And I don’t know why I even bothered because it’s not like I could ever look like her anyway. I’ll never be tall and slender – I’m only 5 foot 2. I’ll never have beautiful, shiny, long blond hair – I’m a brunette and my hair is so curly the stylists all run for cover when I walk through the door. But I just knew if I did everything the teen magazines said to increase your metabolism and lower your calories that I’d end up looking just like Marcia Brady and all the boys at school would fall all over themselves to carry my books.

But here’s the thing those teen magazines don’t tell you. Sure, it’s possible to raise your metabolism and it does help you lose weight. Studies do show that an increased metabolism burns more calories. But because your body is burning more calories it needs more calories. So people who increase their metabolism to achieve those weight loss goals often end up eating even more than they normally would have.

Add to this the fact that when you artificially increase your metabolism with things like herbal teas and spicey foods, and even chewing gum, it speeds up the aging process. You can compare it to letting your car sit in neutral in your driveway with the engine racing. If you don’t put that car into drive and let it do something with that energy all you’re doing is burning up the engine. So you might lose some weight by chewing all that gum but you’re also going to add some wrinkles.

If you’re going to raise your metabolism then you have to do something with it once you get it elevated, you can’t just sit on the couch with a bag of chips. Look at Marcia Brady. She was always busy being a cheerleader or playing soccer or going out to dances. And if you’re more active then you don’t even have to lower your calories. Marcia Brady ate anything she wanted. Alice was always making cookies and cakes and did you see the meals those guys ate?

I’ve been at my target weight for 4 years now and my advice to you is, quit those yo-yo diets and worrying about how to artificially raise your metabolism and lower your calories by giving up all your favorite foods, and start living life like Marcia Brady. Get up off the couch and get active and you won’t have time to think about eating and the activity will naturally raise your metabolism. Now let’s talk about your hair…

LONDON (Reuters) – Tackling just five health factors could prevent millions of premature deaths and increase life expectancy by almost 5 years, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday. Poor childhood nutrition, unsafe sex, alcohol, bad sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure are to blame for around a quarter of the 60 million premature deaths around the world each year, the WHO said in a report.

Poor childhood nutrition is a concern and a big issue right, I’m going to include poor adult nutrition and just to make it easier, human nutrition is the best phrase I could use. Human nutrition is key to living healthy, productive and disease free lives. Stop eating processed foods, colas eat a healthy and balanced diet. Avoid red meats and anything that could be toxic to your system, if it comes in a can or box or bottle you should be reading the label, it’s probably loaded with preservatives. Of course you should eat fewer fats and especially processed fats that are used to make things taste and last longer, I believe they are called hydrogenated oils you know the bad ones that really shoot up the old cholesterol and make us have heart attacks and high blood pressure, since they really do a great job of clogging up our veins.

I was in a supermarket the other day and saw a box of milk that was not in the refrigerated section, it had an expiration date of 5 years on it. WoW how is that possible? Since I basically grew up on my grand-mother’s farm, I know milk spoils really fast if not refrigerated. As it turned out, that milk was full of preservatives and radiated with real radiation. I don’t know about you, but I think I will pass on radiated milk that can last 5 years. That is just one example of what you are putting into your body and we wonder why we are not healthy and lean as we are supposed to be…

If you intend to lose weight then you have to stop drinking alcohol. Not only that but DUI, Killed in drunken accident, liver failure , loss of brain function are just some of the bad things that can happen with alcohol use. I don’t mean to say you should never enjoy an occasional glass of red wine, especially when it is said to be good for you (Note: I did not say the entire bottle….) You should not consume alcohol if you are attempting to keep your metabolism at its peak. Alcohol is a depressant and it will depress your metabolic rate and decrease your livers ability to process toxins out of your system.

The United Nations World Health Organization posted that high blood pressure is also a known killer and will not always cause you to die but be can cause strokes and other nasty diseases. The biggest reason we have high blood pleasure in our modern time is by being obese or over weight.

It’s really a basic principal of hydro mechanics:
For every pound of fat you have, requires 2 miles of additional blood vessels. Now let’s say you are just 10 pounds overweight, that’s 20 miles of extra blood vessels that your heart has to pump blood through additionally. Now do you see why people who are really over weight have enlarged hearts? High blood pressure and on and on… The poor old ticker called the heart muscle is just over worked. Now how does the food we eat also contribute to high blood pressure? By clogging up the pipes even more, so we not only have more pipes but they now are in a worse condition.

