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Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year, you must have been hearing about this great product called Goji Juice. Recently, it has become a huge trend among the Hollywood types and celebrities. The good news is, this is not a trend for just for trend sake, this drink is made from Goji berries that have been proven to have amazing health benefits. The two main types of berries that are used to make this marvelous little drink are Himalayan Goji berries and Chinese Goji berries. A lot of the locals that live where these berries grow have been known to refer to them as “wolfberries”. With all the incredible natural health benefits it’s no surprise that everyone is trying to find out what all the fuss about. Perhaps one of the most important things to note is all the vitamins, minerals and essential acids that occur naturally in Goji Juice. Some of these include 19 different amino acids including the 8 amino acids that are considered essential. They are also known to have 21 trace minerals including calcium, germanium, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus. It contains one of the highest concentrations of Beta-carotene. For those of you who don’t know, Beta-carotene converts to Vitamin A and is known to have complete spectrum of anti-oxidants. With all of these incredible natural health benefits, its no wonder that celebrities and regular day folk alike are employing Goji Juice as both an anti-aging agent as well as just a great source of all the essential vitamins and minerals.

How close are researchers in their discovery of a magic pill for weight loss? When Phentermine was introduced for the first time, people thought that they have finally found the drug that they were always looking for. In fact, there is always the euphoria whenever a new weight loss drug is launched. Over-weight, unlike other illnesses takes time to be cured. Besides the treatment is often too onerous demanding too much perseverance from the individual. With every drug that is launched, people expect that they will be relieved from weight without this struggle. Does phentermine reach the expectations of people?

Phentermine continues to be popular until today. It is one of the most purchased weight loss drugs all around the world. Around 50% of the weight loss drugs have phentermine as a major ingredient in them. In spite of this, the popularity of phentermine has not been because it reached people’s expectations. It was an advancement over the drugs at the time in the weight loss segment.

Phentermine is helpful to treat the overweight condition. Phentermine is an appetite suppressant that belongs to the class of drugs known as Anorectics. They affect serotonin levels in the brain and thus decrease food cravings. In this manner, the individual feels lesser consumption of food and calories.

Phentermine does not make tall promises. It does not claim to be a magical pill. People who use it will however find acceleration in the rate of reduction in fat. Therefore, taking phentermine along with balanced diet and daily workout will surely give positive results. People who are suffering from obesity and obesity related diseases must only use phentermine pills. Those who are undergoing medication for heart problems will be advised to stay away from phentermine.

Phentermine is available in two different formulas. These are immediate release or time-release formulas. Phentermine pills with an immediate release formula create an immediate impact. As soon as they are taken, they will enter the blood stream and begin the action. Time-release Phentermine capsules differ from these, since they will release the medicine into the body over an extended period of time, which spans over 8 to 12 hours.

It is advised that people who are undergoing treatment with phentermine tablets or capsules may not engage in hazardous and difficult work like driving, operating machinery etc. The period of use of phentermine will be for shorter terms such as 12 weeks.

Even after a patient stops using Phentermine, ones body will not be acclimatized to this immediately. It will need time to adjust, with the time depending on the quantum of Phentermine being used and the period of use.

Use of phentermine does not mean that we stop eating properly or lead a sedentary lifestyle. Phentermine will work well only if individual gives continued attention to these two aspects of life.

Joseph Jones received training as a healthcare scientist. He has been working in the same field and writes informative articles for weight loss subject.To find Buy phentermine online,Cheap phentermine, Phentermine visit
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Smoking can hook you because cigarettes contain nicotine which is highly addictive. But being hooked is not an excuse why you cannot quit smoking. Smoking has been proven by several researches to be great threat to one’s health, that is why there is no reason why one who is already hooked to it should not quit smoking.

It is tough to quit smoking. People try at least 2 to 3 times before they can finally quit smoking. It takes hard work and lots of effort but if you’re really determined then you can quit smoking for good.

Why quit smoking?

There are at least five reasons why you should quit smoking.

* First, if you quit smoking, you will definitely live longer and better.

* Second, each time you smoke, you take about 5 to 20 minutes off your life. Your chance of getting lung cancer, stroke or heart attack increases if you don’t quit smoking.

* Third, the people you live with, especially the children, will be healthier only if you stop smoking. In fact, second hand smoke is more dangerous than the actual smoke users get from smoking.

* Fourth, if you quit smoking, you will have extra money to spend on other things than cigarettes.

* And lastly, if you’re pregnant, chances of having a healthier baby is more likely if you quit smoking.

So the next and most crucial question is “how do I quit smoking?”

Here are five ways that can help you quit smoking:

1. Get ready and prepare yourself to undetake your quit somking program? Set a quit smoking date. Change your environment by getting rid of all cigarettes in places you frequent and not allowing people to smoke near you or at your home.

