Why Are We Overweight?

by: (c) Anna “Overweight? NO MORE!”

Why are we overweight? This question has been asked many times and we all have different answers. The most common is because we eat too much, especially junk food, and exercise less. It is easy to say, I will lose weight and keep it off. Reality is that when we eat more calories than we can use for energy, our bodies store fat. The issue is whether we are seriously committed to change our lifestyle, adopt healthier habits and exercise more. After we gain weight, we find difficulty losing it. There is hope. Increasing our fat burning metabolism will help us lose weight. Most people have tried many diets, such as quick weight loss diets with the hope of loosing that unwanted fat, yet failed to keep the weight off. Why? Because quick diets are not the answer. Think for a moment, we did not gain all that weight in one week, but gradually, right? Therefore, we can lose that unwanted fat gradually and keep the weight off. This is why it is so hard to lose fat and to stay slim with those quick weight loss diets. Some of these diets are so extreme that leave you feeling hungry, weak, and the end is that instead of promoting a healthy eating habit to lose weight, you end up cheating and eating until you satisfy those cravings. Back to our original question, why are we overweight? People are overweight for different reasons: eating too much, lack of exercise, slow fat burning metabolism, retaining water, eating too late, eating unconsciously while watching TV, eating the wrong foods. We tend to eat for emotional reasons too, as we relate food as calming our nerves. Sound familiar? Sure, we feel fine while eating, but is this the answer to calm our nerves? No. Definitely not. Anxiety can drive us to eat more and see food as an ideal comfort. How to resolve the overweight issue? First, we recommend you take a conscious decision of examining your eating habits and consult a physician to check your health before starting any nutritional program and exercise plan. Second, keep a daily record of what you eat, drink at least 8 glasses of water, have green tea to increase your metabolism, consume lots of vegetables and fresh fruit, avoid junk food and heavy sugary products. Third, learn to say no when friends or family members offer you second or third servings. Fourth, keep a firm decision and a positive attitude to lose that unwanted weight, visualize the new you. Fifth, contact friends who will encourage you to lose weight and motivate you when feeling down. There is always someone ready to keep you motivated. Whenever you feel eating for anxiety, think twice. Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “am I really hungry or is just an emotional excuse?” Instead of eating impulsively, try to drink water or have a cup of green tea, go out for a walk, or contact one of your friends for motivation. Remember you are not alone; there are many people trying to lose weight and helping each other is the most valuable tool. Others have lost weight and kept the weight off. I did it, so can you! Believe in yourself, you are special. ============================================== ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anna “Overweight? NO MORE!” lost over 80 pounds from 230 pounds and has kept the weight off for 3 years. She believes that every person can achieve a healthier figure with determination, eating healthy, and exercising. There is no general miracle diet, but every body responds differently. It is a matter of taking the first step: ”Believing that one can regain a healthier body, having that strong inner motivation is the key to stay focused. I did it, so can you!” www.officialoverweightnomore.com contact: anna@officialoverweightnomore.com NOTE: This article may be freely reprinted in your ezines, ebooks, off-line publications, or on your websites. We only require that the entire article and the resource box "about the author" at the bottom of each article remain unchanged.

