New Year Planning

With the New Year nearly here, thoughts will soon be turning from partying and Christmas pudding to how can I lose these extra pounds.

New Year resolutions start out as well-intentioned statements of intent but all too often end up as forgotten and neglected bursts of bravado.

But to make sure that your well-intentioned statements of planned weight loss are not wasted I have compiled a short list of tips to help boost the likelihood of your New Year’s diet being a roaring success.

1.    Remove All Temptation!

Before you get started make sure that you have removed all temptation. That means clearing out the fridge, no left over Xmas pudding lurking dangerously, no chocolate Father Christmas down the back of the Christmas Tree to tempt you off your chosen path.

Supplement this precaution with a stocking up of good healthy foods. Plenty of fruits, snacky vegetables, celery, carrots, cucumber, etc.

2.    Have Clear Goals

A quick tip on meaningful goals:

1. They should be specific ( as in 75kg not I want to lose weight)
2. They must be written down (this allows you to review them)
3. They should be big enough to excite without being too big so as to be unbelievable (you’ll not even try if that is the case)

You need to have a plan and then stick to it. You start off the planning process by having a good clear idea of what you are trying to achieve.

Take a notepad, a pen and sit yourself down somewhere quiet for 15 minutes. Start off by evaluating where you are now; what is your current weight?

Then have a think about where you want to be in terms of target weight and then tie that down with a target date to achieve that weight by.

A good tip I use is to take 5 minutes every night to have a quick review of my goals, just read them through. Then I take the rest of the 5 minutes to just picture how I will feel once I have achieved those goals. Visualisation is such an important technique, you want to really picture how you will look, how you will feel. It will help re-motivate you for the next day too.

3.    Set a Start Date and Stick To It

This is important to avoid the age-old problem of procrastination. That’s just a long fancy word for putting things off, which we are all normally too good at doing.

Set the date in conjunction with tip one above, once the clear out has been finished and then make sure you stick to it. Let everyone who will be a positive boost to your efforts know what you are doing and when you are doing it.

They will help you keep to your commitment.

4.    Have a Diet Plan

Do You Have A Plan?

Like I said in tip number two, you need to have a plan and then stick to it and that applies to what you are going to eat more than anything else!

Don’t be tempted in to thinking that you can wing it and just buy the right foods when you are shopping or make something up for dinner from what you have left over in the fridge.

That is a certain path to letting things slip and breaking the diet before you have even started.

Pick a diet plan that suits your diet’s goals that you set above. Make sure it matches your food likes and dislikes and doesn’t entail you eating food you hate. You will soon find an excuse then for breaking the diet early.

Use your diet plan to plan your shopping. This will help you avoid browsing the supermarket aisles taking what you fancy. Make a list and stick to it. Go straight to where the items are on your list and then get out of there!

5.    Have an Exercise Plan

Ok, back to basics. How do we lose weight?

Time For Plan B?

The number of calories we burn up must exceed the number of calories that we consume. So if the Diet Plan optimises the calories that we put into our bodies then the Exercise Plan will help maximise what we burn up. That way we lose weight more quickly and are more likely to see that weight stay off.

We’re not talking about Olympic training methods, just a plan to include some increased physical activity over what we are normally used to and you will see an improvement.

If you are the proverbial couch-potato then building in a thirty-forty minute brisk walk every day will see great results and you will really feel that you are doing something positive to help.

The important thing is to make a realistic plan and then stick to it.

So there you are. Five tips to set you on the right path to realistic weight loss in 2009. Good luck!

She was attempting to lose weight and had started using a drastic diet plan that restricted her to 500 calories per day over a twelve week period and required a high intake of water.

The cause of death was given as brain swelling and the coroner recorded a judgment of accidental death.

The court was told that Mrs Henson was delighted when she managed to lose more than 11 pounds in her first week on the diet plan.

Her husband Brian said “I had no idea that too much water could kill somebody”. He said that she had returned home and started to drink water from a large 2 litre container whilst sitting down in front of the TV.

She then was heard to say that she felt over-full and uncomfortable. After going up to the bathroom she collapsed and then was taken to the local hospital where Mrs Henson passed away the following day.

The coroner, Mr Whitaker, warned of the dangers of consuming such large amounts of liquid so quickly.

Death By Drinking Water

As bizarre as it sounds, drinking yourself to death is quite easily medically explained and perhaps a more often occurrence than you would first think.

Professor Bob Forest, a consultant in clinical chemistry and forensic toxicology at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital explained the dangers.

Not a lot of room inside!

The massive water intake causes the brain to swell, eventually to such an extent that it squeezes against the skull stopping the brain’s control over bodily functions including your breathing. You stop breathing you die!

The fluids that we consume are normally flushed out as either perspiration or when we go the toilet. The body controls how much water is retained in order to regulate the level of salts and other vital components in our blood.

When excess fluids are taken in, our kidneys cannot keep up and this results in our blood being watered down and its salt levels drastically lowered.

The body’s cells then absorb the water but because the salt content is so low they actually absorb more fluids than usual and this results in the cells swelling up.For the brain this is a potentially life-threatening problem as the hard case of the skull doesn’t allow any room for this expansion.

As the brain is compressed the extra pressure will initially result in a steadily worsening headache and a confused state. Eventually the brain stops functioning properly and such activities as regulating our breathing and heart beat stop. At this stage death follows pretty quickly.

It only takes a rapid intake of 3-4 litres of water to kill you!

It would only need a rapid intake of 3-4 litres to create the above situation. Those at particular risk would be anyone taking ecstasy as this promotes both thirst and retention of fluids, anyone with impaired kidney function or anyone on anti-diuretic medication.

