Before we can begin, we need to grasp an understanding of the problem.  Two out of three Americans are overweight.  The primary cause is that we eat more and exercise less.  There is no doubt that the more advances we make that enhance our lifestyle the heavier we become. Wait a minute!  What about all those low-fat foods that we eat now?  How come I reduced fat in my diet but I’m still gaining weight?

It is a simple answer.  A few years ago we all became aware of the detrimental effects of fat in our diet.  What did we do?  We began to concentrate on lowering cholesterol and taking fat out of our diets.  This is a good thing.  However, The National Center for Health Statistics studied eating habits of 8,260 adult American between 1988 and 1991.  Their research showed that Americans had significantly reduced their fat intake but still packed on the pounds.

How can this happen?  There is no mystery.  In the process of counting fat grams, we stopped counting calories!  Many of us bought in to the theory that if it is low fat it will not make us fat.  Wrong.

You can not forget about counting calories.  If you eat more calories than you need the body will store them as fat.  It doesn’t matter whether the calories are from fat or carbohydrates.  One school of thought believes that eating small amounts of fat can actually keep you from over indulging on total calories.  The theory is that dietary fat causes our bodies to produce a hormone that tells the intestines to slow down the emptying process.  You feel full and therefore are less likely to overeat.  Adding a little peanut butter to your rice cake may satisfy your hunger for a longer period of time, thus preventing you from eating more than you need.

Here is more news that is surprising.  Tufts University scientists put 11 middle aged men and women volunteers on a variety of average, reduced and low- at diets.  The results?  Extremely low fat diets which provided only 15 percent fat from calories (this is a diet near impossible in real life) did have a positive effect on blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

However, a reduced fat diet (much more realistic) only affected those levels if accompanied by weight loss.  In fact, they concluded, cutting fat without losing weight actually increased triglyceride levels and decreased high density lipoproteins (HDLs), the good cholesterol that helps protect against heart disease. We can deduce, therefore, while excess fat is not healthy, fat is also not necessarily a bad thing.  Without some fat in our diet, the body will not make nerve cells and hormones or absorb some of the fat soluble vitamins.

Okay, so how can you determine your ideal weight?  Just how much fat and how many calories should you consume to reach and maintain a healthy weight?  One answer will not work for everybody.  So you need to do some figuring to determine how much fat and how many calories you can have. 

First, you need to determine your ideal weight.  Here is a simple method to determine what that weight should be:

For Women:-The ideal weight for a woman who is exactly 5 feet tall is 100 pounds.  For every additional inch above 5 feet, add five pounds.  If you are shorter than 5 feet tall, subtract five pounds for every inch you measure below 5 feet.

Next, determine whether you have a small, medium or large frame.  Using a measuring tape, measure your wrist.  If your wrist measures exactly 6 inches, you have a medium frame and the weight number you calculated above, does not need to be adjusted.  If your wrist measures less than 6 inches, subtract 10 percent from your ideal weight.  If your wrist measures more than 6 inches, add 10 percent to your ideal weight.

For Men:-The ideal weight for a man who is exactly 5 feet tall is 106 pounds.  For every additional inch above 5 feet, add 6 pounds.  To determine whether you have a small, medium or large frame, measure your wrist.  If your wrist measures exactly 7 inches, you have a medium frame and you do not need to adjust your ideal weight.  If your wrist is smaller than 7 inches, you have a small frame and should subtract 10 percent from your ideal weight.  If your wrist is larger than 7 inches, you have a small frame and should add 10 percent to your ideal weight.

Okay, now that you know what your ideal body weight should be, let’s take a look at how many calories your body needs each day.  Before we do this however, you need to take into account your level of activity.

*If you are totally inactive and usually get no exercise, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 11.  *If you get regular exercise two or three times a week, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 13.  *If you get regular exercise four to five times a week, multiple your adjusted ideal weight by 15.  *And finally, if you get regular exercise six to seven times a week, multiply your adjusted ideal weight by 18.

Now that you know your ideal weight and how many calories you need each day you can easily figure out how much fat you can eat.  Most nutritionists recommend that you limit daily intake of fat to 30 percent of your total calories.  However, if you want to lose weight or have a history of heart disease or cancer, limit your daily fat intake to 20 percent of your total calories.

If you have tried every diet on the planet, every exercise program from the latest fitness guru and repeatedly failed to achieve your weight loss goals you probably need a check up from the neck up.

Successful weight loss does not just happen.  It took more than a few days to reach the point where you are at right now.  Give yourself a break and expect it to take a while before you see measurable results.  Take a leap of faith and follow some basic principles.

