Want to Lose Weight? Stop Eating Sugar!

Sugar may taste sweet but its health effects are anything but. Excessive sugar consumption throws the body’s pH levels out of balance making it harder for us to lose weight and maintain good health. The sugar, and the acidity that it creates, provides an internal environment that is ripe for the overgrowth of dangerous yeasts, fungi, and bacteria.

In turn, these pathogens feed on the sugar, multiply, and expel toxic wastes that make us feel and look even worse. Because these critters feed on sugar, our body begins to crave more sugar in the form of sweets, breads, pastas, and so forth. We end up feeding these microorganisms and fuel their growth and place further toxic acid into our body.

As this vicious cycle continues not only do we feed these toxin-producing microorganisms but we also intake huge amounts of calorie-rich, nutrient void, sugar-laden foods. Over time, an excess intake of calories through sugar obviously leads to weight gain (considering everything else remains equal).

The Liver, Toxins, Acid, and Weight Loss

The other aspect of sugar that prevents weight loss is the fact that as we fuel more and more microorganisms, the toxins they expel create more acid in our blood and pose added stress on our liver.

Since excess acid in the blood will eventually be stored in fat cells, it is futile to further acidify your body if you want to lose weight. Only once you rid your body of excess acid and restore its proper pH balance will you be able to shed excess fat. If fat isn’t needed to store acid, then it can more readily be metabolized.

Similarly, if your liver becomes stressed and compromised as a result of having to filter tons of toxins floating through your blood, your weight loss attempts will be in vain. This is because the liver is not only the body’s major filter but it also regulates sugar and fat metabolism. If the liver is not functioning properly then its ability to metabolize sugar and fats will also be compromised. Elevated blood sugar and blood lipid levels are usually the result.

Hidden Sources of Sugar

While we typically eat a lot of sugar in the form of desserts and sugary beverages, a large portion of our sugar intake comes from hidden sources which include:

• Livestock are often fed sugar prior to slaughter to improve the color and taste of the meat.

• Corn syrup and molasses are often used in restaurants to prevent shrinkage of hamburgers.

• Sugar is added to many mixes and roasted nuts.

• Canned fish are often glazed with sugar.

• Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and relish are heavy sources of sugar. In fact, sugar is most often the first ingredients in these foods.

• Most table salts contain sugar.

• Most breads, pastas, and cereals contain added sugar of some sort.

So as you can see we are bombarded by sugar. The key is move away from packaged and processed foods and move towards fresh whole foods.

You’re much better off eating natural sugar from fruit then chemically altered and manufactured refined sugar that you can buy from a store.

The choice is yours but if you want to lose weight then you need to make the right choice. Opt for more fresh vegetables and fruit, especially greens. Greens are one of the best sources of alkalinity and help rid your body of excess acid produced by sugar consumption.

Discouraged With Slow Weight Loss Results?

Losing weight is a long-term process and requires sustained effort and continual focus on the goal. It also requires daily decisions about food and eating. Days of discouragement, impatience, and frustration are to be anticipated. So how do you handle days when the scale will not budge or when you tire of the effort required? Here are some tricks to keep you on track:

1) Chunk down! The feeling of overwhelm is an immediate sign that you are looking at too much of the big picture. Perhaps you are focusing on all the weight you have to lose or how much time it will take to get to your goal. Instead, chunk down to focus on the immediate future. You can't lose 20 pounds today or even this week. Shift the focus to today and what you can do now to get to your goal. Each day is one step closer to your weight loss success. Each and every healthy meal you eat makes you that much healthier.

Relax and tell yourself that based upon the amount of weight you want to lose and the place you started at you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Losing weight is a big goal and requires extraordinary effort over time. Plenty of people describe the weight loss process as one of the most difficult endeavors they've attempted. Think of it like training for the Olympics. All the daily efforts are important and the rewards will be well worth it.

2) What do you need to hear that is motivating? What would a great coach say to you at a time like this? What would a best friend tell you that could make a difference?

"I know you can do this."
"I believe in you! Be patient."
"You have what it takes to do this!"
"Think about what it will be like when you've lost that weight! It will be great."
"You'll get there. Stick with it. You'll be so glad you did when the weight starts melting away."

Discover what is encouraging to you and write the statements on index cards. Refer to your motivating statements just when you start to feel discouraged. You can even post them where you'll see them regularly.

Feelings are oftentimes the result of what we tell ourselves. If you are feeling discouraged or frustrated chances are you are thinking some pretty discouraging thoughts. Perhaps you are saying something like, "This is taking so long; I'll never get there!" Or, "I can't eat anything I want." Spend some time thinking about the thoughts that get you into the state of discouragement and choose to say something different, something more empowering. Awareness is power which then gives you a choice.

3) Use solution focused questions. Ask yourself, "What can I do to get through today and feel good about myself?" Tomorrow will be another day with its own challenges and successes.

