For Weight Loss Success Ditch the Soda

I’ve written about this before, but a lot of people don’t believe me that a key to weight loss success is to stop drinking diet soda.

No, I’m not telling you to load up on the sugary stuff--it isn’t good for you either:

• Drinking soda is shown to increase the amount of fat on your organs, which is a bigger threat to your health than the fat on your hips.
• Sodas (and some sports drinks) contain lots of chemicals that can cause nerve disorders, memory loss and skin problems.
• Sodas contain GMO ingredients—high-fructose corn syrup is bad for our health for many reasons, but there are unknown risks that we face when we drink it (most sodas are sweetened with this man-made poison.) GMOs are a new addition to our diet, only appearing in the 1990s, and the long-term effects are still unknown, but recent studies are suggesting they may contribute to disease, premature aging, and infertility.

Read more: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/3-shocking-soda-facts

Don’t switch to diet soda—there are plenty of studies that show the artificial sweeteners are even worse!

Of course, moderation is the best course. If the thought of going without a soda entirely is going to send you on a binge, then allow yourself a little now and then.

For your weight loss success (and overall health) stop drinking soda (or at least start weaning yourself off) and you can easily drop weight—or you can eat more, either way, you win!

Carbs Cause Obesity?

I got a comment, from a reader who wished to remain anonymous, in response to my post about a Vegan Lifstyle The reader claimed

"Excessive carbs, in the form of grains and/or legumes, are the cause, and not the cure, for obesity."

Sorry, but this is not accurate.

Of course eating too much food of any kind, even healthy foods like whole grains and legumes can cause us to be overweight. So can eating too much meat or even fruits and vegetables. However, eating complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains and legumes) does not cause obesity and they are an important part of a food plan that is geared for our optimum health and energy. Carbs have gotten a bad rap. They are an important source of fuel for our bodies and our brain.

Obesity is generally caused from excessive SIMPLE carbs, like found in white flour, sugar, processed foods.

Is it possible to become obese eating only healthy foods...sure...but you have to work at it because the healthier foods have fiber and bulk which makes you feel more full! If you stuffed yourself every day like it was Thanksgiving and sat around all day without moving your body, even if you only ate wonderfully healthy foods you would definitely have a weight issue.

Being healthy isn't about eliminating foods, it is about gaining control over your eating which is largely a mindset issue. It is also about getting our brain chemistry and hormones in balance, which when we make healthy food choices naturally follows.

I don't advocate saying you can NEVER have sugar, but by controlling our sugar intake (along with that of other simple carbs) and making conscious choices in our eating, we will actually reduce our cravings for these foods that taste good but have little or no nutritional value.

Happy Valentines Day Gifts: Sweet or Sour

Since Valentines Day is about love we tend to shower our loved ones with sweet gifts--often literally filled with sugar and other things that maybe aren't in our best interests. So a sweet gift can easily turn sour--if it is received in the wrong way.

I'm not one to say you can't have sugar ever...and I for one have no intention of giving up chocolate entirely. In fact, I don't believe in having a list of "forbidden foods" because I know how that just makes us psychologically just want it even more.

However, buying sweets simply because it is Valentines Day is less about a conscious, love-filled gift and more about a marketing ploy.

What does Valentines Day really mean to you? Is it about feeling loved by a significant other or by family members? Will you feel loved if you receive a card? a phone call? a nice dinner out? a box of chocolates? a dozen roses? a diamond necklace?

Let your loved one know how you will feel special on this special day--and other ones, too. Unless you let people know what YOU want then you will be subject to what they THINK you want...and those thoughts are generally influenced by marketing efforts from companies who are selling things that they want you to believe will make you happy.

Don't expect people to be able to read your mind--as much as they love you and no matter how long they have been in your life. If you are trying to lose weight and having chocolates around will make it harder for you to make healthy choices so you'd rather not have them in the house--let your voice be heard. On the other hand, if NOT receiving chocolates will make you feel deprived then your loved ones deserve to know that, too!

This is about asking for the kind of support that works for YOU, because each of us operates just a little bit differently based on our biology and more importantly based on our upbringing--all the messages we got growing up.

It can be hard for others to know what we want when we have declared we are intending to lose weight. Will they be accused of trying to sabotage our efforts if they buy us candy? Will they be accused not loving us if they do?

Instead of leaving them guessing and risking buying us a gift that was intending to be loving but leaves us with a sour feeling, figure out what you would like and ask for what you want. This is an excellent exercising for us to express our desires. It is something that most of us are not really good at. Sometimes we aren't good at asking for it because we don't think we are worth it...we are so good at putting others first that it is hard for us to accept that we can be first. Sometimes it is hard for us to ask because we've bought into the idea that "they should just know what I want" even though that is often a moving target! We might not even be aware of what we want--so how the heck can we expect someone else to figure it out???

