Health and Nutrition That Is AboveNBeyond

In addition to using Weight Watchers and Herbalife, my wife and I also make use of Lean Cuisine.  The coolest thing about Lean Cuisine in our opinion is that they have the weight watchers points right on the box.  Talk about another great option to use when using the Weight Watchers point system.  I just became a member of the Lean Cuisine website and it has a lot of neat features such as Meal planning, fitness planning and wellness planning.  Just more reasons to get on track to getting fit and lean.  When it comes to loosing weight, it’s not about starving yourself or doing with out eating lots of great food.  It’s about eating to  loose weight.  You have to learn to substitute what you eat with great alternatives or find ways to change recipes to bring about a healthier meal plan.  Don’t think of it as a diet, think of it as a change of lifestyle.  Diet is a bad 4 letter word that is sometimes misconstrued.  Try thinking of a diet in terms of a meal plan instead.  Lean Cuisine is a great way to adjust your meal plan to work on loosing those pounds.   My most favorite Lean Cuisine is the Chicken Club Panini.  Oh, by the way, Lean Cuisine makes for a good lunch to take to work, which is what I do.

See video #8 in our Video Vault on Lean Cuisine for a past commercial.

For years, I never really paid to much attention to the nutrition labels on any products out there.  Truth is, I should have taken them more seriously like I do now. Nutrition labels are an important tool in one’s weight loss efforts.  They contain vital information that can help in determining not only if a product is good for you, but also how much of something you should eat for a given portion.

When it comes to weight loss, the most important information to keep an eye on is Calories, Fat, Dietary Fiber as well as Sugars.  If you are following the Weight Watchers plan utilizing their point system then the first 3 mentioned above are most important.  You can click on the image at the right and it will take you to Diabetes America website for more information on reading nutrition labels.

It doesn’t matter where you are health wise, making use of a nutrition label is important for everyone.  It helps one connect the dots to better health.

Without using a nutrition label,you are eating or drinking blindly.

There are times you may need to know specific information about what is in a given product.  Without a nutrition label, it would be hard to find this information.  This goes beyond the simple ingredients that each product has.  What if you are counting carbs or watching how much sodium is in a specific item?  You need nutrition labels to assist you in making the right choices.  What if you were allergic to a specific ingredient in something you were going to buy?  If you were not able to see for yourself what was listed on a nutrition label, you’d be taking a risk, thus gambling with your health as to the outcome from consuming that product.

See also – related posts on nutrition labels

Back when I was an Herbalife Distributor, I started to see that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another person. One person told me over the phone that she does not like powdered drink mixes. Well, regardless how good a product is, if someone doesn’t like the type of product, then it will NOT work for that individual despite the reason. This is one of the fundamental factors that AboveNBeyond4u.com is all about. About finding what bests work for you. Liking a type of product is half the battle regardless of it’s usage. However, until you try something, it’s hard to tell if you’ll like it or if it will work for you. We all want to look and feel good. Getting good nutrition, striving for good fitness, and loosing and/or maintaining weight is important. For it all works together to get the results we are all looking for.

Sometimes you can’t do it alone, in other words, there are products available that can help you further your goals if used right. With a little patients, research and effort, you can get more results when you use products that are effective in achieving your goals, whatever they may be. Isn’t it time to start conquering your goals?  Go  for it!

See also the following:

I recently found something and am recommending that you check this out – click here and see what you think regarding fat loss and your abs.

See other posts for burn fat, weight loss and supplements.

Some give lots of effort and some don’t on loosing weight and burning fat. The truth is, until the individual has a strong mind set and has mentally committed to the effort to loose the weight and burn off the fat, the battle will continue on. You have to take control and make changes to bring about results to achieve your goals. Until you get their “mentally”, you are not there and won’t get there. It all hinges on the brain, your control or command center of your life. You have to decide where you want to be. One’s mind set is any of the following: a) wants weight loss bad, b) dreams of weight loss, c) happy, or d) doesn’t care. These are just some possibilities of where someone is mentally on this subject.

But as I said, until you make that all important decision to get it done, you’ll never be done.

It’s not just about loosing the weight, it’s about changing your life and creating a new lifestyle. If you don’t change your habits, you’ll only end up right back where you started from or worse. Ask yourself this question “If I figured out how to do something good for myself that works, why would I stop?”

For the weight loss issue, there are many options to choose from. You could do any of the following:

1. Exercise, portion control and getting proper nutrition
2. Herbalife weight loss, exercise, portion control
3. Weight Watchers, exercise and portion control
4. Other weight loss method, exercise and portion control.

