Tips to stick to your diet

It has happened to all of us at some point or another: we were doing so well with our weight loss diet or exercise regime. Then suddenly we fell off the horse and decided that if we had already gone this far we might as well give up entirely.

There's an old Chinese tale about a father and his son who lived on a farm. Together they raised sheep and cared for them. They lived off of these sheep and were able to make money from the sheep's fur. Every day both the father and the son walked around the field where they were raising the sheep to check that the fence was in good order. One night, the fence broke and some wolves sneaked into the field and ate some of the sheep.

The son cried out to his father saying that all was lost and that they were now ruined! But the father simply picked up his tools and took his son to the fence to patch it up. Once the fence had been fixed, the father told his son that just because there was a weakness in the fence it does not mean that it cannot be fixed nor that it is impossible for them to keep raising sheep.

Your diet or exercise regime is like sheep, it is always at risk of violated or destroyed. The fence represents your will power and your circumstances. It might happen that you're too busy to go to the gym or go jogging every morning for a period of time. It might happen that you were forced to stop at a fast food joint on the side of the high way. It might happen that you cave in to eating some chips, some chocolate, or any one of your other cravings. But that doesn't mean you should give up and let your sheep continue to be eaten by wolves. After you've stuffed yourself with what you know to be unhealthy food: stop and think about it. It's not the end of the world.

If you go end up on a binge of food, you don't need to eat more bad food to "get it out of your system", to feel better or to make sure it never happens again. You will be faced with times where you want to eat something unhealthy, or you want to sleep in and skip your step class. No problem, but don't let that one incident ruin your motivation or your commitment to your diet or exercise regime. It happens to everyone, but if you're one of the people who is able to pick yourself up and fix the fence you'll be able to keep losing weight and get healthier.

I hope this story has helped you to understand that not all is lost if your resolve waivers for a day or a week, or what have you. You are the boss of yourself and you can chose to return to eating healthy foods and working out on a regular basis without any fear. Trust in yourself and make sure you keep your eyes focused on the goal since that's what keeps us all motivated.

Cosmetic surgery is it for you

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If you thought cosmetic surgery was reserved for Hollywood stars, you're out of sync with the times. Nowadays it's become a surprisingly affordable lifestyle choice for people from all walks of life. Here's a look at some of the more common cosmetic procedures to help you decide if cosmetic surgery is for you.



Essentially, cosmetic surgery is a surgical procedure carried out to improve a person's appearance. As such, it can be applied to any part of your body. But the most common are the various regions of the face, the breasts and the waist. Let's look at each in turn.



The most famous facial surgery procedure is the facelift (rhytidectomy). The objective is to tighten up skin and smooth out the lines and wrinkles that time etches on your face. The end result is a more youthful appearance.



The second most common is the nose job (rhinoplasty). This works to bring balance to the face by changing the shape of your nose, by making it wider or narrower, for example. It's also used to remove bumps in the nose.



Then there's eye enhancement. This procedure centres on removing unsightly bags under the eyes.



Lesser known is ear surgery. This is for people who feel their ears are too prominent. The operation adjusts the shape of the ear cartilage so that the ear lies closer to the head.



Next is breast surgery which involves altering the size and/or position of the female breast. The most sought after procedure is breast enlargement which is achieved through implants. Another popular procedure is the uplift which corrects sagging breasts. Finally there's breast reduction for women who suffer from back or shoulder pain due to excessive breast weight.



Finally, body surgery involves ways to improve the shape of the body, particularly the waist. The two most popular procedures here are tummy tucks and liposuction. The tummy tuck involves removing folds of overhanging skin and fatty tissue from around the midriff to give that smooth, tight, youthful look. For moderate weight reduction, liposuction is available. This involves the selective removal of fat cells by vacuum suction through a small metal tube inserted into the affected areas.



These are the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures. But in addition to the above, there are also more specialized procedures such as weight loss surgery, cosmetic surgery for men and anti-aging cosmetic surgery. Your surgeon can give you details of these.