If you really love chocolate but know that more than one piece sets you off on a binge...then maybe you request a piece of really, really special chocolate from a fancy store rather than a box of ho-hum chocolates from Wal-green's. For me, a really good piece of chocolate allows me to savor it and appreciate it and make a conscious choice about eating it, whereas a big box of chocolate tends to send off physical and mental cravings and before I know it I have eaten way more than I intended.

Or if you aren't a chocoholic like me and can keep it in the house, then be sure to specify what you like so that when you do choose to indulge you get the absolute best satisfaction. In other words, if you love the dark chocolate caramels then you don't want a box filled with milk chocolate creams! You might eat them, but you won't have that same satisfaction, so eat what you really love. You'll actually end up consuming less!

If you don't want chocolates around then think of other gifts that you'd prefer. They don't have to be expensive gifts like jewelry or short-lived ones like flowers (although those are nice, too!) Sometimes the best gifts are inexpensive like a homemade card or a poem. Always the sweetest gifts are the ones that are thought-full: a great book for a reader, a journal for a writer, a photo in a nice frame for the desk at work, a compilation of favorite songs for your ipod for relaxation or working out to...or having the car cleaned, serviced and tires rotated for the busy commuter!

The bottom line is we must learn to love ourselves enough to know that we deserve our health and happiness--and gifts that we really want. So we must love ourselves enough to learn to express our needs.

Weight Loss Challenge: Sugar and How Sweet it Is

There are lots of different sweeteners on the market today. In fact, there are so many it can be quite confusing. What is natural? If it is organic is that the best? What type of sugar is better?

Sometimes it feels so overwhelming that we just throw up our hands and stick with plain old sugar even though we know it isn't the best for us.

It is important that we know some facts about our options so we can choose the best thing for us. If you are diabetic for example you will want sweeteners that don't raise your blood sugar level, but maybe you don't want to use the artificial stuff...so what's the best choice for you. What if you want to become more natural--going for less processed foods? Or maybe you were inspired by Oprah to go vegan...

I found a great article on various sweeteners that you should keep in your arsenal. Chef Heather Haxo Phillips tells it like it is--even explaining why you might not want to choose some of the more popular, theoretically "healthy" sweeteners like Agave Nectar.

Chef Heather is of the Bay Area phenomenon Cafe Gratitude and she explains what sugar is and gives lots of details about your options in this article.

What is Sugar? Sugar is a pure carbohydrate, a nutrient that supplies energy to the body. The chemical name for sugar is sucrose. Sucrose occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable, as it is the major product of photosynthesis. For a long time, fruit and cane sugars were the most common sweeteners on our table. However, over the past 50 years dozens of sweeteners have been developed. Many of them are very useful for helping us to enjoy the sweet things in life without taking our blood sugar for a roller coaster ride.

Read the entire article here.

Walmart Joins Weight Loss Success Effort

Walmart is the largest grocery chain in the US and they have now pledged their support of First Lady Michelle Obama's fight against childhood obesity. They say they will change the formulas of many of their Great Value brand items to lower the amount of sodium and sugar they contain. This could really help Americans in the efforts to achieve weight loss success.

This is a great move for consumers as the "hidden" sugar in these goods has a direct link to many of our health issues and this country's obesity epidemic. In fact, the starting place is to focus on things like salad dressing, fruit juice and lunch meat--products that when you read the label you will often see have sugar in the top 5 ingredients.

Sales of Great Value label products amount to roughly 20% of Walmart's sales--so this is not a small promise. But don't expect to see the change on products tomorrow--reformulation will take some time. The goal is to reduce soium by 25% and reduce or remove added sugar from "some" of their label products by 2015.

Even if you don't buy your groceries at Walmart, this move will likely have an affect on you because of the power Walmart yields with suppliers. The chain gets this power because it controls roughly 15% of the grocery sales in the US--the closest competitor is Kroger, the parent company of King Soopers here in Colorado, which is about 1/2 the size of Walmart.

It is likely that suppliers and even competitors will follow Walmart's lead as they did when the giant encouraged a reduction in packaging.

Also in the plan is removing more trans fats (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils) from the line which will also be a big health benefit.

In another health-positive move, Walmart is pledging to lower prices on fresh produce.

Since we won't see these changes overnight, it is still up to us to make conscious food choices and to read labels. As more of us vote with our wallets and stop buying foods that contain unnecessary sugar, sodium and trans fats, the grocery industry will scramble to meet the demand for healthier foods.

Corn Sugar No Better for Weight Loss Success

Oh give me a break! The Corn Refiners Association is trying to pull one on the American public.

Apparently we have gotten smart about recognizing high-fructose corn syrup as bad for us and our weight loss efforts--and general health goals-- and they are feeling the heat.

But rather than make a healthier product (no that would cost them money) they have petitioned the FDA to change the name to "corn sugar"....

A rose by any other name would smell sweet...we're not talking about roses...but this sweet super simple carbohydrate will be just as toxic no matter what they call it.

