You have been procrastinating for months and the excitement of the New Year brings forth many new resolutions and commitments to finally lose weight.  But, this time of the year also brings confusion as we are bombarded with all kinds of new diets and making a decision on which one to use is not always easy.

However, before you get all wrapped up in the next big diet craze for 2013 or the fast selling book with all the latest tips, step back and do some of the things that you probably already know you should be doing.

Let’s just use a common sense diet that has worked for people that want to lose a few pounds to those that desire to lose several hundred.  Here are a few simple tips that you can use to help you drop pounds and inches in 2013.

1. Drink More Water

Yes, you’ve heard it before but it is very important. Without boring you with a bunch of stats, we gain a tremendous amount of unwanted weight just from drinking sugary products. Sodas, fruit juices, Starbucks coffees, and a host of other drinks outside of good old water quickly contribute to extra pounds and inches.  It takes a while to train your body to want water but it is one of the best things you can do if you want to lose weight.

2. Eat Less

That may sound silly to some readers but it won’t if you consider a few things. First of all, we are often conditioned to eat what we see in front of us. This is especially true for many Americans who were told as kids to finish the food that was put on their plates. That kind of conditioning carries over into adulthood and can easily cause you to overeat.  Needless to say, that is only one aspect of overeating but something that you should take note of on a daily basis.

Reduce your food portions starting now. If you are still hungry later, eat something else. However, don’t force feed your body more food than it really needs. Once your hunger is satisfied, stop eating and put the leftovers into the fridge. Over time, you may find that you go back to finish them less and less.

3. Eat Better

This is a biggie and super hard to do for many people. There are all kinds of reasons why we stop at a place like McDonald’s three or four times a week but there are no good excuses when it comes to your health.  Unfortunately, some of us wait until it’s too late to make the needed changes.  The bottom line is that fast food restaurants can ultimately destroy your quality of life.

The fact that you don’t have a lot of money and think it’s cheaper to eat there or that you don’t have to cook and it’s much faster are probably not good enough reasons when it comes to living longer.  Even if you do go to such places, they have other menu items that can be better for you than a triple cheeseburger.

It’s not easy to make these decisions but the main goal of this article is awareness and to get you thinking about the steps you need to take to lose weight in the coming year. It is virtually impossible to solve a problem without acknowledging it so just admitting that fast food is not always the best choice is the first step in making the right decisions later.

4. Get Moving

The dreaded exercise word is something that a large majority of us don’t want to hear. However, it is not always that bad.  If you have visions of doing 90 minute workouts while dripping with sweat like you see on the late night infomercials, that can discourage you super fast.

But, exercise can truly be fun and effective if you take the time to find something that you enjoy doing. Maybe it’s a sport or something that you can do a couple of times per week like dancing. The secret is to find something that your brain doesn’t immediately associate with hard labor and then make a firm decision to do it regularly for at least 90 days.

After that 90 days, evaluate where you are and continue the activity or find a new one that you can enjoy. There are hundreds of activities that burn substantial calories so you just need to be creative and come up with something that fits into your lifestyle.

5. Get Help

It is almost always harder when you attempt to lose weight on your own. There is a reason why you often see people working out in tandem.  A little bit of buddy support and go a long way in helping you to meet your weight loss goals.

It could be a spouse, friend, coworker, or paid professional. Either way, seek the advice and support of a second party and it will be easier to lose weight.

So, before you start chasing after all the new diets for 2013, think about the simple things that you can start doing and make them happen.  Losing weight starts with baby steps so the key is to get moving in the right direction. More importantly, never give up. Success is always possible if you just believe in yourself.

The need for food even though you’re not hungry or eating because of emotions are signs of  food addiction, according to a survey of American Dietetic Association. Meals in secret, hiding the amount of food, a sense of guilt or shame after lunch, loss of control and inability to stop and feeling of relief while eating are clear indicators of addiction, say experts.

Food addicts feel helpless in their need for food – too much food. This leads to obesity, poor health and psychological dissatisfaction. It is a behavioral addiction and you gain the habit of eating when you are not physically hungry, but you’re emotionally hungry or frustrated, bored, angry, tired or when you need a distraction from stress.

