“Who are you to give me weight loss advice?” I hear you ask. “You have no dietary or medical qualifications, but you’re going to give me the best advice I’m ever likely to hear?”

Let me explain…

I’m not here to offer you radical diet plans. You’ve probably heard of them all by now anyway: from low-carb to low-fat to low-calorie, there’s probably even low-oxygen by now (That damn high energy air)!

What I am here to point out is, that there is one person in charge of your weight.

You.

You are in charge. Not your husband or wife or friends, only YOU.

Because you’re in charge, that means you can choose to have the body and health you want, whenever you want, right?

Now you’re saying, “Yes, but I need to lose the weight now!”

This is part of the problem. We can be motivated to be in charge of weight loss if we think it’s going to happen quickly and we can see results immediately.

The issue here is that this promotes yo-yo dieting. We get immediate results on the latest fad diet, go out to the dinner party we wanted to look good for, and then go back to our old habits, only to gain back the weight and then some.

Why do we do this?

Because we hear of the quick fix so often that in the back of our minds we believe that we’ll be able to lose the weight immediately before the next dinner party.

A popular weight loss author says that most people who go on conventional diets gain all the weight back and sometimes end up fatter than when they started.

So, I’m going to tell you the *real* way to lose weight.

The real *permanent* way to lose weight is not low-carb, low-calorie, low-fat or low anything else (especially not low-oxygen!).

The real way to lose weight is using what you’re processing each of these words with. That’s right, your mind!

You must be focused on not simply losing weight, but focused on maintaining a lifestyle that allows you to keep your body healthy. Think of all the reasons you *should* be healthy.

Self talk and motivation are the keys. Only you can motivate yourself and only you can keep yourself focused.

I know you’re not going to like it, but this does mean excercise as well as healthy eating.

We all say we don’t have time to exercise, or don’t have time to eat right. But think about this. We’re so busy rushing around doing important things and not having the time to do what’s right for our bodies, we’re shortening our lives. Consider that the next time you jump in the car to go two blocks…

Check out David’s weight loss resources at http://www.weight-loss.minisitereview.com.

Recent versions of Microsoft Windows come with the rather basic Narrator. Most legally blind people 72 percent do not use computers. Access technology such as screen readers and Screen magnifiers enable the blind to use mainstream computer applications. The console-based Oralux Linux distribution ships with three screen-reading environments: Emacspeak, Yasr and Speakup. There are also open source screen readers, such as the Linux Screen Reader for GNOME and NonVisual Desktop Access for Windows.

Approximately 11 percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no vision. While Apple Mac OS X includes VoiceOver, a more feature-rich screen reader. The latter developed in part by Knopper who has a visual impairment. Web browsers, word processors, icons and windows and email programs are just some of the applications used successfully by screen reader users. The primary audience for such applications is those who have difficulty reading because of learning disabilities or language barriers. This year nonprofit worker Anthony Loeff is testing software for people suffering from blindness Linux distributions for the blind include Oralux and Adriane Knoppix. Screen reader choice is contentious: differing priorities and strong preferences are common. Experimental approaches in sensory substitution are beginning to provide access to arbitrary live views from a camera.

The movement towards greater web accessibility is opening a far wider number of websites to adaptive technology, making the web a more inviting place for visually impaired surfers. The Macintosh OS also comes with a built-in screen reader, called VoiceOver. This interpretation is then represented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a braille output. Only a small fraction of this population, when compared to the sighted community, have Internet access.

Later versions of Microsoft Windows include an Accessibility Wizard and Magnifier for those with partial vision, and Microsoft Narrator, a simple screen reader. Increasingly, screen readers are being bundled with operating system distributions. Screen readers can be assumed to be able to access all display content that is not intrinsically inaccessible.

The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity.

A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen. Screen readers are a form of assistive technology potentially useful to people who are blind, visually impaired, or learning disabled, often in combination with other AT such as screen magnifiers. A persons choice of screen reader is dictated by many factors, including platform and the role of organizations like charities, schools, and employers.

Therefore, using a screen reader is, according to some users, considerably more difficult than using a GUI and many applications have specific problems resulting from the nature of the application.

However functionality remains limited compared to equivalent desktop applications, the major benefit is to increase the accessibility of said websites. The open source GNOME desktop environment long included Gnopernicus and now includes Orca.