Keep your eyes and ears out folks! And stay healthy.

Sweeter Than Honey Weight Loss Challenge

Many folks in efforts to be more health conscious and consume fewer processed foods are making the move towards honey rather than white sugar.

This is a good idea in that honey has small amounts of minerals, enzymes, amino acids and even vitamins as well as being very easy to digest. Consuming honey from your local area can also help you fight allergies.

Eating honey after a workout can actually help refuel your body when combined with a protein...and adding small amounts of honey to the water you drink during a grueling workout (not a walk around the block) can help keep your energy up.

Honey doesn't seem to put most of us on the roller coaster ride of the massive sugar high and subsequent crash that refined sugar does...although I wouldn't eat massive quantities to test that theory!

So what is the weight loss challenge with this sweet foodstuff? It isn't with the real honey...it is with the faux honey...the imposters out there.

I'm a big label reader, but when it comes to the "honey bear" I always assumed he (she?) was filled with the healthy nectar. Turns out that may not be the case...

According to the National Honey Board packages that are strikingly similar to the real honey bear are making their way onto our grocers' shelves...filled with honey-flavored syrup--there may be little to no honey in them thar b'ars!

Is nothing sacred?

Sugar always poses a big challenge to folks wanting to reach their health, fitness and weight loss goals...and we read lots of labels knowing that sugar is hidden in so many packaged products...but we may have been lax when it comes to reaching for the bear or other honey packages.

The good news is reading a label to check for honey purity is easy...if it's real there's only 1 ingredient: honey!

Natinal Nutrition Month: Healthy Drink Choices for Weight Loss Success

In honor of National Nutrition Month, yesterday we talked about ways to drop 15 pounds in a year by cutting empty calories out of our diet pretty painlessly.

You may be wondering what you should drink instead that won't be filled with those empty calories.

I've said it before, but the absolute best thing to drink is good, clean, pure water. It is truly the only liquid the human body needs (as opposed to what we want!) We can live quite a long time without food...it turns out most of us could actually live for a couple of weeks without food--even though we sometimes feel like we are going to die without it after just a few hours. But water? Although there are reports of some people living through earthquakes and such and surviving for a week without water, most people will die after just 3 days without water.

I filter my water, which saves me money over buying bottled water and I don't use a lot of plastic bottles that way either. If you still can't drink enough water, add just a splash of 100% fruit juice to your glass of water. I start my day with lemon juice in water...I love the taste and find it refreshing and energizing. Keep in mind that all fruit juice (even 100% juice) contains sugars. Choosing 100% fruit juice ensures that there is no ADDED sugar, but fruit itself has natural sugar in the form of fructose. This is easier for your body to absorb, but if you want to lose weight successfully you want to be aware of all the sugars you are ingesting. Have most of the fruit you take in be in the form of food...so you also get all the fiber (which helps you feel full) and other good stuff that fruits have to offer!

Tea is another good choice because it is mostly water. Your risk of having a heart attack may be reduced by as much as 11% if you drink 3 or more cups of tea every day. Green tea may be better for us than black, but the most important thing about drinking tea is to take it without sugar or milk, especially without milk. The beneficial element found in tea is called "catechins" (pronounced cat-ih-kins) and these are made less active when combined with the proteins found in milk.

And coffee (black) is not the evil thing that we had heard about in the past for most of us. In fact, a cup or two may also have some health benefits including reducing your chances of developing colon cancer, Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes.

If you are used to drinking soda, you may want to wean yourself away from it...especially if your drink choice has been loaded with caffeine. Otherwise you may suffer from withdrawal, including headaches, fatigue or the jitters. Replace one serving at a time with water to help flush out your system. Don't rely on diet drinks--they may not have calories but they have their own set of problems and can actually hinder successful weight loss!

National Nutrition Month: Ahh Sugar, Sugar

March is National Nutrition Month and so it is a good time to revisit a nemesis those of us who are overweight or have struggled with our weight: sugar. Specifically, liquid sugar.

One of the easiest ways to lose weight permanently, naturally and safely is to reduce the amount of sugar we consume...and one of the easiest ways to do that is to forgo soft drinks.

I'm not in favor of saying you should "never" eat or drink something but sodas are best put on a list of items we extremely rarely ingest.

A single can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar!!! But sodas aren't the only culprit. We may think a high-energy drink or sports drink would be better for us...or iced tea, fruit juice or lemonade...but we'd most likely be wrong. Quick flip that can or bottle over and see what makes the list of ingredients. If it reads high fructose corn syrup, sugar, or other sugars and/or syrups it is pretty much the same--sugar that adds unneeded calories to our bodies.

While you are looking at that ingredient list, take a look at the number of servings in that can/bottle. You may be surprised to find that single can/bottle is actually more than a "single serving"...that is just one of the ways that manufacturers get away with misleading the consumer into thinking they are taking in fewer calories, less sugar/fat/etc.