Interviews With Successful Ezine Publishers - Renee Kennedy

by: Ken Hill

Renee Kennedy is the editor of The NutriCounter Update, a light-hearted ezine that provides one fresh article on a topic related to weight loss, diet, nutrition and weight management. To subscribe, visit http://www.nutricounter.com/subscribe.htm KH: How important has publishing an ezine been to your business? RK: I think that it's important to attract and maintain customers in every way that you can. I always think of the "Rule of 7." It takes about 7 impressions before a customer will buy. I don't know where this rule came from, but it sure seems to be true. The more ways that you can reach people, the more likely you are to sell to them. Having an ezine is just one way to advertise and let people know that your products or services exist. It is also one of the most inexpensive ways to reach customers and potential customers. KH: How long have you been running an ezine and how many subscribers do you have? RK: I ran a marketing ezine for my own business for 4 years. For the last six months, I've been the editor of a health ezine called "NutriCounter Update." The health ezine now has over 6,000 subscribers. KH: Can you tell me more about the "NutriCounter?" What does it do? Who does it benefit? RK: The NutriCounter is a nutritional calculator that helps people keep track of their nutritional intake. People can use it for any type of diet including diets for weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, hypoglycemia, and heart disease. Good health is always contingent on a healthy diet and the NutriCounter can help people monitor their diet and let them know when they've exceeded or met their individual nutritional goals for the day. KH: Do you write and use your own articles to promote your ezine? How valuable has writing articles been in promoting your ezine? RK: Yes, we write one original article each month for our monthly publication. It's valuable to get and keep subscribers ... but it's also an excellent way to spread our URL around. Once we've written an article and published it in the newsletter, we send the article out to several Free Content lists and sites. These articles always get picked up by several sites or ezines. We use an author's resource box to direct readers back to our site. KH: What methods do you use to promote your products or services within your ezine? RK: The "Editor's Remarks" section of the newsletter is the most powerful section. That is the section that everyone reads if they are going to read anything. So, if we have an important offering, we always endorse it in the Editor's Remarks section. We've used many different ways to get people to buy. Some examples are: -- contests -- buy one get one free or buy one get one at a reduced price -- coupons -- discounts (i.e., 10% discount only by clicking on this link). KH: How do you go about preparing your ezine for publication? RK: First, we research and write an article - trying to keep it between 800 to 1000 words. While that's going on, I write the Editor's Remarks section which will usually revolve around the article topic. Then I put the content into a premade template. I edit the whole ezine about 3-5 times. Then I send it off to our Associate Editor for editing. Finally, the Editor in Chief gets to edit it. It goes through at least three sets of eyes before it gets sent out. KH: Any advice to future ezine publishers? Things to look out for or things to concentrate on when publishing an ezine? RK: Provide original content specific to a niche group - don't try to be everything to everyone, concentrate on providing information that you're an expert on. Be personable and reach out to your audience. If you can touch the audience you will have a high retention rate. People don't just want information, they want to know who's talking to them, they want the information to get a little personal. Examine the ezines that you stay subscribed to. Ask yourself why you like those particular ezines or newsletters. In other words, read a lot - don't get wrapped up in your own stuff, get out there and see what other people are doing. The beauty of an ezine is that you have the ability to try different things ... contests, ad swaps, discounts, coupons, HTML. Don't be afraid to try different things and see what works for your niche. Article © 2002 by writer Ken Hill. Launching An Ezine? Need Subscribers? Amazing new automated software puts you on the fast track to ezine success! Includes over 900 resources. Results are 100% guaranteed! Learn more now at: http://www.scstats.com/r.cfm?i=4604

Hoodia Gordonii is your solution to weight loss

by: Viviana Aida

Overweight and obesity are actual problems for the American population, but much more for women who are trying to look better. Close to 60 million Americans are overweight or obese, but the problem is more relevant into the minorities. Acording to the Obesity Research conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the hispanic population was the most overweighted in the ethnic groups in 2000. Estimations reach to more than 20 million people. Hoodia Diet is the solution for safe weight loss. Hoodia Gordonii contains a natural active ingredient, P57, which has only recently been identified. The P57 works as an appetite suppressant. Taking Hoodia Diet Tablets when you are hungry alleviates the feeling of hunger and so makes you less likely to snack between meals due to hunger. The Hoodia Gordonii Cactus has been used by the San indigenous people of South Africa for hundreds of years as an appetite suppressant and thirst quencher. Extracts from this succulent have shown in clinical trials on obese subjects to reduce caloric intake by 30% to 40%. Significant weight loss has resulted from such a drop in caloric intake. Therefore, Hoodia is one of the best and most powerful natural appetite suppressant available, if used in conjunction with any diet. Hoodia will help you to stop snacking between meals. It will also help you to reduce the amount that you eat at meal times. Dieting is not easy, you need to make your mind up that you are going to choose a diet plan that appeals to you and use Hoodia Diet Tablets to help you stick to your diet by reducing your daily calorie intake. Some users of Hoodia simply take the tablets 3 times a day, one hour before normal meal times, and this will allow them to eat less at each meal, so reducing daily calorie intake. Others find a low carb or low fat diet and take Hoodia Diet Tablets to stop them feeling hungry between these meals. By Viviana Aida Hoodia Latina (www.hoodialatina.com)