The other two causes of death are unsafe sex, and bad sanitation or hygiene.

Yes, you CAN lose weight by cutting down calories but beware of the dangers of starvation! Starvation diets will actually slow down your metabolic rate and make weight loss even more difficult and weight gain much easier. That is the danger when using very low calorie diets. You almost always re-gain weight that was lost with highly restrictive diets.

How To Create A Calorie Deficit Diet And Lose The Fat

Water intake, liver and kidney function play a huge role in your weight loss. You also need to understand that you have to burn more calories than you consume or decrease your intake of calories below what you require to maintain your current weight. To lose fat, you need to create a calorie deficit. However, there’s more than one way to create a calorie deficit. One is to decrease the amount of calories you consume by eating less. The other is to increase the amount of calories you burn by exercising more or raise your thermal burn (increase body temp). But of course, if you do both you will receive the best results for your weight loss.

If your diet it too drastic you may lose muscle tissue which is what really burns fat and keeps us toned and healthy.

The most effective approach for weight loss of all is to eat more times in a day. You should be eating 6 times per day. If you eat small amounts of the correct food and exercise more , you will increase your body’s metabolic rate.

Top 10 reasons to exercise while dieting:

1. Exercising increases your metabolism. You will burn more calories as you begin to exercise and have much more energy all wile feeling better.

2. Exercising creates a caloric deficit without triggering starvation mode. You need to also eat 6 times per day.

3. Exercising helps you sleep better and manages stress better. Exercising creates blood flow which will help your body clean itself. Your kidneys and liver need blood flow and water consumption to operate correctly.

4. Exercising tells your body to keep the muscle. Dieting causes muscle loss.

5. Exercising increases your overall health and feeling of well being.

6. Exercising helps prevent diabetes, controls blood sugar, and improves insulin sensitivity. By losing weight you will be healthier and more active.

7. Exercising improves cardiovascular health. As you become thinner your cardiovascular health will improve, your blood pressure level will be lower and general good health will normally be experienced.

8. Exercising improves mood, helps relieve depression and increases self esteem. By following a weight loss plan you will pick up new eating habits and feel better about yourself.

9. Exercising increases mobility and quality of life as you get older as losing weight just goes hand in hand with mobility and quality of life. You can improve your overall appearance, health and well being at any age.

10. Exercising helps you keep the weight off long term. A diet plan will get you started on long term eating habits that are healthy and will allow you to keep your weigh off healthily.

While you won’t actually lose permanent weight in 24 hours or less, it is possible to reduce the bloat of weight gain. This should help you  fit into that new dress or simply to look  and feel better when you hit the beach tomorrow.

Though, prior to undertaking a crash diet or any diet for that matter, you should consult your doctor, to make certain you have no underlying health issues which could be aggravated by such a diet.

The key to this is not starving yourself, but you just need to eat sensibly. In the long run, ideally, you should stick to this sort of diet regime so that there is no need for crash diets in the future!

There are several one day diets out there on the internet, but you need to be cautious, as any sort of crash diet may be highly dangerous. Starving your body of nutrition even for one day can have drastic consequences, particularly if you need to carry on with a regular routine. The secret to losing some bloat and lose weight in one day is simply to cut out any junk food and ONLY eat fruit and vegetables.

Your body will be fine with this diet for one day and a lack of meat will actually make you feel better as your system uses a lot of resources to process meat. Some people also feel bloated from meat but not from vegetables. If you need extra sustenance, consider fish instead of meat.

Here is an example of a “one day diet”.  Ideally, you should also eat every 3 hrs: breakfast at 6am, snack at 9am, lunch at 12pm, snack at 3pm, dinner at 6pm.

Breakfast
This is where you will stock up on your day’s fuel. Don’t go too light on breakfast or you will weaken during the day. Avoid white bread and cereal and go for whole grain. Pancakes are also ok.

Lunch
Fruit is ideal for lunch. Consider a banana, mango, orange and other tasty treats. Cucumbers are also excellent fillers and raw carrot sticks top it off.

Dinner
A light dinner eaten early in the evening is the key (usually before 6pm). You will want to leave enough to time to go for a brisk walk about 2 hours after eating dinner. Raw or lightly cooked carrots and broccoli are a good light dinner that won’t leave you starving.

Snacks
Apples are great for a snack but don’t over do it. Some people get bloated after too many fruits and the idea today is not to eat a lot. One apple is enough to get you through between meals.

