5 Long Term Health Risks Of Not Getting Enough Sleep

We understand by now that getting enough sleep is essential to our overall health. How could we not? There has been a steady stream of media warnings on improving sleep to decrease risk for obesity, diseases and death; especially for our children. Many factors are hurting their potential of becoming better educated, functionable, happy, healthy adults including chronic lack of sleep. Unfortunately, the sleep recommendations for children and adults are very much affected by the demands of modern culture and technology. The average family now has two working parents that struggle to fit everything into days that start way too early and nights left with so much to do. Yet, professionals advise that by leading structured healthy lifestyles, we can do it all. This includes getting enough sleep to provides the benefits of less stress, greater focus and more energy instead of suffering from chronic lack of sleep that has very serious long term health risks:

5 Long Term Health Risks of Not Getting Enough Sleep (Children & Adults)

Obesity

Starting the day tired and groggy means you are less likely to make the best decisions about your health. When you feel exhausted, it is easier to order a pizza or put a frozen dinner in the microwave than it is to take the time and effort to create a healthy and balanced meal. Likewise, feeling tired means you are less likely to hit the gym or go on your morning run. It should be no surprise then that lack of sleep has been linked to higher rates of obesity.

Aging

Until the fountain of youth is discovered, adequate sleep will remain one of our best ways of staving off some of the worst effects of aging. Sleep is rejuvenating; it reduces stress and keeps us healthy, which is likely why a lack of sleep has been linked to advanced aging. Not getting enough sleep, for example, can lead to faster skin aging and even permanent damage to brain cells.

Heart Disease and Stroke

One of the most obvious short-term effects of sleep loss is stress. Simply put, when we don't get enough sleep, we are more likely to go through our day feeling "on edge." Stress is not just an unpleasant feeling, it also leads to some serious long-term health risks, namely heart disease and stroke. Getting an extra hour of sleep each night won't just calm your nerves, it will also reduce your risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke later in life.

Disability

Because sleep loss has such serious health risks, it should come as no surprise that people who don't get enough sleep are more likely to suffer a health problem that leads to a long-term disability. Most immediately, lack of sleep means you are more likely to make mistakes and, if you're performing a dangerous task that requires your complete attention (such as operating a motor vehicle), then a single mistake could be dire. Alternatively, diseases associated with sleep loss, including strokes and cancer, could lead to a lifelong disability that makes it difficult to earn a living or maintain a decent quality of life.

Death

If the above reasons aren't enough motivation for getting enough sleep, perhaps the fact that sleep loss has been linked to premature death will be. Especially in men, lack of sleep has been linked to a shorter lifespan. Most of us want to be around long enough to see our children grow up, reach retirement, and take part in all of life's moments, both big and small. Just an extra hour of sleep per night may be what ultimately adds years to your life.

What About Quality of Sleep?

We need a certain amount of sleep each night and this should be easy for most of us, right?

NO! It is actually getting harder to avoid the long term health risks of not getting enough sleep:

The solution is not as simple as it used to be; fixing a vitamin / mineral deficiency, exercise or getting a new mattress. There are many different factors contributing to why chronic lack of sleep is an issue at particular ages and this is not as easily defined by the very same sleep experts sharing information that is supposed to help.

For example:

Sometimes, our biological clocks don't work with the expectations of the fast paced 9 to 5 lifestyle and heavily technical world: This is especially true starting as pre-teens and teenagers:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/from/sleep.html

Another contributing factor is how we all adapt to changes in our specific cultures:

"Despite ample evidence of the associations between lifestyle health behaviors and sleep quality, a comprehensive understanding of the causal relationships may be difficult to achieve. Lifestyle, technology and health behaviors including sleep are all intertwined and strongly embedded in the cultural and social environment." *
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3630968/

- 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder.

This means that you are included in broken sleep even if your problem is just because your significant other keeps you up with snoring.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm6008.pdf

Suffering From Sleep Deprivation / Insomnia / Broken Sleep / Anxiety / Obesity?

I could go on and on with sources about how food, technology, sexual function and more are contributing to this sleep disease epidemic, but the fact at matter is that you understand that you (or your loved one) is not alone, as well as what the 5 long term health risks of not getting enough sleep are AND how it is up to you to get help to change this chronic sleep deprivation problem in your life.

If you would like to discuss more, please feel free to comment below or you can ADD ME as a friend on Facebook and then message me to join our weight loss support group. You can also check out the product details of our HiBurn8 Night Time Formula to see if this is an option for you.

Thanks so much for following and reading along! Please never hesitate to let me know if there is anything that I can research and write about specifically to help in your weight loss journey!


Blessings To You,
Lea

Continue Reading

Lack of Sleep and Obesity - Studies Examining the Link

Over the past few months, the link between lack of sleep and obesity has been mentioned more on the news and in articles for the public. This is because years of research has confirmed that not getting enough sleep contributes to weight gain in women, men and children alike; and how this makes it more difficult to lose weight through several mechanisms.

Lack of Sleep and Obesity Study Results

One recent study focused on the relationship between chronic lack of sleep and obesity.

The researchers focused on participants who regularly got less than 6 hours of sleep per night. They found that these people were more likely to have increased BMIs and to be obese than those who slept for longer than 6 hours per night.

There are several mechanisms through which a lack of sleep is thought to contribute to obesity:

1) When the body is tired, it releases more ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone. This leads to increased appetite and causes people to eat more than they do when well rested.

2) Sleep deprivation also decreases the amount of leptin, an appetite suppressing hormone, that the body releases. Thus, sleep deprived people must eat a lot more in order to feel satisfied.

5 Long Term Health Risks of Not Getting Enough Sleep

How Common of A Problem Is Sleep Deprivation?

One study estimates that more than 1/3 of adults in the United States are not getting enough sleep. This was previously 18%, 53 million people in total, getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night. Many of these adults suffer from obesity, which is likely brought on at least in part by not getting enough sleep. Those who begin sleeping more find that they are better able to resist cravings and lose weight, though this greatly dependent on food addiction and whether bad habits are intentionally replaced by good ones. One more thing to keep in mind is the connection between diabetes, sleep and obesity and how all 3 are climbing in recent stats.

How Much Sleep Do We Need?

According to the National Sleep Foundation these are the appropriate hours of sleep needed by age:

Newborn (0 to 3 months):
--- Recommended: 14 to 17 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 11 to 19 hours total

Infants (4 to 11 months)
--- Recommended: 12 to 15 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 10 to 18 hours total

Toddlers (1 to 2 years old)
--- Recommended: 11 to 14 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 9 to 16 hours total

Pre-School Age (3 to 5 years)
--- Recommended: 10 to 13 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 8 to 14 hours total

School Aged Children (6 to 13 years)
--- Recommended: 9 to 11 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 7 to 12 hours total

Teenagers 14-17 years
--- Recommended: 8 to 10 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 7 to 11 hours total

Young Adults (18 to 25 years old)
--- Recommended: 7 to 9 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 6 to 11 hours total

Adults (26 to 64 years old)
--- Recommended: 7 to 9 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 6 to 10 hours total

Older Adults (65+ years old)
--- Recommended: 7 to 8 hours sleep needed
--- Acceptable Range: 5 to 9 hours total

Lack of Sleep and Obesity In Children

Sleep deprivation is not a problem that is restricted to adults, either. Another study examined the link between sleep deprivation in children and later development of obesity and diabetes. Researchers followed children over time and found that those who frequently got inadequate sleep were more likely to become overweight later in life than those who slept more. Not only were sleep deprived children at an increased risk of obesity, but they were also likely to develop diabetes. A lack of sleep is thought to decrease insulin sensitivity, which leads to type II diabetes as the child develops.

How To Get Better Sleep and Control Weight Gain?

These studies have an important take-home message for anyone who is trying to maintain or lose weight:

1) Diet and exercise are important, but they are not quite enough.

2) Getting adequate sleep is absolutely essential for those who wish to shed pounds.

