How to reduce your risk for Heart Disease the Natural Way

Are you one of the millions of people that is suffering from heart disease or even worse? Have already experienced a heart attack.

These days it’s difficult not to meet someone who is either suffering from heart disease, has had a heart attack or has been told they are at risk for heart disease. It’s just about as common as meeting someone with brown hair. Unfortunately, the media and even many well-meaning doctors are completely misinformed on how to tackle this growing epidemic. It’s the number one killer in the US and plaguing many other countries as well.

What are we to do?

The best plan of attack is to combat the risk factors the best we can.

Use the following 5 tips to get you started on a heart healthy plan:

1. Drop the smokes. Yes, smoking has been shown to be one of the biggest risk factors in heart disease, mainly because of all the toxic chemicals added to cigarettes (not that I’m recommending tobacco or anything.)

2. Walk, walk, walk. If finding time for a structured exercise program is just too much of a challenge right now, just start by walking. I have known many people who have strengthened their heart and reversed severe conditions by getting outside and walking. If you can, find a scenic route. There’s nothing more calming than the outdoors. (I highly recommend whistling and singing while you walk. It makes for happy thoughts.)

3. Calm down. By this I mean, don’t stress about the stuff you don’t have to. This is actually a very funny statement coming from me who used to stress about everything! Deadlines, laundry, work, family… you name it, I stressed about. Not until I realized that this would kill me no matter how healthy my food was did I drop the stress and pick up the laughter. Right now as I write this newsletter, I’ve got more things that need to get done today than are humanly possible. My reaction “Haha..better put my Superwoman shirt on”

4. Do not and I repeat, do not go on a low-fat diet. Your heart condition may get worse in your attempts. Drop the bad fats (like hydrogenated oil and the nasty oil in French fries and donuts) and start eating more healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, salmon, walnuts and whole organic eggs.

5. Do not be afraid to eat saturated fat. If read “The Truth About Saturated Fat” in The Diet Solution Program you know that eating saturated fats is not what is causing people to get heart disease. It is processed foods, sugars and an overabundance of refined carbohydrates that is making this country so sick. The whole saturated fats topic gets me so fired up.

Even tackling each one of these tips one at a time will get you closer to a healthy heart and a lifetime of good health.

Learn how to take control of your own healthy by using these Healthy Weight Loss Tips.

Learn the Best Nutrition Information on the web.

Click here for more infomation

To juice or NOT to juice…that is the question.

I’m pretty used to people coming to my home and saying “Wow, this place is so super healthy. I can’t believe it.” As you may or may not know, it does take quite a few people to keep the Diet Solution Program running. I had a bit of a “retreat” at my house where I invited 3 of our employees to come and work from my house and spend some time together. Whenever entertaining guests, I always try and be the “hostess with the mostess” and in my best Martha Stewart impression I asked “Can I get anyone anything? Some food or a drink?”

One of my employees replied, “Yes, I would love some juice please.”

As I did everything in my power to hold back the look of death, I said “We don’t have any juice. How about water or a tea?”

Without going through the entire conversation, this particular employee couldn’t believe there was no juice in the house. Moreover, she absolutely could not believe that my son does not drink juice and only drinks water (and yes, I did let her keep her job).

She has, of course, read and knows the DSP inside and out, but she admitted that she really didn’t believe that I completely lived my life that way until she saw it with her very own eyes.

But back to the juice…

Juice is one of those drinks that many people perceive as healthy, especially when it’s labeled natural or organic and it says it is made from all natural ingredients. Let me clear this up right now…Juice is NOT part of a healthy eating plan unless you are freshly squeezing it right in your kitchen with your own hands or through a juicer.

“But Isabel. My juice says its organic, natural, 100% juice with no sugar added. Is that ok?”

Well, I spent a significant amount of time reading the label of almost every single juice container, juice box, and juice product and they all came up the same…with tons of SUGAR. Read the label clearly and you will see that every gram of carbohydrate contained in the juice directly comes from sugar.

“But Isabel. All the carbs from fruit are from sugar too right?”

Yes, fruits are almost entirely sugar (coming from fructose), but a whole fruit also contains plenty of fiber and vitamins that are lost when you make a juice, bottle it and store it for any amount of time.

“But Isabel. My juice is fortified with calcium, Vit D and iron (or whatever they are fortifying juice with these days).”

When you “fortify” any food or drink with a vitamin and/or a mineral, your body is smart enough to know that this is not the real version of this particular nutrient. So much so, that it will choose not to use it. Yes, all of these fortified products are not giving you the vitamins and minerals you need. You must obtain these from natural sources like real fruits and vegetables (i.e. real food).