If you haven’t gotten the drift yet, it’s all the same. The key factor is what works for you. What you want and need is what works and is nutritious for you. You don’t want something that is less-healthy for you. You’ll notice that each option above includes exercise and portion control. It’s just that you need exercise to burn off calories as well as to tone up. You need portion control to aide in the decrease of calories consumed. You don’t need to eat more than the body needs to sustain itself. If you eat a sensible portion and wait 20 minutes before deciding to have more, odds are you wont’ eat anymore because you’ll start to feel satisfied since the body would have caught up with what you just ate.

You’ll notice that AboveNBeyond4u.com is not affiliated with any one weight loss company. The reason for this is because what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work another. I used both Herbalife and Weight Watchers to achieve my goals. However, just because I had success with these two companies, doesn’t mean everyone will. You may find something else either through this site or on the Internet that you prefer. The main thing is that you find what works for you. As long as what you find is healthy and nutritious and works that is all that matters. As I find other options I will post them throughout this site.

Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients and can also help with weight loss by reducing energy density.  This is according to an article I recently read:

A recent study from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University studied the relationship of energy density to dietary outcome. They found that lowering the energy density by increasing the volume without changing nutrient content can enhance s

It’s very hard to gain weight with vegetables unless you are eating potatoes or yams. Vegetables are not packed with a lot of calories. You can eat more fruits and vegetables and less of other foods that are higher in calories to make loosing weight easier. Thus, replacing foods that are higher in energy density with foods that are lower in energy density (fruits and vegetables) may help with weight loss.

Vegetables are a good source for Dietary Fiber and can provide extra energy.  The high fiber content helps us fill our stomach faster, thus putting a limit on the amount of food consumed.   Because of this, vegetables can help us control our weight.

At the risk of my sounding like I’m recommending your becoming a vegetarian, the more vegetables and fruits you can eat the better.  Forget the old 5 a day saying and think “More is Better” according to the CDC and Produce for Better Health Foundation.

A bonus with fruits and vegetables and the Weight Watchers point system, check these out:

Corn: 1 cup = 2 points
Peas: (Green) 1 cup = 2 points
Beans: (Green) 1 cup = 0 or FREE
Beets: 1 cup = 0 or FREE
Carrots: 1 cup = 1 point cooked, 0 or FREE uncooked
Banana: 1 (7-9″ long) = 2 points
Apples: 1 small (2 1/2′ diameter) = 1 point
Apples: 1 large (3 1/4′ diameter) = 2 points

See also:
1. Weight Watchers
2. Fruitsandveggiesmatter

A side benefit of using Weight Watchers to help with portion control is how it can improve your attitude on what you can eat. You end up realizing and saying “oh, I can have a yogurt now”. When one has been used to eating a certain way, eating another way can be a hard reality to swallow. No weight loss program in the world will work if your head isn’t in the game. Portion control is an important issue because, if you can’t control your portions, then you are just spinning your wheels. Yes, we all love to eat, but, when your eating habits get out of control, so does your weight. Think of it this way, lets say that your workouts are fantastic, you are getting the right amount of nutrition, but, your eating habits are though the roof. Well, because of that one issue, your efforts are stalemated. There is nothing wrong with splurging now and then, but not daily. With portion control you can afford splurging now and then because you realized that you went overboard that one day and you are following a routine and therefore the impact of one time isn’t going to crash your efforts.

I just love Dunkin Donuts Medium Hazelnut Ice’d Lattes and I have at least one whenever I get a chance. By using the Weight Watchers Point system, I know that a 24oz Iced Latte is worth 2 points and that is cheap for what you get. Compare that to a 4 point McDonalds Medium Hazelnut Iced coffee.

Sound like a lot of work? Not at all, once you understand how the point system works, it’s a breeze. So, instead of being hampered you are actually enabled and weight loss actually becomes easier since your portions are under control and you are not stifling your efforts.

If you feel like you don’t want to be a member of Weight Watchers to loose your weight, well, no one ever said you’d have to stay a member forever now did they? Get in, Get Informed, Get It Done!
NO and I mean NO, I am not advertising Weight Watchers here, but, it DOES work.

We all have them, mornings on the fly that is. Each morning can be like an international airport, people coming and going. That’s so true at our house. We all get up, get ready, eat and go. Who has time for breakfast right? Well, if we can, you can!

Here are some suggestions (using the Weight Watchers point system) that should get you fueled up and ready:

1. For those who left already, Herbalife Meal Replacement shakes: How does 2 minutes sound to you? That’s about how long it takes to make it (guesstimated) Just mix, blend and serve. Grab a to-go cup and head out the door. You can have a snack around 10:00am and be good until lunch. This is what I did to loose weight as well as having a shake for lunch too. For an 8oz glass this comes to 3 or 4 points depending on how much protein powder is used.

2. For those with a little more time: You can make yourself an omelet. Just use Eggbeaters (1/2 cup), 2 slices of fat free Turkey meat, 1 slice of fat free ham (Walmart) and 1 slice of light cheese. This will net you about 5 points using the Weight Watchers points system. This suggestion is based on one person / serving. Time to prepare 5 to 7 minutes (guesstimated).

