Saturday, April 24, 2010

The "Could It Really be This Simple" Department

"Keep it Simple, Stupid" thinking I like to look for......!

 The No-S Diet: Keeping Dieting Simple

No S Diet 
book cover

The No-S Diet is the simplest diet I've ever come across. It has just three rules:

  • No snacks
  • No seconds
  • No sweets
Except (sometimes) on days that start with an S.
The author, Reinhard Engels, does explain those rules on his No S Diet site (and he's also recently writtena book on the No S Diet). So what exactly do the rules mean? And can it really work?

No snacks:
This is about "when" not "what" and means not eating between meals. You can eat whatever you want at mealtimes (including snack foods, such as chips, candy, and so on). Of course, since you're only allowed one plateful, you might want to go for something a bit more filling than empty junk food...
No seconds:
This means not going back for more: fill your plate once, and that's your lot! Particularly good for buffets, or if you tend to "graze" on leftovers.
No sweets:
This doesn't just refer to what we in the UK call "sweets" (candies) but covers anything which is mostly sugar. You need to use your common sense here: fruit is fine, of course, but ice-cream, full-sugar soda, etc is definitely out.

Except (sometimes) on days that start with an S:
All the rules are relaxed on Saturdays, Sundays and pre-designated Special days. But that doesn't mean you should start gorging as though you'll never see a bar of chocolate again - enjoy your treats, without feeling guilty at all, but don't go completely overboard.

Testimonials from those who've tried it insist that it does work. Enthusiasts highlight increased enjoyment of their food, an end to the "bloated" feeling after a meal, and greater appreciation of treats at the weekend.
For example, one successful No-S-Dieter wrote that:

No S avoids the pitfall of having to do things perfectly. I can choose the foods I like to eat, and am never very far from an s-day. "I can have chocolate at the weekend" is far more liveable with than, "When I reach my perfect weight, I can have some chocolate".
And I can certainly attest that being "good" during the week and relaxing at the weekend is a great way to lose weight or maintain your weight loss. For the past eighteen months, I've been following this sort of eating pattern, and recommend it on The Office Diet, as it tends to suit Monday-Friday, 9-5 workers well.

It allows planning ahead for some truly satisfying treats: I'd rather have a gorgeously gooey slab of chocolate cake at the weekend than have chocolate ice-cream for pudding every day...

So if you're feeling overwhelmed with complicated diet advice, or if you hate the thought of having to give up all your treats for an indeterminable period of time, why not give the No S Diet a try ... and let us know how you get on!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Burning the Candle at Both Ends Department!!

Found this little tidbit on a Site called "Whole Living"  Common Sense about the Sleep Connection!!

 

 

 

Why Stress Is Bad for Your Health

Weight Gain

Stress, fatigue, and weight gain are common companions: Sleep deprivation can cue your body to release stress hormones, triggering weight gain. Studies have shown that those who sleep fewer than eight hours a night have higher body mass than people who sleep a full eight hours, and that babies who sleep fewer than 12 hours a day are twice as likely to be overweight by age 3.

Meanwhile, stress can also lead to poor food choices; this can put your body on a blood-sugar roller coaster, which causes low energy (and, in turn, makes it even harder to get to the gym or outside for a walk). And the less time you have to take care of yourself, the harder it is to make healthy changes.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Common Sense Approach Pays Off!!

Spring and summer are always an inspiring time in terms of starting new plans or making good changes.

It's particularly a good time to make some "healthy" changes.

One woman did just that two years ago and got healthier by losing 137 pounds.

Karen MacNamara of Edison, New Jersey weighed over 300 pounds two years ago, and then she made a commitment to her health.

She joined a weight loss program, "Weight Watchers," and she started walking.

Walking for heavy people who cannot bear the thought of going to the gym, is the perfect thing to get started doing right about now when we are starting to have some good weather.
"I was a size 3x, which is like about a 26 in women's clothes," explained Karen MacNamera.

Now, this 53-year-old wife and working mother is a trim size 12.

Walking for exercise is now a way of life for Karen.

