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HCG Diet Recipes to Enjoy

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:56:26 +0000

The Trouble With Protein

Protein sources that are allowed on the HCG diet are limited in their variety and in their inherent flavor. White fish, shellfish, and chicken breast are just plain dull without fat. If you could follow Julia Child’s advice to smother everything in butter (not allowed on the HCG diet!), you would get a lot more flavor from these foods. So avoiding fat and still getting flavor is the challenge

The key to making the protein sources flavorful is simply how you use herbs and spices. There really is not much to it. Garlic and onion are the most important of these. Hot sauce, chili powder, cilantro, parsley, tarragon, oregano, and many more highly flavorful spices make any dish of chicken or fish taste great. If you do it right, you can even have tacos! And if you are careful, you can incorporate extra lean ground beef.

Mother Nature’s Veggies

Vine-ripened tomatoes and cucumbers (both of which are really fruits, by the way), young asparagus spears, and dark green leafy greens are as good as it gets from Mother Nature. If you had a source for these, which would almost have to be locally grown, then cooking would not be necessary.

However, since the most inexpensive and easy to find veggies are going to be at your supermarket, then you will want to flavor them up a bit, or maybe a lot. They will have very little flavor, because they have been picked unripe, put into cold storage, then fumigated with ethylene gas to make them look ripe.

The keys to making flavorful veggie dishes are the same as for protein dishes. Herbs and spices make everything much more enjoyable. Oh, and there are some allowable vegetable combinations, such as cucumber and lettuce, that work just fine in spite of violating Dr. Simeons’ original protocol.

Chocolate Strawberries and Other Great Desserts

Like veggies, fruits are at their tastiest when Mother Nature takes them to ripeness. However, if you by chance want to really liven up some not so ripe strawberries, a chocolate sauce sweetened with Stevia is a great choice. The key is mixing the right proportions of unsweetened cocoa powder and flavored liquid Stevia (Vanilla Creme or Dark Chocolate are the best) into a fruit dip. Freezing and serving chocolate-covered strawberries is a real delight!

Even if your apple happens to be a little tart, you can transform it into an allowable applesauce. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, with flavored liquid Stevia, are the key ingredients. All you have to do is slice the apple, cover and bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (with one-fourth cup of water), then puree and add spices. Wonderful!

Stevia to the Rescue

None of the artificial sweeteners are good for your health. And some, such as aspartame, are downright dangerous. Stevia is the best of the lot if you want a sweetener without side effects. Well, you might detect an aftertaste if you use unflavored Stevia powder. The flavored liquids, however, open up all kinds of sweetening adventures without the aftertaste. Imagine adding these new flavors to your fruit desserts: English Toffee, Apricot Nectar, Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon, Chocolate, Grape, Lemon, Peppermint, Root Beer, Valencia Orange, Vanilla Crème.

By the way, liquid Stevia makes any beverage sweet and flavorful, too. I like English Toffee in my coffee, so I no longer feel the need to fuel my sugar addiction in my java. Although commercial sodas are the greatest diet evil in human history (am I being too wishy washy on what I think?), you can make a delicious and healthful soda on your own with flavored liquid Stevia. Just add a few drops of any flavor to club soda and there you have it. Nothing better.

Melba Toast

Okay, there is not much you can do with Melba Toast all by itself. Flavored Melba crackers do offer actual flavor, though (e.g., garlic, sesame). However, you can incorporate Melba Toast into meat dishes, such as meatloaf, to maximize your flavor experience from the starchy component of the HCG diet.-

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South Beach Diet Recipes Helps You To Lose Weight Fast
Many people grumble a lot when they get on a diet program because they feel that they will have to miss out on their favorite foods. They tend to equate weight-loss-facilitating healthy and nutritious food with boring and insipid food. But this is anything but true with the South Beach Diet, which serves both taste [...]...

The Olympic Games: It’s All About Time

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:05:02 +0000

***At this moment I am obsessive watching the Winter Olympics. I would consider myself a bit of an Olympic junkie. Summer or Winter, doesn’t matter. Every two years for two weeks in either February or August, my life seems to stop and, to quote Fight Club, everything just seems to have the volume taken down- unless it’s Olympic related. These aren’t people who have decided to take HCG for weight loss to get their bodies in shape; these are people who have worked their entire life to for a chance to win. These people spend every day of their life in constant training for their event. They are in it physically and emotionally. So many sacrifices have been made all in the name of either making the Olympics or winning the gold. This, to me, is what makes the Olympics so incredible. It’s not about getting a new contract; it’s about giving your all and hopefully winning a medal.

