Are You Struggling with Weight and Food Obsession: A 17 Point Checklist for Women

Are You Struggling with Weight and Food Obsession: A 17 Point Checklist for Women
If you're a woman who has struggled for years with being
overweight, feeling afraid of eating real food, caught in a
cycle of binging and dieting, then you may have to consider
that you are a part of the majority of those for whom
dieting does not work.

Recently it has been revealed and admitted by the medical
community that diets just don't work for 90-98% of all
people. In the April 2007 issue of The American
Psychologist, the Journal of the American Psychological
Association, UCLA researchers reported that diets don't
work in the long run.

According to the latest results of a composite study done
at UCLA, Traci Mann, Associate Professor of Psychology at
UCLA and lead author of the study said, "We found that the
majority of people regained the weight, plus more.
Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of
participants while complete weight regain was found in the
majority. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or
health benefits for the majority of people."

The thing is you probably already know deep down in your
heart that this may be true for you. However, most likely
you have no idea what to expect if you stop dieting and
more importantly how to make it work for you so that you
can once and for all overcome your emotional eating and
eventually lose all your excess weight as you eat real food.

These fears of yours are very natural and understandable
because the years of dieting that you've endured has
conditioned you to think about yourself and your
relationship to food in a very disempowering way.

You've been taught to rely on diets to solve your weight
problem, and to believe that you are helpless over food,
when the problem is not actually what you are eating, but
what is eating you. The diets are actually a part of the
problem because they have probably made you become obsessed
about food and caused you to hate your body.

Here's a checklist to see if you are weight and food
obsessed. Go through the list and see how many of these
items are true for you. Then mark a "T" for true and "F"
for false. Then tally up your "T" responses.

1. You start each morning by getting on the scale.

2. You think about food all the time

3. You take your mirror too seriously.

4. You tend to be an all or nothing person

5. You judge yourself harshly. You think of food as good or
bad and when you eat the bad foods, you criticize yourself
for being weak.

6. You feel guilty and shameful when you overeat

7. You think your inability to lose weight is all your
fault.

8. The success of your day depends upon what number the
scale says.

9. You skip meals in an attempt to reduce calories or fat.

10. You avoid parties and other social gatherings because
you hate your body.

11. You avoid speaking up and letting your feelings be
known because you are afraid of people judging you and
saying that you're fat.

12. You don't want people to see you eat.

13. When you are out at a social gathering, you'll order
what you think you should and then go home and eat more
food to satisfy the feelings of emptiness.

14. You'll avoid sex or being intimate because you don't
feel attractive.

15. You refuse to buy clothes in a size that really fits you

16. When you're stressed, all you can think to do is eat

17. You have a closet full of clothes that you can't fit
into

If you have 5 or more "T" responses, then you are
unfortunately overly concerned with your weight and
probably an emotional eater. If you have less than 5, you
may still be dieting and it could be working for you. If
that's the case, then don't change anything unless you feel
that you are ready to get off the diet roller coaster.

Whatever your results, take heart, it's never too late to
begin again. You can overcome weight and body obsession and
learn how easy it is to trust your body by taking the first
step to decide to stop dieting. However if you are an
emotional eater, it's important to balance your decision to
embrace non dieting and to integrate that with learning
some solid stress relief techniques to handle the emotional
tug that you get when you recognize that you're not really
hungry.

The next thing that you need to learn how to do is to be
gentle with yourself and change the way that you think
about yourself and food. The way to do this is to learn new
ways of coping with stress and to take action to increase
the juicy factor in your life, which just means to have
more fun and do what you love more often.

By learning to handle your emotions and knowing the
difference between when you are really hungry and not, and
setting aside time for you, that is the key to making non
diet weight loss work for you.

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Andrea Amador, CEC, M.NLP is President of The Juicy Woman.
She is devoted to empowering women to love themselves more,
yummy up their lives and lose weight without dieting. The
following list is from Andrea's new book, Say Goodbye to
Dieting: The Juicy Woman's Guide to Reclaim Your Power over
Food, Love Your Body and Yummy up Your Life. To download a
free excerpt go to: http://www.saygoodbyetodieting.com

Cardio Sucks! Do Interval Training for Fat Burning

Cardio Sucks! Do Interval Training for Fat Burning
Cardio is boring, takes too long, doesn't work very well,
and can lead to overuse injuries (just ask all the
overweight joggers at the doctor's office having their sore
knees looked after).

Long, slow to moderate intensity cardio training, which is
what you see most people still doing in the gym, is not
really the best way to shed fat.

