Weight Loss and Healthy Dieting

New research suggests that it might for those who reside in neighborhoods designed more for cars than foot traffic.

People in the study who lived in the most walkable neighborhoods weighed an average of 8 pounds less than people who lived in the least walkable areas.

Neighborhoods built before 1950 tended to have sidewalks and other characteristics that made them more accessible to pedestrians, including being more densely populated and having restaurants and other businesses nearby, lead researcher Ken R. Smith, PhD, tells WebMD.

In general, newer neighborhoods offered fewer opportunities for walking.

The study appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

“We aren’t saying the move from older to newer neighborhoods is the cause of the obesity epidemic, but it may be a factor,” Smith says.
Walk Less, Weigh More

In an effort to test the theory, Smith and colleagues calculated the body mass index (BMI) of 453,927 residents of Salt Lake County, Utah, using height and weight data from their driver’s license applications. Adults between the ages of 25 and 64 were included in the analysis.

The researchers also reviewed census data that included information about the neighborhoods where the residents lived.

In general, the research suggested that the more walkable a neighborhood was, the less likely its residents were to become overweight or obese.

Based upon the analysis, a man of average height and weight who lived in the most walkable neighborhood in Salt Lake County would be expected to weigh an average of 10 pounds less than a man living in the least walkable neighborhood. For women, the difference would be 6 pounds.

Smith says the growing emphasis on designing pedestrian-friendly places for people to live, work, and play could have a large, positive impact on health in the future.

He cites a recent report from the Brookings Institution predicting that by the year 2030 half the buildings in the United States will have been built since 2000.

“That represents a huge opportunity to think about how we are building our communities and to make them better places, both from a health and an environmental standpoint,” he says.
Walkability a Goal

This is the goal of the CDC’s ‘Healthy Places’ initiative, says Andrew Dannenberg, MD, MPH, of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.

“Our mission is to get health on the table when building decisions are being made,” he says. “This has not been done much in the past, but awareness is growing.”

The recent stratospheric rise in gas prices and concerns about climate change have helped focus attention on the subject, but it is still too soon to know if the attention will lead to change, Dannenberg says.

The CDC’s ‘Healthy Places’ web site makes it clear that the challenge is daunting, as it calls for substantive changes with regard to future growth.

“Today, typical suburban homes sit in cul-de-sac subdivisions that empty out onto high volume roads,” it reads. “Zoning laws encourage the separation of residential areas from schools and shopping malls by long and often dangerous travel distances. Elementary school bicycle racks stand empty as parents fear for their children’s safety on narrow or traffic-laden roads. (And) pedestrians take risks as they cross dangerous intersections in communities where safe crosswalks are all but nonexistent,” the CDC statement reads. ( By Salynn Boyles )

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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A recent study conducted by a health insurance company found people who kept a regular and accurate food diary lost a higher percentage of weight.

The first step in using a food diary to help in weight loss is to keep a good diary. Use these columns:

* Time
* Food and / or drink
* Where and with who
* Feelings

When a food diary is first used the benefits will start right away. A food diary encourages a focus on food, simple knowledge that anything eaten will be written down will often mean that more thought is given before eating. Binges can be stopped before they start, and healthy choices are often made in the knowledge that it will all be written down. Thinking about food also stops those times when we almost unconsciously reach for a candy or a cookie.

Keeping a diary is also a regular affirmation that you are eating in a healthy way, every time a diary entry is made it motivates and reinforces the desire to lose weight through healthy eating.

As the food diary is used even more benefits appear. A health care provider or dietician can look at the diary and make recommendations, not just about specific weight loss issues but also about general health, what you are eating may be impacting your health in other ways.

A food diary can also be used to track your progress, you can see evidence of how much healthier your diet has become, it can also act as a motivator to see that you are eating better today than you were some time ago.

The food diary also helps to look at the reality of the food choices that you make, it is often said that the first step to correcting a problem is acknowledging that it exists in the first place. Looking at a food diary will show where the problem areas are and allow you to acknowledge them.

Analysis of the food diary will also provide valuable insights, and so give you new areas to improve and refine your weight loss efforts.

You can analyse the diary to check that you are getting the right proportions of fat, protein and carbohydrate. It is important to eat a balanced diet especially when dieting. You can also check for vitamin, mineral and other nutrient intake and start taking supplements if necessary or just adjust your meals.

