Monday, September 26, 2011

Healthy Foods That Fill You Up


When you’re working one of the many prompt slim-down programs available, does it ever feel like you’re always hungry, even if you’re using medical diet pills? It’s a feeling we need to pay attention to and determine the best way to deal with. If you’re truly hungry, you will feel it in your stomach via legitimate hunger pangs, which are a natural reflex that occurs as your blood sugar drops, even if you’re getting a little help from appetite suppressants such as FDA approved medical weight loss pills.

First of all, make sure that you don’t just want to eat, but that you truly feel hunger in your stomach. Being able to identify the difference is a key factor in making healthy lifestyle choices. The bottom line is, whether you’re using the best weight loss products in the world or are enrolled in an incredible medical weight loss program, if you feel hungry, you’re going to need to eat. It’s what and how much you eat that really counts.

At our weight loss clinics and medical weight loss centers, we recommend healthy food choices and teach our clients about portion control. Below are some foods we recommend to clients of our easy weight loss programs and quick weight loss centers that will help you fill up while working towards your weight loss goals.

Fish
Fish is one of the most concentrated sources of heart-healthy protein and satisfies hunger like nothing else. Since fish is generally lower in fat than meat or poultry, you get more protein in every bite. Salmon, tuna, shrimp and scallops are great choices. Plus, salmon and tuna are both packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which don’t just benefit quick weight loss programs—they’re great for your skin, too!

Vegetable Soup
Another favorite of clients from our weight loss clinics is soup. Since it contains so much water, it’s low-calorie and filling. Studies show that people who start their meals with a broth-based soup eat smaller portions at their main meal. A cup of soup also makes for a great snack!

Berries
Berries are packed with fiber which means they take longer for your stomach to digest, so they satisfy your hunger for longer periods as well. They’re almost like natural appetite suppressants—plus, they’re low calorie and antioxidant rich—the perfect element of any quick weight loss plan.

Black beans aka legumes
Beans are high in fiber and protein. Other legumes like pinto, navy, and kidney beans all are also good choices, though black beans have the highest fiber and protein content. Clients from our weight loss clinics recommend tossing them into salads and omelettes.

Nonfat Greek yogurt
Delicious and filling, Greek yogurt is a stellar source of protein—and an absolute favorite among the medical weight loss clients at our quick weight loss centers. It’s a great choice for a snack or even dessert.

Visit www.AmericanWeightLossCenter.com to learn about our quick weight loss programs, medical weight loss, FDA approved medical weight loss pills and Orange County medical weight loss clinics.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Good and Bad Weight Loss Habits


There is so much medical weight loss “advice” out there that sometimes it can be hard to discern good information from misinformation. Luckily, American Weight Loss Centers is happy to share the same knowledge we give clients of our weight loss clinics who take part in our easy weight loss programs, work with weight loss products or use a quick weight loss plan.

It’s very important to be careful when devising a weight loss strategy, especially one that includes appetite suppressants or medical diet pills. At our Orange County medical weight loss center and Orange County weight loss clinics, we only work with FDA approved medical weight loss pills and easy weight loss programs that are safe. Yet we hear many “tips” that others share with our clients, most often from those who achieved success with quick weight loss programs or weight loss products. Below, we want to de-bunk the myths and clarify what are healthy strategies for working a quick weight loss plan or using medical diet pills.

The Bad

1. Starvation
While consuming less calories does help you lose weight, getting excessive and trying to starve yourself is a disaster in the making. While you may effect a quick weight loss for the first few days, your metabolism will slow down to compensate, and ultimately, you will gain weight—even quicker than you lost it. If you are using appetite suppressants or FDA approved medical weight loss pills, make sure you are still eating healthy.

2. Laxatives
Laxatives are a very dangerous way to lose weight and should not be used as a part of any quick weight loss programs. They only promote the loss of water weight, which comes back very quickly, cause dehydration and lead to even more serious problems. At our weight loss clinics, we absolutely do not promote the use of laxatives for assistance with medical weight loss.
     
3. Avoid Carbs
BOTTOM LINE: Your body needs carbs to function properly. You cannot completely deprive yourself from any one food group. Eat complex carbs to remain healthy while still losing weight.

The Good

1. Eat Healthy
This is the most integral element of weight loss and will help you reach your target goal and maintain that weight.  Eliminate excess sugars and fats and fill up with fruits and vegetables.