In deciding whether to go ahead with cosmetic surgery, the first step is to consult a surgeon to determine whether you are a suitable candidate. The surgeon will take many factors into account such as your age, state of health, skin texture, bone structure and healing ability. Though most cosmetic surgery procedures are safe and carried out under local anaesthetic, there are risks involved and your surgeon will make you aware of them.



Another key factor is how realistic your expectations are about the results of your surgery. If you're expecting to be transformed into a clone of Julia Roberts, you're probably setting yourself up for disappointment. Results tend to be subtle rather than transformational and it's important to remember this. However, they can be life changing too.

Weight loss newbies the beginner s guide to losing weight

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So you've decided that you're going to do it.

You're sick and tired of being sick and tired and are once and for all hell bent on losing weight.

Well, let me be the first to warn you of a very grim fact:

Millions have tried before you and most of them have failed miserably at reaching their weight loss and diet goals.

Therefore, I've put together a little beginner's guide to help make sure that you are one of the few that actually ends up being successful at this.

1. Get an accurate picture of where you are now
   
   Many people just go and hop on a diet or weight loss program without knowing exactly where they are from the start. This is dangerous because along the way there WILL be numerous times where you will be tempted to simply quit altogether. Without knowing where you started, you won't be able to accurately gauge your progress. Not being able too see that progress put you at an extremely high risk of quitting down the road when the going gets tough.
   
   
2. Set specific, realistic goals for your weight loss, and WRITE THEM DOWN.
   
   This is one of the most ill-executed steps in the entire process of losing weight. Most people will passively quote some random amount of weight that they "hope" to lose.
   
   
   "I need to lose 30 lbs."
   
   "I'm trying to get back down to a size X"
   
   "If I can just fit back into Y, I'll be fine"
   
   That is the exact WRONG way to go about your weight loss. All above the above are hopes. Wishes. Desires. And none does a thinner body make.
   
   What you need are detailed, definite goals that are written and time bound (e. g. "over the next 3 months") to hold yourself accountable to doing what you said you were going to do by the time you said you were going to do it.
   
   

   Adopt a step-by-step course of action to get you there
   
   In order for this to work there needs to be a concrete method to your weight loss madness. To this end, you need to chose a weight loss plan that will lead you step-by-step through what to eat (and what not to eat), how and when to exercise, and every other imaginable aspect of losing weight. The reason for this is that goals have a much better chance of becoming reality when they are being attained as a result of a plan or system of action.
   
   

   Get started IMMEDIATELY
   
   Most flunkies know how to study. Most broke people know how wealth is generated. Most overweight people how to lose weight. However, what separates all of these very knowledgeable, yet unsuccessful people from the results they desire is action. Don't let that be your fate.
   
   Once you have written specific goals and chosen a plan of action, don't delay in getting right on track to weight loss. The cheesecake, burgers, chocolate, and pastries aren't going anywhere. You can snack on them moderately once you've achieved your goals. Don't get caught into the trap of holding off having Your Best Body any longer. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll be done.
   
   

   Be Prepared for the emotional roller coaster
   
   Nearly everyone who has tried to lose weight has had some level of success at one time or another. For those who have not been able to sustain desirable results, being knocked out by the emotional roller coaster is most likely to blame.
   
   Look, losing weight is very simple, but not easy. If it were, there wouldn't be so many people trying to get it right. The #1 skill that you will need to develop in order to make it through is surviving the roller coaster of emotions. One day you'll feel as if you're getting great results. A week later, you may actually feel that you are moving backwards. Either way, just know that as long as you consistently follow the weight loss principles, you will ALWAYS move forward, even if it does not feel like it.
   
   

   Don't stop until your goal is reached, no matter WHAT
   
   So many times people come to a screeching halt in their efforts to lose weight and diet because they get discouraged a portion of the way through OR after they reach a certain benchmark they allow themselves to be satisfied and quit the program even though their goal has not been reached.
   
   DON'T DO IT.
   
   There was a specific reason that you set your initial goal. Do not sell yourself short by settling for anything less. Stick it out until the very end, and your sense of accomplishment will be irreplaceable.
   