When I was a kid we sometimes were traveling to countries where drinking the water was not safe and therefore we drank sodas. Fortunately, we don't have that problem much in the USA, and if your tap water is bad either temporarily or long-term, it is usually possible to get excellent water locally--a quick drive to the grocery store.

Still, in the USA, 47 gallons of soda per person was consumed in 2008. Some of us aren't doing our share...so that means most people are probably drinking more than 50 gallons of the stuff a year. That would be about a gallon of soda a week per person! With sugar consumption like that it should be no surprise we are a nation of overweight people with attention problems!

If you drink just one soda a day at roughly 150 calories per soda, that is a total of 54,750 calories of pure sugar. And a pound is equal to about 3500 calories. That means by eliminating just that one soda from your diet every day you could theoretically lose 15.64 pounds in a year--without changing any other habit!

But if the fact that soda has no nutritional value and only serves to make us fat isn't enough, it also increases our risk for diabetes and heart disease. So focus on loving yourself enough to be healthy and reduce the amount of sugar you drink this month...and start a trend you can live with...and have weight loss success with!

Weight Loss Success, a Big Sweet Tooth, Depression and Cravings

I had to write more about the recent study I read that showed a link between a preference for sweet tastes and depression and/or alcoholism. (If you haven't read yesterday's post, then you might want to read that before you read this one.)

This study really struck a chord with me...I know that one of the reasons I packed on pounds was because I chose to eat rather than face and express my emotions. And I know I am not alone in that department.

I've also been learning about how important it is to keep our brain chemistry balanced in order to function at our best. By keeping our hormones balanced we are less apt to go into depression...and, is it ironic that we also suffer from fewer cravings?

One of the reasons we eat sugars...whether that is actually sugar in the form of sweets, ice creams, cookies, candy, or sugars in the form of simple carbohydrates like pasta, bread and the like...is because they make us feel good. At least in the short-term. Generally when we grab that feel-good food we don't think about--or don't care--about the consequences...that we are going to have the sugar crash later. Some of us just keep eating the sugars so we never have to feel the crash.

I don't know if I reached for treats to soothe my feelings because from early on I recognized that it felt good...or if there was some genetic switch that got triggered that caused me to crave them more and more. Which came first? Did one cause the other?

What I do know is that relying on foods to help me get "high" did not help me in the long run. Not only did I not learn how to deal with my emotions, I also got fat...and on top of THAT, I had the privilege of feeling bad about myself because I thought I had no willpower...that I was weak.

I do not believe that this study indicates that some kids are destined to become fat, or alcoholic, or depressed. I believe that we have so much more power over our lives than that. Does it mean that we might have some challenges that other people don't face. Sure...but that does not to limit us, nor does it have to identify us.

Perhaps we can use a preference for sweets as a flag...if I want something sweet, is it possible that I have waited too long to eat healthy foods and therefore my brain is simply sending out a signal that it needs sugar? If I prefer to eat something sweet when I am sad, this could be an indication that I need to get more serotonin, or dopamine or endorphins...the "feel good" chemicals our bodies love and create...so what are other ways to get those chemicals? Exercise is one way.

We can't just stop eating...we have to eat in order to live...but we don't have to live to eat....on the other hand we don't have to constantly deprive ourselves to be thin--cuz that is no life!

If we have a mindset that we are predestined to be fat, or that we always crave sugar, or that we have a problem with food...or whatever message we have gotten about food and our bodies...as long as we have that mindset, we will have a real challenge to losing weight.

So don't beat yourself up for liking sweets...don't chastise yourself if you have a dessert (and Heaven forbid, you actually enjoy it!)...instead, shift your mindset. Learn to think like a naturally thin person. Start to believe that you can eat and be healthy. Know that you can be aware of what you eat and when you eat...and that you can consciously make a decision about whether you want to make that choice today, this minute.

Dieting is hard because it only addresses the food...the calories in and out. Changing our eating habits is more about our mindset than the actual food. And changing those eating habits is much easier to do when we change our thinking first!

Decide that you CAN eat healthily...and that you deserve health. Know that you FEEL so much better when you fuel your body with healthy foods...foods that nourish you. Come from that perspective and you will find a big reduction in your sugar cravings and a big reduction in your waistline, too!

Having a Big Sweet Tooth is a Big Weight Loss Challenge

Having a big sweet tooth is a big weight loss challenge. We know that eating sweets isn't in our best interests...but they taste soooo good. We are constantly being bombarded with the message that we have to not eat sweets if we are going to lose weight successfully. So why is it that everything that tastes good seems to be bad for us?

What a lot of people don't realize is that it is completely natural for human beings to like things that taste sweet. This is something that is part of our evolutionary makeup.

You see, one of the ways people used to know if it was safe to eat foods was by taste. Things that taste sweet were generally safe to eat. It seems our bodies had a built in defense mechanism against toxic foods--that tasted bad.