2. Get support and encouragement. Studies have shown that you’ll have better chances in quitting smoking if you can get support from families, friends, and co-workers.

3. Learn new skills and behavior. Always remember that your goal is to quit smoking, so distract yourself from urges of smoking. Change your routine in your first try of quit smoking program. Do something to reduce your stress such as taking a hot bath, exercise, or reading. Plan something to do enjoyable every day.

4. Get medication and use it correctly. Medications can help you lessen the urge to smoke. Five approved medications that can help you to quit smoking are: Bupropion SR, nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, nicotine nasal spray, and nicotine patch.

5. Be prepared for a relapse. If you quit smoking, chances of a relapse is high. Most relapses occur after 3 months of quitting, so watch out for situations that may trigger you get back to smoking such as alcohol, other smokers, weight gain and depression.

Everyone can quit smoking so don’t hesitate to at least try to quit smoking also.

Quit smoking now and I guarantee you a healthier, better and longer life.

Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the resource box at the bottom of the article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For updated links and information about quit smoking, please go to: http://quit-smoking.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/

Doesn’t weight training build muscle and increase your metabolic
rate and therefore the increase in your metabolic rate reduces
fat? And if so, then doesn’t this mean that you have gained
muscle and lost fat at the same time?

I can understand how you might be confused because it’s true
that the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate
will be and the more fat you will burn as a result of having
more muscle.

My point was not that building muscle and losing fat at the same
time is impossible, but that attempting to build muscle and lose
fat at the same time is not as efficient because you are chasing
after two conflicting goals.

Let me explain…

If you want to put on the most muscle possible, you would engage
in what’s called a ‘bulking’ diet. That is where you eat 10-15%
over your maintenance level calories. The rate of muscle growth
can be quite rapid at this level of caloric intake, but the rate
of fat gain can often be as high as the rate of muscle gain (a
1:1 ratio).

So why would you ever want to gain fat along with the muscle?
Simply because you will gain the maximum amount of muscle
possible only if you stay in a caloric surplus. People who want
to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time have to alternate
periods of caloric surplus with periods of caloric deficit and
therefore will gain muscle much more slowly.

Let’s talk about cutting diets.

The goal on a cutting diet is to eat 10-20% below your
maintenance calories in order to burn as much fat as possible
without sacrificing muscle. On any cutting diet, some muscle
loss is almost inevitable, but your goal is to maintain as much
lean body mass as possible.

A beginner is much more likely to build muscle and burn fat at
the same time. (That’s why being a beginner is pretty cool). For
a beginner, almost anything works because your body isn’t used
to the stress of training, so great “beginner gains”can be made
with virtually any training program.

But after about 6 months, the gains slow down, then nearly stops
as you become more advanced and get closer to the limits of your
genetic potential.

At this point, You have to work harder and smarter in order to
keep your body progressing and changing. Not counting the
initial “beginners gains” growth spurt, the only ways I know of
to date that you can do both (build muscle and lose fat quickly)
is thru anabolic steroids or to be extremely genetically gifted.

You see, testosterone promotes leanness and it builds muscle.
Having super high levels will allow you to chase both goals and
do it well. Of course, that isn’t a risk free path and in the
U.S. it is illegal. And there are a slew of other problems with
that. I just wanted to insert that point.

Is it impossible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
Nope. It’s possible. It’s simply more difficult and not the most
efficient approach.

There’s an old proverb that says, “If you chase two rabbits, you
will catch neither.” Gaining muscle and losing fat require
different eating methods to achieve. If you attempt to do both,
you may end up in limbo going nowhere.

If you don’t mind making much slower progress in muscle gains,
you can put on muscle and trim down body fat. But many people
want faster results, so they focus on a single goal and put all
their effort and energy into that one goal.

Then when they reach a certain body fat percentage, they go the
other way. Keep all the muscle they just built and lose the fat.
In essence, you might start off at 200 lbs, 15% body fat but at
the end, you might be 195 lbs, 9% body fat and have more muscle
then you did at 200 lbs. Because you gained as much as possible,
then cut away the fat. Now you are bigger but leaner.

My recommendation: Pick one goal and stick with it until you are
satisfied. It’s faster, easier and works better then trying to
do both.

Attitudes to the link between diet and cancer are changing fast. The World Cancer Research Fund was founded specifically to fund and sponsor education and research into the diet-cancer link. There is mounting evidence that the high fat intake in a typical Western diet, along with the low intake of nutritious foods such as vegetables, fruits and wholegrains, may be responsible for up to 35% of cancers.

The World Cancer Research Fund is the only major national charity concerned with the link between cancer and food, nutrition and lifestyle factors. Their report ‘Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective’ gives guidelines consistent with those published by the World Health Organisation, the E.U. ‘Europe against Cancer’ initiative and other authoritative organisations. The idea of an ‘anti-cancer diet’ promotes prevention by strengthening the immune system directly and has partly led to the promotion of a ‘five a day’ campaign for fresh fruit and vegetables.