How to Break the Weighing Habit

Face it, if you weigh yourself more than once a day, you are a serious scale addict, and if you let the number on the scale affect how you feel, and whether it’s going to be a good day, you are probably a bit too involved with that appliance. Danger, danger! Step away from the scale!

The scale simply cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat, and while fat is bulky and lumpy, muscle is sleek and shapely. Muscle also gives you strength, agility and power. Muscle tissue can be used as fuel, but it is not your body’s primary fuel source.

Fat on the other hand is a storage fuel for times of famine. It also shields our body’s organs and provides a protective layer from the outside world. Without some body fat we cannot survive, and without some muscle you’d not have the strength to get out of bed. But while fat is necessary, many of us have a bit more saved up than is necessary.

Most of us never consider our body’s ratio of fat to muscle. We instead rely on the bathroom scale. We’ve been told we need to weigh a certain amount, or be within a certain range to the point that many who start eating well and exercising consistently abandon their plan when they don’t quickly see a difference on the scale. Even when their body is visibly changing, they still are disappointed if the scale won’t budge.

If You Didn’t Weigh Yourself, How Would You Know You Were Losing Weight?

Consider for a moment, those first hints that something is changing: Your waistband may be getting looser, your rings may be slipping off, your face may start to look a little slimmer, and your shoes, yes your shoes will start to become too big for your feet. Many will start losing in the hands and feet first. That’s just dandy, I know. We all strive for skinny fingers and toes, but I didn’t design the body, I just own and operate one.

You may own and operate a car? Do you take care of it the same way you take care of yourself? Do you store gasoline in the trunk, in case you can’t find a gas station? Probably not. Do you stockpile extra oil and batteries? No, probably not. Then why do you worry about dinner when you haven’t finished eating lunch? Have you ever gone ahead and eaten something because you might get hungry later? Why do we worry so much about food when there is no scarcity that I’ve noticed? Where I live there is food at every corner, 24-hours a day, at the bank, the gas station and even the neighbor’s garage sale.

Interestingly, I’ve found that when the scale suddenly showed a loss, greater than expected, it seemed to induce in me a desire to remedy the situation. I’d overeat that day and the next, somehow unraveling any good I’d done previously. Even with all the knowledge and sense in the world, we still become unsensible in the face of that judge, the bathroom scale!

What Happens When the Scale Shows a Loss? Usually Congratulatory Eating.

I think the problem isn’t that we are unhappy by the numbers so much as we expect certain numbers. If you are dieting, then you are wanting to see a lower number, but what happens when you do? Do you reward yourself for a job well done? Do you decide you’ve done so well, you might as well have a treat? The scale habit can adopting other ways to measure your progress, and starting a daily journal which gives you a way to chart what you are doing. You’re not stopping one thing so much as you are starting another. Ending one habit always involves beginning another.

Get a small notebook or journal to take notes. If you want a fancy, leather-bound book that’s fine, but don’t stall on starting this exercise with the excuse you don’t have the supplies. Use a scrap of paper you found on the ground if you have to, but starting today, you are going to track your hunger levels all day long.

Tracking the Elusive Hunger

Rate your hunger level on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being starving, and 10 being so full you’d explode if you ate another bite (most people should never experience either 1’s or 10’s). On this scale a 5 would be comfortable, 6 slightly above comfortable (maybe could have stopped sooner), 7 you over ate, and an 8 is starting to be a bit ridiculous, especially if you supposedly want to lose weight. A 9 or 10 is flat out crazy.

A 3 could mean you’re hungry. Not starving, not going to come unglued if you don’t eat, but hungry. A two is waiting a bit longer than you probably should, and a 1 doesn’t occur except when you’re simply tied up and cannot stop to eat or you’ve gotten yourself stuck in a situation where there simply is no food long past when you’ve gotten hungry. You should rarely feel the hunger of a 1 or the fullness of a 9 or 10.

You must decide the levels for yourself, but I’d suggest making an effort to wait until you are a 3 or lower to eat and making an effort to stop at or near a 5 or 6. Sometimes you may notice the sensation of hunger, note your hunger level, and then choose to wait. Don’t worry about it whether you eat or not for now. The purpose this week is to make a chart and get used to keeping track of something besides your weight.