Treatment is simply to administer diuretics which help dispel any excess fluids and administration of drugs to combat the swelling. The problem is more in the successful diagnosis. Because of the confused state, patients are often mixed up with those suffering from drug or alcohol abuse.

Ursula Arens, of the British Dietetic Association, explains that although water is vital for our health and fitness we do need to be ware of the dangers outlined above. Under normal conditions, we should look to consume between one and two litres daily, but spread out over the day.

Obviously as the weather heats up our consumption should also increase as too little water also brings its problems too. Dehydration can also cause headaches, dizziness, lack of energy and increases the chance of contracting bladder infections.

“If you are urinating more frequently than every 2 hours that might be a sign of too much fluid intake, especially if your urine is clear” she said. (It might also be a sign of diabetes – so go see a doctor) Ms Arens also said  that drinking dangerously high levels of water is extremely unusual and far less common than the opposite, dehydration.

So be careful! It’s a big bad world out there and even drinking water can be dangerous.

Ok, last week we started to look at Fasting To Lose Weight. We looked at the 3 main reason why we fast, then we looked at the different ways of fasting. Today we are going to start by looking at the pros and the cons of fasting to lose weight.

Pros of Fasting To Lose Weight

1. Rapid Weight Loss
2. Detoxed Body
3. Cleansed Colon
4. Live Longer

How much weight can I lose, I hear you say. Well a seriously obese person can lose as much as 5 or 6 pounds in the first day! But as the fast continues, the average loss will be around one pound-per-day. Still pretty impressive!

Whatever your original motives for entering the fast one of the most spectacular effects is the instant and rapid fat loss. This has multiple health benefits.

Much of the toxins stored in our body are stored in our body fat. Metabolizing the fat stores forces the toxins into the blood stream where the body processes them to be eliminated.

This elimination is not entirely done through the bottom end of the body, the alimentary canal and the urinary tract. A  major organ of elimination is the lungs. We will breathe out  a lot of toxins in our breath.

In addition you will also find a lot of toxins and other unwanted stuff will be eliminated through your skin. Extra oily skin and a few accompanying pimples and zits are a common side effect of the whole process.

So with toxins being expunged through one end or the other, don’t be surprised by the sort of questioning accusatory looks normally reserved for the family mongrel! What’s that smell? Rover, was that you?!

Ok, the new streamlined, clean-right-through-the-middle you has still more benefits to look forward to. Your super-clean colon, free of compacted faeces and other things you really don’t want to know about, is now so super-efficient that you need to eat less calories to absorb the same energy and nutrients as you did before.

You feel great, you have loads of energy and because healthy  people burn more calories, you can continue losing weight if you do it right.  Healthy people also eat less because they are more active and because they feel better about themselves they are less likely to need food as a security blanket or comforter.

The Cons of Fasting For Weight Loss

1. Can be dangerous
2. Needs strong will power to be successful
3. Causes your body to slow down your metabolism

Fasting for a day or two isn’t gonna hurt anyone who is in a generally healthy condition. However, fasting for long periods of time can be harmful.

Your body needs a variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from food to stay healthy. Not getting enough of these nutrients can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, constipation, dehydration, gallstones and cold intolerance. Your immune system can really take a dive.

Know When To Stop!

Ok I’m not saying it happens every week, but fasting is serious stuff and it is possible to die if you fast too long. Even short-term fasting isn’t recommended for people with diabetes, because it can lead to dangerous dips and spikes in blood sugar. Women who are pregnant or nursing, or anyone with a chronic disease, also shouldn’t fast.

Before you go on any type of new diet, particularly one that involves fasting, talk to your doctor to find out whether it’s safe and appropriate for you. Also ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian, who can show you how to design a healthy diet plan.

Now even if the physical dangers are able to be overcome with sensible preparation and some knowledge, can you really imagine the amount of willpower it takes to see a fast through?

Jeez just cutting back on the things we like is hard enough, but giving up everything, for days on end?

Another drawback that accompanies fasting is the body’s own reaction to the stopping of food intake. In order to protect your body, your metabolism will be slowed to reduce the amount of calories that you burn and any calorie intake will be stored as fat as your body goes into self-preservation mode. Think Big Bear going into hibernation! Not exactly what you were looking for to help the weight loss program.

Tips & Warnings

Medical Check Up Advised

First off, preparation. Get help and advice. It is generally considered pretty much common sense to place yourself under medical supervision if you’ll be undertaking an extended fast.

If this is your first effort then it is even more important that you have a medical exam first and listen to what your doctor says.

If you are not prepared both mentally and physically you will find it nigh on impossible to go one day without food, let alone a longer term effort.

The mental preparation is simple, but vital. The night before the fast you have to take a firm determination that tomorrow you are going to fast, that you are not going to eat any food. Make the commitment and then focus on how you will feel once you have achieved that goal.

If you fix your mind in advance then you will not start deliberating during the fasting day whether you should continue or not to continue. If you are undecided or waffling you can always find a hundred reasons why you should start eating. Make your mind up before the day to commit to the fasting and then do it!

Physical preparation is also important. The day before you fast you should eat a normal amount of food and take a good amount of liquids (especially if you are going to be fasting without taking any liquids). Don’t be tempted to stock up the body with extra helpings to see you through the fasting, it just doesn’t work like that. And equally don’t be tempted to half-start the fast a day earlier, just eat normally and drink loads.

If you do not take enough liquids, especially during the night before the fast, then you will feel uncomfortable when you are fasting. Liquid intake is vital to keep your body hydrated and flush out all the crap you want to get rid of.

But, as vital as drinking water is, be sensible and spread out the liquid intake over the whole day. Believe it or not, drinking too much water too quickly can kill you!

If you are physically and mentally prepared you will be surprised to find that your hunger just “shuts off” for the fasting period. This sounds hard to believe, but once you have done it a few times you will understand what I mean.

