Body and Soul: Psychological Reasons for Obesity

Miraculous diets can help you to lose weight... for some time. After one month of painful sacrifice you finally unlock the fridge and fill it up with all the yummy groceries you used to enjoy before. You are back in your routine, back in your habits - and back on your unwanted weight. The idea of staying on such a diet forever to keep your body in preferred shape is obviously freaky. You don't want to eat what someone else orders you to eat. You want to eat what YOUR body asks for. It's pretty natural. Therefore the only way how to lose weight with permanent effect would be to teach your body to ask for healthy food. And if we want to change the body's preferences, we need to start at it's management point - our mind.

The correlation between body and mind belongs to the main pillars of alternative medicine. Theoretically, if we resolve the problem residing in our soul, that psychological issue that forces us to eat abnormal doses of unhealthy food, we should be able to change our eating habits once forever with a smile - and be happier, healthier and more satisfied with ourselves.

What kind of psychological issue are we talking about? Well, it probably varies from person to person. Everybody has a unique personality and unique life journey. We can just try to have a closer look at five most common categories.

FILLING THE EMPTINESS

If we consider the food to be a drug that substitutes something we are missing in our life we can compare it to the classic drug addict problem. Instead of seeing exciting points of life and focusing on relationships, carrier or hobbies, drug addicts put themselves under an exciting feeling the drug brings them, escaping from daily routine, escaping from responsibility to solve problems, escaping from real life. We sometimes hear overweight people complaining: "This skinny woman tells me she forgot to eat. How can you forget something like that? I forget my phone at home, I forget to organize a meeting, but I would never ever forget to have my meal!"

But it is not actually that difficult to forget to eat if you are busy with something that really overwhelms your mind. If you focus on something that keeps your brain occupied, if you are doing something you believe it's worth doing. At that moment you naturally don't think about food... until your stomach makes you realize you are seriously hungry.

In other words, you need to discover an activity that will help you to fill the life with something more meaningful than just burger and chips.

STRESS RELIEVE

Take the opposite extreme - if you are busy TOO MUCH but your activities are not making you happy at all. You don't follow your daily routine with passion, you just do things because you HAVE TO. They chase you at work to your limits, you have never break, you are starving but no time to eat, then it's still shopping, screaming kids, demanding husband/wife and when it's finally quiet and everybody is sleeping, you watch your favorite TV show till one o'clock... and here comes your time. To calm down and relax, to forget there is another morning coming, you attack the fridge in attempt to get all the stress off your shoulders and to feel satisfied at least for that half an hour.

Here we need to look for the stress factors that are causing your overall frustration. Changes will be needed in your every day life. You will have to learn how to satisfy other needs and desires, apart of the stomach ones.

LACK OF CARE

Alternative medicine usually claims it is a certain emotional problem that's causing obesity. For more detailed explanation we will have to make a little journey into the deepest layer of our psyche and try to figure out the meaning of "food" in the archetypal symbolism.

Everybody needs to eat in order to survive, therefore "food" is a significant part of collective Unconscious, an archetype every single person alive needs to deal with.

We receive the first food just after we are born - it is usually our mother who supplies us with the very first feed. The taste of the first food comes along with the first mother's touch and it takes an essential role in creating bond. The silent message of every nurturing mother can be basically expressed as: "I love you, I take care of you, I feed you." The duty to prepare the food for the family was traditionally assigned to the mother - in traditional society the father had to make sure there was enough money to obtain groceries but the mother was the one who physically cooked the meal and served it on the family table. Is it just coincidence that our western population became so obese in decades when women started working full time, concentrating on their carrier and losing time to plan a proper family menu?

And it can't be just the plain replacement of home made meal with fast food - one slice of pizza or one burger won't make you fat. The weight gets picked up with overfeeding and addiction to junk food. Why do we have such a need to eat, eat and eat like if our stomach got never satisfied with its content? Well, maybe because our body is not satisfied with the nature of the food we are accepting - and that's why we still stay "hungry".

There is something about making food. Specially, there is something about making food FOR SOMEONE. Many people would say: "If I am at home alone, I don't cook. Why should I cook for myself?" When your family leaves for a weekend and you have to stay at home alone, you will probably open a can of baked beans, toast two slices of bread and you are done. But if you are preparing meal for your loved ones or for friends that come to visit you play with the food way more - to make sure they enjoy it. And what can give a chef bigger pleasure than watching people enjoying his meal? The message "I made a nice meal for you because I like you and I care about you" is still there, although we don't realize it. If we cook with love and our food is accepted with joy we are exchanging important feelings and strengthening bond between each other.

