Lose ten pounds — and your health — in three days

July 24, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Searching the worldwide wacky web I stumble across: “Lose ten pounds in three days!”

Intrigued, I find myself on a discussion page for a “fantastic new diet.” Let’s review, shall we? (Warning: If you are capable of rational thought, tread carefully.)

Day One

Breakfast:
Black coffee or tea
half cup grapefruit
one slice toast
two tablespoons peanut butter

Lunch:
half cup tuna
one slice toast
coffee

Dinner:
seven slices meat
one cup string beans
beets
one small apple
one cup vanilla ice cream.

Day Two

Breakfast:
One egg
half banana
one slice toast
coffee

Lunch:
one cup cottage cheese
three saltine crackers

Dinner:
two hot dogs
one cup of broccoli
half cup carrots
cup of vanilla ice cream

Day three is a virtual repeat. Beyond that, instructions include, “Do not vary or substitute foods. In three days you will lose ten pounds and then you can eat normal food, but do not overdo it. After four days of normal eating, start back on the diet.”

Let’s wade right in, shall we?

[Read more…]

Healthy Eating For Your Whole Life—Three Ways To Eat Right Forever

May 9, 2013 by MikeTremba

You’re financially stable, emotionally secure, fun-loving and bright.

So why can’t you get your diet in check?

You diet, then you diet more, a little more, and still more after that.

But the weight comes back, along with the lethargy and discouragement. What’s the catch?

Don’t feel bad. The simple fact is that dieting doesn’t work. Like a Band-Aid on a broken leg, it’s an ineffectual fix for, even a back-step from, getting the larger issue—lack of healthy foods in your diet— in line.

Various non-gimmicky weight-loss plans such as The Diet Solution reviews provide a great deal of insight into the fact that eating well isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Training your mind and body to adhere to a healthy diet for your whole life requires vigilance, education and determination.

It doesn’t matter if you’re eighteen or eighty, diabetic, a dancer, or downright out of shape— there are a few ingredients to well-balanced, life-long eating habits that anyone can benefit from.

Cut the crud

If you eat well ninety percent of the time, it doesn’t mean your eating habits are ninety percent healthy; It actually means your eating habits zero percent healthy.

The math might not seem to add up, but trust me, it does.

Broiled fish and kale are wonderful for your body, but indulging in a Big Mac once a month is enough of a back-step to offset two weeks’ of diligent dieting. By no means should you cut the pleasure out of your eating habits; you just need to find ways to slice the nasty stuff out and replace it with just-as-tasty, ten-times-healthier alternatives.

Homemade vinaigrette dressing on a bun-less turkey burger with cheese will satiate your burger craving just as well as a Big Mac without packing preservatives, unhealthy chemicals and more sodium than you need in half a year into a single, wax-paper-wrapped serving.

Eat less, eat often

Your metabolism is the metronome determines the rate at which energy is fed to your body, using the stores of nutrients from the foods you ingest and releasing them into your cells at a rate it deems appropriate based on your average output.

The more efficient your metabolism, the less you need to eat to keep yourself energized. However in order to get your metabolism in the best shape of its life, you’ll need to eat more frequently, and you’ll need to eat better.

Feeding yourself small portions four-to-six times a day actually helps curb over-eating, dial back on calorie intake, and weed junk food cravings out of your life.

Foods high in healthy fiber like veggies and dip, or a store of fresh fruits and veggies, or nuts are excellent fillers between slightly larger meals, and limiting breakfast, lunch and dinner to small portions of nutrient-rich foods—like a cut of salmon or a fresh salad—well help to keep your energy up throughout the day.

Make it a group effort

It’s never too early or too late to start taking your health into your own hands. It’s also not easy to completely upturn your eating habits and make a commitment to sticking it out for the rest of your life is a formidable commitment.

Going it alone is never a good idea when you’re getting your diet into shape. Friends, family, or your significant other need to be in for the long haul with you.

That’s why it needs to be a commitment made by more than just you. Instead, you need a support system.