Reward Yourself for Doing the Tracking

Every day you successfully write down what time and your hunger level, you get a gold star, or a smiley face, or some other “fun” reward. Rewards should not be food. Instead make them be nourishing to your soul. Some people like stickers, some like to reward themselves later with a massage, new outfit, whatever you like is a-okay with me. I like to reward myself with a massage once a month (I’d rather get one every day like Bob Hope, but that’s another goal).

Your goal is to achieve 5 or more “rewards” for the week. If you only manage two is that bad? Heck, no. It’s fantastic because it’s an improvement over the week before. Next week make an effort to at least achieve what you did the week before and possibly exceed it. Slowly you’ll develop a new habit, until you’re achieving 5 or more days every week of waiting for real hunger, and stopping at satisfaction. When you learn to understand your body’s various hunger signals, you’ll start losing pounds and inches, I guarantee it.

Inches lost, is what matters. I couldn’t care less how much I weigh. What if my body was solid gold? It would weigh a lot wouldn’t it, and would I care? No, I’d feel pretty darn good about it actually. I’m worth my weight in gold, and so are you.

Putting Hunger In Perspective

I recently read a book by the only man to have survived alone on a raft at sea for more than a month - Steven Callahan. In Adrift, Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea, Callahan recounted how while slowly starving he dreamt of food, “My body knows what it needs. For hours on end fantasies of sweet ice cream, starchy baked bread, and vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables water the mouth in my mind.”

Reading an account of Callahan’s survival in the face of sure death was inspiring to say the least. My husband is making arrangements to build a boat designed by Callahan, a 22-foot sailboat so he too can take off on a singlehanded sailing adventure across the seas. My husband believes he could survive as Callahan did, while I’m telling myself I’ll die of starvation if I don’t eat in the next half an hour. Adrift puts these things in much better perspective, I’d say.

By Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com

Get the Daily Bites: Weekly Mini-lessons Using EFT and NLP to Stop the Struggle with Weight Loss.

One of the holy grails of the pharmaceutical industry is to design a drug that would cure or, otherwise significantly reduce nicotine cravings i.e. cure smoking. There are 48 million smokers in the U.S. and 45 million of them would, surely, give anything to quit. So, to conquer that market would mean immeasurable wealth to the victor. With this in mind, there is a potential blockbuster drug currently making its way through the regulatory hurdles that shows promise: Varenicline.

There are as many treatments for smoking as there are brands of cigarettes. These include patches, gums, lozenges, hypnosis, acupuncture and even an anti-depressant, Zyban. Zyban wasn’t originally developed as a smoking cessation drug but as a treatment for depression. A side effect was observed- people on this drug smoked less. It has been moderately successful.

Most over-the-counter treatments involve the slow weaning of the patient from nicotine, while this new drug, Varenicline, attempts to block the receptors in the brain that trigger the cravings in the first place. A novel solution, it seems, to a perplexing problem.

As a smoker and having tried everything, I am currently most satisfied with my Commit lozenges. Ultimately though, these lozenges merely replace smoking as my preferred method of ingesting nicotine - something my lungs, but not my pocketbook are quite appreciative of. Now, I would have no problem continuing with these lozenges, but they are quite expensive and do nothing to end my addiction. I was hoping that this new drug, Varenicline, would allow me to kick the habit for good.

Well, the study results are in and here they are:

22% — smoking abstinence rate after 1 year of patients given Varenicline

16% — smoking abstinence rate after 1 year of patients given Zyban
8% — smoking abstinence rate after 1 year of patients given a placebo

Hardly earth shattering numbers was my initial response. There barely seems a difference between Zyban and Varenicline - 1 out of 6 quitting for Zyban vs. 1 out of 5 for Varenicline. It’s too early to draw any conclusions, but it does initially appear, that we might have to wait awhile longer for the elusive smoking cure to be as simple as swallowing a pill.

Meanwhile, it’s off to the drugstore I go, for some more Commit.

Hopefully, it’s on sale.

Sara writes articles for Schmeg.com
Visit her at: Chestnut Creek Gift Baskets|Happy Candles

If you have a protruding abdomen, loose skin as a result of weight loss or childbirth, if despite your best efforts at diet and exercise, you just can’t seem to tighten those abs, a tummy tuck may be a good option for you. What can you expect from a tummy tuck, before and after? The process will vary depending on the health of the patient and the type of procedure performed.

