Why are so many people fat?


Do you know anyone who permanently fixed a weight problem with a diet? It’s never happened. Why are there dozens of diets to choose from? If diets actually worked shouldn’t there only be a few to choose from? 85% of my hypnosis practice involves helping people with weight loss. People are finally realizing that dieting is a scam; it’s a temporary fix to a long-term problem.  

I know it’s hard to imagine but there was a time, before diets, gyms and fast food even existed. Back then the majority of the population was mostly fit, healthy and trim. People ate simple, real food and grocery stores were small and food was locally produced. It’s called a balanced, active healthy lifestyle, that’s the way life used to be for most people.

The world changed dramatically after World War II. Food became manufactured and chemically processed so it could be shipped globally. In the 1950’s junk-food dealers started peddling their wares on every corner and the television advertising bombardment began. We never stood a chance.

Just because it is sold in supermarkets doesn’t mean we should be eating it. The next time you notice an obese shopper at the check-out line see what’s in their cart, then glance at the person, then look at your cart. Many of my clients have been shocked to see the similarity in choices.

I don’t teach nutrition to my weight loss clients. During deep hypnosis they routinely hear a new mantra: less food-less weight; less sugar-salt and fat; less meat-dairy and more plants. They also learn that weight is not the problem but rather the symptom. The problem is the pattern of thought, how we think and what we most frequently think about.

Routine hypnosis pulls unwanted patterns out by the root and replaces them with preferred alternatives. It also harnesses the imagination so clients can envision what they are going to look and feel like in the future. Rather than focusing on the problem they routinely hang out with the anticipation of success. My clients listen to their sessions daily for 2 months and most of them do really well. In fact, many have appeared on my TV show to share their success stories. Hypnosis is fast, easy, and effective.

By: Paul Gustafson RN CH

 

 

