Journaling for Weight Loss Success!

Published by Ranaesheart

Have you kept a food journal? Journaling is a very important aspect in successful weight loss and is claimed, by many, to be the pivotal point in their success. The benefits are most pronounced when beginning a nutritional eating plan. However, at various times throughout your weight loss journey, one can refocus their efforts by once again implementing the journaling process.

When I started my weight loss journey, I made a simple food journal where I wrote down everything that went into my mouth. And, I do mean everything! I also made note of my general mood, i.e. happy, sad, lonely, etc. and recorded any major events.

Now, the process of journaling doesn’t have to be all consuming or take a lot of time; it just needs to be a conscious effort to accurately record your food intake and emotions. The initial commitment to record your journal should be for a minimum of 2-3 weeks as it takes that long to see the patterns emerge and gain a true picture of your relationship with food. Personally, I kept a journal for several months when I began as it afforded me the most control over my behavior.

Here are the benefits of journaling.

1. Journaling promotes conscious eating. This was a big thing for me. I can’t tell you how many times I would walk by a candy jar and indulge in a few pieces or grab some food from the kitchen table at work where it had been placed for all to share. No thought process even entered my mind. I didn’t stop to assess whether I was hungry or think about whether I was “dieting”; it was in my mouth and gone before any conscious thought entered my mind. Writing everything down, and being consistent about it, allowed me to STOP making poor choices and allowed me to truly engage my thought process, my choices, the consequences of those choices and then proceed.

S = Stop T = Think O = ChOose P = Proceed

1. One of the best benefits of a food journal is the ability to monitor what you are eating, how much you are eating and when you are eating. It provides a clear picture of our interaction with food, which allows us to modify certain behaviors. You may uncover things like eating too little during the day, finding a food that triggers a binge episode or eating too many carbohydrates and not enough protein.
2. Documenting your moods and/or significant events will allow you to see a correlation between your emotions and food. The knowledge of this allows us to implement a plan of action to better prepare for future events.

In my journal, I realized that when I was sad and lonely, I not only ate in excess but my food choices were not nutritional. First, that information supplied me with the knowledge of my behavior. Second, it allowed me to devise a plan to alter the outcome. For instance, when I was sad and lonely, I would leave my home to go participate in a happy social activity with friends or visit family.

1. When you are cognizant of the food you are consuming, you are then more aware and watchful of the choices being made. Mindful eating decisions are then more likely to be based on the quality and nutritional value of the item in correlation with the total daily calorie, point or carb allowance.
2. As you become more conscious of the foods you are eating, better choices can be made. For instance, you may observe that too many carbohydrates are being eaten and not enough protein. You may become keenly aware that vegetables are lacking. In my case, I learned to eat more protein when I was truly hungry and to reserve the carbohydrate-laden snacks for times when I felt relatively full.
3. By journaling your food, you remain in total control. There are no foods off limits, only that you plan accordingly to stay within your allowed calories OR occasionally decide to exceed your calorie limits and accept the consequences of your choice. You remain accountable to you and there is just no benefit in not being truthful.
4. When reaching a plateau or occasionally sliding up the scale, a food journal provides the material needed for review by a friend, mentor or physician. A problem area can usually be identified quite quickly with a journal at hand.

Journaling does not require an arsenal of tools, but there are a few that are essential and those that are helpful.

A notebook or journal (even plain paper can be used) along with a or pencil. This does not have to be anything formal, but represents the basic tools for journaling and is most essential.

Measuring cups are essential in portioning your food as we guesstimate on the high side.

Measuring spoons allow smaller quantities of items to be measured accurately and can drastically affect your daily caloric intake. An example would be salad dressing; at 80 calories for 2 TBSP of low-calorie dressing, pouring 2 or 3 times that amount can make the difference of whether you lose weight, remain the same or gain.

Calorie resources are essential to your weight loss success. Calories can be found on the product packaging or by using an Internet resource such as www.calorieking.com. Points, carbohydrates or diabetic exchanges are other acceptable ways to measure your food when journaling.

