We Do Not Need A Nation Of Size 5 Women, Find The Beauty Within You.

1st N Weight Loss: Couch Potato Challenge: Day 16

There is some truth when it comes to dieting. None of us enjoy the process, although we all eagerly await and anticipate the results. The problem is that far too many men and women around the world focus so much on dieting and perfecting their external beauty that they forget the beautiful people they are inside along the way.

Our culture is becoming obsessive about the perfect body and the perfect body image.

If there was one message that should make it out to everyone dieting it is this: dieting should be more about health than beauty. You should not need to conform to some preconceived notion of what is or should be beautiful.

If we create a world where everyone looks alike it would be rather boring in the end.

You need to focus on being happy with who you are in order to achieve the greatest dieting success you will have ever dared dream. Many of use eat out of emotional need or a simple need for comfort when we are depressed, hurting, uncertain, or simply in unfamiliar territory.

There is no solution that will work for everyone when it comes to making peace with who you are and this by no means indicates that you should no longer seek to be the healthiest you there is. It simply means that your focus should be more on coming to terms with who you are as a person than in creating a new person or imagine behind which you can hide.

Dieting for the most part is an opportunity for many men and women to become someone else. Whether that someone is the person you used to be or some person you think you want to be, you are quite unlikely to find happiness at any weight until you accept you for the person you are inside.

This is often a difficult process but one that is well worth the effort. Once you've accepted the person inside you can address the specific needs that often lead to the excess weight to begin with.

Depression is a common factor in weight gain as well as an inability to lose weight. By finding contentment depression will no longer be a controlling factor in you life. For many, this is the freedom they need from their weight problems while others will find there are still hurdles remaining.

The important thing is that you stop allowing the person you are to be defined by what the scales say about you.

Once you've reached a point in your life where you are happy with your appearance and feel that your personal fitness level is in hand you should discuss things with your doctor and see what he or she has to say.

We do not need a nation of size 5 women. We need a nation of women who are self-aware and self confident and not afraid to be who they are on the inside regardless of how they look on the outside.

Finding the beauty within is often the most important aspect of dieting that there can be. Take the time while dieting to get to know the person you are and introduce that person to the person you want to be.

In time the two will work out a healthy compromise and you will find that image isn't really everything no matter what the glossy magazines try to tell you.


This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

Dieting Without Sacrificing Food

1st N Weight Loss: Couch Potato Challenge: Day 15

Why is that so many people view dieting as punishment for not having the perfect body. They think that enjoying food is somehow bad for them, which couldn't be further from the truth. If you want to be completely honest with yourself, when it comes to dieting, it isn't about giving up food or flavor; it's about discovering new foods and flavors. At least it is for those who truly love food.

There are many spices out there that can make even the blandest of foods a little more tasty. Fish and chicken are popular diet foods because they are lean meats. However, adding a little blackening seasoning is a great way to put a little punch in your meal that will make it taste great without packing on the calories of dressing marinades or soaking in butter before broiling. You do not have to stop there. Italian seasoning can also add a little flavor to your kitchen without adding the extra calories that you are working so hard to avoid.

There are all kinds of seasonings that will work well in this instance. Many great seasonings for chicken also make great additions to chicken that will be included in salads for healthier lunches or salad wraps. Grains are good for you when you concentrate on whole grains. They are quite often the primary source of fiber in a diet and you need fiber almost as much as you need water. At any rate, simple things that spice up the same old lunch can have a huge impact on your enjoyment of food.

You can even enjoy the occasional treat when dieting as long as you do so sparingly. The key when dieting is to learn about proper portions and moderate indulgence. You can find all kinds of low sugar or low carb desserts on the market that you can enjoy sparingly. You can even find sugar free or low calorie candy in some cases though you should keep in mind that calories, particularly when it comes to candy you eat unconsciously add up quickly and you must pay close attention to those things you put into your mouth.