We don't need to rely on taste buds for our safety in that way any more--thank goodness. And it seems that some of us prefer sweets more than others. I wondered why that might be. After all, not everyone is a chocoholic.

A study done recently by the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia links a preference for sweetness with depression and alcoholism. The study is not suggesting that because a child likes sweets they will become depressed or an alcoholic as an adult. It just showed a correlation between children who exhibit symptoms of depression and/or have an alcoholic family member and a preference for very sweet tastes.

Nothing was conclusive and raised many questions in my mind. For example, is the preference for sweet tastes something we have from birth? And if it is, is it because of the "food" we got during the gestation process? Is the preference for sweet tastes due to hormonal imbalances? Do we put our bodies into a hormonal imbalance if we eat more sweets, or do we eat more sweets because of an existing imbalance.

Interesting food for thought...none of it is to say that we are victims here. We do have control, we make the choices...but what if learning the causes for these preferences helped us to feel like we were "okay"...or if it helped parents with their kids so we had fewer obese/depressed/alcoholic children and future adults out there?

Can we have a little sweetness in our lives...without feeling destined to be fat for the rest of our lives? And can we enjoy a sweet tastes without becoming depressed? After all, a "little spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"...

Maybe it just depends on the size of the spoon! (Save the shovel for yard work!)

Lose 8 Pounds in 2 Weeks with Mayo Clinic: Diet or Life Change?

The Mayo clinic is publishing their first diet book in which they claim you can lose 8 pounds in 2 weeks (average figures).

Of course Mayo does suggest that this isn't really a diet but a guide for healthy living. They break the program into 2 parts Lose It and Live It.

So what's in the Lose It plan?

For two weeks you make a total of 15 changes:

• Add 5 healthy habits
• Break 5 unhealthy habits
• Adopt 5 bonus habits

For example, you might eat breakfast every day...that's a healthy habit just in case you were wondering ;-) You can read some of my past posts about the importance of eating breakfast

Of course one of the unhealthy habits you can dump is drinking soda--whether it is regular or sugar free this is one habit that should be at the top of your list to discard--you can read some of my thoughts on soda consumption -- and this is coming from a recovered soda drinker--I used to drink a 6 pack a day (of the diet stuff...baaaad habit.)

In the Live It phase you apply lessons you've learned from the Lose It portion to your life permanently.

One of the tips that I think is helpful if you have trouble with portion control is using visual cues to help remember what a real portion is. I've seen this before with a deck of cards or your palm for a portion of meat, but they offered other tips like a tennis ball as a visual reference for a piece of fruit (think small apple, not jumbo!)

If you want a jump start and can stick to 15 changes for 2 weeks this may be a good book for you.

For me, I'll stick to small changes one or two at a time...because those I know I'll be able to keep! 15 changes to remember and stick to all at once sounds like a diet to me, even if they are good ideas.

Reducing Sugar is Part of the Answer to Weight Loss Success

Sugar is one ingredient that can sabotage our weight loss success efforts. Not the only one, of course, but definitely a contributing factor.

That doesn't mean that you have to eliminate all sugar...most of us can handle some sugar--and trying to eliminate it is tough because sugar is found in so many of our packaged foods--and it can feel like deprivation...and I firmly believe that no foods should be totally off limits. My slogan is "no forbidden foods" because I believe that by forbidding them they have a stronger psychological appeal. But where you can, reduce the simple sugars in your foods and go for natural sugar, in fruit, for example--not because you are on a diet...because it is better for your health.

By the way, artificial sweeteners are not better...in fact, can be worse. Studies indicate that artificial sweeteners like aspartame will actually INCREASE your hunger levels and cravings for sweets!

You will be amazed at how sweet fruit (and even some vegetables) taste when you reduce the amount of processed sugars and artificial sweeteners from your daily diet. Your taste buds and brain really do adjust.

You can help your kids out by weaning then from high-sugar foods like breakfast cereal now. Cereal manufacturers have been facing criticism from health advocates for quite a while and over the last couple years many have reduced the sugar content in their cereals aimed at kids.

The levels may be lower, but they are still really high. For example the General Mills cereal Cocoa Puffs currently has a whopping 11 grams or sugar per serving! General Mills has made a big announcement that it will again be reducing the sugar in their cereals...with a goal of the grams being single digits. To do that for Cocoa Puffs, they will have to reduce the sugar levels by 18 percent to reach 9 grams per serving. Read the labels of the foods you eat and you can make healthier choices. A single serving of Cheerios for example has only 1 gm of sugar...so you can add your own sugar (1 teaspoon of sugar is a little over 4 grams of sugar) and come out ahead. Better yet, add fruit!

This will sound like a great thing, and no doubt they marketers will spin it really well...but that is still a lot of "added sugar." Added sugar is basically the processed stuff, whether it is white sugar, corn syrup or other sweeteners...as opposed to naturally occurring sugar in fruits and veggies. Experts disagree on exactly how much added sugar should be set as a maximum, but most seem to set the range at 20-40 grams a day. So even at the high end of that, one bowl of the reduced sugar cereal is giving your child 1/4 of the maximum recommended amount a day!