In your initial consultation with a surgeon, he or she will sit down and listen to you. It is important for you to be able to explain what you want, and also to understand what procedures the surgeon may recommend. The difference between a full tummy tuck and a mini tummy tuck is significant. A mini tummy tuck is more affordable, and might be appropriate for your needs. A reputable surgeon will have tummy tuck before and after photos to show you their work. They will also have references from satisfied customers.

The surgeon will do an examination of your abdominal area to determine what procedure is best for you. Many surgeons will take digital photos during the examination, and will be able to show you on a computer what a tummy tuck before and after would look like for you. You will be asked questions about your general health, as well. It is important to be in good health before your tummy tuck plastic surgery.

After you decided on the proper procedure with your surgeon, your operation will be scheduled and your surgeon will discuss price and financing options, if any exist. On the day of your surgery you will either be given general or local anesthesia prior to the operation. Depending on the type of tummy tuck, you may be admitted overnight to the hospital, but in most cases you will be in a recovery room for several hours before being released. It is important to follow your surgeon’s instructions for your tummy tuck, both before and after the surgery, to make sure that your body heals properly.

Before your surgery, be sure to follow instructions about medications, what time you must stop eating and drinking, as well as the activities you should limit. By following your surgeon’s instructions, you will greatly increase your chances for a good recovery. With self-care and proper diet and exercise, your tummy tuck should allow you to have that flat, firm stomach you desire for many years to come.

Tummy Tuck Info provides detailed information on standard and mini tummy tucks, surgery and recovery procedures, and other advice, including the cost of surgery. Tummy Tuck Info is the sister site of Liposuction Web.

It is important that the public not only understand the right ways to lose weight, but also equally understand the wrong ways!

There have been many FAST weight loss systems that have come and gone over years - The Cambridge Diet and Slim Fast are two that spring to mind. “LighterLife” is the latest meal replacement diet to tempt the public. This rapid weight loss programme is intended for those people who need to lose 3 stone or more. Why 3 stone or more you may ask? Well, one simple reason is that the programme FORCES the body to break down its own tissue at such a rate (they advertise a stone a month), that anyone without enough fat and tissue on the body, really wouldn’t last long on the programme at all, and of course Lighter Life wouldn’t earn as much money from them!

LighterLife is a very low calorie diet. Now, there are low calorie diets and there are LOW calorie diets - this is one of those LOW varieties if you get my drift! It provides at best 450 calories per day - I know because I have seen the nutritional breakdown of the sachets and food bars that are used in place of 3 standard meals per day.

Aside from the issues and pitfalls (both socially and psychologically) of living on 3 sachets of synthetic nutrient powder everyday, let me explain further what this does physically and chemically inside the body.

Fast, or rapid and extreme weight loss via hypocaloric (very low calorie) feeding happens because the body rapidly loses water (due to loss of glycogen and protein, both of which contain water), as the body quickly begins to break down muscle, and then fat. It is thought that around 25% of the weight lost on a very low-calorie diet (or low-carb diet) is actually lean muscle tissue.

“So what” you may thinking?

Well, the downside is that it damages metabolism. Long-term, the metabolic rate is driven DOWN to an all-time low, as the body thinks that it is being starved, which it is! FEWER calories are burned on a daily basis, as the body tries to conserve as much energy for “survival”. When calorie intake is increased (which it has to be at some point), although this lifts the metabolism again, it doesn’t increase it to the same levels as before. The body fails to burn the same amount of energy (calories) as it once did, and weight gain (in the form of fat) is faster than it was before. In order to avoid this happening at its very worst, calorie intake must be increased very gradually, and at the same time, physical activity (including resistance exercise to build back lean tissue) must be increased, and maintained. There are still many people desperate to lose weight that will not except that exercise and healthy “intelligent” eating is the key to long-term successful weight loss and weight maintenance.

Paradoxically, exercising while ON a very low calorie diet is NOT healthy - in fact it is dangerous! This is because the body is already in an acidic state (due to the use of ketone bodies as fuel - see below), and exercising without enough carbohydrate as a fuel increases levels of acidic by-products even more. This increases the risk of metabolic acidosis - which can lead to coma and death!
SO…. Those on the LighterLife programme should be advised NOT to exercise all the time they are on this starvation diet. Their bodies are too busy breaking down their own tissue to cope with much else!