4) Redefine success. Think of success in small terms as well as in the attainment of the big goal of losing a set number of pounds. Getting through one day of discouragement is a big deal. Eating healthier for several days is quite an accomplishment. The loss of 1 - 2 pounds each week adds up to lots of weight after several weeks. Any time that you say "No" to a high calorie, high fat food is clearly success. Celebrate every step of the way because it all adds up.

5) Create leverage. Get clear about the long-term consequences of not losing the weight. What happens if you don't stick with your goals and make the desired changes? What price will you pay in terms of self-esteem and your health? Imagine this possible future in real terms. Ideally, this motivates you away from that future.

Now imagine the future where you reach your goal. How happy will you be in that healthier body? Imagine yourself feeling good. Create a list of all the benefits you get with your goal. Use the negative and the positive to gain leverage and create motivation.

6) Keep a Gratitude Journal. On a daily basis write down ten things you are grateful for in your life, yourself, and your efforts at losing weight. Write down even the smallest things. This will keep your focus on the positive so you don't lose sight of them.

This long-term goal that you have chosen requires persistence and effort over time. Think of it as a metaphor for building the foundation of a beautiful building. The first layers of brick don't seem like much at first. Some days little progress will be made. Sustained effort will eventually tip the scales and you will see results multiplied. You will be glad you kept your focus and stayed on the path to your goal.

Positive Self-Talk For Rapid Weight Loss!

Do you know that your current subconscious programming really determines your weight? If you want to lose weight permanently then you need to start working at the source of the problem.

So how can you achieve this?

One of the techniques that I use is called self-talk. This is something which I recommend my clients and it can have wonderful results when used properly and consistently.

When you keep telling yourself that you will never be able to lose weight or diets and exercises do not work for you, whatever you tell yourself is going to gradually become reality. What self-talk does is help you to change your programming by ensuring that you only deliver positive ones to your subconscious mind, rather than negative ones.

Firstly, you should appraise your current self-talk. To do this you have to simply note down everything that you say to yourself relating to your current and goal weight, dieting and exercise. For example, if you hear you saying in your head 'this exercise program will not work for me', note that down. Do this for three consecutive days, noting down everything and a picture will appear.

After three days, evaluate what you've written down. Is this really the sort of programming that you want to be logging into your subconscious mind, the driving force behind everything you do? If you answered no to that question, and most people will, then you have to do something about it.

Now, take every phrase you have written down and turn it around. To illustrate, take the phrase, 'this exercise program will not work for me' and change it to 'this exercise program will work for me, I will work hard and stick to it'. Do that for all of your phrases and then you will soon be looking at the type of positive messages that will want to be programming into your subconscious mind.

Read these positive phrases every morning. Read them in the mirror, out loud, and make eye contact with yourself. Perform this for several weeks and you will start to see some changes. At this point in time, you can start to edit your internal dialogue and optimize it best for yourself. This is a long term technique that can yield amazing rewards when done well.

This is only one weight loss technique, but it is one of the best I have ever come across.

Hypnosis for Weight Loss

Over the past 20 years, I have seen hundreds of people lose weight and get in shape with the help of hypnosis and other mind power techniques. So it is very frustrating when time and time again, “hypnotism” is portrayed as witchcraft of some kind – in the movies we see over and over again the scene played out where a crowd watches a magician-like figure gently wave a clock on a chain in front of a doe eyed young subject. But, what is hypnotism really? And what does it mean in a modern context? Are hypnotists really magicians or is something more legitimate going on? And, most importantly – what the heck is hypnosis for weight loss!?
What is Hypnosis?

According to the American Psychology Association, hypnosis is now predominately considered a therapeutic technique. Clinicians use relaxing thought techniques and procedures to make suggestions that are intended to become the focus of the subject’s attention - that’s right, actual health practitioners that are trained in hypnotherapy now administer hypnosis in a regulated clinical environment [1].

The University of Maryland medical center explains that hypnotists induce a shift in consciousness whereby people become incredibly receptive to suggested ideas or images [3]. But, unlike fictional portrayals of hypnotism, hypnotherapy is not about making you act like a fool for the audience’s entertainment – it’s about psychological healing and is used for weight loss and other medical concerns.

Hypnotism is loosing its image as a magic trick and is actually recognized and respected by psychologists and other health practitioners as a mechanism for aiding with processes of healing for various maladies, such as weight loss or anxiety and stress. Hypnotherapy is about mastering your own state of consciousness and harnessing the positive ideas or images – eg. that you are thin and healthy – and making them a reality by actively affecting bodily functions and psychological responses [3].

How does hypnosis work for weight loss?
On the surface this might seem like a really odd idea, you might be wondering how you can essentially think away your excess weight. Well, that’s because that’s not exactly what is going on. Hypnotherapy for weight loss is not about just sitting there with a clinician as they induce a trance like state and start feeding your mind ideas and images of your thin and healthy self, having you wake from your trance with weight lost. No, if that were the case – that would indeed be a very valuable magic trick. Rather, hypnosis is a process that has affect over time. It’s about changing your habits and mental associations with various stimuli and reframing situations in your psyche by influencing your subconscious while your conscious self is less awake [3].