3. Pancakes: You can have 3 pancakes for 3 points. You can use any of the following: Ant Jemima’s Whole Wheat or Buttermilk, or Fiber One pancake mix. Now, be careful on the size, you don’t want to go overboard. Bigger isn’t always better. See your nutrition label for more information.

If you are one that doesn’t eat breakfast, then you are missing out on the most important meal of the day. The body needs food to loose weight and it also need food for fuel. Even on mornings that I am up late like around 9:30am I still have breakfast, though I don’t eat as much since lunch is around the corner.

As I’ve said, I also used Weight Watchers in addition to Herbalife to help with controlling my portions. One of the really neat things about Weight Watchers is that by utilizing their point system, you can really eat anything you want as long as you can live with the impact of how you use the points each day and week. See this Weight Watchers Online commercial.

You don’t have to order anything to have on hand at home or office, you can buy locally and literally eat anything you like. It’s in my opinion a very flexible system and again as long as you can make use of their point system effectively. It’s a great way to conquer the issue of portion control. I really like it and use it as part of my weight management system. A key benefit of Weight Watchers is that even after you stop being a member, you still can make use of their foods and other products as well as their point system. Kind of like the gift that keeps on giving or something like that?

Some people have a problem with counting calories. In this case, you are counting points. For example, one Yoplait White Chocolate Strawberry is worth 2 points. That’s cheap in the point system. On Monday’s and Tuesdays, I am up early and look forward to my 10am snack which usually is some Yorgurt. I can eat it without feeling guilty knowing that lunch time is just around the corner. Let’s say that your daily point limit is 28, and you just had some yogurt. You now have 26 points left for the day. That’s how easy it is. Hey, it works for me……

Now, if anyone is still having an issue with counting points, think of it as a guide to help you with your portions. It’s not so much about counting the points, but, seeing how much of a portion you can eat and still get what you need. This is a whole lot easier than counting calories and it works.

I had great success in using Herbalife with my weight loss efforts. The basic plan is to use 2 Meal Replacement Shakes a day, with taking supplements 3 times a day followed by one colorful meal for supper. Herbalife has quite a good variety of different flavors of meal replacement shakes. Herbalife works and tastes great too! For me, my problem wasn’t about the products, it was on portion control and I had to find ways to help me in this area. Herbalife does have a variety of different protein snacks available too. There are different Weight Loss programs available to help you depending upon your need and affordability. Following the directions with these products is key to it’s success in helping you with your goals.

For my experience you can check out My Testimony on my weight loss journey. Everybody’s situation is different and sometimes you have to make choices to get you to achieving your goals. By controlling your portions, following Herbalife’s weight loss program and getting active, you will loose weight.

You need to stay consistent with this when working on loosing weight. You can’t just have one shake one day and skip the next. This has to be a daily effort to make it work. Being consistent with it will get you to loose weight. In addition to the fact that Herbalife works, it is also very nutritious.

There is a video on Herbalife in our Video Vault for Weight Loss, check it out.

For more information about Herbalife, check out http://herbalife.com

One of the greatest benefits I get from running is the feeling of being refreshed after a good run. My favorite distance is 4 miles for the reason that after about a mile or so, I am warmed up and really starting to get into the run. Then not quite half way, I’m revved and really getting into it. With a good run, I’m burning calories, building endurance, combating stress, staying in shape, getting refreshed all at the same time. I love running, not only for the above reasons, but also, I can run anywhere at anytime even indoors and best of all it costs nothing to run. So, all my fitness efforts tend to gravitate toward running. I also have a Shwinn Letour Ten Speed bicycle that I have had since I was 19 and it is still pretty much in top notch shape. Unfortunately for it, my feet gets more of the pavement then it does. I may at some point get it back in action again. You see, if running isn’t up your alley, then something else could be right there waiting for you to focus on it. I have always had an interest in running even since high school. Though, back then, I really never pursued it an wished I did.

Having an active life is about 1/3rd part of the pie that helps with weight management to burn calories as well as to help with other areas such as stress and fitness. If you take the active slice out of the pie, and only concentrate nutrition and weight management, loosing weight an be more of a challenge. I know, who has time to be active right? Well, you make time for what is important to you. Believe me, if you want it, you’ll do it.

Let’s say that you are making a real hard effort in eating right including planning your meals accordingly, ensuring proper nutrition and striving to manage your weight for what ever your goals are. Wouldn’t you like to take advantage of anything at your disposal to achieve your goals? This is why if you add “getting active” to your agenda, it will help you in your efforts and you may just enjoy it like I do. If you are not sure what you want to do, then why not check out a new resource available right here on AboveNbeyond4u.com called NEWU. It’s a section to get you motivated into embracing the new you.