We need at least 1000 kcals/day just to maintain our normal metabolic rate and most physiological functions - ideally 1500 kcals to ensure we are meeting all our basic nutrient requirements. Existing on such few calories and forcing the body into starvation mode, means the body must begin to break down it’s own tissue for fuel, and to provide the body with the necessary amino acids (i.e. protein) for many bodily functions. By the way, the heart is a muscle, so there is a danger of losing heart muscle too on such a low calorie regimen - which is not something anyone would knowingly want to do… especially if there is a risk of any form of heart disease in the family.

Being so low in energy (calories) is one reason that LighterLife (LL) works. But another reason for the speed of weight loss has to do with the fact that is very low in calories from carbohydrate (CHO). Remember carbs are our main source of energy. Restricting intake of carbohydrates forces the body to make and use “ketone bodies” as an energy source. Ketones are formed in the liver, mainly from fat, and transported to tissues, as well as the brain.

Blood levels of 2 main ketones (beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate) rise, along with the by-products acetone and acetol. You can smell acetone on the breathe of people on very low CHO diets, and it is not very pleasant! These by-products go on to make a substance called glycotoxin methylglyoxal, which consequently also rises in the body. It is THIS substance that can cause blood vessel and tissue damage - something that has been shown in scientific studies. So those people on very low carb diets for a long time (and using ketones as energy) may well be at a far greater risk of vascular damage. This is something everyone should understand when they are considering these extreme forms of weight loss.

Now, not even the Atkins is quite as low in CHO as LL! Three LL sachets provide a mere 24g CHO a day. We need AT LEAST 140-150g carbohydrate to maintain our lean tissue and stop the body breaking down it’s own tissue for energy. However, we need a lot more than this if we exercise or are active regularly. If you try and maintain an exercise programme, while eating a low carbohydrate diet, you’ll find you won’t get very far in terms of increased fitness and increased lean tissue. In fact you’ll lose tissue as the body breaks down muscle to a) use as a potential fuel, and b) to repair the exercise-induced muscle damage. You’ll only be able to sustain a certain intensity, as above a certain threshold the body can only “go up a gear” by making quick-fire energy from glycogen (carbohydrate) stores and of course if nothing is there - you simply feel “flat”, weak and unable to sustain the workload.

I’d like to move onto another important issue, which is never discussed with regard to these weight loss programmes.

The issue of calcium is something that I am concerned about. LL says it provides 900mg of calcium in 3 meal replacement sachets or bars. The first problem is the FORM of calcium used. Calcium carbonate is one of the cheaper forms of calcium, and many reputable supplement companies don’t now use a lot of calcium carbonate - at least if they do it is usually combined with a chelated form such as citrate to improve absorption. There are much more absorbable and better forms of calcium now available. We absorb about 40% calcium carbonate. Those with compromised gastrointestinal function, and especially low levels of hydrochloric acid may not even absorb that much.

The second problem or “flip-side” of the coin is that you can NEVER rely on supplementation alone to meet your daily nutrient requirements, and assume that the body will utilise these just as well as it would from food. Ironically 900mg calcium may be TOO much for the body to effectively utilise in this form, with little else to help its utilisation.

LighterLife provides NO FOOD - but seems to think that’s OK because the sachets give you all the nutrients you need!?

NOT TRUE…

There is next to no fibre (see below) in a daily intake of LL food powder, and of course no phytonutrients and the array of antioxidants that we find in fresh food - all of which have their own wonderful properties and health benefits - many of which by the way are important for a healthy metabolism!

Calcium plays a vital role in dental health. Not only is it the main mineral constituent of teeth, it also plays a role in saliva, where it has been implicated in remineralising tooth structure after acid attack form plaque bacteria. Whether or not a lack of calcium over 6-12 months significantly effects gum and tooth health is not conclusive, but Dental Practitioner, Dr Rob Endicott had some other interesting things to say about LighterLife…

“I am not a fan of LighterLife and am interested in your comments about the problem of the calcium delivery methods in the product. The problem I have with LighterLife is the lack of chewing, allowing plaque and tarter to build up more readily, having a very direct effect on gum and tooth health, and we have seen this in practice”.
Mmmmm… now there’s a thought!

