Amazing Scientific Weight Loss Breakthrough: The Snake Oil Diet Plan

Are there magical scientific discoveries that will allow you to lose weight with little effort? Can you control your weight or experience significant weight loss by taking a few expensive diet pills each day? In the latter part of the 1800's in the United States, a common sight in small towns was the traveling medicine show. One of the products featured for sale in most of these shows was "Snake Oil." Touted as being good for many health problems, snake oil was probably somewhat useful in the treatment of sore muscles and maybe even arthritis. However, it's positive effect wasn't because of the promises of the salesmen touting its miraculous properties, but because the combination of soothing ingredients like camphor and menthol along with the physical benefit of gentle rubbing or massage, resulted in a few happy customers. Since most of the claims made to sell as much product as possible to the hopeful and gullible were entirely bogus, our common reference to liars and cheats is frequently "snake oil salesmen."

So, how is this related to losing weight and embracing the latest easy diet? If you have found this article, you have undoubtedly read many articles, claims and advertisements for diet pills or books and tapes about how to lose weight and succeed at dieting with minimal effort and commitment. You may have even had limited success in your weight loss efforts after purchasing this or that product, book or system. The fact is that many of these flashy and slick solutions to overweight and obesity have a small sliver of reality embedded in their excessive claims and promises, just like the camphor or menthol in the snake oil formulations of old. However, real success with dieting and losing weight requires discipline and a realistic approach to the fundamentals of why people gain too much weight in the first place. No magic diet pill, weight loss product or system can change this reality.

The reason people gain weight and find it hard to lose weight is because they take in more calories than they burn. It is simple math, although the metabolic rates of individual people vary greatly, and the ease with which they can balance caloric input and output also varies. Certainly good selection and balance of food composition plays a role in maintaining your ideal weight, but whether you focus on high protein, or high carbohydrate, or low fat, the two most important factors in successful weight loss are total calories and total exercise. By eating less and exercising more, you will modify and stabilize your weight, but not overnight. In addition to the discipline of managing calories and exercise, it is vital to cultivate the patience to allow time to pass so your weight loss program can work. The small daily increments of progress will add up to measurable and satisfying results.

Now back to snake oil. You know and I know that if something sounds too good to be true, it is probably not true. While there are some diet programs and weight loss products that can be helpful with your dieting objectives, there are many diet programs and claims out there that are not worth your time and investment. Your common sense, intelligence and knowledge can guide you toward beneficial methods for losing weight while maintaining good nutrition and away from modern day snake oil. There are good people out there selling good weight loss products, but there are also scoundrels selling nothing but snake oil. You can tell the difference. Don't be suckered by promises of "weight loss secrets," "diet miracles," or "fat burning breakthroughs." The keys to success in losing weight are calorie control, balanced nutrition, exercise and patience.
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Clearing The Calcium Confusion by Miriam Nelson, Ph.D.

Recent news reports about taking calcium may have confused women, but it is important to go beyond the headlines for your health care. Two recent studies confirmed that women who consistently took calcium and vitamin D reduced their risk for fractures, reinforcing the importance of optimal daily calcium intake.

It is recommended that adults over the age of 19 should consume between 1,000 and 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. While peak bone mineral density (BMD) in women is reached around age 30, it is extremely important for women of all ages to make sure they are getting their recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium and vitamin D. During pregnancy and through menopause, women's calcium needs increase and lifelong supplementation is beneficial to overall health. Additionally, bone-building exercises are a key component in building and maintaining bone health and preventing harmful bone-deteriorating diseases, such as osteoporosis.

Q: There has been a lot of talk about calcium-is it still good for me?

Yes! Calcium is an essential nutrient to the basic functions of the body. Not only is calcium a key component of bone development, but it is needed for the heart, muscles and nerves to work properly and for blood to clot. Everyone needs calcium but as many as 75 percent of women don't get the RDA in their diet, although they could through a combination of food and supplements.

Q: Should I do any specific exercises to help my bones?

Weight-bearing workouts and resistance training are two different types of exercises shown to improve bone health and they are explained in my updated book, "Strong Women, Strong Bones." Jogging, stair climbing and sports such as tennis are weight-bearing activities and weight lifting or strength training are resistance exercises. Most recently, a study from the University of Arizona found that women who did a specific routine of six weight-bearing exercises and took Citracal® calcium citrate supplements gained 1 to 2 percent of their BMD, even though women typically lose 1 to 2 percent per year at that age. A healthy diet and lifestyle that includes weight-bearing exercises are the first defense against osteoporosis.

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How To Get Your Black Belt In Weight Loss Results

Your Black Belt, yes, in the martial arts realm, this is one of the highest degrees you can master. Think of weight loss achievement in terms of taking small steps that continuously lead to better and bigger body fat achievement strides.