One of the things that make the Olympics so incredible to watch is the idea of time. While some might like to watch the judged events like Figure Skating, I love watching events like downhill skiing and speed skating where one one-hundreth of a second can mean the difference between winning and losing. Yes, you heard that right: a hundredth of a second. That’s an amount of time that most of us can’t even comprehend. We deal in minutes and hours, we can’t imagine our entire life coming down to tenths and hundredths of seconds.

Yesterday I was watching a biathlon race where the winner won by four tenths of a second. Considering the fact that it was a 15 kilometer race, we are talking about mere inches separating the gold medalist from the silver medalist. It’s amazing to think that two athletes can stay that close for just over 10 miles.

Things like this make me wonder how this is worth it to the athletes. I’m not talking about the guy who won because I’m sure his life has just been made, no I’m talking about everyone is position 2-50. I’m sure a good majority of the participants are just happy to be there so they are just going for a personal best. But for those who were going for gold I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose by .4 seconds. How do you sleep at night after something like that? I’m guessing being a world class means you’re as strong mentally as you are physically. That seems to be the only way you could get over that. Well, that, and keeping the faith that in another four years you’ll get your chance again.

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Herbaceutical enriched diet pills and weight loss supplements – Fatburn7

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:50:01 +0000

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admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:05:01 +0000

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Easy Tips to Losing Weight in The New Year

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:14:01 +0000

Most people have a tendency to think that it’s all or nothing when it comes to losing weight. Thankfully, you can start on your road to weight loss by just merely tweaking your everyday diet.

My friend asked me something startling last week. It was over lunch. Between bites of a cobb salad (minus the cheese, bacon and blue cheese… I wonder what Larry David would have to say about that), my friend asked me rather bluntly “You know, I’ve been trying to lose weight for six months now. Last week I even found myself reading an article on how to mix HCG, so tell me: how do you keep so thin?”

I swear to you this is not me showing off. This completely shocked me because I don’t consider myself that thin. I’m not one of those people who likes to go “God, I’m so fat, look at me” just to get attention, but I also don’t consider myself thin. I’ve had many a weekends looking in the mirror going “god, I gotta lose some pounds”. I’m not fat or anything, I just don’t view myself as “thin”.

This got me to thinking though, if my friend considers me “thin”, then I must be doing something right on the weight front. I’m not one of those people who are like “watch what you eat, diet, exercise, repeat”. I’ve never really followed any kind of formula. I guess I’m more of a “just don’t do anything crazy” type of dieter.

Ok, let me explain my theory: Say you’re going to a fast food restaurant. The key is to not go crazy. You don’t have to get the salad with no dressing, if you want a hamburger just get the smallest hamburger on there. Most fast food places are most famous for their most basic burger, so why not try that? You can have a few fries, but only a few. Get a small or share with someone else. Also, as painful as it is, look at the nutrition facts, this way you can find ways to cut a few calories out here and there (my personal trick: cut out mayonnaise or other thick type sauces, they don’t usually bring much flavor to the game anyway).

The old adage is true, it’s all about moderation. Being full is a disgusting feeling anyway, so why would you push yourself past that point just because something tastes good? Why have four pieces of pizza and feel sick when you can have two and full satisfied.

When it comes to exercise, well, I wish I did it more. When I do do it though, I try to keep it enjoyable by listening to good music. If you can pick the right pick of songs your workout routines feel much, much shorter.

These are just a few ideas. It’s not foolproof and frankly, you probably know more than you think. We all have tricks; (like knowing how to mix HCG) we just don’t think about them that often.

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Diet pills top 3 exposed

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:35:01 +0000

I would like to introduce you to the most popular herbal weight loss supplements around (Proactol, UniqueHoodia and Acai Berry).

Each of these products are designed to help you achieve weight loss. They all work in slightly different ways and my aim is to briefly

summarize the differences in each product.

I have listed the benefits of each product and any precautions that you need to be taken when using these products.

Proactol

Proactol is supplied in tablet form and is made from a 100% natural and organic plant extract. It is completely free from allergens, artificial colouring, flavours, salt and preservatives.

It contains both soluble and non-soluble fibres that work in different ways to achieve weight loss.

The non-soluble fibres come into contact with dietary fat in the stomach and bind to form a fluid gel. This creates a fat compound that is too complex to be naturally absorbed by the body. Up to 28% of dietary fats are rendered indigestible in this way.

