DIETS DON'T WORK - The Gabriel Method Review

In this Gabriel Method Review, we’ll review the best program on weight loss I have ever found in many years of researching health and wellbeing. No other methodology for losing weight that I’ve seen has such a clear understanding of the underlying causes of weight gain and how to resolve them.

In this Gabriel Method Review:

• Who Is Jon Gabriel And What Is The Gabriel Method?
• Why Diets Don’t Work And This New Methodology Does
• Most Overweight People Are Starving Nutritionally No Matter How Much They Eat
• Using The Gabriel Method

Who Is Jon Gabriel And What Is The Gabriel Method?

Jon Gabriel was over 400 pounds and had tried every popular diet around, from low fat Pritikin to high fat, high protein Atkins. After some initial weight loss he always gained it back and more.

Eventually he realized that at some level his body wanted to be fat and all the dieting and fighting it simply wasn’t working. That’s when he set about understanding why and how to change it.

With a background in biochemistry and an intense period of research and discovery, Jon came up with a completely different approach to losing weight. He personally lost over 220 pounds and now teaches thousands of people around the world how to achieve permanent weight loss without dieting.

 

Why Diets Don’t Work And This New Methodology Does

While so many dieting books of the past were focused on pointless calorie restriction, The Gabriel Method shows how starving yourself actually makes things much worse. Essentially restriction style diets are only teaching your body to go into emergency mode and conserve fat.

Weight gain, at an underlying level, is more of an emotional, psychological and hormonal issue than just about overeating. Accumulation of body fat is an outward manifestation of certain genetic survival programs that have very good reasons for working in the way they do.

The Gabriel Method goes into great detail about what these emotional, psychological and hormonal issues are and how to free yourself from their control. All the calorie counting and willpower in the world is useless long term unless you learn to work with, instead of against these deep seated survival programs that your mind controls your body with.

Most Overweight People Are Starving Nutritionally No Matter How Much They Eat

Even if you eat a ton of food and thousands of calories, you can still be hungry if you’re not getting what you need nutritionally. This hunger is part of your basic survival program that keeps you alive and is as powerful as the need to go to sleep when you’ve been up too late. Trying to fight it with willpower is pointless.

However, when you give your body what it needs nutritionally it will naturally subside. The Gabriel Method reviews exactly why certain essential nutrients are missing from your diet and how to get them back into your meals. This is about eating more, not less.

It also examines in detail how not digesting and assimilating your food properly can lead to overpowering hunger and how to resolve this situation. If any of these issues are affecting you then going on a diet is about the worst thing you could do.

Stop dieting and reach your ideal weight naturally with a different approach. There is no restriction on any food you want to eat with The Gabriel Method. Instead, as you add certain nutrient rich foods into your meals, you’ll find your cravings naturally fall away.

It isn’t about controlling yourself. It’s about understanding, respecting and working with the underlying genetic survival programs that ultimately control your body weight at a deeper level.

Using The Gabriel Method

This is not some quick dieting trick where you lose weight rapidly and then put it on again as soon as you stop following unmaintainable directions. As such, it’s unlikely to be suitable for people who give up unless they are getting dramatic results in the first few weeks.

Because you are dealing with real causes of weight gain, that you are probably currently unaware of, it can take longer for some people than others to recognize them fully and begin seeing serious results.

That said, I believe you’ll understand the truth behind this method once you start reading the first few chapters of the book. If you don’t, and you think it’s not right for you, then there’s a 60 day money back guarantee with the program.

The Gabriel Method is far more than just a great book on how to lose weight. It also contains 12 videos on creating a new body, a series of powerful guided visualizations, Jon’s favorite healthy recipes and special audio programs on effective weight loss.

I’ve personally recommended The Gabriel Method to friends and even a family member as I think it’s the best resource out there for losing weight. I’d really suggest listening to what Jon has to say (the pictures of his transformation alone speak volumes).

So many people are punishing themselves each day with restrictive diets that simply do not work. The path to weight loss does not involve struggle or even willpower.

For more info, go to: Gabriel Method

Source: Health Ambition

Nutritional Typing - Eat the Right Food for You and Lose Weight

By William Wolcott
Author of The Metabolic Typing Diet 

For many years, so-called nutritional experts advocated a low protein, low fat, high carbohydrate diet as the perfect diet for all of us. They promised that we’d lose weight and lower our cholesterol while simultaneously improving our health and fitness.

Well, they turned out to be wrong, dead wrong for some and seriously wrong for millions of others. Instead of fulfilling its promise, this latest "right diet for all people" to come down the pike produced a rise in obesity like this country has never seen, along with the "bonus" side-effect of an ever-growing epidemic in diabetes.

Today we find ourselves on the cusp of the pendulum poised to swing the other way.

Recent scientific studies have "discovered" that just maybe the high carb, low protein/fat diet is not so good after all, and that what really is the best "right diet for all people" is a high protein, low carb diet. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that reality once again will prove to be different than expected. In a few years, there will be a fallout of just as many people suffering in the wake of this "new" pendulum swing as from the last one.