The intensification of agricultural practices has led to a decline of between 25% to 75% in the levels of key mineral nutrients in farmed vegetables over the last 60 years. There has also been a rise in farmed fruit sugar levels, so much so that some ‘natural’ fruit juices now contain as much sugar as a fizzy drink.

If we can source quality food, our cooking methods often destroy the nutritional content. Studies show that fresh, uncooked vegetables strengthen the immune system and increase resistance to many diseases. Cabbage placed in cold water and boiled loses about 75% of its vitamin C content. Similarly fresh peas cooked for only five minutes lose 20-40% of their Thiamine content and 30-40% of their vitamin C. About 50% of vitamin E is destroyed by frying or baking food.

Tests in Spain recently measured the levels of flavonoids (a kind of antioxidant) left in fresh broccoli after it was cooked. The results show large differences in flavonoid content according to how the broccoli was prepared. The cooking methods were:

• boiling - 66% loss

• pressure-cooking - 53% loss of major antioxidant

• steaming - minimal loss of antioxidants

• microwaving - 97% loss of flavonoids

Scientists in Finland found that blanching and deep-freezing vegetables destroyed beneficial compounds. Blanching prior to freezing destroyed up to one-third of the vitamin C content of vegetables and more was lost in storage. The healing properties of uncooked foods are being increasingly recognised in natural cancer therapies.

The more we let food industries create what we eat the more likely we are to be at risk from diet related problems. In effect the commercial interests of food manufacturers are systematically robbing unwary shoppers of health, and eventually life. The more control and information we have in sourcing pure foodstuffs, the less at risk we are from dis-ease for nutritional reasons. One of the first steps in finding a healthy diet is changing how and where we shop and sourcing foods we can trust. The supermarkets give us thousands of choices but few options. Try to find for example, one of the many varieties of biscuits available that do not contain ‘hydrogenated vegetable oil’.

Too much protein in a diet is also harmful to health and can promote cancer. Meat and sugar-rich diets are common in the West. These are often overcooked or over processed. When cooked or processed foods are eaten our white blood cells (leukocytes) rush to the intestine to help with digestion. As a result other parts of the body may be left undefended from attack by germs and viruses after a heavily synthetic meal.

Biological enhancement of crops, growth hormones in milk and meat, mercury in our mouths, colorants and carcinogens in food are commonplace. The foot and mouth epidemic, B.S.E. in sheep and cattle, nuclear radiation and the de-naturalisation of our food are examples of how common sense is abandoned to profit. The ‘Precautionary Principle’ is too often being overlooked in the rush of science.

The genetic modification of foodstuffs for example is still largely untested and many of its results are open to interpretation. Scientific knowledge of the processes involved is actually at an early stage. Little is known about side effects, how gene function is controlled, gene transfer into other organisms such as bacteria in the human gut. The British Medical Association (B.M.A.) has said that the potential adverse effects have not been sufficiently investigated and strongly recommend caution. The United Nations’ safety body, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, has warned that the failure to carry out full health checks on G.M. foods could lead to toxic reactions, allergies and increased resistance to antibiotics.

Experience has shown that genetically modified and organic foods cannot exist together because genetically modified crops will cross-pollinate with any others. Contamination of the whole food chain has already occurred within a couple of years. Biotechnology companies that are facing opposition in Europe are targeting less well resourced countries such as India in the hope that genetically modified organisms will spread irreversibly before public opinion has time to intervene.

In addition to avoiding the carcinogens that are increasing everywhere in our culture, we need a complex yet balanced mixture of specific minerals and nutrients to maintain ourselves in a healthy way. Recent government policy recommends we should eat a minimum of five or six fruit and vegetable types in any given day. The British Dietetic Association’s survey shows that the typical English diet includes only 3.3 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The Scottish consume 2.7 portions a day while the Irish get only a measly 2.3. New research from Spain suggests that the quality of food and its method of preparation are as important as the quantity, since many of the nutrients in food are destroyed during industrial preparation and even in domestic cooking processes. In order to gain the breadth of specific minerals we need to maintain health using food, we need fresh, quality food types, cooked appropriately, or at least someone to sell us the right supplements!

The quick-fix mentality of Western culture has grown so used to pill-popping supplements that markets have responded to this. The American public uses increasing amounts of vitamin and mineral supplements. A survey conducted by the Federal Drugs Authority (F.D.A.) in America states that over 60 million Americans believe that vitamin supplements are essential for good health. The report also shows that about 20 million Americans believe that mineral deficiency is a primary cause of disease, including cancer, which shows what a good marketing job the supplements industry has done. Drug corporations are moving quickly into the supplements industry following market forces. Legislation in Europe is posed to ban many supplements (like herbs) that have a natural source, in preference to pharmaceutical alternatives. Even though appropriate dietary supplements are becoming recognised as a useful tool in maintaining health, legislation is fast catching up to regulate this field, showing a clear preference to synthetic chemicals.