Hydration
Drink water and a lot of it. This will induce your body to get rid of the excess fluid your body has been retaining. Avoid caffeine, carbonated soft drinks and other fluids which will restrict eliminating waste fluids.

By following the above diet for one day your stomach should shrink just enough for you to fit into that bikini, pants or dress!

There’s no such thing as a healthy, fast, weight loss diet plan. Successful weight loss doesn’t just happen. It took more than a few days to reach the point where you are at right now. Give yourself a break and expect it to take awhile before you see measurable results. Take a leap of faith and follow some basic principles in your diet plan.

Begin with your “self talk.” This is the conversation that runs through your brain continuously. What kind of conversation do you have with your self talk? What type of negative self talk has kept you from reaching your weight loss goals in the past?

If you had a chance to do it over again, would you change the dialogue? That’s a no-brainer isn’t it? Well, the good news is that you can turn the tide of negative self talk beginning right now. It’s never too late to begin and you start by reprogramming your self talk and beginning a whole new weight loss diet plan.

A good starting point is to begin with positive affirmations. Positive affirmations, spoken aloud with authority and belief, positively affect your attitude, focuses your thinking and lead to a course of action that will help you become the person you want to be and have the things that you want to have.

Begin by writing your weight loss affirmations on paper. You can begin with something like, “I want to lose 25 pounds before Christmas.” That’s a worthy goal and attainable, but we need to put some work into structuring the affirmation.

First of all, “I want” gives the impression that what you desire is always in the future. In order to re-program your self talk, you need to trick your mind into believing that you have already achieved weight loss success. This is how your subconscious mind functions.

Your subconscious mind has no capacity for understanding the concept of time. Everything is in the moment. . . here and now. When you tell your subconscious mind that you “want”, that is exactly what you will get. . . want. . . without ever achieving fulfillment. Unless you change your mental tape recorder, you will achieve exactly what you are telling your subconscious, that you “want to lose 25 pounds.” You will “want to lose 25 pounds” for the rest of your days unless you change your self talk.

If your weight is 150 pounds and you desire is to weight 125 pounds, then you need to “be” 125 pounds from the moment you make the decision to change your self talk. What if you write your affirmation to read something like this: “I am healthy and fit, weighing 125 pounds.”

It is extremely important that your affirmation is crystal clear because what you affirm is exactly what your subconscious mind will bring you.

You needn’t limit yourself to one affirmation either. Write another one that reflects your new exercise program. “I enjoy my healthy new diet plan,” or, “I love the healthy foods I eat.”

Write and rewrite until you are absolutely certain that you have written your weight loss goals “in the here and now” AND represent precisely what you desire. Only then do you begin to speak it aloud and do so several times a day.

Remember to use the present tense. “I acknowledge achievement in all my weight loss goals.” “I have the skill and talent to exercise every day.” “I am a winner.” “I am grateful for all of my accomplishments no matter how small.”

At first you will feel awkward and uncomfortable and you may not feel or believe what you are saying. It doesn’t matter, continue to speak them aloud with as much conviction as you can muster. It’s taken a long time to train your subconscious to use negative self talk. If you will persevere with speaking your affirmations aloud, firmly and confidently, you will be amazed at how quickly you can turn your thoughts around.

You didn’t hop on a bicycle the first time and just take off down the street. It took practice to train your body to balance on those two wheels. This will take some practice as well. Continue to repeat your affirmations aloud, several times a day for the next 30 days and you will be amazed at how much you change your thinking and attitude.

Above all, take action. Do nothing and nothing gets done. Do something and many things are placed in motion.

Regardless of what you are doing in life, you need to take action. Do something every day to put your plan into motion.

There are a lot of misconceptions about this diet, including the origins. Some sources claim that the diet was created by a famous doctor; some sources attribute it to respectable hospitals, etc…The diet did not come from a famous doctor or hospital. The true origins of this diet are unknown to this day.

This diet seems to have first surfaced in the 1980’s. It spread quickly by fax machine. Once the internet became so popular, it quickly started to spread that way. This is one of those fad diets that seems like it will never die or go away.

What is the cabbage soup diet?

The cabbage soup diet is a 7 day eating plan. The diet, as the name suggests, focuses around a soup which is comprised mainly of cabbage. The eating plan is below:

Day 1 – Cabbage soup and any type of fruit that you would like to eat, except for bananas.

Day 2 – Cabbage soup and any vegetables that you care to eat. You may also have a baked potato that has a small amount of butter on it.