The problems will be different, but the "casualty rate" will be about the same. Metabolic Typing, the science of individualized nutrition, reveals why this will be the case.

Through Metabolic Typing, it has been learned that the answer to the question of the right diet lies with your genes -- not whim, fancy or philosophical belief, or even in scientific research, at least not in the way it is being performed today.

Previous studies have shown benefit to the low protein/fat, high carb diet as well as the opposite diet of high protein/fat, low carb diet.

But basic premises of Metabolic Typing such as the idea of biochemical individuality, or that the same nutrient can have different effects in different Metabolic Types, or that the same disease can arise in different Metabolic Types for totally opposite biochemical reasons, have far-reaching effects and shatter many current en vogue myths of nutrition. Here are some examples that not only offer some valuable, practical information, but also reveal greater insight into the exciting new world of Metabolic Typing:

MYTH: A vegetarian diet or a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in protein and fat is good for you.

REALITY: If it's wrong for your Metabolic Type, meaning, if it is not in line with your ancestral diet, your genetically based nutritional requirements, this diet can make you sicker or create new health problems for you. There are no "good" foods and there are no "bad" foods, except in terms of the requirements of your unique Metabolic Type.

MYTH: The Healthy Diet

REALITY: There's no such thing as a diet that is universally healthy for everyone. This applies to any diet that is purportedly right for all people -- whether it’s the Atkins Diet, MacDougall Diet, Ornish Diet, (or pick any diet you can think of!). The only diet that is healthy for you is the diet that is right for your Metabolic Type. Only that diet meets your inherited needs for nutrients.

MYTH: To lose weight you need to reduce calories and limit fat (or limit protein or limit carbs).

REALITY: Fat doesn't make you fat. Protein doesn't make you fat. Carbohydrates don't make you fat. And even calories per se don't make you fat. But what does make you fat is the inability to properly metabolize, or convert to energy, carbs, proteins, fats and calories.

If you're overweight, you're actually starving -- starving for the right balance of nutrients that will increase your metabolic rate and convert to energy the food you're eating instead of storing it as fat.

Eat the right foods for your Metabolic Type and eat the right ratios of macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbs) and you’ll be giving your body the right kind of fuel for your engines of metabolism. Science is beginning to awaken to the idea that much of what our bodies do with food is in our genes.

MYTH: To lose weight all you need to do is reduce calories and exercise more.

REALITY: Millions of people have done just that, but in most cases have not only failed to lose weight, but gained weight instead. Worse, for most people, reducing calories has led to food cravings, binge or yo-yo dieting, mood swings and energy fluctuations.

Only by giving your body food that it can efficiently convert to energy will you lose weight permanently. Only then can watching calories and exercising regularly make a real and lasting difference.

Best of all, when you eat right for your Metabolic Type, when your body fully converts to energy the food you eat, gone forever will be the gnawing hunger, food cravings, binges, mood swings and energy fluctuations that normally are associated with "dieting."

MYTH: If you take lots of supplements and "cover all your bases," your body will take what it needs and discard the rest.

REALITY: This is like saying that if you hold a flame under your outstretched hand, your body will take whatever heat it needs and throw off the rest. Such ideas ignore the reality of cause and effect. If you apply a flame to skin, the skin will burn. Fire has specific physical properties that apply wherever fire is present.

Similarly, nutrients have very precise effects on the body—either stimulating or sedating, acidifying or alkalinizing. Every supplement you consume will either stimulate or sedate specific organs, systems and fundamental control mechanisms.

Take the wrong nutrients or the wrong formulations for your Metabolic Type and you will worsen your existing imbalances or create new imbalances and all of the problems that go with them. Nutrients indeed have the power to heal, but they also have the power to make you ill if they are wrong for your Metabolic Type.

MYTH: Everyone should take calcium (or vitamin C, or anti-oxidants, etc.).

REALITY: Nothing could be further from the truth. Through Metabolic Typing, we know that any nutrient can have opposite effects in different Metabolic Types. This is why a nutrient can help correct a condition in one person, have little or no effect on another person, or worsen the same condition in a different Metabolic Type.

Thus the old adage, "one’s food is another’s poison." This is why you should only take those supplements that are right for your Metabolic Type. Every nutrient raises or lowers up to 9 other nutrients in your body. So taking therapeutic doses of vitamin C can actually, for example, cause cancer (vitamin C lowers copper, so if you are already deficient in copper and take high therapeutic doses of vitamin C, you can seriously compromise your immune system).

Taking too much calcium can actually cause osteoporosis (in order for calcium to be utilized, it needs certain synergistic nutrients and if you are already low in those synergistic nutrients, taking more calcium will only further deplete the existing deficient levels, worsening any problems relating to calcium metabolism).

Eating a low-fat diet can actually raise cholesterol (if it further disturbs the body's cholesterol metabolism, e.g., certain metabolic types paradoxically need to eat a high-fat diet to promote efficient cholesterol metabolism). Of course, everyone needs all the nutrients in order to be healthy . . . but not in therapeutic doses. So before you start supplementing your diet, it’s best to know your Metabolic Type.

