HELPFUL TIPS FOR PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS & REACHING YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT

HELPFUL TIPS FOR PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS & REACHING YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT

With the increase in consumption of processed food and the decrease in physical activity, it is no surprise that 64% of the United States adult population is considered either overweight or obese. Recent medical research has shown that our modern diet and sedentary lifestyle alone are enough to pack on an extra 2 pounds a year, that's 10 pounds per decade, and those statistics don't include the more disastrous consequences of overeating. That said, the solution is in the problem itself - as it always is, and therefore weight issues are not a plight to be endured without fix! In order to revert this unhealthy trend, the first step to take is to change perspective. Rather than look for miracle cures which only treat symptoms, we must investigate root causes and treat the problem at the source, namely here diet and lifestyle. Here are a few tips that cover these two aspects and will help you avoid the painful consequences of yo-yo dieting, achieve permanent weight loss, and more importantly reach and maintain your ideal weight. I have grouped the tips into categories that reflect the various dimensions your weight is attached to, starting with the ones which, contrary to appearances, are key to permanent weight loss. Today, I'll cover the Mental and Spiritual aspects.

MENTAL/ SPIRITUAL

1. Forget all the 'stories' you may have heard about perfect weight and height-to-weight ratio, and embrace the fact that no one person is born like another. Therefore, there is no other Ideal Weight but the weight you attain through a healthy and balanced diet and lifestyle. Understand that bodily changes such as hormonal variations can affect this weight temporarily or permanently as is often the case with women but also men.

2. Having left the misleading land of 'perfect weight' fantasy, embrace the moment and the most useful skill of Acceptance. This doesn't mean that if you are overweight, you should give up on the desire to lose weight but simply that you accept your current condition and understand that you have the power to change your circumstances through personal growth and evolution.

3. Alongside the cultivation of Acceptance, begin to exercise Patience so that you may enjoy the journey you have begun rather than become frustrated and obsessed with getting to the destination.

4. Through the process of Introspection, begin to reflect on the reasons why you may have an 'unhealthy' diet or/ and lifestyle. Meditation and journaling are easy way to shed light on your eating habits and their potential negative consequences on your vitality and health. By applying the concept of presence and bringing full awareness to the process of eating during meals, you can identify your behavior in relation to food and over time you empower yourself to change that.

5. Define clear Objectives relating to your weight and what you are trying to achieve. Rather than focusing on losing weight to comply with societal standards or rigid expectations you may have set for yourself, define objectives of health, vitality, energy that extra pounds may be getting in the way of.

6. Understand that all habits are the direct result of deep conditioning and that these deeply ingrained patterns can only changed through new behaviors. Experimenting with the 'unknown' - no matter how scary that may seem, is the only way to a permanent shift and freedom from the old, rigid routine. By doing so, you'll be building new synapses and firing patterns within your brain and welcome positive changes brought about by mental 'De-conditioning'.

7. Shift your Perspective and Beliefs on food! Think of Food as Nutrition - i.e. enzymes, vitamins and minerals, not emotional filling. This kind of food is what sustains the physical body and lets you enjoy physical health and vitality. Nutrition takes place at the cellular level and brings you to a place of complete physical/ physiological balance. When your body is balanced, so is your mind and you can experience its long-lasting consequences. 

8. Through introspection, you will have identified the dissatisfactions or unfulfilled needs you may be trying to suppress through eating. Use the insight you have gained through meditation, journalling, and other enlightening practices to shift to Healthier and more Effective Activities that will respond to your Real Needs. The easiest way to do this is to ask yourself, 'What do I really need?" So, every time you run to food to fill a need, pause for a second. Acknowledge your Feelings (fear, disappointment, boredom, loneliness, etc.) and ask yourself what you could do -rather than eat, to truly answer to your need!

9. The first few times, this will require a lot of Will Power. Change is inescapable though, so you might as well embrace it with all your might. Be like the fish, flow through the river of life. Be Strong, Focus and Intent on the permanent changes you have defined for yourself through your objectives. It may not happen overnight, but in time it will happen! By the way, yoga is by far the most effective way of growing Will power, but we can talk about that in greater detail another time.

10. Remember that all dimensions of our being are intricately interrelated. Matter begins with vibrations, and thoughts are vibrations! So,Think Positive and Forget Judgments! Be the Change in your life, rather than getting stuck in the role of the helpless victim!

For more on how to effect permanent changes in your life or to achieve permanent weight loss and gravitate towards your ideal weight, consider our Holistic Cleansing Programs which cater to all dimensions of your being. Visit us at www.thesouthbeachdetox.com.