2. Exercise
Workout vigorously 3-4 times a week, or even 5 if you can handle it. Alternate cardio workouts with strength training, switch up your workouts and mix up the equipment you use. This will help you develop your lean muscle mass and burn excess fat.

3. Commit
You must have a plan to achieve your weight loss goals. When you visit our Orange County medical weight loss clinics or Orange County weight loss center, we will help you develop you’re a realistic diet and exercise plan.

Visit www.AmericanWeightLossCenter.com to find the locations of our medical weight loss clinics, quick weight loss centers and to learn more about safe weight loss pills. Come find out why we’re known as the best Orange County weight loss program available!

Monday, September 12, 2011

9 Weight Loss Tips You Should Follow

You want to follow through and actually lose your weight, but you’re tired of the same old advice to eat more vegetables, limit you portions and exercise more. Diet experts came up with lesser known weight loss tips that will quickly turn a non-believer into a total believer. Here are nine diet tips you may not have not heard yet. Some involve different ways to eat, or adding certain foods to your diet. Others involve learning new behaviors or strategies to help you stay on track. The benefit of weight loss clinics is that they offer quick weight loss plans along with FDA approved weight loss products for those who meet the need.

Weight Loss Tip No. 1: Variety Is Overrated

Who hasn't heard the advice to "just take a bite of everything" if you're at a buffet? But as it turns out, variety doesn't deserve its good reputation, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a Chicago dietitian and author of The Flexitarian Diet.

"We know that variety makes you eat more," she says, citing several published studies and her own experience in counseling weight loss patients.

For example, researchers in France found that study participants ate more french fries when they were offered catsup and mayonnaise along with them. And when they were given the option of having cream or whipped cream with their brownies, they ate more than when the brownies were offered plain.

Other researchers have found that people who have been able to maintain weight loss tend to eat diets with limited variety.

Weight Loss Tip No. 2: Have Barley for Breakfast

"Barley is the new oatmeal," says Jackson Blatner.

Barley got its hunger-fighting reputation after Swedish researchers found that eating barley or rye kernels for breakfast kept blood sugar on an even keel. That's because the carbs in barley and rye kernels are "low glycemic index," meaning they raise blood sugar more slowly than some other carbohydrate foods. This helps you avoid a spike, and then a drop, in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling famished.

One caveat: "Buy hulled barely, not pearl barley," Jackson Blatner says. The Swedish researchers used minimally processed hull barley, and they can't vouch for the same effects for more processed forms, such as pearl barley.

Weight Loss Tip No. 3: Beef Up Your Lunch Salad

One of the most common mistakes dieters make is to eat a vegetable salad with little or no dressing for lunch, says Joan Salge Blake, RD, professor of nutrition at Boston University and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Then they are starving by mid-afternoon," she says.

A salad is a great choice, she says, if you add some protein and a little fat to help keep you feeling full longer.

Top your greens with a 3 oz piece of chicken breast, and you've added about 26 grams of protein but just 140 calories. Add about two tablespoons of light salad dressing, and your salad may be filling enough to get you through the 3 p.m. hunger slump without hitting the vending machine.

Weight Loss Tip No. 4: Stock Up on Frozen Vegetables

Sure, fresh vegetables are delicious and nutritious. But faced with the need to scrape a carrot, wash and slice a zucchini, or cut broccoli into florets, many of us say, "Too much trouble!" and reach for chips instead.
To make things easier, stock your freezer with frozen vegetables, Blake tells dieters.

"They are already clean, chopped and ready to cook in the microwave," she says. "It's like having Rachael Ray in the freezer."

An even better way to be sure you eat more vegetables: Cook the frozen veggies ahead of time. Microwave the whole bag of green beans, for instance. Then keep them in the refrigerator, ready to dump into canned soups, add to a salad, or just eat by the handful.

Weight Loss Tip No. 5: Make Yourself a Party Tray

The type of party tray Jackson Blatner is talking about is a big vegetable platter, maybe with some low-fat dip on the site -- the kind you put on the buffet for weight-conscious guests.

But this one is just for you and any interested family members. Keep it in the fridge at eye level, encouraging you to snack healthy and avoid the higher-calorie contents of your refrigerator.

Several studies have found that we tend to eat more when food is within easy reach. Secretaries who placed candy on their desks ate about 48% more than when the candy was 6 feet away, according to research by Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.