MYTH: Nutrients are nutrients. It doesn't matter what form they are in.

REALITY: The carriers of nutrients are just as powerful -- in some cases even more powerful -- in their effects on metabolism as the nutrients themselves. Depending on your Metabolic Type, any nutrient can be acidifying or alkalinizing.

For example, in a Parasympathetic (alkaline) Metabolic Type, calcium is acidifying, but in a Fast Oxidizer, calcium is alkalinizing. So, it is important that an acid form of calcium (e.g., calcium chloride) be used if you’re an alkaline Parasympathetic type metabolizer, but that an alkaline form of calcium (calcium citrate) be used if you’re an acidic Fast Oxidizer.

Otherwise, the nutritional supplement will at best have a neutral effect, and at worst, actually worsen your existing imbalances. You can take the best supplements money can buy, but if they are not right for your Metabolic Type -- the right nutrients and the right forms of the nutrients -- they won’t produce the result you’re looking for and can end up making you worse than before.

MYTH: Drink lots of orange juice to help get rid of a cold

REALITY: Colds and flus are viruses and viruses thrive in an alkaline biochemical environment. Citrus juice, because it is such a highly alkalinizing food, is one of the worst things you can ingest to prevent and fight off a cold or flu virus. Interestingly, cold weather produces an alkaline shift in the body.

In addition, the most powerful alkalinizing substances in your diet are sugar, alcohol, caffeine, salt (and nicotine), the very substances that tend to increase in our diets during cold weather and the holidays. Beginning with Halloween, and going on through Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year's celebrations, the amounts of these highly alkalinizing substances dramatically increase in our diets.

When you consider the elevation of those alkaline foods in our diets in combination with the alkaline effect of the cold weather, is it any wonder that time of year has come to be known as "the cold & flu season?" At the first sign of a cold or flu, try to acidify your system by increasing protein and decreasing carbohydrates, particularly fruits (especially citrus) and the alkaline substances listed above.

When you buy a new car, one of the first things you learn is the kind of fuel it uses. You wouldn’t want to use the wrong kind of fuel for fear of damaging the engine, not to mention the fact that its performance would suffer dramatically.

You would do well to adopt the same attitude towards your own body. Remember that your body is designed to be healthy, but in order to run efficiently, it must be given the right fuel, the kind of fuel it is genetically programmed to utilize.

You can eat the best organic foods, take the finest supplements money can buy, drink plenty of pure water, get sufficient rest and exercise regularly, but if you do not meet the needs of your Metabolic Type, you’ll only be wasting your time and money.

Give your body what it needs and you’ll enjoy a lifetime of good health, energy and well-being.

By Dr. Mercola

William Wolcott is the author of a book I recommend to absolutely everyone, The Metabolic Typing Diet. If you want to begin understanding your metabolic or nutritional type, in order to adopt the diet that is right for you, reading Wolcott's book is an excellent way to begin, as it gives you a good background into why there is NO one-size-fits-all approach to diet.

I have incorporated Wolcott’s principles into my Nutrition Plan. My program comes from decades of experience in which I have researched extensively, conferred with my professional colleagues, and most importantly, successfully treated tens of thousands of patients.

My nutrition plan is easy to learn and easy to manage with today’s busy lifestyle. By eating the foods that are best for you, you won’t be hungry, and you will achieve your optimal weight, and optimize your insulin level, cholesterol level and blood pressure. You will learn how to listen to your body and modify your foods as appropriate. Whether you are basically healthy and wish to keep it that way, or whether you have major health challenges, my Nutrition Plan is an excellent guide.

Not only is what you eat important for optimizing your health, but other lifestyle choices are also very important:-

Make exercise a part of your daily routine
Make sure you get plenty of sleep
Make sure you have a way to de-stress

By embracing a comprehensive “lifestyle approach” to your health, you will feel better, have more bounce in your step, and enjoy more vitality than you ever imagined.

Source: Mercola

4 Foods to Banish Sugar Cravings & Belly Fat

SUPERFOOD GREEN DRINK - LOSE WEIGHT FAST - RAW FOOD

Benefits of Juicing and Using Good Juicers

Congratulations! If you have already made some great changes to your life, the last step will be to implement a juicing plan. I am firmly convinced that the benefits of juicing are the keys to giving you a radiant, energetic life, and truly optimal health.

I've said this in the other levels of this nutrition plan, but it's so important I'll say it again - valuable and sensitive micronutrients become damaged when you heat foods.

Cooking and processing food destroys these micronutrients by altering their shape and chemical composition. In this advanced nutritional level, you avoid all processed foods and eat only organic vegetables and fruits, unless not otherwise possible.

Virtually every health authority recommends that we get 6-8 servings of vegetables and fruits per day and very few of us actually get that. Juicing is an easy way to virtually guarantee that you will reach your daily target for vegetables.

While you can certainly juice fruits, if you are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, it is best to limit using fruits until you normalize these conditions.

