Can You Use Visualization To Lose Weight?

Would you believe it? Weight loss, as well as many other conditions can be improved by visualization. Close your eyes and imagine what you want your body to look like. Don't just look at yourself in your imaginative picture - be that body in the picture. Move around in your mind, practice walking in that sexy skinny way you want to walk. Be that person going through the smaller sizes on the clothing racks, and see yourself running that 5K race.

If you keep visualizing in your mind how you want your body to look, subconsciously you will begin acting in a way that will go in that direction. You will become more positive about your body, and you will reach your weight goals more quickly and easily. That doesn't sound too hard, does it?

Effecting change through visualizing desired outcomes has become more and more acceptable in recent years. Psychologists do not understand exactly how it works but clearly the mind and body are not as separate as we have believed. Visualization helps us to truly want to lose weight by creating a clear and happy picture of our fitter bodies. Without this we can often put psychological traps in our own path.

Many people who are overweight believe they cannot lose weight. Sometimes you may say it out loud, or hear friends say it about themselves. For other people this belief stays in the subconscious. This influences our behavior.

Someone who believes it is impossible to lose weight will prove themselves right. The mind will be constantly telling them there is no point dieting as they won't lose weight and should just go ahead and eat everything they want. Visualization is the strongest technique that we can use to overcome these negative thoughts and impulses.

If you are plagued by negativity either from your own mind or from the reactions of friends and family to your diet, go ahead and visualize yourself at your desired weight as often as you can. It works on the same level as all those negative voices and can annihilate their influence like nothing else can.

It is important to practice every day - morning and evening if you can. If you have a photograph of yourself at your ideal weight in the past, you may find it easier to look at that. Or use a photo from a magazine but cut off the person's face. You need to visualize your own body, but thinner.

As you go about your work or daily chores, think of yourself as already at your ideal weight. Create your own affirmations and repeat them often, always in the present tense ("I am glad to be flexible, fit and slim", not "I will ..."). Enjoy the feeling of having a positive self-image. Over time, this will help you to keep to your weight loss plan. You will find that fatty foods are less attractive and exercise is more enjoyable.

While your weight loss will be gradual, the wonderful thing about visualization is that it gives you a new body image right away.

Weight Gain Over The Winter? Yikes!

Every winter it happens. Somehow, without even knowing it, you've put on weight. Now that summer is coming and it's time to get into more revealing clothes you can sure see the extra pounds! Why does this happen and is there anything you can do about it?

The weight gain is not caused by just one thing. First of all, we are genetically disposed to store fat as winter approaches. Our ancestors probably had to do this for survival through the winter as winter was when food was scarce. The reason they stored up extra layers of fat was to use as fuel in late winter and also to protect us from the cold. They didn't have central heat in their caves so staying warm was vital for survival.

There is also a reason why so many types of the food we know come ripe in the fall; this is when we traditionally needed to start fueling our bodies for winter. If you think back to fall, you might even notice that you ate foods that had a higher fat content.

Another issue in winter is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as the winter blues. More and more people are realizing that they suffer from this and are taking steps to deal positively with it. The use of full spectrum light bulbs or light boxes addresses the problem of less daylight in winter.

If people have untreated seasonal affective disorder, they tend to reach for the high carb foods such as sugar snacks, cookies, and chips. Naturally, eating too much of these foods can lead to weight gain. Instead of reaching for high fat and high carb foods when you need a carb fix, eat the better carbs such as whole grains, potatoes, and whole fruit.

Just being aware of your body's tendency to want to eat more food and higher fat food in the fall can help you make healthier food choices. Another positive step is to exercise in the winter. There are plenty of options for exercise, inside and out, in these modern times. Even if you're stuck inside because of foul weather, you can still exercise to an exercise tape or exercise program on TV.

We are way past the time of needing to store fat for the winter. Our homes are heated and the stocked grocery store is just around the corner! Keep on top of your winter eating habits and you may be pleasantly surprised when you put your shorts on in the spring.

Are You Eating These 4 Top Fatty Foods?