By the way there is the small issue of fibre! There is less than half the necessary requirement for fibre in a “days nutrition” from Lighter Life. Basically bowel function shuts down after a while - the brain doesn’t get any signalling that the bowels are full! Toxins can’t move out through the system so I imagine they are re-absorbed back into the bloodstream, and there is a lot more work for the kidneys to do to excrete waste from the blood. Of course the bowels don’t get a good daily clean either, which is one of the major roles of fibre in the diet!

I shall leave you all with this final comment…

“IT IS FAR SAFER, AND IN THE LONG RUN, MORE EFFECTIVE TO LOSE WEIGHT AT A SLOWER RATE WITH ENOUGH CALORIES, FIBRE, NUTRIENTS, AND CARBOHYDRATE TO PRESERVE HEALTH, AND MUSCLE TISSUE. GLUCOSE IS OUR PRIMARY FUEL, FOR THE MUSCLES AND BRAIN, NOT KETONES. THE ACIDIC STATE OF KETOSIS IS NOT HEALTHY TO PRESERVE BONE HEALTH”.

Lucy-Ann Prideaux MSc BSc RNutr
Registered Nutritionist
Simply Nutrition

Lucy-Ann Prideaux is a registered Nutrition based in East Sussex, England.
She helps many individuals with weight problems, digestive complaints, food intolerances, and dietary-related health problems.

Visit http://www.simply-nutrition.co.uk

Water is an essential component of the human body and is critical to successful weight loss and exercising. Yet many people don’t understand the importance of staying well-hydrated and what it takes to stay that way.

Water is important because it regulates our temperature, cushions and protects our vital organs, aids digestion, transport nutrients to working muscles and organs, helps dispel waste and can help prevent us from over-eating.

Water loss:

In doing all of these things, water is consumed or expelled from our bodies, which means that it needs to be continually replaced.

When the temperature of our body rises, during exercise for example, we lose higher amounts of water through sweat. In one hour of intense exercise, our body can lose up to a litre or more of water.

When we fail to replace lost water and our body can’t cool itself properly, we enter a state of dehydration.

Sometimes we can mistake mild states of dehydration for hunger.

When we don’t drink enough fluids, our body gives us signals which resemble hunger pains. When this happens, many of us start eating unnecessary calories because we have misunderstood what our body is trying to tell us.

By staying well-hydrated throughout the day, we minimise the chance of unnecessary eating and maximize our chances of achieving our weight loss goals.

Dehydration:

If you’ve ever felt thirsty, you have experienced dehydration.

In a dehydrated state our body is unable to cool itself properly, which in extreme cases can lead to heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke.

Without an adequate supply of water we begin to lack energy and our muscles may begin to cramp.

For regular exercisers, maintaining a constant supply of water to the body is essential. Dehydration leads very quickly to muscle fatigue and can even effect our coordination. Even small amounts of water loss may hinder athletic performance.

To prevent dehydration, exercisers must drink adequate amounts of water before, during and after their workout or event.

Fluid balance and replenishment:

It is very important that we all drink enough water. Thirst is a signal that our body is already on the way to dehydration.

It is important to drink continually throughout the day and not just to avoid thirst.

One easy way to check that you are adequately hydrated is to check the colour of your urine.

If your urine is light to clear you are fine, if your urine is too dark the chances are that you are not drinking enough water and may be becoming dehydrated.

Of course, if you are taking vitamin supplements, this test may not be accurate because supplements tend to darken the colour of your urine for several hours after taking them.

Water is usually the best fluid replenishment for most people, but sports drinks can provide added benefits in extreme conditions.

As well as containing water, some sports drinks contain electrolytes and other trace elements which aid in fluid absorption, which is very important if you are exercising at a high intensity for more than 45 minutes or so.

But remember, water is not the only source of fluid replacement. Healthy foods like fruits, juices, soups and vegetables all contain varying degrees of water that aids in the replenishment of lost fluids.

By world standards, Australian’s are very lucky to have access to safe, clean drinking water. This makes staying well hydrated really easy, so what are you waiting for? Drink up!

Everyday Hydration hints:

• As a general rule, drink at least 1 litre (4 glasses) of water for every 30 kilos of body weight each day. If you weigh 60 kilos, for example, drink at least 2 litres of water per day. If it is hot or you are active drink even more.

