Archive for December, 2008

The Raw Diet : Excessively Hard?

I personally think two of the hardest diets to stick to, at least for me personally, would be the vegan diet and the raw foods diet.  On the vegan diet, which many adopt for health reasons and some adopt it because of weight issues or simply because they don’t believe in eating any animal byproducts or animal meat at all.  Whatever the reason, the vegan diet has proven excessively difficult for some to stick to.  Sure, it’s a great diet to manage the weight, but is it really healthy in the long run?

For some, it can be healthy, but that’s only if they still make sure they get the right alternative sources of protein in their diet.  Also another problem may be getting the right kinds of healthy fat in their diet.  For this reason, some vegans may have excessively dry skin or problems with their hair. 

Also, some vegans may simply not get enough calories in their diet to sustain energy and brain function.  As long as you’re a vegan who knows how to properly balance your diet without animal byproducts or proteins, it can be a very healthy diet.  Oh, and you should make sure you live by a natural foods store if you’re a vegan because they offer a lot of vegan-specific foods.

The raw foods diet is another strict one that many may find excessively restrictive.  The raw food diet is exactly what it says.  You don’t eat any cooked or processed foods.  The benefit of the raw food diet is of course that you get a lot of nutrients that are otherwise boiled, steamed, baked or microwaved out of your food.  Many of the beneficial enzymes that are often also cooked out of the foods that you eat stay intact when the food is not cooked or heated in any way.

For this reason, many on the raw food diet swear that their health has vastly improved, and belive that they are also extending their life span and enhancing their health and longevity because of the minimal “bare bones” processing of their foods.  It’s also of course excellent for weight control because you get more from your food and may be more easily satisfied, whereas cooked foods don’t provide as much “bulk” and may not fill the stomach up as much as their raw counterparts. 

On the raw food diet, you eat a lot of raw, uncooked vegetables and fruits, and you can also eat a lot of nuts and seeds that are not processed.  But animal products are pretty much a no no as I understand it, so this may be the hard part for a lot of people to swallow – it’s almost like a more intense vegan regimen if you think about it, at least the non-animal raw food diet is. 

Hypnotherapy for Weight Loss a Good Bet for New Year

I have tried hypnosis for weight loss, and I have nothing but good things to say about it.  If you buy an effective self hypnosis CD set for weight loss, then you really can’t go wrong, as long as you follow the directions for use, and make sure that you use it as consistently as recommended. 

I know that total relaxation helps with the effectiveness of any self hypnosis program, so you need to make sure that when you are listening to the CD, you are in a place where no one will bug you, and in a place that is peaceful and quiet, where you can tune out the outside world and just concentrate on the thoughts and subliminal messages the CD is telling you.

The cool thing about hypnotherapy when it comes to your weight loss goals is that it’s not just a diet program, it’s addressing the underlying issues that are blocking your way to weight loss such as will power, the psychological reliance on bad foods like comfort food that sabotage your weight loss goals, and any other underlying uncertainty and doubt that you may have that sabotage your weight loss efforts. 

I also really like the fact that it’s a CD, it will be around for as long as you need it, so say if a few weeks or months later you start to slip back into your old eating habits and slack off on the exercising, then you can pop the CD back in and listen to it.  It’s a great reinforcer every once in a while. 

This is what I’ve found immensely helpful in keeping off weight and making sure I maintain a personally acceptable weight range for myself.  The fact that I can pop the CD in any time and get an immediate boost to my natural will power and determination is priceless.  It’s better than any weight loss management program because it addresses the problems that you have the consistently sabotage your goals on a subconscious level. 

Merry Christmas From Daily Diet Blog!

Hey there readers!  I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  Hoepfully everyone can forget all the problems of the world right now, the headlines of fear that have gripped the nation, and appreciate their family and friends and be thankful for the things that are going right.  It’s hard to think positively in times like this, but use the holiday and any time off work you get for this time to reflect on your life and the things you are grateful and lucky for. 

Merry Christmas everyone!  Have a safe and happy holiday…….and stay tuned for the best in diet information and product reviews for 2009. 

Qnexa May Be New Diet Drug Sensation

Remember the Fen-Phen debacle? Well it seems that the one half of the Fen-Phen combo that wasn’t deemed to be the cause of apparent heart damage in some of the patients who were prescribed the infamous diet drug, is the new half of another new sensational diet drug that hasn’t hit market yet, but is still in clinical testing phases, called Qnexa.  So far the clinical trials of the drug have been promising as far as their implications in weight loss.