The exception would be lemons and limes which have virtually none of the offending sugar, fructose, that causes most of the metabolic complications. Additionally lemons or limes are amazing at eliminating the bitter taste of the dark, deep green leafy vegetables that provide most of the benefits of juicing.

Benefits of Juicing

There are three main reasons why you will want to consider incorporating vegetable juicing into your optimal health program:

1. Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body's ability to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help to "pre-digest" them for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition, rather than having it go down the toilet.
2. Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. If you are a carb type, you should eat one pound of raw vegetables per 50 pounds of body weight per day. Some people may find eating that many vegetables difficult, but it can be easily accomplished with a quick glass of vegetable juice.
3. You can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Many people eat the same vegetable salads every day. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chance of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole.

If you are new to juicing, I recommend a mid-priced juicer. The cheap centrifugal juicers (like the Juiceman) break easily, produce low-quality juice, and are very loud, which may contribute to hearing loss. They also don't last very long.

My favorite are the single gear juicers which are relatively fast, less expensive and easier to clean than more expensive juicers like twin gears or even the $2000 Norwalk juicers. Here is my current favorite juicer.

Many people initially think that juicing will be a real chore, but the majority are pleasantly surprised to find that it is much easier than they thought it would be.

Vegetable Juice is Not a Complete Meal

It is important to note that vegetable juice has very little protein and virtually no fat, so by itself, it is not really a complete food. It really should be used in addition to your regular meals not in place of it.

So unless you are undergoing some special fasting or detoxification program, it is probably unwise to use juicing as a meal replacement. Ideally, it can be consumed with your meal or as a between meal snack.

Important to Listen to Your Body

This is partly because you should only start by juicing vegetables that you enjoy eating non-juiced. The juice should taste pleasant -- not make you feel nauseous.
It is very important to listen to your body when juicing. Your stomach should feel good all morning long. If it is churning or growling or generally making its presence known, you probably juiced something you should not be eating. Personally, I've noticed that I can't juice large amounts of cabbage, but if I spread it out, I do fine.

The health benefits of juicing are immense for adults and children.

Here are a few simple lessons to get you up and help you enjoy the benefits of juicing quickly:

Lesson 1: Use pesticide free veggies.

It is wise to choose organic whenever possible. However, some vegetables are worse than others. Below are the vegetables that are the most pesticide-loaded ones according to the Environmental Working Group.
So it would be wise to only purchase these vegetables if they are organically grown. The worst ones are listed first.

1. Celery
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Collard Greens
5. Lettuce
6. Carrots
7. Cucumber (not as bad if you peel the skin)

Lesson 2: Get ready to juice!

Please note that the order listed below is only intended for those that are new to juicing so you do have a pleasant experience with it. However, if you use ¼ to ½ lemon or lime, you can start experimenting with the more bitter greens early on as the lemon and lime effectively counter their bitterness.

Please note that it would be FAR better to use lemon or limes than carrots, beets or apples, which have far more fructose than lemons or limes.

Step 1: If you are new to juicing, I recommend starting out with these vegetables, as they are the easiest to digest and tolerate:

• Celery
• Fennel (anise)
• Cucumbers

These three aren't as nutrient dense as the dark green leafy vegetables. In the few days to weeks it takes you to adjust to the 3 vegetables listed  above, you can start adding the more nutritionally valuable but less palatable vegetables into your juice.

Step 2: When you've acclimatized yourself to juicing, you can start adding these vegetables:

• Red leaf lettuce
• Green leaf lettuce
• Romaine lettuce
• Endive
• Escarole
• Spinach

An interesting side note: Cabbage juice is one of the most healing nutrients for ulcer repair as it is a huge source of vitamin U.

Step 3: When you're ready, move on to adding herbs to your juicing. Herbs also make wonderful combinations, and here are two that work exceptionally well:

• Parsley
• Cilantro

You need to be cautious with cilantro, as many cannot tolerate it well.  So start off with a few sprigs and work your way up from there. You can use a few tablespoons if you have no side effects and enjoy the taste. If you are new to juicing, hold off on the cilantro. Herbs are more challenging to consume, but they are highly beneficial.

Step 4: The last step.The greens listed below are bitter:so start with smaller leaves at a time and be sure and balance it out with lime or lemon.

• Kale
• Collard Greens
• Dandelion Greens
• Mustard Greens (bitter)

When purchasing collard greens, find a store that sells the leaves still attached to the main stalk. If they are cut off, the vegetable rapidly loses many of its valuable nutrients.

Lesson 3: Make your juice taste great.

If you would like to make your juice taste a bit more palatable, especially in the beginning, you can add these elements:

• Lemons and Limes: You can also add one half to a whole lime or lemon for every quart of juice. You can actually juice the skin if you want to avoid the hassle of peeling them
• Cranberries: You can also add some cranberries if you enjoy them. Researchers have discovered that cranberries have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, which means they may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease. In addition, they are chock-full of phytonutrients, and can help women avoid urinary tract infections. Limit the cranberries to about 4 ounces per pint of juice.
• Fresh ginger: This is an excellent addition if you enjoy the taste. It gives your juice a little "kick"! And, as an added boon, researchers have found that ginger can have dramatic effects on cardiovascular health, including preventing atherosclerosis, lowering cholesterol levels, and preventing the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL).