3) We need to let children and teens sleep their full hours needed in order to reduce their risk of obesity and diabetes later in life.

This may be why some school districts are starting to restructure the times when students start school, so that it is not as early for them. Regardless, as parents and grandparents we need to do our very best to get and keep our children on good sleep schedules for their health and success in school.

NEED HELP WITH SLEEP AND WEIGHT LOSS?

Many of you have asked whether you should try HiBurn8 for help with sleep and weight loss. A lot of our customers are having success with it for a more restful night, and doing better with the weight loss by taking HiBurn8 at night and either Skinny Fiber or Skinny Body Max during the day. If this regiment is not in your budget, you can always try the following for sleep help:

1) Don't eat at least 3 hours before bed. Only drink water if it does not contribute to your lack of sleep at night.

2) Stick to a daily schedule; especially when you go to bed and aim to wake each morning.

3) Make bedtime as comfortable as possible; take a warm bath, put memory foam on your mattress or get a new one that feels best to you, use darkening curtains or a sleeping mask, light clothing or naked, and any other details that can help you fall asleep and slumber better such as No TV, electronic devices or work in your bedroom.

4) Avoid foods and drinks that have caffeine; opt for more natural options. Also, eat healthier during the day to aid in weight loss instead of continued weight gain.

5) Exercise daily - it helps with stress (physical / mental) and better sleep.

6) Meditation can also help develop a relaxing state that leads to sleeping better.

Take HiBurn8 every night! It has ingredients that help with sleep and weight loss, as well as muscle and tissue repair, inflammation, stress and so much more.



Click here to learn more about HiBurn8 and why it helps with sleep, weight loss & health!

Please feel free contact me if you have any questions and share this post with friends! One of them may find it helpful.


Blessings To You,
Lea



Resources:


Patel SR, Hu FB. Short sleep duration and weight gain: a systematic review. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008; 16:643-53.

Knutson KL and Van Cauter E. Associations between sleep loss and increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2008;1129:287-304.

Kristen L. Knutson. Does Inadequate Sleep Play a Role in Vulnerability to Obesity? American Journal of Human Biology. 2012; 24 (3): 361.

Benedict C. Letters To The Editor: Compromised sleep increases food intake in humans: two sexes, same response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95:531.

Continue Reading

12 Ways To Manage Stress For Weight Loss, Sleep & Health

Stress is the #1 enemy of millions of people today. This is due to our hectic lifestyles, as well as the demanding reoccurring responsibilities at work and home. The problem is that many of us don't realize how stressed we are in “normal” daily life. Unfortunately, increased health and wellness issues prove just how much stress affects us as a society. If you are struggling with obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, insomnia, depression or other chronic health issue, these are all directly related to stress. In addition to those specific health problems, stress can also create rifts in personal relationships, cause you to function poorly at your job and bring financial hardships at any point in time. Stress isn't something that you can’t simply ignore – it builds up and does not go away on its own.

Here are 12 ways to manage stress, so that you can start losing weight, sleep better and achieve a healthier way of life! Please SHARE this post to save and give friends!

Connection Between Stress, Sleep & Weight Loss

Sleep and stress go hand in hand for weight loss. If you struggle to get a full 7 to 8 hours of sleep, it is more than likely that stress is causing the sleep issues, and vice versa because lack of sleep causes stress on your body. Both sleep issues and stress affect hormones in your body (cortisol being a major one); both can cause chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression. The following suggestions can help you:

How to Manage Stress for Weight Loss & Sleep

Exercise Stress Away

Regular exercise has HUGE benefits for reducing stress that affects weight loss, sleep and health. Two of the most popular methods are meditation and yoga. These remedies not only address the mental and emotional symptoms of stress, but can also alleviate the physical manifestations of stress depending on the style of yoga and routines. If you want to completely manage stress, you can take a more aggressive physical stand against it by adding even more activity. Running, Swimming, Tennis, Biking, Basketball or other type of cardiovascular exercise will help ease stress and contribute to better sleep, too.

If you are already walking or doing lighter workouts, though are still experiencing sleep and stress issues, then you may need to increase how much you workout (exercise for an hour instead of 30 minutes) or how often you work out (increase to 5 days a week instead of just 3 days). You will most certainly see improvement for weight loss by exercising more. It also helps to switch up the types of exercise you’re doing (day one = walk or run, day 2 = yoga or weight training, day 3 = cycle or stair climb, etc.). That variety doesn't let the body get too comfortable with any certain form of exercise, thus keeping it a challenge and helping the body manage stress.

Drink More Water

You will notice that I constantly recommend drinking at least 1/2 your weight in ounces of water each day. It is more than a simple case of not feeling thirsty; water and stress go together just like sleep and stress are connected. This is because dehydration causes stress on the body. Water is essential for your brain and other organs to function properly. It can help maintain your heart rate, cortisol level and flushes harmful toxins from your body. Staying hydrated means that you should never feel thirsty and is essential for weight loss, stress reduction and good health in general.

Start Eating Healthier

Yes, food and stress are connected, too. A healthy diet is less stressful on the body. Some stress
relieving foods include vegetables, fruits, fish, soups, yogurt and herbal products. Some stress increasing foods include caffeinated coffee, tea, cocoa and energy drinks. Additionally, fast food, alcohol, soda / pop, sugar / foods with sugar, dairy, nuts and meats. I am not saying that you have to give up all of those foods, but if you may want to test certain ones through an elimination process if you are dealing with health complications due to stress. Food is another culprit for stress, weight gain and health issues.

Massage Stress Away

I know this may sound crazy, but body massage can also become an important part of distressing and weight loss. Stress causes the muscles in the body to tense up, slowing down blood circulation and leading the way to more serious health complications. You can avoid these problems by getting a massage once a week or once a month, depending on your budget and how much stress you are exposed to in your daily life. Certain massage also detoxes the body. Detoxing is directly related to relieving you of stress and toxins for weight loss, sleep, and mental health.

If your sleep problem does not improve with proper diet, water and exercise, then you should consult with your doctor for help. He or she may recommend something natural like melatonin, chamomile or other natural remedy. There are prescription sleep aids, too. If weight loss does not improve, try Skinny Fiber to increase your dietary fiber, stamina and enzymes.

Why You Are Stressed & How To Manage It

You're Relationship w/ God | Prayer & Meditation

Unnecessary distance from God can create a tremendous amount of stress in your life. You can avoid this through sincere prayer and taking time to study your bible daily. Most importantly the scriptures are filled with what to do and what not to do when stressed, anxious and unhappy. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7 - All we have to do is come to Him. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 and so on. Read your bible and open your heart to the Lord; his lessons, love and comfort can help you conquer anything!

Your Clothes Don’t Fit Right

Wear properly fitting clothes. Did you know that many people are stressed out not because of their environment but because of their clothes? Stress can be the offshoot of wearing clothes or shoes that are too tight, thus constricting blood circulation.

Your Purse, Backpack or Case Is Too Heavy

Reduce the contents of your purse, backpack, computer or briefcase. Carrying heavy bags, especially when you have a long commute wherein you have to stand in the subway, for instance, can cause a lot of stress on your body. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel if you get rid of all the unnecessary items from your purse. Your shoulders and back muscles will thank you.

Smoking For Stress Adds More Stress On The Body

Quit smoking! Smoking is bad for the health and causes a multitude of illnesses and diseases. Stress is just one of the many nasty consequences you can avoid if you quit smoking as soon as possible.

Holding In What Bothers You

"Getting it off your chest" is an important quote to remember. Expressing your feelings and concerns is one of the best ways to manage stress. Holding in what bothers you can cause even more physical and mental stress. If you do not have someone that you feel comfortable sharing with or are at fear for stressing others out with your problems, then you can talk with your doctor, find an anonymous hotline, support group or a therapist. They can help you verbalize and release what is bothering you; plus, offer suggestions for how to manage stress better, too. Please do not forget that YOU CAN ALWAYS turn to God in prayer and the scriptures to help deal with stress.