In 1980 the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Dietary Allowances (who established R.D.A.’s or Recommended Daily Allowances) found no scientific evidence for nutritional benefits from vitamins, minerals or trace elements in dosages greater than those supplied by a balanced diet. Supplement industries with generous advertising budgets persuade many people that it is better to have ‘expensive urine’ than be at risk to disease through lacking the right vitamin or mineral in a diet.

About The Author

Simon Mitchell

This is an extract from ‘Don’t Get Cancer’a new ebook available only at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/don’tget1.html

Back “in the day”, when I used to do coaching programs full time
at my New Jersey Health Club, the first thing I would always ask
my client during the initial consultation was:

“Tell me what you want… and I’ll show you how to get it.”

Typical reply from client:

“I want to lose 20 pounds fast.”

My reply:

“Are you SURE that’s what you want? …If I can show you how to
lose 20 pounds REALLY fast, will that make you happy?”

They nodded their head affirmatively as their eyes lit up in
anticipation of the secrets I was about to reveal…

Their face went white when I - with a totally straight face -
pulled out a hacksaw and started walking towards them….
menacingly

Partly laughing, but partly in real terror they said,

“What the heck are you doing?”

“You said you wanted to lose 20 pounds fast. This is the
easiest, surest, most effective way I know to take 20 pounds off
you FAST! In fact, I figure that right leg of yours might even
weigh 25 pounds!”

I kept walking closer and started to get into sawing position,
wielding my fast, effective and guaranteed weight loss tool…

“Bear with me because this IS quick, but sometimes it takes a
few minutes for me to cut through the bone..”

By this time, my client (and I) are either completely cracking
up, or I have seriously scared the living you know what out of
them, or they just think I’m a complete lunatic… (it depends
on whether I was able to keep a totally straight face or not)

Finally, the light bulb goes on, and my client would see where I
was going with this:

“Okay, smart alec,” I get it… I don’t want to lose WEIGHT, I
want to lose FAT.”

Sometimes I would be having so much fun, I would just keep on
playin’…

“But why not? This is easy, fast and guaranteed - just what
everyone wants these days… it’s even better than taking a
pill! Come on… let me hack it off! You’ll be my next
testimonial: ‘I lost 20 pounds in 5 minutes!’ Imagine what that
will do for my business!”

“Very funny. I told you, I get it, I get it! I want to lose FAT,
not muscles and bones. I need my leg!

Naturally, of course, I don’t always have to pull out my trusty
blade. Every once in a while… about as often as a total solar
eclipse… a client answers my question like this:

“What do I want? Tom, I want to lose 20 pounds of body fat in
the next 12 weeks. I want to do it slowly, safely and
healthfully and then keep it off permanently. I want all the fat
around my hips and thighs completely gone and I want a firm flat
stomach. I want muscle all over my body while still looking
feminine. I’d like to see myself at about 16% body fat and
maintain all my muscle or gain a few pounds of lean mass if I
can, especially in my arms. This is important to me because I
want to set a good example for my kids, I want to be healthy and
live to at least 90 and I want my husband to look at me and say,
“I love your body, honey,” and I want to be able to *honestly*
say back to him, “me too!”

It is on these rare occasions that I know there is still
intelligent life on this planet.

If you could answer the question, “What do you want” just like
this woman did, I don’t think you would ever have any difficulty
reaching your health and fitness goals… or any other goal in
your life, for that matter.

This answer is what you call a very “well-formed” goal, backed
up with lots of emotional motivation-inducing “reasons why.”

“I want to lose weight” is a poorly-formed goal.

“Weight” is not the same as “fat.” Weight includes muscle, bone,
internal organs as well as lots and lots of water.

If you only learn ONE thing from all my newsletters, articles
and books, PLEASE learn this:

WHAT YOU REALLY WANT IS TO BURN THE FAT, WHILE KEEPING THE
MUSCLE!!!!

FAT LOSS is what you want, not weight loss.

If your body was 100% rock-solid muscle, with absolutely nothing
that jiggled (unless it was supposed to), would you care how
much you weighed?

I bet you wouldn’t!

STOP WORSHIPPING THE SCALE AND START MEASURING YOUR BODY
COMPOSITION

By measuring your body fat, you take the guesswork out of your
health and fitness plan and you get an accurate picture of
what’s really happening in your body as a result of your diet
and exercise program.

