Get your mindset right for weight loss programs

Source: healthyandlifestyles.com

Many people don’t realize the importance of getting your mind in the right place when beginning weight loss programs or a diet. If you’re trying to achieve long-term results, then you need to adopt a new healthy lifestyle permanently. You can’t think, “This is how I’m eating right now,” you have to find ways to transform your eating habits for life that you can accept and enjoy. It’s not about “eating this now, so I can eat this later.”

When we counsel patients at our medical weight loss centers, we remind them that making a change for a few weeks or months will not change your life. Having weight loss success is about creating habits that you’ll be able to maintain for the rest of your life and eliminating the unhealthy ones that lead to your weight gain in the first place.

Patience is a key factor to having success with weight loss programs. You will have ups and downs, plateaus and gains—know this, accept this and always keep moving forward. 

Many of the patients who visit our medical weight loss centers complain about hitting a plateau and are looking for a quick fix to overcome it. It’s important to understand that reaching a plateau is common—it can either be a natural reaction or a result of loosening up on your new healthy lifestyle. Break through it by increasing your exercise and tightening up on your good habits again. As long as you keep going, you will continue to lose weight.

If necessary, create one good habit at a time. Do whatever it takes to make it work for your individual needs. Maybe one week you can increase your water intake by one bottle a day, or substitute a healthy snack like one of our delicious weight loss products instead of that candy bar you have every day. Slowly but surely, you’ll assimilate these new habits and enjoy results without feeling like you’re starving or miserable.

Last but not least, be realistic in your approach. This isn’t about finding miracle weight loss products or that “diet” that helps you lose five pounds in five days. It’s about discovering ways that you can improve your entire lifestyle and incorporating them easily and painlessly.  It’s not about deprivation or eliminating your favorite foods for life—it’s about learning how to moderate cravings, enjoying a little bit of your favorites here and there, and keeping those healthy habits! Get your mind right today.

Boost weight loss programs with nuts!

Source: nutofthemonthclub.com

If you’re looking for a healthy snack that won’t throw any type of weight loss programs out of whack, nuts are a perfect choice! Many are packed with heart-healthy omega-3s, essential fatty acids that help with cognitive development, memory and brain function, while protecting against depression and anxiety. They also help to reduce inflammation, keep your blood from clotting excessively, help prevent cancer cell growth and reduce the risk of obesity.

Just like all foods that are recommended by our weight loss clinics, nuts are great for you when eaten in moderation. They're definitely a guilt-free snack that fills you up and gives you energy.

While many snacks that you find at the supermarket are packed with sodium, carbs and sugars, nuts stand apart from the rest as a healthy alternative. They’re loaded with fiber, protein, and cholesterol-friendly monounsaturated fats. However, they can have a high caloric content, so keep the amount you eat in line with what our weight loss programs recommend.

In order to enjoy the benefits of eating nuts without gaining weight, women should eat about an ounce each day, while men can safely eat up to two ounces. One ounce is approximately a small handful of nuts. If you’re uncertain as to that amount, check with the staff at our medical weight loss clinics the next time you visit.

Nuts are very addictive so keep your appetite in check by measuring your portion in advance. Eating out the jar can easily lead to overeating, even for those who curb their appetite with the use of medical diet pills or other appetite suppressing weight loss products.

To maximize health and nutritional benefits, choose a mixture of nuts. We recommend that patients of our weight loss clinics choose from an array that includes walnuts, cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts and pistachios.
Cashews are a great choice for those working with easy weight loss programs. They have the lowest fat content of any nuts, are delicious and packed with healthy fats. 17 cashews only have about 160 calories. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. 14 walnuts halves equal about an ounce, and have 190 calories.

Almonds are a very satisfying option and an excellent source of vitamin E, an antioxidant vitamin that helps prevent cardiovascular disease by keep LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. An ounce equals around 22 nuts and contains approximately 160 calories. While Brazil nuts are high in calories, they're the best source of selenium, an antioxidant mineral. Seven Brazil nuts will cost you about 190 calories. Pecans are also antioxidant-rich. 20 pecan halves have about 200 calories. Pistachios are low calories and help to lower the risk of heart disease.