One of the biggest benefits of keeping a food diary and analysing it is the ability to find your “bad choice” triggers. Once you know what causes you to overeat or reach for a mega chocolate bar then you can take action to either remove the trigger form your life or learn to deal with it in a way other than through food.

Persevere with keeping a food diary, in the beginning it may seem like a lot of trouble for little gain. But this is a proven strategy and the benefits build over time.

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Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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

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Weight-loss tip: First, make sure you’re ready
Ask yourself these questions to see if you’re ready to start a weight-loss program.

Your weight-loss success depends on your readiness to take on the challenge. These questions can help you judge whether now is the best time to start your weight-loss program.

* Are you motivated to make long-term lifestyle changes that require eating healthy foods and exercising more? Be honest. Knowing you need to make changes in your life and feeling up to the challenge are two different things.
* Do you currently have distractions in your life that may prevent you from committing to your weight-loss program? You may set yourself up for failure if you’re distracted by other major events in your life, such as marital problems, job stress, illness or financial worries. Give your life a chance to calm down before you start.
* Do you truly believe that slower is better? Losing weight at a relatively slow pace has proved safe, healthy and effective over the long term. You should aim for a weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week.
* Are you realistic about your weight-loss goal? Remember, losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds can improve your health if you’re overweight or obese. Ask your doctor how much weight you can safely lose.

* Do you have family and friends to support your weight-loss efforts? It certainly helps to have someone in your corner. If you don’t have someone you can rely on, consider joining a weight-loss support group.

* Do you believe that you can change your eating habits? Sounds easy to do in theory, but in practice, it’s often difficult. It’s hard to cast aside established behaviors.

* Are you willing to become more physically active? Increasing your level of physical activity is essential to losing weight and keeping it off.
* Do you have time to keep records of your food intake and physical activity? Keeping records increases your chance of success. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how helpful it is to track your progress.
* Are you willing to look at past successes and failures in weight loss and other areas of your life? Learn from the past about what motivates you. Keep working to resolve barriers that might prevent success.
* Do you view a healthy-weight program as a positive experience? Lose weight because you want to and not because you think it’s expected by others.
* Have you resolved any eating disorders or other emotional issues that make it difficult for you to achieve a healthy weight? If you have a tendency to binge, purge, starve or overexert when you exercise, or if you’re depressed or anxious, you may need professional help.
* Do you believe that a healthy weight is a lifelong commitment? Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifelong process. There’s no going back to your old behaviors. Are you ready to make a permanent change?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, you’re ready to make the lifestyle changes necessary for permanent weight loss.

If you answered no to one or more of these questions, you may not be ready. And that’s OK. Explore what’s holding you back and face those obstacles. In some cases it may be a simple matter of timing. For instance, you may need to resolve other problems in your life. In other cases, you may need to work on related issues — such as your feelings toward weight loss or your willingness to commit to permanent changes.

You may be able to make these changes alone, or you may feel you need additional help. Educating yourself about the process of successful weight loss and maintenance is a start. For example, learn more about the dietary changes necessary for losing weight. See a dietitian or enroll in a behavioral-based program — a program that can help you change the behaviors that can interfere with weight loss, such as eating when you’re stressed or bored.

If you’re ready for weight loss but fear you’ll become discouraged quickly, think toward the future. As you become more physically active and make dietary changes, you’ll feel better and have more energy. And rather than thinking of weight loss as a short-term drudgery, view it as an enjoyable lifestyle change that persists indefinitely.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Following a home exercise programme can help you lose weight just as effectively as joining the gym, as long as you devise a balanced fitness routine - and stick to it

There are four key areas to cover in your home exercise routine: cardiovascular training, resistance training, core training, and flexibility work.

Cardiovascular

One of the simplest forms of home exercise is walking. This basic activity is often overlooked in favour of more exotic fitness pursuits, but walking is an excellent way to increase your energy and fitness levels, and start burning fat. If you’re just starting your fitness programme, then build up gradually starting with daily five or ten minute walks.

If you’re already at an advanced level of fitness then other cardiovascular options include power walking, jogging, running, swimming and cycling. Short sharp bursts of aerobic work, intense enough to make you out of breath, is the most effective way to lose weight.