Instead of worrying about whether you are losing muscle, or
wondering if you are losing fat, you can measure it and KNOW for
sure. (I always get a good chuckle when someone tells me they’re
worried about losing muscle when they don’t even measure how
much muscle they have!)

Instead of being confused by all the “opinions” from weight loss
and exercise “experts” who are all telling you something
different, you can MEASURE your body composition and based on
the results, you can KNOW for sure whether your program is
working.

A very wise man once said,

“A single measurement is worth a thousand opinions.”

So, how do you measure body fat?

There are many ways. Thanks to technology, there are some
methods today that are so accurate, they can tell you whether
your left pinky has more fat than your right pinky!

Unfortunately, many of them are either too expensive or they are
inaccessible, being found only in hospitals or research
facilities

If you want to learn a LOT about various body fat testing
methods, refer to chapter 3 in my e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The
Muscle at www.burnthefat.com

Instead of re-hashing it all, let me give you three quick and
easy, practical suggestions:

Suggestion 1: Have a trainer or fitness professional measure
you, if this service is available at your local health club.
Sometimes, there’s a charge - usually $15 - $25, although some
clubs offer the service for free to all their members (we do at
our club)

Suggestion 2: Purchase an Accu-measure skinfold caliper. Do a
google or yahoo search to find a reseller, or just visit
www.accumeasurefitness.com.

The Accumeasure was designed to allow you to measure your own
body fat in the privacy of your own home (you don’t need someone
else to measure you)

Some people wonder if this is really accurate. Truth is, it’s
not quite as accurate as a multi site skinfold test from an
experienced tester, but it’s better than nothing. Besides,
what’s most important is not the “accuracy” per se, but the
reliablity and consistency of your measurements so you can track
your progress. Skinfold calipers in general are not accurate or
inaccurate, it’s the person doing the test that is accurate or
inaccurate.

Here’s the page where you can download a study about the
accuracy of the Accu-Measure (Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research, December 1998):

http://www.accumeasurefitness.com/study.pdf

Suggestion 3: If you have a spouse, roomate, or friend who can
measure your body fat, you can purchase a Slim Guide body fat
caliper from Creative Health Products: www.chponline.com

The Slimguide is the best inexpensive caliper available (About
$20), but it wasn’t designed for you to measure your own body
fat. You’ll need someone to measure you with this caliper. Other
models of body fat calipers (if you want to splurge), range from
$150 to $450. (At our health clubs, I use the electronic
“SKYNDEX” caliper with the 4-site “Durnin formula.”)

The calipers come with instructions, or you can use these
formulas, which I have used and found to be very accurate:

4 Site formula for men (abdomen, suprailiac, thigh, tricep)

% fat = .29288(sum of 4 skinfolds) - 0.0005(sum of four
skinfolds squared) + 0.15845(age) - 5.76377

4-Site Formula for women (abdomen, suprailiac, thigh, tricep)

% Fat = (.29669)(sum of 4 skinfolds) - (.00043)(Sum of four
skinfolds squared) + .02963(age) + 1.4072

Source: Jackson A S, Pollock, M (1985) Practical assessment of
body composition. Physician Sport Med. 13: 76-90.

Body fat percentages vary based on age and gender, but 20-25%
body fat is average for women (15-19% is ideal), while 15-20% is
average for men (10-14% is ideal). I have detailed charts for
body fat charts in my e-book if you’re interested.

Once you know your body fat percentage, then weigh yourself and
record your weight and body fat on a progress chart such as the
one found in my Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle Program (a fat loss
program, not a weight loss program). This chart is how you will
track your progress and “keep score.”

You can calculate your lean body mass (muscle and other fat free
tissue) very easily just by crunching some numbers:

For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and you have 10% body fat
then you have 20 pounds of fat (10% of 200 = 20). That means you
have a lean body mass (LBM) of 180 pounds.

Now we’re talking! With this data, you can get a really clear
picture of how your exercise and nutrition program are affecting
your physique.

Losing weight is very easy. Losing fat - and keeping it off
without losing muscle - is a much bigger challenge. If you
simply wanted to lose weight, we could just chop off your leg.

Or… (slightly less painful)… I could show you how to drop 10
- 15 pounds over the weekend just by dehydrating yourself and
using natural herbal diuretics. Bodybuilders and wrestlers do it
all the time to make a weight class.

But what good would that do if it’s almost all water and you’re
just going to gain it all back within days?

You don’t have to “throw away your scale” like many “experts”
tell you to. By all means, keep using the scale, the tape
measure and even photographs and the mirror - the more feedback
the better, but body fat is where it’s at.

By the way, I recently bought a chain saw and a shiny new axe
from Home Depot, and I’ve been practicing my “American Psycho”
and Jack Nicholson, “The Shining” impersonations… so if you
want to come to my office any time soon for personal
consultation, you’d better have the right answer to my question,
“What do you want?”