So if you’re a juice lover like many people are or have fallen for the “juice is healthy” trap, here are a few strategies to help you get your juice fix while simultaneously following a healthy eating plan.

1. Buy a quality juicer and make your own juice. There are so many different delicious and nutritious juices you can make in a juicer that will give you a super boost of vitamins/minerals and super nutrition. One of my favorite is carrot, apple and ginger. Be careful though! If you’re anything like me and sensitive to too much sugar at once, I would suggest having a serving of 4 oz or less or mixing your 4 oz with some water. I would also suggest juicing primarily vegetables and not as many fruits. This is a great way to get in some serious nutrition without having to eat vegetables all day long (a great option for children). I would also combine your fresh juice with a protein and healthy fat to keep your blood sugar balanced.

It is best to drink freshly made juice right away, as the longer it is stored, the more it will decline in nutrition. You can put your juice in a glass jar with an airtight lid and fill it to the very top. There should be a minimal amount of air in the jar as the oxygen in air (air is about 20 percent oxygen) will “oxidize” and damage the juice. Wrap the jar with aluminum foil to block out all light. Light damages the juice.

2. Make my favorite “tea juice“. If you haven’t seen this recipe in the Diet Solution Recipe Guide, here it is again:

5-6 bags caffeine-free herbal tea (e.g., peach, mint, chamomile, or fruit tea)

3 quarts boiling water

Stevia powder (or liquid) to taste

Pour water over tea bags in a large pot. Add stevia while tea is hot. (Adjust amount
according to the desired sweetness.)
Let the tea cool, remove tea bags, transfer tea to a serving pitcher or individual water bottles, and refrigerate.

3. Make your own DSP approved lemonade. My business partner loves this and drinks it almost daily (be careful if you’re sensitive to citrus or too much lemon.) Mix the juice from half a lemon, 5 drops of liquid stevia and 12oz of water in a large cup. Add more stevia or lemon based on your taste. This drink is a great alternative to people who need a bit more flavor than plain water all day.

So what did I end up serving my thirsty employee? Water! (And she bought juice when we went out to lunch). Oh well, I tried.

So now that I’ve shown you why juice is not good for you and how you can make your own healthy drink alternatives, why not learn more about which foods will cause you to lose fat? Check out our informative video right now!

Lose Weight Fast

Do you want to slim down fast for that beach vacation or high school reunion? While there are many things you can do to shed pounds, losing weight too quickly, like any sudden change to your body, can be dangerous. While fad diets, diet pills, and fasting may indeed induce rapid weight loss, these methods can cause you to lose muscle and may also injure your heart and other organs fairly quickly. The best solution? Don't go for an overnight miracle. Instead, follow these steps to lose weight rapidly, healthily, and sustainably.

Steps

1. Have confidence in yourself. You should know the exact reason that stimulates you to reduce your weight. This will help keep you motivated in your weight loss program.
   
2. Set an achievable goal for your weight reduction. If the aim is not practical then you will easily get disheartened and stop following your regime. You must set a target that has a time limit. The amount of weight you want to lose and the time within which you would like to lose it should be decided beforehand. If the time and amount of weight is clearly decided primarily, then your enthusiasm will keep you on the track until you reach your destination.
   
3. Determine your daily caloric intake. Losing weight is simply an activity. Lower your calories intake without starving. Remember to calculate your metabolism. The metabolism is a large part of your calories burned in an average day. To win the battle, know how many calories you consume in a day.
   
   • Write down all the things you eat on a typical day. Carry a small notebook with you and write down every snack, every drink, and the contents of every meal. There are also great websites that you can use to keep track of calories, get recipes, and help achieve your goal. Don't forget to include the pats of butter or the spoonful of sugar in your coffee. It's best to do this for at least a couple weekdays and a weekend; it's even better if you can go a full week. There are also calorie tracking websites that can help you to do this, such as the US government Pyramid Tracker website.
     
   • Do an itemized calorie count. When possible, write down the number of calories in each thing you eat as you eat it. Keep in mind that the recommended serving size is often considerably smaller than the serving you actually eat. Look up the calorie count on the internet for foods that don't have calories listed on the container or for fast food meals. You don't have to be 100% accurate, but you do want a good estimate of the number of calories you're taking in. There is an idea that multiplying your ideal weight by ten will produce a rough estimate of the number of calories you need to eat per day to maintain your weight. This is not true for everyone. You may wind up grossly under or over estimating the number of calories you should be eating. Consult a nutritionist. Use a scientific or health website to determine the number of calories you should eat a day or consult your doctor. Everyone has different metabolisms and there is no blanket rule that covers everyone's recommended calorie intake. Reducing 500 calories per day from the calories you eat to maintain your weight can help you lose a pound of fat per week.[1]
     
   
   
4. Go over the list and decide which foods to cut out or reduce. Cutting calories is usually a lot easier than you might think. For example, that daily tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories. Since a pound of flab (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a pound a week. Other easy cuts include salad dressing (salad dressing is the number one source of fat in the average American woman's diet[2]), soda pop, candy, and butter. Look at the nutritional information for the foods you eat, pay special attention to your intake of saturated fats and empty calorie, high-sugar foods. You don't need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods you'll lose weight faster.
   