Lesson 4: Drink your vegetable juice right away, or store it very carefully.

Juicing is a time-consuming process, so you'll probably be thinking to yourself, "I wonder if I can juice first thing in the morning, and then drink it later?" This is not a good idea. Vegetable juice is HIGHLY perishable so it's best to drink all of your juice immediately.
However, if you're careful, you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline. This is really helpful if you are bringing your juice to work with you so you can consume it during the day.
How to store your juice:

• Put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimum amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will "oxidize" and damage the juice.
• Purchase a food vacuum pump like Food Saver with a Ball jar attachment. You can pour your juice into a pint jar and put the lid on and use the Food Saver to suck out the air in the jar to vacuum pack it. This will remove most of the oxygen that will damage the juice.
• Immediately store it in the fridge and consume it when you are ready. It is best to drink it as soon as possible and in any case within 24 hours of juicing.

Most people juice in the morning, but if that does not work out well for your schedule, please feel free to choose whatever meal works best for your lifestyle.

Lesson 5: Clean your juicer properly.

We all know that if a juicer takes longer than a few minutes to clean, we'll find excuses not to juice at all. I find that using an old toothbrush works well to clean any metal grater. If you buy a high-quality juicer, the whole process should only take about 5 minutes. I find that using an old toothbrush works well on the metal grater. Whatever you do, you need to clean your juicer immediately after you juice to prevent any remnants from contaminating the juicer with mold growth. 

NOTE: Nutritional Typing and Juicing

According to Nutritional Typing principles, if you are a carb type, vegetable juicing is STRONGLY recommended. With patients in our clinic, we strongly encourage it if they expect to regain their health. If you are a mixed type, it is certainly useful to juice. However, protein types need to follow some specific guidelines to make it work for them.

Protein Types and Juicing

If you are a protein type, juicing needs to be done cautiously. Celery, spinach, asparagus, string beans, and cauliflower would be your best vegetables to juice. You can add some of the dark deep leafy greens like collards, kale, and dandelion greens but do so cautiously and pay careful attention to how you feel.
You may also want to initially limit your serving size of juice to no more than 6 oz., and store it properly and drink smaller amounts throughout the day.
Also, to make drinking vegetable juice compatible with protein type metabolism (which needs high amounts of fat), it is important to blend a source of raw fat into the juice. Raw cream, raw butter, raw eggs, avocado, coconut butter, or freshly ground flax seed are the sources of raw fat that we most recommend.
In addition to adding a source of raw fat to your juice, you may also find that adding some, or even all, of the vegetable pulp into your juice helps to make drinking the juiced vegetables more satisfying.

Source: Dr Mehmet Oz

Flat Belly Plan

Dr. Oz teamed up with Flat Belly Diet author Liz Vaccariello, nutritional biochemist Dr. Shaw Talbott and 8 Minute Abs creator Jaime Brenkus to come up with this plan designed to tackle your belly fat without making you feel hungry.

The Dr. Oz Flat Belly Plan was designed to flatten your belly with four key steps:

1. Shrink Fat Cells
A recent study found that those who ate three yogurts a day while dieting lost 81% more belly fat than people who didn't eat yogurt. All study participants were directed to eat 500 calories less per day. As part of the Flat Belly Plan, you should eat about 6 ounces of low-fat Greek yogurt before every meal. Why? It's thought that calcium can help stop fat from entering your cells, improve your body’s ability to break down fat and help your body carry out fat through your bowel movements.

2. Shed Excess Pounds With MUFAs
MUFAs, or monounsaturated fatty acids, are the cornerstone of the Flat Belly Plan. These are plant-based fats, so the easiest way to remember them is to look for healthy fats that aren’t from animal sources, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, oils and olives. A study done through the American Diabetic Association found that a diet rich in MUFAs worked to reduce belly fat.

As part of the Flat Belly Plan, you need to eat three MUFA meals a day.

The foundation of any MUFA meal has:

• 3 ounces lean protein
• 1 complex carb
• Unlimited vegetables
• 1 MUFA
• Each meal should be 350 calories (or fewer)

 3. Reduce Inflammation
The next part of the plan aims to reduce inflammation. Belly fat has been linked to inflammation and elevated cortisol (the stress hormone). Belly fat is even thought to be "toxic" to your system as it releases chemicals into your body that wreak havoc on your appetite and the way your body metabolizes food. That's why anti-inflammatory foods are thought to be effective in fighting belly fat and breaking the vicious cycle.

As part of the Flat Belly Plan, have an anti-inflammatory snack in the afternoon. Snacks should be rich in flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants that help curb inflammation. They're the natural compounds that give berries and other fruits their vibrant color. Try a sliced yellow bell pepper with hummus or a bowl of mixed berries drizzled with dark chocolate.

