The Real Weight Loss Secret

Look around and you will see that you are surrounded by weight loss "secrets", diet pills that imply they can do it all for you, drinks that will "help" you lose weight, doctors with "secret weight loss formulas", fad diets that promise all kinds of wonderful weight loss effects...you can't help but wonder who's telling you the truth. Then there's the biggest question of all. Is there such a thing as a weight loss secret?
Something is only a "secret" as long as no one knows about it. The "truth" about weight loss has been known for a long time, so it's not really a secret.
If you take a look at the label of most diet pills, drinks, meal substitutes, diet books, and other weight loss problem, you will begin to notice that they often have one thing in common. Again and again, they have statements that say something to the effect of "...when used with exercise and proper nutrition."
The secret is, that most, if not all of these diet products at best only ASSIST in what nature can do almost perfectly well without their help!
The basic biology and physics of weight gain and weight loss has been known for years! Even if your math wasn't too good in school, this equation is easy. Take in more calories than you burn...you gain weight. Burn more calories than you take in...you lose weight. The problem, and it's not a secret, is that we are human!
SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING HUMAN, BUD!
There is nothing wrong with BEING human. In fact, sometimes I even talk to one. I have a couple of human friends, one lives next door (I think), and I would even let my daughter marry one. The problem is that each human is, as Sister Mary Fides used to drum into our teenage human skulls, unique. This means that if I show you the perfect weight loss program and it works like a charm for you, your next door neighbor might have a problem making that exact program work for her or him.
WHY WOULD A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM WORK FOR ONE PERSON AND NOT ANOTHER?
As Shakespeare has Cassius say in Julius Caesar, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves...!"
Now, I am NOT saying that it is YOUR FAULT, per se, but the difficulty of making one magic thing, even the perfect weight loss program, lies in the very uniqueness that makes us so human.
One person inherits some genes that tend to make them fatter than others. Another person would have been a lot smaller, but they were raised in a home where a type of cooking or lifestyle was common that encouraged them to grow fatter. Someone else experiences some severe emotional ups and downs that contribute to bad eating habits that cause them to gain weight. Nature designed some chemical changes in our bodies to meet certain needs, and we changed OUR natural surroundings so that these changes now work against us rather than serving us. And if any one of those isn't enough, most people who are overweight actually have more than one of these things going on, and some of them actually increase the affect of other contributing factors!
We have other differences that make it difficult to create a one-size-fits-all weight loss program. Your brother-in-law loves to work out with weights, but that bores you to tears. Your neighbor has a Bowflex and you think it is great, but you travel a lot and can't figure out how to take a Bowflex with you! Your cousin lost a lot of weight on a certain diet, but your metabolism is different, and you didn't really lose any weight when you tried it. In fact, you tried diet after diet and actually GAINED weight! By the way, it is fairly common to gain weight when you try a lot of different diets. It's slightly complicated to go into here, but often when you go on a diet and then come back off of it, your body has learned to get by on fewer calories. Once you go back to eating like you used to, it now has extra calories to store as fat. Remember our equations up above?
There are also many people who want the "lose 30 pounds in 30 days" promise to be true. They have been so upset over their weight for so long that they want to believe that almost any claim is true, no matter how silly it seems, or how dangerous to their health it actually is!
CAN'T I JUST CUT WAY BACK ON CALORIES?
Probably, you (and I) could stand to cut some of the calories out of our daily diet. However, there is a point at which the body resets some internal bells and whistles, and we may actually begin to gain weight. Also, cutting out food means cutting out the nutritional elements our body needs to be healthy.
WELL, I CAN'T JUST SPEND MY DAY EXERCISING FROM DAWN TO DUSK!
That was the other side of the equation, wasn't it? Well, you're absolutely correct, and I would begin to worry about you if you did. You don't have to go to that extreme. There is a solution.
WHAT? YOU'LL SIGN ON AS MY PERSONAL TRAINER?
Nope! I'm too lazy for that, but YOU can sign on as your personal trainer. That is, you can do a little experimentation, find some activities you like and begin doing one or more of them on a regular basis...three or four times a week, let's say. You could garden, ride a bike, play with the kids or grandkids, take a walk, do some yoga, lift weights...the list goes on. You don't have to do all of them every day, and if you find one you really like, you can do it several times a week if you want. One thing to remember, of course, is that you should ease into any program and only increase it once you are sure that you are fine at the level you are at...and then, increase it gradually. I've seen some champion bodybuilders who started out lifting just the barbell with no weights on it at all, and I know of runners who started out by walking to the mailbox and back. In the army, I used to run six miles or more, but when I started running, I barely got a block down the road before I had to drop back to walking.
Start making some small changes to your diet as well. I am using the word "diet" in this case to mean the things you eat, not some particular diet. Start popping a multivitamin every day. You may find that helps make you feel a tiny bit more energetic. Cut out sugar. As much as I don't like artificial sweeteners, they are probably going to be better for you than sugar. If, like me, you worry about the effects of artificial sweeteners, try stevia. My wife and I have been using it for some time. It took a little getting used to, but I have noticed a definite decrease in heartburn and carb cravings.
Educate yourself about nutrition and exercise. You don't have to take a college course. If you are reading this online, you can go to webmd.com or mayoclinic.com/ and get a lot of great health, fitness, and weight loss information.
Read food labels, and start thinking about what you are putting in your mouth. Most of us can look at some foods and realize that they might not be good for us, at least not in large quantities, so cut you portion sizes. Don't know what a portion size is? Look on the label!
Stay away from prepackaged foods, junk food, fast food, or learn enough about them to make intelligent choices.
SET SOME GOALS
This is where I'm supposed to tell you to decide to lose X number of pounds in Y number of days, right? Wrong. This is where I tell you to start setting some performance goals about how you are going to try to live. I say "try" because you WILL slip from time to time, and there will be times you will just have to make do in a situation and eat that Big Mac, darn it! Go ahead, make the sacrifice and eat it, but then get back on the wagon. Don't worry about a Big Mac or a single bowl of ice cream or even a binge after you catch him/her cheating on you. The occasional dietary sin will not send you plunging back into fat hell...unless you let it.
ON THAT NOTE....
Grow up, take charge, and quit looking around for someone or something to blame. Oh, maybe there are a lot of reasons why you got fat, and maybe they are reasons that you had no control over, but the point is that losing weight is going to happen today and tomorrow, and it is going to depend on the future choices you make, not on what the past has done to you. My father, who was a good man otherwise, was an alcoholic. I cannot let that change who I am going to be today or tomorrow, unless I use it as an incentive to be better because of it.