Reducing sugar (real and artificial) intake helps reduce your sugar cravings, and helps keep your blood sugar levels more stable...which gives you better energy and more even moods throughout the day. Ironic since most of us grab sugar because we are feeling sluggish...but it is actually the sugar we ate earlier in the day that is largely responsible for our sluggishness!

Keep in mind that the body does not need processed sugar at all to function, survive or thrive. It is truly empty calories that your body converts to fat unless you use it all up...

So a great health and weight loss tip is to reduce your added sugar intake.

Is Your Weight Loss Success Hindered by Junk Food Addiction?

I heard for years that it takes will power to lose weight. My mother was an advocate of the "Push yourself away from the table hungry" diet...talk about needing will power!!!

I hear over and over people who say they can't lose weight because they just don't have the will power. Some people joke that they have "will power" it is "won't power" they need. Well, losing weight is not a matter of will power (or won't power, either.)

Trying to make losing weight a matter of will power puts the person who is making the effort into a power-LESS position instead of a power-FULL one. It implies that we are weak when diets fail us...and they DO fail us!

Food is a drug...it is probably the most commonly used and abused drug there is. It is legal, easy to get, relatively inexpensive, and comparatively a socially acceptable drug. But drug it is.

I've joked in the past about being a "chocoholic" and we've all known people who say they are addicted to sugar...

Put the jokes aside! Sugar can be addictive...not just a bad habit that can be broken by sheer will power. A new study suggests that junk food may actually be as addictive as cocaine or heroine!

The study was conducted at Scripps Research Institute. Researchers gave rats unlimited high-fat, high-calorie foods that we would call "junk food"...items readily available at the corner store or gas station. The rats became compulsive overeaters, and became obese, just as people do. What the scientists showed was the rats' brains became less and less responsive to the pleasure received from the junk food...so the rats had to eat more of it for the same thrill.

The rats used their foot to get the good. When the scientists gave the rats a slight shock to that foot, the rats still went for it.

Both the need to eat more for the same pleasure, and eating despite the shock, are indicators of addiction.

In addition, after having had unlimited amounts of junk food for 40 days, the junk food was replaced with a nutritious food. With no junk food available to them, the rats chose to starve rather than eat the healthy food provided.

"Not only did we find that the animals' brain reward circuits became less responsive as they continued to overeat and become obese, but that decrease in responsiveness was similar to what our laboratory has seen previously in rats as they become addicted to cocaine or heroin."
--Paul Kenny, associate professor of molecular therapeutics

So eating junk food can be addictive...but that doesn't mean that it is impossible to lose weight. It does mean that "will power" is not the answer.

Be gentle with yourself when/if you are drawn to eat junk food...beating yourself up for your addiction is not going to serve you...you will have lots of opportunities to eat junk food--it is all around you. So don't expect to be "perfect" in your eating. Make small changes gradually rather than trying to go "cold turkey"

Have other plans for handling the situations when you want to eat...to help break the cycle.

And since our pleasure centers may be a bit depressed, we must give ourselves other rewards...stimulate the pleasure center in our brain through means other than food.

We can have weight loss success, by changing our mindset. We have to first believe we can lose weight and also that we deserve to lose weight. This is the beginning to losing weight, permanently, safely, and naturally.

Do You Know Where Your Children's Candy Is?

Have you staked claim to your children's Halloween candy score? Are you doing it "for their own good?"

Did you buy only candy you hate so you won't eat it? Or did you buy your favorites and secretly hope no one comes to the door to take it away?

Did you buy an extra bag..."just in case"...and did you already eat it?

Heck, did you buy your "Halloween" candy back in September and have to replenish the supply two or three times already.

I've been there, done that...well, except for the kids...I don't have kids so I couldn't even use them as an excuse for having candy on hand!

This year is different. I won't be in town for Halloween, so I didn't buy any candy for trick-or-treaters. Let's face it...we don't really have many in our neighborhood...maybe 3 last year...so what's the point.

However, I did buy candy for me. Not because it is Halloween...because I wanted some. I bought a really good dark chocolate coated treat. And I let myself eat it all.

You know what? I still have some left!

By giving myself permission to 1) buy it, 2) buy something I really like and 3) to actually eat it, all the "naughtiness" is gone! So I had a couple bites and really enjoyed it and put the rest away.

Will I eat the rest...oh, I'm sure I will...but the point isn't that I don't or won't eat chocolate...it is that I CAN and still be healthy.

This change in mindset has been the key to my weight loss success. I have declared that no food is off-limits, thereby taking away the power of the food to suck me down the sugar abyss. It no longer calls my name. Oh, I hear a whisper now and then, but like any "normal, thin person" (words I NEVER thought I would be able to say in reference to myself) I can enjoy some of my favorites now and then...without being a slave to it! Hurray!

