The body fat distribution changes--less fat goes to your arms, legs and hips, and more of it goes to your midsection. Some people even find their waistline widening while their weight remains the same![2] Nonetheless, the above steps will help to do away with belly fat.
If you don't have weights for resistance training, you can by lifting anything heavy (with care!) or you can use gravity as resistance: Do pull ups and push ups.
If you're having trouble getting motivated to exercise, get halfway there. If you want to go to the gym, but just don't feel like it, at least just drive yourself to gym, and tell yourself that if you still don't feel like working out, you'll go home. Odds are, though, once you're there, you won't feel like driving home. (But if you do, that's OK too. But you probably won't.) Then tell yourself you'll just walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes, even if your exercise routine involves much more. Just telling yourself to do one more thing, without having to commit to anything else, will make things much easier. And before long, your endorphins will take over.
An easy way to burn more fat is to walk everywhere within a reasonable distance. You save money on gas, and also save wear and tear on your vehicle. And you might save parking charges and/or cab, bus or subway fares. All you need are comfortable shoes (take your dressier shoes with you if necessary) and walk, walk, walk. Pick up the pace as you get fitter to make those short journeys even quicker and smile at all the traffic traveling bumper to bumper in the rush hour.
Eat smaller dinners. Large dinners tend to hurt a fat loss process because most people aren't very active after dinner. This is the basis for advice along the lines of "don't eat anything within a certain number of hours before going to bed". The claim that your entire dinner is stored as fat isn't entirely true. The process is more complicated than that, but the fact you don't move after dinner is enough to hurt your cause. You can offset this by eating a larger lunch or snacking healthily before dinner.
If you get lots of sweet cravings, replace sweets and sugar with fruits. The sugars in fruits are digested differently than the empty calories of white sugar that are in most candy and processed foods. The fiber in fruit also slows the absorption of the sugars so you don't get as high a sugar rush (and as low a crash).
At times, for lack of anything better to do, some people snack. This is usually due to a craving, rather than hunger. When you find yourself wandering for food, try to do something that's not food-related to hold your attention.

Warnings

Doing only sit-ups and crunches can actually cause the appearance of more belly fat, as the abdominal muscles grow in size and shape, they will push out against the fat, making it appear larger and thicker.
If you've lost weight or been pregnant, you may have excess skin in the belly area that won't disappear no matter how much fat you burn. You will only know how much excess skin there is, though, if you get rid of all the fat first. It is also possible that your skin will tighten up again once you've lost the belly fat.

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How to get a six pack

How to Lose Belly Fat by Drinking Water

Discover the secrets to lose belly fat and get six pack abs. Find out the truth about abs and the correct abdominal exercises to lose stomach fat.

Steps

Millions of people around the world think about what part of their body they need to focus on to improve their physique. They want to change and be very noticeable and attract the opposite sex. It is obvious that belly fat and the abdominal section is an area of the body that attracts much attention.
The abdomen can be the most difficult section of the body to lose fat from. When you gain weight, the stomach is the first area that the fat slows down in and this is the last place that fat leaves if or when you try to lose weight. That's why it's so difficult to lose fat from this area. Probably the number one resolution that is on everybody's mind and list is to lose stomach fat.
Lots of people want to know why belly fat that settles there and just refuses to move. Could it be the way the body is structured or the metabolism? You definitely don't want to be a sitting duck and therefore continue to work on losing this stomach fat.
There is nobody who you will find that will tell you that losing stomach fat was an easy task.With all the dieting, the drinks and energy bars and the exhausting amounts of physical activities and exercises, you will not get this fat off your stomach. You will be left with discouragement and exhausted.
The best way to lose belly fat is exercising on a regular basis.I know this may seem like a no brainer but the real problem is finding out the right exercises for improving your weight loss. Here is a routine: workout for approximately 20-25 minutes, 3 times a week. You can improve your metabolism to the point where you can still burn fat even if you are not active. The key is to make fitness your lifestyle and not just a short vacation from your regular lifestyle.
Eating a healthy diet is also important when you are trying to lose belly fat. When you participate in a healthy diet you can be lean and healthy at the same time. You have to remember that starving and not eating is not an option and not healthy for you. Starving not only weakens your immune system but it also makes you look a lot older than you are. An effective and balanced diet is essential for your body to work efficiently and you will also feel more energetic. I also recommend that you focus on eating healthy instead of eating less.You should never cheat on your exercise routine and implement the best exercise to lose belly fat to feel more sexy and confident about your body. You will feel very good about yourself when you are in shape and healthy.
When you really think about it, staying fit and eating healthy is much easier to handle than surviving another trendy starvation diet. Regular exercise is also an excellent stress reliever and it workouts keep you feeling great.
Drink water and eat slowly to avoid overeating; this will prevent obesity and you can even lose weight by stopping eating when you are satisfied, not when you are full or even bloated

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How to Stop Snoring

2011-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

How to Stop Snoring Naturally

Everyone knows that snoring happens when you breathe through the mouth during sleeping which produces that awfully embarrassing loud noise. Snoring has been medically researched to lead to eventual health issues. There are a lot of so called remedies and quick fix pills and medicines and contraptions that are out in the market these days. Even surgery has been offered to stop snoring. But it is often good advice to resort to natural methods first.
Most of these natural methods are not only effective, but also possess several advantages like having no side effects. It is also a more permanent cure without spending a lot of cash.