Think Spiritual Not Food!

During the fasting period itself, it’s best to do light physical tasks and concentrate more on intellectual and spiritual work.

It is not a good idea to spend your time dreaming of cheese burgers or thinking about what you are going to eat tomorrow!

If you have prepared yourself properly this shouldn’t be a problem and you can use the time that you gain by not eating to do some constructive things that you normally don’t get time to do.

One of the benefits of fasting is that it helps to eliminate toxins from the body. However, you can only get this benefit if you break your fast correctly.

On the morning following the fasting day, take two glasses of lemon water. Put the juice of half of a lemon in one glass and add a bit of salt. (The drink should taste both lemony and salty).

After some time, you can eat your breakfast. The lemon water will help you to flush your digestive system with a strong bowel movement and many toxins will be eliminated.

Drink plenty of water, this cannot be over emphasised! Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated and flush it clean and drink the water throughout the day not in binges. (See the warning above about drinking to much water too quickly)

Last but not least, don’t be a hero. Stop a fast and consult your doctor immediately if you experience serious side-effects, like fainting, disorientation or severe gastrointestinal pain. Come on people, we’re talking about losing weight here. Lets keep it all in perspective.

Conclusion

So there you have it; the Big 2 Slim guide on fasting to lose weight! In conclusion, my advice would be the following:

Great for rapid weight loss – possibly to kick-start a new effort if you have strong will power or maybe to lose that last stubborn couple of pounds that just won’t budge

Fantastic as a body detox and vacation period for the liver, kidneys and digestive organs. In my opinion probably the best reason for considering a fast. Combined with 100% natural Traditional Chinese Herbal supplements, I find this the best way to clean the body and give it a fresh set of batteries. You can feel it all doing you good!

Again, in my opinion fasting is most effective when used in short-bursts in conjunction with a balanced healthy diet and exercise program. It is not gonna magicaly turn you into a slimmer you, it still requires hard work. But it can help you lose weight rapidly and it can definitely help you stay fit and healthy.

Know When To Stop!

Ever considered trying to lose weight by fasting? Well if you have or you just want to find out more about a subject I am getting an increasing number of questions on, then read on!

A complete fast in its traditional definition, is abstinence from all food and liquids except for water. Pretty drastic stuff!

On the face of it you would expect to lose a lot of weight by fasting, wouldn’t you? After all if you’re not taking anything in that’s half the battle won, right? Well yes and no.

Will you lose weight? Probably, yes.

Is it a healthy option to lose weight? Possibly not.

3 Reasons We Fast

The three main reason we fast are:

1. religious instruction
2. detoxifying or cleansing of the body and/or blood
3. weight loss

Fasting plays an important role in most major religions. The belief is that it promotes self-control and strengthens the will.

Religious Fasting

Jewish law orders a yearly fast on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Many Christians fast during the Lent, which lasts 40 days from Ash Wednesday until Easter, commemorating the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness.

Muslims fast from dawn to sunset every day during Ramadan, the ninth month of their year. During these hours, Muslims abstain from food and beverage, even though this month often comes during the hottest season of the year. Muslim’s believe that fasting is the epitome of the five pillars of Islam upon which the other 4 pillars are balanced, so an integral part of the religion.

Vaklush: “To fast is to be God or gods in God.”

Buddhists and Hindus also fast but they will more often see this as a way to help them reach spiritual enlightenment, fasting is said to promote moral height and spiritual clearance. Buddhist monks as part of their daily routine, will not take solid food after midday.

To Cleanse The Body

According to mainstream medicine, there is absolutely no medical benefit derived from fasting. Removing so called “toxins” is successfully carried out by your kidneys, liver, and various other organs, and rather than fasting, switching to a healthy, natural diet is probably a better long term solution.

Absolutely Non-toxic Body!

Ok, can’t argue with that one. However, when you consider how much junk the liver, kidneys and other filtering and digestive organs have to deal with, the idea of a fast to allow these organs time to rest and recuperate makes sense to me.

Now I know the idea of a colon cleanse is about as attractive as a visit from the tax inspector, but again you just can’t argue with the logic of getting all that gunk out of your body and giving the poor old battered digestive system a rest.

After all, our body’s digestive organs require a rest from time to time, just as we require days off from work. And think how much more efficient they are all going to be after all that accumulated rubbish is flushed out!

Different Types of Fasting

Although our earlier definition of fasting was pretty clear, nothing but water allowed, the basic elements that we need to remove from our diet for the sake of our health are cooked food and animal products.

The biggest drawback to fasting for seven days is that it makes one weak.

This includes the denatured processed and packaged products such as white flour, refined sugar etc. and all animal products such as red meat, poultry, fish and eggs. The only animal product that is usually allowed is a little honey for sweetening purposes.

In practice there are three main types of fasting commonly seen.

• water fasting
• juice fasting
• selective fasting

Fresh & Fruity

Water fasting is what it says it is. You fast and only take in water, normally purified or distilled to minimise the risk of ingesting toxins.

Juice fasting, funnily enough, is also what it says it is. You fast and are allowed to drink juices, of fresh fruit or vegetables. Not a juiced double cheeseburger, coke and chocolate ice cream! (Nice thought though)

The third fasting method allows you to eat raw, fresh vegetables and fruits but completely avoiding processed foods, meats, poultry, fish or dairy products. Not exactly my idea of fast food but you got to admit it sure sounds healthy!

Next week I am going to take a closer look at the pros and cons of fasting as well as some tips and advice on how to get it right.

And remember one truism that applies well to folk of all sizes.

If you are NOT overweight; then don’t eat fast.

If you ARE overweight; then don’t eat – FAST!

Get it?