Resistance

Although resistance training is easiest in the gym, you don’t need equipment to do it. Any action that tires out your muscles before you’ve performed 15 repetitions counts as resistance training. You can train at home using repetitions of the squat, and the lunge moves, for example.

Core Training

Core training works on strengthening the deep stomach and pelvic floor muscles that support the lower back. It’s easy to work on this area at home by practising contracting the muscles, and you can include a swiss ball in your programme to add variety.

Flexibility Training

Engaging in a stretching routine every morning will help you maintain and develop flexibility, and also help your posture improve, by stretching muscles that have become tight.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Belly fat is the most frequently asked question by women, and of course they want the fastest and quickest way to lose it. There are many articles and diets out there that claim they can help you lose unwanted belly fat but it can be very overwhelming.

Belly Fat is very common these days. The truth is, the reason most people have belly fat is due to three main things. Belly fat is stored energy. To get rid of the layer of fat you need to burn more energy (calories) than you eat.

Belly fat is linked to insulin resistance, which in turn is linked to our eating and exercise habits. Insulin is released when we eat; it moves digested sugars from our blood into our cells. Belly fat is worse for your health than fat in your butt or thighs. Yes, belly fat tends to trigger your liver to release its stored fatty acids — raising your cholesterol levels. Belly fat is one of the easiest to gain - one big dinner before going to bed is enough to gain belly fat. If after the big dinner you spend some days on your normal diet and don’t eat excessive quantities of food, the negative effects of the big dinner will not stay for long.

Belly fat is bad for everyone but, it can have dire consequences especially for men. The amount of abdominal fat one carries is a sure indicator of heart disease risk.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Belly Fat Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Before you start taking cholesterol medication, you should really consider amending your diet to lower cholesterol.

Now it’s easy to make suggestions like losing weight, but it is an important point if you want lower cholesterol levels. It’s equally important to consider the type and amount of fat you’re consuming regularly.

There may be hidden sources in your foods so pay particular attention to the nutrition labels on packaged foods.

The easiest diet to lower cholesterol isn’t even a diet. It’s a change of emphasis from red meat and dairy products to fish, fruit and vegetables. You should probably aim to keep your total fat intake at no higher than 30%. You should also consider the type of fat you’re consuming too. The various fat types all of different risk factors for things like heart disease and high cholesterol.

Saturated fats come from meats and dairy. They’re also usually present in take-out food. This type of fat is known to increase your blood cholesterol so try to reduce the amount you eat. Polyunsaturated fats are found in things like vegetable oil and Soya oil. Some spreads may be high in polyunsaturated too. Monounsaturates are actually the good guys of the fat world. Olive oil is probably the best known.

Think of how healthy people are living on a Mediterranean diet, rich in fish and vegetables and olive oil. Trans fats are best avoided. They’re made by bubbling hydrogen gas through liquid oil until it changes texture. It becomes more like a plastic polymer. If you want to double your risk of heart disease, keep eating trans fats.For anyone who wants to live longer and healthier, run from them as fast as you can. You may see them listed as trans fats, or in some cases as hydrogenated oils. Some packaging even has it down as shortening. It all means the same thing.

An old favorite for good health is fiber, sometimes called roughage. And it seems to lower cholesterol in your diet by virtually soaking it up. Fiber can help you with weight control too. Think of oats and that kind of food.

And finally, some people recommend making a switch to Soya milk. It seems that a small amount of Soya protein every day can help, but only if you keep saturated fats low as part of your overall diet to lower cholesterol.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Dietary and physical activity counselling was present in two encounters out of three with nurses and in one half of encounters with physicians.

Dietary counselling focused mainly on dietary fats and physical activity counselling on the amount of exercise (see Tables II and III ).The significance of nutrition and physical exercise for the care and prevention of diabetes was referred to only briefly.

Diet: A diet that is too high in saturated fat (mainly found in animal meat and fat - see below), cholesterol and kilojoules, can increase cholesterol levels. It is common for South Africans to consume 40-50% of their total energy intake in the form of fat, with usually more than 50% of these fats being saturated. Dietary cholesterol is only found in foods of animal origin, such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products.

All individuals (and especially people with high cholesterol levels) should limit their intake of dietary cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams daily .