Everyone knows there exists a dependence on alcohol, nicotine, drugs or medications, but hardly anyone thinks that there is an addiction to food. This dependency really exists, but not on any food. Specifically it’s about one and the same types of food – those that contain carbohydrates.

Foods that are addictive: bread, pasta, sweets and desserts, chocolate and salty snacks.

This is because carbohydrates and sugary food release serotonin in the brain, a chemical substance that releases a calming high and makes some food addicts feel “numb.” The effect is temporary and short, but in the long term can cause you to feel very bad, says American nutritionist M. Nolan.

Keeping a food diary is a first step toward accountability and control of your diet. With the diary it will be easier to assess the actual amount of food intake. Combining protein with carbohydrates will also help maintain stable blood sugar levels and slow the release of serotonin in the brain, which will prevent guilt and depression later.

The brain is the key to self-control. When you are hungry, pause for 10 seconds and think if you are really hungry and why you want to eat.

Be aware of what you eat and slow down when you eat – it’s a meal, not a marathon. Between each bite drop down spoon or fork, every bite should be as small as possible and every new bite put in your mouth when you  have previously well chewed and swallowed. In this way yo will eat far less. Choose a variety of foods, a variety of food preparation, temperatures (sometimes hot, sometimes cold) and spices. Eat more fruits and vegetables and try out foods that you haven’t tried yet – so you’ll pay more attention to what you eat.

Victory over addiction to food can seem like an impossible feat, especially since you are faced with food every day. However, small steps towards changing your approach and attitude to food can help break the cycle of overeating and mindless eating

Eating can be a pleasurable experience that doesn’t lead to pain and guilt. Find help through counselors, group meetings (OA, FA) teachers, friends, and family if you need support.

Simple and healthy

Homemade shakes for weight loss are easy to prepare because they don’t require cooking. When you start using fruits or vegetables as the main ingredients, you will get lots of vitamins and minerals in just one glass. In addition, you can use them as a substitute for a meal. Depending on the nutrients and energy that your body needs, use different ingredients for the shake. Here are the most common products that can be used:

• Fruits – help to remove toxins from the body and have a lot of antioxidants.
• Yogurt or low-fat milk – contain vitamin D and calcium.
• Protein powder – for easier and faster digestion of food. If you put the powder in the shake, you’ll feel fuller longer.

In your homemade shake you can add other supplements and vitamins. For example: ginkgo biloba, bee pollen, dandelion flower, chia seeds and more. These ingredients will improve the functioning of the liver, cleansing digestive organs, give you more energy for exercise, and prevent weakness and appearance of allergies.

Vitamins and Minerals

Fresh homemade shakes for weight loss are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins allow operation of enzymes that act as catalysts in several chemical reactions in your body. These chemical reactions are important for the digestion and absorption of food. Also, enzymes produce energy which is important for your metabolism.

When you drink homemade shakes for weight loss, the body absorbs more vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables than when you eat them separately. This is because the nutrients are found in the fibers. When you put them in the blender, the fibers are fragmented and release important nutrients. When you diet, your body requires adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in order to function normally. Without an adequate dose of these essential nutrients you may be malnourished.

Tutti Frutti shake

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh apricot, cut into chunks
• 1 cup pineapple
• 1 banana
• 6 strawberries
• 1 cup of skim milk

Place the fruit in a blender and mix with other ingredients. Mix well and serve. If fruits or vegetables are not grown organically, peel them to get rid of chemical substances that are found on the skins.

Shake with banana and berries

Ingredients:

• 1 pear, cleaned
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
• 1 cup of skim milk
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and place it in blender. Blend until mixture becomes smooth and serve cold.

Shake with autumn fruits

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, peeled, trimmed, cut into chunks
• 2 peaches, cleaned, cut into pieces
• 1 pear, cleaned, cut into pieces

Blend the fruit in a blender and serve with ice.

Shake with lemon and lime

Ingredients:

• white grapes
• 1 green apple, peeled, trimmed, cut into chunks
• 1 lime
• 1 lemon
• a little fresh ginger
• carbonated mineral water

Apple and ginger put into the blender and mix a little, then add other fruits. Fill half a cup with fruit mixture and add to the mineral water. Serve with ice.

Enjoy!

Many doctors agree that the GI diet, if followed correctly, can be a great way to lose weight, especially for those who struggle with conventional low calorie diets or who have trouble controlling their appetite.