Without wasting any time, here is the big secretà you need ôintellectual advantageö working in your favor in order to maximize weight management results.

And, exactly what does such intellectual advantage comprise? The phrase simply means that your mind is in tune, sharply performing, acutely aware, completely open and free to absorb weight loss nuances around you. In other words, intellectual advantage is about empowering and equipping yourself with tools other than the obvious. Intellectual advantage now demands that you truly THINK about HOW you approach lifestyle, behavior patterns, belief systems, and your overall acquisition of weight loss knowledge.

For example, if you’re anything like the ôaverageö weight loss ônewbie,ö you can probably benefit from overcoming the feeling that you want to quit, and usually this feeling occurs right at the point where your true weight management rewards are about to begin. The cause of this is NOT physical.

The reasoning lies behind the concept of knowing (in terms of education) exactly of what the human body is capable. In other words, until you understand the principles of biological or physiological adaptation, aerobic and anaerobic threshold, progressive resistance, and your Krebs Cycle mitochondrial fat burning center, for exampleà there remains enormous room for weight loss improvement in your life.

Now, don’t let the fancy phrases intimidate or scare you. They are just technical names for the things that your body can do when you attempt to burn fat. In fact, let’s go ahead and briefly explain some of the above terms, in ônutshellö format.

Aerobic and anaerobic threshold: Between these two points, when you are working out, you begin to feel that muscle burning or fatigue sensation. Such feeling normally indicates that you no longer in your fat burning zone, but you have now entered into an ôimmediateö energy need phase, which usually your muscles supply. Actually you WANT to stay within a somewhat challenging ôaerobicö threshold, if your purpose is burning fat.

Biological or physiological adaptation: Results of exercise science laboratory studies and live observation trials consistently display that your body does, in fact, ôrise to the occasionö when you demand more from it. Adaptation is responsible for this. Simply be aware that you virtually always possess another ôsecond wind.ö In other words, when your are working on burning fat and obtaining a leaner body, you can push just a little bit harder without undue worry because your body is a fantastically adaptive machine.

Krebs Cycle mitochondrial fat burning center: This is a cellular location, let’s say, right in the middle of each cell, that does the actual ôburningö of fat cells. Here’s the most important thing about your Krebs Cycle and mitochondrial fat burning centerà if fat does not literally proceed INSIDE to the mitochondrial center, you simply cannot metabolize it. How do you make sure this occurs? By breathing, that is, ensure that you keep a steady uninterrupted flow of oxygen during your workout because fat only burns in the presence of oxygen. In other words, when you become short of breath, you effectively interrupt your fat burn process. Work out at a level you can sustain virtually without limitation, but for fat burning purposes, keep it within your aerobic threshold.

Progressive resistance: This deals with the surprising fact, for most weight loss candidates, that using weights and incorporating weight lifting exercise into your fat burning protocol gradually rewards you with far leaner body tissue. Progressive indicates slow and purposeful introduction of light resistance. You can subsequently use higher amounts of weight as your body continues to adapt to previous sets utilized. In other words, lifting weights makes you leaner. It has one more advantage, also. It raises your body’s overall metabolic activity level, even while you are at rest. Therefore, you burn more fat because you use weights, as well.

Now, from the above you can probably know and see that your body is an excellently responsive, reactive, and adaptive training machine.

At this very moment, it’s highly likely that you are doing far less than you’re capable, in terms of working smarter, not harder.

Make adjustments, and YOU WILL GET GUARANTEED RESULTS. It’s virtually as simple as that. Now, here’s the secret catchà just make sure your adjustment originates in your MIND, first.

The biggest unconscious weight loss mistake you can make is accidentally falling into a trance of non-action by hitting your brain’s OFF switch. Without realizing it, your standard reaction to effective body fat reduction ideas may be, ôOh, yeah, I already know that.ö Or, ôI’m already doing that.ö

Mindfully embrace the principles laid out for you here. Come back to life. Energize your life by phenomenal percentages, even in a short amount of time, AND let it all be a serious part of your being.

With a ôsmarterö weight loss endurance approach, I see clients attain as much as a 133% increase in intensity PLUS a 2,000% improvement in duration within the first day alone by simply adopting these scientifically approved weight management techniques. If a relatively small amount of intellectual advantage can afford you such great results in a short period of time, just think of what YOU can accomplish over your lifetime.

If you truly want to get your ôblack beltö in weight loss results, then master the artfully powerful philosophy of INTELLECTUAL ADVANTAGE.

Why? Because when you garner such intellectual advantage, you lose your excess or unwanted body weight. It’s that simple. Don’t’ sabotage your own success by falling into an ôI-already-know-thatö daze.