If the bond gets holes and starts breaking up our subconscious believes we can repair it with eating. But in fact, we are not hungry for food. We are hungry for that emotional connection we are missing in our relationships.

PATCH ON SORE HEART

This category is also about feelings, however in this case we are talking about overfeeding that follows a heart breaking event in our life, usually a break up. Like if we believed that sweet taste could balance the bitterness we feel inside. Only solution is to overcome the past, avoid sorry feelings for yourself and open the mind and heart to something new.

FEELING GUILTY

This happens mostly to the loving parents that are trying to give their children the best they can. There wouldn't be anything wrong with that - if they were also able to treat themselves in the same way. Did you ever hear yourself saying: "I am not gonna eat this mango. I rather keep it for my little one. It's so healthy. But I am hungry, so I can finish this box of cookies instead." Why are we trying to teach our kids to eat healthy but when it comes to our own diet we stuff our bodies with a complete junk? "That's too good for me" or "I don't deserve this" or maybe even "I don't need to eat healthy any more, my body is old anyway, will go to the grave soon." These statements have something to do with our self-evaluation and self-esteem. We want our children to learn how to look after themselves to live a long, healthy life while we deny our own drive to stay healthy and live long. We would feel guilty if we ate something healthy that could be useful to somebody else instead. We can track a link to the situations when we eat all the leftovers as we would feel guilty if we threw them to the bin. We don't realize that all the excessive food our body doesn't need is going to waste anyway. By eating it we just change ourselves into some kind of alive trash cans.

Solution? Love yourself and look after yourself - from inside and outside - so that you are not teaching your children something you actually never do. At the end, you want to be a good example to them, don't you?

The Advantages Of Hiring Personal Trainers In Northbrook

Exercise and getting in shape are necessary for a person to stay healthy. Many specialists keep reminding people of the importance of exercise and telling them to engage in it more. There are some people who have trained and learned the art which places them in a position of helping individuals get in shape through exercise. There are many personal trainers in Northbrook IL who offer this service.

The job description of the experts is not only involving but it is also extensive. The job is hard but he professionals make it look easy. It involves more than just showing people how to exercise. The professionals have to serve as nutritionists and coaches. They are also able to perform minor medical care. These are some of the things that are very important but people take for granted.

They are the ones who create the exercise routine that should be followed. They factor in several things when doing this. First they ensure that it fits the needs of clients. This is dependent on whether the individuals want to increase muscles or lose weight. Individualized routines are good for people.

They also lead exercise classes. The places they offer the services from vary. Some offer them at the local gyms while others have their own facilities where they operate from. They are fully qualified to demonstrate exercises. Trainees should be keen and follow what they do. Both of the options of hiring a trainer to work with you individually or joining the sessions have their advantages and disadvantages.

Many people are opting to hire the trainers to work with them individually. The trainer in this case will focus his or her full attention on one person on specific days at certain times. They help clients perform exercise routines. They monitor and look at some things that are not easy to notice. They monitor how a person is breathing and moving. Improper movements may cause injury. They also take note of the progress of a person and tell clients when they are improving or doing well.

Training results depend on the contribution of both parties. You should be dedicated and committed to achieve your goal. If you hire the best professional and you do not follow the advice of the person and put in effort, you will not benefit or realize any results. They trainers make meal plans for clients. Eating good food will help. The experts recommended specific meal plans and give a list of foods to people. In the long run it will help to give trainees optimal energy and nutrition.

The best ones even know how to administer first aid. They have received proper training and have been certified. They are able to deal with things such as minor injuries that may be picked up during training.

There are times when clients need to be motivated. Exercising is not easy for everyone. There are some people who get tired and want to give up and there are others who give up easily. The expert will in this case motivate the client to keep on exercising. Personal trainers in Northbrook IL measure their success by the outcome and results seen from training.

You and Healthy Recipes For Weight Loss

Healthy recipes for weight loss are an important thing to consider when you are trying to lose weight. Working out and eating correctly will help promote a healthy and steady loss of weight. It is important to make sure that you are getting all of the nutrients that you need and especially drinking plenty of fluids.

If you are unsure of the daily servings of everything that you are supposed to have then you should refer to the Food Pyramid Guide. This will help you determine what the acceptable and recommended amount of grains, fruits, and vegetables you should be receiving. Taking the time to learn about the different foods that promote healthy weight loss and coupling them with ideas for recipes; you will be able to create a full menu for the week that will guarantee results for you.

There are certain foods that are considered super foods that will help promote healthy weight loss. You can eat these foods every day and incorporate them into your diet. Most of them are common foods that you hear of everyday and probably already use.