5. Seek out alternatives to the unhealthy foods you've identified. You can simply reduce the amount of soda you drink or mayonnaise you put on your sandwiches, or you can substitute healthier choices. Drink water instead of soda, for example, or use mustard instead of mayo. Low-fat and low-calorie options are also available for most foods, and many of these are natural, (although some are made with strange chemicals), and tasty. Start trying to eat healthy in most meals:
   
   • Choose lean meats. Chicken and fish are both very low in fat, and certain fish like salmon, sardines, and fresh tuna are an excellent sources of antioxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are also beneficial to your health, so aim to replace some or all of the beef or pork in your diet with these foods.
     
   • Replace high-calorie side dishes with healthier alternatives. Many people get a ton of calories from side dishes such as macaroni and cheese, French fries, or potato salad. You can eat healthier and lose weight by replacing these with fresh vegetables and salads. Pre-made salads are practically effortless, and when accompanied by a reduced-calorie dressing or no dressing at all, they're weight-loss gold.
     
   • Start your days off right. A fattening breakfast of bacon and eggs or a pastry can be replaced with yogurt, oatmeal, high-fiber, low-sugar cereals; or fresh fruit for fruit smoothies. However, for those on a low carbohydrate diet bacon and eggs are a great combo for breakfast, since neither have carbs. But don't fall into the trap of skipping breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast increases your rest metabolic rate earlier in the day, and reduces snacking before lunch.
     
   
   
6. Plan your meals. Look for healthy, delicious meals online or in your cookbooks, and create a menu for the week. Make sure that your meal plan reduces your total calorie intake: you're not going to lose weight if you consume the same amount of calories by eating different foods. Make a list of what you'll need for these meals, and -- except for a few snacks, of course -- don't stray from your list when you get to the market. Planning your meals helps ensure you get a balanced diet and reduces the temptation to stop off for fast food or order a pizza. Remember, it's easier to stick to your shopping list if you shop when you aren't hungry - this will help avoid impulse buys which contribute to calorie consumption.
   
7. Watch your portion sizes. Eating a whole bag of rice cakes in one sitting won't help you lose weight. When eating chips, nuts, or dried fruit, put a portion in a small bowl and then put the bag away. That way you won't mindlessly eat a larger portion than you had intended. Even if you only make minimal changes to your diet choices, reducing portion size will inevitably reduce caloric intake. A great way to watch portion sizes while snacking is to buy one serving 100 calorie packages - and they come in many favorite snack food items! Eat slowly to avoid overeating; you will get satisfied with less calories.
   
8. Graze on healthy snacks. Just because you're getting healthy doesn't mean you can't snack. In fact, eating small meals and snacks throughout the day, or grazing, has been shown to aid weight loss, compared to eating three large meals a day, by keeping metabolism steadier. Pick snacks that are low in calories and fat and high in fiber dried apricots, nuts, rice cakes, fruits, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and so on. Vegetables are generally very low in calories, very high in fiber, and full of flavor and nutrition. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, and try to eat vegetables plain, without fatty dressings or dips. Fruit also makes a good snack. Fruit contains more soluble fiber than vegetables, which slows your body's absorption of carbohydrates, thus releasing energy more slowly preventing sugar highs, and keeping you feeling full longer. Fruit juices are not a replacement for the real thing. You need that fiber, and juices often have more calories than the equivalent serving of fruit and as many calories as soda! Be careful with dried fruits, because without the water, you tend to eat more, and fruits, when dried, are calorie-rich per ounce. With any dry or dried food, be sure to drink plenty of water.
   
9. Get more fiber. There are many myths about fiber, but there is science to back up its helpful role in the diet. Fiber keeps the right amount of water in your intestines, making your digestive system work more efficiently and helping to keep you regular. Thus, just eating enough fiber may help you feel slimmer in just a day or so. There is also evidence that fiber in the diet can help prevent stroke and heart disease, ease the effects of diabetes, and may even directly help in weight loss.
   