Alone Time (Pray, Enjoy Nature, Read, Bathe, Nap, Movies, Etc.)

Constant interaction with other people can take a toll on you for sure. We all need a little alone time to think, pamper and rest. For some people, exercising or driving provides that time. Some people need different activities to fulfill that need for alone time and to manage stress. For example, leaving the kid(s) with your spouse or a sitter so that you can go to the park to pray, meditate, read, think, etc. Other examples include reading, going to the beach, fishing, playing golf, taking a bubble bath, going to the movies, napping, computer games, etc. There is nothing wrong with taking the time alone to do things that make you happy. It is also a way to manage stress overload.

Recognizing / Admitting What Stresses You & Dealing With It

This is probably the hardest of all. It is pinpointing what is stressing you and dealing with it. I know this seems impossible in some cases, but try to keep an open mind. If driving to and from work stresses you out to the point of physical or anxiety issues, then you either have to find a closer job, move closer to your job or work from home. If dealing with certain people is damaging to your health and wellness, then you need to deal with it. If you can't do it on your own, then relationship therapy can help if the other person is willing to do this with you. On the other hand, sometimes, certain relationships have to go. They are far more toxic than talking, exercise, food, drink or alone time can resolve for you. Whatever or whoever is contributing to making you sick, fat, stressed and / or unhappy ... You have to deal with it because you deserve a better quality of life.

De-Stress To Age Gradually, Sleep Better, Live Longer & Healthy

Some other affects of stress include aging more quickly, chronic muscle pains (back, neck, etc), GERD (gastrointestinal reflux disease), IBS (irritable bowl syndrome), asthma and DYING younger than you should --- STRESS CAN KILL YOU!

The consequences of stress are so vast that I have been motivated to share these 12 ways to manage stress for your weight loss, sleep and health. I hope that you will try your very best to put into action these simple but effective strategies and also realize that there are many other ways to deal with stress like counting, breathing techniques, music, crafts, taking vitamins and magnesium, etc. I have just shared those I know work from experiences.

Please make sure to click the share buttons to give this article to people you care about, so they can learn some other ways to manage their stress, too!

GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU ALWAYS!


Your Friend,

Lea
Join me at Facebook for encouragement, weight loss tips and support!

Continue Reading

Child Obesity & Teens - Weight Loss Program - Skinny Fiber Kids

There is no disputing that obesity in America is still very much of an issue; especially with cases of childhood obesity. The USA ranks #5 in the top 10 list of countries with the most overweight kids. * Although this has been a drop from #1, it is such a disappointment after all of the years of experts trying to increase obesity awareness, benefits of clean eating and exercise, and reshaping the health of families. It is also sad how damaged economies and Western influence is hurting the health of children in the world.

Here's a list of the top 10 countries w/ the most obese children and in this order:

1) Greece (a,c)
2) Italy (c)
3) New Zealand (c)
4) Slovenia (a)
5) United States (a, b, c, d)
6) Mexico (a, c - soda is becoming an issue)
7) Spain (b, c)
8) Canada (b, c, d)
9) South Korea (c)
10)  Israel (c)

Aren't some of the countries on the list shocking? It is not that the experts lied to us about the health benefits of eating Mediterranean or Asian diets, it is that the a) economy, b) lifestyle changes (more work, less active), c) quality of food (eating more processsed / fast foods / junk food) and / or d) larger food portions are the issues dependent upon region. I have marked each country with the reason (either 1,2,3 or 4) so that you can see the reason why the increase in child obesity.

Childhood Obesity | Teens & Skinny Fiber

Every so often someone will ask me if an overweight child can take Skinny Fiber. For example, here is a recent inquiry from my Facebook page messages:  "A girl of 12 years old having weight 86Kg and height about 5 feets. How much she can reduce her weight using Skinny Fibre and how to use it?". Although there are pre-teens and younger that take the all naural product, questions like this leave me feeling kind of torn. This is because children that age (usually pre-teen) are approaching or have started puberity. They are prone to gain about 10 pounds a year and usually slim down naturally moving into the teen years or when we limit the foods with sugar / refined starches (not completely take away all they like) and increase their physical activities. This is how it was for me, my children, friend's kids and statistically - if you research other information on puberity and weight gain online. So, it is hard to support any weight loss products for prepubescent kids with that in mind.

Yet, as a parent, I understand how extremely difficult it can become to help kids eat healthy in general, as well as control physical activity. Some schools have removed recess from their schedules and made gym class an optional elective. In other cases it is hard to control what children eat at school, church, friends homes, etc. Where a parent will usually get support for a child that has a documented health issue such as diabetes or high cholesterol, teachers and other adults are often less supportive for kids that do not have medical food restrictions, though are obese; especially when they are providing treats to a group of children or as rewards. Another scenario includes Grandparents or other family members, childcare / after school programs, that feed our children what they see fit and sometimes as much as the  kids want to eat, too. Overweight / Obesity is not considered the same type of health issue that warrents change until it leads to a potentially fatal disease or a child starts developing behavior issues from the results of how others respond to them (i.e. teasing / bullying). There's a catch 22 in helping kids retain healthy lifestyles and not become overweight ... Some kids struggle far worse then adults with weight issues. All of this is why there has been more and more mention of child obesity issues when reading the obesity statistics in general. There is an increasing child obesity epidemic.

Skinny Fiber can help with a lot of the issues that are causing weight gain in children and adults: overeating, lack of fiber, sluggish metabolism and energy, etc. For this reason, I am delighted to represent a product that can serve such a vast range of ages. On the other hand, I am a bit conflicted by whether children under high school age should take Skinny Fiber and / or participate in the Skinny Fiber teen weight loss program. Yet, some younger children have experienced creditable results from the challenge with the help of their parents. It is beautiful to see their smiling faces on the before and after weight loss pictures.

Why Do Some Kids Take Skinny Fiber?

There are circumstances where alternative weight loss help is needed for children of all ages. I am not saying that Skinny Fiber should be the first choice or even the best choice for most adolescents and especially younger ages, though just like with adults, it can become a part of the solution if your doctor thinks it will help. This is especially true for youth in these situations:

• Kids dealing with some of the top obesity related diseases like child diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, high cholesterol or other health issues.
• Children who have been overweight most of their life (even under doctor's care) and are not losing weight on their own (with help of parents and / or other adults). This could be a physiological, behavioral, psychologial ... metabolic issues, too.
• Kids with constipation, GERD, Acid Reflux or other disgestive conditions.
• Children discriminated against, experincing peer isolation and / or bullied at school.

There are other scenarios that concern medical professionals and parents about a child's weight problems / obesity, but the point being that there could be an issue where the ingredients in Skinny Fiber and being part of a weight loss challenge with motivation and support would benefit an older child. Ideally one should get it under control before puberity kicks in, but child / teen weight loss can be even more difficult for an adult to manage than even their own. For this reason, the Skinny Fiber Teen Challenge can help both the parents and child.

Skinny Fiber Teen Weight Loss Program

This is the video introduction for the Skinny Fiber Teen Weight Loss Challenge. It's attractive to them and is right to the point; as is the program. There have been children from age 8 (with parent supervision) to young adult that have been benefiting from the all natural supplement.

SKINNY FIBER INGREDIENTS

Glucomannan

Cha De Burge

Carralluma Fibrata

Digestive Enzymes

* Detailed breakdown of Skinny Fiber Ingredients

FREE TRACKING WEBSITE & PRIZES

Each kids gets their own challenge website where they can track their measurements and weight loss progress, follow the health and fitness guides, and see how others are doing, there is potenital for better judgement and results for staying on track. Plus, it helps that there is the incentive of winning prizes, too.

HOW TO TAKE SKINNY FIBER?

It is suggested to take 2 Skinny Fiber capsules at least 30 minutes before 2 largest meals of the day with 8 to 16 ounces of water. 

Everyone needs to drink a lot of water while taking Skinny Fiber. At least 1/2 your weight in ounces of water is what the health professionals recommend for water intake. It is really important to make sure that children drink enough water with Skinny Fiber.