7 Bad Eating Habits You Should Change Immediately

by: Emily Clark

People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don't believe me? Just tune-in to any source of advertising...you're instantly bombarded with the latest diet schemes and "Hollywood" food fads. Here in America, we have built a thriving industry trying to control our weight and treat the consequences of over-indulgence. The cost of weight loss and obesity related health care treatments is staggering...Americans alone spend around $114 billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing weight, we continue to pack on the pounds like never before... - A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese...up about eight percent from earlier estimates. - Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost nine million are overweight...triple the rate in 1980! - Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese. For Americans, modern life may be getting TOO easy. Our cushy lifestyle means we expend less energy and consequently need fewer calories to sustain our normal body weight. Think about it for a moment... Entertainment no longer requires energy expenditure. In fact, it's usually quite the opposite. We now entertain ourselves in the comfort of our own home while watching TV and munching on our favorite snack. Whether it's television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we are moving less and burning fewer calories. Common activities that were once a part of our normal routine have disappeared...activities like climbing stairs, pushing a lawn mower or walking to get somewhere. And please do not misunderstand me...I appreciate comfortable living just as much as the next person. But, here is the problem... With all of our modern day conveniences and "cushy" style of living we have not adjusted our caloric intake to compensate for our decreased caloric expenditure. We consume more calorie rich and nutrient deficient foods than ever before. Consider a few of the following examples comparing what we eat "today" vs the 1970's (U.S. Department of Agriculture survey): - We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent since the 1970's, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat. - Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only because French fries and potato chips are included as vegetables. Potato products account for almost a third of our "produce" choices. - We're drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source of saturated fat in our diets. - We've cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so that overall, we're eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back in the 1970's. - We're drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than milk, compared to the 1970's, when milk consumption was twice that of pop. - We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has increased 32 percent. - Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. People areconsuming roughly twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies. In 1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11 percent of the average person's calories. Now, this number has ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as much as 20 percent for American teenagers! Unfortunately, it would seem that the days of wholesome and nutritious family dinners are being replaced by fast food and eating on-the-run. We have gradually come to accept that it's "OK" to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of convenience and that larger serving portions equate to better value. It's time recognize that we are consuming too many calories and time to start doing something about it! Each of us can decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits WILL become a normal part of our life! We can begin by exploring our values, thoughts and habits... slowly and deliberately weed-out the unhealthy habits and activities and start living a more productive and rewarding life. And remember, it has taken a long time to develop bad habits, so be patient as you work toward your goal! The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any health care program. About the Author Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News here you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on any medical, health and lifestyle topics.