Plastic baggies are helpful in portion control. Some food items, especially snack items, state the number of portions in the box or package. It is easier to divide the package into equal portions upon opening the package. The calorie count can be written in permanent marker on the baggies for easy reference.

A calculator is helpful to divide package calories into smaller portions than those listed on the box.

A scale is helpful to weigh ounces.

Journaling provides us with the key to unlock the treasure chest of knowledge that explains our behavior and relationship with food. This, in turn, allows us to devise a map to modify our behavior and chart our path to success!

Find More Weight Loss Tips And Related Articles At Ranaesheart!

Is Low-Carb Weight Loss Really Just Water Loss?

Author: Craig Whitley

Any weight loss or diet plan, including low-carb plans like the induction phase of the Atkins Diet will result in water loss during the first week or two. However, one of the real beauties of following a low carbohydrate eating plan is that most of the weight loss than extends beyond the initial induction phase of the diet is really from a drop in fat pounds.

How can this be? Well, when you follow a controlled carbohydrate eating plan like Atkins or the South Beach Diet, your body soon switches from burning carbohydrates (which the diet deprives the body of) to burning fat for energy. In other words, the majority of the weight loss that occurs beyond the initial induction phase is really loss of fat that has been stored in your body.

Contrary to what many skeptics and misinformed persons may report or say, even if your body sheds water during the first few days of a controlled carbohydrate diet plan like the South Beach Diet or Atkins, the body’s water balance soon returns to normal and the weight loss that follows is the depletion of fat pounds. This loss of fat reveals itself to one and all in the form declines in inches (your body measurements) and pounds – regardless which low-carb diet you follow.
Craig Whitley is the Senior Editor of “Diets and Weight Loss Plans” – a daily blog for dieters. Visit his website daily to read the latest news and articles on diets, dieting, weight loss and obesity. The URL address for Diets and Weight Loss Plans is http://weightloss.blogdiets.com/blog You have permission to publish this article electronically on your website or in print, free of charge, as long as this resource box with all links and author attribution are kept intact.

Putting a weight-loss gizmo to the test

Author: Claire Pryde

FIND it hard enough to get motivated to go to the gym in summer, so in winter - forget it.
And since at this time of year I also tend to over-indulge in naughty food, I was after a quick fix.
Of course weight loss experts are quick to point out there's no such thing.

"We know there's no easy way to lose weight. We¡¯ve seen that from long-term weight loss programs on the television, it requires serious commitment," said Susie Burrell from the Dieticians Association of Australia.

"If it sounds too good to be true it probably is, so don't waste your money. Make sure you've tried your basic lifestyle changes first before you commit large amounts of money to programs."
________________________________________
Have you experimented with weight-loss treatments? Email us at news@news.com.au with reports, tip-offs, and pictures or SMS to 0429 300 245
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But being determined to shed a couple of kilos and being rather stubborn, I was undeterred.

I considered body wraps and endermologie - a treatment in which mechanical rollers and suction are applied to your body.

However just lying about and getting long-lasting results did seem too good to be true, and that's why I was drawn to Hypoxi.

Hypoxi - costing around $65-per-session - is basically an exercise bike inside a compression chamber and it "acknowledges that you have to exercise to lose weight," says Ariana Hendry, Managing Director of Hypoxi Australia.

"But at the same time you really have to have good strong blood supply in order to lose weight in the right areas."

Hypoxi couples gentle exercise with vacuum technology to accelerate your body's circulation in those targeted areas where most people find it difficult to lose those stubborn kilos - namely hips, buttocks and thighs.¡±
At my first session, a consultant measured me then fitted me with a heart-rate monitor and a thermometer.
Watch Claire's work-out here
After climbing into the large chamber that resembled a kind of scanning machine, I made sure my pedalling revolutions stayed above 55-per-minute, but you don¡¯t have to be particularly fit to manage that. I hardly broke a sweat.

During the half-hour session the air is sucked out of the chamber every few minutes, which felt a bit odd, but you get used to it.

It's recommended you go three times a week for a month.