Soluble fibres however, bind with bile acids in the stomach to create a viscous solution which slows down digestion. This also slows down the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream. Your stomach therefore finds it much harder to digest and you feel fuller for longer.

These natural fat binding properties within Proactol allow you to manage your weight loss, while still allowing you to eat the foods you love.

Precautions

Just a few common precautions to bear in mind when using Proactol:

Not recommended for children under 12 years of age.

Not recommended during pregnancy, while breast feeding, or if your BMI (Body Mass Index) is 18.5 and below.

Although Proactol has been proven not to affect the absorption of vitamins (A and E), it is recommended that you take a multivitamin supplement alongside Proactol.

Proactol contains trace amounts of oxalic acid, which are found in many green vegetables. If you suffer from kidney disease or kidney

stones, please avoid taking this product on a regular basis. If in doubt, or if you have any medical complaints, consult with your doctor.

Proactol’s ability to reduce food cravings is achieved through the balancing of blood glucose levels. Diabetic users should consult with their doctor .

If you are currently using a form of cholesterol-reducing medication, you should consult a healthcare professional first.

UniqueHoodia

The African San Bushmen were the first to discover the unique ability of UniqueHoodia, a cactus-like plant, to reduce food cravings and

hunger signs. This was beneficial during long expeditions and during famine.

Scientists were amazed to discover that the plant contains a unique molecule that actually tricks you into thinking that your body is full.

By eating this natural plant, the brain safely receives signals that the stomach has received food. This means fewer consumed calories and

greater weight loss results.

Precautions

While there are absolutely no dangers associated with pure Hoodia diet pills, the market has been flooded with artificial pills claiming to be Hoodia.

You should be aware of the many dangers of Hoodia imposters, as these lower quality supplements often contain harmful fillers, chemicals, and unhealthy substances.

Acai Berry

Acai berry is a natural fruit full of many healthy ingredients such as fibre, essential fatty acids, amino acids and phytosterols. The amino acids and fatty acids help your body with proper digestion and muscle development.

The fibre and fatty acids helps the food to move out of your system faster, making you feel full much quicker. Acai berry increases your

metabolism, so you will be burning calories much quicker, resulting in a faster weight loss.

Phytosterols help to move waste materials out of your body and keep your digestive tract fortified, which helps your body to absorb important nutrients more efficiently.

These ingredients all work together to quickly process the food you eat and help you burn the calories and fat more efficiently so you’ll

quickly lose that excess weight you’ve wanted to lose.

Acai berry also contain antioxidants which are beneficial in terms of their anti-aging benefits.

The good news about Acai berries is that they have more antioxidants than any other fruit. Adding a supplement of acai to your diet will help to detoxify and cleanse you, which will also improve your skin, hair and overall health.

Nutrients contained within the acai berry include Vitamins B1, B2 and B3, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin E.

These nutrients offer both preventative benefits against a variety of illnesses and disease as well as the ability to boost the body’s immune system.

Precautions

There are no negative side effects caused when you introduce the berry into your daily diet!

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Trusted Diet Pills and Fatburn7
Have you ever wondered why do people use diet pills or weight loss supplements in today’s world? Did you notice there is a steep rise in the demand for such supplements? The reason is that people want to look good. The idea of looking good possesses each and every individual in regards to body [...]...
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Losing Weight – Redirecting Your Snacking Habit

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:44:02 +0000

Snacking is a pretty natural impulse. While we may be accustomed to three meals a day as a standard practice, our body is actually functioning nonstop. It will process food whenever it’s put into the system, and it uses up energy without ceasing. Even when you’re asleep, your brain is drawing on your body’s energy reserves.

So it really shouldn’t be a surprise that we find ourselves hungry between our regularly scheduled meals. Instead of providing a steady, reasonable supply of nutrients for our system to constantly work on, we often cram it with large doses that it has to work overtime to process at three intervals. The result typically is highs and lows of sugar and energy, and we get snack cravings.

When integrated into a larger proper diet, snacking is not a bad thing and actually can be quite healthy. Snacks help even out those crash periods between meals, allowing your body to function more steadily. The key is that we often choose to snack on unhealthy foods heavy in sugars and calories, but low on overall nutrients. By making a few simple changes, you can turn your snacks into an ally rather than a hindrance.

Take on some smart snacking tactics—like the ones highlighted here—for six weeks to kick-start a lifelong habit of healthy eating and feeling great.