Do more than promising to eat better; make a plan and enforce it. Have weekly family meetings where you hash our meal plans for the week and share ideas for healthy, yummy snacks. Or, start a food blogging community with your closest friends and share success stories, great recipes and motivation through the airwaves.

However you go about it, go at it with a solid foundation of support. If you or anyone close to you has ever quit smoking, it’s the same principle; you’re infinitely less likely to lapse back into your unhealthy ways if there’re hands behind you to catch you when you fall.

About the author: Dr. Mike Tremba, once very overweight, stressed, and unhealthy, has learned uncommon tips to help him get over his obstacles to good health. He loves sharing with others, small, common-sense ways to live healthy for a lifetime. His commentary in The Truth About Abs Review is one way he gets to share his passion. Dr. Mike lives in southern Alabama with his beautiful wife, Shari.

Practical, Simple Advice to Feel Better Quickly

January 2, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus

Like so many thoroughbreds exploding onto the track at Churchill Downs, the gates have burst wide and the race to resolutions has begun. “Here we go again!” was first out but is already off the pace. “This Time It’ll Be Different” is fading quickly, but, the across the board favorite “Throw in the Towel” is once again moving up rapidly on the inside.

Alas, ‘tis January, and we have entered the silly season.

Barely two weeks ago, it was difficult to find a parking space at the mall — but no longer. Rather, it’s simpler than locating one at the health club. TV ads no longer tempt with sugary visions of chocolaty treats, opting to substitute video of hard-bodied men and bikini-clad women sweating to the latest exercise DVD available for three easy payments of $19.95. Interviews with specialists pontificating on the best value in gym memberships have supplanted chefs who provided recipes for holiday goodies. Store windows are now chock-a-block bloated with displays of diet pills, quick smoking solutions, and self-help books.

If you, like me, grow weary at this annual festival of advice; fret not, as it’ll be as long gone as last year’s chocolate Hanukkah gelt come Valentine’s Day. My question is, since it never works, “Why do we keep doing it?”

Oh sure, we’re a pretty self-critical bunch; never totally content with our lot in life. Lose a few pounds, get fit, spend more time with the family, work less, earn more, tuck this, grow that… it’s a never-ending catalog of imperfections. Yet, we can work on those any time. Why don’t we? Instead, every January, on the heels of two months of hedonistic over-indulgence, we stop for a moment to take self-inventory. After getting past the depression that follows such an unhappy assessment, we courageously commit to change every single solitary individual behavior that makes us feel sad or look bad. Within weeks — sometimes merely days — we’re exhausted by too much change in too short of a time, gorge on Valentine’s candy, and give up, proclaiming, “There’s always next year.”

Ready to break the cycle? It’s much simpler than expected. [Read more…]

No More Excuses: How to Motivate Yourself to Lose Weight

October 4, 2012 by Featured Author

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Ben Franklin was onto something.

Have you ever met a successful person who was good at making excuses? I haven’t, either. Instead of wasting his time sitting around conjuring up good excuses, a successful person takes responsibility and does what he needs to do to achieve his goal. Simple as that.

If you want to lose weight, do it. Yes, it’s much easier to plop on the couch and crack open a bag of chips while cooking up a reason to skip another day at the gym instead of, well, going to the gym, but would you feel so great about yourself by the end of the day?

It’s easy to let your excuses discourage you from improving your body. It doesn’t have to be like that! Sometimes you just need a little push in the right direction, and what better way to do that than to debunk your lame excuses?

Excuse #1: I’m too busy.

Your life may be going 500 miles an hour, but there’s always a way to incorporate healthy behavior into your daily schedule. For example, the time spent waiting in a McDonald’s drive-through could be better spent preparing a quick healthy meal, like a cup of oatmeal or a bowl of salad. Exercise doesn’t always mean spending an hour at the gym. You can break up your exercise throughout the day or replace one of your activities with exercise (such as riding your bike to work instead of driving).