Interval training, which is periods of short hard exercise
followed by short periods of recovery, works better for fat
loss, according to both Canadian and Australian researchers
(plus hundreds of advanced trainers throughout the world).

An interval might last 30 seconds to 60 seconds, and it
would be hard work, harder than normal cardio. Each work
interval is followed by 30 to 90 seconds of very easy pace.
So if you're running on a treadmill you might run at 7 mph
for your work interval and then go all the way down to 3
mph for a walk for your rest.

That's what we use instead of slow cardio. All it takes is
20 minutes of interval training to get better results than
40 or 60 minutes of slow cardio.

Now the research and experience is showing that the
intervals not only as effective, but it's even more
effective in most cases. And also you're doing fewer
repetitions. So, you know, every time you run we'll count
that as repetitions, so if you run for 60 minutes you're
looking at maybe 3,000, 4,000 repetitions in a slow cardio
workout where you're doing probably one-third of that or
even one-fifth of that in interval workout.

And that leads to less overuse injuries and that's one of
the big problems with long slow cardio is that a lot of
people end up in the physiotherapy office getting some type
of therapy for their overuse injuries. Runners are in there
all the time getting their injuries looked after.

So, we're trying to cut back on the volume of work, cutting
back on the quantity and focusing on the quality. And like
I said, we started off just by doing it to save time and
now we're also finding out that we're actually getting more
results.

And there's so many different things that you can do for
interval training. It doesn't just have to be running on a
treadmill. Clients have started to incorporate a lot of
jump rope intervals, which jump rope can be very intense,
so I think that's a great, you know, just think of ways
that you can make things fun and things that you may enjoy
doing.

You might not enjoy running, so find something that you do
enjoy doing like jump roping or maybe getting on a
stationary bike, but do it, make it real intense for a
shorter period of time, then back up that intensity and do
a interval type workout and I think you're going to have
fun doing it.

To me it's more fun than walking for an hour on a treadmill
and you're going to get more benefit out of it and it's
going to take a less amount of time. Less amount of
workout time, better results, and more fun.

You're looking at probably at least a dozen different ways
you can do interval training. Even if you played squash
that would be better than you going and doing a long, slow
cardio because most sports are interval training in their
nature so you're going to get a better benefit of that.
And again that's more fun.

You can also do biking or rowing. There's all types of
traditional cardio machine that can be used.

We also use sometimes kettlebells and we also use body
weight circuits, which are not really interval training but
they're not strength training and they're definitely not
cardio, but we find that body weight circuits are
beneficial in a whole bunch of different ways.

They like interval training to help burn calories and lose
body fat, but also because most people are doing exactly
what we're doing right now, which is sitting in a chair all
day, they're either driving or they're at work and they're
in that one posture. Then they get in an elliptical
machine and it's not much different.

But if we switch that elliptical machine for body weight
circuits where we're doing all different types of movements
and three dimensions and working the upper back and also
working mobility, that stuff is so much better for the body
than going on any cardio machine and just doing the same
motion over and over again.

So there's a whole lot to be said for the body weight
circuit training. You can definitely find some of my
circuit training videos on YouTube, will give you lots of
ideas, but basically what we do there is we generally will
take an upper body exercise and a lower body exercise or a
whole bunch of them and we'll alternate between upper and
lower. Maybe we'll do six or eight exercises in a circuit,
take a minute rest, and then go through that again.

Twenty minutes of that, it goes by a lot faster. Interval
training goes by a lot faster than regular cardio. And
body weight circuits go by just as fast as interval
training. So, if somebody doesn't like the gym and just
wants to get out in a very short amount of time without a
lot of mental pain, then doing this type of training is
going to help you enjoy your workouts more and spend less
time in the gym.

So what we're really trying to do is show people that
there's so many other options to getting a better body than
what they've read in the muscle magazines or Shape Magazine
for the last 20 years since the 1980s that you have to do
an hour of circuit training with machines and then an hour
on the cardio machine.

That's not a great way to live life and it's not the best
way to get results, especially when you look at the body in
terms of everything from not only how it looks but also how
it moves with the mobility.

And these days were just so immobile in our daily lives
that we need to get more movement patterns into our
training sessions. And again it's more variety and a lot
more fun.

So drop the slow cardio and do some type of fat burning
interval training to lose belly fat.

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Learn more about interval training and the dark side of
cardio in the free report from
http://www.turbulencetraining.com

Exercise as a "Get To"

Exercise as a "Get To"
We all know that exercise is important. It is the
cornerstone to successful weight loss and maintain your
weight. Many of us though consider exercise as a chore.
We think of it as a "have to" rather than a "get to" in our
day. A healthy lifestyle includes exercise, activity, or
movement. I would encourage you to put another frame on
exercise. Think of it as something that you get to do.
Does that sound crazy? If you're like others, it does
sound crazy.