Snack Habit #1 – A Healthy Sandwich

The first snack you should consider is a whole grain sandwich. The contents are up to you, but there are a few simple guidelines. Meats should be low in fat, such as turkey or chicken breast. Lettuce is great filler, as are sliced green or red peppers. Go easy on the condiments, as these can sneak carbohydrates into your system without your realizing it.

The fiber in whole grain breads helps slow digestion and promotes fullness, meaning you won’t get hungry as often. The carbohydrates in the bread will give you an energy pickup as well, keeping you alert and ready for your day.

This is a very easy habit to get into, requiring only a few minutes each day. Make your sandwich for the next day every night, and cut it in half so you can enjoy it at two different snack times. Put it somewhere you’ll remember to grab it, and you’re ready to go. Definitely go for some variety as well. There are many sandwich recipes out there, and part of successfully adopting new habits is making sure they’re fun and interesting for you, as well as beneficial.

As for people who cannot process wheat flour, consider breads made with almond flour. This is a delicious gluten-free flour that won’t interfere with your wheat allergies, and still let you take advantage of a snack sandwich.

Snack Habit #2 – Go a Little Nuts

Another great snack to focus on is a serving of healthy nuts. Nuts tend to be high in fat content, meaning they’re an easy source of quick energy when you’re feeling a bit of a slump. These fats are also usually mono-unsaturated fats, which are ‘good’ fats responsible for lowering LDL cholesterol levels. This means a small handful of nuts between your bigger meals can quell sugar cravings while keeping you healthy.

Hazelnuts, almonds, and peanuts are very nutrient-rich snacks, and are easily available. Getting into a nutty habit is also really easy. Just pack a few small bags of nuts at the beginning of your week, and bring them with you on your daily tasks. Try to focus on low salt varieties of course, for the sake of preventing high blood pressure.

Snack Habit #3 – The Sugar YoYo and Yogurt

Sometimes all your body wants and needs is a quick sugar boost, and only sugar is going to help it. However your source of sugar doesn’t have to be a highly processed candy bar or can of soda.

At the beginning of your week, buy a few cups of yogurt in flavors you like. Yogurt is high in pro-biotics that promote digestive health, as well as other important nutrients based on the fruit content in the cup. If your body starts to crash, having a handy pick me up like a yogurt cup means you can snack quickly and get yourself back on track.

One word of caution: Many yogurts can be high in sugar and sugar syrups such as high fructose corn syrup. This is less ideal than if the sugar comes from the fruit itself. Check the list of ingredients, and if corn syrup or sugar is in the first three ingredients, pass it up.

Snack Habit #4 – Snack Pack

The key to forming good habits is making sure they’re practical. If you try to make healthy snacks, but they keep spoiling or getting too warm to be palatable, you’re probably going to give up before making it a habit. Consider buying yourself a small cooler or insulated bag to pack your snacks in. This will help keep everything at an even temperature, making the snacks crisp and tasty enough to enjoy, as well as storing them in a convenient place.

You probably didn’t expect to be encouraged to keep snacking, did you? Actually one of the best ways to build a healthy lifestyle is to take the habits you already have, such as snacking, and turn them in healthier directions. This empowers you to easily adopt positive habits that fit within your life instead of allowing bad habits to takeover. Consider trying out these steps for six weeks, and the results will speak for themselves.

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You shouldn’t be hungry. You’ve just had lunch an hour ago, and it was a substantial meal. You had good portions and you ate until you were almost full, but you’re definitely feeling like having something more. Maybe nothing big, a snack or a bowl of cereal, but you definitely want to [...]...
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Steps to Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:40:02 +0000

What is the true key to weight loss? Is it knowing exactly what to eat? How far to run? How to mix HCG? Or is it knowing how to control the urges that force us to eat when were stressed out?

The truth is, if you knew the exact key how to safely loss the exact amount of weight you wanted you could package your secrets and sell them to the highest bidder. Nobody exactly knows the best way to lose weight. Sure, the good ol’ “eat well and exercise” works well, but without proper planning it won’t keep the weight off. And with the New Year’s resolution season coming up, its worth taking a look at the best ways to not only lose your target weight but also keep it off.

Any good weight loss plan starts with both eating well and finding an exercise program that works for you. The worst thing you can do is start your diet by saying “I’m going to eat nothing but veggies and brown rice and I’m going to run three miles every day”. That’s just not going to happen on a consistent basis. Aiming high is a great idea, except that it will burn you out within a few days.