One last thing - If you found this information useful, then
you’ll want to know that I wrote an entire new e-book on body
fat testing, called “How to Measure Your Body Fat In the Privacy
Of Your Own Home.” Normally the retail price is $19.95, but I’m
offering it for FREE at www.burnthefat.com with the purchase of
my fat loss ebook, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. (Note: BFFM is
a FAT LOSS program, not a WEIGHT LOSS program!)

Do you want to lose weight? Of course you do, otherwise you
wouldn’t be reading this. Let me ask you another question. For
how long do you want to lose weight?

Just for the summer to look good in bikini? Or before winter
Holidays to make some room for the turkey and mashed potatoes?

If you want to do that go ahead and pick one of the fad diets.
Starve yourself for a week or two and then, after a moment of
glory is over and you have been admired in a new dress, go ahead
and turn back into a pumpkin. Because that’s exactly the shape
your body will gradually take if you decide to make your life a
series of multiple diets.

Now if your goal is to discover your true beauty hidden
underneath those multiple layers of fat, to look good, and to
feel great, you will have to make permanent changes in your life.

It sounds hard, but it’s actually much easier than sitting on
those horrible diets constantly fighting your urges and refusing
yourself little sweets you like so much.

I know it, because I’ve been there myself. The worst thing was
that I used to work part time as a cashier at the bakery. You
couldn’t imagine how miserable my life was at that moment. Every
time I would decide to sit on another fad diet, bakers would
“accidentally” put extra cherry filling into those cherry
strudels. And no matter what time I would show up for my shift I
would always have to witness them getting fresh baked cookies
out of the oven.

Sometimes it seemed like everyone was doing it on purpose, just
to brake me and destroy that little willpower I had left. Now I
realize that it was my fault for wanting fast results, but not
wanting to follow through.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is the right
lifestyle.

It is about finding the right balance between the food that is
both delicious and full of vitamins, and exercise that’s fun and
energizing. Sounds good, doesn’t it? And the best thing is that
by making small changes on a daily basis, you’ll not only look
great, you will also make your tummy very happy and your family
proud.

If you’re serious about loosing weight you have to commit to the
new healthy lifestyle.

No one week diets. No “do-nothing-and-lose-30-pounds-in-a-week”
pills. No magic pants that mysteriously melt fat away. No quick
fix solutions.

The ONLY thing that works is lifestyle change. Not for another
two weeks, but for the rest of your life! For as long as you
want to stay slim and healthy.

When lifestyle is healthy then weight normalization becomes one
of many positive effects that occur over time.

Changing your lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult. All you
have to do is to follow 4 simple steps:

First step - to get motivated. (Yes, without motivation and
burning desire you won’t go further than one week of healthy
lifestyle. So the first thing we need to do is to get fired up!)

Second step - change your diet. (No, you don’t have to starve to
death and count calories or carbs. Just follow basic principles
of healthy eating.)

Third step - start exercising. (Don’t get out of tune,
exercising the right way is actually fun!)

Fourth step - stay on track. (The most difficult part of loosing
weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to stay on track
and don’t quit.)

If you really want to get rid of all extra pounds here’s a
little task for you. Take a piece of paper and write down all
the reasons why you want to lose weight. The more the better.
Try to come up with at least 15 reasons why.

Don’t put it off. Take the first step to your beautiful and
healthy body!

The method know as three dimensional ultrasound is used in early pregnancy, it can provide 3d pictures of the fetus. Most times these pictures are rapidly captured and combined and animated to make a 4d scan.

Three dimensional scans works in the same manner to the usual ultrasound methods except that the ultrasound scanning pulses can be sent from multiple directions. The ultrasound pulses are redirected back then captured to provide information to construct a 3d picture in much the same way as 3d pictures. 3d ultrasound was devised by olaf ramm and stephen smith.

It’s important to understand that sonologists around the world always conjured 3d pictures of anatomy or pathology in their minds while doing their 2d scans. However, until recently it was very difficult to do this kind of reconstruction on on patient information using ultrasound. With the introduction of ultrasound baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the mechanics of thinking of a sonologist and allowing us to reconstruct the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none medical situations needs to be undertaken with an understanding of the risks that exist.

Many gastric bypass patients report frequent spells of dizziness. In general they are using the word dizzy to describe everything from feeling faint or lightheaded to feeling weak or unsteady.

Research indicates a state of chemical imbalance can lead to temporary bouts of dizziness. When a bariatric patient feels dizzy it could very well be related to the restricted diet. Most commonly going too long between meals or not drinking enough water causes bariatric patients to become dizzy or have a mild electrolyte imbalance. Many patients self-treat dizziness by drinking water or little sips of a sports drink such as Gatorade.

Dizziness may occur when too much time passes between meals, or as an early warning sign of dehydration. Lack of food or loss of bodily fluid interrupts the body’s physiological process; the electrolytes get out of balance.

