Acupuncture for good health

Good sensible advice in thsi article from The Sacramento Bee about losing weight. Maybe you've heard it all before, maybe not - but the important thing is are you doing it?

Only action brings reward in weight loss - wanting to lose weight, hoping to lose weight or planning to lose weight just don't cut it.

And the saying goes "Just Do it" not "Just Think about It."

Of course not all the advice you hear about weight loss will be right for you. You need to adopt the kind that works and drop what doesn't suit you and your lifestyle but don't knock it until you have given it your best shot.

technorati tags:weight+loss, losing+weight, lose+weight, diet

There is evidence that high levels of insulin in the bloodstream  caused by obesity or by an underlying condition such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome  (PCOS) can cause excessive hairiness in women. 

Apparently the  insulin stimulates ovaries to produce excessive male homones which then act on the hair follicles.

Unfortunately conditions such as PCOS make it difficult to lose weight as the excess insulin causes your body to hang onto fat but it is all the more important that you make additional effort to eat healthily and reduce your weight because increased insulin can lead to insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes.

If you are struggling to lose weight despite eating healthy food in moderate portions and taking exercise and you have excessive amounts of facial or body hair be sure and see your doctor.

Simply Hair Removal - Causes of Excess Hair

technorati tags:lose+weight, PCOS, insulin, hair+removal

With lack of sleep leading to the temptation to eat too much (probably in a keep yourself going by injecting lots of energy way) it makes sense to do all we can to get plenty of sleep when trying to lose weight.

This article lays out an eating plan which will help us sleep peacefully through the night. Actually the diet in this article sounds pretty healthy anyway and could well lead to losing a few pounds especially if you normally eat a lot of junk.

Just watch those portion sizes - eat only what you realy need. And move a bit more throughout the day (no strenuous exercise just before bed though) and it should all help in a delicious vicious circle - better sleep, better diet, better health, better shape.

technorati tags:diet, weight+loss, lose+weight, insomnia

Weight loss doesn't need a superhuman effort of endurance. It doesn't need an amazing display of strength and willpower. No gritting of teeth required - unless you want to lose weight the hardest way with a tough regime at the gym and an eating plan that makes you lose your appetite except for all the junk foods you're missing.

But it's true, losing weight is not really easy any way you do it.

Even the easiest way to lose weight takes quiet perseverance and  more than anything the desire and willingness to change your lifestyle to include healthier habits. That's all about practice and routine and making it the norm that you make better choices each and every day.

But the fact is, the tough weight loss regime never becomes any easier. And most of us slump back into our old ways and gain the weight  back  (plus a  few extra pounds for good measure.)

With the less dramatic way of losing weight, you might lose weight less quickly. But after a while for the person changing their lifestyle habits it becomes second nature to make those choices, not every time but most of the time. And it's less likely that  the weight  will return.

So why then do we always go for the big "lose it now" weight loss program?

Desire for fast weight loss over a fair assessment of what you will be able to stick with? 

I just read the story of Matilda, a 25 year old woman  who died of heart failure after losing 10 stone (140lbs) in a crash diet of 500 calories a day. They are still not 100% certain how the heart failure occurred although some experts at the enquiry about her death are convinced that the crash dieting rather than her obesity killed her.

In any case, take note,  living on 500 calories a day, even if it is a balanced super powder shake containing all the nutrients under the sun, is not a sensible thing to do.

Nor is it good to lose140lbs in 6 months no matter how much you have to lose. Change your lifestyle bit by bit and ease yourself into a healthier way of eating and that way you will actually be getting healthier rather than just looking slimmer.

technorati tags:diet, weight+loss, crash+diet, Matilda