• Apples
• Steak
• Wild Salmon
• Parmesan
• Olive Oil
• Avocado
• Yogurt
• Quinoa
• Eggs
• Blueberries
• Lentils
• Buckwheat Pasta
• Almond Butter
• Kale

All of these above foods can be incorporated into any of your daily meals and they will provide many benefits to you. They have their own benefits to the body and help promote a healthy weight loss.

Some ideas of recipes that are healthy and promote weight loss can be found below. These recipes all are a spin on famous foods that we like to eat. The change is in the ingredients used and when you supplement for the new ingredient the meal becomes healthier for you.

• Try chicken meatballs one night instead of ground beef meatballs. The chicken is better for you than the beef and it provides a light dinner. The chicken meatballs can be baked instead of fried which will eliminate the fatty oils.


• Roasted veggie and bean tacos are a good substitute for traditional tacos. You can still enjoy a taco night with the family so don't worry. In this recipe you can use veggies and black beans to replace the meat. The veggies are crisp and make the taco delicious. To make the meal even healthier, use whole wheat tortillas.


• Shrimp stew is a good alternative to traditional soups. The soup is light and provides a much lighter base than other soups. It is made from marinating shrimp and using jasmine rice to help thicken the soup. You can add veggies like spinach to enhance the flavor profile.


• Quinoa is a great and healthy substitute for rice. It is a very versatile ingredient and can be used in many different dishes. It provides a nutty flavor and is simply scrumptious. It contains a lot of fiber and protein to help promote weight loss for you. You can serve it alone, as a side dish, or in salads. The options for quinoa are endless.


• Lentil chili is a great spin on regular chili that uses ground beef. This chili is made using beans, onions, tomatoes, and seasonings. The beans are fatty in omega 3s which benefit your body. It can be eaten alone or served over rice.


• Chicken scaloppini is a great idea. Served with a sauce made from olive oil and lemons, garlic, and seasoning. This lighter meal will turn out to be delicious.


• Salmon cakes are a twist on crab cakes and are healthier for you. They can be made using a canned salmon and mayonnaise. Both ingredients are also high in omega 3s which help your body and promote good health. To spice the meal up even more, you can roll the cakes in sesame seeds

Healthy Recipes For Weight Loss With the Diet Generator

The first step of any realistic weight loss program based on healthy diet is to provide you as many healthy recipes for weight loss as possible. But most of the time the amount of such recipes is very limited, is based on foods you don't like or came at an extra cost. In this article i will explain why a diet generator is an essential tool for your healthy diet menu and weight loss goal.

A healthy diet is about food management as much as it is about calories, protein, fat and carbs. Having the correct nutrients can have a significant effect on your energy levels and vitality while decreasing the risks of disease. A healthy diet menu is all about what you eat rather than how much you eat.

Healthy recipes for weight loss should combine foods to provide you all the nutrients in correct amount and help you lose weight in a healthy way. Should take care to reduce fat, sugar and other bad foods from your menu, and increase the amount of vegetables, fibre and good fats in the right proportion.

While combining foods is vital to your weight loss goal, it can be a real problem calculating and putting together a healthy diet menu by yourself. Even more, going through this hassle on a daily basis, chances are that you will give it up very soon. But not if you use a tool like diet generator.

The diet generator is a very powerful, time-saving program which generates your diet plan based on your food choices. It can generate a healthy diet menu in a flash, without the hassle of counting calories for every gram of food. As a bottom line you can have as many healthy recipes for weight loss as you need based on your personal taste without any extra cost.

The Diet Generator is one of the greatest tool ever invented and it inculcates the best diet practice. This tool calculates the calorie needed and thereby generates the diet practice that is sure to reduce your weight.

Remember that even for those of us who are extremely motivated, weight loss is an enormous challenge. Changing our diets after years of bad eating habits is not easy to achieve. The diet generator was built with the only purpose to make the shift to a healthy diet menu as easy as possible.

Is your best interest to use one if you want to enjoy your diet while still losing weight.

Diabetes and the Paleolithic Diet

What is the Paleo diet, what does it represent. Who should go on the Paleo diet? Does the Paleo diet really work? Where can you get access to examples of the Paleo diet? All these questions and more I shall be answering in the article below.

So what exactly is the Paleo diet? The Paleolithic or Paleo diet represents modern man's attempt to return to the supposed diet of his ancestors premised on the belief that these while living on such diets did not experience many of the modern day diseases of today.