5 Easy Ways A Treadmill Helps You Lose Weight

by: Kathryn O'Neill, H.BSc. NWS

So why are treadmills STILL the #1 home exercise machines with shoppers? Because they get results! Here are the top 5 ways home treadmill workouts can help you lose weight and get into great shape! #1: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Battling Exercise Boredom We all know that in order to lose weight, get firm and fight gravity's pull, exercise is a must! But what do you do if you don't LIKE working out? What if you get bored or don't like logging hours in the gym with all those muscle boys or short-shorts women? One viable option is the home treadmill, because of all the things it allows you to do to FORGET that you are exercising in the first place! You can set it up in front of the television and watch your favorite episode of ER or Oprah. An hour will fly by and you won't even notice that you've been walking (or running)! Many treadmills also come with a magazine or book rack. What about walking uphill (a MEGA calorie burner) while reading your favorite mazagine or novel? How easy is that? And the more you enjoy your workout (or the more you can forget that you're exercising) , the more time you'll spend burning calories on your treadmill. #2: The Treadmill is Unmatched For Workout Versatility. Most funky fly-by-night exercise gadgets only allow you to do one thing. One repetitive motion that your body quickly adapts to (and that means less calories burned.) A treadmill - on the other hand - gives you a lot of workout versatility so your body continues to be challenged to burn calories. If you're just starting an exercise program you can start with a slow walk and then speed it up as your body gets into better shape. If you're training for a marathon, you can run at a steady pace and even build in sprints. You can power walk or do a slow steady jog. Many treadmills will let you walk uphill. Some even come with handweights so you can build in upper body exercise as well. There are countless ways you can vary your workout with a treadmill so that you continue to challenge your body and burn calories. #3: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Increasing Your Exercise Frequency Did you know that a new 3 year study conducted by the University of Stanford's Graduate School of Business has found that consumers are overpaying for gym services? The study concludes that most people overestimate how often they will use their gym membership and that most don't visit the gym often enough to justify their membership costs. Perhaps the reason may be that many people just don't have the time to go. But here's where a home treadmill can help you actually increase your workout time and frequency. Did you know that experts tell us that two 15-minute workouts can give us the same exercise benefits as one 30-minute workout? Here's where a home treadmill can help: A treadmill allows you to split your workouts up into mini-workouts and still burn just as many calories! Maybe you want to go for a 15 minute wake-up walk in the morning. Maybe it's a 20-minute light jog at lunch. What about a 10-minute power walk just before dinner to curb your appetite or fight night-time boredom? Whether it's 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 or 20, it all adds up in weight loss. With a treadmill, YOU'RE in charge of your workout time. #4: A Home Treadmill Gives You the Benefit of All-Year-Round ANY Time Exercise! Ok, here it is - one of the MOST IMPORTANT benefits of having a home treadmill: CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE If you live in northern climates you know that walking or jogging in the snow and ice is NOT fun. What about when it's raining? Scratch exercise off the list! A home treadmill can be one of the best exercise comforts around because you can use it regardless of the weather or time of day. AND you can also exercise in any type of clothing that you want (no worrying about wearing that ratty t-shirt to the gym!). #5: By Using the Large Muscles in Your Legs, A Treadmill Helps You Burn MAJOR FAT Calories A recent Woman's World article made the startling claim that, contrary to popular belief, gentle walking is one of the BEST ways to burn fat! Why? It seems that gentle walking allows your body to go STRAIGHT to the fat stores for energy instead of first depleting your sugar (glycogen) stores (used by your body for quick energy). Not only that, there's been countless studies including one by the American Medical Association, that rank a treadmill as the #1 cardiovascular machine for losing weight and burning calories. Working the larger muscles in your legs burns maximum calories which means more weight lost. You can even increase your calories-burned by walking uphill which uses even more muscles! Given all their benefits it's no wonder that treadmill sales have continued to skyrocket over the past five years with more and more people starting their own fitness and weight loss programs at home. So if you want to lose weight and get into great shape, a treadmill can be an excellent investment to help you to achieve your goals. No matter what you decide be sure to have fun and make your health a priority! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kathryn O'Neill is the chief editor for Treadmill Review For more buying tips, treadmill brand reviews, and best buys visit http://www.treadmillreview.net

Muscle And Fitness - The Third and Final Key To Successfull

by: Tony Farrell

Before delving into Muscle And Fitness – The Second Key, the final and most important key to success in your muscle and fitness routine, I'd like to remind you about what the previous article discussed. In a previous article, you were given a number of steps to follow. If you haven't received this article, I suggest you read that before reading this one here, as it will make what I'm talking a little more clear. You can access that article here: The HAVE Key In summary, Muscle And Fitness – The Second Key is the 'DO' key. This is where you structure your actions to take you to your goals. You must decide which action (Exercise) is the most effective tool to help you achieve that particular goal. Which brings me to the third and final key: The 'BE' Key This is what you must BECOME in order to ensure that you take the necessary action to DO whatever it takes to get what you want to HAVE. You already know what your goals are – The HAVE key You already know what you have to DO to achieve those goals – The DO key In order to make sure that you carry out the DO key (your chosen exercises), you must BE the type of person that consistently and persistently follows the routine. You must do this without fail, so that you can have the ideal muscle mass, weight loss, fitness goal or whatever your goal is. How do you become someone that you are not? By not giving in! Lets say that you have a chosen goal. Lets assume that goal is to lose 28lbs by the end of three months. What do you have to be in order to make sure that you achieve that goal of 28lbs of weight loss? You have your goal. You have your exercise routine sorted out that is the most effective way, for you, of achieving that goal. Now it's time to guarantee that you don't stop after a week or so. Your goals should be on your index card, as described in a previous article. You can read it here - Your 'HAVE' Goals As you are about to perform your training routine, go through this little scenario... 1. Read your goals aloud. 2. As you do, visualize that goal having already been achieved. 3. Feel that goal, as if you have already achieved it. 4. Then ask yourself: How good do I look? - I look GOOD! How great do I feel? - I feel GREAT! Now say to yourself... I feel Great - I look Great - I am successful! I feel Great - I look Great - I am successful! I feel Great - I look Great - I am successful! Ok... Lets Do It!!! Do this daily... In the morning, upon rising. Just before you begin your workout. Just before going to sleep. When you repeat this each time, feel it with conviction and say it with conviction. Feel your blood boil with excitement. Feel your heart beat hard. Get right into it. Stir up that passion and throw yourself right slam into the middle of it. Don't give in. Persist and be consistent with your efforts... no matter whether you feel like it or not. I have often found that the thoughts of having to do something are horrible at times. But, once I throw myself into it I feel absolutely fantastic and so happy that I didn't give in. Have you ever found that? If you have, remember that feeling. Feel it every time you are about to begin your training. Stir it up. Love that feeling and then get stuck in. BEcome what you need to become so that you can DO whatever it takes to achieve the goals that you said you want to HAVE. That is the final key to successfully achieving your Muscle and Fitness goals. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tony Farrell of provides valuable insight into the world of health, fitness and bodybuilding. Through his unique approach, he truly helps people to succeed and reach their goals. To subscribe to his ezine, just visit: http://www.how-to-build-muscle-and-fitness.com