4. Beat Bloat
Drink ginger iced tea with mint and lemon to reduce bloat! Ginger naturally aids digestion, mint helps to reduce gas, and lemon juice is rich in antioxidants. Follow the recipe below and sip on this Flat Belly Tea all day long:

Ingredients
3 bags of ginger tea
1 cup fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cups of water
2 cups of ice

Directions
In a large pitcher (about 24 ounces), steep the ginger bags and chopped mint for 5-10 minutes. Strain mixture to remove bags and leaves. Add lemon juice. Stir and serve. Store in refrigerator, serve chilled and sip.

Click here to print the MUFA Meals One-Sheet.
Adapted from Flat Belly Diet by Liz Vaccariello with Cynthia Sass. Copyright (c) 2008 by Liz Vaccariello with Cynthia Sass. By permission of Rodale, Inc.

Controlling stress is also an important part of dieting and rebooting your body. Taming your stress results in reduced levels of cortisol, which has been linked to belly fat. Prevent your nerves from fraying with these tips and your body and your belly will thank you for it.

Mornings: Relora
Start the day off right. High cortisol levels in the morning makes breakfast more likely to be stored as belly fat and result in cravings for junk food throughout the day. Studies have shown that relora, a blend of two herbs called magnolo and phellodendron, can help reduce cortisol. It's also calming, not drowsy, making it perfect for mornings.

Afternoons: Aromatherapy Inhaler
Sometimes you need a stress-reducing shortcut. You can trick your body into relaxing with an aromatherapy inhaler, which you can use the second you feel stressed. The brain quickly processes smells, which hit the amygdala, the area of your brain responsible for anxiety. Scents like eucalyptus, lavender and bergamot can help shut down stress.

Evenings: Tart Cherry Juice
A natural source of melatonin, which helps lower cortisol, tart cherry juice can help you achieve a good night's sleep. Getting only 6 hours of sleep versus the recommended 8 hours means that you can have up to 50% more cortisol exposure – and that can lead to more sweet-tooth cravings and belly fat. Elevated cortisol also keeps you restless and alert when you don't need to be, making it hard to fall asleep. Drink an 8-ounce glass in the morning and 2 hours before bed for sweet dreams. To get the full benefit, drink this juice at a scheduled time every day.

Source: Dr Mehmet Oz

5-Step Plan to Kick Your Sugar Addiction

We have all heard that sugar can affect our waistlines, but recent research also provides evidence to support what many have been saying for years – that sugar can cause addiction-like symptoms such as craving, withdrawal and tolerance. So what can we do if we find ourselves experiencing these symptoms? Below are five steps to help you break out of the cycle of sugar highs and lows and get control of your sugar intake.


Know the enemy
The key to curbing your sugar addiction is to curb your sugar intake. In order to do this, it is important to know where sugar is located – and often hiding – in your diet. Thus, the first step of this plan is to learn how to properly interpret nutrition labels so that you can see the amount of sugar you are eating and identify exactly where it is coming from (see example and steps below). Using this knowledge, I encourage people to keep track of their sugar intake for one week with a notepad, smartphone or whatever works best for you.

Step 1: Each gram of sugar is equivalent to approximately 4 calories so you can multiply the grams of sugars listed by 4 (26 X 4). In this case, roughly 104 calories per serving come from sugar.

Step 2: After step 1, check the serving size. If there is more than 1 serving, multiply the number found in step 1 by the number of serving sizes (104 X 2). In this case, the entire drink or food item contains about 208 calories from sugar alone.



Cease and desist
At the end of the week, look over your list and identify which type of food or beverage is contributing the most to your sugar intake; does most of your sugar come from 3 p.m. soda trips to the vending machine or is it hidden in your normal breakfast of yogurt and a protein bar? Then, focus on eliminating the main contributor to your sugar intake.

Withstand withdrawal
When you begin to cut this food or drink out of your diet, you might find yourself experiencing symptoms of withdrawal such as irritability, tiredness or headaches. At first, you may interpret these symptoms as signs of hunger and be tempted to reach for a quick sugar fix, but remember, this is just your body adjusting to life without this source of sugar. Remain steadfast and stick to your goal – within a matter of days, you should feel like your normal self again.

Curb cravings
Even after withdrawal symptoms subside, you may experience cravings for that food or drink. These cravings do not have to derail your efforts; if you anticipate them, you can have strategies prepared to confront them effectively. For example, try to identify what exactly it is that you are craving about the food or drink. If you are craving the crunchiness of the food that you are trying to cut down on, for instance, try carrots or celery when you sit down to watch a movie instead of chips. Maybe you are craving the bubbly taste of the soda? Try some flavored seltzer water instead. If it’s the sweet taste, try to eat more fruit. Although certain fruits do contain high amounts of sugar, especially dried fruits, they can be a good source of nutrients and thus, are healthier alternatives to soda, cake, cookies or candy.