As with any kid (no matter the age) parential support and often guidance is needed. This is for you to determine how much or how little involvement you need depending on your child's age. Mostteens just need a reminder, but YOU KNOW BEST.

Since the product has glucomannan (swells in the tummy for the fullness feeling), it is important for you to decide from the beginning whether your child should take the capsules whole or you should open them and mix with applesauce, yogurt or in a smoothie each time. For example, I personally would not give a young pre-teen  the capsules to swallow or even an older child that is hard to manage / follow instructions, they may not drink enough water to push the pills down completely because they are rushing or just don't want to listen about drinking a full 8 to 16 ounces of water.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS & COST @ SKINNY FIBER TEEN CHALLENGE

Here are some more details for you to review before buying:

* Skinny Fiber is all natural, NO jitters, NO soy, NO gluten.

* One of the enzymes is from the pineapple family; could be a possible allergen.

* Skinny Fiber has gelatin capsules, though there is also a VEGGIE CAPSULE option. You need to tick the little check box for the vegetable capsule option ($2 more).

* Although the FDA approves harmful prescription weight loss products (WHICH SKINNY FIBER IS NOT A HARMFUL WEIGHT LOSS DRUG), there are NO backed herbal supplements for adults except Alli / Xenical which is for age 18 and older (has side effects); and nothing for children. When considering any weight loss product for your child or yourself, you have to research the ingredients in products that you are considering and I recommend that you choose natural / organic options. You should always discuss with a doctor before giving to your child or taking yourself especially if a diagnosed health issue is involved.

* Side effects: can cause bloating if not water is drinken.

Please feel free to Contact Me directly with any questions you have when considering Skinny Fiber for weight loss.

Here's To Your Weight Loss Success!!!

Lea
P.S. Add me as a friend on Facebook - I'm a great addition to your support system :)








Sources:
http://www.takepart.com/photos/these-10-countries-lead-world-childhood-obesity-nope-us-isnt-no-1

Continue Reading

A Fat Girl Dancing Videos & Self Love Campaign - Amazing or Not?

I have written in the past about how opposed I am to the Curvy Girl Initiative. I think that it is counter productive to the obesity epidemic that health professionals are working so hard to correct in this nation, as well as a damaging influence on our youth. It is not the self acceptance part that look down on, but that there appears to be more accommodations to the Plus Size pride than encouraging change of it. Regardless, when I came across this video of A Fat Girl Dancing and read her "No ((Body Shame)) Campaign" blog, I couldn't help but to admire Whitney Way Thore's newly found love of self and can relate to why the whole curvy girl presentation. In fact, there's a part of me that is proud of her and hopes that she's going to get down to a healthy weight with all of this dancing or at least inspire others to do so ... Her quote of choice really does clarify all: "The secret of how to live without resentment or embarrassment in a world in which I was different from everyone else was to be indifferent to that difference." ~ Al Capp.

What's The Big Deal About A Fat Girl Dancing?

Well, the obvious is that the average 350 pound woman does not make videos of herself doing elaborately choreographed dance routines. The average 350 pound woman is considered morbidly obese and struggles with wanting to do anything as physically challenging at all, so I think it's a HUGE deal is that Whitney Way Thore is dancing and blogging her way to a more confident and happy person. She's been bullied, humiliated, dealt with health issues and the same emotional roller coaster that most people go through during their weight gain. In this respect, she speaks miles in each video.  Not so much for the health benefits of dancing for fitness or that some other "fat girls" will be inspired to dance with her, but that all of the things she is in life (professionally trained dancer, intelligent, beautiful, etc.), she is acceptant that she is a "fat girl" (not curvy) and that's not an open invitation to disrespect her. No fat girl should have to go through the day being pointed at and laughed at just because of her size or demeaned by verbally abuse by men ...

Meanwhile, the reality is that if Whitney keeps this up, she's gonna end up a thin girl dancing with one heck of a testimony about how she got back in shape while showing the world how their prejudices and bullying can't break a fat girl.

If This Fat Girl Can Do It, So Can You!

Quite frankly, if she can do it ... so can any of us! I am not saying that everyone should start making dance videos to post on Youtube. I am just saying that if a 350 pound woman can decide one day to get up and dance her pain away, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot to get up and move everyday for a little while, too - Work your body out! Feel better about yourself and maybe even sexier as time goes on.

JOIN OUR 90 DAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE

A Fat Girl Dancing Videos:

Here are some more Whitney Way's dance videos:


One of my favorite videos of Whitley Way and Todd dancing to Rolling In The Deep.


One of her alone dancing to Gasolina. She has awesome balance...


Blessings!

Lea

Continue Reading

Is Being Overweight Ruining Your Life?

Is being overweight ruining your life? Maybe you are starting to notice differences on your own and want to get control of it. We all know that being overweight is going to affect our health, energy and lifestyle quite a lot over time. It is drilled into our heads by the media, it is drilled into our heads by medical professionals and it is even mentioned time and time again by our friends and family. These are things you knew before becoming overweight. You don’t need another person giving their opinion on how likely it is that you are obese and at risk for getting certain diseases, so I won't go there. RIGHT NOW, lets look at weight gain completely different. Lets look at how being overweight can affect your life in other ways and see if they apply to you!

Is Being Overweight Hurting Your Finances?

Firstly, I want to point out the financial impact of being overweight. Have you noticed that it feels like your money goes more quickly these days? I am not talking about bills and such. We all know the economy has taken it's toll and made life adjustments over the years, but is being overweight making you spend more in certain areas than you're used to ... like food, clothing, weight loss programs, etc?

It is no secret that the more bad foods you eat, the more at risk you are for becoming ‘addicted’ to food. The more addicted to food you are, the more you need to consume. This can have quite an effect on your financial situation … particularly if you are addicted to those hideous sugary foods, chain and fast food restaurants (blah!). Once you start to lose weight you will free up a lot of money that you spend on food (extra junk foods and going out to eat). This money can be spent on other things ...  better things for you. Think how much money a good home cooked meal will cost three times a day compared to buying a fast food meals, processed foods and snacks! Appetite control and moderation included in this thought, too. Processed foods and fatty foods are addictive; removing them from your diet and replacing with whole foods can actually provide proper nutrients and fiber that helps you eat less and spend less on certain foods. For example, an apple is a snack ... not a sandwich! A few donuts makes you hungry again and puts you at risk for gaining more weight faster than a smoothie. Think about how much money you have had to spend on larger clothes, furniture or whatever you have needed to accommodate your weight change.

Is Being Overweight Damaging Your Self-Esteem?

Next, it is likely that your self-esteem is impacted because you put on weight. You no longer feel as though you have the confidence to go out there and face the world. Your relationship is affected with your skinny friends because you don't want to be the fat one. You don't want to do any physical activities or even eat around coworkers (when you do, it is not the same as when you are alone). Your not dressing as stylish as you were before. Your intimate life is affected and you being depending on your loved one for things you normally do. You feel as though everybody is judging you (they aren't, but it certainly feels that way). Feeling like this is not good and definitely a sign that being overweight is ruining your life - YOU KNOW IT. You start to neglect the important things in your life: exercise, hanging with friends, sex, etc. In fact, poor self-esteem will lead to even more ‘out of control’ eating just to make you feel better. Poor self-esteem will cause a lot of problems such as depression, change in how you care for yourself, friends you keep, energy to play with kids, etc. You do not want to sink into depression. This is why you need to get confident about your body and you do that by committing to losing weight. You need to stop thinking everybody is judging you and do the things that help you lose weight. Making yourself go out and do things; especially exercise that will increase serotonin is an awesome start. If you are not comfortable with the weight that you are then take this as motivation to lose weight. Knowing that you are hurting yourself - your life - should be motivation for sure. If you cannot, then doing certain things offline can help you kick depression or even laziness in the butt. I have already mentioned exercise, but there are free weight loss groups, interest meet ups, nutritional programs, etc. for your to explore. Google for them in your area and pick which is best for you. Also, a nutritionist or therapist can help if you feel that you are too depressed to handle these changes on your own. There is nothing wrong with getting help and they are not allowed to tell anyone that you are their client - private and beneficial solutions for depression and weight gain.