Make nuts work for you! Whether you’re working with medical diet pills or not, they’re a great way to satisfy your appetite while consuming a variety of essential nutrients.

Weight Loss Programs & The Essentials—Beta Carotene

Source: SheKnows.com

Beta carotene is the most well-known and one of the most beneficial carotenoids, which are a class of chemical compounds that act as precursors to Vitamin A. It’s an essential nutrient that should be incorporated into the meal plan of all easy weight loss programs, due to its wide variety of benefits. In addition to having powerful anti-aging properties and protecting your body from the damage caused by free radicals, beta carotene can help fight off certain diseases.

Beta carotene is an orange pigment found in many fruits and vegetables; more importantly, it’s a water-soluble vitamin-A, meaning that your body can convert it into vitamin A. At our medical weight loss centers, we recommend that patients get beta carotene from food rather than supplements—since its present in many foods that also benefit the effects of weight loss programs, getting your fill is a win-win.

Since its discovery in 1831, beta carotene was thought to boast many positive health benefits in addition to helping prevent night blindness and other vision problems. Research in the 1980s revealed its antioxidant properties and possible cancer-fighting abilities. More recent studies showed that individuals who eat a diet rich in carotenoids had a much lower risk of breast, colon and lung cancer.

As if those weren’t reason enough to recommend beta carotene-rich food to patients of our weight loss clinics, later research has shown that this likable carotenoid boosts immunity, prevent skin disorders and protect from toxins. Since beta carotene fights free radicals, it also can help slow the aging process. 

Foods that contain beta carotene are often also good sources of fiber—one of the keys to achieving success with easy weight loss programs. Those who eat a diet rich in beta carotene also have a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and lower LDL-cholesterol. Studies have shown that individuals with a high level of beta carotene are less likely to suffer from diabetes and issues with blood sugar levels. In addition, those with high intakes of beta carotene had increased lung capacity and less respiratory problems.          

At our medical weight loss centers, we recommend eating a diverse diet that includes approximately four servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables per day, if possible. Adhering to this guideline will also help you get your beta carotene in—some great sources include the obvious orange-colored foods such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe, apricots, mango, nectarines, carrots and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Not all beta carotene-rich foods is orange colored—some surprising sources that are also great choices for all weight loss programs include dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. Many other lettuces and cabbage are also good sources. 

Additional findings about beta carotene that we like to promote to visitors of our weight loss clinics is that high intake can lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, prevent oxidative damage from rigorous workouts, and can effectively help heal dry skin as well as the painful effects of psoriasis and eczema.

Mental roadblocks to easy weight loss programs

While the term easy weight loss programs may imply a struggle-free journey to your ideal weight, we can’t promise that obstacles will be totally non-existent. While creating new habits and starting an exercise program will get you off to a great start, there are many other elements that play a factor in weight loss. The best thing to do is to understand the challenges that may stand in your way and have a strategy for dealing with them.

Accept imperfection. It’s important to understand that everybody encounters obstacles along the path to a new, healthier lifestyle. Even when you’re working with the best doctors at the best weight loss clinics, you still may get off track from time to time. The most important thing is to not expect perfection or beat yourself up when you have a setback. Expecting perfection only sets you up for failure. It’s essential to remember that no one is perfect!

Punishing yourself or feeling shame. Know that there will be ups and downs with any of the easy weight loss programs available to you. If you do experience a setback in the form of a cheat day or a weight gain, don’t stop logging your meals in your food diary out of shame or disappointment. Simply get back on the track the next day and take a look back through the days that you did eat healthy—and keep logging away. Whatever you do, don’t punish yourself—simply learn a lesson from the experience.

Setting unrealistic deadlines
Many people have succumbed to the idea of losing weight by an unrealistic deadline, due to an upcoming special event such as a vacation, wedding, party or class reunion. Sometimes people will take extreme measures, like taking too many medical diet pills or overloading themselves on weight loss products to nearly starve themselves to fit into an unrealistic outfit. Stay away from this mistake at all costs. While the temptation to hit a certain deadline can be strong, it’s a behavior that will once again set you up for failure. Excessive overeating only leads to bingeing, and ultimately, weight gain.