As we didn’t manage to finish everything last week, I’ll just take a quick second to recap on what we did cover.

We introduced the concept of diet sabotage; and how it can be the ones closest to you that do the most damage. Then we went on to explore why your nearest and dearest would attempt to undermine your commendable efforts and we ended up by covering the tell-tale clues that expose these diet saboteurs.

Like Wading Through Quicksand!

If you find that someone in your life fits these characteristics, it is likely you are dealing with someone who, consciously or unconsciously, does not want your weight loss efforts to succeed.

It is important to recognize if someone is making your weight loss efforts harder rather than easier; not acknowledging this will only lead to failure and resentment in your relationship. After all, weight loss changes a lot more than just your dress size and you may have to change the way you relate to your loved ones if this becomes a problem.

But you do need to stand firm in the face of any and all opposition to you achieving your goals. Many people cave in to all the mounting pressures of guilt, negativity, fear of rejection, not to mention the fear of losing the love of family members who are acting this way.

As for friends, be sure to cultivate and surround yourself with positive, supportive, confident people who are about doing and achieving, themselves. That way they won’t feel threatened when you make forward, positive strides in your own life.

When you see this happening, you have to open up communication with the people in your life. Let them know how important it really is to you to be a fitter, healthier person.

Failure To Communicate

The bottom line is that everyone, regardless of gender, needs support when they’re trying to lose weight. Just don’t assume that everyone’s a mind reader, let friends and colleagues, as well as partners, know you’re trying to lose weight and let them know how they can help.

Everyone Needs Support

Having an honest talk about your weight loss efforts and your loved one’s influence on them. Explain to them how very important that losing weight is to you. Tell them that their support could mean the difference between success and failure to you. Ask them for their help.

Maybe even take the time to work out why you losing weight would be good for them. You will be less grumpy, less depressed, have more energy to do more things that you both enjoy doing. It means that you’re trying to make sure you’ll be around for as long as possible to continue doing all the things that you enjoy doing together.

Don’t be afraid to point out things that make it harder for you to lose weight or give examples of statements that have hurt your feelings.

Asking someone for their unconditional support isn’t like asking someone to change a light bulb; it takes a little pride-swallowing. But admitting to this person that you need their help may be the first step in improving the situation for both of you.

Here are some ideas:

• “When you prepare a meal for us, I would prefer it if you didn’t offer me seconds. Please don’t take offense when I refuse.”
• “When you bring snacks or fast food into the house, please try to eat them in another room or at least, don’t offer me any of yours. These are problem foods for me and hard to resist them.”
• “I feel more likely to stick to my walking routine if you will join me every now and again. It’s something we can do together.”
• “I am carefully watching what I do and don’t eat. If I do slip now and again, believe me, I am aware of it. I don’t need you to point it out.”

Be Strong - You Are Worth It!

In turn, ask your loved one to tell you about their feelings. You may be surprised at what comes to light. Ask them what you can do to help them adjust to your new lifestyle. (If your friend, for example, feels threatened you’ll leave her behind for a “new crowd,” a simple heart-to-heart may be all it takes for her to put those feelings of fear and resentment behind her.)

Learn To Cope

This type of behavior from those closest to us can be very disheartening when we are already feeling vulnerable.

Fortunately, there are several tactics you can use to improve the situation and prevent sabotaging of your diet.

After spending some time discussing the problem you need to move on to practical action.

To eliminate the feelings of insecurity they may be experiencing as you begin to reveal your new, slimmer body, try to spend more time together and bond by asking them to become your weight loss buddy. Not only will this provide the back-up support you need, but it will help them feel included.

Plan Together

Be sure to let those closest to you know the guidelines for your diet. In some cases, what appears to be sabotage could simply be the result of not having enough information. If you find that certain areas are especially weak points for you; clue your family and friends in so that they can help you to meet your weight loss goals.

Try planning non-food activities with friends and family as often as possible. If you’re used to drinks and appetizers with friends, get together for bowling instead; instead of going to your Mom’s for dessert, ask her to play a game of cards with you.

When friends and family express judgmental feelings; the first thing you should do is realize that these statements are more about their own feelings of inadequacies. Try not to take it personally. Instead, focus on the fact that you are doing something healthy for yourself.

If this a major area of concern for you then you may wish to keep a record in your journal of the occasions when someone says or does something that you feel undermines your efforts.

Most importantly, never accuse friends/family of the obvious tactics they are using. At the end of each day, look over these instances and try to come up with ways you can handle the situation better.

Often, dealing with these types of influences comes down to avoiding them, ignoring them, or giving yourself the positive self-talk that undoes the damage caused by your loved one’s negative influence.

The worst case scenario is that you’ll have to distance yourself from the person who is causing your weight loss efforts to suffer, when possible and when all else has failed.

I’m not advocating mass marriage break-ups

Ok, I’m not advocating mass marriage break-ups here. Family should be strong enough to get through the tough times.

But when you are having these problems with friends or less permanent partners, this may be the ideal time to sit down and re-consider where your relationship is going.

Sometimes a breather from a relationship is a good thing. You don’t have to look at it as a break up. Remember that when you feel stronger or once you’ve met your weight loss goal, you can pick up where you left off.

And your self-esteem and confidence will have grown to such an extent that it is just possible that you may well have outgrown the relationship.

Be Strong – You Are So Worth It!

Each situation is different and only you can decide what is best for yourself, your relationship and your own health and well being.

Remember, no one should be able to make you eat or do, or not do, anything that you do not want to. It is your body and your health at stake and you have to take charge of it.

Your health and well-being are too important for you to put either at risk. What kind of friend or partner is it that will allow their insecurity or ignorance to endanger both your physical health and your self-contentment? Like I said: Be strong! You are so worth it!