Need more weight loss motivation? Add me as a friend and follow what I am doing in terms of which recipes, weight loss tips and healthy lifestyle changes I am applying, as well as the Christian and motivational images I share for you! This is a great start for when you are online :) Not because I am your authority on this subject, but because having that additional support can be helpful to you.

Is Being Overweight Hurting Your Life Socially?

Finally, is being overweight stopping you from doing the things that you love to do? Believe it or not, this happens at both spectrums of weight issues. Anorexia causes a person to be withdrawn and depressed because of how the lack of food and nutrients affect the body, as well as physiological and emotional issues. Being overweight can have the same social ramifications, too. Think about it ... Life may not be as dramatic as a complete withdrawal, but you may feel as though certain things that you thought were fun in the past are no longer fun things to do. In fact, you may not even be able to tackle them anymore. For example, you may not be as effective in sports. If you enjoyed amusement parks then you may find that you are unable to fit on the rides (weight restrictions are actually quite tough on the more thrilling rides). Maybe you don't like to go swimming or to the spa anymore. One of the most common is not wanting to go out with your skinny friends anymore because you feel embarrassed or self conscious. In short, you will not have as much fun. There is still plenty for you to do out there but as you put on weight you will find that there is less and less for you to do comfortably and therefore being overweight starts ruining your social life.

Weight Loss Helps Correct Issues

As you can see, being overweight has a major impact on your life that go beyond the ‘health’ aspects. This should go to show that there is more than one reason as to why you should attempt to lose weight and make healthy lifestyle changes to make sure that you don't gain it back. You really do not realize just how much freedom you have lost until you start to lose weight again ... each pound lost brings better realization of how much better things and how being overweight ruins your life.

Need help getting started with this? Join us at Weight Loss Support Online and start learning how to take control in many areas that are affected in your life.

You can always contact me with question!


Hugs & Blessings,
Lea

Continue Reading

Loose Skin After Extreme Weight Loss | Avoid, Tighten, Deal

No one wants to deal with loose skin on their body. Excess skin is a reminder of our imperfections and is usually not thought about until it becomes a problem. Yet, it is inevitable that our skin changes as we grow older. Most of us accept that one day we will get wrinkles and sagging skin. On the other hand, loose skin is a harsh reality after fast weight loss and often unavoidable with extreme weight loss from being obese (30 pounds over weight or more). This is something that you may not have thought about as you were gaining weight, though the excess skin can become quite an issue depending on the certain factors that affect your body. If you are planning to lose a large amount of weight, it helps to understand what causes the loose skin on your body as well as the fact that it may happen to you. Some people can avoid loose skin by understanding why it happens and taking control of their fat / weight gain; others by learning what it takes to tighten excess skin while losing weight. The rest of the population at risk cannot avoid getting bat wings, belly flap and sagging skin in different areas of the body. This is the harsh reality of extreme weight loss that you need to learn how to avoid, deal with prior to stretching out your skin or learn to accept with or without corrective surgery.

If you are struggling with weight gain because of hunger, emotional or health issues, I am hoping that the Obesity information on this blog will help you change what you are doing to your body. I invite you to learn How Skinny Fiber or Skinny Body Max Can Help you take control of your weight issues, too! This is especially when coupled with our two collagen based products called P4 Protein and HiBurn8 Nighttime Formula. 

Is Loose Skin Fat Or Just Excess Skin After Weight Loss?

Skin goes through numerous transformations throughout our lives. Different external factors like the sun, cold, chemicals in the environment, gravity and bad habits contribute to how well your skin ages over time. Internal factors like how drinking alcohol and smoking hurts the body, dehydration, stress, poor sleep habits, the way you eat (diet), age and genetics contribute to skin health, too; including elasticity (how your skin can stretch and bounce back in shape). Proteins called collagen and elastin are extremely important to skin health. Collagen makes up about 1/3 of the protein in your body. It is a protein that causes the toughness needed in your connective tissues like ligaments, bones and tendons. Collagen is in the connective tissue in the lower layer of your skin. It helps with new skin cells, flexibility and firmness. Elastin is an elastic / rubbery protein that helps your skin stretch and return to it's original size (elasticity). Both collagen and elastin are vital to the elasticity in your skin; they contribute to whether you can avoid or tighten loose skin after weight loss.

Loose skin is cause by the loss of collagen and elastin ... Gaining and Losing Body Fat causes loose skin ... Building and Losing Muscle can do the same!

The loss of collagen and elastin (they become disconnected causing "free radical" damage) contribute to why your skin gets stretch marks when you gain weight. This also contributes to why people have excess skin after weight loss, but the real culprit is fat stretching the skin to the point that it sags after you burn it off through exercise / lose weight. The same can happen to bodybuilders that let themselves go. They can stretch out their skin as they increase the size of their muscles; they can have stretch marks and / or saggy skin if they don't maintain and let their muscles shrink back to normal size (fat can develop during this time, too).

Excess fat stores in fat cells under the skin. They become greedy and make your body fat. Your organs increase in size; your skin stretches out. You are at risk for excess skin once you get the fat cells back under control and are at risk for getting just as fat again.



Loose skin is the result of losing weight too quickly and excessive weight loss ... RESULT is the key here. Losing to fast or so much does not cause excess skin; it is what happens when you burn off the fat that stretched your skin.

How To Avoid Loose Skin

The most common answer would be ... Don't get fat! Unfortunately, that only holds true but so long as sagging skin comes with age (we lose our youthful plumpness in areas you don't even realize store fat), therefore this only works but so long. Not getting fat helps, but caring for your skin, body, health is a holistic solution if genetics permit. Bodies stop producing collagen and elastin as they age, therefore contributing to why it is extremely important to take care the body from the time we are children. It is difficult to restore the elastin and collagen as your skin gets older. You cannot completely "take back" all of the damages from the sun, gravity, bad habits and how you care for your body. There are different creams and skin treatments that can help, but the reality is that the different factors damage these proteins in your skin also determine how quickly as well as how much elastin and collagen are replaced in your body; if it is truly correctable at all! Eating a diet rich in plant proteins, omega 3, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin E, hormone therapy or phytoestrogen are helpful to the elastin and collagen in your body. Most importantly, by protecting yourself of the external risks and internal risks (mentioned above), and exercising can help you can avoid elasticity issues.

Dealing With Loose Skin After Extreme Weight Loss

Loose Stomach Skin | Extreme Weight Loss of 180 Pounds

This video is of a young woman that lost over 180 pounds by counting calories and exercising until her body ached. She went from a morbidly obese 341 pounds and size 24 clothes to a snug size 8 Old Navy jeans. Normally her videos are very upbeat, but she is not happy about her weight loss in this one. She shares feelings of depression, defeat and how difficult it is to adjust to such extreme weight loss. In addition to some examples of how hard it is to let go of her old self, she shares what it is like to deal with the reality that she cannot afford cosmetic surgery for the excess skin on her stomach, she also realizes that no matter how long it takes her to get her body fit, exercise may never tighten loose skin. She is angry that she let herself get so obese and unhealthy.





Excess Skin On The Legs | Extreme Weight Loss Of 165 Pounds

Video of a middle age woman that lost 165 pounds - she went from 293 lbs to 126 lbs in 75 days - by eating right and exercising. She shows what her body looks like in a swimsuit and you can see the loose skin. She is struggling with whether she should get a lower body lift because she has so much sagging in her legs. This is to be expected after such extreme weight loss, but it still does not make it any easier.

How To Correct Loose Skin / How To Tighten Excess Skin

Proper hydration, clean eating, caring for your skin, cardio and strengthening exercises are natural ways to tighten loose skin. Quite simply the good ole 64 ounces of water, moisturizing with coconut oil, low fat, burn fat and muscle building are natural remedies for getting rid of excess skin.