You’re about to learn the absolutely biggest body fat reduction secret à to uncover the most uncommonly crucial weight loss factor that boosts your success by leaps and bounds.

But before any of this can truly happen, you’ve got to wake up, energize your mind, and focus your intellect upon open-minded, purposeful, results-producing action.

Not sure if your weight loss ôthinkerö skills are up to par?

Here’s a quick way to gauge how effective your approach actually is.

Ask yourself this sample question: [NTS: insert the ôInteractive Radio Button Formö idea here.]

ôHow many calories are in a one-ounce serving of raisins?ö

[àSample answers could be:]

(__) 57 calories

(__) 309 calories

(__) What’s a calorie, or what does ôone-ounce servingö meanö I know very little about food nutrition, consumption, or calorie counting. I’d like help with this kind of stuff. How can I get more info?


Now, if you don’t know the CORRECT answer to this question, it does not mean you’re dense, dim, dull, or slow. You’re neither at fault, nor anything of the kind. Although it’s not a trick question, it only serves as mere example.

You know there are millions of weight loss candidates who diligently strive toward better body composition, believing that they’re approaching the subject in the best way possible.

Yet, here’s something you might be surprised to know discoverà Weight loss reality demonstrates that these efforts fall severely short of attentive, effective, long-term, fat-loss triumph.

That missing ingredient is still at largeà today you can find it, incorporate it, use it, and keep it û make it yours, FOR LIFE. Proceed to the highest level of your weight loss achievement. Get your black belt in body fat results by employing intellectual advantage.

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Vegetarian South Beach Diet

The South beach diet has been one of the most popular ways to lose weight for several years. Now there is a new surge in popularity among Vegetarians. The South beach diet is based on the intake of more Protein and less Carbohydrates, because of this, the diet has not been appealing to vegetarians.

Vegetarians are now modifying the popular diet to fit there lifestyle. There are lots of great vegetarian recipes available that work perfectly with the South beach diet plan. During the first phase of this diet many dieter's experience weight loss of 8 to 12 pounds.

A great recipe to start with is the Chili recipe below.

Ingredients

3/4 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic

3/4 cup coarsely chopped onions

1/2 large sweet red pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 large green pepper, seeded and diced

3/4 tablespoons mild chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Drain and rinse the beans. Set aside. In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 5 seconds. Add the garlic, onions, red peppers, green peppers, chili powder and oregano. Sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beans and water.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. (Add more water if the mixture becomes too dry during cooking.)

Stir in the tomato paste and salt. Cook for 2 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.


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You can lose 10 pounds and gain more energy -- all in 30 days

You can lose 10 pounds and gain more energy -- all in 30 days. You will maintain 1200 calories per day and have plenty of food with these tasty low calorie recipes. You can also optimize your meal plans with this free diet plan.

At first 1200 calories per day does not seem like enough food, after all we are all consuming a lot more than that. In fact the average American eats 3 times this figure.

The 1,200 calorie diet plan is intended as a safe and gradual weight loss program. As with any diet, contact your doctor to make sure it's right for you.

There are a few tips that you should follow to insure your success.

1. You should eat 4 - 6 small meals and snacks daily.

2. Keep your diet simple. This will make it much easier to organize your meals

3. Eat slower. This gives your brain time to trigger your satifaction feelings

4. Try to use variety in your meals. This will keep you interested

5. Drink plenty of water, 8 to 10 glasses per day

6. Use a multivitamin. This will ensure you receive all of your nutrients.

Use these suggestions to build your meals. This is only a handful, you can use these to start and then build your own lists to use. By building a list of foods you will be able to easily design your meal plans.

Breakfast

1 large hard boiled egg - 90 calories

2 slices wholemeal toast with thin smear butter - 200 cals

Large slice melon - 47 calories

8 oz. non fat milk, protein fortified, with added Vitamin A (101 cal)

1/2 cup of strawberries

Lunch

Egg and Lettuce Sandwich

Cottage Cheese with chives reduced fat 100g - 80 calories

Baked potato with baked beans - 300 cals

French bread Pizza 150 grams - 300 cals

Mixed Salad Large portion - 80 calories

Apple - 49 cals

Dinner

1 Chicken Breast with vegetables and rice

Lasagne frozen 250g - 317 calories

Pasta Salad made with a little olive oil & a little sauce to flavour - 200 - 300 calories ( 250 average )

50g Tinned Tuna in water - 50 cals
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Lose Weight Or Lose 13 Years! We hear it all the timeàlose weight for your health.

We hear it all the timeàlose weight for your health. Few people however, realize the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.

In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The study showed an obese 20-year-old white male, (5'10)178cm and weighing (288 pounds) 130kg was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.