My point in all this though is that you do not have to sacrifice flavor in order to diet. You can live without butter; there are many substitutions on the market that are quite remarkable. But seasonings are a great way to add a lot of flavor for a tiny bit of effort on your part. Desserts are also great and you can find many dips and sauces that can be made with fat free or low fat mayonnaise or sour cream in order to cut a few more calories during your dieting process.

These dips and sauces can often make a great substitution, when paired with vegetables, for those chips and dips we love so much and often miss when dieting. Cucumbers, green, red, and yellow peppers, broccoli, and carrot sticks all have a nice little crunch to them that when combined with a good low fat dip can help cure the crave beast for greasy chips that often rears its head when dieting.

If you watch your calories carefully during meals you should be delighted to know that there are many little snack treats that are prepackaged in 100 calorie packs for your enjoyment. This means that you can indulge on occasion in those treats that you love most without sacrificing all your dieting efforts in the process.

These snack packs have become one of the best marketing ploys since the invention of diet colas. We all want the benefits of losing weight and will readily admit that if it were a simple process we'd all be thin.

However, having something like these hundred calorie snack packs to carry you through the worst of your cravings can mean the difference between dieting success and failure. They are definitely the difference in the old way of dieting and the new way of dieting without sacrificing flavor.


This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.

How To Live Healthy While Aging

1st N Weight Loss: Couch Potato Challenge: Day 14 - 1 wk left!

Aging is a natural process we all will face someday. As we age our bodies starts to decline producing those natural resources that we all need. As the body declines, aging symptoms develop including wrinkles, crowfeet, weight gain, weight loss, cellulite, and so on. To reduce the aging symptoms we must take steps to maintain our health.

The do not list:

Don't exercise before going to bed.  Exercise will get you all pumped up and your heart rate goes up, you will get yourself going and then you won't be able to relax. Exercise routines are best done in the morning, since it boosts your energy. When you wake up, work out before you continue your day you might find it much easier.

On the other hand, some people prefer to workout in the afternoon. If this is you, the afternoon is good as well, since it will boost the energy wasted from the earlier part of your day. Don't overdo it rather work out at your own pace. Do what your body says you can do. You can work out in the evening as well, but only work out an hour or two before you go to bed. You will increase energy, yet by the time you resume for the night, hopefully you will feel relaxed, and ready to turn in for the night.

What keeps you awake?

Snoring is something that can keep you awake at night. Sometimes snoring occurs from obesity or a sleep disorder and so on. If you have a snoring problem, perhaps visiting your doctor will help you find the answers to your problem.

Loosing weight by exercising can give you the activity you need for those bones as well as for a better nights sleep. Your partner may snore as well, which keeps you awake at night. If your partner snores ask him/her to visit, the doctor to find out if a medical condition exists. It's better to know now, rather than wait until it is too late.

Depression and stress can keep us from getting a restful night of sleep. Try practicing yoga. Yoga will help you develop meditation skills. The skills you acquire will help you to relax. Yoga workouts reduce ugly depressive symptoms, which includes stress. Aromatherapy and listening to music will also help to relax you and lessen that depression and stress.

If you don't seem to be having any luck with whatever you try and your'e still waking up in the morning feeling like you haven't had any sleep forever consult you physician. Talk to your doctor to see if he has any ideas that can help you live healthy, and sleep better. Perhaps your doctor can provide you with healthy sleeping remedies that allow you to sleep peacefully.

Eating healthy:

Eating healthy is another great way to live healthy while aging. When you eat the proper food groups daily, you are building your body by providing it with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it requires to live healthy. As you grow older however, your body will need more of one thing than it will another. Ask your doctor about a diet suitable to help you live healthy as you age.

Vitamins and herbs are a great way to increase your health and reduce risks of disease. If your body gets the proper vitamins it needs, your body will work to live longer. You have a wide selection of vitamins available to you, yet you should learn about the two vitamin groups before taking regimens. Look up the water and fat-soluble vitamins. Herbs can provide you with healthy nutrients to assists you with healthy aging as well.

This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.