She began walking after joining a "Weight Watchers" group and really wanting to take off her weight.

She's lost 137 pounds in the last two years.

She began to eat differently, and she began to walk.

"No one wanted to walk with me, because I was a very slow walker, in the beginning two years ago," said Karen.

But slowly, sometimes trailing behind her husband, she kept walking.

"And then, Weight Watchers had a thing called the 'walk it challenge', and some of the members, and me, we got together a little group, about five of us, and we started walking on the weekends," explained Karen.

While participating in the walking challenge, Karen continued to watch what she ate.

"You wouldn't have seen healthy snacks before. We didn't have much fruit in the house before or vegetables," said Karen.

Eventually she added a morning exercise program, right in her TV, doing it everyday before work.

She's now even completed a 5K run with her husband.

But still, she continues walking, and credits a lot to having the goal of the "Walk it Challenge".
"Absolutely! Weight just melts off when you walk. I'm telling you, you have to eat healthy, but you have to move, and the walking has really changed my life," said Karen.

All you need is a good pair of walking shoes and patience.

As for weight loss, it goes with eating healthy and using portion control.

If you need a goal, a "Walk it challenge" is coming up.

Oprah also has a walk coming up.

Both are very good goals for anyone who wants to start walking to get healthier.

Karen began her weight loss efforts when her very dear friend confessed she saw Karen living so unhealthy and was afraid to lose her.
www.weightwatchers.com/walkit

The Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge starts April 4, 2010.

The Challenge will be held on June 6, 2010.

Members will train to walk a 5K in just 6 weeks with a step-by-step training plan which will also include info on how to form walking groups, and help finding an official Weight Watchers 5K or other 5Ks in local communities.

Copyright ©2010 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

Sedentary behavior adds up!!

I ran across this little snippet from Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed. She was in the process of answering how someone can walk 90 minutes a day and not lose weight!  This is the first time I ever ran across the idea that we may be compensating for exercise by sitting the rest of the day!!




Sedentary behavior adds up

A new area of focus in obesity research is trying to quantify not only how much people eat and how active they are, but how sedentary they are. It turns out that the more sitting you do the greater your risks of weight gain and chronic diseases, even if you do exercise, according to research reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine

Another phenomenon that has been found is that some people get more sedentary once they start exercising. Whether it’s biologically driven or it’s a psychological compensation (“I exercised today, I don’t need to go up the stairs, I’ll take the elevator.”) is unclear. But make sure you’re not slowing down. Wear a pedometer during all your waking hours and get a sense for how many steps you take throughout the day, and make sure you’re racking up 10,000 to 15,000, including your walks.

Many, many women have successfully lost weight through walking. And the National Weight Control Registry finds that the majority of those in its national weight-loss database report walking on a near-daily basis for an hour or more to help maintain their weight loss. You may need to control your diet intake. But even if you don’t lose weight, you are helping your health in myriad ways and definitely preventing weight gain. Keep it up!

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Weight Loss Made Simple

Why Consistent Exercise Helps Keep the Weight Off



There are numerous studies showing that those who consistently exercise during and following weight loss are much more likely to maintain their new weight.  The common reasons most people have to continue exercise is to maintain the better feeling of health and fitness and to burn calories.

A new study provides a few new angles that may provide additional motivation.  It showed that consistent exercise following weight loss directly reduced the urge to eat more food, specifically enhanced fat burning, and blunted the formation of new fat cells.

Big Pharma is spending hundreds of millions if not billions to develop drugs that will do what exercise will do.  And they are also trying to make drugs to change the signals in your brain that could simply be changed by following the five simple rules of the Leptin Diet.

These are examples of the “vital research” Big Pharma does, the excuse they give for overcharging Americans for the current drugs which are available everywhere else in the world at a far cheaper cost.

In many ways, being healthy is rather simple.  You either do what it takes or you don’t.

The choice is yours.  Hoping for a wonder pill from Big Pharma, and allowing them to prevent affordable health care for everyone because they have to have money for ridiculous research, is not the right way to go about reducing the cost of health care!!

Byron Richards, CCN