Begin with your self talk.  This is the conversation that runs through your brain continuously.  What kind of conversation do you have with your self talk?  What type of negative self talk has kept you from reaching your goals in the past?

If you had a chance to do it over again, would you change the dialogue?  That’s a no-brainer isn’t it?  Well, the good news is that you can turn the tide of negative self talk beginning right now.  It’s never too late to begin and you start by reprogramming your self talk.

A good starting point is to begin with positive affirmations.   Positive affirmations spoken aloud with authority and belief, positively affect your attitude, focus your thinking and lead to a course of action that will help you become the person you want to be and have the things that you want to have. 

Begin by writing your affirmations on paper.  You need to take some time for this exercise.  You can begin with something like, I want to lose x number of pounds I put on at Christmas.  That’s a worthy goal and attainable, but we need to put some work into structuring the affirmation. 

First of all, I want gives the impression that what you desire is always in the future.  In order to re-program your self talk, you need to trick your mind into believing that you have already achieved success.  This is how your subconscious mind functions.

Your subconscious mind has no capacity for understanding the concept of time.  Everything is in the moment here and now.  When you tell your subconscious mind you want that is exactly what you will get … want.  You will get want, without ever achieving fulfillment.  Unless you change your mental tape recorder, you will achieve exactly what you are telling your subconscious, that you want to lose x number of pounds.  You will want to lose x number of pounds for the rest of your days unless you change your self talk.

If your weight is 150 pounds and you desire is to weigh 125 pounds, then you need to be 125 pounds from the moment you make the decision to change your self talk.

What if you write your affirmation to read something like this: I am healthy and fit, weighing 125 pounds.

What are you telling your subconscious now?  It is extremely important that you phrase your affirmation as if you have already accomplished what you desire.  Work on writing it out until you have it precisely as you wish to become.

It is particularly important that your affirmation is crystal clear because what you affirm is exactly what your subconscious mind will bring you.  

You need not limit yourself to one affirmation either.   Write another one that reflects your new exercise program.  I enjoy my healthy new exercise program, or, I love the healthy foods I eat.

Write and rewrite until you are absolutely certain that you have written your goals in the here and now and to represent precisely what you desire.  Then, and only then, begin to speak it aloud and do so several times a day.  Remember to use the present tense.
*I acknowledge achievement in all my weight loss goals.
*I have the skill and talent to exercise every day.
*I am a winner.
*I am grateful for all of my accomplishments no matter how small.

At first you will feel awkward and uncomfortable and you may not feel or believe what you are saying.  You may feel silly saying them out loud. It doesn’t matter.  Continue to speak the affirmations aloud with as much conviction as you can muster.  Try using driving time in your car for firm, strong voiced self talk. It’s taken a long time to train your subconscious to use negative self talk.  If you will persevere with speaking your affirmations aloud, firmly and confidently, you will be amazed at how quickly you can turn your thoughts around.

You did not hop on a bicycle the first time and just take off down the street.  It took practice to train your body to balance on those two wheels.  This will take some practice as well.  Continue to repeat your affirmations aloud, several times a day for the next 30 days and you will be amazed at how much you change your thinking and attitude.

What Is Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the use of fragrant oils extracted from plants in the treatment or prevention of disease, often called essential oils.  The term essential indicates that the oil carries distinctive scent (essence) of the plant, not that it is an especially important or fundamental source.

Since essential oils are so potent, many can irritate the skin unless diluted with carrier oil such as sweet almond oil or olive oil.  Essential oils are extracted by distillation but can also be extracted by expression or solvent extraction.

How To Use
Essential oils can be used through the skin (massage, shower, adding to bath water), and inhalation (ceramic burner, vaporizer, handkerchief, pillow).

Inhalation.  Add a few drops into a ceramic burner with a lit candle underneath.  When the oil warms up the scent will be dispersed into the air.
Vaporizer.  Add a few drops to boiling water and inhale the vapours.
Skin Application.  Add several drops to almond or olive oil, pour into your bath water, climb in and relax.  You can also buy ready made oils for baths from some pharmacies.  If you shower, mix up half the quantity and use on your shower sponge, flannel or body scrub.
Infusion.  Some herbs and essential oils can be used as an infusion in a tea but always check before use.

Which to use
Firstly, you need to identify which essential oils are best for treating stress and meeting your needs.  Lavender, clary sage, chamomile and lemon are a few of the common ones.

Lavender is a relaxant
*add a few drops to warm bath water, climb in and relax.
*add a few drops to water and put into a spray bottle.  Spray around your home when you feel stressful.