Find out more on the physical dimension of weight loss: Physical Exercise/ Lifestyle for Weight Management in our daily "Health & Wellness" blog posts.

The benefits of Fitness & Physical Exercise: 'Fit and Healthy Men: Wellness Tips From the Pros'

The benefits of Fitness & Physical Exercise: 'Fit and Healthy Men: Wellness Tips From the Pros'
WebMD Feature
By Stephanie Watson
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
December 17, 2010

The secret to building strong and healthy muscles lies in eating a healthy and balanced diet. While as a vegan, I would not recommend the use of animal protein and would sooner replace it with a healthy vegetarian alternative such as soybeans, beans, almonds and large doses of the 'fountain of youth and strength' E3Live, I support switching to lean protein sources and command the balanced plan NFL athletes follow. I'd most definitely stay away from all protein shakes and powder, simply because the level of concentration is so high that it creates huge residues and waste material that are then stored in unduly places.So if it's high doses of healthy protein you are in need of, be sure to click on the E3link above this article so you may find out more about it.  For more about the NFL diet of choice and its health and fitness benefits, be sure to read the article below.

Eat to Lose Weight and Build Muscle: How the NFL Does It

NFL players work out hard, both on the field and in the gym. But for them, training is only part of the equation. They also need to eat right. "If you're only doing one, you might not get the body you want, and you might increase your risk of injury," says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and team sports dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Diet is very important to me as a player," Cincinnati Bengals safety Chris Crocker wrote in an email. "High protein is my main focus, while incorporating a higher level of carbs the night before the game."
Contrary to popular belief, eating everything in sight isn't a plus in the NFL. Having an unhealthy body weight will only slow you down and make you more sluggish and susceptible to injury, says Barry Rubin, head strength and conditioning coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. "You can't outrun your calories," he says. "If you start doing that, you're going to get hurt. You're going to over-train."
If you want to get in shape like an NFL pro, you need to eat like an NFL pro, and that means getting enough protein and the right balance of nutrients in your diet.

Go Pro…tein
There's a reason pro athletes won't go anywhere without their protein. It's an essential ingredient in every cell of the body, including the muscles.
During a workout, your body goes into a catabolic state, where it's breaking down muscle.
Once you're done lifting, you want to put it back into an anabolic state, where it's building muscle again. "It's so important post-workout to get something in your body to start that anabolic phase," says Rob Livingstone, MS, CSCS, SCCC, a strength and conditioning professional in Norcross, Ga., who has trained many pro athletes.
Bonci says 'the goal with eating protein is to optimize performance and build lean muscle mass. Ideally you want to get in a serving of protein both before and after a workout', she says.
When you eat your protein, don't take it solo. "You've got to have some carbohydrates," Livingstone says. "There's got to be some sugar in that protein to increase the absorption."
Carbs not only help your body grow muscle, but they also provide you with
fuel for your workout.

Lean, Not Bulk
During the season, former Tennessee Titan defensive tackle Torrie Griffin was burning so many calories on the field that he had to down upwards of 8,000 calories daily just to maintain his 290-pound playing weight. "That is, I would say, a standard portion for some of the guys," he says. "I was one of those who had to work to keep the weight on."
Griffin, who is now a certified personal trainer and owner of TTrain Fitness Bootcamp in Atlanta, doesn't recommend the kind of diet he and his teammates ate to stay big. For breakfast, they'd down supersized restaurant portions of waffles, eggs, bacon, grits, and toast. At dinner, they'd pack in two burgers, mac and cheese, and fries. "In general for
the linemen, it was three very large meals," Griffin recalls. "I didn't really think about how much of the bad stuff or fat and calories were in the food when we ate out."
The only guys who need to be as huge as defensive linemen are defensive linemen. If you work a desk job and eat like a lineman, the only thing that's going to grow is your belly. Guys who work out but eat nothing but junk food will gain fat on top of their muscle and bulk up. "When you're talking about lean muscle mass, you've got to have a clean diet ... a balanced diet of protein and carbohydrates [with a] low level of fat, and lots of fruits and vegetables," Livingstone says.
For that, you're better off taking nutrition tips from the NFL players who keep their dietslighter, and cleaner.
Crocker only gets 3,000 to 3,500 calories on days when he trains. "As a free safety it is best for me to be lighter on my feet so I am able to get to the ball and get to the plays a lot quicker." He says he can cover the field faster when he's a pound or two lighter.
If you're working out three days a week, you can eat about 15 calories per pound of body weight, according to Bonci. Men who work out five days a week can up their calorie count to 20 per pound. That doesn't mean everyone gets a free pass to eat more than 3,000 calories a day, though. "The range of calories you require on a daily basis varies greatly, and is dependent upon your weight, your activity level, your age, and your muscle mass,"
Bonci says. "So one size does NOT fit all when it comes to determining your calorie cap!"