Dr. Oz’s 100 weight loss tips

  1. Automate your eating by planning your meals ahead of time. That way you’re less likely to make an unhealthy last-minute food choice.
  2. Oats are your friends! Eating a cup of oatmeal in the morning will prevent you from gorging in the afternoon.
  3. Foods with healthy fats such as olives, salmon and walnuts help you feel satisfied.
  4. Skipping meals can cause your body to go into a fat-storing starvation mode, making it harder to burn calories.
  5. Got nuts with nuts. Eating a handful of nuts will help you stay full. Try soaking them in water for a different texture.
  6. Use meditation to help you cope with chronic stress, which can lead you to crave feel-good carbs.
  7. You may be used to fried foods but there are other, sometimes healthier, ways to cook including: roasting, steaming, poaching, baking, braising and broiling.
  8. Do your grocery shopping with a list and a time limit; that way, you’re less likely to stray into the processed foods section.
  9. Don’t confuse thirst with hunger. Drink a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if that’s what you’re really craving.
  10. When out at a restaurant, ask the server to hold the bread, snack mix or chips and salsa that might come before the meal. If you’re hungry, you’ll be tempted.
  11. Tired of eating your salad on a plate? Fill a whole wheat pita with salad and a splash of lemon for a twist.
  12. You might do better to replace an occasional dinner with a nice roll in the hay. Healthy sex may help control the amount of food you eat and it’s great exercise.
  13. Create emergency packs filled with healthy foods such as nuts, fruits or sliced vegetables to help you avoid unhealthy temptations.
  14. Add red pepper flakes to your pantry. When eaten early in the day, red pepper lowers the amount of food you’ll eat later.
  15. Odds are you’re eating too fast. Try holding a conversation while having a meal so you’re not gulping down more than you need to feel full.
  16. Take a brisk walk before lunch or dinner. Not only will you get in some exercise, you’re less likely to choose something unhealthy after a little movement.
  17. Looking for the benefits of salmon but you don’t feel comfortable cooking fish? Try canned salmon as a simple and affordable alternative.
  18. Are your dishes too big? A healthy dinner should fit on a 9-inch plate. You may find that kid-sized plates are more appropriately sized to feed an adult!
  19. Never eat any snack food out of the box, carton or bag it came in. You’re less likely to overeat if you separate snacks into appropriate fist-sized servings.
  20. Boost your metabolism with some green tea or chili peppers.
  21. Get your Zzzzzs. Sleep deprivation alters levels of hormones in the body that regulate hunger, causing an increase in appetite.
  22. Muscle burns at least four times as many calories as fat does, so try twenty minutes of strength straining two to three times a week.
  23. Decaf coffee is a great low-calorie fluid when you’re having cravings (and a great source of antioxidants).
  24. Eating liquid-based foods such as natural smoothies and low-sodium soup can help you cut back on calories yet feel full.
  25. A pedometer can help keep track of your steps. If you’re not getting 10,000 steps a day, you’re not moving enough.
  26. Natural applesauce is an excellent dip for fruits such as bananas and melons.
  27. Take every opportunity to move around, even in small ways. Studies show fidgety people tend to be skinnier.
  28. Identify the emotional triggers that lead you to seek unhealthy comfort food. Picture your goal weight the next time a trigger strikes to help you resist temptation.
  29. Use a vegetable bean dip such as hummus instead of ranch dressing or a fatty cream-based dip.
  30. People who regularly weigh themselves and keep track of their progress in a journal are more likely to lose weight.
  31. Use a dash of cinnamon to give fruits such as bananas and melons a richer dessert feel without the sugar.
  32. Give your protein extra low-calorie flavor by adding a salsa or chutney instead of a gooey cream sauce.
  33. Distracted dining will get you in trouble. Avoid eating in front of a television or in a movie theater, as you’re bound to consume more calories.
  34. Pass on pop. You’ll be amazed by how much weight you drop by simply switching to water.
  35. Beware of “fat-free” or “zero trans fats” foods as you could be trading fats for huge amounts of sugar or sodium.
  36. Try drinking skim milk at breakfast instead of juice. Overweight people who drank skim milk for breakfast ate fewer calories
  37. Sugarless chewing gum can suppress your appetite in a pinch.
  38. Snack attack! Puree peaches, berries or pears for a sweet spread to go on pita chips.
  39. If you’re having trouble getting started, make a small move such as starting an eating log or buying walking shoes. You’re three times more likely to follow through if you start with small gestures such as these.
  40. Always have vegetables on hand. Sauté a big bag of frozen mixed vegetables in olive oil and garlic. Add some red pepper or turmeric for additional flavor and separate into portion-sized containers for the fridge.
  41. Edamame (soy beans) are a great low-cost snack. Look for them in the frozen foods section.
  42. Soups can be both filling and comforting. Try making a garden or bean soup with low-salt broth and store in portion-sized cups for later.
  43. Save time and money during the week by buying lean protein such as chicken breasts in bulk and cooking a week’s worth on Sunday night.
  44. Save the kitchen and the dining room table for cooking and eating. Try not to use it as a place to do work or other activities, or you may be tempted to eat more.
  45. If food was your only source of pleasure, make sure to reconnect with other things you enjoy — music, sports, volunteer work or movies, for example.
  46. Try to have a little lean protein with each meal, as protein tends to be more satisfying than carbs or fats.
  47. Think ahead to how you’ll eat and exercise on the weekends. It’s easy to get too relaxed on Saturdays and Sundays, but healthy living is a 7-day-a-week endeavor.
  48. Dump the junk food. If you want to avoid temptation, make sure you clean out the fridge and the pantry
  49. When you eat calorie-friendly fruits and vegetables that are in season, they tend to taste better and you’re more likely to enjoy them.
  50. People who eat breakfast have a better shot at losing and maintaining weight loss.