Instead of going for the gold right away (no pun intended), begin by making small goals for yourself. Start out by walking 30 minutes a day four days a week. Then, after a few weeks, maybe run 2 days a week and walk another three. You can add some calisthenics in after a few weeks. Always check your heart rate and make sure you stay hydrated no matter what you do.

The same moderation should be used when trying to map out a meal plan to go along with your exercise. First, think about portion sizes. American’s have a tendency to eat portion sizes that dwarf those in the rest of the world. Steak serving sizes should only be about the size of a playing card, not the size of a small truck. Instead of loading your plates with carbs such as pasta and potatoes, instead start eating vegetables with lemon and olive oil. Instead of soda drink natural juices or water. If you must, a diet soda can be utilized.

Next, set realistic goals for yourself. If proper diet and exercise is utilized you can expect to lose 2-4 pounds a week. After a few weeks you might see a drop off in the amount lost, but that’s only natural. Maybe start some weight training to get some definition. The key is making it fun. If you don’t enjoy the process and have some fun it you’re going to slip. That’s how you gain the weight back.

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Weight Loss – Walking off the Pounds

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:35:01 +0000

Exercise: it’s one of the easiest things in the world to do (really, at the simplest level it’s just moving around). But given the way people talk about it, it’s everything but simple. Between gym memberships, expensive home workout machines, elaborate exercise programs, personal trainers, is it any wonder that many people think of exercise with about as much fondness as they think of their next dental appointment?

Of course, it doesn’t have to be as involved as all that. There’s a form of exercise that many of us already do, day in and day out, which is as easy as walking. As a matter of fact, it is walking.

Walking: Exercise in Camouflage

Walking is a near universal opportunity to burn a few more calories every day, everywhere we choose to go. It is the most basic exercise. We move muscles, and those muscles burn calories as we go. But it’s such an automatic thing to do that we often forget the benefits that a good walking routine can provide us. So, lets’ take a look at five quick ways we can take advantage of our walking habit without going out of our way.

Step 1 – Walk Faster

Moving around requires the body to burn energy, which is stored in the body as fat cells. When you’re exercising, the body burns up its reserves of energy to power your muscles as they do the work they need to do. The more work done, the more energy burned, and speeding up the process can increase the amount of energy consumed.

For example, consider your daily walk to the mailbox. Say you burn an easy five calories on the way out and back. If you walk twice as fast, you may double that calorie burning without any other major steps. Do this all day, wherever you go, and you’ve found a way to make walking work for you without going to any particularly special steps.

Step 2 – Stairs Are Great

Elevators are a wonderful thing. As much as steel and reinforced concrete, elevators are what have made the modern skyscraper not just possible but reasonable. Yet, by their very nature they deprive us of an opportunity to burn a few extra calories by taking the stairs. Going up stairs burns even more calories than just walking, because you’re not only moving forward, but lifting some of your body weight as well.

Now, no one is suggesting that someone working on the top floor of a high rise take the stairs all the way up. That’s a bad use of time and you’ll be exhausted when you get there. However, if stairs are available, consider taking two or three flights of them up, then catching the elevator the rest of the way. Again, regularly taking small steps outside of the normal can give you a lot of benefits when added up over time.

Step 3 – Walk and Talk

We do a lot of talking on the phone, and a great deal of it is done sitting down. This was understandable with corded telephones and the earliest cord-free phones, but with many homes switching entirely to cordless and/or cellular, there is a golden opportunity to get a bit more exercise with every phone call.

Simply put, go take a short walk when someone calls you. If you have a yard or sidewalk, head outside and walk around while you’re talking if you can. If the weather doesn’t permit, stroll around inside your house a bit. Once again, this isn’t about taking a walk as an extra activity, but adding it to one you’re probably already doing quite a bit.

Step 4 – Walk Further

We’ve all done it. We know the shopping center’s in easy walking distance, but we just don’t feel up to it and take the car that half mile or quarter mile down the road to get what we need, even if it’s just a gallon of milk. But those are valuable steps you could be taking that could help you get into shape. Some experts recommend taking at least 10,000 steps per day. So, find short trips that you can make without the car, and see if you can include at least one of them a week to start with. And when you do need to drive, pick a further spot in the parking lot to easily add in a few more steps.

Step 5 – Walk Together

As we’ve said before, one of the easiest steps you can take is including a friend in your efforts. Walking is easy, and doesn’t take up a lot of mental effort, so it’s a great time to socialize. Get a friend, set a brisk pace, and spend twenty minutes catching up together every other day. You get the calories burned and time with a friend, both for just a fraction of your day.