• Look for light to clear coloured urine to make sure you are adequately hydrated.

• If you are hungry when you shouldn’t be, try drinking a couple of glasses of water - you might be misinterpreting thirst for hunger. If you are still hungry 10 to 15 minutes later, try eating a piece of fruit to keep you going until your next meal.

• Eating fruit and vegetables and drinking juice are great ways to hydrate your body.

• Try to keep a bottle of water handy at all times and always keep an emergency bottle of water in your car.

• Drink a glass of water before going to bed and another as soon as you wake up, 8 hours is a long time for your body to go without water.

• Caffeine and alcohol can have a diuretic effect, making you lose even more water, so be sure to compensate for this additional loss.

Exercise Hydration hints:

• Drink one to two glasses of water at least an hour before you start exercising.

• Drink another glass 20 to 30 minutes prior to exercising.

• Drink 125 to 250ml of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes or so during exercise.

• Drink an additional 250ml of fluid within 30 minutes after exercising.

• Drink 500ml of fluid for every half kilo of body weight lost after exercise.

For all your weight loss and healthy lifestyle needs, visit http://www.weightloss.com.au and become a happier, healthier you.

Scott Haywood

You might have heard that the many advances occurring with some of the blood glucose meters allow you to perform blood test monitoring on different parts of your body, like the palm, forearm, upper arm, thigh, or even calf.

Because the skin of these other parts of your body contains fewer nerves, testing can feel much more comfortable. This is what is called Alternative Site Testing, or AST.

It’s vital to know that while blood from your fingertip can be tested at anytime, there are times when testing from alternative sites isn’t ideal. That’s why you should get the information about alternative site testing and talk with your doctor prior to your decision of alternative testing.

Let’s Go info further detail:

* In comparison with your fingertip, you might see differences in blood sugar results from the palm, forearm, upper arm, thigh, or even calf.

* Blood taken from the fingertip shows changes in blood sugar levels faster than blood taken from the other sites of the body.

* These differences in blood sugar occur because the fingertips have more blood vessels than the alternative sites.

So, alternative site testing is recommended when blood sugar is stable, such as:

* Immediately prior to a meal

* When fasting

* Near bedtime

Times when alternative site testing isn’t recommended:

* 2 hours following a meal, when blood sugar values are rising quickly

* After exercise

* When you are ill; as blood sugar values can go quite high

* When you think your blood sugar is incredibly low or falling quickly (hypoglycemia)

* If you have a history of not noticing when you have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

* During the peak action time of the basal insulin

* Up to 2 hours after when injecting rapid-acting insulin

* If you check your blood sugar and the blood sugar test doesn’t match the way you feel, then you should perform a fingertip to confirm your result. If the fingertip result however doesn’t reflect the way you feel either, contact your doctor.

* Don’t change your course of action based on just 1 blood sugar result.

* Your success in getting an adequate drop of blood from alternate sites will deviate. Depending on the meter you pick, you might wish to try different approved sites until you find the one that works for you.

When you select a site, stick with it. Do not perform and then try on your calf and then the next time on your forearm. If you try out on the forearm, always check out on the forearm. The only exception should be fingertip tests.

Please note: Please talk to your doctor prior to trying alternative sites other than your fingertip for testing blood sugar.

I find the best place to use alternative testing is the palm next to the thumb. You can try other approved alternative sites and see which one works the best for you.

Copyright 2005
Fern Kuhn, RN
Specializing in Diabetes

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What is the Peter Jackson weight loss secret? The image most of us have of the Lord of the Rings movie maker is a portly, bespectacled figure reminiscent of one of his Hobbit characters.

In a fact, film industry insiders and Jackson fans started noticing a new-look Peter Jackson nearly a year ago. But it’s only now with all the publicity surrounding his soon-to-be released feature King Kong that the public at large have woken up to the slim, spectacle free version of the man and begun wondering about the Peter Jackson diet.

And it’s not difficult to see why there’s so much interest. The Peter Jackson weight loss has been impressive - he’s shed some 70 pounds (32 kilograms).

So what’s his diet secret?
Was it the South Beach Diet? The Cave Man Diet? The Atkins Diet?