I’m gonna touch on a touchy subject today. Are your friends and family being a help or a hindrance to your weight loss efforts?

Friend Or Foe?

I don’t have to tell you how hard it can be to lose weight, everything can seem to be stacked against you. Without a doubt your chances of success improve if you have supportive people around you. If you have good support from friends, have supportive colleagues at work and can go home at night to more support from your partner or family, then weight loss becomes so much easier.

It is so vital that you have every possible factor working in your favour to ensure your success and it would be reasonable to expect that our friends and family would support us in our efforts to lose weight and be healthier.

But sometimes, those closest to you, those you need and expect the most help from, may actually be trying to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Either without knowing what they are doing or more sinisterly, intentionally.

When The Going Gets Tough

Support comes in two forms – the practical kind (like keeping chocolate fudge out of the house/office or minding the kids so you can go to the gym) and verbal support (like words of encouragement).

In most cases those closest to you are going to be your biggest supporters. The ones that really keep by your side through all the crappy times; the ones who will help you find the strength to persevere when the going gets tough.

So for most of you this is hopefully just a “I Never Knew That” piece. But if some of the following strikes a bell with you and sounds alarmingly familiar then perhaps you need to take another closer read.

“He loves me, and if I’m stressed out or unhappy, his solution is cherry ripple ice cream”

While she calls her husband a “diet saboteur,” Carol Vanderbilt, a fashion designer, nevertheless believes that her husband’s lack of support is benign. “He loves me, and if I’m stressed out or unhappy, his solution is cherry ripple ice cream,” she said.

The first task is to successfully differentiate between intentional diet sabotage and well-intentioned, but equally damaging, diet vandalism as a result of ignorance or lack of thought.

Contrast the above example of “lack of thought” sabotage with this scenario. Joanne put on a lot of weight after picking up unhealthy eating habits at university. After graduating, she formed a tight circle of friends with some colleagues at her first job.

Joanne

Although Joanne was obviously the most overweight girl in her group, she was never made to feel self conscious or less attractive than her friends. They accepted her as she was, and always complimented her clothes, hair or make up whenever they could.

However, when Joanne began successfully losing the 60 pounds plus she’d put on in university, she noticed a definite change in the attitudes of a few of her group.

Suddenly, there were snide little comments and jokes made at her expense by these girls. They also began excluding her from certain get togethers and events in which they’d usually all participate. Not understanding the sudden change in her friends attitudes towards her, Joanne was puzzled and hurt.

Now, these friends, who she saw as her support system, were suddenly rejecting her and trying to make her feel bad about herself. Why?

Why Your Biggest Allies Can Turn Against You

It can be the person you least expect who attempts to sabotage your weight loss. Perhaps your spouse or partner, a sibling or even your best friend as in the example above. Whilst this situation can happen for many different reasons, by far the most common reason is that the “saboteur” finds themselves feeling threatened by your efforts to lose weight.

Here are some scenarios where someone may be reacting out of fear or insecurity, see if any seem familiar:

• Friends may be scared that you want to change your life in other ways. Maybe you’ll be leaving them out of your “new and improved” circle of friends along with your new, healthy lifestyle.
• A friend may feel your weight loss makes their extra weight seem more noticeable to others.
• Your spouse may be jealous of or dislike the attention you are getting from other people.
• A family member may resent the time you spend exercising or preparing healthy foods (particularly if they themselves partake of neither) when you would previously have been spending more time with them. Children especially can fall into this category. They’re so accustomed to having your full attention and you being at their beck and call. Your kids can become more difficult and whiny because they know that will get your attention back.
• A friend may feel guilty about continuing to eat your formerly favorite foods while you eat lighter fare and/or may miss their “partner in crime” if you frequently ate together or shared “bad” foods.

Saboteur!

Tell Tale Clues The Saboteur Leaves Behind

So, how do you know a weight loss saboteur when you meet one?

Here are some clues. Weight loss saboteurs may…

• Urge you to eat sweet or fattening foods.
• Undermine your efforts by making negative comments, such as: “No one ever keeps the weight off!” or “You’ll never make your goal weight. You always quit.”
• Continually offer you second helpings of food despite the fact that you say you are no longer hungry.
• Keep a watchful eye on everything you eat, make snide comments, or check the fridge or food packages to see if you have eaten “bad” foods in their absence.
• Be overly critical of your weight loss methods.
• Discourage you from getting regular physical activity.
• Belittle or make fun of you.

Ok so now you understand maybe why your closest allies can turn against you. You know how to recognise them and their treachery, but what can you do to protect yourself from the effects of their underhand actions? How do you learn to cope with this kind of negativity and chipping away at your self resolve and confidence?

Well tune in next week and I’ll give you the low down on fighting back!

Diet Pill Dangers!

Many times a week I am asked for my opinion on diet pills. My first comment is that you are all big enough to make your own minds up for yourself but do look into the facts first.

Broadly speaking, there are diet pills, diet supplements and natural herbal remedies. You can find out more details about how diet supplements reduce your calorie intake here and how diet pills help you burn calories here.

Diet pills are medicines and should only be used under medical advice and obtained by prescription from your own doctor. They contain some very powerful chemicals and if misused are potentially lethal. See the story below about Caroline:

Diet supplements are still made up from laboratory-produced chemicals and can also still be potentially very powerful. Because they are classed as supplements they do not come under the same legislation and control as prescription drugs but are treated more as foods. Still controlled by the Federal Authorities in the US and government agencies in the UK, Europe and Australia.

Herbal remedies are 100% natural, or the only ones you should consider touching should be! They are also classed as Foods and controlled in the same manner by government authorities.