Thus diseases like high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, heart disease and the like was either rare or next to non-existence in their time. Of course they had other conditions to grapple with, but the point is that this fortunate circumstance bears witness to our forebear's healthy diet. And so the expectation is that if we want to reverse some of these conditions or at the very least enjoy better health, then we must certainly make its adoption part of our health strategy. This diet would essentially have been made of lean meat, nuts, seeds and berries. Also known as the Paleolithic or caveman diet, it has been in the light of the modern day clamoring for it, termed a fad diet.

As regards the diet, the period of our ancestors under consideration is essentially the Paleolithic era (hence the name of the diet) -a period lasting about 2.5 million years and which ended around 10,000 years ago with the beginning of animal domestication and agriculture.

The underlying basis for the theory is evolutionary discordance hypothesis, itself a subset of evolutionary medicine. The seeds of the hypothesis is to be found in the 1970s work of Walter Voegtlin, the gastroenterologist.

Its basic premise is that man is genetically adapted to the nutritional needs of food to be found in the Paleolithic period. These needs have not changed and remained adapted to the diet of the said ancestors. Despite the availability of a wide variety of relatively new foods like legumes, grains, dairy, and high in calorie processed foods -the main stay of much of our modern day diet, human metabolism the hypothesis claims, remain maladjusted to them. The result is these foods improper breakdown and assimilation by the body, leading to the health conditions- heart disease, high blood pressure, and yes-diabetes, earlier spoken of.

The answer to this was the Paleolithic diet. One man-Loren Cordain set out to let the world know this. He wrote his book-"The Paleo Diet" in 2002, popularized the diet and in fact being so recognized as an authority on it was by 2009 able to successfully trademark the term "Paleo Diet". By the late 2000s, the diet had gained in popularity riding on the back of several steeds, namely that of an appeal to nature and efficacy.

That said, the logic behind the diet has come under fire. First it has been criticized on the premise that there is no concrete evidence to show exactly what human beings ate during the Paleolithic period. Secondly, that evidence shows that Paleolithic man did in fact eat legumes and grains. Thirdly, that the surmise having humans adapted to specific local diets is unproven. Further, that humans are capable of greater nutritional flexibility than the diet gives them credit for and finally, that the Paleolithic period was an extremely lengthy period which saw human existence in different geographies offering different foods.

In addition it is argued that Paleolithic man did not suffer from diseases of affluence; diabetes, etc. because he hardly ever lived long enough to develop them. More convincing however is the argument that the underlying cause of such diseases is excess food energy in contrast to energy used, rather than the uptake of specific foods.

This makes sense especially if one considers that being foragers, our hunter gatherer ancestors were constantly on the move and were want in that process to burn off if they had any, their excess food energy. This lifestyle has been eliminated in modern day society and replaced by in by and large a sedentary one, where the opportunities providing ease and convenience for getting goods and services has resulted in less and less physical activity and as such a mismatch between the energy we consume and the energy we actually need. This excess energy then, deprived of avenues for dissipation, transcribes to fat, clogged arteries, stressed organs and consequently the diseases of affluence we see today.

So what then does the diet comprise? Let's look at that in detail. We have already stated that it is essentially constituted of lean meat, nuts, seeds and berries whilst eschewing grains, dairy products and refined processed foods. But in what quantities and ratios, one may ask should these foods be taken? Well because the claim is that protein comprises 19%-35% of the calories in hunter-gatherer diets Cordain stipulates that the diet calls for a similar amount, meaning more proteins and meat.

This is greater than that of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention which advises the derivation of 10-35% of calories from protein. In addition to this, proponents of the diet stipulate that the Paleolithic diets fat content is higher than that of modern day diets. However such fat should comprise mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated and omega-3 fats but avoid omega -6 and trans- fats.

In this diet, the main source of carbohydrates is to be non-starchy fruits and vegetables which will comprise essentially 35-45% of daily calories. It will also have a high fiber content but this is to be derived from the non-starchy vegetables and fruits not grains. However it should be noted that calcium is lacking in the Paleolithic diet and as such must be supplemented in order to prevent bone mineral loss.

On the obverse food groups which in the proponent's opinion were hardly or never eaten during the Paleolithic age are barred from the diet. These are gluten containing foods-essentially grains for instance like barley, wheat and rye; processed oils, salt, refined sugar, dairy products, legumes like beans and peanuts. Again, it should be noted that coffee and alcohol are not regarded as Paleo as our ancestors could not produce these.

But the arguments and counter arguments aside, is the Paleo diet really effective to prevent or counter the effects of diseases like diabetes? Let's see.