Worst of all, not meeting your deadline could make you lose motivation overall and prompt you to give up on weight loss programs altogether. You have to set realistic goals and be patient with your body. To experience long term results, you have to take time to change the habits that led you to become overweight in the first place. Establishing healthy eating habits and incorporating a regular workout program requires commitment and time, but the results will be extremely worth it. When you visit one of our weight loss clinics, our physician will help you learn what goals are safe and realistic for you as an individual.

Avoid temptation. Many people start weight loss programs by promising to never eat certain foods again—their favorite ones no less! Making that kind of decision and expecting yourself to live by it is just a recipe for disaster. When temptation wins, which it will, you’ll find yourself on the brink of shame and disappointment again, and those feelings lead to the loss of motivation to stay on track. Deprivation never works!

Instead, find ways to fit in your favorite foods in a moderate way or as the occasional treat. Some people lean on medical diet pills to try to avoid those tempting foods, but it’s best to find a way to eat them in small portions, only once in a while, and in a balanced way that fits in with your meal plan.

Hindrances to Weight Loss Programs

Sometimes even the best quick weight loss programs can’t stop you from hitting a plateau. You may be working hard, watching what you eat and exercising regularly, but the scale is no longer budging. While the factors listed above are key components to successful weight loss, there are other elements that may play a role in what become obstacles to achieving your goals.

One of the most important elements we discuss with clients when they first visit our medical weight loss centers is portion control. Especially in the United States, we have a tendency to eat much larger portions, in addition to underestimating their calorie and fat content.

The first thing to do is to get your portions in check. Get a food scale and measure your servings, and also get measuring spoons and cups to use for guidelines. At your next visit to one of our weight loss clinics, check out some of our examples. We actually have physical models that depict normal portions.

Another thing to watch out for is mindless eating. This occurs when you distract yourself while eating your meal. The most successful weight loss programs encourage you to take your time and savor every bite—that’s hard to do if you’re watching television or working at your computer while you eat. When you’re distracted, you tend to eat more and you can’t keep track of how much you are snacking on. If the show or game you’re watching is still going, you may just keep eating, even if you use medical diet pills to curb your appetite and cravings.

Another thing to watching out for when snacking are bowls and bags. For example, if you’re at the movies and you get a large bucket of popcorn, chances are you may continue to eat it even when you’re no longer hungry, simply because the movie is still in progress. When you snack from a candy bowl, you may completely lose track and blow your entire diet for the week in one sitting. This can happen even with the use of pharmaceutical diet pills. Your best game plan is to make a rule to always eat from a dish, or if it has to be a bag, choose a pre-measured snack that is for one serving only—a great choice would be one of our medical weight loss products, like Drizzles or Control Chips.

Another common deterrent that patients of our weight loss clinics experience is overestimating calorie burn and increasing calorie count as a “reward.” People often count on what gym machines say there are burning in terms of calories, and then feel like it’s a free ticket to eat what they want afterwards. First of all, machines at the gym are notorious for overestimating the calories burned, especially if the equipment is older or not serviced properly. More importantly, you can’t think that a workout gives you license to overeat—exercise simply enhances your weight loss efforts and helps you increase muscle mass.

Another form of sabotage is deprivation. While we tell clients of our medical weight loss centers to cut down on sugar, unhealthy fats and simple carbs, we also don’t recommend having a diet so strict that you no longer enjoy your meals and never indulge in your favorite treats. When you completely deprive yourself, chances are you will succumb to a binge that will do much more harm than having a treat once in awhile.

There is a two-pronged approach to having little indulgences every once in awhile. The first is to find a substitute, like one of our medical weight loss products that is designed to satisfy cravings. If you’re a chocolate addict, try chocolate covered Drizzles or one of our pudding or shake mixes. Chances are that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Most importantly, don’t think of your meal plan as a “diet.” That just sets you up for failure. Experiencing long-term success with medical weight loss programs requires you to change your lifestyle. This means learning to enjoy healthy foods and no more deprivation. Emphasize foods that are good for you and learn to prepare them in creative ways so you can truly enjoy them. If the majority of your diet includes healthy fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein, you can have that special treat every once in awhile. Enjoy that piece of birthday cake or a slice of pizza every once in awhile and you’ll still stay on track with your healthy new lifestyle.