Diet is actually the most important cause of high cholesterol and even though you may not be overweight you may still be at high risk of developing high cholesterol simply based on what foods you put into your body. It is a fact that the average man consumes about 360 milligrams of cholesterol a day, and an average woman consumes about 220 to 260 milligrams per day.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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Are you in your 40s and a little heavy in the middle? Be careful, because you might be at risk for dementia by the time you reach your 70s. TODAY nutritionist Joy Bauer explains why it’s important to decrease your “waist-to-hip ratio” and five simple steps to shed that belly bulge.

People with larger stomachs in their 40s are more likely to have dementia when they reach their 70s, according to a study published Wednesday by the journal Neurology.

Previous research has consistently confirmed that where you carry fat — NOT necessarily how much fat you’re carrying — markedly increases the risk of calcium and plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart. However, now there’s a connection to dementia as well.

According to this study, the bigger your belly in relationship to your hips (this is known as the “waist-to-hip ratio”) seems to indicate whether you’re at risk for dementia later in life. In other words, you gotta get rid of that potbelly … even if your body weight falls within a normal range on the scale!

Why does belly fat matter more than cellulite on your thighs?

Abdominal fat — as opposed to fat around the hips — seems to trigger a chain of inflammatory activities that translates into harmful metabolic changes and plaque buildup … and ultimately heart disease and dementia.

Therefore, everyone should know their waist-to-hip ratio. It’s simple to take. Here’s how:

1. While standing, use a tape measure to measure your waist in inches at its smallest point OR at your navel (without holding in or pushing out your tummy).
2. Next, measure your hips in inches at the widest area.
3. Lastly, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.

That’s your waist-to-hip ratio.

For example: if your waist measures 38” and your hips measure 38” …. you’re 1.0. Ultimately, you want your waist to be smaller than your hips.

* Ideal waist-to-hip ratio:
For men, .9 or less
For women, .8 or less

For both men and women, 1.0 or higher is considered “at risk.”

The good news is that even small improvements prove to be beneficial. Lose an inch or two off your waist and you’re already better off. And obviously the way to do that is through a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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You know those suggestive little voices that whisper in your ear…and suddenly you’re knee-deep in ice cream? Change the sabotaging, discipline-destroying thoughts, and you can change your life—or at least your weight.

Think Yourself Thin

Old loop: I ordered the grilled cheese, so why not get the fries, too?

Switch to… One treat at a time. I’m indulging in grilled cheese, so I’ll trade the fries for a salad.

Here’s How: “The thought pattern is, I’ve already blown it for today, so I might as well keep going,” says Janet Polivy, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto. She calls it the “what the hell” effect and says it causes people to devour so much food that they feel they’ll never get back on track. To prevent this scenario from playing over and over, Polivy says, you have to redefine your idea of healthy eating. Allow yourself the occasional treat, as long as it’s accompanied by smarter food choices like fresh fruit and vegetables. At roughly 500 calories, one melted cheddar on rye a week should hardly make you fat. Habitually tacking on a large order of fries, however, might.

Old loop: I’ll just have this one cookie.

Switch to… If I can’t stop at one or two cookies, I shouldn’t have any at all.

Here’s How: We stand by the above tip that it’s okay to eat your favorite foods, provided you’re the type who can stop after a small amount. “One cookie could turn into 1,000 calories or more if you proceed to eat the whole bag,” warns Stephen Gullo, PhD, president of the Institute for Health and Weight Sciences. He suggests that you take a step back and honestly assess how you’ve reacted to your favorite foods in the past. You may discover that chocolate chip cookies trigger uncontrollable cravings but one square of dark chocolate appeases your sweet tooth quite nicely.

Old loop: My husband says I look fat, so I guess I should start exercising.

Switch to… I want to get in shape for myself, not for him.

Here’s How: Whether or not you need to shed a few pounds, acting in response to someone else’s hurtful remarks will breed self-doubt and lower your self-esteem, says Marlene Schwartz, PhD, codirector of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders in New Haven, Connecticut. To reset your weight loss goals so they revolve solely around you, sit down and figure out how you could benefit from changing your lifestyle. (Writing your thoughts out on paper might help.) If you identify areas that need improvement, talk to your spouse about how he can play a part: Plan low-fat weekly menus together in lieu of eating out, or take walks after dinner instead of watching TV. Alternatively, if you’re exercising, eating right, and feeling pretty healthy the way you are, Schwartz says, “tell him that this is his problem, not yours.”