Top 4 Fatty Foods to Avoid at All Costs

To start, eating an adequate supply of healthy dietary fats is vitally important to your overall health. Fats are one of the main components in all of the cells throughout your entire body. If you eat enough healthy natural fats, your cellular processes will function properly. On the other hand, if you eat heavily processed fats that are found in most of today's processed foods, your cellular function will be damaged as these bad fats become part of your body. And as a result, your body will have to work harder to operate normally, and diseases can develop.

On top of this, healthy dietary fats are necessary for optimal hormone production and balance within the body. Therefore, healthy fats are essential for the muscle building and fat burning processes. Other important functions that dietary fats play in a healthy body are aiding vitamin and mineral utilization, and enzyme regulation. All three basic macronutrients serve important functions for a lean, healthy, and disease-free body.

Knowing this, there are good fats, and there are bad fats. In my other article titled "All Fat is Not Bad - Top 5 Healthy Fatty Foods to Include in Your Diet" I cover the good fats. But here, I want to point the bad fats that you should avoid at all costs!

The Deadly Fatty Foods:

1. Hydrogenated oils (trans fats): These are industrially produced chemically altered oils subjected to extremely high pressure and temperature, with added industrial solvents such as hexane for extraction, and have a metal catalyst added to promote the artificial hydrogenation, followed by bleaching and deodorizing agents.....and somehow the FDA still allows this stuff to pass as food. These oils aren't even worthy of your car, much less your body! They've been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. Even small quantities have been shown in studies to be dangerous. If you care about your health, check the ingredients of everything you buy, and if you see partially hydrogenated oils of any kind, margarine, or shortening, protect yourself and your family by choosing something else. The FDA has mandated that all food manufacturers are required to show the quantity of trans fat on all labels by January 2006.

2. Refined oils: Even if the oils are not hydrogenated, most oils on your supermarket shelves are refined, even most of the so called "healthy" canola oils. Most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high pressure, solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes. Anything labeled vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and even many canola oils have been damaged by this refining process (unless they say "virgin" or "cold expeller pressed"). This damages the natural structure of the fats, destroys natural antioxidants, creates free radicals, and produces a generally unhealthy product. Take note that the explosion of heart disease in the middle of the 20th century coincides quite nicely with the rapid increase in the use of hydrogenated and refined oils in the food supply.

3. Anything deep fried: including tortilla chips, potato chips, French fries, donuts, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, etc. Sorry, these all probably taste good, but all of this junk shouldn't even pass as real food in my opinion!

4. Homogenized milk fat: Milk fat is a very healthy fat in its natural raw state. Milk and beef from grass fed organically raised cows is known to have higher quantities of healthy fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids compared with grain fed cows. Traditional populations around the world have thrived in perfect health while consuming huge quantities of raw, non-pasteurized, non-homogenized, full fat dairy products. Once again, food processing ruins a good thing by pasteurizing and homogenizing milk fat, rendering it potentially dangerous inside the human body. Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to find raw milk in the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out http://www.realmilk.com for more info on the benefits of raw milk and to find out if it's available near you. As an alternative, cultured dairy products like yogurt have at least had beneficial microorganisms added back to them making them better for you. Realistically, since you probably won't find raw milk, sticking to skim milk is the best option to avoid the homogenized milk fat. If you use butter for cooking, your best option is grass-fed butter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan Metcalf is a workout and health fanatic. He believes in living a healthy lifestyle, and strives to help others do the same. Stan preaches about the health benefits of proper exercise and nutrition whenever he can. In fact, just for reading this article, he wants to give you a FREE e-book titled, "Training & Nutrition: Insider Secrets For a Lean Body". You can get the FREE e-book at http://www.TopSecretBellyFatLoss.com/FREEebook.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stan_Metcalf

Let's face it, many of us lead sedentary lifestyles these days. Each week we spend hours commuting to work, hours in front of the computer, and hours in front of the TV. This lifestyle can lead to weight gain, posture problems, and lethargy.