  51. Replace your scale with a tape measure. Aim for 32 1/2 inches or less for women and 35 inches or less for men.
  52. Make sure you check food labels and avoid anything with more than 4 grams of sugar, especially high-fructose corn syrup, per serving.
  53. Eat a fiber-filled apple before a meal to help you feel full faster.
  54. Opt for peanut butter or almond butter spreads instead of cream cheese or butter.
  55. Remember these five essential smoothie ingredients: frozen berries, a banana, skim milk, a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of psyllium seed husks.
  56. Researchers found that dieters who ate eggs in the morning were less hungry than those who ate carb-heavy meals.
  57. The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon may dial up your body’s ability to burn fat, especially if you add some exercise.
  58. A Mediterranean diet not only comes with heart benefits, studies show it leads to more weight loss than low-fat diets.
  59. Replace your regular pasta noodles with whole wheat pasta for a more filling meal.
  60. When eating out, ask your server to point out the healthiest options on the menu.
  61. You don’t have to make a three-digit number your weight loss goal. Aim for a certain dress size or waist measurement.
  62. Go lean with bean protein. Beans are an affordable and healthy alternative to meats and are wonderfully filling.
  63. Energize plain-tasting proteins such as eggs or chicken with metabolism-boosting chili pepper sauce.
  64. Try a plain Greek yogurt with frozen berries for a pre-workout boost.
  65. Turn dinner into a healthy lunch the next day by wrapping your lean leftovers in a whole wheat wrap. Add a little Dijon mustard or curry powder for added flavor.
  66. Eat a rainbow of colors. Have at least one brightly colored fruit or vegetable in each meal, and, if appropriate, eat the skins — that’s where you’ll find a powerhouse of antioxidants.
  67. Make an office snack box of your own so you’re not tempted by your colleague’s candy bowl. Fill it with small individually packaged portions of soy chips, almonds and dried fruit.
  68. For a thicker, creamier texture, choose low-fat, unsweetened Greek yogurt. Loaded with protein, calcium and natural probiotics, it makes for a tasty snack any time.
  69. If you’re ‘cooking’ food in the microwave, chances are you’re eating unhealthy packaged foods. If you must microwave, consider soy chicken patties, veggie burgers or steamer vegetables and brown rice.
  70. Make your wardrobe match your goals. As you lose weight donate the clothes that no longer fit you as an incentive to stay on track.
  71. Pick up a 5- or 10-pound weight at the gym and visualize that weight coming off. Holding the weight in your hands helps bring home just how heavy even 5 pounds of extra fat can be.
  72. If you find yourself at a weight loss plateau, up the duration of your exercise routine by five minutes.
  73. Pounding out your meat will help healthier portions go a longer way visually, and it’s good stress relief.
  74. Silken tofu makes a wonderful replacement for cream in some recipes.
  75. Save 85 calories just by swapping mustard for mayonnaise in a sandwich.
  76. Do your best to ensure you’re not eating after 7 o’clock at night. You’re more likely to make unhealthy choices and less likely to sleep as well after a late meal.
  77. Try a pasta-less spaghetti by mixing shredded zucchini, veggie meatballs and raw tomato sauce seasoned with a dash of zesty oregano.
  78. Fresh herbs can really zing up a healthy meal. Try growing some in the kitchen using a strawberry pot. Preserve the flavor by adding fresh herbs at the end of the cooking process
  79. Fast food is salty food. If you cut back on the salt, in a few weeks you’ll be able to better taste the natural salts in food and may not crave the junk as much as you used to.
  80. The rub on ground turkey is that it’s dry. Add some olive oil and finely blended onions to a turkey burger or turkey meatball to enhance its juiciness.
  81. If you’re trying to lose weight with your significant other, pack each other’s lunches. The lunchbox surprises will keep the both of you motivated.
  82. If you’re eating out, make salad the appetizer. Most starters are fried and come with unhealthy dips or sauces.
  83. Savory ingredients such as mushrooms, low-sodium soy, asparagus and olives can help you feel full and add an earthy, home-y quality to your healthy-dishes.
  84. Make it a point to use the steps whenever possible. Use the bathroom on a different floor at work; take the stairs at the bus station, the airport or the mall.
  85. Try baking apple slices as a healthy alternative to potato chips.
  86. Eating water-rich foods such as melons, tomatoes and celery can help fill you up without adding too many calories to your day.
  87. Avocados can be your secret weight loss partners. They’re high in fiber and healthy fats, giving you a meaty-tasting meat alternative.
  88. A handful of unsalted pumpkin seeds make for a healthy mid-day snack. They’re rich in magnesium, which helps lower blood pressure.
  89. Keeping good posture will not only strengthen your core, but will also add a small extra-calorie burn, because you’re working slightly harder to maintain the position.
  90. Cravings can sneak up on you when you’re tired. Try taking a nap if you feel yourself wanting some junk food.
  91. Share your weight loss goals with your friends and family. Make it a positive life change and ask for their encouragement.
  92. Take a photo of yourself each week so you can see your physical transformation.
  93. Store-bought salad dressings can be packed with calories. Make your own vinaigrette and store it in a small spray bottle to coat your greens without over-dressing them.
  94. Yoga may be relaxing but you can also get a good workout. An hour of yoga can burn up to 350 calories.
  95. Get familiar with quinoa — a wonderful grain that’s easy to cook and goes great with sautéed vegetables or mushrooms.
  96. Ditch the mayo, cheese and top bun if you want to scrape off 250 calories from a restaurant sandwich.
  97. Resistance bands are a comfortable and affordable at-home exercise option for strength straining.
  98. Use the freezer to add some extra oomph to summer foods. Freeze grapes for some bite-sized delights. Or get a popsicle mold and freeze some Greek yogurt with berries.
  99. Wrap up any extra food you’ve cooked before you sit down to a meal so you’re not tempted to get seconds.
  100.  Take a 30-second break in the middle of your meal. Evaluate just how hungry you still are before getting back to your food.