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By Donovan Baldwin
The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service, has worked as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, and instructor. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He developed an interest in health and fitness in the '70s after reading numerous books, including Dr. Kenneth Cooper's "Aerobics". This has led him to continue his personal research into health and fitness for over 30 years, and to pursue course work on the subjects of health and fitness, including yoga, which he practices regularly. Learn more about vitamins and weight loss.

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Coffee

Nothing perks up a lazy morning like coffee. What is this dark-colored substance made of and why can’t some people survive a day without having even just one sip of this stimulant?
Coffee, normally taken hot, is made from the coffee plant’s roasted seeds, called coffee beans. Considered the second-most traded commodity in the world, next to petroleum, it is hailed as modern man’s chief source of caffeine for that extra burst of energy. The perceived benefits and hazards of this potent drink remain the subject of debate among coffee drinkers worldwide.
How did the word “coffee” come into being? The term “coffee” is known by many names among various peoples of the world. It came to England in 1598, via the Italian “caffe.” The Turkish term for it is “kahveh,” while the Arabic word for it is “qahwa.” Its origin is still unknown, although some believe that the drink possibly came from the Kaffa region in Ethopia, where the plant originally named “bunna,” the precursor of coffee, came from.
Did you know that coffee drinking was outlawed in Mecca in 1511, and in Cairo in 1532? Due to coffee’s immense popularity, the law was made obsolete soon after. From then on, owing to the pioneering efforts of the British and Dutch East India companies, coffee found its way to Europe in the sixteenth century.
One of the two main species of the coffee plant is “Coffea Arabica,” its name implying that its origin was the Arabian Peninsula, but it is indigenous in Ethiopia. Although Arabica is more prone to disease, coffee lovers consider it to be more flavorful than “coffea canephora” (robusta), which holds twice as much caffeine. However, the later is proven to be a natural insecticide and stimulant, growing in places where the former cannot grow. Thus, it is used as an inexpensive substitute for Arabica in commercial coffee blends and in almost all instant coffee products.
Compared to Arabica, robusta is more bitter, with a burnt-rubber smell and taste. Robusta of finer quality are used in espresso blends for a foamy effect and for better affordability. In fact, Italian espresso blends are made from dark-roasted Robusta.
Some blend varieties are so popular and in demand that they command a higher price, examples of which are the Jamaican Blue Mountain and the Hawaiian Kona coffees. Often, these beans are mixed with other, less-expensive varieties and the term blend is added to the label, such as “Blue Mountain Blend” or “Kona Blend”.
So beat those morning blues with an adrenaline-pumping sip of this favorite drink among caffeine addicts worldwide.