"After 12 sessions most clients will see a significant centimetre reduction, and by significant I mean anywhere between 20 to 30cm worth of total circumference loss," said Ariana Hendry.

You're encouraged to eat a balanced diet and avoid carbohydrates and strenuous exercise for 4 to 6 hours after each treatment.
No payin' - no gain
"The thing with a rigid program, particularly when you pay quite a lot of money for it, is that you're much more likely to be compliant," said Susie Burrell

"It's difficult to tell if the effect is actually the treatment or whether it's the actual mix of diet and exercise that's contributing ultimately to weight loss.'

Ariana Hendry saids the reality is you're doing some level of physical activity and you have turned your attention to your diet "but the difference is that hypoxi has the ability to target where your body metabolises the fat" during the treatment.

"Some women when they diet and exercise have no trouble losing weight from their torso, breasts or face. With hypoxi they will lose weight in those areas that are challenging them the most," she said.

To really put Hypoxi to the test I decided I'd still allow myself the odd treat and I wouldn¡¯t turn down the chance to eat out.
One month on ...

In four weeks I¡¯ve lost two kilos and more than 20cm in total.

I¡¯m 5cm smaller around by bottom and my thighs, and I don¡¯t seem to have lost anything off my top half.

Susie Burrell said there's an explanation for that.

"Women will generally be storing fat on the lower half of their body, so if you're quite lean already, particularly in the top half of your body, and then you lose weight, of course you're going to lose it where you've got it," she said.

"So if that's on your legs, your thighs and your bum, then of course they're going to be slightly smaller. It¡¯s how they measure it and the way it redistributes, so it's not as clear cut as may be summarised by people working in such clinics."
Well, I'm happy with the results. But will I be able to keep it off?

"All things being equal if you can maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle after you leave us, there's no reason why the fat would redeposit in the areas targeted by the treatment," says Ariana Hendry.

I'm going to go back to exercising just twice a week and eating the odd treat and hope for the best.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24076060-36398,00.html

Plain Speaking About Hypnotherapy For Weight Loss

hypnosis is something we typically think of as a type of entertainment, but have you ever considered hypnosis for weight loss? It’s easy to be skeptical of trying to use hypnosis to deal with a problem as serious as obesity, but maybe it’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. Hypnosis for weight loss is certainly an appealing idea – it gives people a relatively easy out of their weight problem, by stopping their cravings for food at the source.

One problem with weight loss through hypnosis is the same problem that plagues other weight loss solutions. There are a lot of scams out there, and the people behind them will not think twice about trying to take your money for a product that doesn’t do anything at all. Hypnosis has the same problem. You may be able to trust some claims about hypnosis weight loss therapy, but there are just as many ones that are full of lies.

The old adage usually proves true in these situations: if something looks too good to be true, then it probably is. If hypnosis for weight loss treatment claims it can help you lose some crazy number of pounds in a couple weeks or similar exaggerations, it’s pretty safe to bet that it’s a scam. If you find claims that state that hypnosis can completely alter the way the mind works to prevent eating, they’re probably bogus.

However, the fact remains that hypnosis can help you lose weight. It’s just that it won’t cause those love handles to magically melt away overnight. Hypnosis is more science than magic – all it really is when a person enters a state of deep, relaxed concentration in which they are more suggestible. This means that ideas put into a person’s mind during a hypnosis session are much more likely to stick.

A session of hypnosis won’t make you into some sort of robot that’s immune to cravings and programmed not to overeat. What it can do, though, is make a person more likely to adhere to a proper dietary plan. The effects are entirely mental. Hypnosis can’t “convince” your body to speed up weight loss, it can only implant the idea in your brain that maybe you really don’t need to eat that second piece of cake.

People seeking hypnotic solutions to weight loss should be especially careful of group hypnosis sessions. In order to work, hypnosis must be tailored specifically to the person receiving it. Group sessions clearly won’t work, as the hypnotist cannot interact with any single person on his or her own. You should also be warned against hypnosis cassettes or videos, as they share this same issue.