Top 10 reasons to go vegan

Many people’s New Year’s resolutions include losing weight, eating better, getting healthier, and doing more to make the world a better place. The good news is that you can accomplish all these goals by switching to a vegan diet—and you’ll enjoy delicious, satisfying meals as well. Here are our top 10 reasons to go vegan this year:

  1. Slim down and become energized: Is shedding some extra pounds first on your list of goals for the new year? Vegans are, on average, up to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters are. And unlike unhealthy fad diets, which leave you feeling tired (and usually don’t keep the pounds off for long), going vegan is the healthy way to keep the excess fat off for good while leaving you with plenty of energy.
  2. It’s the best way to help animals: Did you know that every vegan saves more than 100 animals a year? There is simply no easier way to help animals and prevent suffering than by choosing vegan foods over meateggs, and dairy products.
  3. A healthier, happier you: A vegan diet is great for your health! According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vegans are less likely to develop heart diseasecancerdiabetes, or high blood pressure than meat-eaters are. Vegans get all the nutrients that they need to be healthy, such as plant protein, fiber, and minerals, without all the nasty stuff in meat that slows you down and makes you sick, such as cholesterol and saturated animal fat.
  4. Vegan food is delicious: So you’re worried that if you go vegan, you’ll have to give up hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and ice cream? You won’t. As the demand for vegan food skyrockets, companies are coming out with more and more delicious meat and dairy-product alternatives that taste like the real thing but are much healthier and don’t hurt any animals. Plus, we have a list of some of our favorite products and thousands of tasty kitchen-tested recipes to help you get started!
  5. Meat is gross: Meat is often contaminated with feces, blood, and other bodily fluids—all of which make animal products the top source of food poisoning in the United States. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested supermarket chicken flesh and found that 96 percent of Tyson chicken was contaminated with campylobacter, a dangerous bacterium that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year, resulting in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever.
  6. Help feed the world: Eating meat doesn’t just hurt animals—it hurts people, too. It takes tons of crops and water to raise farmed animals. In fact, it takes up to 13 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh! All that plant food could be used much more efficiently if it were fed directly to people. The more people who go vegan, the better able we’ll be to feed the hungry.
  7. Save the planet: Meat is not green. Consuming meat is actually one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth. It is wasteful and causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the meat industry is also one of the biggest causes of climate change. Adopting a vegan diet is more effective than switching to a “greener” car in the fight against climate change.
  8. All the cool kids are doing it: The list of stars who shun animal flesh is basically a “who’s who” of today’s hottest celebs. Joaquin Phoenix, Natalie Portman, Ariana Grande, Al Gore, Flo Rida, Tobey Maguire, Shania Twain, Alicia Silverstone, Anthony Kiedis, Casey Affleck, Kristen Bell, Alyssa Milano, Common, Joss Stone, Anne Hathaway, and Carrie Underwood are just some of the famous vegans and vegetarians who regularly appear in People magazine.
  9. Look sexy and be sexy: Vegans tend to be thinner than meat-eaters and have more energy, which is perfect for late-night romps with your special someone. (Guys: The cholesterol and saturated animal fat found in meat, eggs, and dairy products don’t just clog the arteries to your heart. Over time, they impede blood flow to other vital organs as well.) Plus, what’s sexier than someone who is not only mega-hot but also compassionate?
  10. Pigs are smarter than your dog: Although most people are less familiar with pigschickensfish, and cows than they are with dogs and cats, animals used for food are every bit as intelligent and able to suffer as the animals who share our homes are. Pigs can learn to play video games, and chickens are so smart that their intelligence has been compared by scientists to that of monkeys. [more]

Courtesy of PETA

Another great article: How To Convince People To Go Vegan by: Katie Holmes 

 

Church goers shed 250,000 lbs

With more than 800 people waiting, Pastor Rick Warren took them one by one and immersed them in the church’s baptism pool. During this spiritual rite at Saddleback Church, the pastors hold the people briefly underwater, and then pull them out.

“On that particular day, I was baptizing 858 people,” Warren told his congregation last fall. “That took me literally four hours.”

“As I’m baptizing 858 people, along around 500, I thought this … ‘We’re all fat.’ “Warren turned his realization to himself. “But I thought, I’m fat,” he said. “I’m a terrible model of this. I can’t expect our people to get in shape unless I do.”