How to motivate yourself: Create a reward system. Every time you exercise or eat something healthy, give yourself a point. For every 100 points, treat yourself to something nice! Or, instead of a point, you can add a quarter to a jar and use the money to buy something you’ve had your eye on for a while.

Excuse #2: Being healthy is too expensive.

Organic food and gym memberships can be hard on the wallet, but there are plenty of other ways to eat well and work out on a shoestring budget. Did you know that you can get your daily intake of fruits and vegetables for an average price of $2 per day? That’s cheaper than a liter of soda! Buy frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grains in bulk, or prepare meals yourself instead of overpaying for already-made meals. Rent exercise videos from the library, jog around the park, or do physical labor around the house.

How to motivate yourself: Add a monetary value to everything you do or buy. This will help you go for the healthier option most of the time. A few examples include:

“Why should I buy this pack of soda when I can get water for free?”

“I’m watching cable T.V. This is costing me $50 per month. Maybe I should cancel cable and go hiking instead.”

“I spend $60 a week on gasoline, which adds up to $3,120 per year. Yearly bike maintenance costs a fraction of that.”

Excuse #3: It takes too long to lose weight.

Dieting and working out is a long and hard battle. Just because you don’t see instant results doesn’t mean it won’t happen eventually. Be patient, and keep it up. You just need to keep your eyes on the goal. You’ll get there someday.

How to motivate yourself: There are tons of ways to motivate yourself to keep going. You just need to monitor your progress and keep reminding yourself why you’re doing this. Take a photo of yourself on a weekly or monthly basis, and, whenever you feel like giving up, lay out the photos in chronological order. Just seeing yourself get thinner and thinner may be enough to motivate you to keep going. Also, you can take out an old thin photograph of yourself and put it up in a place where you will see it every day. It would also help to take an article of clothing you want to wear when you reach your ideal weight and hang it in a visible place.

Are you a talker or a doer?

Do you know someone who talks the talk but never walks the walk? Do you want to be that person? Visualize the way you want to be, and do something to turn into the new you!

About the Author: Dora Novak, author of this article, writes frequently about topics related to food or health. As a start she used low calorie protein bars when she found herself having troubles with motivation.

Need help losing weight? Visit our sister site, www.21DayHabitChange.com and you’re guaranteed to change one bad habit in 3 weeks or your money back. (Enter code “ScottSentMe” and save 60%)

Three Types of Dieters…

August 22, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus

There are three types of people in this world: those who are good at math, and those who are not.

Okay, it’s an old joke, but I always get a chuckle out of it.

There are three types of dieters.

We shall begin with the “Planners.”

Similar to accountants, engineers, and folks who have to make sure all the “T’s” are crossed, and all the “I’s” are dotted, I assume these folks are proficient with project management software, budgets, contracts, and run a tight, well-organized ship at home. They tackle weight loss with the same fervor and methodology they would build a bridge: detailed efficiency and a clear eye on the goal. They determine how many pounds must be shed by which date, divide by number of weeks, calculate average weight loss, establish the necessary “additional calorie burn” per day – and plot a path to the end point.

“Planners” will have detailed food journals (“three and half ounces of chicken, baked at 350 degrees; long-grain rice, one half cup; broccoli, steamed – with a 1/8 teaspoon of olive oil”). They will often proudly also share a graph of their progress coupled with spreadsheets projecting future trends with appropriate predicted goal dates. Planners schedule their lives to hit their objective, and by golly, they’ll do it.

Planners — and their willingness to rearrange day-to-day living to achieve what matters to them — impress me.

I however, would not receive that moniker.

I reside much more on the right side of the brain, falling within the “Modifiers” label.

Although some might call us “unorganized,” I take umbrage at that descriptor, as I am quite orderly. I simply find it difficult to stick with one task from beginning to end without breaks along the way. I get things done — and at the risk of being immodest — I am told I do them well. However, I’m not a “black and white” kind of guy. Don’t weigh me down with details and specifics. Tell me where you need to be and I’ll get us there; just let me figure out the roads we take, and I assure you, we’ll both be happier.

We are artists, philosophers, and motivators. [Read more…]