Your Simple Plan for Weight Loss

by: Paul Buckley

The math is pretty simple. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories. Want to lose a pound a week? Then you need to consume 3500 calories less per week than you use. That's about 500 calories a day. By cutting out 500 calories a day from your normal daily diet, while keeping your activity level the same, you can lose approximately one pound a week. All right - that doesn't sound like much, especially if you're more than 25 pounds overweight. Study after study has shown, though, that those people who lose weight gradually - at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week -are far more likely to keep the weight off and maintain a normal weight for a lifetime. So how much exactly IS 500 calories? If you're going to reduce your daily intake by 500 calories, it helps to know what you need to cut out, right? Here's how easy it is to lose 500 calories a day: Use milk instead of cream in your coffee. Savings? 50 calories per cup. Skip the butter on your baked potato. Savings? 100 calories Drink fruit-flavored water instead of a 16 ounce soda. Savings? 200 calories Skip the Big Mac and have a salad instead. A Big Mac weighs in at a whopping 460 calories. A fresh salad with a light dressing? Less than 100! Savings? 360 calories Pass by the bag of potato chips. An average snack size bag of chips has over 300 calories. Savings? 300 calories Eat your corn on the ear. A 1 cup serving of canned corn has 165 calories. An ear of corn has 85. Savings? 80 calories. Switch to low-fat cream cheese on your bagel. Savings? 90 calories per ounce. Love those fries and can't give them up? Swap the skinny fries out for thick steak-cut ones. Thin French fries absorb more oil than the thicker, meatier ones. Savings? 50 calories per 4 ounce serving If you'd rather look at losing weight from an exercise perspective, you can also lose one pound a week by upping your activity level by 500 calories a day. How easy is that to do? Take a look: Take a half-hour walk around the park. Aim for a pace that's a little faster than a stroll, but not fast enough to be breathless. Burn: 160 calories. Get out your bike and take a ride. Tackle a few moderate hills and aim for about five miles total. Burn: 250 calories Go dancing - and really DANCE. The longer you're out on the floor instead of at the table drinking up high-calorie drinks, the more you'll get out of it. Dancing that makes you breathless and warms up your body will net you a nice calorie savings. Burn: 400 calories for one hour Swimming is great for you, and a lot of fun, too. The water resistance means you burn more calories, and you avoid the stress impact on joints from aerobics, dancing or walking. Do a few laps at a slow crawl - if you can get up to an hour you'll be doing great! Burn: 510 calories Get out into your garden. An hour of gardening tasks that includes bending and stretching can burn up to as many calories as a brisk walk. Burn: 250 calories. Play a game of tennis. Hook up with a friend for a weekly tennis game and you'll be amazed at the difference. One hour of vigorous tennis is one of the best calorie burners around. Burn: 800 calories It’s important to keep in mind that all exercise/calorie numbers are based on a woman weighing 130 pounds. If you weigh more, you'll burn more. Want an added bonus to burning calories through exercise? When you exercise, you build muscle by converting it from fat. Three guesses which kind of body tissue burns more calories - even when you're not exercising. You got it - your body uses more energy to maintain and feed muscle than it does fat. For best results, mix and match food savings with exercises that burn calories. Do keep in mind that eating less than 1000 calories a day for more than a few days will convince your body that it's starving and slow your metabolism. Keep calorie ranges reasonable, and consult a doctor if you want a quicker, more drastic weight loss. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Paul Buckley-for much more weight loss information visit The Healthy Diet Zone at http://www.healthydietzone.com