Set a new goal
Once you feel like you’ve made a real change with the largest source of sugar in your diet, move on to the next major source. You don’t necessarily have to record your weekly sugar intake again; you can simply refer back to your original list. Continue this cycle to free yourself from sugar-centered eating habits.


For more detailed information about sugar addiction and how to overcome it, pick up a copy of my recent book, Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted To Sugar).

Source: doctoroz.com

Ultimate Weight Loss Hypnosis 30 Day Challenge

The Venus Factor Review

Okay so today I'm going to help the women out with their fitness plan by providing a review on one that I think would be most helpful. It's called the "The Venus Factor."

Here are some of the pros:

• A workout program that goes beyond fitness and health. The goal is to give you a very feminine look.
• A really intense exercise and dieting program that doesn't bulk you up and retains your feminine features.
• Very straightforward. You simply have to follow the day-by-day instructions.
• Very efficient. The workouts are designed to give the greatest effect at the least time expended.
• The success stories are jaw dropping and almost too good to be true. You haven't seen life changing transformations until you see the women who have had results using this program.
• Based on a lot of research and scientific evidence. The author's references are cited which shows good faith while also allowing you to verify the credibility of each claim the program makes.
• Responsive and kind support. My inquiry was handled within 24 hours.

And the cons:

• Strictly for women but there's an equal program designed for men which is created by the same author -  The Adonis Golden Ratio.
• This isn't some lazy 15-20 min workout 5 days a week type of thing. If you are looking for a silver bullet weight loss solution, "designer" workout program, or body jam-type class sessions, you're looking at the wrong product.
• Additional investment can be expected to be made on dumbbells (free weights), stability balls, or even a gym membership.

So as you can see, this is a product that's going to put you to work. If you're looking for something simple, you might want to check out a couple other things but for those of you who are still reading, here are some details on this workout program.

The Venus Factor is a special workout program for women. It's unique in a way because it goes beyond making you lose weight and be healthy. The program's goal is to give you that attractive and sexy feminine look. You'll be fit but not bulky with the perfect body proportions for a woman.

This product is designed and developed by a pair of leaders in the field of fitness and dieting. On the fitness side, there's John Barban who is a thoroughbred fitness expert through and through - from his educational background, all the way to his many work achievements in the field. On the diet side, there is Brad Pilon who has been in the nutrition and dieting industry for quite some time now and is most famous for his book on intermittent fasting entitled "Eat Stop Eat."

As for the workout itself, The Venus Factor is a 12-week workout program separated into 3 parts. Each one is 4 weeks long, containing different sets of fun but intense exercises, and needs to be taken in the instructed order. By the end of the 12 week program, you would have gained a significant, if not drastic transformation. There's also an exercise gallery e-book which provides detailed instructions about each workout mentioned in the program and each exercise has images and a link to a video.

Along with the core program, there's the main Venus Factor Workout manual which explains the Venus Index concept. In a nutshell, the Venus Index is a set of female body measurements (ratio of your height to your waist, ratio of your waist to your hips, etc.) which is based on Psychology and the Arts, forms the basis of the most attractive female body. This manual explains how to find your current Venus Index and what fitness target you need to reach to raise your Venus Index. Additionally, you'll also get a dieting manual entitled "Guide to Body Centric Eating." With this manual, you'll focus on eating habits that depend on what your body needs instead of simply counting calories to lose weight. It will be a fresh concept to you if you have been counting calories for a long time.

So in review...

Let's face it, not all skinny or thin women are considered attractive or sexy. Yet why does every fitness program out there want to make you lose weight and get skinny? This might be the only fitness program for a woman geared to help lose fat at the right places and build the right curves at pretty close to exact proportions. The only knock on this program that I can see is that it takes a bit of work. If you are used to lifting light weights, you'll feel right at home. But if you are the type whose most intense workouts are treadmills, yoga, or dance classes, you might need to step your game up for it. They say that you can do anything you put your mind to and achieving great things come with hard work, right? Regardless, it is a one of kind product. Even if you don't follow the workout or dieting program, the information about the Venus Index and achieving the perfect female body proportions can help you set correct fitness goals.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Dr Mehmet Oz explains the Paleo Diet (Stoneage Diet)

Doctor Mehmet Oz About Weight Loss, Waist Size And Walking

Tips On Walking For Weight Loss

Who would have thought you could just use your legs to lose weight. There are so many people that do not like to walk because of cars, computers, and bikes.

People do not like to walk, but you can lose one hundred calories in one mile when walking for weight loss.

It is very easy to get a great pair of shoes and open your door and start walking. You do not need expensive equipment and you can have a little alone time to think about your day or problems in your life that you could solve when you are walking.

The fresh air in the morning will open your lungs and make you breathe fresh air.

Breathing in good air is healthy for any one. You have time to think about your day and what is coming up.

To start walking you do need to find the right walking shoe so it will help your arch in your feet. If you go to a sports store or have some one help you can find a very good shoe.

Walking can add years to your life. Just make sure you bundle up real good when it is cold outside and you will get warm after a few moments of walking.

To walk indoors does not give you the benefits like walking outside. When you are inside you do not get the fresh air, and you cannot walk the stride you do outside.