Personally I had great success using Traditional Chinese Herbal blends and as far as I am concerned they probably saved me from an early death. (To get the full story, fill in the request form in the side bar or below for my How I Cheated My Way To Losing 46 Pounds In 6 Months & 8 Days)

I am also a little paranoid about taking any medicines that I don’t have to. I have to be tied down and force-fed a paracetamol when I have a headache!

Jasmine tells me I’m a big whoos (how do you spell that?) but I always feel that chemicals going into the body have got to be having a side effect somewhere. I mean if they need a prescription it must be because they are potentially dangerous, right?

Anyway, as if to prove my point the following story highlights the dangers graphically.

Singer Caroline Duffy, 28, had a lucky escape when diet pills made her body shut down. Despite being aware of the dangers, women desperate to lose weight are buying prescription drugs online without or against medical advice.

When she was 18 she failed an audition to join a girl group and then overheard an interviewer say it was because she was overweight.

Caroline, from Tyne & Wear in the North East of England, said “Over the next five years I tried numerous diets but none of them gave me the results I craved.”

“Then, at 23, I read a magazine article about Britney Spears. It said a pot of Zantrex-3 diet pills had fallen out of her handbag as she walked through Heathrow airport.”

“I dropped the magazine and rushed to my computer. The official site selling the drugs promised rapid, sustained weight loss and extreme energy, with 546 per cent more weight loss than other leading brands.”

“Perfect — weight loss with no dieting or exercise. One batch of 120 tablets cost £90. I immediately typed in my bank details and bought one packet.”

“I decided not to tell my family and friends about the pills. I’d wait until the weight dropped off.”

“When they arrived I read the instructions carefully and took four of the large blue tablets a day. Within a week, I noticed they were working. My appetite had shrunk. I went from devouring breakfast and two hearty meals to one slice of toast a day. Soon I wasn’t hungry at all and didn’t need the toast.”

“I was full of energy, but felt a bit hyper. My energy levels would be sky-high after taking the pills, but plummet hours later.”

“My hands were shaky and I suffered severe heart palpitations every day.”

“I was worried, but I expected some side-effects. The results would be worth it.”

“But the weight wasn’t exactly falling off. I fluctuated between a normal size 12 and a slightly slimmer ten — not the dramatic loss I’d expected.”

Then two weeks after she started taking the pills, the chemicals they contained started hitting back.

Caroline said “I started to burn up. I looked at my arms and saw I was covered in bright red blotches and my whole body was on fire. But my hands and feet were icy cold.”

“Within minutes I was rushed to hospital. My heart was pounding furiously and I felt dizzy and nauseous.”

“The consultant explained the drugs had stopped me eating — but also drastically starved my body of fuel.”

“It was shutting down to survive. All the blood was being pumped to my vital organs and away from my hands and feet.”

“The doctor said, ‘If you had left it a few more days we’d have had to amputate your hands and feet. You could have died.’”

Now there are many lessons to be learned here, but first and foremost, don’t take prescription drugs unless your own doctor has prescribed them.

Personally, as I said before, I prefer natural herbal remedies. Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used for literally thousands of years on many millions of people without adverse side effects. No clinical test in the world can compete with that as a stamp of approval on their quality, effectiveness and safety.

The longevity of life in the Far East and their quality of life in terms of health and fitness puts us to shame in the west.

But in the end we are all old enough and big enough and have to take responsibility for our own actions. Just make sure you get as much information as possible first before making your own decision.

My story and how Traditional Chinese Herbs played their part in my dramatic weight loss can be requested below. Just fill in the request form and see for yourself.

Burning Some Calories!

Although tackling weight challenges and obesity is definitely no laughing matter, sometimes all you need to pick yourself up is a good old laugh.

According to some scientist type with nothing better to do, laughing 10-15 minutes a day will burn enough calories to lose two kilograms (4.4 pounds) in a year!

Don’t get too excited though, it would take one hour of non-stop side-busting laughter to work off one average sized chocolate bar!

But laughter does have other health benefits. Read more on:

It relieves stress and relaxes the body reducing problems associated with high blood pressure, strokes, arthritis, and ulcers. Some research suggests that laughter may also reduce the risk of heart disease.

If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving probably isn’t for you.

– Steve Wright

A robust chuckle or just a wee titter also boosts the immune system and a good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. Your heart rate goes up and you will find that negative feelings and thoughts are banished from the mind.

So without further ado let’s bring on the humour and funny stories!

1. A middle-aged Irish navvy straight off the building site was terribly overweight. Too much Guinness and fried food. So his doctor put him on a newly discovered diet.
   “I want you to eat regular meals, anything you like,  for 2 days. Then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 more weeks. The next time I see you, you should have lost at least 5 pounds.”
   When Paddy returned, his doctor was shocked to discover that he had in fact lost an amazing 60 pounds.
   “Why, that’s unbelievable!” the doctor said. “Did you follow my instructions ?”
   Paddy nodded, “Oh yes sir! To be sure. But I have to tell you that I thought I was going to drop dead on the 3rd day.”
   “From hunger, you mean ?” the doctored enquired.
   “No, from all the damn skipping!”

“If someone had told me years ago that sharing a sense of humour was so vital to partnerships, I could have avoided a lot of very disappointing sex!”

- Kate Beckinsale

2. Diet Rules that I am still working on (suggestions welcomed):
   1. If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
   2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda.
   3. When you eat with someone else, calories don’t count if you don’t eat more than they do.
   4. Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER counts, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake.
   5. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.
   6. Movie-related foods (Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, Hot Dogs, etc.) do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one’s personal fuel.

   

   7. Cookie pieces contain no calories — the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.
   8. Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife while making a sandwich and ice cream on a spoon when making a sundae.
   9. Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and white chocolate.
   10. Foods that are frozen have no calories because calories are units of heat. Examples are ice cream, frozen pies, and popsicles.