Cosmetic surgery / tummy tuck is one of the most common ways to deal with excess skin after losing weight. If a tummy tuck is not an option for you, then refer to the category above on how to avoid loose skin. Those are how to stop and potentially correct the issue w/ cardio and strength training exercises helping to make the greatest improvements.

Other non-surgical methods include decompression massage, professional herbal wraps and even the newer non-invasive contouring techniques can help you lose inches and tighten your skin.

Dealing with loose skin is hard; especially after you have lost an extreme amount of weight.

You work so hard to burn the fat and get in shape but certain factors control whether the elasticity in your skin will live up to your expectations. It is devastating when it does not; especially for those who do not have money for a tummy tuck or other type of cosmetic surgery. Now that you know better, you can avoid having loose skin or tighten excess skin correctly instead of spending the rest of your young years dealing with it.

I know this was a lot of information, but I hope that you've found this blog post helpful in planning your weight loss journey. The goals is to lose weight naturally and at a healthy pace, as well as a fitness routine with your final results in mind.

I like hearing from you, so please make sure to share what you think as well as your personal weight loss experience.

Hugs & Blessings!
Lea

Continue Reading

Fast Food Nation Coupons - Throw Them Away!

Living In A Fast Food Nation Is Hard. No Fast Food Coupons!

I have finally lost all patience with fast food restaurants. Not only are they unhealthy and disgusting, but their coupons junk up my mailbox and cause problems in my home. Everything was fine before we moved into our new house because we lived miles away from fast food restaurants. We rarely received coupons and it took more gas to drive to them than they were worth. Now that we've moved a little closer to the city, we get bombarded by their junk food junk mail and the guys love to check out the deals; especially when they are BOGOs. My husband is like a "coupon king" by nature, therefore those junk food coupons are like hitting gold to him. On the other hand, the kids get excited when they see them and want to go back to old ways of eating. I see them as a constant reminder of the mistakes we have made in eating and feeding our children that unhealthy, fattening, fake food, crap ... Fast food coupons cause problems in my home for sure! They are like a drug dealer coming into my house and offering 1/2 price off deals to my family. I am just sick of seeing them.

Want to help your family get healthier? Stop eating fast food!

In addition to my husband's excitement about getting fast food deals (pizza is his drug of choice), the "golden arches" are like the ultimate temptation for my toddler. It's REALLY a drag that he's so attracted to McDonald when I spend my days making him delicious green smoothies and healthy treats. Regardless, he loves the McDonald's commercials and will sometimes dig the coupons out of the trash to demand that we go "bye byes mac donal". My husband used to feed into our toddler's craving for toys from saturated fat haven, though now says "no" because McDonalds hurts his stomach (he's healthier now). My thought is always "YUCK ... NO ... lets cook what's in the fridge" because in my heart I WOULD RATHER COOK than use those drug dealer's coupons on even my laziest day, but it obviously didn't always happen that way. Yes, I take total responsibility for my toddler's McDonalds obsession because I was the one that gave him that first chicken nugget. That lead to his father thinking it was so cute to buy him a Happy Meal ... Now, the thought of our baby eating that crap just gags me and I am so sorry to have created that bad habit in him. I feel the same way for everyone in our house ...

Want to start losing weight? Pitch the fast food coupons!

My teen LOVES fast food just as much as our toddler. His attitude towards giving it up has been like a thorn in my big toe. He is super resistant to green smoothies and will join the baby in temper tantrums when we say NO FAST FOOD ... I now just hide the coupons from him and throw them away when he's not around. It has pretty much eliminated arguments, too! He eats his home cooked meals and vegetables without a problem. I meet him 1/2 way by making sure we have his mac & cheese microwave meals in addition to fruits, veges, peanut butter, sliced turkey and other healthy foods he likes. He actually lost 10 pounds in the first few weeks of not having fast food. He still lets me know that he wants it, but the reality is that he now prefers looking good for the girls :)

The key to giving up junk food in a fast food nation ...

The fact of the matter is that we live in a fast food nation. It is not easy to resist the convenience, but you should for your health! By changing the television commercials, you are not letting them brainwash your children. Simply ignore their requests as you're driving past fast food restaurants will help your family catch on to your boycott. Most importantly, you have to educate your loved ones on why fast food is bad and should not be a part of their lives. Here are the reasons:

1) Fast food is high in saturated fats (bad artery clogging fats).

2) Fast foods are higher in calories (more than we need in a meal).

3) The raising, handling and processing of the meat is frightening.

4) Fast foods are not organic or naturally grown (GMO / Pesticides).

5) Fast foods have dyes, chemicals, artificial flavoring.

These are the 5 major issues with fast foods, but I could go on with how bad the white breads, sauces, American cheese and high fructose sugar are like killers for your system regardless of whether you choose the lower calorie options or not.

Fast Food Nation, I am writing this for you!

If you want to lose weight, maintain your weight and stop your loved ones from eating unhealthy; especially children at risk for obesity and obesity related diseases later in life, simply throw away those fast food coupons and you will be a step in the right direction for giving up fast food completely one day, too.


Warm Regards,
Lea

Continue Reading

Top 5 Weight Loss Tips That Prevent Obesity

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going!" ~ Jim Ryun

This Jim Ryun quote applies so well to why we need to make healthy lifestyle changes instead of temporary solutions. Healthy lifestyle changes like eating foods that are good for your body, exercising, sleeping at least 7 to 8 hours a night, etc., can prevent obesity. These are oppose to temporary weight loss solutions that include crash dieting, starting an exercise routine than quitting, and so on that can cause obesity. When you spend years mixing the healthy lifestyle changes with temporary solutions, you place yourself at a greater risk for becoming obese.  Point blank! It is better to wait until your are truly motivated to lose weight and develop healthy habits than it is to start making changes and then quit; this is true no matter how many times you repeat the motivation pattern. Here are some weight loss tips that could last a lifetime, as well as prevent obesity from sneaking up on you later in life!

Weight Loss Tips That Prevent Obesity

Weight Loss Tip #1 - Motivation & Habit

Motivation is what gets you started in your weight loss. Developing certain habits is what helps you stay motivated to lose weight and accomplish your goals. One major problem is that most of us start our weight loss plans with extreme motivation that fades once we notice that we are not losing weight as quickly as we planned. Another problem is that just one day of giving into unhealthy eating can stop the motivation completely. If either of these problems have been interfering with your weight loss goals, here are two of the first habits to form when trying to lose weight and get healthier:

• Weight loss takes time. Keep this in mind when you are motivated to get started. You could even write this on a few sheets of paper and tape them to your refrigeration, bathroom mirror, car dashboard (your hand ... LOL). The key is to NOT stop trying to lose weight once you get started!
  
  
• The second key to losing weight, as well as preventing obesity, is to not start a yo yo dieting process. This is a little different than #1 because this step involves when you shift from eating healthy to bad foods. Do not let one bad snack ... meal ... day ... get you off track for good. 

Your first step to losing weight is to create the habit of staying motivated and not giving up!!! You accomplish this by making habit forming lifestyle changes a bit at a time!!!

Weight Loss Tip #2 - Moderation

You cannot crash diet and think you will succeed at being thin for life. It is counter productive to crash diet and then go back to eating your normal way; especially if you do this over and over again (yo yo diet). This bad habit can make you become obese faster than not dieting at all. It is also hard on your body to make such drastic changes over and over again. The goal is to change the way you eat - in general - and make healthy food changes that you can live with.

"Everything in moderation" is what comes to mind when emphasizing this weight loss tip. If you make the changes gradually, you will become healthier and lose weight over time ... opposed to going "cold turkey" and expecting that you are cured of bad eating and unhealthy food choices. For example:

• You could start by eliminating something that you know if horrible for you ... Sugar Drinks /  Soda  / Pop (even diet pop is bad for you). Drink water in place of the Fruit Drinks / Soda / Pop ... Even if you have to buy little bottles of water to replace the need of the portable drink in your hand. This will help reduce the bad carbohydrate (sugar) and chemicals that you are putting into your body each day (those that are being cleaned out when taking Skinny Fiber supplements).
  