Clary Sage* gives a feeling of being uplifted
*add to a vaporizer to help you relax;
*add a few drops to a carrier oil and get someone to massage you to help you relax.
*Caution:- Expectant mothers, those with active tumours or cancer must contact their medical practitioner before using this essential oil.

Chamomile is a relaxant.
*place a few drops on your pillow or on a handkerchief under your pillow to help you to relax and have a good nights sleep.

Lemon gives a feeling of being uplifted, helps you to relax and feel calmer.
*add a few drops to a vaporizer to help you relax and feel calmer.

Mandarin* helps you feel more joyful and calmer.
*add a few drops to a vaporizer, sit back and relax

Peppermint* helps to clear your mind.
*add a few drops to a carrier oil and get someone to massage the stress away
*can also be infused and drunk as a tea.

*Clary Sage, Mandarin and Peppermint oils MUST not be used by pregnant women as they could cause blood thinning and premature labor.

Warnings
*Aromatherapy products are never to be used in place of medical treatment.
*Essential oils are potent, so they always need to be used in safe quantities.
*Using more than the recommended dose can be as dangerous as overdosing on medicines.
*If you are pregnant, epileptic, suffering from high blood pressure or already taking medication consult your medical practitioner or a qualified aromatherapist

The Christmas decorations, puddings, cakes and other items are already in the stores.  Have you already started to fret over what your plans are going to be this year? This Christmas does not have to be the same as every other.  You do not have to follow the same old family traditions or rush around seeing all family and friends again.  Why not decide to stretch out your Christmas activities over a longer period, this will help to reduce your stress levels and make it a less stressful event.

Here is a monthly countdown with some practical suggestions that can help you towards having a less stressful Christmas:-

End September/Early October:-  Make a list of the names of all relatives and friends you need to buy presents for plus extras for surprise guests.

End October/Early November:-  Email family and friends to ask them to give you an idea of what they would like.  Not everybody prepares early so be prepared to have to wait for a few days for a response.  Make sure that you agree on spending limits; the cost will soon add up if you come from a large family and you’re spending $40 - $50 on each relative.  If you can’t agree, set yourself a limit and stick to it.

October/November:-  Stores start stocking up on Christmas gifts as early as October, some even earlier, so now is the best time to start buying your gifts.  The shops aren’t heaving with the hustle and bustle of shoppers fighting for the latest ‘must have’ for this year. If you already know what your friend or relative would like and you see it in the shop, buy it.  Plan to buy all of your gifts up until the end of November as this will leave you with a few weeks to wrap and buy any last minute gifts.

Early November.  Write out your Christmas card list, you can then start to write out your cards and address your envelopes.  Starting early will enable you to spread out the workload.

November/December:-  Some of your groceries can be bought in advance.  Buy some of your non-perishables each time you go shopping, for example cans, packets, jars, bottles and frozen foods.

Late November/Early December:-  Plan ahead.  Arrange your visits to family and friends at your convenience.  You will get round to seeing everybody with your bags of presents and have some time to yourself just before Christmas. 
 

By buying a gift as and when you see one you can spread the cost and avoid the financial headache lots of people get in January.  You can also be a bit frugal when you go shopping, look for special offers in the shops, some shops have buy one get one free or three for the price of two offers.  If you wrap and label them when you get them home; you won’t be panic- wrapping a huge pile of presents.

When you have carefully selected, bought, wrapped and delivered all of your gifts it is time to pamper yourself.  Why not try one of the following relaxation techniques?

Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a holistic therapy using essential oils from plants to balance the body, mind and spirit.  Add a few drops of lavender, ylang ylang or geranium oil to your bath water, get in and relax with a nice cold glass of white wine.

Reflexology
A reflexologist applies manual pressure to specific areas on your feet or (less frequently) your hands in order to rebalance ‘energy’ in your body and stimulate natural healing processes. 

Massage
Massage is the practice of manipulation of the soft tissues of the body in order to fulfill any of several physical, functional/mechanical and/or emotional goals.  Massage is generally safe as long as it is done by a trained therapist and that you are in good health.  Please ensure that you speak to your Practitioner before having a massage if you are an expectant mother.

We are all going to encounter some stress during the festive season, but being prepared and planning ahead will help to reduce your stress levels and make it and enjoyable event for all.

We all think of weight loss food as the really healthy items, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, a selection of foods high in fiber, a small quantity of fats, some protein and some carbohydrates.  After weeks of eating the same healthy food you may start to resent your diet and start binging on the foods that made you start your diet in the first place.  If you start to feel this way, stop and think about all the hard work that you have done and are about to undo. 