Your NFL Plate
For most NFL players, eating is a no-brainer. They've got nutritionists on staff, and during the season they eat three meals a day in the team's cafeteria. If you're not a pro, you need to do the meal planning yourself, but you can incorporate elements from the NFL diet.
There's really no big secret to eating like an NFL pro. It's all about balance.
Your plate should look like this:
One-third lean protein
One-third fruits and vegetables
One-third healthy carbs (whole-grain rice, pasta, or bread)
Crocker starts his day with a breakfast of turkey sausage and egg whites with tomatoes and spinach. Lunch is usually a grilled chicken sandwich with a mixed green salad, or sliced ham on wheat with applesauce. And dinner is lean protein -- chicken, pork, or beef -- with brown rice, steamed green beans, and a mixed green salad. If he's hungry between meals, he snacks on cereal bars or fresh fruit.
The bulk of your nutrition should come from what's on your plate, but if you're not getting enough vitamins and minerals from food alone, it's OK to take a daily supplement, Bonci says. Nutritional supplements can help you make up for what you're missing in your diet, but they shouldn't replace it.
"It's very important that the supplement remain a supplement," Livingstone says. "If supplements start to take over the diet, they're not doing their job." Supplements can't provide the same quality of vitamins and nutrients as whole foods like chicken, fruits, and vegetables.
Also, be wary of the specialized supplements marketed to athletes, because they're not always safe. Some supplements that are used to increase athletic performance have been linked to side effects like high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and nausea.

Tips for Detox: Detox Your Mind, Detox Your Body

Exercise Is A Wonderful Body Detox Technique

If you are considering a detox, you probably have a specific reason in mind.  Maybe your goal is to lose some weight or just firm up a bit.  Some people do a detox for strictly health reasons and feel lighter and more clear mentally after they have done a colon cleanse.  Another popular reason to do a body detox is to simply remove the accumulation of toxins in one’s cells and tissues.  In other articles, we have discussed how many aspects of a detox are involved from diet to detoxing your mind.

The focus of this article is to address another component of the physical body aspect of detoxing, which is exercise.  You see, what you put into your physical body in the way of foods and drink or even medicines, pollution and commercial agricultural by-products is only one aspect of what needs to be addressed.  Sure, if you are constantly eating processed foods, soda/pop, and other refined food products then you have an obvious source of toxins entering your body.  If, on the other hand, you simply eat commercially grown fruits, vegetables and take some prescribed medication, you may not be aware that there are potential toxins accumulating in your body from that as well.  This is by no means a case for you to stop taking your medications to live on a water fast alone.  The point is that there are toxins that exist in our environment and are entering our bodies in a variety of ways.

What Type of Exercises Help With A Body Detox?

Running is great exercise to help with your body detox.

The key point to be made with exercise is that any is a good thing.  It doesn’t require an expensive or exclusive gym membership or fancy machine to get the kind of exercise necessary to detox your body.  Since one of the main forms of natural body detoxification is through your sweating, this is what you’ll need to produce more of.  So, exercise that causes your heart rate to increase and your body to heat up is what is most important.  However, you can also get a lot of benefit from having your breath rate increase as well.  It is really not possible, to any large degree, to have one without the other, it just deserves mentioning.  This is because your lungs are another natural source for detoxifying your body.  Cleansing breath and breathing is becoming a lot more common language.  It involves breathing in the nose deeply and out the mouth fully.  It can sound something like wind entering your nostrils and then a “haahhhhhhh” sound as you exhale.

There is no specific how to detox exercise book or manual.  You just need to use your body feedback as a rule.  Running, cycling and other traditional forms of cardiovascular exercise could be used for detox purposes, but you don’t need to really push yourself.  In another type of exercise, like yoga, specific poses and postures are known to have detoxing benefits for your colon and internal organs.  For example, postures that involve spinal twists, downward dog and legs up the wall are great yoga poses for detoxifying your body.  With all of the forms of exercise mentioned, it is critical that you are consuming adequate amounts of water that may be much more than you are used to.