Old loop: What’s the point of losing weight during the winter? I’ll get in shape come summer.

Switch to… By eating more now, I’m creating a lot of extra work for myself when spring rolls around.

Here’s How: A study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health tracked 195 people through the holidays and found an average weight gain of about a pound.

By the following year, most had gained another half pound, and the researchers predicted that the trend would only continue. To prevent this outward creep, Gullo says, keep thoughts of summer in your house all year long by hanging a bikini or skimpy sundress on the back of the bathroom door, and visualize yourself wearing it every time you head for the leftovers. He also proposes committing to a regular exercise program in the fall, “before the winter blahs set in,” because lugging last night’s comfort food through an hour-long spinning class isn’t so comfortable.

Old loop: Fat runs in my family, so why bother exercising?

Switch to… I can’t change my DNA, but I can change my fate.

Here’s How: “Genetics helps determine your natural weight range, but you have some control over where you fall within that range,” says Edward Abramson, PhD, an expert on obesity, dieting, and weight disorders and the author of Body Intelligence. Rather than aiming for a size 2, aim for health: If being overweight is a family trait, diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related illnesses could be, too, Schwartz says. Walk to the grocery store, choose the stairs over the escalator, and take good care of the body you were born with. “It’s important to distinguish between body size and body health,” she says. “Research shows that people who are overweight and physically fit can live longer than people who are ideal weight and not physically fit.”

Old loop: After that grueling workout, I deserve a bacon double cheeseburger.

Switch to… After busting my butt at the gym, my body deserves the VIP treatment.

Here’s How: “Most people overestimate the number of calories they’ve burned,” says Brian Wansink, PhD, a professor of marketing, applied economics, and nutritional science at Cornell University and author of Marketing Nutrition. To burn off a bacon double cheeseburger, the average 140-pound woman has to jog at a rate of five miles per hour for more than 60 minutes. Recast your concept of reward: Instead of seeking food, take a luxurious bubble bath, rent a guilty-pleasure movie, buy a new pair of shoes, or lose yourself in a good novel.

Old loop: I’ll grab a candy bar to get me through my mid afternoon slump.

Switch to… When my energy flags, I need food that will help me go the distance.

Here’s How: Candy and other sweets have little nutritional value, and they destabilize blood sugar, causing you to have more cravings later on, Gullo says. To head off a snack attack, he suggests, “reprogram yourself to seek out a mini-meal 30 minutes before you usually hit a slump.” By eating before you’re famished, you should be able to resist the sweet stuff and choose foods with enough protein, fat, and complex carbs to keep you sated and energized until dinner. Some of Gullo’s top picks: bran crackers with low-fat cheese, a hard-boiled egg, or a cup of low-fat yogurt.

Diet Advice
A balanced diet coupled with regular exercise is still the best way to lose weight and reduce fat. The Idiot Proof Diet is an excellent plan with lots of practical advice about dieting, exercise, diet-motivation and long term weight control. For more information, click Diet Preview

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If you’ve dropped and regained so many pounds it would take a Harvard PhD to do the math, then here are some diet motivation tips that can help.

Sure, you’ve tried to diet before. You’ve gotten rid of the cookies in the cupboard, and virtuously refused the cake at the office party. And then, a few weeks into it, your motivation begins to flag. Maybe you hit a plateau in your weight loss, or you’re bored with steamed vegetables for dinner night after night, or, tempted by a special dessert, you decide that just this once can’t hurt. A few slip-ups and you’re totally derailed, physically and emotionally.

If this isn’t the first time that losing weight was one of your New Year’s resolutions, then maybe you just haven’t had the right diet motivation. It turns out that the key to losing and keeping weight off isn’t simply a matter of what you eat or how much you exercise—it’s your attitude. Lasting weight loss is a slow process and it’s all too easy to give up before you reach your goal. With the right psychological tools your chances of diet success can be greatly improved. WebMD consulted experts for diet motivation tips that will keep you, and your diet, on the winning track to losing. By Susan Seliger
WebMD Feature

Get motivated!

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