It is now well research that a Western diet that leads to obesity may actually act to stimulate the growth of cancer cells. It is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving lifestyle. Here are simple steps to follow which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.

1. Check to see if you are overweight or obese.
To find out your BMI you need to divide your weight (measured in kilos) by your height (measured in metres) squared. If the result is greater than 25, your health may be improved by losing weight.

2. Match your diet to your body’s requirements.
If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. Also learn how to snack with healthful choices.

3. Colour your diet with a large variety of colorful, cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables.
There are seven different color ranges of both fruit and vegetables and by choosing between 5 to 9 daily serves from a wide range of fruit and vegetables, we are extending our consumption of cancer (and other disease) fighting nutrients.

4. Eat lean protein with every meal.
Protein provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a longer sense of fullness. The right source of protein is essential to controlling your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of protein should be flavored soy shakes with fruit; the white meat of chicken and turkey, seafood such as shrimps, prawns scallops and lobster and ocean fish or vegetarians may prefer soy based meat substitutes.

5. Rev up your metabolism with activity.
If you want to enjoy a lifetime of well being, exercise is a key ingredient. Thirty minutes activity each day that takes as much effort as a brisk walk is recommended for adults. Children should be active for an hour each day.

6. Get support to ensure you develop a healthful eating plan and reach your goal weight.
A study, ôEffects of Internet Behavioral Counseling on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetesö shows that participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who didn’t. The study concluded that the support of a weight loss coach can significantly improve weight loss results.

Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the most preventable major risk to developing cancer. Even small weight losses have been shown to have beneficial health effects. So it’s never to late to start and you can never be too young or too old to be concerned about your health and do something about achieving a more healthy weight.

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Do Celebrity Diets Work?

Almost every female celebrity has had her name associated with a certain diet at one point or another. However no matter how much you trust and admire a celebrity they don't always recommend good dietary advice.

Remember Oprah Winfrey pushing the Cabbage Soup Diet about a decade or so on her television. This diet alternated eating one certain food all day with drinking a high sodium broth made from cabbages, V8 juices and Lipton's onion soup mix. One day you would eat nothing bananas, another day nothing but soup and another day nothing but meat. The problem with this diet is that it was basically a calorie deprivation diet that many people found hard to stick to. It was also a diet that was extremely high in sodium. Oprah later retracted her faith in this diet, but this is a good example of "When Good Celebrities Diet Wrong."

Unfortunately, many celebrities do not really realize the impact that their blithe comments have on their faithful followers, especially when it comes to diets. Here are some examples of celebrity diets that may or may not work depending on the condition of your health, your budget and whether or not you have a private chef.

Drew Barrymore - Drew Barrymore advocates engaging in at least one fun but strenuous activity a day such as crazy golf, swimming or playing a team sport. This is combined with three meals a day, staying away from cola and eating sugar free Jell-O. She also stays away from eating meat as much as she can. This is a very sensible plan but it will not create a stick thin figure. Drew Barrymore is one of those curvy celebrities who is not caving in to Hollywood peer pressure to be less than curvaceous.

Heidi Klum - Supermodel Heidi Klum stunned the world by losing thirty pounds one month after giving birth to her baby. She did this by embarking on a calorie restricted diet that allowed her no more than 1700 calories a day which most doctors would consider to be too low for a nursing mom. However it might be just right for an average adult who is not nursing!

Gwyneth Paltrow - Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is a follower of the Zen Macrobiotic diet that bans dairy, caffeine, alcohol, meat, fish and eggs. Whatever you eat that is left over must be organic. This can be an expensive or inexpensive diet depending on whether or not you go for the organic option. Also most foods on this diet are served raw which means buying plenty of fresh produce, which can get expensive. It is very difficult to cook anything tasty on this kind of diet. As it is mostly vegetables, nuts and seeds it can lead to severe calorie restriction as well. Staying on this diet for more than a week is very challenging for most people who usually give into cravings. Furthermore the lack of proteins, vitamin B12 and fats in this diet can lead to mental and emotional disturbances.

Claudia Schiffer - Supermodel Claudia Shiffer sticks to eating three meals a day, but they must be totally organic. This is probably the best of the celebrity diets around as it is built on the common sense prescription of "three square meals a day." However eating organic can double the expense of your grocery bill which is not economical for many.

Rene Zellweiger - Rene Zelleweiger keeps her figure by sticking to the Zone Diet. This diet which involves food combining is not that practical for ordering out in restaurants. Furthermore strategizing your meals takes a lot of planning, grocery shopping and making special meals. This is just not that practical for today's busy women. There are many companies that specialize in delivering Zone prepared meals directly to your door in large urban centers and you can find this information in your local phone book or you can check on the internet.
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