Potassium, sodium and chlorine are the three dominant electrolytes in the human body. Beneath our conscious awareness the electrolytes are very busy jumping in and out of cells making it possible for nerve impulses to travel from one nerve cell to the next. When we are eating correctly, staying hydrated and pursuing a healthy lifestyle it is likely the electrolytes will stay balanced and we can enjoy a dizzy-free existence.

It is extremely dangerous when electrolytes become severely imbalanced. Infants suffering from dehydration have died from electrolyte imbalance. So have sufferers of anorexia.

If flu symptoms cause dehydration to the point of extreme dizziness and disorientation one must seek medical help. Dehydration will force a greater loss of potassium, which raises the sodium level in all muscle tissues. At greatest risk is the heart muscle where an increase of sodium may cause arrhythmia and death.

The sports and nutrition industry’s guideline for water consumption is one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight. Carefully monitoring fluid intake will help weight loss surgery patients avoid chronic dizziness.

© 2005 Kaye Bailey - All Rights Reserved

Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com and http://www.livingafterwls.blogspot.com

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I believe there are many diets out there that work and generally
I can not blame the particular diet for my failed attempts in
the past. Everything boils down to attitude.

All my life I have been somewhat overweight and oversized. I
remember on the day of Princess Diana’s wedding some of the kids
in my class asked me how much I weighed and I told them 72Kgs.
This is not so bad, except that I was in grade 7 (12 years old).
I stopped growing in length about 2 years after that, but by
then I stood 1.92M tall. The problem is that I did not stop
“growing” in weight. By the time I left school I weighed around
105KGs.

While I was at school, my mother, sister and I tried every
possible diet under the sun, but nothing lasted and soon
afterwards we would pick up the bit of weight we had lost during
the diet.

By 1996 I had moved to Johannesburg and my mom moved up there
for 1 year to fill the position of national director for Child
and Family Welfare and we decided to share an apartment. On the
first of February 1997 I bought a book called Unlimited Power by
Anthony Robbins. Many of you will probably know Anthony Robbins
who, in my opinion, is the greatest inspirational speaker in the
world. I sat down in a restaurant to start reading this book and
I could not get myself to stop reading. Eventually, by midnight,
the restaurant closed and they chased me away, so I returned
home and continued reading Unlimited Power, which I finished
during the course of the next day.

The book is not dedicated to weight loss at all, but Anthony
does mention how he lost 36 pounds (16Kgs) in a couple of weeks
and he gives one piece of advice regarding weight loss: “If you
want to loose weight, buy a blender” (paraphrased). That was all
the motivation I needed. The book had inspired me so much that,
at that moment, I believed I could achieve anything. I took off
to the shops and bought a blender, a scale and a bunch of fruit.
When I got home, I told my mom what I had read in the book and
that I would only be eating (drinking) fruit for the next couple
of months until I had lost at least 10KGs. I also threatened
that I would move out of the apartment and leave her alone in
this big, scary city if she prepared any food other than blended
fruit for me. Being the angel that she is, my mom agreed to this
and decided to join me on my fruit diet.

On the second of February 1997 I weighed 122KGs.
That was day 1, a Sunday, and I was still inspired from the
book, so it went fairly easy. I don’t believe it matters what
fruit you use. Many people say that bananas are fattening, but I
have found that I need at least 1-2 bananas in every mix to
enjoy it. Generally I add 2 apples, 1-2 oranges, 2 bananas and
something like watermelon or “spanspek” into a blender and mush
it all together into a fruit “goo”. Add a cup of water in the
beginning to thin the mixture and add a dash of lemon juice to
prevent the mixture from turning an unbearable brown color
within a couple of hours.

On day 2, the Monday, I took a 2 liter bottle of fruit goo to
work. This raised a couple of eyebrows as the mixture does not
look very appetizing. Those few that agreed to taste it though,
admitted that it actually tasted much better than it looked.
However, all the stares and frowns did not bother me, as I was
determined to make this diet work. The interesting thing was
that by the time I got home on the Monday afternoon, I was still
not hungry. Yes, in my mind I could imagine enjoying a juicy
piece of steak, but physically I did not feel hungry.

I lost more than 2 Kgs in the first 2 days On the
Tuesday morning I jumped on the scale and was pleasantly
surprised to find that I had lost more than 2KGs. The needle on
the scale rested halfway between 119 and 120KGs. In 2 days I had
lost 2 KGs and I still didn’t feel hungry or deprived of food as
I had on previous diets. This inspired me again and I could not
wait to get to work and tell all those skeptics about my
progress. Strangely enough, by the time I got to the office, I
had decided not to tell anybody that I had lost 2KGs, but rather
to push through and see how quickly I could loose another 2. It
would, after all, be far more impressive to say that I had lost
4KGs than 2. 2 Kilograms had always been my limit on previous
diets. I would loose the first 2 kilograms fairly quickly and
then it would stop there. I did not have the discipline to see a
diet through, but this time I was determined to get further. So
I quietly walked in and tried not to draw too much attention to
myself or my 2 liter bottle of fruit goo.