Warren, considered one of the most influential pastors in the country, delivered the inaugural prayer for President Obama in 2009 and wrote the best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life.” Now, he was embarking on a new mission: Curbing the obesity epidemic at church.

Warren seems like an unlikely man to lead an anti-obesity crusade. A ruddy man with plastic frame glasses, he has admitted to gaining 90 pounds over the last 30 years and failing at various yo-yo diets. He declined an interview for this story.

Based in Lake Forest, California, Saddleback is one of the largest churches in the United States and has eight locations throughout Orange County. Warren has a casual style in his ministry, usually preaching in jeans.
Since January 2011, Warren has been shrinking. He gave up carbonated drinks, dairy and fast food, he told the church. He works out twice a day, according to his trainer, Tom Wilson. Warren shed 60 pounds on a diet-lifestyle program devised at Saddleback Church called the Daniel Plan.

The program’s name comes from the biblical story about Daniel. In the story, Daniel and his friends, who are Israelites living in Babylon, refuse to consume royal food and wine. By eating vegetables and water, “they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food,” according to Daniel 1:15 in the Bible’s New International Version.

The Daniel Program, which started at Saddleback Church last January, advises how to eat healthier foods, encourages workout routines and urges participants to join small groups. The program was free.
Warren recruited three doctors to develop the plan: Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist; Mark Hyman, a family doctor; and Mehmet Oz, a TV host and cardiac surgeon.

“The secret sauce of Saddleback is we do this as a community,” said Amen, one of the medical contributors. “It’s very different than most health plans where you do it with yourself or your wife. You get to do this with a whole community.”

Studies indicate that people who try to lose weight or adopt healthier habits in groups are more likely to be successful than individuals working independently.
The small groups have health and spiritual curricula, and provide a support network. Saddleback was the ideal place, because small groups already existed at the church and Warren had “instantaneous capacity to make this happen,” said Hyman, another contributor to the Daniel Plan.

“The church was the perfect incubator,” he said. “This was a way of leapfrogging and getting a social experiment done.”

Chiquita Seals, a member of Saddleback, said that having a small group was instrumental to her 125-pound weight loss. Her group met twice a month to discuss their health, and they also hiked together. Each small group has a health champion, whom Seals credits with “helping me emotionally, physically.”

“The health champion guides the group — ‘This is what we’re cooking, this is what we’re doing’ — and cheers you on and helps you out. It’s not just the food you’re eating, it’s also mental gain,” she said.
The church held a race, cooking demonstrations and various workout classes led by Tae Bo founder Billy Blanks. It overhauled the menus and vending machine products sold at church and placed symbols to indicate which choices were healthy. Doughnuts often given to the congregation were replaced with trail mix. The church developed a website with recipes, advice on physical activity and health information.

“It’s not a diet, not a healthy quick scheme, it’s designed to be a way to create health,” Hyman said. At the end of the first year, about 15,000 people had registered for the program and 250,000 pounds were lost, according to Saddleback Church. The Daniel Plan is a program the founders intended to spread to different faith communities across the globe, Hyman said.

But many at Saddleback wondered why the church would get involved in health and weight loss.

“I wondered whether this was something church should be doing,” said Julie McGough, a member of Saddleback Church for 18 years.

McGough and her husband decided to try the plan, because they had gained weight during his illness with multiple sclerosis. Between his doctor’s visits, hospital appointments and busy schedule, the family came to rely on fast food as their staple.

The couple and their two kids, ages 10 and 16, cleaned out their pantry, gave up the In-N-Out burgers and started cooking as a family activity. They started eating chicken, broccoli, squash and a variety of vegetables, and in smaller portions. They bought a trampoline for the kids and also started hiking.

One year later, McGough has lost 28 pounds. Her husband has lost 55 pounds and stopped taking as many medications.

“This is what we should be doing,” McGough said about the church’s involvement in the health plan. “I am far more able to serve God because I’m healthy.”

Warren said in several speeches to the congregation that he never paid much attention to the perils of obesity such as diabetes and heart disease. But when he heard that obesity could affect a person’s brain power, it snapped him into action. Growing evidence indicates that obesity is associated with impaired cognitive function, such as attention and memory problems.

Warren often repeats the same phrases when discussing the Daniel Plan. “The Father made your body, Jesus paid for your body, the Spirit lives in your body. You better take care of it.”

By: Madison Park, CNN