The GI diet is similar to the low carbohydrates diet, but not so strict and is focused on specific carbohydrates. It is focused on the proper timing of the two basic types of meals – a carb and protein meal.

Scientific facts behind the timing and types of meal makes the GI diet a potential way to lose fat, in safely and relatively quick way.

GI diet is based on the control of blood sugar levels and insulin

Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels; in fact it lowers blood sugar levels by stimulating cells to absorb the excess sugar from the blood. The problem is that insulin causes fat cells to take up excess fatty acids from the blood. You often eat meals that consist of sugar and fat, so if the meal consists of foods with a high glycemic index then the fat from the meal can be easily stored on your hips.

There is an established theory, if one can control insulin levels – they can control how much fat the body will store from each meal. The fat can be stored only when insulin is present, and the insulin is released only when the blood sugar levels rise. Carbohydrates in food raise blood sugar if absorbed too rapidly. The types of food that cause rapid absorption of sugar are those with a high GI index.

Glycemic index

The glycemic index ranks foods by assigning them a number from 0 to 100. The number indicates the speed at which food raises blood glucose levels during its absorption. The higher the value, the quicker the sugar is absorbed. High GI foods has a value of 70 or more. GI value between 56 and 69 is considered moderate, and foods with a GI of less than 55 are considered a food with a low GI index.

Foods with a low glycemic index are the best because they are more easily digested and help provide a steady supply of energy over a period of several hours. They also make you feel fuller longer. One good example of a low glycemic index product is the WonderSlim Aspartame Free Pudding-Shakes. The best flavor is chocolate and they really do help to keep you feeling satisfied throughout the day.

Is the GI diet complicated?

The GI Diet sounds simple, because the food is generally chosen from a list of low GI, but it gets complicated when you are preparing a meal of several different ingredients. The idea is that most of the items which make up a meal have a low GI, so that the overall GI of the meal falls within the low to medium range.

Foods in the GI diet are divided into: red (which you must avoid, such as white bread, sausage or full-fat dairy products), yellow (which you can eat in the maintenance phase of weight, such as non-fat cheese, bananas, corn or beans from a can) and green (which are recommended, such as eggs, fish, chicken, low-fat milk and yogurt, apples, oranges, most vegetables or brown rice).

Benefits of GI diet:

• You can enjoy the delicious food, and limit the storage of fat.
• You can enjoy your favorite foods and lose weight with it.
• Increased energy and feeling good.
• Control of blood sugar levels.
• Fewer feelings of hunger.
• Fewer need for sweets.
• Less feeling bloated after meals.
• The ability to eat more if you want.
• Reduced risk of diabetes and other diseases.
• There are no strict caloric restrictions.

This activity can be compared with a half-hour walking, running or lifting weights. Orgasm, which is a good cardio workout, burns 60-100 calories, and half an hour of kissing and cuddling up to 90 calories.

Going to the gym or exercising at home is often seen as a tedious obligation. Many don’t know that sexual activity brings the same benefits as any other physical activity. Besides it giving pleasure, sex improves mood, sleep and overall quality of life, reduces stress, relieves pain, gives you energy, helps in weight loss, and it is far from a boring and difficult activity.

During sex, all the muscles are in motion, including the legs, thighs, arms, shoulders and lower abdomen, and if sex is longer you’ll burn more calories. Changing the position requires more power and delivers twice as many benefits from simple exercise and having a partner who is more active in sex, burns more calories.

Happy and fulfilling relationships help in weight loss, because people eat more when they are frustrated and lonely. Having sex with many different partners with the aim of losing weight is not going to have a positive effect, because such behavior can increase stress.

Losing weight helps boost sexual desire and some research shows that slimmer women enjoy sex more because they don’t feel as manycomplexes about their own body. In the blood vessels of obese individuals there is more fat which leads to decreased blood flow to the sexual organs. This in turn  results in reduced sexual arousal.

What to Eat on the Sex Diet?

If you think that you can just have a lot of sex and still eat whatever you want – you’re wrong. The sex-diet requires portion control. However, it is important to enjoy the food, just as you enjoy sex. You should give up fast food because it is rich with fat, salt, sugar and additives. All of this affects your mood, libido and removes from your body the vitamins and minerals needed for health.

