Tag: Weight Watchers

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General Weight Loss Tips

Why Paleo

Thank you guys for the support on yesterday’s blog entry. After deciding to start a “no factory food week” and being introduced to Paleo, I thought it only made sense. Paleo is minimally processed (depending on what you choose to eat) and that is what appeals most to me. It isn’t “low carb” or meat heavy like the name shows it to be.

It’s not that I’m convinced scientifically that this way of eating is better because of our long ago ancestors, it appeals to me for it’s lack of crap. The thing that bothers me the most and something that I will have to deal with in the coming months is criticsm to trying something new. But here is what bothers me the most…

A sample day on Paleo (not unlike what today promises to be):

Breakfast: eggs and fruit

Lunch: some sort of mixed greens salad with roasted vegetables, olive oil and lemon dressing

Dinner: (we’re going to a cookout) grilled steak and vegetables, sweet potatoes

This is how I aim to eat no matter what I call my eating plan: counting calories, paleo, tomato, tomäto

Now if I announced I’M ON WEIGHT WATCHERS AGAIN, and decided to go the processed food route. No one would say anything.

Please help me to understand this mentality?

When I try something new that is different from what you do it’s not my way of saying, you’re doing it wrong. It has nothing to do with you. It’s my way I trying, again, to find something that I can do long-term to lose weight. How I lose weight has nothing to do with anyone else, but me. And when I’m successful, it won’t matter how I got there. When my blood test shows better numbers, when I’m less depressed, when I’m less foggy, when I don’t have to hide food or lie about food, when I’m not trying to stuff my feelings with food, when I can fit into an airplane seat without an extender or shop in any clothing store I like— that is what will matter the most. Not that I chose vegetables, meat and fruit. But, I can’t have all those precious things without making a real decision about how much and what I consume. A decision that is very hard for me to make when staring bread right in the eye when I know I can have it, but not too much. Maybe one day, but not today. I’ve known this for a very long time.

In my day to day life I noticed I was eating way too much processed foods. My sandwich thins, mayonnaise, pickles, meat that isn’t local, cereals, frozen meals, nutrition bars…I could go on. This doesn’t mean I won’t have organic-nitrate-free bacon or pure organic bars if I want it, but I want less ingredients in my life.

Just yesterday we switch our cat food to a more expensive brand. About a week ago I noticed one of our cats was (how shall I say) leaking. It was gross and smelly, so I took him to the vet. She told me that he needed more fiber in his diet. Fiber that he wasn’t getting from his very commercial (and cheap) cat food.

I looked at the ingredients of his new cat food and could pronounce every single ingredient: chicken, oats, sweet potatoes, kale…you get the picture. And then we went to compare it with his old cat food that was half the price and out of a paragraph of ingredients I could pronounce two: corn and soy. I was stunned. We decided it was cheaper in the long run to give them better food with less vet bills, so fancy cat food is where we went. This story is not unlike our own.

What is better for us? Not you. Not the guy down the street. But us. I struggle with my weight. I struggle with overeating. This is why I’m here. I’ve been here way too long to not be somewhere different. The food that consumes my thoughts the most are the same foods I shouldn’t be eating except on very rare occasions.

Allowing refined flours and sugars in my life doesn’t work for me. I want it to work, oh help me, if I could control myself around pizza, hamburgers (with the bun), cereals, bread and anything remotely sweet, I would have done it by now. I just can’t for longer than a few days. And then I’m consumed again.

I’ve been down a similar road before, yes, but this road is one with less meat, more vegetables, more fruits and more planning and creativity. This is not the time for sideways looks, questions, doubt… all I ask is this: if you don’t agree, keep it to yourself. Trust that I will find my way myself. Unsolicited advice does not look good on anyone, it says: you know better. you’re doing better. you make all the right decisions.

But do you know better for me?

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Weight Loss Exercise

And My Favorite Diet Plan? Weight Watchers


OK I get to finally talk about which plan I support for weight control. Over the years I have seen all the diets come and go. My dad years back did the Mayo Clinic diet, my wife joined Jenny Craig, and I have a bookshelf full of books starting with Susan Powter’s ‘Stop The Insanity’, Atkins Diet books, the GI Diet, Dr Phil’s Diet books and even more that I can even think of without standing in front of the bookshelf.

