Health and Nutrition That Is AboveNBeyond

Ok, there is a huge number of those who are NOT active.  Oh yes, they’ll say, not active?  Hey, I work, I do chores around the house, help the wife/girl friend, I do this, I do that and so fourth.  Well, then why are they loosing the battle of the bulge?  Yes, Weight Watchers does count some of this activity towards your efforts to loosing or managing weight.  So, what’s the problem?  The problem can be attributed to a number of things.  Either one is consuming some of the wrong foods & drinks or the activity is not enough to burn off the calories being consumed or both.

I tell you the truth, if I did not run and exercise and only relied on nutrition and weight management, it would be much harder for me to control my weight.  Having an active life (in addition to your “other stuff”) really takes a bite out of your weight!  So, if you are not active and am having issues controlling your weight, you need to realize what you are doing or not doing about it. If you are active enough and are still having issues, then activity isn’t your problem.

If activity isn’t the problem, then it’s likely that portion control is. Unless you are the type that subscribes to the theory “oh, I don’t haven any problems controlling what I eat, I can eat anytime”. Then that’s the problem. Recently, I have posted more articles on portion control. This is a topic that has a great impact on weight management efforts. Portion control doesn’t only apply to your meals, but, also other items such as drinks, candies, cakes etc.

I’m sure that you seen this, people who seem like they never gain weight. It can drive one nuts to wonder why this is. Well, one issue is metabolism, everyone’s is different. Some suggest smoking as a factor, once they quit, they gain weight. I can’t comment on that but, that’s what I’ve heard. Weight management can be a balancing act to keep it where you want it.

We all usually get the right start in school with having access to a physicall education class, i.e: Gym class. After one gets out of school, fitness becomes less of a reality for some. This is unfortunate since by adding a fitness / active life can really be fun too in addition to it’s impact on ones overall health.

See other articles on – portion control

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

Adding an active life can be as simple or as advanced as you want. Start out small and grow from there. Just 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week is enough to get you started until you build yourself up. Get up 30 minutes earlier on the days you choose to “get active”. After a while, you’ll start to know the difference. Once you find your focus, you’ll open a door that will rock your world. As for me, you know, I’m a runner and cannot live without it! There is an activity out there for everyone, find it, do it and you’ll see the difference. For those who say “Well, Tim, I don’t have the time!” I say, “20 minutes, and a DVD player and you can have a workout. There are plenty of workout videos available on DVD out there now and that’s just for starters. If something is important to you, you’ll make the time for it. Don’t wait until you reach the point where you wish you did do something, do it now! Even if you have to do a series of exercises in the morning just to get started. What ever it takes for you to get started and explore the world of fitness. If you still feel you don’t have time, perhaps there are those things you are doing that you should replace with fitness? How much time do you spend just watching TV?

Check out our section called NEWU, it may be what can help you get started.

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.

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

How much of a rebellion are you part of when it comes to weight loss? Are you this bad? — Star Wars Weight Watchers:

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.

In the previous article, I touched on ideas to help you cut the budget to get the weight off. By focusing on those suggestions, you can create your own momentum to loosing weight. It is not written that you need to spend lots of money to loose lots of weight. Though, weight loss companies don’t what you to realize that. Again, Yes, I used Herbalife and loved it and am thankful that I found it. But, when money matters, there are weighs to win the battle of the bulge. You can’t let money be the dictator when it comes to your health. Here are more suggestions:

1. Yogurt – Yoplait is worth about 2 Weight Watchers points, I just love the White Chocolate Strawberry. Yeah, and I never used to like Yogurt too!
2. Progresso soups – Some have the point value right on the can.
3. Zero Calorie Products – While you do have to understand that zero calories doesn’t guarantee that it’s healthy, it does help with your efforts on weight loss, thus not taking in calories.
4. Recipe Changes – Change your recipes using applesauce in place of some oils or butters. You may have to experiment with this to taste.
5. Recipe ideas – There are a variety of books available with weight loss recipes that are quite tasty. Check out Borders, Amazon and other stores.

Sometimes you have to change your menu and way of eating to get the job done. If there is something in your life that you are not controlling, be careful, it may be controlling you. Food that is or what is making you eat more than you need? If you really want to loose weight, you’ll start making the right choices to get there and realizing that it will take time.

Once you get to the place where you achieved your first weight loss goal, you see what you need to do and how to keep it off. Then, you can set an upper weight limit, so, if you would reach that limit, you would kick it up to high gear and reverse the course again. Kind of like a safety net keeping you from disaster. Now of course the best thing to do is to maintain a specific type of effort producing a whole new lifestyle. Keep in mind you don’t want to drop in weight too much. You need the right combination of exercise, nutrition and portion control to keep you were you want to be.
You just never know where your life will head when once you embark on a whole new healthier lifestyle. Now, you don’t have to get into hang gliding like the dude in the picture, but you should get the point. The more active you are, the more calories you burn to help in your weight management. If you are just starting, keep in mind, it took a while to get where you are, it will take a while to get the weight off. The safest guide is one pound or 2 a week. If you’ve fallen off your horse, get back on and head down that trail! The real you awaits!