10. Drink plenty of water. Adequate water is essential for health, and a great many people simply don't get enough. What's more, if you're chronically dehydrated, your body will retain water in unflattering places, so if you make sure to get plenty of fluids you can start visibly trimming down in as little as a day. Remember, the more you exercise, the more water you'll need. See the related wikiHow for more details on how much water you should be getting. Drink one glass of water before your meal; it will help digestion and also to get the sensation of fullness in your stomach that will keep you from overeating; that in combination with eating slowly, will allow you to stop eating when you are satisfied, not when you already ate too much (If you eat too fast you can get full, even bloated but still be hungry) .
    
11. Write down your targets on sticky note pads and then stick them in most spaces of your home. These stuck notes will always remind you of your goal and will further inspire you to stay on your regime. They would not let you forget your goals at any time.
    
12. Exercise. Remember, you can lose weight either by decreasing your calorie intake or increasing the number of calories you burn. Any health strategy should include both, but if you want to lose weight fast, exercise is essential.
    
    • Perform low impact aerobic activities. Moderate aerobic workouts incorporating brisk walking, cycling, aerobic machines, or swimming not only burn calories they also keep your heart healthy. Swimming is great, especially if you are quite overweight or have joint problems, because you can get the same benefits of running typically burning even more calories with much less stress on your joints. Try to get at least 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three or four days per week.
      
    • Pump some iron. Resistance training, weight training, can help both sexes stay lean by building muscle and raising metabolism. The fact is, hours and hours of aerobic exercise won't help most people lose weight fast because your metabolism drops back to normal fairly quickly after stopping the exercise. If you gain muscle, however, your body's resting metabolism, (the amount of calories you burn when you're just sitting still), increases, because muscle requires a lot of calories to maintain. Studies have shown consistent weight training to raise the body's metabolism by 15%. This means an average woman might burn 200-300 more calories at rest every day! Resistance training is the gift that keeps on giving!
      
    
    
13. Rest properly. This means not only taking at least 24-48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and taking 1-2 days off from exercising each week; it also means knowing how much sleep you need, since sleep deficiency impairs your ability to lose fat.
    
14. Be realistic. Don't expect a miracle. Healthy weight loss can be achieved fairly quickly, but you'll need to be patient. In addition, be sure to set realistic goals. Make sure that the weight you're trying to reach is a healthy weight for you, and keeping in mind that gaining pounds of muscle will help you lose fat, be trimmer, and look better even though you don't actually lose any weight. Your goal should be a healthy body, not a number of pounds! Everyone looks good at a different weight. A short person may look really good at about 112 pounds, but a person of a taller height would just look unhealthy. Keep yourself at a weight that makes you look good, not at a number that sounds good.
    
15. Make adjustments. A successful weight loss strategy based on reducing calorie intake and increasing activity can be adjusted to maintain your desired weight once you reach it. Unlike typical diets, this method is sustainable; it is a lifestyle change, not a binge-and-purge exercise. Slowly adjust your diet and exercise to include more weight training and calories, as much as is comfortable for you. If you do gain any weight back, you want that weight to be lean, toned muscle, not fat. In addition, weight training, no matter what your age, prevents muscle atrophy and can help stave off osteoporosis.
    
    • Instead of thinking of it as losing a certain amount of pounds, think of it as being a certain weight. So if you are 145 pounds, and you would like to lose 10 pounds, think of it as being 135 pounds. This helps you think about it as a long-term goal and not just losing the weight to gain it back again.
      
    
    
16. Be confident. You need to believe in yourself! If you want to diet, and you know that it will make you feel better, then you need confidence. Otherwise, the temptation to cheat on your diet will make it harder, and you will not feel better when you do lose weight. Avoid temptations like chocolate, ice cream, and cookies. They may taste good, but there are other foods that taste delicious, too, without being unhealthy. You need to always encourage yourself to achieve the goals that you have set. Learn to evaluate your efforts fairly and objectively. If you fail to achieve your target for the week, find out why is it so. Is it because you have missed an exercise session? Or you have been eating junk food for one of the days? After evaluating, look ahead to next week and try your best to stick to your plan.
    
17. Be consistent and disciplined, and have self motivation. To lose weight effectively, you need to stick to your weight loss plan religiously so as to see results. When you think about giving up, visualize the benefits of slimming down successfully.
    
18. After you achieve your targets successfully, you must maintain your weight loss. You must form a way of life that is healthy for you. Make certain that you don't gain back the weight you lost by returning to your old eating habits.
    

Video

Tips

• For maximum health, especially if you are changing your dietetic routine in any drastic manner, start a diabetic diet of vegetables, fruits, proteins in small portions of poultry, fish, eggs, and meat. Build your diet from there.
  