By the Wednesday morning I could not help myself and jumped on
the scale again. My original plan was to only weigh myself once
a week, but I was hopeful and again, I did not have the
discipline to wait another day. Fortunately, the scale-needle
god smiled on me and decided to rest just below the 119KG mark.
That was 3 kilograms in 3 days!!! And I still did not feel
hungry or feel the need to eat solid foods. I was on a mission
here. Anthony Robbins’ advice was working and he had lost 36
pounds in a couple of weeks, so I could do the same!! Whenever I
felt hungry, I simply poured another glass of fruit goo and when
we got home in the evenings, my mom prepared another bottle of
goo for us to share during the evening.

Less than three weeks later I had lost 10
kilograms!! Everybody at work knew and could see that I
had lost weight and now, instead of laughing at the mixture I
was drinking, they asked me about my diet everyday. How do you
do it, what fruits do you put in that mixture, don’t you get
hungry and may I taste it? Instead of laughing, these were the
questions they were asking now.

During that third week, I got home one afternoon to find my mom,
who had also lost around 7KGs by then, sitting in the lounge
with an unusually guilty look on her face. I asked her what was
wrong and she immediately looked down at the empty plate in
front of her. She had bought some salty cracks (biscuits) and
yes, by that time I was quite eager on putting some solid food
in my mouth as well. We agreed to eat some salty cracks with
cheese and tomato from then on and a week later we decided to
give the diet a break, but simply to try and maintain our
weight. By the 28th of February I weighed 111KGs, so I had lost
11KGs in 26 days.

During the first couple of days, I was loosing 1 kg every day.
Pretty impressive, but obviously you can’t expect to keep that
up. At some stage I remember my weight standing still for about
3-4 days. The scale-needle god was not smiling so brightly
anymore. One morning when I got on the scale and noticed that
the needle was still stuck on the same weight, I decided to move
to the next level (whatever it takes, remember). Now, I’m not
very big on exercise, but we did live in an apartment on the
ground floor of a 10 or 12 storey building. So I jumped off the
scale and ran out the front door with only my sleeping shorts
and my slightly reduced stomach sticking out and proceeded to
run (okay, I lie… I walked most of the way) up and down the
stairs of this building. By the next morning I could see that
the needle had moved a little and I continued walking/running up
and down the stairs every morning. Everyone knows that exercise
will help you lose weight, so that is not the great revelation I
want to share with you. The point that I do want to make is that
my attitude was right. I was going to lose weight!! There was no
question in my mind and I believed that absolutely. Therefore,
when I ran into a bit of difficulty, I did not give up as before
but I simply changed my plan of action, by adding a bit of
exercise to my routine and continued on.

The results I had booked a 4 week holiday in
Greece for May that year and decided that I would continue to
weigh myself every 2 days or so and ensure that I don’t pick up
any weight before the holiday. By the time I left for Greece, I
still weighed 111KGs. This may not sound important, but how many
times have people told you that you should loose weight slowly
or you will simply pick it up again, and more. Well, here’s my
answer. I had a motivation to ensure that I don’t pick that
weight up again because I wanted to look good and feel good
about myself during my holiday. It worked. I don’t know how to
express in words how I felt when I walked onto that beach on
Myconos (the first island I visited).

Firstly, being from South Africa where we don’t have nudist
beaches, just being there was quite a treat for me. Walking
around without a shirt and not feeling embarrassed about the
size of my stomach was absolutely amazing. For the first time in
my life girls actually came up to talk to me and when I went to
talk to them, they did not immediately give me a cold shoulder.
On IOS, the party capital of Greece, I met a Swedish girl and we
actually had a mini fling there for a couple of days. Something
I had never experienced before. I left to go visit 2 other
islands, but I went back to IOS and she was actually happy to
see me. Again, something I was not used to before. I don’t
believe anybody treated me differently because I had lost a bit
of weight. In fact, I was still overweight and could have done
with losing another 15-20KGs. Added to that, if you’ve seen my
pic on my weight-loss blog, you’ll know that losing a bit of
weight can’t change that face. Instead, I believe they treated
me differently because I was more confident and at peace with
myself and my own body.

In 1997 I was earning a pretty good salary, considerably more
than most of my friends. Even so, between February 1997 and June
2000 my salary trippled without changing jobs. Generally people
say you have to change jobs to get those sized increases, but I
believe I achieved it within the same company simply because I
had a newfound confidence in myself.

Success breeds success!!