Steps

Sleep on your side. This allows you to breathe through your nose and not through your mouth. This opens up your nasal passages as opposed to sleeping on your back which pushes air to be breathed out through your mouth; thus making you snore.
Do exercises that help to stop snoring naturally. These are non-evasive choices that focus on controlling the movements of the tongue and jaw which are the parts that are involved in snoring. Regular practice and exercise will eventually result to no more snoring at all.
Be watchful of your food and alcohol intake. Obesity is, after all, one of the reasons of snoring so you would need to avoid high calorie food and start eating healthier. Also try to avoid eating heavy meals and opt for easy to digest food during dinner time. Alcohol must be avoided as well as excessive amounts of caffeine. Laying off on tobacco also helps.
Develop good hygienic habits before bed time. Following a routine programs your body’s system to rest more peacefully.

Exercises to Completely Stop Snoring! Click Here

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How to Stop Snoring

If you're a snorer in your household, you're probably getting a lot more sleep than anyone who can hear you. Try the following preventative measures.

Steps

Avoid the things that make snoring worse: alcohol, sleeping pills, coffee and rich foods before bedtime.[1] If you regularly take any kind of medication, talk to your doctor about alternatives. Some drugs can make snoring worse, including sleeping pills and sedatives.
- Alcohol, sleeping pills, and other sedatives make your throat muscles relax, narrowing your airway. Large meals and rich food restricts your airway by pushing up on your diaphragm [2]
If you sleep on your back, buy yourself a few extra pillows and prop yourself up in bed, rather than lying flat on your back. Also, raise the head of your bed. An easy way to do it is to place several flat boards under the legs at the top end of the bed. A couple of old phone books under each leg should also raise the bed enough to do the trick.
Sleep on your side. There's a good reason you don't want to sleep on your back: in that position, your tongue and soft palate rest against the back of your throat, blocking the airway. One way people train themselves to stay on their side is by taping or sewing a tennis ball to the back of their shirt, so whenever you roll onto your back, it's very uncomfortable.
Address any nasal congestion.
- Try taking a decongestant or antihistamine if nasal congestion is causing your snoring. Use these only as a temporary measure if you suspect that a cold or allergy is to blame. Prolonged use of either can be harmful.
- Gargle with a peppermint mouthwash to shrink the lining of your nose and throat. This is especially effective if your snoring is a temporary condition caused by a head cold or an allergy. To mix up the herbal gargle, add 1 drop of peppermint oil to a glass of cold water. (Only gargle - do not swallow.)
- Change your sheets and pillowcases often to relieve nasal stuffiness, alleviate bedroom allergens. Try to vacuum your floors and curtains often too.
- Tape your nose open with nasal strips, available at most pharmacies. They may look odd, but who's looking? Following the directions on the package, tape one of the strips to the outside of your nose before you fall asleep. They work by lifting and opening your nostrils to increase airflow.
Try mouthpiece devices. Also known as dental appliances or mandibular advancement splints, these are usually small plastic devices worn in the mouth during sleep to prevent the soft throat tissues from collapsing and obstructing the airway. They do this by bringing your lower jaw forward and/or by lifting your soft palate. Some devices also stop the tongue from falling back over your windpipe.
Do exercises to firm the tissue associated with your snoring.

Stick your tongue out as far as you can, then relax. Repeat 10 times.
Stick your tongue out again, and try to touch your chin. Hold. Repeat with trying to touch your nose. Repeat 10 times.
Smile as wide as you possible can, hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat this as many times as you can throughout the day.
Sing La-La-La-La as loud as you can. Hold each La for 3 seconds. Repeat 5 times. Then, repeat singing Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka. Follow that with Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma. This will strengthen your throat so that it does not relax (and thus block air) when you sleep.
Close your mouth and perform a chewing motion. Make sure molars on both sides move apart, then touch again. Make an "mmmmm" sound as you do this for added affect. Continue for 1 minute. [3]

Stop Snoring Caused By a Sinus Infection

Know that sometimes people become snorers because of sinus infections. Snoring is caused during a sinus infection because the mucus blocks the nasal passages.
Follow some of the tips below to stop snoring when you are suffering from sinus infection:
- Do not forget to take the drugs prescribed by your physician for curing the sinus infection. Reduction of the infection will act as a remedy to stop snoring
- Consider using a sinus/nasal rinse. These are designed in such a way that the debris and mucus formed in the nose is completely flushed out. Rinsing will be helpful in relieving yourself of the snoring.
- You can place a nasal dilator strip on your nose channel. This will open the nostrils and can prevent snoring.
- You can use a menthol scent, which will be helpful in clearing the nose.
- You can try to have a warm shower or bath. Hot moist air will be helpful in draining the mucus from the sinuses, thereby reducing the possibility of snoring.
- You can raise the head portion of your bed. This will be helpful in reducing the amount of mucus draining down and blocking your nasal passages. When nasal passages are not blocked, you will not snore.