• Determine your objectives to lose weight. To succeed in doing something, you need to have a very compelling objective or reason so that you will not lose track of your goal. Losing weight just for vanity's sake is usually less helpful than losing weight to improve health. Other than just exercising, you need to have a healthy diet so that you will have a better body and more energy to be positive throughout the day.
  
• It's very good to do a blood test before you begin your new diet and exercise regimen. Some people may not need to lose a lot of weight, but they may need to lower the blood sugar level slightly. You can also check for mineral deficiencies.
  
• The goal is to lose fat, not just weight in general. If you are doing strength training during your weight loss (which you should be), you might actually see an initial gain in weight -- don't worry! You have probably lost fat and gained muscle, which is denser than fat and is much healthier.
  
  • A better measurement than what a scale reads is body fat percent. If you don't have access to calipers or a body fat scale, a better gauge is how your clothes fit and how you look rather than your absolute weight. If you can, though, it is good to measure your body fat about once per month. Men should be between 15%-25%, but no lower than 4%; and women 20%-30%, but no lower than 15%. Females have higher fat percentage due to pregnancy and menstrual requirements.
    
  • Generally, with a combination of calorie reduction and increased activity, you want to reduce and burn a certain number of calories a day, causing a net loss of calories so your body is forced to use its own stores of fat. How much aerobic exercise you need to perform depends on what you eat, how fast you'd like to lose weight, and how much muscle you gain. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Men can safely lose around two pounds a week, and women can safely lose around one pound a week. Any more than this and you might be losing more muscle mass than fat. Thus, with a combination of calorie restriction and aerobic exercise, a man should aim to run a 3500-7000 calorie deficit each week, and women should aim for a 1750-3500 calorie deficit.
    
  
  
• With regard to weights, men and women differ on their goals with weight training. Women, don't worry, no amount of weight training will make you as bulky as a man; women just don't have enough testosterone to build large muscles. The female body-builders you see are either taking steroids or training 2-3 hours every day. Male and female beginners should start with 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions, and should use the heaviest weight you can while still maintaining good form, even to the last repetition of the last set. Get a weight training book or find a reputable website that will show you different exercises and the correct form. When lifting properly, you will stretch the muscle during the exercise, but you should still stretch properly to prevent injury!
  
• No matter what the magazine article says, spot improving is a myth! When your body burns fat, it takes it from all over your body, even if all you do are crunches. No amount of crunches will get rid of that gut if they are not backed up by proper aerobic exercise and diet! Washboard abs do not come from millions of sit ups; they come from having low levels of body fat. So if that is your goal, make sure you do plenty of aerobic exercise in addition to your ab routine.
  
• Sugar comes in many disguises. Check your food labels: fructose, glucose, molasses, and corn syrup are all sugars. Limit all sugars, but especially stay away from high-fructose corn syrup. It is just a corn syrup full of sugar. Choosing foods without it will help you reach your weight loss goals faster.
  
• Remember your body needs 'fuel' just like a car needs 'fuel'. Your body needs the 'right' kinds of food to lose weight effectively.
  
• Don't taunt yourself by not letting yourself eat the occasional snack that you're craving. Just make sure you burn it off later with exercise
  
• Despite popular belief it is not terrible to eat after 6 p.m. A reasonable dinner with extra protein if you've had a good weight training session is going to help deliver nutrients to the body to prepare it for the next day. Additionally if you find yourself very hungry before bed, a small bowl of high fiber cereal and low fat milk will actually help maintain your metabolism while you sleep. The key is to not overeat in the evenings.
  
• Take the right vitamins for your requirements. While it is better to always get your nutrients from your food, most people miss something in their diet, especially when they're trying to cut calories. Vitamins and minerals play an important role in keeping your body chemistry balanced and your energy levels healthy.
  
• If you find yourself missing some of your favorite foods, don't worry. There is no harm in having your treat once a week. Pick a day each week where you treat yourself to your guilty pleasure in moderation. If it's pizza, try going to a gourmet pizza place that will use better ingredients and fresher vegetables. If it's a fast food burger, try making your own. A homemade burger is generally much healthier than the food they serve in fast food restaurants. Electric grills that are slanted to allow most of the fat to slide off make nice, lean burgers.
  
• Save some calories for potassium and protein for after you work out, this will help reduce soreness. A banana and an egg does the trick.
  
• Do not forget to stretch. Stretching can help increase your strength and flexibility.
  
• Cut down on your sodium. Many prepared foods have as much as 30% of your daily value. You get your daily requirement of sodium from a healthy diet; too much can cause you to retain water weight.
  