Alcohol is another thing that you have to give up. Not only these are unnecessary calories, but in men can be the reason for premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Some people use alcohol as a way to reduce inhibitions in the bedroom. Taking alcohol off the options forces you to try to do this without “help.” This can make your sex life more satisfying and bring you closer as a couple.

The diet portion is pretty basic and straight forward. Choose low-fat milk products, whole grains, sugar-free desserts, fresh herbs, seafood, fruits and vegetables. It is allowed to enjoy dark chocolate, which is aphrodisiac. The good news – you get to have a lot, a lot of sex! It doesn’t matter what kind of sex life you enjoy, whether it is just kissing and touching or adventurous sex poses- passion is part of this sex-diet.

To enjoy more time in the bed and lose weight, be creative with sex and don’t ignore moderate exercise outside of the bedroom. Exercise with a partner can be a good introduction to foreplay. Pay attention to nutrition and you will watch your sex life go from boring to amazing in the bedroom.

Scientists have proven if obese adults consume three meals with fat-free yogurt, they lose 22% more weight and 61% more body fat than people who not get enough calcium through nutrition. People who drink yogurt lose 81% more fat from their belly than people who don’t drink yogurt. Professor Michael Zemel, a nutritionist from the University of the State of Tennessee, says that this yogurt-diet is two times more efficient to maintain muscle mass, because when people follow a diet to lose weight they want to lose fat, not muscle tissue.

What Vitamins are in Yogurt?

Yogurt gives you plenty of protein and lots of vitamins B2, B12, calcium, zinc and other nutrients that are very hard to find in other types of food, especially all in one place. Vitamin B2 is necessary for proper cellular respiration and getting energy from carbohydrates, fats and some amino acids. Vitamin B12 is essential for the growth and development of cells. Yogurt is also very important in maintaining normal intestinal flora. (See our recent article on the Microbiome and your weight).

The caloric value of yogurt depends on the type of milk from which it was prepared. For example, 100 grams of whole milk yogurt has about 150 kcal (627kJ), while one produced by fermenting nonfat milk provides only 45 kcal (190 kJ). The addition of fruit and sugar increases the caloric value.

Light or full-fat yogurt?

10 mg of full-fat yogurt without any additives contains about 150 cal. Nutritionists unanimously confirm its nutritional value which has been known since antiquity. The difference between full-fat whole yogurt and light yogurt is in amount of fat and caloric value. Light yogurt is only recommended if you’re concerned about excessive fat in the blood or excessive thickness. Full-fat yogurt contains many vitamins, including vitamin D which plays important role in the binding of calcium in the body and its maintaining bone structure. Therefore, it is better for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly to give priority to full-fat yogurt. Light yogurt has about 45 cal. If you add fruit or sugar to light yogurt, caloric value rises to 80 cal.

A yogurt-diet needs at least 15-30 days to speed up weight loss. You will improve your digestion, immunity, protect yourself from candida, improve skin appearance and provide nutrients. You should daily eat about 500 grams of yogurt, 300 grams of fruit (citrus, apples, bananas, pomegranates…), 100 grams of meat (non-fat turkey or chicken) and 300 grams of vegetables (cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, beans…).

The Yogurt-diet is simple, practical and applicable in daily life, especially for busy people who don’t have time to prepare a complex menu that requires most diet regime. The Yogurt-diet point is that the central daily meal (lunch) contains one non-fat yogurt combined with fruit, it may be a seasonal fruit or any other fruit of your choice, but definitely bananas which would saturate your body. The Yogurt-diet lasts for a month, but it can be used as a way to keep the weight off.

The five-year study conducted with 4600 women older than 65 years showed that women with insufficient levels of vitamin D in the blood weighed about two kilograms more than those who have a satisfactory level.

In addition, women with vitamin D deficiency before the research had higher body weight than women with normal levels.

Women with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to become overweight

So your body can produce vitamin D, your skin should be exposed to sunlight. Specifically, a normal balanced diet contains very little vitamin D. That’s why deficiency of vitamin D is a growing problem among certain groups of people: the elderly people or people who are placed in institutions, people with darker skin color, and those who are covered by clothing for cultural or religious reasons.