  
• Another example of gradual change is to eliminate store bought juices (which normally contain high fructose corn syrup and chemicals) and start making your own juice when you have the taste for it. You can get a Black N Decker citrus fruit juicer for under $20; you can buy a fruit and vegetable juicer for $40 and up (maybe even find a better one at a thrift store or yard sale). Making your own juices will decrease the bad juices you are drinking, and create the habit of eating more fresh fruits and vegetables --- AWESOME for weight loss.
  
  
• Another major example, is to reduce the number of times you eat out or order delivery foods; this is until you quit eating it at all unless necessary. Fast foods are filled with fats, sugars, chemicals, bad carbs, etc. Your body does not need these types of foods and most people cannot burn fast foods enough to maintain / lose weight. Fast foods are self sabotaging and are a good habit to break ASAP, therefore by reducing your buying and eating fast foods, you are making the change towards a habit forming action. Buy a grill and make your own burgers; buy sweet potatoes and learn how to use them to make baked sweet potato fries; make smoothies in your blender instead of milk shakes and sundaes ... Reduce fast foods.

There are so many other small changes that you can make to stay on track and form lifelong habits that will benefit your health. The point is that by implemented these changes in moderation will keep you from yo yo dieting and gaining more weight. Some of us start losing weight immediately just by starting with these examples.

Additionally, you cannot bounce between diet types and think that you will become successful at losing weight and preventing obesity. For example, you can't do the Atkins diet and then switch to the 80-10-10 (raw food, low fat, high carb diet for a few weeks) to then turn around and do atkins for a few days and back to the raw foods ... Or starving yourself in between ... etc, etc, etc. This will make you blow up more and more each time. You have to learn how to eat correctly for you body. There is a process that you can use to determine whether one of these lifestyle changes are for you, though you cannot change the rules of them to accommodate how you feel like eating. They all take the same commitment as if you were eating a high carb low fat diet. * Diet being the food that we eat on a regular basis ("my diet consists of ..." and not a dieting ("I'm on the such n such diet). There is a huge difference!


Weight Loss Tip #3 - Portion Control & Food Combinations

Portion control is a HUGE problem for people trying to lose weight and prevent obesity. The way we combine foods can contribute to weight gain as well. For example, have you ever met a vegetarian or vegan this is chubby? This is because they are eating too much starchy and / or fatty foods. All are presumably healthy foods, but eating too many gourmet raw foods or vegetarian meals can make one gain weight. This is because they are combining the wrong good foods (maybe too many avocados, bananas, mangoes and / or nuts in addition to their salads and berries). The same goes for someone on the Atkins diet. If that person eats too many carbs with their proteins and fats, they will not accomplish induction goals and gain instead of lose weight. Last example applies to a standard diet of carbs, protein, fruits and vegetables; if you add too much fat and eat larger portions, then you will gain weight.

The key is to eat the right amount of the right foods for you body = Portions + Food Combinations. This can take some research, trial and error before getting it right. This is one of the reasons why Skinny Fiber is so helpful to people that are motivated to lose weight and adopt habits that will help keep the weight off. It helps control the portions, increase good water soluble fiber in your diet, detox the bad foods, aids in digestion and more.

Weight Loss Tip #4 - Motion

"A body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force" ~ Isaac Newton

Ok, Isaac Newton's Law of Motion was more profound than what this weight loss tip states. Yet, it is relative and now that you have just read it, you will think it each time you are not moving enough in the day!!! Right??? The point being that you need to stay in motion and not let your MIND become an outside force that stops your habit of becoming more active. Exercise is necessary for your body and emotional health. If you apply what is stated above in weight loss tip #2 - moderation - you will improve your healthy considerably by just starting to get your body in motion a little more at a time. This can form the habit of exercising more and for the rest of your life. For example:

Walking, Gardening, Lawn Work, Vigorous Housework, Playing Wii Fit or Konect with your kids, Beginner's Yoga, Swimming, Biking ...

These are all examples of daily activities that you can introduce into your life again to become much more active. Pick one or mix them up ... set a time and work up how long you are active ... 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes ... Get the point? Do this until you are ready to jog / run, join a gym, start using the elliptical, etc. for longer periods of time. 

Do not sit for long periods of time unless you have to at work; if you have a sedentary job, then exercise in the morning, lunchtime and / or after work. You will also have to watch what you are snacking on while working. If you find it hard to become or remain active with the work you are doing, then maybe it is time to find a different job or start a business that supports your healthy lifestyle needs. "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten" ~Anthony Robbins, so if your work is making you unhealthy ... CHANGE THIS TOO!!!

Additionally, you cannot go from being active to just sitting around. The abrupt change from using your muscles, increasing flexibility, burning fat ... to becoming sedentary ... shocks your body. It begins to rebel once you stop taking care of your physical needs. Muscles get stuff and body gets flabby over time; weight gain can begin and your personality is affected as well. Exercising keeps our body functioning as it should and the serotonin released has many benefits with feeling good as a major advantage.

Start with a few minutes of exercise and increase as you go ... not only does exercise aid in burning calories, toning your body, feeling great and obesity prevention; your body will be less stiff, achy and hunched over when you get old.


Weight Loss Tip #5 - Support

- Find someone or a group to join for weight loss support.

- Tell on yourself when you lose motivation.

- Share what you are doing to lose weight.

- Share how you are developing healthy habits that stick.

and so on. It is statistically true that we are most successful at accomplishing weight loss goals when we do so as part of a group; accountability partners help, too.


These are my 5 weight loss tips  ...

I wrote this blog post for those of you that keep playing with your health. If this is YOU, then stop living your life as if you will always stay a teen or in your 20s, 30s, 40s ... These weight loss tips address some of the bad habits we have developed as a society. When motivation starts, though no good habits are created to keep us at an ideal weight and health, we begin to deteriorate.

If you are younger and reading this post, though are still less than 30 pounds overweight, please keep in mind that you can become obese over time (on the inside of your body) even though you do not see it externally for years to come.

Obesity can hit you hard after years of YO YO DIETING / YO YO FITNESS; this is part of why you see so many people become SO FAT, as well as SO SICK, so quickly.

We are in the age of OBESITY EPIDEMIC and it is very real in the United States and numerous other countries. Do something about your weight and health now before you are too old and / or too sick to handle the issues as easily. If you have a child or loved one dealing with these food and health issues, please help them implement these weight loss tips.

Need help controlling your appetite and losing weight? 
Join the Skinny Fiber 90 Day Challenge to get back on track ...

Join our Facebook Page to get Fitness Challenges and weight loss tips! 


Hugs & Blessings,
Lea

Continue Reading

Obesity Epidemic In America | UK vs US Obesity Problem | Children

Is The UK Taking Obesity More Seriously Than The USA?

Whether you are 10 pounds over weight or 200+ pounds over weight, watch this video as it has value to all; especially those of us in the United States that have turned a blind eye on the obesity epidemic and how it is effecting our children. This video presents an accurate reality of what it is like to be morbidly obese in America, as well as how the medical professionals in the UK are using our obesity problem as example to help their obese population wake up and lose weight. Morbidly obese is 100+ pounds over ideal weight. People carry obesity differently depending on height and body shape, but the reality is that whether 30 pounds over weight is obese, 60 pounds over weight is extremely obese or 100 pounds or more is morbidly obese. Any type of obesity can become mentally and physically damaging on people. Not just the obese individuals, but also their loved ones, friends and those who interact with them in life (such as bus drivers, morticians / funeral directors, nurses, doctors, etc). The video states that 1/3 of our population was "super sized" by February 2013 and estimated that 1/2 of America will be obese in just a few years. It is estimated that by 2020 1/3 of the UK will be obese. Keeping in mind that the UK is just a fraction of the size of the United States, these are all still staggering figures. Change is in order and it begins with us no matter what size or country.