• Try not to skip any meals as this only makes your body to retain fats for energy. A good weight loss plan is to eat healthily and exercise regularly.
  
• To continue to lose weight fast[3] - eat a variety of foods. Just like in weight training, the body will get used to the same routine and plateau. Mix up the foods you eat to keep your metabolism high and prevent a metabolism plateau.
  
• Your breathing can also help increase your metabolic rate, and in turn enable you to burn calories more efficiently.
  
• You can reduce your caloric intake by eating slowly; your brain needs about 20 minutes to get the signal that you are not hungry anymore, if you eat fast your stomach can get bloated and you will still feel hungry, the extra calories will be accumulated as fat. Eating slowly gets you satisfied with less food without feeling hungry or deprived.
  
• You can actually lose weight by eating slowly. Because eating slowly gives your the hypothalamus in your brain to register that you are satisfied and that will allow you to stop before you overeat; it takes your brain about 20 minutes to get the signal that you are satisfied. This is why doctors recommend that you eat several small meals while keeping the same daily calorie/carbohydrate limits. The healthy goal is to be satisfied, not full. If you've satisfied your biological needs, but you're not full, then you've probably over indulged in the past to the extent that your stomach is expanded too much. Eat until you are satisfied, and no more, and your stomach will shrink back to its normal size.
  

Warnings

• Always consult a doctor before changing your dietetic routine. Also, make regular appointments with a registered nutritionist.
  
• Do not try to starve yourself. In the short run, reducing your calorie intake to unhealthily low levels will slow metabolism and actually cause you to lose weight more slowly. Then your body cannot process potassium so when you DO eat again, (the alternative to dying,) you will gain much more weight than you would if you weren't starving yourself and overall, you may end up gaining more than you lost. In the long run, starving yourself (anorexia or bulimia) can kill you. It's better to eat moderate amounts of healthy food than it is to not eat at all.
  
• Muscle mass weighs more than fat, so don't be surprised if you gain weight but look slimmer.[4]
  
• When starting a weight lifting routine, do not focus on a single muscle or group, doing so will overbuild that muscle while under building others - in other words, if you work your biceps, and not your triceps, your arms will begin to curl inward and you will look silly. If you work your chest and not your back, you will have a hard time maintaining good posture as your pectoral muscles overpower your back muscles and pull your shoulders forward.
  
• A balanced workout also strengthens all the joints and smaller tie-in muscles, those most likely to become injured if bigger muscles over power the smaller ones. Have a personal trainer or a fitness facility provide a balanced workout and stretching routine.
  
• If you have a serious medical condition (such as asthma or diabetes, or allergy to protein such as dairy products or you have lactose intolerance) or you are severely obese, consult with your doctor as well as a dietitian.
  
• Do not take any harmful drugs. They are unhealthy and may ultimately make you gain weight instead.
  
• Carefully consider whether you need dietary supplements. Most people may get the basic minerals and nutrients they need to sustain life through eating food. For example, excessive multivitamin supplements can make you overdose in some vitamins you need, and you can't store most water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C as any excess will be urinated. Although you could be below the recommended daily intake, that doesn't necessarily mean you are deficient in it if it's a kind that is stored. So you may wish to consult with your doctor or dietitian to inquire whether you need supplements and how much you should take.
  
• Losing weight too quickly is dangerous and can have adverse effects on your health. Despite the title of this article, getting into shape is best done slowly. If you find yourself losing more than 2 pounds, or more than 500g, each week, you are probably doing something wrong.
  
  Check out this video which contains EASY AND PROVEN fat loss stratergies to FINALLY & QUICKLY see stubborn fat come off your body once and for all. Click here

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Lose Weight Fast. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Get the Perfect Beach Body

Having a perfect beach body is a dream for many teen girls. Read on for some help.

Steps

1. Drink water. At least 8 8oz glasses a day. To know if you're getting enough check your urine. if it is clear, you're getting enough water. Yellow urine a sign of mild dehydration.
   
2. Eat healthy. Make a food diary and write in everything you eat. Avoid junk foods and drinks with heavy amounts of salt and/or sugar. Eat slowly, as this allows your body to digest, so you're not eating even after your stomach is full.
   
3. Look after your skin and hair. Establish a facial routine based on your skin type. For example, a person with normal skin would exfoliate once a week, plus use a gentle cleanser and toner daily. Daily moisturizing and application of sunscreen will also keep your skin looking youthful and healthy. Wash your hair every 2-3 days, depending on how quickly it gets oily. Use a good quality shampoo and conditioner, and comb through knots gently. For short hair, use pomade to spike and shape your 'do. For longer hair, apply a bit of gel to almost-dry hair, then turn your head upside down and shake it while tousling your hair with your fingers for a messy-chic beach style.
   