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By Alison Cole
Coffee provides detailed information on Coffee, Coffee Makers, Gourmet Coffee, Coffee Shops and more. Coffee is affiliated with Gourmet Flavored Coffee.

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Healthy Recipes

Studies show that some of the most mouth-watering and exotic dishes are the worst for man. Recipes meant to entice the taste buds are often low in proteins and fiber and high in carbohydrates. Regular consumption of this type of food can lead to serious health hazards like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes. High cholesterol can further lead to other serious conditions like heart disease and osteoporosis. Switching to healthy recipes will help you shed those extra pounds and improve your overall health.
For many people going on a “diet” means having to deprive themselves from food they love to eat. Following healthier recipes gives you a low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diet that can help you have your fill without worrying about obesity and health problems. Recipes involving a low-carbohydrate diet use low-carb alternatives as essential ingredients, tasting similar to the high-carb foods you are not allowed to eat. So you can eat healthier food including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, and green vegetables like asparagus, spinach, and broccoli until you are full, without worrying about your calorie intake.
People who follow the healthy recipes feel both physically and mentally fit. Small dietary changes can definitely lead to big results. Health practitioners relate that even with various breakthroughs in medicine, the best way to reduce the threat of the diseases is to reduce the likelihood of their occurring altogether. An easier and more practical way to reach this goal is to follow a healthy eating pattern, including healthy recipes in your daily life.
The sources of these recipes can be many. If your friend or aunt cannot supply them, browse the Internet or check with your healthcare provider. Experimenting with new ingredients and coming up with something delicious is also a nice idea. Your kitchen shelf should be full of quick and easy healthy recipes fulfilling your family’s nutritional needs.

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By Max Bellamy
Healthy Recipes provides detailed information on Healthy Recipes, Healthy Chicken Recipes, Healthy Smoothie Recipes, Healthy Recipes For Kids and more. Healthy Recipes is affiliated with Gourmet Food Gift Baskets.

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Why You Should Buy Fair Trade Coffee

Here in the West we are massive consumers of coffee. And many of us think nothing of spending four or five dollars at Starbucks for a gourmet espresso, latte or cappuccino.
What few of us think about as we sip our favorite brew is that coffee is grown by small farmers in developing countries. Most of these farmers are paid less for the coffee beans they grow that it costs for them to produce and pick them.
In other words, for every gourmet coffee you and I enjoy, the grower of the beans used is descending into a deeper and deeper cycle of poverty and desperation.
It was in recognition of this cycle that the certification process for fair trade coffee was introduced in 1998.
When you buy a pound of fair trade coffee, $1.26 goes directly back to the coffee growers who grew it.
It doesn’t go directly into the hands of an individual grower, but to the cooperative to which he or she belongs. Part of the deal with fair trade coffee is that farmers are required to band together in cooperatives. The money then goes to the cooperative and is shared among all the farmers.
The issue of farmers having to join a cooperative to benefit from fair trade is a complex one, with advantages and disadvantages.
However, the big benefit is that when $1.26 goes to the cooperative, and then to the farmer...they are receiving about the double what they would get outside of the fair trade coffee system.
In other words, when you or I buy fair trade coffee, we are providing the grower with twice the income he or she would normally receive.
Over 100 million pounds of fair trade coffee have now been sold in the U.S. alone. Better still, the numbers are growing fast.
Starbucks now offers fair trade coffees and recently Wal-Mart announced that it would start offering fair trade coffee through its Sam’s Club outlets.
When Wal-Mart becomes a buyer, you can be sure that the impact on small coffee farmers in Central and South America, East Africa and the Far East will be substantial.
Yes, it will cost you a little more to buy fair trade coffee. But when you pay that little extra, you’ll be making a real difference to the lives of coffee farmers and their families and communities.

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By Nicholas H. Usborne
Nicholas H. Usborne is one of the sleuths at CoffeeDetective.com He and his colleagues take a commonsense approach to making great coffee, and give you the straight facts on coffee and coffee makers - without the marketing hype. They also write the Fair Trade Coffee News Blog

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Cooking With The Power of the Sun