Weight Loss Tip No. 6: Turn Down the Thermostat

Spending time in a chilly house -- about 61 degrees Fahrenheit -- may boost the fat-burning power of the "brown fat" in your body.

Brown fat is considered "good" fat, as opposed to regular or white fat, which stores calories and tends to accumulate. Researchers believe that lean people have more of the brown type of fat, and that the amount of brown fat a person has declines with age.

Scandinavian researchers found that exposure to these chilly temperatures boosted the metabolic rate of brown fat 15-fold, helping burn more calories.

But Jackson Blatner cautions not to expect too much: "It's not going to be any kind of a miracle," she says. And beware if you're the type who eats more when you feel cold.

Weight Loss Tip No. 7: Downsize Your Dinnerware

Experts say they've seen it again and again: The larger your plate, the more you're likely to put on it. So serving your meals on smaller plates can help you eat less.

But don't throw out those dinner plates, Blake suggests. Use the smaller, lunch-size plates to serve dinner, and use the dinner plates for salads.

Weight Loss Tip No. 8: Go Out for Treats

If you're the type who overdoes it on sweets and snacks, Jackson Blatner suggests, make yourself work a little for your favorite indulgences. Don't keep them in the house, but give yourself permission to go out and get them when you really need to.

Want a brownie? You have to go to the bakery. Craving a frozen yogurt? You must find the nearest frozen yogurt shop.

"The more hassle tasty treats are, the less likely you are to eat them," says Jackson Blatner, who does this herself and finds her sweets consumption has declined without making her feel deprived.

Weight Loss Tip No. 9: Try on Your Skinny Jeans Every Friday

Find a pair of pants that is tight, but not impossible to zip, Blake suggests to her weight loss patients. "Every Friday morning, try them on," she says.

Why Friday? Weekends are typically a tougher time to stay on diets, she says. And the Friday morning try-on will motivate you to watch your eating during the weekend.

"If they are loose, you will say to yourself 'I am making progress, I am staying on track during the weekend,''' she says.

And if they're snug? That will provide motivation to stick to your diet so they'll fit better next week, she says.

Visit wwwAmericanWeightLossCenter.com for more information and easy weight loss programs.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Love That Workout

Working out is key to your overall health and well-being, as well as to the success of simple weight reduction programs and weight loss products. At our medical weight loss clinics, we love for our clients to get into the mindset of enjoying their workouts, instead of feeling like they “have” to work out. We already know that it takes dedication for quick weight loss programs to work, so we want to make sure that the clients of our medical weight loss centers, including our Orange County medical weight loss program and Pasadena weight loss clinic, will enjoy themselves on their path to transformation.

The first step is to find workouts that are truly enjoyable to you. When you’re working so hard to achieve success with quick weight loss programs or appetite suppressants such as FDA approved medical weight loss pills, the last thing you want to do is to force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy. Instead, find something you love to do so that it won't be a chore and you'll want to do it—and then report the results back to one of our weight loss clinics so we can share your success story with others!

We always remind the clients at our weight loss clinics that exercise doesn’t necessarily have to be done at the gym. There’s rock climbing, surfing, trekking… the list goes on and on. Think about what you loved doing as a child or what you wish you had time for. If you always wanted to learn how to play tennis, it’s never too late, sign up for a class now. Same with horseback riding, dance, and sports. If you love the outdoors, start hiking, roller skating, swimming or bicycling... or join an outdoor football or softball league and get moving in a fun, social atmosphere. If you’re already taking a Zumba class and know that you love dance, incorporate another type of dance into your schedule, like bellydancing or hip-hop.

One of the clients of our Orange County weight loss program shared with us that she’s taken up trapeze at a nearby aerial school! The possibilities are truly unlimited and will only enhance the results of any quick weight loss plan or medical weight loss programs.

The point is, find something you like and get moving. You’ll have a blast, feel amazing afterwards and do wonders for your quick weight loss plan and the success of all types of easy weight loss programs. The best weight loss programs will inspire you to get past the idea of basing your success on medical diet pills and focused on making changes in your lifestyle and mindset. When you find a workout that you love, share it with the staff at one of our medical weight loss centers so they can share it with other clients for inspiration!

Get support and info about medical weight loss programs, weight loss products and FDA approved weight loss pills at our Pasadena medical weight loss center or any of our Orange County medical weight loss clinics. Visit AmericanWeightLossCenter.com to find a location near you.