Being on a weight loss program does not mean that you have to miss out on the treats.  When you do notice a change in yourself, reward yourself with a treat. I do not mean go for a large bar of your favorite chocolate or a huge bag of candy.  A little treat every now and then will not do any harm.

Chocolates should be made a luxury in your diet and not a routine. Do not indulge in too many of them. Yes, you can treat yourself to a piece or small bar of chocolate occasionally, but do not get into the habit of settling down in the evening to eat a large slab of your favorite chocolate.  If you can not resist the temptation to binge, do not buy it from the grocery store. If your partner, friends or family normally buy you a box of chocolates as a gift ask them to buy you something else, for example tickets to the cinema, a new dress for when you reach your goal or even a day of pampering.

When you buy your chocolate look at the calorific value on the wrapper, some of the diet chocolate bars are very nice to eat and are low in fat, which is a bonus.  Avoid the cream filled chocolates because although there is less sugar, there is still the cream in them, which is high in calories.  

Perhaps, you would like to treat yourself to an alcoholic beverage maybe once or twice a week. Alcoholic beverages contain calories too.  Just look at how many calories are in each of these standard measures of the most popular drinks:

Alcohol Free Wine 37
Baileys, Irish Cream 129
Champagne 96
Cider (Low Alcohol) 97
Cider (Sweet) 239
Cider (Vintage) 574
Dry White Wine 77
Dry Red Wine 83
Sherry (average) 140
Sweet Red Wine 100
Sweet White Wine 103
Beer, Bitter (Pint) 182
Lager (Can) 221
Guinness, Stout (Pint) 170
Vodka and Diet Coke 55
Whisky and Lemonade 82

It is a myth that beer is fattening. According to the BBPA, a glass of beer with a typical 4.6% alcoholic volume, has fewer calories not only than a similar measure of wine, but also milk or fruit juice.  The rest of the alcoholic drinks may not be fattening by themselves but when mixed with coke, lemonade or another soft drink the calorific value rises.  However, after a couple of drinks you will be in no position to watch your diet and may find yourself at the local pizza parlor or curry house indulging it a lot of the foods that you have been missing.

If your choice of drink is wine, choose the dry option.  Dry white wine contains 77 calories as opposed to sweet white wine which has 103 calories per standard measure.  Sweet wines naturally contain a lot of sugar.  Most of this sugar has been fermented away in dry wines.  Avoid fortified wines because they contain even more sugar, a standard glass of sherry has 140 calories!

Hopefully, this will keep you motivated to reach your target weight loss.

Remember, a little of what you fancy does not do your diet any harm, it is when you over indulge that you start to damage the hard work and effort that you have put in.

Did you know that there are three main types of fat in food – saturates, monounsaturates and polyunsaturates and that they are not all bad for you.  Foods high in saturates such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, butter, lard, cream, cheese and many processed and takeaway foods, increase cholesterol in your blood so it is very important to eat less of them.  However, polyunsaturates and monounsaturates can help lower cholesterol, so it’s sensible to swap foods high in saturates for more foods rich in unsaturated fats.

Pure vegetable oils and spreads such as sunflower, corn, grapeseed and soya oils are all good sources of polyunsaturates, while olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds are all good sources of monounsaturates.

If you have been diagnosed with a high cholesterol level you may be required to make a number of changes, including modifying your diet in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Cooking for a low cholesterol diet is not difficult, but you will have to use some different techniques and food choices to keep your heart healthy.  Baking, grilling, even microwaving will help control the amount of saturated fat in your food. Here are my top 5 tips:

*When cooking meat and poultry, you can reduce the saturated fat in meat by trimming off all of the fat you see or buy the leaner options. Instead of frying, try to roast, or bake the meat. If you roast or bake, put your meat on a rack, this will drain off the excess fat.

*Limit the amount of high-saturated fat products in your house and stock up on alternatives such as herbs or wine to add flavor to your food. Wine, lemon juice, vinegar, or a fat-free or low-fat oil marinade can help with keeping the meat moist while adding a wonderful flavor.

*When making stews and soups, cook the day before you want to use them and put in the refrigerator.  As it cools the fat will rise to the top and harden, remove it before reheating.

*Fruits and vegetables are a key part of a low cholesterol diet.  Fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots and celery can be chopped up and eaten as snacks or refrigerated for later.  Stir-fry or sauté vegetables in only a small amount of oil, pure vegetable or olive oil are good to use

*Avoid adding too much salt to your food, use herbs and spices to add flavor instead.

These are just a few cooking tips for your new diet. It may take a little more time to think about and prepare your food but it will not only be healthier, it will set you up on the way to improving the health of your heart.