The way out of this is to add exercise to the mix. Exercise should be seen as a necessity in helping our bodies and minds function properly, not as something to do someday when we can find the time.

To pull exercise to the forefront of our busy lives we need to find an exercise that we will stick with, and that is enjoyable and motivational. The choice of exercise should also suit our lifestyle and help us achieve our weight goals.

Walking fits the bill for a lot of people. Not only is it something that we can naturally do, without having to have a special talent, but it can work our heart and your muscles. Walking is a free form of exercise and the only cost is a good pair of walking shoes and some comfortable clothes.

The best type of walking is power walking and here are some of the benefits:
* Improved mental well-being with a reduction in stress and anxiety.
* Helps manage body weight and can lead to a reduction in body fat.
* Toned and strengthened muscles.
* Energy boost and improved self-esteem.
* Improved cardiovascular fitness.

So grab a friend and start power walking every day. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel, physically and mentally. If you're new to walking, start with short distances at first, then work your way up. You can also have a goal, like doing the 3 Day Walk For the Cure, to speed you on your way to being fit.

The Dreaded Dieting Plateau

So, you've been losing weight steadily since you started your new weight loss regimen. You're several weeks into it and feeling pretty confident that you'll be reaching your goal pretty soon and... you hit the dreaded dieting plateau. Then it seems like no matter how strict you are with your eating, nothing happens. Your scale must be broken because it's been stuck on that same number for too long now. Sound familiar?

Plateaus are tricky and you can look at them in different ways. You can whine and carry on about how you've failed your diet, or you can feel good about what you've already lost and the fact that you even made it to the plateau level.

It's normal to lose more weight in the beginning, when you have more to lose. You should not really expect to keep losing the same amount of weight week after week. It's important to remember that even if the scale doesn't seem to currently be helping you out, you are still going in the right direction. You may be losing inches or you may be losing fat and gaining muscle. Just remember, the scale doesn't tell the whole story. This is the time to keep on going, not to try drastic unhealthy measures or chuck it all in and start binging.

It helps to have a mental picture; first you climbed down a hill, next you hit a plateau and you have to walk across it before you get to the next downhill. You will get across it! Another helpful visualization is to keep picturing how you will look and feel when you've accomplished your goal. Picture it as if it has already happened.

If you feel you could tighten up your eating habits a bit, then go for it, but only if you can do so without feeling deprived or doing something drastic. Perhaps you want to step up your exercise routine during this time of plateau. This is a great idea if your health permits and, again, you're not doing anything too drastic.

Keep at it and you'll find you've crossed the plateau (and some are wider than others) and started dropping more weight. What a thrill to know you can overcome the temporary hard spots in your life. This isn't just about weight loss but about any areas of your life where you will have plateaus.

Should I Try a Fad Diet?

Lots of people look at fad diets as a quick answer for weight loss. You've seen the many ads on the internet and in magazines that say that you can lose lots of weight in only a few days time. These ads are very enticing!

Is this type of weight loss really possible? Yes, but... in many instances the weight loss from a fad diet is temporary and usually due to loss of water weight. The body is made up of a large percentage of water so as soon as the body rehydrates itself, the weight that was lost so quickly will go back on just as quickly.

There are also reasons why a fad diet is not good for you.

1. Many times a fad diet will tell you to focus on a single food type and avoid all others. This means you miss out on all the nutritients your body needs. For good health you need a more balanced diet approach.

Quite often these fad diets will even tell you to take vitamins and supplements to make up for all the nutritional deficiencies you experience while on the fad diet. However, your body may not be able to absorb all the nutrients from the recommended supplements. Plus, many of the foods that help you absorb nutrients are banned on fad diets.

2. Fad diets are usually so restrictive or unappetizing that after a short time you begin having overwhelming cravings for other foods. This leads to binging on the wrong foods and stopping the diet. This quitting can also wreak havoc on your self esteem as you beat yourself up for not having enough willpower to stick to the diet.