4. Exercise. Concentrate on cardio, which will burn calories and help keep you fit. When doing strength exercises, concentrate on your core for firm muscles. You can't target weight loss, but you can tone specific muscle groups. Do a routine that will develop long, lean muscles instead of chunky, veiny ones.
   

Tips

• Don't yo-yo diet or skip meals. This will push your body into starvation mode which makes it *conserve* fat. Eat regularly and have small, healthy snacks (i.e berries, dry cereal, yogurt) between meals to keep hunger at bay.
  
• Keep hydrated while exercising
  
• Tanning is old school. What's hot now is healthy skin that will stay healthy into middle age. If you feel you must tan, get a spray-on tan, or use a high-quality, no streaking self tanner. Always exfoliate before you use self tanner.
  

Warnings

• Consult a doctor before starting a new diet or exercise routine.
  

Check out this video which contains EASY AND PROVEN fat los stratergies to FINALLY & QUICKLY see stubborn fat come off your body once and for all. Click here

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Adopt an Intermittent Fasting Diet

Intermittent fasting (also known as, "IF") is the practice of periodically going without food for a period of time, typically on the order of 20-30 hours. By choosing one of the many regimes out there, or planning your own, you may experience mental, physical, and lifespan benefits.

Steps

1. Set your goal. Determine whether fasting is the right tool to help you achieve it. This will give you added mental strength to continue fasting, should you need it. Some goals for which IF is well suited include:
   
   • Reducing time spent eating, as you will eat a reduced number of larger meals.
     
   • Extending lifetime, though the mechanism is poorly understood and may not apply to humans.
     
   • Losing body fat.
     
   • Increasing (nor)epinephrine levels, enhancing focus and alertness.
     
   • Increasing growth hormone levels, raising bone, organ, and muscle mass.
     
   • Increasing autophagy and associated immune functions, helping you fight off infections and the like.
     
   
   
2. Decide when you will have your last meal of this eating period. Some people like to choose weather to eat or not on a day-to-day basis, but those who like more order in their lives may set up a schedule, such as "I will fast every other day" or "I'm not eating on Monday or Thursday".
   
3. Eat your last meal. Some people binge a little bit, though this means that you will spend more time digesting your food and less time in the "fasting adapted" phase of your food-abstinent period.
   
4. Wait. The benefit of the fast comes primarily from caloric and carbohydrate restriction. Water is absolutely fine, so you may consume as much as you want, and a snack of a couple hundred calories of protein or fat will not massively impact the effectiveness of the exercise.
   
5. Resume eating. Again, no special preparation is required.
   
6. Repeat 2-6 for as long as you want.
   

Tips

• Some popular fasting time-lines:
  
  • "Warrior diet": One meal per day; essentially a 1 hour eating window, 23 hour fast. Some practitioners use a schedule which more closely resembles a 4 hour eating window and a 20 hour fast instead.
    
  • "Eat-stop-eat": One 24 hour fast every two days or so, timed so as to be minimally intrusive to your social eating habits.
    
  • "Every other day": Abstaining from food during the entirety of a calendar day, plus any time that elapses between dinner of the previous eating day and the breakfast of the next. For most people, this is roughly a 33 hour fast with a 15 hour eating window.
    
  
  
• Eating a lot of carbohydrates, especially as the last meal, tends to make you hungry earlier into your fast.
  
• Water can help fill you up, diminishing the hunger.
  
• Consult your doctor before beginning an Intermittent Fasting diet.
  

Warnings

• If you have a history of eating disorders, you should be careful about adopting a IF regime. It may be in your best interest to enlist someone to watch you carefully, to make sure you don't take the fasting to an excessive extreme.
  
• Do not fast if you are pregnant.
  

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Related wikiHows

• How to Choose a Diet That Suits You
  
• How to Establish a Diet Plan
  
• How to Choose the Best Diet
  
• How to Detox
  

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Get Started on a Low Carb Diet

Been longing to start on a low-carb diet? Wish someone would get you started? Here's how to get going! This is not a substitute for reading the book however, that is essential to your success.

Steps

1. Get a copy of Atkins or Protein Power, or another low carb diet book of your choice and read it cover to cover.
   
2. If you don't wish to buy a book, at least make sure you research the diet throughly on the web. Keep in mind there is a lot of biased information both supporting and discouraging the diet, neither side is necessarily right. You need decide for yourself whether this diet is for you.
   