How much of this vitamin you need depends on the color of your skin, sun exposure, age and diet. If you have a lighter skin, it may be sufficient for you to be exposed to the summer sun for about 5 minutes per day, and if you have darker skin, you may need up to 20 minutes each day.

This study couldn’t confirm if low vitamin D causes weight gain or is just its reflection, but there are theories that deficit could be a cause of obesity because fat cells have receptors for the vitamin D. Also, if your little one doesn’t get enough sunlight vitamin, there is a chance they will fight with extra pounds and even with obesity.

Experts at the University of Michigan have found that children with vitamin D deficiency had the most fat in the abdominal region, and also gain weight faster than with children who have more vitamin D.

What to Eat for More Vitamin D

There are very few foods that contain vitamin D: fatty fish (tuna, salmon, sardines and mackerel), beef liver, cheese, eggs (egg yolks), certain types of enriched milk and margarine. These healthy foods are good to include in your diet even if you think you don’t need to worry about a lack of vitamin D. Vitamin D works best when is taken with vitamin A and fish-liver oil is the best natural source of vitamin A and D.

Except gaining weight, vitamin D deficiency is linked to many diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and some autoimmune disorders. Expert advice, talk to your primary care doctors about the need to consume dietary supplements (additional vitamins).

The Institute of Medicine has recently increased the recommended daily intake of vitamin D to 600 IU (international units) for people from 1-70 years, and 800 IU for people older than 70 years. Today, the phenomenon of the lack of vitamin D you can see everywhere in the world, especially in developing countries further north, but even areas with large amounts of sun are no exception.

Microbiome and Antibiotics

One study explored children who took a lot of antibiotics as babies and found that they were more likely to be overweight. This would seem to make sense if the antibiotics “took out” all of the gut flora, both good and bad, then there is a possibility that losing some of those good bacteria has an adverse effect.

After all, bacteria help us to digest food, provide vitamins, and protect us from other pathogens. If these bacteria get destroyed, you could have problems such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and now perhaps, obesity. (How to cleanse your digestive tract safely)

While the studies into this interesting field continue, you may want to repopulate your intestinal flora. There are some very simple things you can do such as eating more fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi.

There are also pro biotic pills and yogurt you can have daily to help regulate your gut. Other things that influence the human microbiome are pesticides, pollutants, and chemicals so eating clean and organic might be an option to improve your flora.

The great thing about Dr. Oz is that he doesn’t just hype things like some people tend to do. He likes to challenge claims and will often do his own research before recommending an item.

Click here to learn more about Green Coffee Extract for Fat Burning…

As with many things he mentions, this was a big surge of searches for green coffee beans and weight loss after he discussed its possible benefits.

In addition to Dr. Oz discussing the benefits of green coffee beans, Dr. Joe Vinson performed a double blind study to further examine the possible effects of the green coffee bean on weight loss.

Dr. Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton presented results of research in March 2012 whereby he performed a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study which found a significant correlation between consumption of green coffee and weight loss.^[1] Vinson thinks that the weight loss may be due to chlorogenic acid… (Wikipedia.org)

What Is Green Coffee

Basically green coffee is  what you have prior to coffee beans being dried, roasted and turned into coffee that you see at the average supermarket. They are unprocessed and contain many different components that can impact both health and weight.

As most readers will know, coffee is best known for supplying caffeine and being used as a “pick-me-up” kind of beverage for people all over the world. However, it has several other ingredients and potential benefits.

Green Coffee Extract Benefits

In addition to weight loss, it is believed that certain ingredients in green coffee, like chlorogenic acid, may even have the ability to improve blood sugar levels and help fight against diabetes.  In addition, it is this same acid that is often credited with slowing down the absorption of fat in the body.

During one such study which was shown in the Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity Journal, a group of 16 overweight participants were given a green coffee bean extract over a period of 12 weeks. On average, the members of the study were able to show significant weight loss during that period.

Green coffee experts, like Dr. Vinson, now recognize the power of this coffee as both a fat burner and metabolism booster.

Needless to say, there are plenty of products on the market that claim to help burn fat but several of them are simply dangerous when it comes to extended use. However, coffee is a natural resource that has been consumed for thousands of years.

Based on the recent research, and the recommendations from reputable doctors, it looks as if Green coffee beans and weight loss are far closer to reality than a quick passing fad.