Body Fat Stores Toxins / Fat Is Hard On Body Organs Especially The Liver & Pancreas

Did you know this? Where body fat is unattractive to some people, body fat is unhealthy for all people because fat stores toxins that can lead to life threatening disease(s). These are diseases that someone without body fat is less likely to experience. If you are over weight and are not experiencing problems now, does not mean that you should take for granted that you are not at risk in the near future. People develop liver cancer and disease without it being detected, so please keep this in mind. Regardless, some of these obesity stimulated life threatening diseases include heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, pancreatitis, etc. No curvy girl initiative or benefits of obesity studies should persuade you into thinking that it is OK for your body. When you burn fat / lose fat, these toxins are released through your liver and urine. This is why we emphasize drinking the proper amount of water while taking Skinny Fiber and more towards 1/2 your weight in water if you can. This is what health professionals recommend for everyone (whether skinny or fat) to help keep your body properly hydrated and help clean out these toxins. The major point here is that body fat; especially belly fat smothers your organs and is specifically hard on your liver and pancreas. The liver processes what we eat and drink, aids in detoxification, blood clotting, protein creation and helps fight infections. Excess body fat is hard on the pancreas. The pancreas breaks down cholesterol, carbohydrates, creates proteins that aid in digestion; it secrets insulin that is used to break carbohydrates down into energy instead of fat. Both organs just cannot function efficiently with fat resulting from obesity therefore your metabolism and body cells are hit hardest. Heredity, lack of exercise, depression, processed foods, sugars and bad fats contribute to obesity and these health issues. How can you not want to burn fat, lose weight and make healthy life changes after knowing these facts?

Love Yourself | Love Your Children | Love Them | Love Their Children

As it is said, "Rome was not built in a day" and your weight gain / fat increase did not happen over night. In many cases, this is a generational issue that could have been avoided. In other words, a few generations back in your family and their family, and according to how your ancestors ate and exercised in comparison to how you eat, work and exercise now. For example, "eat all of the food on your plate, there are children starving in China", children from larger families were encouraged to eat a few slices of bread with each meal, increased drinking of koolaid, pop, milk shakes and eating processed foods, more office jobs than manual labor, more fatty and processed foods than foods grown in a family garden or home made, etc. etc. etc. These eras of changes have not only created unhealthy lifestyles and fatter family members, but also those with health issues that are now considered hereditary. More about these evolutionary / generational changes are for a blog posts of their own, so I am not going to go into further analysis. The point is that we in the United States are more obese than anywhere else in the world and we need to pin point these types of patterns causing disintegration in order to make positive changes. Change is not easy though necessary for health and our existence. Of all of the movements to combat obesity, we have had little statistical proof of major change over the past few years, therefore I believe that focus on love should become a major contribution towards improvement because it is individual. Each person can take ownership of love that fosters local and global change.

The first change that we must embrace is LOVE OF SELF and then others. This does not mean finding a lover, becoming cocky / developing conceit, or posting a hundred different pictures of yourself on Facebook, so that people can "like" and comment to show their love and acceptance of you, as well as your self-esteem identifying with these reactions. This does not mean changing your looks, wardrobe, friends, lover or reading a self-help book that makes you feel better for a day and not implementing what you have learned, though can include some of these over time. This is a personal thing that involves identifying the issues and addressing these problems (working towards changing them) with forgiveness, acceptance and how to make changes in order to better yourself and others. During this process, your self-esteem / your self-love is increased and your ability to love others is increased as well. Some find it hard to love people they do not know and to accept love from people especially strangers. They find this brotherly love superficial or overwhelming, though love has many facets that one should learn and understand as well. It is possible to receive and give love to strangers. If anything, one major way this is accomplished through your personal struggle and improvements, as well as simply caring enough about one another in brotherly love to address needs and changes. If you want to lose weight and become healthy ... If you want someone to lose weight and become healthy ... Love is where we start. Education and implementation is how we develop and combat obesity at this point in time.

Those of us that are fat need to do this for ourselves and as example to our children, family, friends and strangers.

1) Start educating yourself on weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes.

NOTE: Here is a blog post about 5 Foods To Give Up to start losing weight.

2) Start implementing what you are learning.

3) Accepting that no one is perfect. If you get off track, get right back on track.

4) Accepting your body height, shape and capabilities, and working with them.

NOTE: This does not include excepting that you are overweight and fat folds; just that you may not look like you did as a child, teenager or young adult, as you are losing weight. Things may have changed in your appearance that are irrelevant to your losing and continuing to lose weight / get healthy again. You can work out while losing weight to improve certain things like your arms, abs, etc. Lines, loose skin, hip changes, etc. are what are irrelevant while getting back to your intended self. Those other details you may have to accept as changes or consult a doctor.

5) Set realistic goals and develop consistency.

6) Learn to love yourself and others - holistically.

7) Share progress, set backs, needs and strengths.

If loving them more than you love yourself is what holds you together through change, then so be it, for now.

Make the changes with them in mind, make the changes for them because of your love! This comes in form of acceptance and encouragement, as well as dietary, motivational, fitness and emotional changes. For example, research what bad / high fat / processed foods are and stop feeding them processed / fatty, sugar filled foods. It make take gradual change, though you will be a foot in the right direction for this and future generations. Additionally, exercise with them in ways that are fun for them. If this means that you do not get to use the elliptical at the gym a few days a week, but you are playing basketball, swimming, walking, etc., then so be it. Stop your spouse or friends from eating portions that are too large for them; especially children. Educate and encourage on the need for increased water in ones diet by serving them water instead of milk, juice or pop at meals. The list of small changes are so vast that there are books and websites about these healthy lifestyle changes.

I posted a video above that I hope you took the few minutes to watch. This can happen to anyone that does not make sure it does not happen to them. That is not easy for almost 1/2 of our western society! Do we also have an issue with love?

This is one of the ways that the United Kingdom is dealing with obesity before it becomes a major epidemic in their country in comparison to the obesity problem in the United States. Yet, it only briefly touches on why people become obese and remain obese. For example, the woman from the United States is married to a man that prefers fat women. The viewer is left to wonder if he is obese or with psychological reasons as to why he prefers his wife fat. The woman from the United States also mentions her addiction to food, though no one addresses why she is addicted to food (there are reasons why the body is physically addicted to food in western society), as well as why she did not love herself enough to combat both her husbands preference and her addiction to food. On the other hand, and in support of "loving others more than you love yourself to start change", as stated above, she does love her son and does not want him to suffer any longer behind her obesity (which has become a disability). She put herself out there for the world to see in order for change. The woman from the UK is motivated by her children and embarrassment. She does not want to get any larger and experience what the obese woman in the United States is sharing with her. She sees that as a quality of life that she does not prefer. Can you blame her? The UK representative and scope of the video shows what a toll obesity takes on the individual and the health care system. Although there is private healthcare in the United Kingdom, the majority of the population uses public healthcare that is funded by taxes. An increase in obesity in the UK can damage that social structure because of the additional expenses. Both people in the United States and United Kingdom are at risk for desensitization of the issue if obesity becomes an average condition (similar to how ADD/ADHD and other less familiar conditions are managed to date). This video makes me wonder when our government is going to value our health more than an industrial food system and the largest corporations? No level of "Get Up & Move" campaign is going to counteract that and this is why individuals need to love, educate and change themselves.

I look forward to your feedback on this obesity video and blog post! What changes are you making? If you need help, let us know this in the comment section, too. If you are a private person or embarrassed, you can contact me directly through the ABOUT page on this site.

I am not a health professional just a biology student that ended up going technical; a wife and mother that is working hard to make healthy life changes for myself, family and you! You can always join me by clicking the 90 Day Challenge link at the top of the page or following along to my blog posts until you are doing what you need to do for your health.


Extending my love to you!
Lea

Continue Reading