3. Make time to go through your cupboards and refrigerator to start the get-rid-of-the-bad-stuff foods. What to beware of: foods containing sugar or any form of sugar, such as molasses or honey; foods containing white flour; and especially avoid hydrogenated fats, also known as trans fats - they are artificial fats that damage your health. The US Government urges everyone to consume as little trans fat as possible.
   
4. Read each label carefully. If a box is unopened, such as a box of crackers, donate it to a local homeless shelter. If it's been opened, offer it to a neighbor or just dump it in the trash.
   
5. Shop on the outer edges of the supermarket. Meaning buy meat, low carb dairy products (cheese, butter, cream), green vegetables and low sugar fruits such as berries.
   
6. Make a shopping list of foods to keep on hand for your new diet plan. Write down good-for-you protein sources such as water-packed tuna fish, turkey bacon, chicken breasts, and eggs. Don't forget to include low-carb veggies, such as lettuce, mushrooms, and cucumbers.
   
7. Get to the grocery store, list in hand, and follow it!
   
8. When you arrive at home, put the low-carb foods in the front of your cupboards and shelves. Congratulations, you're on your way!
   
9. Focus on what you can have rather than what you can't. For example, you can now have: Greek salads, lean meats, lean sausages, steaks, roast chicken, herbed pork chops, unsweetened berry snack in whipped cream (or with zero-calorie sweeteners), sugar free flavored gelatin with whipped cream.
   
10. Enjoy hard cheeses (not much of the soft kinds), cheesecake made with Splenda and a chopped nut crust, nuts (almonds and walnuts are lowest in carbs), Caesar salad, omelets for breakfast, egg salad, "deviled" boiled eggs (spicy), some greens, raw veggies dipped in tzatziki or guacamole. Have French-style green beans not whole. Avoid most fruits except strawberries and some tomato. Vegetables are not unlimited. It is a healthy, luxurious way of eating.
    

Tips

• Keep low-carb foods available at all times
  
• If you are planning on going on a long shopping trip or getting ready to work, take low-carb snacks with you. For example, take a hard-boiled egg and a sliced cucumber (or zucchini), sprinkled with herbs, or some cheese.
  
• Research suggest excessive amounts of animal fat and animal protein might be damaging to ones health. If this is a concern of yours, stock up on tofu, soy milk, nuts and meat substitutes, while trying to keep your meat and dairy intake to a minimum. It is a myth that a vegetarian diet cannot be low carb.
  
• Drink lots of water. Doing this will help to decrease your sugar cravings, avoid binges and keep your kidneys working at their best.
  
• Nuts are a great snack for on the go or when just hungry
  
• There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, anyone claiming this needs to go back to Biology 101. The body can synthesize all the necessary glucose for function via a process call gluconeogenis. This is the body's preferred fuel actually. The only difference between "good" carbs, and "bad" carbs is more fibre and a few nutrients you could obtain from a nice healthful salad. Veggies are good, but not because they have carbs...because they have nutrients. Commercial fruit is bred to be unnaturally sweet.
  
• If you reduce your carb intake so much you would have to exclude a high number of vegetables and fruits from your diet, make sure you take a high-quality multivitamin every day or you will suffer from nutrient deficiency. Vitamin pills can never replace the nutrients in their whole form, but they are certainly better than nothing at all.
  
• Meat, eggs and dairy do not contain dietary fiber, so make sure you count on other sources for your 35 grams. Psyllum husk powder is an excellent fiber supplement; mix a couple tbsp in a glass of water or a protein shake.
  

Warnings

• Before you start on any new diet, check with your doctor or health care provider and discuss any health concerns you should beware of. Be aware many doctors are now supportive of the low carb lifestyle and realize it a healthy diet for most. However, some are dead set against it. Generally, those with kidney disease are advised against this diet. Testing yourself before you start and 3 months after will give you proof of whether this diet is right for you.
  
• Some research suggest low carb/high protein diets might not be the best health choice in the long run. However, a low carb diet has also now been shown to improve things like diabetes, hypoglycemia, acne, IBS and certain thyroid problems. Do some unbiased research on these issues for more information.
  
• Don't eat the commercial low carb cakes, low carb bars, shakes and processed products often and not at all if you are trying to lose weight. They are more for emergencies, not everyday eating since they lower carbs by luffing it up with air or by reducing portion size. You want to have food as unprocessed as possible.
  
• If you decide to stick with this diet, get your blood tested to make sure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. It's always better to be on the safe side.
  
• Ketones are produce when fat in the body are used as main energy during Low Carb Diet. This may cause side effects such as smelling breath, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite. Source: Low Carb Recipes
  

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Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Started on a Low Carb Diet. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.