Heavy Thoughts? How Distorted Thinking Affects Weight Loss

There’s a difference common to individuals who fail to lose weight and keep it off long term. It’s called all-or-nothing thinking. Do you recognize any (or all) of the following?

· Hunger is bad; being full (often overly full) is good.

· I’m good if I follow my diet and bad if I make one mistake

· My eating week was good or bad even if I just struggle one day or several minutes a day

· If I’m losing weight, I’m fully in control; if I’m not, I’m totally out of control.

Dried vs. Fresh Fruit

Sweet, sweeter and sweetest. 

Today, more and more companies are packaging and inducing consumers to buy their dried fruit products. And more and more dried foods are showing up on food logs.

Just about any fruit can be dried, but some are more commonly eaten in their dried form than others. There are many advantages to dried food.

We Have a Winner! (And Other Exciting Updates)

I am thrilled and pleased to announce the winner of the “Look Younger” contest and update you on other exiting happenings.

 “How to look younger naturally” Survey: And the Winner is….

Thank you for all participating in the survey “How to look younger naturally. I received fifty-five questions, and every one was a winner in

Spring workout

It’s no newsflash: To create a body that moves energetically and without pain or stiffness AND looks great takes work.

What is new; to understand how to stage your workout program. It doesn’t take skill to just pick up a weight and start moving it. But it does take skill to move it in such a way that it helps you  achieve your goal objective. And for that, you may need knowledge about how to move that weight properly. A dysfunctional movement pattern doesn’t move you closer to your goal. Keep this in mind when starting an exercise program.

Spring weather is around the corner on the East Coast. The birds are chirping at 5:15 am and the days are getting warmer (like this past weekend). You are feeling to get out and about and ready to start being active.

Shorts are out, leaves and buds are peeking out, flip flops are on…there’s a new beginning in the air; all at once at the same time. It is no wonder my inquiries for diet programs and workout sessions increase. The perfect butt, the perfect arms, shoulders, and a smaller midsection should be accomplished within 4 weeks. Doable? Yes, depending at which stage you are starting (250 lbs or 116 lbs).

How to know when enough calories are enough?

In a weight loss program calories are important. But a calorie is not a calorie. For example, let’s compare calories from white bread vs. oatmeal, both of which are starchy carbohydrates and contain 4 calories per gram respectively.

However, when you eat white bread, which is stripped of its nutrients such as fiber, minerals and vitamins, you are not taking in essential ingredients that help your body run its metabolic system efficiently.  Conversely, quality calories, from foods like oatmeal, that are not processed, and are not taxing to your system, help you to maintain your metabolism and to then lose excess weight. 

What prompted me to share an e-mail with you today was a question I recently received in my mailbox from Vikki, who has lost 20 pounds since starting the program January 2010.

Why are you gaining weight again?

Remember January when the motivation to lose weight was high? It is clear that you could succeed as you lost the first 10 to 15 lbs. Then you get comfortable and you start gaining slowly all back. Frustrating isn’t it? And the stats prove this phenomenon relapse and weight gain. Just consider:

80 percent of all individuals who lose weight gained the pounds lost and even a little more within 3 to 5 years, according to a study from Oxford University published in the International Journal of Obesity.

To all Cardio Kings and Queens- Is running enough?

 I had to use this wording. I couldn’t resist. Because this is really what it is.

This might be you. You are priding yourself on going running every single day. You love it. Yet, you meet me and you ask me how you can lose weight. That has happened so many times that I want to share with you the basics of what I explain to those individuals like you.

Don’t know where to begin? Tip’s to get started!

Today I have tips for you. Tips that you can use right now to get started in moving in the direction of better health, less weight, a toned and in-shape body, and a positive attitude.

Tip one:
Create an

Make your abs pop

Bring your six-pack to the surface. Does it need a crunch? A plank? A lateral twist? Perhaps none of this.  An evident six-pack or not, you do need abdominal strength for stability of the upper and lower extremities. 

What is the right body fat percentage to see six pack abs?

Inspiration for motivation

The going can get rough. You have gone through the holidays, the New Year’s celebrations and suddenly, when you look in the mirror, you see a new you.

One pound, the second pound and suddenly twenty pounds have been gained. How did it happen? From one day to the next?

Individuals have various acceptance levels