So, if you have a problem with binge eating and that is directly linked to your weight gain – then hypnotherapy could be used to change your physiological reactions to various stimuli that trigger your binging episodes. As a result you are changing the mental processes and physiological processes that are directly linked with weight gain in a way that is unique to you.

Does hypnosis for weight loss actually work?
A lot of people are already skeptical about using mental energies to help with weight loss, so what we now need to dissolve is whether or not hypnosis for weight loss actually works. The answer is yes, fully. There are several medically documented cases of scientifically controlled conditions in which subjects have been successful with weight loss using hypnotherapy. One such study out of the University of British Columbia that studied the affect of hypnosis for the weight loss of women concluded that hypnosis was undeniably a beneficial method of aiding weight loss [2].

The study was conducted and the affect on weight loss was analyzed immediately after the hypnotherapeutic treatment and again 6 months later to determine whether the affects were long term and on going. The method of hypnosis used was the induction of unconscious ideas in the subjects regarding diet and individual concerns related to loosing weight.

Both group hypnotherapy and one on one individual sessions were conducted. Dr. Cochrane and his team ended up concluding that the group of women who underwent hypnotherapeutic treatment enjoyed the affects of significant weight loss, whereas the control group that did not undergo treatment did not enjoy such benefits [2].
Hypnotherapy is an upcoming gem in the medical world and is gaining more and more recognition and consideration from health practitioners and patients seeking help with various issues that are at base related to mental processes. Are you struggling with weight loss? Well, what are you waiting for? The answer to your pursuits might be right inside of you, up there in that beautiful head of yours, just waiting for your guided attention.
If you need some guidance and advice on your own weight loss pursuits, check out the resources on http://fastweightlossgym.blogspot.com/ : at “Mind to Succeed” you can find help with hypnotherapy that is just right for your weight loss needs.

Sources:
1. American Psychology Association. “Hypnosis”. Online:http://www.apa.org/topics/hypnosis/media.aspx2. Cochrane, Gordan and Friesen, John. “Hypnotherapy in Weight Loss Treatment”. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1986: Vol. 54 (4) 489-492.
3. University of Maryland Medical Center. “Hypnotherapy”. Last reviewed September 06, 2011: https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/treatment/hypnotherapy

How to Get Rid of Dry Skin

Vitamin deficiency and dry skin can, quite literally, go hand in hand. The inadequate supplies of certain vitamins can result in dry skin. Balance is the key to optimum health. Clearly, healthy, moisturized skin depends on a balance of the body’s chemistry as well on many vitamins and nutrients, and a nutritious diet should be designed to meet all of an individual’s vitamin needs to ensure good health, including smooth, luxurious skin.

Keeping the body’s chemistry is essential for optimum health. The imbalance of sodium and chlorine can be the cause of dry skin. To remedy this ailment, create a balance from mother nature. Eat foods rich in sodium and chlorine.
Chlorine foods are celery, asparagus, carrots, spinach , turnips, fish, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes. These are just a few, but try eating more salads and greens when experiencing dry skin.

Sodium foods are apples, celery, red cabbage, collard greens, carrots, fish , mustard greens, sunflower seeds, okra, cheeses, beans and greens.

Dry skin can be as simple as slightly rough or itchy skin, or it could be a more severe condition creating cracks, redness, peeling, pain, or a burning sensation. In severe cases, lesions may appear or the skin could begin scaling.

Several vitamins and nutrients are necessary for healthy, well-moisturized skin. Vitamin A is the most essential, but proper skin health results from the proper balance of several vitamins.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A was first discovered in 1913 and today it is known to be important for several health issues. Vitamin A not only contributes to proper cell growth and repair, particularly of skin cells, but is also essential for strengthening night vision, assisting bone growth, and regulating the immune system. A deficiency of Vitamin A can lead not only to dry skin but also to dry hair, broken fingernails, and dry eyes.

The recommended daily dosage of Vitamin A varies from 300 to 1,300 micrograms (1,000 to 4,300 IUs) based on age and other health factors such as pregnancy. While the beta carotene form of Vitamin A can easily be absorbed in much greater amounts, too much of the retinol Vitamin A can result in nausea, dry skin, headaches, and other symptoms.

Vitamin A can be found in a number of healthy foods, including carrots, egg yolks, peas, apricots, kale, spinach, pumpkin, squash, and oranges. Liver is also a rich source of Vitamin A, and the vitamin is often added to fortified juices and cereals as well as multivitamins.
Other vitamins and minerals are also essential to prevent dry skin, including:
Potassium
Sources: Potatoes, squash, peaches, bananas, tomatoes

Sodium
Sources: Dill pickles, olives, tuna, saltwater

Vitamin E
Sources: Corn, sunflower oil, asparagus, oats, carrots, wheat germ

Vitamin B
Sources: Whole grains, liver

Don’t forget your Vitamin D. Get your vitamin D with sunlight or supplements.