Obesitycures.com did some research and discovered that Jackson did not follow any of the popular fad diets. The real secret to the Peter Jackson weight loss phenomenon has been dubbed the “Skull Island Diet,” after the fictional island home of King Kong.

Jackson, bemused by all the attention his new image is receiving, insists a lifestyle change, rather than a diet is responsible for his weight loss.

“I just got tired of being overweight and unfit, so I changed my diet from hamburgers to yoghurt and muesli and it seems to work,” Jackson told Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Jackson reportedly followed no specific exercise program either, but has spoken several times of his punishing 21-hour-a-day work schedule on the King Kong set, which no doubt accounted for part of the weight loss.

Jackson said he was cutting during the day and shooting during the night for months on end, surviving on three hours’ sleep. “I thought I was some kind of Superman, but it knackered me.”

And what of Jackson new-found spectacle-free status? No, unfortunately losing weight does not improve your eyesight. Jackson underwent laser eye surgery, explaining that he had grown “tired of being outside with rain and dust on the glasses”.

Alan Cooper is a journalist with 20 year’s experience and the publisher of ObesityCures.com, a site with the ambitious aim of being a “one-stop-shop” for impartial information on obesity and weight loss solutions - including fad diets, prescription weightloss pills and natural weightloss aids.

Click on the Peter Jackson link on the home page to view for yourself the dramatic before and after pictures of Jackson’s weight loss.

Ever wondered what a calorie is? The definition of a calorie is
“the amount of energy, or heat it takes to raise the temperature
of 1 gram of water to1 degree Celsius”.

A calorie is a unit of energy that is associated with food and
drink and is a measure of the energy, or heat, that food
produces as your body uses it as fuel.

The first step in counting calories for your personal weight
loss is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day (your
total daily energy expenditure), this is the total number of
calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all
activities.

This is known as your maintenance level and will be the
reference point (number of calories) from which to start your
dieting.

The average calorie maintenance level for women in the United
States is approx 2000 per day and the average for men is approx
2500 per day. These are only basic averages and are usually much
higher for athletes or active individuals.

A quick and easy method to find out how many calories you
require per day for weight loss and maintenance is to calculate
a calorie value with a multiplier as set out below.

Fat loss = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 12 calories
(12 x lb).

Maintenance = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 15
calories (15 x lb).

This is a very easy method to estimate your daily caloric
requirements, but it has its drawbacks as it doesn’t take into
account your particular activity levels or body fat levels.
Despite this it will give you a good estimated figure that you
can work with.

The maintenance figure that you get is the amount of calories
that you need to consume to stay at your current weight. To lose
weight your calorie intake must be lower than the calories you
burn.

In order to lose one pound of fat per week, you must reduce your
weekly calorie intake by 3,500 calories, which works out at five
hundred calories per day. This can be done by reducing your
calories by 500 or combining a diet with physical activity.

The bottom line is to balance your caloric intake with the
amount of calories that you are burning, that’s the secret to
successful dieting and weight maintenance.

Becoming more conscious of counting calories in your everyday
eating regime is imperative if you are trying to lose weight.
Studies have shown that men and women “underestimate” their
daily calorie consumption by 500 to almost 1000 calories.

You can get a truer picture by keeping a seven-day eating plan
of what you typically eat and drink during the day.

At the end of each days eating, add up the total amount of
calories consumed and write them down on to the eating plan. At
the end of the seven days, add the total calories for the whole
week and then divide by seven, you now have your daily calorie
intake.

Using a calorie calculator can make counting calories easier -
you can total how many calories you will need for your daily
activities to give you more control over how many calories you
should include in your daily diet.

Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat
intake as this has the most calories.

Moderation is always important when you are counting calories,
severely restricting calories, causes the body to lower its
metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat.

At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start
to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same
foods you are trying to do without.

This is because when you return to normal eating habits, the
drop in metabolic rate caused by the restriction in calories
means that your old eating habits actually represent excess in
calories.

Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you
may even gain a bit extra.

“Dieting by counting calories means that all foods are allowed,
nothing is forbidden as long as the calories consumed don’t go
over your daily calorie allowance”

Counting calories can also be flexible enough to accommodate
most busy lifestyles.

Some food for thought isn’t it; health professionals agree that
healthy eating which includes counting calories and a low fat
diet are essential for long-term healthy weight loss.

The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food
program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the
basics you’ll need to go for.