Day 3 – Cabbage soup plus any fruits or vegetables that you care to eat, with the exception of potatoes or bananas.

Day 4 – Cabbage soup and bananas. You may eat up to 8 bananas. You may also drink as much skim milk as you want too.

Day 5 – Cabbage soup and beef. You may have up to 20 ounces of beef this day along with the cabbage soup. You may also consume up to 6 tomatoes.

Day 6 – Cabbage soup and unlimited beef. This day you can have as much beef as you care to eat. You can also have as many vegetables as you want, except for potatoes.

Day 7 – Cabbage soup and brown rice. You may also have any vegetables that you want this day, except potatoes. You may drink unsweetened fruit juice this day too.

It should be noted that you may eat as much of the cabbage soup that you want on any of the days. You must eat the cabbage soup at least 3 times per day. It should also be pointed out that there are some other variations of this diet.

The above may not be the exact cabbage soup diet that you may have stumbled upon. The main ingredients usually consist of the following: cabbage, onion, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and seasonings. The ingredients for the cabbage soup also tend to vary.

Does this diet work?

Yes and no. The diet can work, if you actually stick to it for the 7 days. You are severely limiting your calorie intake. Given that you have to eat the same thing daily, will probably tend to make you want to eat less of the soup, which will even further restrict your daily calorie intake.

If you’re expecting the weight loss to be long term, don’t. Most of the weight you lose from this diet will be water weight, not fat. Once you resume your normal eating habits, the weight you lost will return. In fact, it is probable that you will not only gain the weight you lost while being on this diet, but you may even gain more weight. You could wind up heavier than before you started this diet after you resume your normal eating habits.

Is this diet safe?

No, it is not. It is highly recommended that you don’t go on the cabbage soup diet. This diet is not nutritionally sound. You can actually become mal-nourished while on this diet. You should never eat under 1200 calories, unless you’re being directed by a doctor. This diet can make you come dangerously close to consuming less than 1200 calories. Even though it is only a week, it is highly recommended you don’t try this diet.

The cabbage soup diet lives on because there will always be an allure and an attraction to a diet that will help you to lose weight rapidly. The cabbage soup diet is not nutritionally sound nor will give you long term weight loss benefits at all. There are many other safe, nutritionally sound, diets out there that will help you to lose weight quickly and easily, if you put the effort into them.

You can also check out The New Cabbage Soup Diet (Mass Market Paperback) for more information.

Photo courtesy Veganlovlie.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

* 2 cups flour
* 4 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 cups apple juice
* 1 apple, diced
* 2 ripe bananas, mashed

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar. Add the apple juice, apple and mashed banana and mix well.

Pour the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 full.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until muffins raise and are golden brown. Enjoy!

[Source Via About.com]

The star reportedly had gained around 20 pounds of extra weight after having her second child and going through her recent divorce.

Britney told Leno that she had tried several ways to shed the pounds without success until now.

(Left) Spears after massive weight gain following her divorce. (Right) Spears after losing 26 pounds. In her interview with Leno she reveals using Acai Berry supplements to lose the weight.

“Everyone said I was fat, after my performance at the MTV awards. I remember hearing the mean things people were saying on TV and crying my eyes out. I tried everything.” Spears told Leno in the candid interview.

“People were saying nasty things about me, about how my career was over and how I was never going to get my old body back. I was already going through some hard times and that stuff just made it worse.”

How did she finally lose all that weight?

The young starlet reports that she had recently begun taking Acai Berry weight Loss pills. Britney told Leno that since starting on Acai, she had lost almost 26 pounds.

Britney told Leno, “You know, working out and eating right can only do so much. I’m just not a work out junkie and I hate diets. Usually my dancing is enough to keep me sexy, but I gained a bunch of weight from stress and having my two boys. I needed some extra help. Thank God for Acai, it helped me lose the weight when the normal stuff wasn’t working.”

“It was pretty easy” Britney told Leno, claiming that her routine consisted of taking the Extreme Acai pills as directed, making sure she drank 8 glasses of water a day. “That’s really all I did. I didn’t change my diet or anything. They really worked. I wish someone would have told me about this Extreme Acai stuff years ago.” Britney reported with a smile.

Acai Extreme Owner Shocked by Surprise Britney Endorsement

“We were surprised to say the least! You can’t pay for that kind of endorsement. ” says Jonathan Marshal, owner of the Extreme Acai website. “We knew she was using our product but we didn’t know she would mention us on such a big medium such as the Jay Leno show” Johathan reports.