In 2007 a study was made by Lindeberg on 29 diabetic patients with either glucose intolerance or type two diabetes. Common to both though was the incidence of ischemic heart disease. These individuals were divided into two groups and placed on either a Mediterranean or Paleolithic diet. A Mediterranean diet comprises basically whole grains, low-fat dairy products, vegetables, fruits, fish, oils, and margarine. Similar to a Paleolithic diet excepting that a Paleolithic diet doesn't contain dairy products or grain. The results were interesting. They showed that although there was a marked improvement in glucose tolerance in both groups, the improvement was far greater in the group on the Paleolithic diet.

Further in 2009, a study was carried out by Jonsson and his colleagues to determine the health benefits of the Paleolithic diet on Type 2 diabetics. It involved the assessment of the Paleolithic and diabetes diet. The results once again favored the former with patient's on the Paleolithic diet reporting lower mean values of hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, weight, and waist circumference, with higher mean values for high-density lipoprotein.

Other studies; O'Dea's study of the effects of a Paleolithic diet on 10 northwest Australian Aboriginal type 2 diabetes patients in the 1980s equally attests among other benefits to the Paleolithic diets, blood sugar lowering qualities.

Supporting evidence can equally be adduced from Osterdahls uncontrolled 3-week study of a Paleolithic diet in 14 healthy subjects which showed that even short-term consumption of a Paleolithic type diet improves blood pressure and glucose tolerance, increases insulin sensitivity, decreases insulin secretion,, and improves lipid profiles without weight loss in healthy sedentary humans.

As such though vaunted that any regime for a Paleolithic diet should be supplemented with vitamin D and calcium in which it is deficient, and that more controlled study needs to be made before a more concrete statement can be put out on its health benefits, with the foregoing said, it is obvious that in considering a diabetic diet, evidence does suggest that the Paleolithic diet is a viable candidate diet for diabetics.

3 Ways Calories Can Creep Up on You

Walk into an all-you-can-eat buffet, and you know you're in the clutches of a fat trap. Being the smart guy you are, you approach the scene with caution, or at least plan to offset any indulgences with a workout later. A more perilous scenario is when your dining experience doesn't include steamer trays and you assume your gut is safe. Look before you eat to avoid this trio of pig-out pitfalls.

1. Customization

There's a downside to having it your way: In a Duke University study, people underestimated the calories in a Chipotle burrito by 192—even though they saw calorie ranges when selecting their fillings. So before you order, visit the restaurant's website to find calorie stats for your combo of ingredients. Then decide if you really want that or a stripped-down version.

2. Crunch

Texture is tricky. At the University of South Florida, people asked to mind calories and given hard brownies ate more than those given soft ones. We're trained to think soft foods like ice cream are fattening and hard foods like celery are not, says study author Dipayan Biswas, Ph.D. That bias may make you overeat high-calorie foods with crunch. Always check labels before indulging.

3. Proximity

Call it the long arm of the lard. Researchers at St. Bonaventure University found that snacks put within easy reach disappeared faster than food placed 6 1/2 feet away. At the end of a tiring day, we default to easy options, says study author Greg Privitera, Ph.D. So make good food convenient: In the morning, take some vegetables out of the crisper and put them on the fridge's top shelf.

5 Powerful Foods For Detox and Weight Loss

So you want to start your weight loss detox program and don't know where to begin. First of all you need to change your diet. There are some foods that must be in your diet if you want to detoxify your body and lose weight.

Here are the 5 powerful foods for detox and weight loss:

1. Lemon. It helps cleanse the lymphatic system.Among other important phytonutrients it contains phosphorous that ensures the proper functioning of the nervous system and sodium that helps the toxins elimination process and supports liver and gallbladder. Liver plays an important role in the fat metabolism. Keeping liver healthy will help you maintain your ideal weight. Drink 1 glass of hot water with a thin slice of organic lemon first thing in the morning to stimulate the liver.

2. Avocado. It is an important source of glutathione, an anti-oxidant that protects liver. It binds with fat soluble toxins and makes them water-soluble so they easily excreted from the body. For example, it binds with alcohol and helps liver to easily excrete it from the body thus protecting liver from damage.

3. Ginger. It has an ability to stimulate the digestive system.

4. Apple. It is a source of vitamin C and quercetin that help lower the fat level in the body. It is also a source of vitamin E, biotin, folic acid and other important phytonutrients and promotes healthy muscles, nerves and respiratory system.

Pectin is a fiber found in apples as well as beets and citrus fruits. It binds to toxic heavy metals, preservatives and additives and helps their excretion. All these substances are a big burden for digestive system and promote weight gain.

5. Beetroot. This is a widely used detoxification aid. It contains magnesium, manganese and folate. Beetroot is among the best vegetable liver-cleansers. It also contains methionine that helps reduce cholesterol level