   

   Once you've reached your goal, never, EVER let yourself blow up
   again
   
   This is the last and final barrier to ultimate success in your efforts to lose weight.
   
   Make sure not to allow yourself to relapse while you are in maintenance mode. I recommend sticking to the same general principles that helped you lose the weight and then occasionally indulging in some of the foods that you love. This balance is the best way to keep the body that you've worked for and not feel over-restricted.
   
   

Make this the first and last time that you ever have to go through a weight loss program. Remember that if you can just get it right one good time, you can literally maintain it forever with little effort.

To YourBestBody,

Lawrence Cole

Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach

See this Weight Loss Article at YourBestBodyNOW. com

Weight watchers weight loss strategies my top 10

Recently I hit my goal weight and moved to the Weight Watchers Maintenance Program. I've been thinking about it a lot as I continue to do my best to follow the program, and wondering how it is I was able to lose nearly 33 pounds in 8 months. So, I decided to write my Top 10 Strategies. I'll list them Dave Letterman style.

Top 10 Weight Watchers Weight Loss Strategies That Worked for Me

10. I make sure to have lots of 1 and 2 point treats in the house. I work at home and I've learned that I like to snack and nibble during the day so it's important to have low point treats available so I don't feel guilty.

9. I let other people know (my friends, family and colleagues) what I'm working on so they can support me and give me kudos when I succeed.

8. I share my success and challenges on a blog ( slim-people. com). This has been a great outlet for me to focus myself on what I need to keep doing, reading and thinking about in order to stay on track.

7. I use the Weight Watchers online etools. I'm a nut for details so the online program is great for me. I work at home and sit in front of a computer all day. It's no problem for me to add my food immediately to the online points tracker. I also enter my weight every Saturday after my weekly Weight Watchers meeting. I get an immediate visual representation of how I'm going as I view the graph.

6. I attend the weekly Weight Watchers meetings without fail. I think in 8 months I've only missed two due to being out of town on business and unable to get to a meeting. Though, when I know I'm going to be out of town, I will usually at the very least go the day before and weigh in.

5. I weigh and measure my food. I learned quickly that what my eye thinks is 2 ounces usually is a lot more. I'm not consistent about this but more often than not I do weigh or measure what I'm eating and drinking.

4. I track my points. I write down what I eat. I hear Flora in my head saying, "You bite it, you write it." I've learned that when I slack off from writing everything down, I either don't lose or I gain weight that week. Again, my eyes are not a good judge of quantity.

3. I work out 4 times per week. Before Weight Watchers I took Pilates classes 3 times per week. Though I was getting stronger, I was not losing weight. In fact I was gaining weight due to hormones, a sedentary job and eating too much. I switched to 2 days of Pilates and 2 days of cardio workout. I started the cardio workout the same day I joined Weight Watchers and I know it has make a big difference. Last week I even started walking to my Pilates studio since it's only a 10 minute walk. Up until now I've been driving, if you can believe that.

2. I have a buddy. My dear friend and I joined Weight Watchers together, as well as joined the gym together. We go to the meetings together. We work out 2 times per week together. We talk about food and how we're doing all the time. We evangelize about Weight Watchers. Without my buddy I don't think I would have stayed with the program. No, I know I would not have stayed with the program.

1. And number 1. I made the decision to join Weight Watchers. I had heard a lot of success stories about Weight Watchers and after putting on 30 pounds over the course of 3 years, I decided it was time to take action. I had been telling myself it was age and hormones that contributed to the weight gain and that may be partly true, but I had to take action and do something so I could feel good about myself, my body and my health.

That's it. There are probably more things that could be added to this list. Now my challenge goal is to maintain for 6 weeks and get to Lifetime Member.

Oh, I just remembered one more thing I did. I read an article, I think on Weight Watchers Online, about rewarding yourself when you do well. So I set up a savings account and deposited $10 every time I lost a pound. I call it the "Pamper Me" account. Now, I will add $10 every week I maintain my weight. Then, eventually, I'll do something wonderful to pamper myself!

Good luck and best wishes to you in your journey to weight loss!