Walking is a great way to take control of your life to help you lose weight. In many cases, it can be added to things you’re already doing rather than requiring a whole new regime. Additionally, the health benefits from walking can help you pave the way for bigger steps later on, building a strong foundation that can pay off magnificently in the future.

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Losing Weight – How to Handle Your Cravings

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:19:02 +0000

You shouldn’t be hungry. You’ve just had lunch an hour ago, and it was a substantial meal. You had good portions and you ate until you were almost full, but you’re definitely feeling like having something more. Maybe nothing big, a snack or a bowl of cereal, but you definitely want to eat something. This is a classic case of having a craving, and it’s one of the most frustrating challenges people have to battle while trying to lose weight.

An overactive appetite isn’t easily ignored. It can be distracting and irritating until it’s satisfied and so many people give in ‘just the once,’ only to eventually form craving-oriented habits that sabotage their efforts to eat well and maintain a healthy weight.

I’m Hungry!

Well, are you really? Food cravings often are not the same as genuine hunger. There are a number of factors that determine whether you actually feel hungry or just desire a certain taste or boost. The key lies in determining the difference between physical hunger and a mental craving.

Hunger is marked by physical symptoms. Your body is telling you it needs something to keep your system running properly. These symptoms include:

• Emptiness or tightness in the stomach, frequently accompanied by growling.

• Dizziness or trouble focusing.

• Exhaustion.

These symptoms do not respond to waiting or distraction, but continue to intensify until you have eaten sufficient food to correct the imbalance.

By contrast, cravings are marked by primarily emotional and psychological criteria, such as:

• Desire to eat something with a specific taste.

• Wanting to eat something to unwind, as a reward, or for comfort.

Causes of Cravings

Genuine hunger is caused by genuine need – your body lacks vital nutrients, and will continue to tell you so until these needs are met and it can continue to function. Cravings, on the other hand, tend to be caused by a number of non-vital but nonetheless important stimuli.

For example, hormone imbalances can lead to hunger cravings. The body’s primary boosting hormone is serotonin, which is part of what leads to feelings of happiness and satisfaction. If the body is low on this hormone for any reason, including exhaustion, depression, pre-menstrual syndrome, or menopause, it could look for a substitute in sugar, which tends to provide a quick energy boost. Cravings also grow out of (and into!) habits. If you’re used to having a late night dish of ice cream and then stop in an attempt to control your weight or blood sugar, your body will be used to the routine and may trigger a craving for the snack at your usual time.

Craving Control

First, you need to understand that having cravings does not mean you have poor willpower. In many cases, they’re not about willpower at all. They’re often just an emotional response to factors influencing your mental state. So don’t start with personal recriminations, instead focus on ways you can make things easier for yourself.

As with any effort to gain self-control, it is more efficient to replace bad habits with good habits than to simply try to drop the old habit. Consider that late night bowl of ice cream we mentioned earlier. This is a case of habitual cravings and snacking, and maybe it would be hard to just cut it out. Consider instead having a warm mug of a sweet herbal tea with a little bit of honey. This gives your body the ‘sweet’ taste it wants, as well as filling your belly with something to tide you over, but without the concentrated calories of the ice cream.

This substitution principle can work out well in general – keep healthy snacking alternatives on hand, and try to reduce portions. Instead of munching through a bag of chips, try eating a small serving of healthy nuts with a tall glass of water, then waiting and seeing if the craving abates.

Consider these other craving-taming techniques:

• Incorporate additional healthy habits into the rest of your routine, so that cravings will become less pronounced.

• Eat high fiber foods, because these add bulk and a sense of fullness for a longer period of time.

• Make sure your body is getting good nutrition in general, as a healthy body is less likely to mix up signals and send false cravings.

• Exercise and socialize, to make sure your mental state is kept up and you don’t feel as stressed. Many cravings are a stress reaction, and keeping a healthy mental balance can certainly help.

Taking control of cravings is an important step in changing from unhealthy habits to healthy ones, and it can be daunting. However, it is a challenge that can be met one step at a time, in small degrees. Don’t beat yourself up for the cravings; instead, look at them for what they are, and know that you can take positive steps to keep them under YOUR control, where they belong.

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From the Your Home Health Care weblog

Losing Weight – Redirecting Your Snacking Habit
Snacking is a pretty natural impulse. While we may be accustomed to three meals a day as a standard practice, our body is actually functioning nonstop. It will process food whenever it’s put into the system, and it uses up energy without ceasing. Even when you’re asleep, your brain is drawing on [...]...