The tests have been done on about 750 patients, and of those, the ones that are on the higher doses of the Qnexa drug, which is a combination of the former diet half drug and the drug Topomax, have been demonstrated to consistently be losing more weight than their counterparts who are on a part-placebo and part drug combo.

The most common side effects of the potential new wonder drug for weight loss are the typical ones that are listed for most prescription diet drugs, which include but are not limited to dry mouth, constipation, loss of taste (foods tend not to taste as good on most effective diet drugs, that’s part of the idea I guess), and a new one to me, which is itching.

No comments on whether it causes irregular heart beats of rapid heart beat, which is a common side effect of many weight loss supplements since they contain stimulants that tend to have this effect.  We’ll keep you posted on where this diet drug is on the pike, and when it comes out, if it passes the FDA approval process.

It’s Almost Christmas : What’s Your Weight Toll?

Well, from my last post, I’ve already been completely upfront that I couldn’t keep adequate tabs on the calories I consumed and racked up a bit of a weight gain.  It’s nothing that not manageable, as a temporary pig out usually warrants, but it nonetheless is one of those temporary little weight losses that will need to be addressed sooner than later if it’s not to be a permanent fixture. 

For instance, I’ve noticed that my butt has a nice little “shelf” on it now, that it never had.  Sure, that shelf may be a natural part of aging since I’m now approaching my mid thirties, but I know that it also has a lot to do with my eating habits as of late, as well as my lack of working out.  I’ve been stressed out about a class I’m taking that’s in the math area no less, which I’m not naturally good at, and that’s been taking up a lot of my time, but now that it’s over I have no reason not to start focusing on my body, my health, and my fitness level again. 

So that’s the reason that both my boyfriend and I are going to go on a serious re-calibration (aka diet) in January, to immediately address any of the weight gain we have put on during these last few tumultuous, family-heavy weeks that are typical around the holidays for us.  Most normal people do put weight on during the holiday weeks, don’t let those darn celebrities fool you!  It’s just a matter of nipping it in the bud so to speak.

I had an interesting conversation with a work friend of mine the other day.  She said that her cutoff point was a certain size.  She promised herself that if she ever approached or actually was that size, she would immediately take steps to correct it.  And guess what – she hasn’t breached that size yet.  It’s all about setting boundaries for yourself that you are comfortable with.  Don’t let anyone tell you “oh you look fine the way your are.”  Uh-uh, you decide for yourself how you look and feel YOUR best, it’s not up to anyone else but you! 

We’re Goin’ Nutrisystem in January!

Well, my boyfriend have unfortunately been indulging a bit too much in the typical fattening holiday fare that seems to consist of sugary sweets, fattening gravys, lots of butters and oils, and starches.  And guess what?  I’ve put on about seven more pounds and he’s put on a lot more weight too, I’m not even sure of the exact number of pounds.  Safe to say that we both are feeling pretty porky though, and our clothes are not fitting us, nor are pictures of us all that flattering. 

You know how your face just takes on a whole different look when you’ve put on some weight? Like you have more of a double chin and your face just looks fatter?  Yeah, well that’s us right now!  So, we decided that as a new year thing, we are going to try the Nutrisystem diet plan for at least one month.  Knowing me and how fast I drop weight when I really put my mind to it, that’s all I’ll need to really get this weight off, and get myself back into maintenance mode for the 2009 year. 

I’m just hoping that after spending the money on the diet plan (I guess you pay for all your food up front, so you’re out that money if you go off the diet and screw it up), we can stick to it and don’t give in to any temptations.  I think I’m really set though, I may take a mild natural appetite suppressant just so I don’t go crazy with hunger and cravings for the first week, which is always the hardest for me when I’m trying to cut calories at first, and from there I should be ok.

I’m curious to see how the Nutrisystem diet goes.  I’m going to hopefully be able to supplement it with my own veggies, because knowing me, I get so hungry when I’m calorie restricted that I get shaky and my blood sugar gets all wacked out if I don’t have adequate calories to function.  I tend to eat a lot, even when I’m eating well, I just eat a lot of the right foods, so I think that’s just how my metabolism is set up. 

Curvier Women May Be Better Able to Handle Stress, Compete

Well ladies, you know that fat that we hate which accumulates around our waists when we gain some weight, or even when we get pregnant or may be going through some sort of hormonal changes?  Well, apparently studies have shown that women who have thicker waists are actually better equipped to handle stress and competition, which explains why many women who are successful financially happen to have thicker waistlines.

Studies suggest that the hormone responsible for fat accumulation around the waist also happens to the be the hormone responsible for us coping with stressors in life, and that those with more cushion in this area also happen to be better able to handle competition in the workplace, and may have better problems solving skills as well as stress coping skills, allowing them to have a huge benefit over their skinny waisted counterparts.