Hypnosis for weight loss is a very tempting thought. If you can train your mind to reduce your cravings and increase your willpower, you’ll be well on your way to losing weight. The important thing to remember is to be careful and study all the options before you buy a product or see a hypnotist, or else you might end with nothing at all.

By: Isabelle Boulay

Healthy Weight Loss Pills

There are many reasons for which weight loss pills should be prescribed by the doctor or a physician before its use. Their major side effects include constipation, gastrointestinal disorders, indigestion, bloating and diarrhea. So they should not just be bought from the market and gulped down with water for the purpose of losing weight at a faster rate. In this way they may cause various health problems to the person without his knowledge. While buying a diet pill, the buyer should read the manufacturer’s label in order to make it sure that the product he is buying is the original one and not a fake copy of that. Proper exercise is also necessary along with the intake of these pills as they are of no use without any workout.

By: Franchis

How I Achieved A 70 Pound Healthy Weight Loss In 4 Months And Have Kept It Off For 15 Years!

No matter what stop light your car is parked at, chances are good that you can look over at any of the four street corners and see a fast food restaurant. Despite all of the technical advances and knowledge we are equipped with to help us lead healthy lifestyles, temptation is keeping our nation fat and a soaring need for healthy weight loss for over 65% of Americans. One cheeseburger won't hurt us in the long run, we say, but ten years later we wonder how we became obese.

Another factor helping America achieve the status of being the fattest nation in the world, and an alarming need for healthy weight loss, is fad diets. We eat cheeseburgers, tacos and fried chicken at all of these fast food restaurants, then jump on whatever fad diet train that conveniently passes by in order to try and cheat our way back to good health. All it seems to be doing is making us even fatter.

I struggled with being overweight for twenty years before finally realizing that cheaters never prosper, and it goes double when dealing with your health. I spent over $2,000 on various weight loss programs only to lose 60 pounds and gain back 80 pounds. The only logical solution I could come up with was that there was something wrong with me personally or I was using the wrong weight loss programs.

But thankfully, I'm not the type of person who gives up. When I finally woke up and realized that there will never be some sort of miracle cure packaged nicely in one little healthy weight loss supplement that will help anyone lose weight, things became clear. In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, I had to face the fact that lifestyle changes must be made and I had to find a healthy weight loss program that would work for me.

Lifestyle modifications are the foundation of any successful long-term weight loss plan (eating less and moving more), and they require daily focus and discipline. I had chronic asthma all of my life and could not exercise or even breathe heavy, yet I still found a way to lose 70 pounds 15 years ago and have been medication free ever since. For me there was no other choice. It all came down to making simple decisions on a daily basis.

The way I lost weight was by replacing high-fat and high-sugar foods with proper nutrition and targeted vitamins made from all natural ingredients. Specifically, I began replacing unhealthy meals with a soy-based protein shake that gave my body all of the proper nutrition that a huge high-calorie meal gives you, minus the salt, sugar and fat. Proper nutrition and less calories equals healthy weight loss. Did I give up the foods I love? No. I just don't eat them quite so often.

One of the biggest misconceptions that I have encountered since beginning to help people in their healthy weight loss journey is that all you have to do is eat vegetables and fruits to get the nutrition you need. Although these foods are a much healthier alternative than low-fat potato chips and cookies, you still have to eat too much of them to get the nutrition of a scientifically formulated protein shake.

Calories are calories no matter what the food source is, and the more you consume, the more you will gain weight. One 200 calorie soy-based protein meal replacement shake, for example, could be packed with all the nutrients found in eating 2,000 calories worth of food.

The human body is complex and requires many different needs for all of your problems which cannot be solved with one little weight loss pill. Treating each organ individually so that it functions at its optimum performance is the safest way to achieve an overall wellness of the body. By taking an all-natural products targeted to help me breathe better, I was soon able to get off all of my asthma medications while achieving the weight loss I wanted.