Many people understand the concept of passive solar for heating a home. Fewer realize it can be used in to cook food and sterilize water.
A solar oven is pretty much what it sounds like. It is used to cook food and sterilize water. Most people do not even know they exist, but they are an effective way to cook from both an economic and efficiency point of view.
The basic idea with a solar cooking is to create a box like structure that the sun heats up dramatically. If you have sat in a car in rush hour during the summer, you know the sun can generate a lot of heat. Instead of cooking you in a car, a solar oven focuses on food.
So, how do we cook with it? The box structure is created with dark paneling and then covered with a clear glass or plastic top after pots and food or water has been inserted. The structure is sealed. Much like a car, the sunlight beats through the clear top and heats the interior of the box. As the heat rises, it cooks the items inside. Yes, it produces more than enough heat to do the job. It really is as simple as that.
There are three general types of solar ovens. A solar box works as described in the previous paragraph. A panel oven uses reflective surfaces to focus the sun on a pot to create heat and cook the material inside. A parabolic version is designed to focus the sunlight into the bottom of a concave area upon which sits pots. There are variations of these three forms, but all solar cooking designs are derived from these basic forms.
While cooking with the sun is a fun and efficient, most people will never apply it in their home because of obvious design issues. At a cabin or when camping, however, it is a perfect solution.
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By Richard Chapo

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies.

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Side Effects of Herbal Tea

Wouldn't be right of me to talk about the virtues of herbal tea drinking without looking at what the possible side effects are, especially in the amounts the experts are telling us we should drink it in order to maximize the benefits (3-6 cups a day).
Side effect of Green Tea:
• Although rare, allergic reactions to green tea may occur. Stop taking green tea and seek emergency medical attention if you experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction including difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives.
• Heavy and prolonged consumption of green tea may be associated with esophageal cancer.
• Other less serious side effects have also been reported with the use of green tea. Talk to your doctor or health care provider if you experience
· heartburn;

· upset stomach;

· loss of appetite;

· constipation or diarrhea;

· nervousness, irritability, or anxiety;

· sleeplessness;

· irregular heartbeats; or

· headache.
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
• Do not use green tea without first talking to your doctor if you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin).
• Interactions between green tea and other prescription or over-the-counter medicines or herbal/ health supplements may also occur. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or health care professional before taking green tea if you are taking any other medicines or supplements.
Side Effects of Black Tea:
Studies of the side effects of black tea specifically are limited. However, black tea is a source of caffeine, for which multiple reactions are reported.
Caffeine is a stimulant of the central nervous system, and may cause insomnia in adults, children, and infants (including nursing infants of mothers taking caffeine). Caffeine acts on the kidneys as a diuretic (increasing urine and urine sodium/potassium levels, and potentially decreasing blood sodium/potassium levels), and may worsen urge incontinence. Caffeine-containing beverages may increase the production of stomach acid, and may worsen ulcer symptoms. Tannin in tea can cause constipation. Caffeine in doses of 250 to 350 milligrams can increase heart rate and blood pressure, although people who consume caffeine regularly do not seem to experience these effects in the long-term.
An increase in blood sugar levels may occur after drinking black tea containing the equivalent of 200 milligrams of caffeine (4 to 5 cups, depending on tea strength and cup size). Caffeine-containing beverages such as black tea should be used cautiously in patients with diabetes. People with severe liver disease should use caffeine cautiously, as levels of caffeine in the blood may build up and last longer. Skin rashes have been associated with caffeine ingestion. In laboratory and animal studies, caffeine has been found to affect blood clotting, although effects in humans are not known.
Caffeine toxicity/high doses: When the equivalent or more than 500 milligrams of caffeine are consumed (usually more than 8 to 10 cups per day, depending on strength and size of cups), symptoms of anxiety, delirium, agitation, psychosis, or detrussor instability (unstable bladder) may occur. Conception may be delayed in women who consume large amounts of caffeine. Seizure, muscle spasm, life-threatening muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), and life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms have been reported with caffeine overdose. Doses greater than 1000 milligrams may be fatal.
Caffeine withdrawal: Chronic use can result in tolerance, psychological dependence, and may be habit forming. Abrupt discontinuation may result in withdrawal symptoms such as headache, irritation, nervousness, anxiety, tremor, or dizziness. In people with psychiatric disorders such as affective disorder or schizoaffective disorder, caffeine withdrawal may worsen symptoms or cause confusion, disorientation, excitement, restlessness, violent behavior, or mania.
Chronic effects: Several population studies initially suggested a possible association between caffeine use and fibrocystic breast disease, although more recent research has not found this connection. Limited research reports a possible relationship between caffeine use and multiple sclerosis, although evidence is not definitive in this area. Animal study reports that tannin fractions from tea plants may increase the risk of cancer, although it is not clear that the tannin present in black tea has significant carcinogenic effects in humans.
Drinking tannin-containing beverages such as tea may contribute to iron deficiency, and in infants, tea has been associated with impaired iron metabolism and microcytic anemia.
Side Effects of Rooibos Tea:
As rooibos has not been studied scientifically in humans, there is no information available about its safety in pregnancy or lactation or in people with kidney or liver failure. However, it is generally considered a very safe herb, and there are no known side effects, contraindications, or drug interactions.13
At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with Rooibos.
Side effects of White Tea
* none to be found, so other than the effects of caffeine with drinking large amounts of it, no side effects could be find through a Google search
* except for the impact to your pocket book. White tea right now is much more expensive than all the other teas.
Side effect of Chamomile Tea:
If you suffer from allergies to plants of the Compositae family (a large group including such flowers as daisies, ragweed, asters and chrysanthemums), you may wish to be cautious about using chamomile at first. While there have been isolated reports of allergic reactions, causing skin rashes and bronchial constriction, most people can use this herb with no problem.