   Note: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.

   “A Friend is like a Good Bra, hard to find, supportive, comfortable, always lifts you up, never lets you down or leaves you hanging, and is always close to your heart.”

3. I keep trying to lose weight – but no matter how hard I try it keeps finding me.
4. My food preference is often!
5. I am not fat – just horizontally enhanced.
6. I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them. – Joan Rivers

Ok, feel better? I hope so. Laughing, whether a wry smile or a full, let it rip, from the belly snorter really does make you feel better. So if things are going a bit rough and it seems like the world is piling it up against you, just reach out for the nearest comedy DVD, settle back and don’t hold it in.

Let me know what makes you laugh by adding a comment below, I’d be really interested to see what does it for you.

Burning up the calories!

As we didn’t manage to finish everything last week, I’ll just take a quick second to recap on what we did cover.

We discussed the two basic methods of losing weight; reduce calorie intake or increase calorie burn. Then we went on to explore the ins and outs of cheating with reference to weight loss and we ended up by covering the first option of cheating your way to reduced calorie intake.

That left the second scenario where you fool your body into burning more calories than it should. The good news is your body is burning calories 24 hours a day. The rate at which it burns calories is known as your metabolic rate and it burns calories to provide energy for three main functions:
Read more on:

1. Existence: As in breathing and just laying there. This is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate and accounts for approximately 60% of calorie burn in the average person.
2. Activity: As in raising your arm to use the TV remote control or running a mile. This accounts for 30% of calorie burn in an average person.
3. Dietary Thermogenesis: As in really long fancy name for the calories burned in the process of eating, digesting, absorbing and using food. Also known as meal-induced heat production. This accounts for the balance of 10% of calorie burn in an average person.

Fat reserves sure can build up!

When your main source of energy, your blood sugar (glucose) runs low, the process of metabolism turns your body fat into energy. However, the bad news is that when your supply of blood sugar is higher than necessary, the process of metabolism stores excess energy by turning it into body fat to be used another time. Or to be collected around your middle, thighs and anywhere else it feels like settling.

When you exercise, your body requires more energy and your metabolism speeds up to supply it. If you need to burn more calories than you are eating in order to feed your energy requirements, then you will start to use up that fat reserve and lose weight.

Pity we have to exercise to achieve that weight loss.

Do we have to exercise? We could always cheat you know.

Most of the time we are not as active as we should be and this is the reason people want to raise their metabolism artificially. I call this cheating, but also reason that anything that helps me lose weight, improves my fitness and prolongs my life is ok by me.

Cheating by fooling the body into burning more calories than normal, focuses on either increasing your Metabolic Rate or on heating up your Dietary Thermogenesis.

Supplements focusing on increasing your Metabolic Rate basically stimulate your body into working harder. Just to maintain the same weight now requires more calories. So if all other things stayed the same (exercise rate, calorie intake) you would start losing weight simply by just starting to take the supplement.

However, please do not think this is a guaranteed miracle cure. You gotta go back to the first commandment of weight loss. If your calorie intake is still higher than your calorie burn then you will only be reducing any weight gain rather than seeing a weight loss. I did say cheat, not rework the laws of biological metabolism!

Supplements that focus on increasing your Dietary Thermogenesis include many common natural substances such as bitter orange, capsicum, chilli, ginger and caffeine. Even drinking a glass of water produces a mild result of Thermogenesis so by using balanced supplements that laser in on this desired goal, great benefits in term of weight loss can be achieved.

So I think it is pretty clear to see that supplements or diet pills have trendous potential to assist your weight loss.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends

It is important to understand what the supplements do and how they do it. It is equally important to ensure that the supplements come from a reliable and regulated manufacturer.

There is no magic cure for being overweight. You will need to be committed and you will need to be prepared for hard work.

If you have already heard enough to realise that you should be doing something now and you can live with the cheating bit if it’s gonna help you lose weight, then I am gonna tell you what you need to do next.

Don’t forget that I have been there. I know how hard it can be just to get started. But I also know just how proud you must feel now that you have finally decided to take that first step. You won’t be on your own. I am here to help and support you, anytime you want it: luke@big-2-slim.com

It’s not even gonna cost you a penny to get going! Fill in your details below and let’s get you on the way to a slimmer, fitter you! I just know that you are gonna feel so good!

Can Diet Pills Help You Lose Weight?

There is no magic solution to the age-old problem of losing weight. You just got to take in less calories than your body burns. That way your body is going to dip into your fat reserves to make up the shortfall. Makes sense, yes?

So you have two choices. The first one is to play around with the calories you take in by controlling what you eat and drink (that’s called dieting) or you need to cheat!

The second option that you have is to play around with the amount of calories your body burns. Now that means increasing your metabolic rate (the measurement of how fast your body burns calories) either through exercise or cheating again!

Still with me so far? Good!

Read more on:

So what’s this cheating bit?

Look I know how hard this losing weight thing really is. I spent nearly 40 years clinically overweight and a very large proportion of that clinically obese.

The way I look at it is this. Any help I can get to achieve and then maintain my ideal weight and a healthy body is ok by me. When I say cheat I mean extra help to make a very difficult job easier than it normally is!

So, back to cheating. In your first scenario that’s where you stop your body taking in all the calories from the food and drink that you consume. Again we have two options to achieve the same goal with an additional third side benefit in most cases.

No More Feeling Hungry

The first is to cheat your body into not feeling hungry, so that you don’t want to eat as much as you used to. These are known as Appetite Suppressants.

They work in two ways. One by blocking or modifying the signals that your body normally sends to your brain to tell you that you are hungry. You know the ones that say you better go get a Double Big Mac with large fries or you are going to collapse in an incoherent mess on the floor. Cut out these evil little messages and way less calories are consumed.