The morning is the best time to take a thirty minute walk three times to improve your health. But if you can not walk in the morning that is o.k. You will start seeing the weight come off if you just open your door and start walking for weight loss.

Eating right is also a good to combine to your walking regime. Just cut out fat and eat a lot of fruit and veggies. Fresh fish is good also. If you eat every four hours and put a thirty minute walk three times a week you will see a weight loss. You burn calories the more you walk. The more you weigh the more weight you will lose.

Walking helps even out your weight loss so you lose weight in every spot that you want gone. The best part about walking is every one can do it from age five up to ninety five. Just take your time on getting your speed of walk going and build up to a brisk walk. In about one week you should be at a great speed.

There are times that you will go to a party or gathering and there is great food to eat. Go ahead because you know the next day you can just go outside and take a walk.

In summary remember losing weight by walking is great for your health and also good to maintain your weight. The best way to get started walking for weight loss is walking three times a week for thirty minutes.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Springfield woman loses 100 lbs... by walking

Is Emotional Eating OK?

Are you an emotional eater? Chances are if you are overweight and actively seeking help for that you are. Emotional eating occurs when individuals turn to food in order to deal with or, more accurately, forget about emotional stress or depression.

Even after losing over 50 per cent of my total body weight, I emotionally eat. It is a natural reaction to stress, which, if properly managed is okay. What is far more important is training your mind to view yourself differently and to use occasional emotional eating for when it is needed, not as merely an excuse to over indulge and stuff your face.

You Cannot Be Victim Anymore
A lot of attention in the weight loss industry surrounds the psychological reasons behind overeating and obesity. As a result, I am constantly asked in interviews and personal meetings how I learned to 'deal' with my emotional baggage in order to shed my weight. The short answer is that I didn't!
That's right, I am still stressed and I still get depressed over my past and my future. However, rather than conceal those problems with food I made the conscious decision to stop being a victim to these thoughts and rather use different ways to manage the inevitable stresses in my life. I have learned to become a mover and a thinker, to use activity to manage these bouts rather than calories.

If you want to 'win' your war against weight you need to become a soldier, a victor, not a victim. You need to be fearless, and put the problems that lead you to food into perspective. Think about it: if you eat every time you think about your failed marriage are you doing anything to pick up the pieces and start again? No! If anything you're preventing it and action is better than inaction. The "if onlys" in our lives hold us back.

The Higher the Hurdle, the Higher the Jump
I am always asked about the biggest 'hurdle' in my weight loss journey all those years ago. And, while I readily admit that walking into the gym for the first time on my own was scary, that is about all I can come up with.

This isn't because the process was easy or natural for me. Quite the contrary! Rather, I chose to view each 'hurdle' not as a barrier, but a reason to learn how to jump. Each craving I fought, each sore muscle I had helped me prepare for that jump. They were simply learning experiences that I needed in order to make it.

One of my signature sayings is, the higher the hurdles you have to jump in life the higher you learn how to jump. Continuing to view yourself as a victim does not make you a winner. Yes, it is harder for others, but just as the barefoot Kenyan works harder to earn an Olympic gold than the private school boy from America, at the end of the day, the winner still needs to be the fastest man on the track, no matter the road it took to get there.

Life is not fair. There is no way to get around it and the sooner you come to that realisation the better. There are many reasons that we emotionally eat and many of them are heartbreaking and valid.

However, you cannot allow them to continue to define your life and your journey.

Successful weight loss is similar to taking your life and straining it through a sieve-the more muck at the bottom, the longer the process takes, but, eventually, all the bad bits are separated out. Success relies on your ability to choose to be a victor, not a victim.

Article Source: EzineArticles

25 Weight Loss Tips

Sometimes simple tips and steps can add up to big weight loss or fitness gains! Implement several of these tips to start achieving the results you want!

1. Concentrate on nutrition - Especially if you are just trying to get back in shape. Concentrate on cleaning up your nutrition first! 75% of weight loss happens in the kitchen, the remaining 25% happens in the gym!

2. Realistic subgoals are key - While your overall goal could be big, it will take time to achieve. Small goals or subgoals are attainable in a shorter time-frame, giving you the goal attaining satisfaction you crave! For example: if your overall goal is to lose 25 lbs, have subgoals of losing 3 pounds in a week and losing 10 pounds in a month. Check those bad-boys off as you attain them one-by-one; instant satisfaction and motivation!

3. Log your exercise days - Have a monthly calendar and every time you miss a day, shade that square bright red. Three glaringly red days in a row will tell you to get your butt in gear! Don't get three strikes!

4. Eat on a smaller plate - Using smaller plates can cut down on your total caloric consumption! Recent research found that large packaging and dish size can lead to overeating even if the food didn't necessarily taste good!

5. Make your workouts cost you! - Really can't get motivated? Make it hurt your wallet if you miss a workout. Accomplish this by either hiring a trainer, paid class, hiring a workout consultant, or online training. This will make you get that workout in; no one wants to waste money!