You can choose to continue raiding your kid's stash...you can mete out their treats while you secretly eat your favorites...and you can feel bad about all that...or you can decide, like I did that you are going to give yourself permission to enjoy whatever foods you want...

Nope, this isn't a trick. The real treat is that you CAN have weight loss success...and enjoy your favorite foods--and still look your kids' in the eye!

Debate on Choices for Successful Weight Loss

Dr. James O. Hill of the University of Colorado's Center for Human Nutrition suggests cutting out just 100 calories a day as a way to effortless lose weight. For some people that may be a great way to look at it. If you drink soda, drink one less today...or take an extra walk around the block. By reducing your intake or increase the calories you burn by just 100 a day Dr. Hill claims you will lose 5 pounds a year. Not a huge number, but considering most of us GAIN weight every year it is definitely a place to start. And pretty painless at that.

My thoughts...hmmm...you say "toemahtoe" and I say "toemaytoe", you say "cutting calories" and I say "that's a diet!"

Look...I didn't drink soda, didn't use salad dressing, already used skim milk etc. There were not a lot of obvious easy options for dropping 100 calories a day. And still I was 300 pounds...clearly there has got to be another option.

So what if like me you don't drink soda? What if you can't find a place to easily cut 100 calories. What if you are injured and can't walk around the block...what are you going to do?

I do agree when Dr. Hill says "any diet that asks you to dramatically reduce food intake may work for a while, but you will get too hungry. You need to eat at a level you can stick with." That makes sense.

He continues to makes sense when he suggest you ask yourself how you can do a little better than you are doing right now. Aim to reduce fat and sugar intake rather than trying to eliminate them entirely...that all makes sense...

But when he suggests ice cream lovers switch to lower-calorie versions I have got to ask is he out of his frickin' mind???

I tried that...I just wanted to eat more! Low calorie versions of your favorite foods are NOT the way to go about it. They are not satisfying and your mind remembers the label says "low calorie" or "low fat" or "low" whatever and so you believe you can have more. In the end you frequently take in MORE calories, fat and sugar with the "low cal" versions than you would if you enjoyed a smaller portion of the "real deal."

Start with your mindset...believe that you can lose weight NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CURRENT CONDITION IS!

Then allow yourself to have your favorite foods.

That means if you are an ice cream lover (like me) have the full-flavor version...just not as much. When you start with your mindset and decide to eat consciously rather than out of habit or because of emotions then it becomes easy to enjoy a smaller portion. It might be that you have a pint instead of a half gallon...or 1/2 gallon instead of a full gallon...or one scoop instead of two. Again, start where YOU are...not where I am or Dr. Hill is for that matter.

So, if the low cal versions work for you, then go for it...but whether you choose low cal versions or smaller portions of the full-flavored original you have to start with your mind...because the bottom line is what is going on in your mind has much more to do with YOUR bottom line than what is going in your mouth!

Unmasking Sugar For Weight Loss Success

Sugar of course is the simplist carbohydrate and it has lots of nasty effects on the body. Besides being pretty much empty calories which doesn't help our desire to be svelte, sugar raises our blood sugar levels which can lead to diabetes.

Not only that but there are many other health issues associated with eating too much sugar. But food manufacturers are smart--they know a lot of people will look for "sugar" on the label. There are lots of different types of sugars that can be put into our foods. Some don't even sound like sugar--so even if you read labels you might not realize how much you are consuming.

The best way to defend yourself against these sugars is to read the labels--and know what to look for! Awareness is the first step to successfully beating the sugar blues, the sugar highs, and the not-so-sweet expanding waistline!

So here is a list of some of the common, and not so common "sugars" that can be found in foods.

The usual suspects:
sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, honey, molasses and maple syrup.

Other sugars:
evaporated cane juice, malted corn syrup, malted barley syrup, any thing "syrup"

The less well known:
dextrose, fructose, lactose and maltose

Are they sugars or not?:
xylitol, sorbitol, annitol, malitol

This last category is not required by the FDA to be labeled as a sugar--and in fact can be in things that are labeled as being sugar free. One of the most common places they are found is in chewing gum. But they are made of sugar molecules with an attached alcohol molecule. They still are carbohydrates, but with this extra molecule they aren't absorbed by the body as easily. Because they aren't absorbed easily they may cause some, um, let's just say discomfort.

Yes they are fattening

Corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup is frequently used in place of table sugar--it can be found in most store bought candies, soft drinks and baked goods. Not only is corn syrup sweet and loaded with calories, the body processes it differently from table sugar and it actually is more likely to converted into body fat!

Affects cholesterol

To top it off, corn syrup has been shown to raise LDL cholesterol (that is the number you want to be low.)

Actually create cravings!

Many of these sugars have an addictive type quality...they actually affect our taste buds and make our tongues (and brains) want more sweet stuff. This is why our challenge is not about will power! There really are foods that create the desire and cravings in us.