Think of children...what is among their favorite things to
do? Play. Kids love to play. You don't have to remind
them to ride their bike, play soccer or baseball, run
around in a game they've created. For children, play is
second nature and part of who they are. If you put
children on a treadmill, they would become bored after the
first couple of minutes. Children incorporate activity and
get exercise just by merely playing. Find an activity that
you enjoy and make it play.

One of the most important components of losing weight is
regular aerobic exercise in your day. For many of us, this
can be challenging especially in the beginning.
Persistence is key because after a short time, exercise
usually becomes enjoyable, fun, and an activity that you
can actually look forward to. You begin to enjoy the
payoffs from regular and persistent exercise. Here's a few
of the payoffs:

First, set aside regular time to exercise even when you are
busy. This regular exercise appointment you make with
yourself brings order to your day and helps to assign
priorities to our daily routine. Second, exercise boosts
levels of endorphins, the "feel good" levels, making us
feel happier for hours after our exercise session. Third,
it provides you with self confidence. The majority of
people that incorporate regular exercise into their lives
report improved self-esteem. Lastly, exercise is the best
drug on the market with no side effects - but multiple,
long-lasting benefits.

Whenever your life feels chaotic or stressful, add exercise
by, for example, going for a walk, rather than reaching for
a cookie or donut! It will give you the self confidence to
take charge! Try it....it works!

Do you need more convincing to attain fitness through play?
In addition to losing weight and tone your body, you
receive major health benefits by changing your mindset
about exercise. The dividends of fitness are:

1. You'll live longer. You'll enjoy your longer life even
more.

2. You'll have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
You'll also be less likely to have high blood pressure.

3. The less active you are, the higher your risk for Type
2 Diabetes. If you already have Type 2 Diabetes, exercise
can lower your blood sugar levels. Another bonus is by
losing weight, you'll also enjoy additional positive
benefits to your blood sugar levels.

4. Exercise can help reduce swelling and pain, along with
improving mobility for people with arthritis.

5. By increasing your activity, you lower your risk of
colon cancer and many other cancers as well.

6. Strength training helps to counteract the effects of
bone loss from osteoporosis.

7. Exercise makes you more physically fit. You'll be able
to perform routine daily activities easier and without as
much effort. You'll be more agile, flexible, better
stamina, and move through your day healthier and stronger
physically.

8. Exercise is the perfect way to get calm and stay calm.
As a result, active people are less depressed, enjoy higher
self-esteem, and an overall feeling of confidence and
well-being.

What comes to your mind when you think of exercise? Do you
feel negative or consider it drudgery? Try this instead -
think about dancing in the kitchen while you make dinner,
walking your dog, taking a bike ride with your children,
gardening, a set of tennis or a round of golf. Sound like
fun? You're ready with an enthusiastic start for your fun
program of fitness. Remember that getting enough exercise
will improve numerous areas in our lives besides our
physical fitness.

Rather than think of exercise as the dreaded "I have to",
change your mindset to exercise as an "I get to". It will
boost your energy, provide a sense of wellbeing like
nothing else will, and create a joyous sense of
accomplishment to your day! Exercise is a gift that keeps
on giving throughout your entire day.

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Cathy Wilson is a weight loss life coach. Cathy lost 147
pounds six years ago. Her passion is helping clients
achieve their weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with
clients to create a weight loss life plan that is
customized to each client. Cathy is a member of the
International Coaching Federation, International
Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit Cathy's website:
http://www.LoseWeightFindLife.com

5 Great Tips For Preventing Acne

5 Great Tips For Preventing Acne
First let's discuss what exactly acne is. Everyone is
familiar with the word and the dreaded effects it has,
especially on the youth all around the world that struggle
with it through out school, but let's examine it a little
bit closer. Acne is an inflammatory skin condition that
occurs when bacteria enters into the pores on the skin and
spreads. It is also a result of the oil glands in the body
over producing the healthy amount of oil that is needed for
your body to function correctly. This is what clogs the
pores in your skin and causes the acne to appear.

Now it's important that you learn how to not only treat
your existing acne, but also prevent it. When we get right
down the cause, we can learn how to actually get rid of it
for good, or at least combat it in a way that it won't be
returning anytime soon. Because when you battle the cause
as opposed to the outcome you get better results.

1. Keep your face clean. It cannot be stressed enough that
this is one of the most important aspects of skin care and
keeping your acne at bay. The reason you are experiencing
it in the first place is because your skin's pores are
clogged, so you don't want them to get even more clogged by
touching your face all the time.