Tips

Lose Weight. Weight loss can reduce your snoring by easing any constriction of the upper airway.
Consider the underlying cause. Discuss with your physician the possibility of a sleep disorder which may be more serious than just the snoring. The current gold standard for obstructive sleep apnea treatment is a CPAP device which opens the airway with pressurized air delivered through a mask or a nose-mounted appliance.
There is surgery available now if your snoring problem is a function of sleep apnea.

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Sources and Citations

How to Jailbreak iPhone

2011-03-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

How to Jailbreak Your iPhone With Jailbreakme

Recently, the US copyright law has been modified to make it legal to hack (jailbreak) smartphones such as the iPhone to switch telecommunications service providers or to install applications without Apple's approval.[1] But is it worth it? Many people who have never had their phone jail broken before can now do so. Using jailbreakme.com, a free browser-based jailbreak system, you only have to visit the site and your iPhone is jailbroken. Don't be afraid to try it out now because this is possible. But be aware there are caveats.

Steps

Do a back-up from your iPhone. Before you jailbreak your phone, be sure to sync with iTunes to back your phone up. This is just in case anything goes wrong.
On your iPhone, open the browser. Type http://jailbreakme.com into the address bar and press "Go".
Slide the "slide to jailbreak" slide. Wait until your device downloads the jailbreak application. How long this will take depends on how fast your connection is; it can take up to five minutes.
- Once you see that the app "Cydia" is installed on your device, your device has been jail broken. It will appear as a pop-up.
Press "OK" and you will return to your springboard. Cydia will now appear there alongside your other apps. You are now free to download unapproved apps and tweaks not officially approved by Apple.
If you encounter any problems, try to reboot your device. In the worst-case scenario, you can always restore your device with iTunes and jail break again.

Tips

If something goes wrong or the installer crashes during installation, it may not be fixed by simply restoring your phone and trying again. Jailbreakme.com will continue to attempt installation but will crash and put you back at your home screen. A proven fix for this (and a lot of other problems) is to restore your phone to factory defaults. Be warned as this will erase everything on the phone.
It has been advised to first update your device to iOS 4.0.1 before attempting to jailbreak with Jailbreakme. The older versions could give you some trouble.
This method works for all devices described here:
- iPod 1G on 3.1.3
- iPod 2G on 3.1.3
- iPod 2G on 4.0
- iPod 3G on 3.1.2
- iPod 3G on 3.1.3
- iPod 3G on 4.0
- iPad on 3.2
- iPad on 3.2.1
- iPhone 3G on 3.1.2
- iPhone 3G on 3.1.3
- iPhone 3G on 4.0
- iPhone 3G on 4.0.1
- iPhone 3G[S] on 3.1.2
- iPhone 3G[S] on 3.1.3
- iPhone 3G[S] on 4.0
- iPhone 3G[S] on 4.0.1
- iPhone 4 on 4.0
- iPhone 4 on 4.0.1 [2]

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Warnings

As always, be careful if you jailbreak your device, Apple can and will void any warranty if your device crashes after it has been jail broken.[3]
Service providers purchase the rights to certain features on phones bearing their logos. Not all features of your phone may work on another provider's network. Consider the risks and you may find yourself losing money- and features.
This method uses an exploit of a security hole in the iPhone's web browser, which will undoubtedly be patched by Apple in the next release.
As with all "jailbreaks" there is a risk that something may go wrong which could "brick" your phone (make it inoperable). Your warranty will not cover this, leaving you with little more than an expensive "brick", hence the term.
You should be tech-savvy enough to keep up with the methods of updating your phone and what will and won't cause problems for you- such as attempting updates to iTunes or your iPhone.
Be aware that jailbreaking your phone will allow you to run apps that have not been "approved"- this also includes malware and virus apps.
While this method is not malicious, there are malware-spreading campaigns preying on people looking to jailbreak their phones.See this article for example

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

↑ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10661503
↑ http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/jailbreakme-returns-iphone-4-jailbreak-possible-from-device-2010081/
↑ CNN Money, Jailbreaking iPhone apps is now legal, http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/26/technology/iphone_jailbreaking/?npt=NP1

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