Another reason why I was successful at losing weight and keeping it off was because I had a support system. My coach had been where I was, and struggled in the same ways to achieve weight loss. Because he was part of the program I began, my coach's success was dependent on my success. And that is why I am so successful at helping people lose weight now. I have been there before and I know what it's like.

The best part about the meal replacements and supplements I have conditioned myself to take every day to keep me healthy is the cost. It is cheaper for me to get the best nutrition possible into my system than it is to buy the extra value meal at any given fast food restaurant. How can you beat spending $3.50 per meal without putting your health at risk.

It is important that you understand the importance of making healthy choices as a new way of life. It is extremely difficult in America today to find the road to good health and stay on it, but you must if you want to achieve healthy weight loss and keep it off for good. Do not let poor food and diet choices rob you of living the best life you can live. For things to change, you've got to change.

By: William Winch

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Bill Winch is a Personal Wellness Coach whose mission is teaching and coaching others who are struggling with losing weight safely and keeping it off for good. To receive his Free Report "9 Weight Loss Myths Exposed," visit his website and click on FREE REPORT or call him directly at (585) 271-3767 for a free wellness consultation.

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need a diet recommendation

Question
Hi, I am interested in finding a diet to help me. Here's a bit about me: 26 y/o female, married, no kids, height 5'8", current weight 179 lbs. A year ago I weighed 160, so needless to say, this weight went on sorta fast! I am trying to join the army, and for my height my maximum allowable weight is 149 lbs. But, if you are above that, the maximum body fat allowance is 32%. The last time my recruiter measured me, I was just a little over 32%. We used their computer program to find out how much weight I need to lose to be under 32. I can weigh absolutely no more than 171. So, do you know of any diets that will help me lose around 10 pounds quickly, but safely? And it needs to be weight that stays off, because before I actually leave for boot camp they'll measure me again. Thanks

Answer
Dear Nique,
At first, I hope your dreams come true.
After having read your message, I really felt envy at your thoughts and wanted to help you lose weight quickly.
If you are trying to lose weight, aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you are able to attain your goal, you would get the excitement to go on your plan. Sometimes it¡¯s little things that count the most when working toward your goals. But as per your status, you should go on a strict diets and work out hardly to lose weight quickly.
The combination of diet and exercise is a faster way to lose weight. Exercise will firm the muscles and diet will help you lose extra weight and flab. But it depends on the person¡¯s body and how strict his diet. A strict diet could make you lose 3kgs in a week.
My experience to lose weight should be fit you as well.So I would like to recommend my suggestions, though these may help you lot:
The available recipes are water and vegetables and fruits and proper sports and a strict partner.
1. The vegetables and fruits include papaya, mealie, kelp, carrot, green cucumber, tomato, apple, pear, banana and so on. Remark, eating different kind of vegetables or fruits each day, you can go on your diet easily and everlastingly.
2. The available sports are Yoga. You know, the people who practice yoga have perfect figure. If you are interesting in it, I could give you some suggestions about yoga practice.
3. A strict partner can support you going on your diet strictly.
4. The foremost austerity is persistence.
Now, I would like to share my experience with you.
First of all, I had a nice partner. We restricted each other going on the diet strictly.
1. Getting up early in the morning, we drank a glass of water before any action. It could help you clean your inside.
2. We had a 20-30 minutes¡¯ quick walk to office instead of bus in the morning. It is available to burn your calories to have a quick walk without eating anything in the morning.
3. After arriving at office and having a rest, we drank a glass of milk and ate 2 pieces of biscuit as our breakfast. Remark, you must have breakfast. If not, you could feel too hungry to go on your diet.
4. Between breakfast and lunch, we drank 3 glasses of water and eat little raw vegetables or fruits. It is available to relieve your hunger. If you still feel hungry, you can eat a piece of sweet. Just only one piece.
5. Before lunch, we drank a bottle of yoghurt. And then we ate a little vegetables or fruits as our lunch. We would eat a few peanut as our lunch too. Remark, it could make you feel full drinking a bottle of yoghurt before each meal. Drinking much water, you eat peanut, feeling full.
6. Between lunch and knocking off, we drank 3 glasses of water and eat little raw vegetables or fruits to relieve our hunger.
7. Knocking off, we had another 20-30 minutes quick walk to home. It is available for weight loss having proper exercises at dusk with hunger.
8. We just drank a little soup or ate a little vegetables or fruits as our supper. Remark, drink one or two glasses of water and don¡¯t eat anything in at least 3 hours before bedtime. You will sleep easier and your body will be re-energizing itself rather than digesting a meal.
My suggestions:
1. Keep a food diary. This is one of the best ways to ¡°interrupt¡± habitual binging and food addictions. After having gone on your diet for 3-4 days, you can feel better and easier to continue. Therefore go on your diet strictly in the first week.
2. Try to achieve your goal of weight loss in 1~2 months. It could make you possess confidence in this field.
3. Have 5 meals instead of 3 meals every day. Chew your food 10-20 times. You feel more full with less food and it aids digestion.
4. Eat more fruits and drink less fruit juice.
5. Don¡¯t drink any carbonated drinks and don¡¯t eat any ice cream during your diet.
6. If you don¡¯t feel hungry, don¡¯t remind you of the time to have a meal.
7. Drink a glass of water before each meal. It will fill you up.
8. Don¡¯t trial too many diet pills, it would cost you more and be dangerous for your body.
9. Exercise first thing in the morning. There is more chance of you putting it off, or something getting in the way if you exercise later on. Attentively, proper sports could perfect your figures, strong sports could strengthen your muscle.
10. If you can¡¯t find a strict partner, you can treat me as your companion, feeling free to tell me how about your diet. It is my honor to interact with you in this field. I would try my best to give you more suggestions and share my experience and accompany you going on the diet. My e-mail address: sallyfancn@yahoo.com.cn,
Weight loss is just an uphill battle. You have got to keep on fighting. You must figure out why you lose the battles you lose and pray like hell you win the war.
O.K. If you still have any questions, please do not hesitate to write to me.
Best wishes,
Sally Fan