Make us MORE hungry!

I remember Dr. Oz discussing ghrelin on the Oprah show...this is a hormone that stimulates hunger. The opposite hormone, the one that suppresses hunger is called leptin. Well, fructose causes a drop in leptin AND an increase in ghrelin. No wonder we feel more hungry when we eat sweets!

Tastes great, less filling

Sugars don't fill us up, so even if they didn't have the other downsides, you will naturally eat more food if you eat a lot of sugary foods.

Best health and weight loss success tip

Eat as many whole foods as you can...things that actually grow, rather than have to be packaged. As you increase your intake of complex carbohydrates and reduce the simple carbs you will be amazed at how your tastes will begin to change.

It doesn't mean you will have to give up all sugar forever. The best news is that once you get off the sugar-go-round you will be able to have some treats without setting off the cravings. So you will be able to have your cake and eat it too!

Weight Loss Tip: How Sweet It Is

I was in Denver with a friend, starving...I didn't follow my own advice--I wasn't prepared with my bag of nuts or other healthy snack. Hey, it happens! That is real life!

So we stopped by a fast food restaurant...I rarely go to them, but have found that there are some choices that I don't mind eating once in a while.

We decided to share a sandwich and a drink...not being soda fans we ordered an iced tea. I had never ordered tea there before...the sign said "fresh brewed"...so I was anticipating a nice thirst quenching refreshing drink.

My first reaction was, I think they gave me the wrong size...I ordered a "medium" and got something back that was at least 32 ounces...I wonder how big a large is? Then I took a sip...

OMG! I was shocked! It was SO sweet. I don't know how anyone can drink that stuff...wow!

I learned my lesson...always ask if the tea is presweetened...don't assume that it isn't. (You know the saying about what happens when you assume don't you? Well it definitely made an a$$ out of me the other day!)

With all the information out there about the high calorie content of fast food meals, the increase in healthier choices like grilled chicken and salads without dressing, I never dreamt that they would pour all that sugar in the drink.

Neither of us could drink the tea. We had driven away to enjoy our meal and watch the sunset so I didn't get a chance to find out if they have an unsweetened version.

Down the drain the drink went. Not only would that drink NOT quench my thirst, if I had consumed it, it would have spiked my blood sugar and I would have felt AWFUL...better to dump it!

My weight loss tip--ask if the tea (or coffee or whatever) is presweetened. If it is 1) pass or 2) ask for a small quantity in a larger cup and then add lots of water!

You'll save a couple hundred calories on the drink, plus you won't spike your blood sugar as badly so you won't be inclined to binge later--end result is lots of calories saved!

Sweet Weight Loss Success

I can't speak for the rest of the world, but in the States it is clear we eat way too much sugar.

Now, if you have been following me at all, you know that I don't believe in "forbidden foods"...I think blacklisting any food makes us want it more and will backfire on us. Well, maybe not any food...cuz if that were true we could make vegetables like brussel sprouts off limits and start craving them! HA! Sometimes reverse psychology doesn't work!

Back to sugar...the American Heart Association is now joining the frey encouraging Americans to cut back on their sugar consumption. Turns out the average American is downing 22 teaspoons of the stuff a day! Hey, I know Mary Poppins said a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but are we needing that much medicine? Really!

If a teaspoon of sugar comes in at 16 calories a teaspoon, which is the number I remember...although a quick Google search gave me a chart at 15 calories a teaspoon...22 teaspoons a day =355 calories!

The AHA is suggesting women get no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day. If we follow that guideline we would save about 260 calories per day. The mathematical weight loss theory says that if we burn off or reduce our intake of 3500 calories we will drop a pound of fat...based on that, by REDUCING (not eliminating) sugar we can drop 1 pound every 2 weeks!

This is what I call "low lying fruit"...this sugar is empty calories...no nutritional value. It comes in the form of sodas, sweeteners we add to drinks like coffee & tea...it may be white sugar, brown sugar or high fructose corn syrup...it comes in packaged foods as well as what we add to our own foods.

Note this sugar is not including the natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables...so use sweeter fruits to help satisfy your sweet tooth. If you really want a sweeter drink try Stevia a natural sweetener with no known side effects and zero calories...

And if you love soda, then go ahead, but be conscious about what you are drinking...enjoy it, don't guzzle it.

Start by cutting back one thing at a time. What will probably surprise you is that you will begin to want it less and less the more you cut back. Seems strange I know...but it is true!

Stevia update from Dr Linda

My friend and health coach, Dr. Linda Larson published a very interesting post about stevia in her blog this week.

I love using stevia...it gives sweetness without calories and is all natural...but she taught me something to look out for that I hadn't realized.

Be sure to read Dr. Linda's blog--Wellness Tips From Dr. Linda-- she is one of the most brilliant people I know...and a great person...very giving...her desire for us to all be our healthiest is so genuine. She has really helped me on my journey!