So what’s my favorite? It’s Weight Watchers. My wife joined Weight Watchers a few years back before getting pregnant with our second and I was more than a little skeptical. Over the years we learned so much about our diets, exercise and the role that weights cardio, carbs, fats, protein, and water played in our lives that I was pretty sure we could do it ourselves. Lastly I was nervous about how my wife Michelle was going to do as Jenny Craig had not gone well and she was talking about gastro banding surgery¦.this is something that I am not a big fan of at all unless as a last resort.

Well I was apparently wrong. Weight Watchers has a very simple system for weight loss by giving a point value to every food based on the calories, fat and fiber. Weight Watchers also has people mark down in a journal all of the fats and water taken in as well as number of servings of fruit. One really important factor to me is that weight watchers does not ban certain foods but instead preaches portion control and the ideals of healthy eating. This means that you will not get bored of the food and stray off of your diet, in fact it never feels like a diet to us but just a responsible way of eating.

Although the weight loss that Michelle has experienced is not like on The Biggest Loser TV show it is consistent and it has been really great to see the results. One of the really great things about Weight Watchers is the support that they give, Michelle goes to a meeting every Saturday morning where she weighs in and then a leader talks about holiday eating or motivation or what to replace problem goods with and at the end of the meeting Michele will often come home with a great new recipe.

Our family is definitely a Weight Watchers family with her watching the way she eats every day but more importantly we have great meals that are easy to make and not to strict and the whole family eats the same meal for dinner instead of us having a diet meal and three regular meals.

There are Weight Watchers meetings in practically every city in North America and there is great online support as well with an extensive website and numerous internet message boards.


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Weight Loss Exercise

What is Juice Fasting?


Juice fasting is a form of body detoxification that is said to remove harmful toxins from the body while improving the overall health of the person undergoing this process. It is also becoming popular as a process that is used to heal certain medical conditions as well as an adjunctive routine for those who want to lose weight.

How Does Juice Fasting Work?

Juice fasting involves eliminating all solid foods from your usual diet that typically lasts for up to 3 days. You will go on consuming juices made from fruits and vegetables to help supply your body with the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that will sustain your health.

Juice Fasting and its Benefits

Here is a list of the benefits that you can get from this type of detoxification process.

It cleanses and removes harmful toxins out of the different systems in your body.
Juices from fruits and vegetables instantly boost your immune system because of their high-nutrient contents.
It increases your bodyâ??s ability to repair itself and promotes healing.
It is a process that helps you lose weight in short time.

Juice Fasting and Weight loss

The process of juice fasting has become popular among weight watchers who are constantly looking for ways on how they can instantly drop unwanted pounds. This process has been found out to effectively help dieters lose weight fast.

When your body goes on a fasting stage, it tends to use up stored fats to fuel your daily activities. But prolonged fasting leads to a slow metabolism. This makes it harder for you to lose weight. Fasting also makes you dizzy and unable to concentrate more often until you lose your focus on your goal, which is to lose weight.

Juice fasting helps you keep going on your weight loss journey. Despite the fact that you do not consume solid foods, juices act as sources of vitamins and nutrients that boost your energy. You also prevent your metabolism from slowing down. Constantly keeping yourself hydrated with juices will prevent episodes of headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.

Combine this process with regular sessions of exercises and you will definitely achieve weight loss results in no time.

Juice Fasting and Its Side Effects

Before engaging yourself in a detoxification and weight loss process by juice fasting, it is important that you take note of some of the pointers that you need to know and the possible side effects and implications of juice fasting to your health.

Consider your overall health status. It is strongly discouraged to juice fast if you have any of the following conditions such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, stomach ulcer, and low blood pressure.
Pregnant and lactating mothers will compromise their nutritional health status as well as their babiesâ?? if they undergo this process.
It is important to seek professional consultations and medical advices from licensed dietitians and doctors. They are the ones who know what is best for your health and whether or not you are fit to engage in a juice fasting activity.
Take note when you will start your juice fasting and for how long you will follow this type of regimen. Depriving yourself too much from other sources of foods will lead to episodes of headaches, dizziness, diarrhea, and electrolyte imbalances.