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Check Out the List of Weight Loss Programs

By Anthony Thedford

There is a long list of weight loss programs available for those who want to weigh lighter by getting themselves involved and not just relying on diet pills promising miraculous results. Weight loss programs allows you to take an active part on losing your weight through exercise, diet, or combination of both and other programs intended to burn or shrink your body fats. While it is true that there are weight loss products out there that can help you lose weight without any other intervention but to purchase the formula, it gives you a good feeling when you know that you are able to lose weight through your effort.

You should be able to know that the key to every weight loss program is discipline, commitment and honesty. With so many people having problems with their weights nowadays, there are also vast resources on how to effectively lose weight. The list of weight loss programs is innumerable and that gives you a very wide option as to the kind of programs that you want to follow. So whatever program you intend to go through, you must be ready for it and think of the result it will give you.

You must also find from the list of weight loss programs the particular program that not only fits your lifestyle but also the kind of program that you are interested of. Even if the program is quit difficult to follow but if you are sure that the program is something that you are interested to pursue then absolutely, you know that you will have the will power to accomplish it. At the start of the weight loss program, things might be very difficult for you but then you know that you can always find something interesting to keep you on the right track.

There are different programs in the list to choose from. Certain programs from the list of the weight loss programs are designed to meet a certain lifestyle. For those who are sociable and want their weight loss in a group, you can try Weight Watchers. The Weight Watchers encourages people to do sensible diet consisting of healthy yet ordinary foods coupled with exercise and a positive attitude. Group meetings and weigh-ins is the cornerstone of this program. For those always on the go, you can try prepackaged food, which comes in cans or bars and is nutritionally sound and produces weight loss in a short span of time.

The Internet also provides a list of weight loss programs and these programs also provide for diet plans for those with special health restrictions, and access to community features like peer-group chat rooms and personal advice from registered nutritional counselors. This is the alternative if you do not have time for in-person group meetings or weigh-ins.

Anthony Thedford has been writing information articles for years. For more information on weight loss, please visit our website at http://www.infosearchlive.com/weightloss