“This is certainly any business owner’s dream, and we are very thankful for her putting us out there in front of more people that want to lose weight fast and healthy.”

Sense Britney’s public announcement on Leno, online stores selling the Berry, especially the brand she mentioned, Extreme Acai, are already reporting an increase of up to 15 times their average sales.

More and More Celebrity Endorsements For Acai Since Britney’s

It’s a well known fact that Hollywood is a tight circle. Trends move quick in Hollywood and it looks like this diet is no different. Since Britney’s admittion, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Lauren Conrad, and Heidi Klum have all confessed to using acai berry to shed pounds.

What is Acai Berry?

Here’s what are research found. Acai berry is a unique diet plan, because it burns fat and acts as an appetite suppressant. Acai berry mainly focuses on fat loss unlike other diet plans mainly emphasizing water loss.

Labeled a ‘miracle product’ and ’superfood’ by scientists around the world, Acai Berry supplements are made primarily from Acai (pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”) berry pulp and green tea. The Acai Berries are harvested from a special Amazon palm tree in the rainforests of Brazil.

Unlike other weight loss products that merely burn water weight, Acai Berry actually burns fat and suprresses hunger pangs. This is why you lose weight and keep it off with Acai.

Britney’s Back

The multi platinum selling artist is finally looks healthy and seems to be back on top of her career after the latest release of her platinum album “Circus.” She is looking in shape, back at her ideal weight, and better than ever.

[Source Via News 3 Insider]

Only species that cooks food; shortest life expectancy compared to the rest of living things. Coincidence? Think again.

Humans, like other species on Earth, are biologically adapted to eating raw foods. The human body is built to be able to break down raw foods into the most basic nutrients, vitamins, minerals and proteins that are needed to survive, using them as effective body fuel for everyday living. Heat breaks down the chemical and nutritional makeup of food, eliminating important nutrients that our bodies crave and need. Add to that harmful toxins and pesticides, preservatives and artificial additives, and it becomes so much more evident why humans don’t live as long as they should. In essence, we are killing our bodies by feeding them inappropriately.

By contrast, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has many countless benefits. It is widely known that a diet that focuses on raw foods is great for the skin, for example. Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins that help your complexion stay soft, supple, and healthy, and, not surprisingly, they are a wonderful source of hydration and energy. In addition, grains, legumes and other raw produce are high in fiber and protein, helping with digestion and functioning of vital organs.

One of the most exciting and significant benefits found in eating uncooked foods is how it encourages the body to break down foods properly and efficiently, significantly decreasing and in some cases eliminating harmful toxins that are secreted out of our bodies. As a result, out bodies are able to maintain much healthier chemical levels. The human body then becomes a well-oiled machine, breaking down harmful chemicals, boosting the immune system and eliminating harmful excesses from the body.

It is no coincidence that conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension have all been linked to dietary habits, which is exactly why it should also come as no surprise that studies show a significant decrease in these illnesses among people who practice raw food and vegan lifestyles. But did you know that scientific studies now show that people who are on raw food and extreme vegan diets are at a lower risk for developing many types of cancers, including breast and colon cancers? Or that they are also at a lower risk of developing heart disease? In addition, those who practice raw food diets are less prone to mental conditions like depression and anxiety, all the while maintaining sharp reflexes and great memory.

These are just some of the ways that the human body is predisposed to the Raw Food lifestyle, and why in the long run it may be beneficial to you to consider changing your eating habits to a more natural, organic, and ultimately healthier way of living. By joining the ranks of those who are switching over to the raw food diet and ditching unhealthy eating practices, you will be helping both your body and your mind become the best that they can be.

It is easy to understand why people would be skeptical about Acai Berries as a method of weight loss. How can something be enjoyable and taste good and be healthy as well? This is something that will be asked by the countless people who have found themselves following weight loss plans that demand you eat nothing more enjoyable than lightly salted boiled potatoes, toast with a thin scraping of low fat spread or pasta with low fat sauce. It is important to drink water, but just water?

Acai Berries allow you to eat something that is genuinely enjoyable, has a different taste and keeps you from getting bored with your diet. In addition they allow you to feel a lot more awake and ready to face the day. The versatility of Acai berries makes them an excellent option for the person looking to lose weight fast without putting their health at risk. The joys of Acai Berries are still not known to most people, but that is changing.