2. Exfoliate your skin. By doing this you are targeting and
destroying the dead skin cells on your face that contribute
to acne. Buy a cream, lotion, or facial scrub from the
store and have a daily regimen of exfoliation. This is a
huge step in taking care of your skin and staying acne free.

3. See your dermatologist. This is a person who specifies
in the skin and how to take care of it. He will give you an
idea of both what kind of acne you have and also how to
take care of it properly. There are different solutions
that they can suggest to you, ranging from topical
solutions (antibiotics you ingest by mouth) to laser light
treatment, and even home made treatments.

4. An important thing to remember is keep yourself
educated. Go on the internet, it has thousands upon
millions of paged dedicated to the very topic of acne
treatment and it will help you immensely. Also talk to
people who have or are experiencing their own troubles
regarding this skin condition.

5. And also make sure your diet is balanced and nutritious,
because part of taking care of your skin is knowing what to
put in your body.

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Are you sick and tired of dealing with acne? To learn how
to completely rid yourself of acne in as little as 3 days
visit
http://www.eliminateyouracne.com/recommends/acnefreein3days

Drug Abuse And Drug Addiction Facts

Drug Abuse And Drug Addiction Facts
Drug abuse is a very serious problem in many places in the
world, particularly the United States. What starts out as a
simple curiosity or use that is considered social may
result in a serious addiction.

Many individuals start using a particular drug and find
that they have total control over their habit. However,
after a certain period of time, these people may start to
lose the control that they once had. Eventually, it will
take more and more of the same type of drug for the
individual to achieve the same state of euphoria as they
experienced previously.

An individual who abuses drugs can develop an addiction
that is psychological, physical, or emotional. By the time
that the drug abuse reaches its peak, or an individual
seeks assistance for their drug addiction, the addiction
can be a combination of physical, emotional, and
psychological conditions. This is due to the fact that the
more that an individual is subjected to the drug that they
are abusing, the chemistry of the body starts to change.
These changes often result in the negative consequences of
being unable to control the urges and impulses that are
commonly associated with drug abuse.

It is common for a drug addiction to result in many
biological changes to occur within the body of an abuser.
This is why many people who abuse drugs seem to change so
drastically. Many individuals experience weight loss or
weight gain, a change in personality, changes in moods,
memory impairment, loss in general gross motor skills, and
many may even develop various types of chronic medical
conditions. Whereas the normal person is often motivated by
many factors in their life, those that engage in drug abuse
have one motivating factor. That is, ultimately, to abuse
the drug that they have been experimenting with.

Many people who abuse drugs seek treatment for their
disease. However, not every person comes out of treatment
successfully. Many people must receive treatment more than
once to prove effective. It has been discovered that there
are very few individuals that seek treatment for their
condition based on self-motivation alone. Many individuals
who enroll for therapy to alleviate the compulsive drug
addiction that they have are forced to do so. The State may
order the therapy, or a family member may prompt one to
seek help. However, most of the time, many of these
individuals successfully complete the treatment.

There are many drug abuse treatment programs available.
Seeing that every person is different than another person,
and some may be more receptive than others, not all
treatment methods will prove to be effective for every
single person with an addiction to drugs. It is important
to not relinquish hope. If one form of treatment does not
work for you, there is another form of treatment available
that will work for you.

If you are looking into drug abuse treatment for yourself,
or someone that you care about, you will discover that
there are many different types of programs to select from.
Many of these are short term, but there are quite a few
that are for periods of time that are equal to three months
or more. The reason that there are such a large number of
long term programs is because these have proven to release
the most successful recoveries of drug abuse.

It is vital that you understand that a treatment program
sets the recovery in motion. There are many other factors
that can have a great impact on the individual who is
attempting to beat an addiction to drugs. This includes
emotional support from friends and members of the family,
supervision, the implementation of an accountability
partner that they can contact any time day or night, and
continued therapy.

Drug abuse is a common problem, but it is not a problem
that cannot be solved. There are many ways that an
individual who suffers from this devastating can get the
assistance that they require in order to successfully
resolve their problem. It is important for these
individuals to understand that the loss of control that
they have experienced as a result of the addiction is not a
weakness, but a result of the biological changes that occur
within the body. Providing resources for assistance and
support for the drug abuser is the best contribution that
can be given in order to achieve a successful recovery.

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Learn the truth about drug addiction treatment. We offer
facts and encouragement for those seeking help with drug
and alcohol addiction treatment.
http://addictiontreatmentresources.com