The other equally sneaky method is rather than block messages, to release into your brain a flood of the signals that tell you you are full fit to burst and better not put even one more piece of food in your mouth or you are going to explode. Either way job done, goal achieved.

The second option is to physically stop your body sucking out all the calories from the food and drink that have gotten past the Appetite Suppressants and into your mouth. These are known as Fat Blockers.

“Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I’m halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God….I could be eating a slow learner.”

Most Fat Blockers inhibit the action of an enzyme called Lipase. When we eat fatty foods Lipase normally breaks down the fat when it gets into the intestine, before being absorbed into your body.

With a Lipase inhibitor, a high percentage of the fat in the food that you swallowed is removed from the body through bowel movements instead of being broken down and absorbed. Fat down the pan means Luke is gonna be a slim cool man!

So you can literally sh!t yourself thin! Isn’t nature a wonderful thing?

The third scenario is where the supplements are actually able to burn your body’s fat reserves through lipolysis. This is a process whereby your body’s fat  & cholesterol stored in fat cells is broken down and then flushed out of your system. Which literally means you lose fat as you sit there!

Burning Calories!

This also has the added side benefit of lowering your bad cholesterol levels and reducing even further your risk of heart disease and strokes.

In the second main scenario you fool your body into burning more calories than it should. Now that’s gonna take a whole lesson on itself and you are going to have to wait for my next post to hear all about it. Fair enough?

Ok, sounds good to me…

Luke, if I have already heard enough to realise I should be doing something now and I can live with the cheating bit if it’s gonna help me lose this weight, what do I need to do next?

Ok, now you’re talking! Let’s keep it moving forward. Keep the momentum going. You won’t be on your own. I am here to help and support. Anytime you want it: luke@big-2-slim.com

It’s not even gonna cost you a penny to get going! Just that momentous decision that today is the day. Fill in your details below and let’s get you on the way to a slimmer, fitter you! I just know that you are gonna feel so good!

Do Not Do This Any Longer - Time To Come Out!

We are what we have chosen to be from the depth of our very souls and being. We are self-made based upon our beliefs.

We take responsibility for our own actions. We take responsibility for who we are, what we have become.

We understand that we are responsible for what goes into our mouths. For what we eat and what we drink.

We understand that we are responsible for what exercise we do or do not do. What we put off to another day and what we delay because of fear or anxiety.

We understand that we are responsible for our decision to make a new start. To decide that enough is enough and that we can and will do something about our situation, today.

Ok, now we have the power to change. The power to change who we are, what we have become.

So now we are feeling better. Now we are really in control. With responsibility comes power. The power to change. For change we must. How else can we expect to become the new slimmer, fitter version that we long for?

Change can be unsettling, but change can be so good!

Sit there now for a minute or two and just think about it. Go on, close your eyes for a second or two. See the new you.

There you are, getting off the bed, in your birthday suit! Nothing to be ashamed about there! You slip into something sleek and fashionable that you bought off the peg just the other day. It fits so good, it feels so good, you look so good!

Looking Good!

You run down the stairs effortlessly. Straight out the front door and straight into the car. You feel so comfortable, plenty of daylight between you and the steering wheel that never used to be there!

At the shopping centre you stop the car and walk briskly inside. Yes you noticed the admiring glances, even the puzzled glances from people who have known you for years and are not quite sure that it really is you looking so good.

How do you feel? Pretty good, huh? Well come on then let’s get off our backsides and get this show on the road. You’ve just gotta want it enough to take that first step. It really is the first step that sets it all in motion.

I have been there. I have felt the exhilaration. It really does feel so good. Just thinking about that feeling, that moment, brings tears to the backs of my eyes. There is nothing wrong with getting a little emotional over something you want so bad, is there?

But come on now, let’s keep it moving forward. Keep the momentum going. Reach out and take that first step. You won’t be on your own. I am here to help and support. Anytime you want it: luke@big-2-slim.com

It’s not even gonna cost you a penny to get going! Just that momentous decision that today is the day. Fill in your details below and let’s get you on the way to a slimmer, fitter you! You are gonna feel so good!

The first step is undoubtedly the hardest. It’s so easy to keep putting things off.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Yes you need a little faith in yourself, a little self-belief. You even need a little faith in your chosen course of action; is this right for me?

But taking that first step is the most important step you are going to make in the journey to getting fit and healthy, the way that you know you want to be.

Aristotle believed, and I think correctly, that courage is the first of the human virtues, because it makes the others possible.

Courage is the ability to exercise your free will and make things happen especially in the face of setbacks and unforeseen challenges.

The commitment to wade through these inevitable crises is the meaning of courage. To gain courage is to change your beliefs about what you and those you hold dearest deserve. About what’s possible with patience and persistence.

You have been given the greatest power in the world, the power to choose. It is the ability to select healthy choices and take daily actions that define who you are to become, the new slimmer you?

Giant oaks do grow from little acorns; but first you must have an acorn! By thinking and acting affirmatively in this minute, you will influence the hour, the day, and in time, your entire life.

You are your own scriptwriter and the play is never finished, no matter what your age or position in life. Please don’t allow yourself to be robbed of by thinking it is too late or that you are beyond redemption. Nobody could be in a worse state than I was when I took my first step earlier this year.

If you need a helping hand on that first faltering step then just reach out and grab it. I’m here: luke@big-2-slim.com

Don’t forget I’ve been there, I know how hard it is to get started. But I also know how damn good you’re gonna feel when you’re looking back having already taken that first step. You are gonna feel fantastic! And we are all gonna feel very proud of you.

So come on, reach out and take that first step now. It’s not even gonna cost you a penny to get going! Fill in your details below and let’s get you on the way to a slimmer, fitter you!