3. Fad diets are temporary solutions to weight issues. Even if you do follow through to the end with a fad diet you have not made permanent healthy changes in the way you handle food. Fad dieters tend to be yo-yo dieters who gain and lose the same pounds (and maybe some extra) again and again.

No matter what you see in the media about quick weight loss diets, realize that these diets will never work as a long term solution. Weight loss done correctly will be a lifestyle change; one that you can live with. Combine eating a sensible amount of a variety of healthy foods with regular exercise and you're going to be the winner at losing!

Healthy Eating Is For Kids Too

I have asked Diana Walker, author of Craving Secrets, to give us some healthy eating tips for our kids. I felt that Diana, with her 30 years of experience in the Health and Wellness field, could give us some excellent information. Her field of interest is cravings for common foods like sugar, salt, fast food, coffee, soda, fried foods, and carbs.

7 Healthy Eating Tips for Kids
By Diana Walker

A lot of people ask me questions about how they can eat healthy.

A very high priority is the impact that their eating habits have on their children. As a parent, you're responsible for the health and well-being of your child. Nowhere is that more important than in the area of their eating. Healthy eating habits established in childhood can increase your child's chances for a long and healthy life.

These tips will help you improve your kids' eating habits, and also eat healthier yourself. If you set a good example for your kids with healthy cooking and eating, you are going to make a big impact on their life.

1. Eat Whole and Raw Foods

The first tip I'd like to share with parents is that they need to focus their diets as close to nature as possible. I know it can seem like it's hard to take time to prepare healthy meals when you are balancing work, school and other activities. But raw and whole foods are very easy to prepare, and something that your kids will love to do. Unprocessed foods are free of chemicals, additives and other things that your kids shouldn't be eating.

2. Eat lots of Fiber

Fiber is very important to eating right and keeping your system balanced. Adding fiber into your child's diet is easy if you focus on fresh whole foods. Fruits and vegetables have an abundance of natural fiber. You can also substitute white flour products with whole grain products. If you aren't already, make the switch to whole grain bread and pasta and brown rice. Also start to incorporate some of the ancient grains like quinoa, amaranth, spelt, and kamut.

3. Eliminate Sugar

Sugar is a big problem in the average American diet, and it can definitely be a problem in children's diets. You can introduce healthy sugar substitutes into your home to satisfy sweet cravings without all of the side effects. You can cook with agave nectar and stevia to create baked good and other sweet treats. Read the labels on packaged foods to make sure you're not giving your kids extra sugar.

4. Avoid Artificial Sugar Substitutes

If you think aspartame, Splenda and other sugar substitutes are safe, think again. All major artificial sweeteners have been linked to neurological problems, metabolism problems and a whole host of other troubles. Don't feed your kids these harmful chemicals. There are many other natural sweeteners that you can use, like honey, agave necter and stevia, that don't have the side-effects of chemical sweeteners.

5. Provide Lots of Water

Giving your kids plenty of water to drink is important to their overall health. There are a lot of negative effects associated with dehydration, and it's easier to get dehydrated than you might think. Dehydration can cause headaches, muscle weakness, mood imbalances and food cravings. Offer water first before any other beverage, and serve it with silly straws to make it more fun.

6. Plan Ahead

Serving healthy foods gets a lot easier when you plan ahead. The number one reason people feed their children fast food is because of lack of planning. Schedule meals and stock your pantry with quick, healthy alternatives. Don't rely on fast food, pizza and other unhealthy alternatives. Learn how to prepare three to five “emergency” quick meals. Stock up on healthy snack alternatives for your kids, and they'll learn to make the right food choices.

7. Get your kids involved in the kitchen...at any age.

Healthy eating habits are strengthened when your children grow up knowing how to prepare good, quality food. No matter what your child's age, he or she can be a big help in the kitchen. Younger kids can wash, mix and pour. Older children can help measure and learn basic cooking skills. Your teenager can prepare entire meals. Learning how to eat healthy as a family will help you instill good eating habits that will last a lifetime.


Diana Walker, Cravings Coach
www.thecravingscoach.com/blog
Author - Craving Secrets