Perhaps they may also be seen as more powerful women, while women with tiny waists may be viewed in a different way than those with a little more girth.  I myself don’t have a tiny waist, and I am pretty curvy – admittedly more curvy now than I want to be.  But that may also mean that this excess fat that seems like my enemy right now might also be my savior when it comes to coping with and handling daily job stress and getting the job done that needs to be done.

Fat – my friend?  Who would have ever thought it

Gluten Free Diet’s Popularity

I remember when my grandparents both went on a gluten free diet.  I thought that, at the time, these so called “gluten free diets” were for “old people” who couldn’t handle the digestion process as well in their older age, and that doctors prescribed these types of diets as a matter of precaution against difficulty digesting and also in any harm to the large and small intestine, since I guess this is where the disease takes place.

The disease I’m talking about is Celiacs, and it basically means the person has either lost the ability to digest gluten, which is found in wheat products, and virtually every processed food you can think of save for the specialty ones made without gluten, or were born without the ability to digest this epinomous food type.  I remember how restrictive their diet seemed.  I would look at their cupboards as they got older and see things like gluten free bread, crackers and baking mixes and thought wow, thank goodness this horrendous affliction hadn’t gotten ahold of me, because I was such a starchhound as a kid.

However, one thing you can eat is potatoes and you can also eat rice, because they do not contain any natural gluten, but what you can’t eat is much more numerous a list.  Some question whether the gluten allergy or disease really exists, or if the gluten free diet is really of as great a benefit as some doctors say it is, but there are those that swear they feel a hundred times better when they are on the gluten free diet than when they were off.

Many say that it improves their energy levels, relieves chronic constipation, and even can put them in a better, more balanced mental state.  Gluten free foods were sold by billions of dollars last year alone, so there’s definitely a market for these specially made types of foods.  Because so many common foods that are easy to make contain gluten, many find it hard to discover foods and baking items that actually taste good and also meet their no gluten requirements. 

Substance Called NAPE May Signal Fullness

A fatty substance or chemical was found in the stomach of lab mice in a recent study on a chemical found in the gut called NAPE.  NAPE’s role in fullness and appetite is believed to be that it carries a chemical signal to the brain, signaling to the brain that it is full and for the subject, hopefully humans as well share this same trait which they most likely do, so that they will stop eating. 

When researchers injected the chemical into the abdomen of the mice, they stopped eating much sooner, and over a time period they ended up losing weight when they were consistently dosed with NAPE.  Researchers are hoping that this discovery can lead to better prescription drugs for weight loss that help to reduce the appetite naturally a little better than what’s currently out there on the market for weight loss, since there aren’t too many very good and very effective options out there.

We do know that there is another way we can reduce the appetite and send these “full” signals to the brain much sooner, and that is by eating meals that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. In the ZONE diet written by Dr. Barry Sears, he talks about how omega 3 fatty acids in your meals actually triggers something similar to where the brain is signaled much sooner than usual that the body is full, resulting in less food and calorie intake, which in turn results in- you guessed it – weight loss!

Rich Holiday Foods Give Way to Regret, Remorse

You know what I’m talking about too!  There’s already been way too much sinful eating in my house, and I’m starting to feel like my thighs are already the size of a house after just two weeks of sort of pigging out, not even going full tilt every day of the week.  I’m afraid to even step on the scale for fear it will yell at me, what are you doing to yourself!?

There are just two many yummy foods around the holidays that you are bombarded with that it seems like only the strongest willed of us can deny ourselves the pleasures – which are way too ongoing, I’ll acknowledge that myself, of these fattening, buttery, sugary, tasty sweets and treats.  It’s the season of comfort food, if there ever was one, because all of the “traditional” holiday fare is some sort of comfort foods. 

Think of mashed potatoes, turkey with dressing, stuffing, fattening casseroles, soups, cookies, cakes, pies, candies, and that’s not even to include the gifts of food that you get on Christmas day and continue to eat right up until the new year, until invariably, you stop and go, whoah, it’s time for a diet!

I know there are many holiday seasons when the nonstop buffet seems to occur from November until January, and suddenly when I’m ten pounds heavier and nothing fits me, it hits me that I’ve been stuffing my face for two months with foods that I would normally try to avoid except for times of indulgence. 

How do these Hollywood actress types do it around the holidays? Why do they never seem to gain a pound!?  I want to know what the likes of Posh Spice, Gisele Bundchen and other skinny types do around these times, do you think they indulge at all, or do they have the will of a thousand munks?