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by: Gary Whittaker

Gary Whittaker is the subject of www.projectgary.com, a blog that will chronicle his loss of 100 pounds, 20 pounds at a time. Please note that the embedded links can only be seen at www.projectgary.com.

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How to Buy and Grip a Chinese Cleaver

The proper cutting technique is one the most important things you will need to learn in order to cook like a professional. Different recipes use different cutting techniques, so it’s important that you know when and how to use each one. Improper cutting can lead to food with an unexpected taste in it, or, worse, a meal that simply tastes terrible. Thus, Wok Fusion presents a guide for those of you who don’t know the difference between slicing and dicing.
It is important to consider two things before you start cutting. These are buying the right Chinese cleaver, and holding it with a proper grip. These two things can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of your cutting skills, so it’s recommended that you read more about these in the follow two sections.
Buying the Right Cleaver
In choosing the right Chinese cleaver, it’s important to decide what you are going to cut. Will it be a thick meat or some meat with bones? If so, it’s important that you use only use a heavy weight cleaver – a light or medium weight cleaver simply will not cut through thick objects without significant damage to the knife. On the other hand, if you only need a cleaver to do some light cutting – slicing, dicing, or peeling – a light weight cleaver is ideal due to its light weight size. Of course, the medium weight cleaver is the most popular cleaver; combining the ability for light cutting with the power of the heavy cleavers, the medium weight cleaver offers the best of both worlds. Thus, for people learning how to cook, the medium weight cleaver is the best choice for them to buy.
Whatever cleaver you choose, it’s important to get a cleaver that is made from high-carbon stainless steel. There is absolutely no alternative to a quality cleaver made from high-carbon stainless steel. These cleavers provide a comfortable feel, nice weight distribution, and are easy to clean and sharpen.
Other, inexpensive, cleavers are made from traditional carbon steel or, simply low quality stainless steel. These cleavers, however, have huge drawbacks: carbon steel cleavers are easy to sharpen but will rust and discolor acidic foods. As you can imagine, there is nothing worse than seeing rust and discoloration on your meals – simply put, it’s disgusting. On the other hand, stainless steels cleavers are opposed to rust, but are extremely hard to sharpen. Again, it’s very difficult to make your meals properly with a dulled blade. High-carbon stainless steel cleavers eliminate BOTH of these problems and are clean, rust proof, and easy to sharpen. Everyone who regularly cooks will tell you the same thing; high-carbon stainless steel cleavers are the perfect cleavers. So remember – there is NO substitute for a good Chinese cleaver!
How to Grip a Cleaver
Now that you’ve got your Chinese cleaver, it’s important to learn how to hold it. This is a key idea as an improper grip can lead to accidents (both painful and not) and can also cause your hand to begin hurting due to stress. Thus, the idea is to use the cleaver in a way that feels comfortable, but also gives you as much power as possible. As such, there is only grip that chefs around the world suggest as the “proper” grip.
With your writing hand, hold the cleaver by its handle. Then, move the hand all the way up the cleaver’s handle. Move your thumb onto one side of the cleaver’s blade near the thickest part of the cleaver. Move your index finger to the side opposite of your thumb. With your other three fingers, grip the top part of the cleaver’s handle. Thus, only three fingers of your hand should be holding the handle, with the other two fingers on the actual cleaver blade body itself. While it may seem a little uncomfortable at first, it’s important that you practice using this grip as it allows the highest amount of control, but doesn’t end up tiring your arm.

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by: Ala Luke

Ala Luke is the author of the #1 Rated The Definitive Chinese Cookbook. His techniques have taught thousands of beginners how to make authentic Chinese cooking better than a restaurants'. For FREE recipes, visit him at http://www.Wokfusion.com.

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