ThinkSlim

When Weight GAIN was important

This was only 1934 - how things change!

Back When Women Wanted to GAIN Weight!

technorati tags:1934+diet, diet+to+gain+weight

Overweight Shopping

Going round the supermarket I'm always interested in (well ok nosey about) what other people are popping into their shopping tolley - and amazed at the pile of junk that ends up being the bulk of some people's weekly grocery shop. When you look at the cart you can often see why the person pushing it and the family accompanying them are less than svelte.

I have to be careful not to be too smug as my own cart always has a small stash of chocolate and other such treats although you'll find mounds of vegetables, fruit and whole foods too.

Anyway, I love this quote I read today in an article about trying to get a healthy diet on $21 a week (the maximum amount of food stamps, I believe, for someone  living on benefits in the US)

"Somebody recently told me that they have learned how to keep their weight and health under control by doing one thing: when they grocery shop, DON'T BUY WHAT FAT PEOPLE PUT IN THEIR CART!"

You see if you don't buy it you won't eat it - simple as that. If you only buy healthy food - healthy food is all you have to eat. If you don't order unhealthy food at restaurants, the waiter won't bring you any.

Does your shopping match your weight loss goals or sabotage them?

Try The $21 Low-Carb Diet Experiment

technorati tags:buy+healthy+food, shopping+to+lose+weight

How Do You Talk about Your Weight Gain?

"By 22, the mother of three was spiraling out of control and tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds. On several occasions, Nancy lost a significant amount of weight, but it always came back."

The way that the reporter talks about Nancy's weight always coming back really struck a chord with me.

Do you think about your weight just increasing like you had nothing to do with it?

Weight doesn't just appear back as if by magic.

It comes back because you haven't changed your habits to keep yourself slim for the rest of your life. It comes back because you go back to eating and moving like you wanted to be fat after your diet.

The only way to lose weight permanently is to change your lifestyle permanently.

And you're the only one who is in control of that.

KLTV 7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX: More Than 300 Pounds Lighter, East Texan's Success To Weight Loss

technorati tags:weight+maintenance, maintain+weight+loss

Volumetrics - a New Word for Old Tips?

I have seen quite a few news reports on the Volumetrics diet plan recently which give it the thumbs up and it seems to be a sensible plan.

But actually it is really just saying that you can eat more food (in volume) if you choose foods which are lower in calories. So you can eat a tiny portion of some high calorie high fat high sugar treat or a whole plateful of vegetable stew.

I think that is pretty much old news - but if you're not filling yourself up with vegetables soups and salad and including lots of veggies in your sauces and stews to help fill yourself up - then take it from me, it's a good thing to do that!

I'm sure you don't need to buy (yet another) diet book to tell you that.

wcco.com - New Highly Rated Diet Urges Eating More

technorati tags:volumetrics, eat+more+diet, lose+weight

Walk while you Work

I sit at my computer quite a few hours each day so I was quite interested in the news of a treadmill designed by the Mayo Clinic you use with your computer allowing you to walk and work at the same time.

Obviously you'd be unable to get up much speed when you were trying to focus on the screen but just walking very slowly (one mile an hour) for a couple of hours a day could mean a weight loss of 20 to 30 kgs (44 - 66lbs) over the course of a year.

Now if only I could find a way to fit a treadmill like that into my office...

Work treadmill 'boosts weight loss'

Biggest Loser : How to Lose 70kg (154lbs) in 12 Weeks

Great account from Smartshape of how a  massive weight loss can be achieved fast.

Of course, this is all possible in theory but in terms of practicality most of us will just not go there and do the work (or the diet)  - it's hard enough for many to manage 30 minutes of exercise a day never mind 4 hours of strenuous activity.

If you have got what it takes to do this without the help of a TV Show and are able to put your life on hold enough to do it, make sure you check in with your doctor first...

I've a pretty good idea that they would not recommend you do this for the sake of your health and your beautician will certainly not recommend it for the sake of your skin either.

SmartShape.com.au - Lessons from The Biggest Loser

technorati tags:Biggest+Loser, Lose+weight+fast, lose+150lbs

Eat Yogurt - Lose Weight

A study of 34 women by the University of Tennessee found that those who ate 500 fewer calories a day than their daily requirement including 6 ounces of yogurt 3 times a day lost 3.6 more pounds and 1.2 more inches from their waistline on average than those who also cut the same amount of calories but ate no yogurt.

Yogurt study

technorati tags:yogurt, lose+weight, weight+loss, cut+calories

Patterns of Weight Loss

What makes one group of women able to lose weight and keep it off while another does not?

According to a report originally published in 2004 in the journal "Nursing Science Quarterly" it depends on the stage you are at in the cycle of developing new habits and behaviour.

You move through a cycle of

a) feeling self-conscious and experiencing low self-esteem around your weight problem

b) recognizing the problem and being ready to change

c) taking control and starting to make changes in your habits

d) regularly following new heathier routines and habits

e) reinforcing new habits with social support

f) feeling increased self-confidence and enjoying weight loss and maintenance

Women may go partly through the cycle a number of times and revert back but once you reach the final stage you are more likely to achieve lasting weight loss.

Where are you in this cycle?

MyWestTexas.com - Women often exhibit patterns when trying to lose weight

technorati tags:weight+loss+cycle, patterns+of+weight+loss, stages+of+weight+loss

Diet Pills : Isn't it odd...?

Isn't it strange that when it comes to doing anything about our health we HATE the idea of having to take pills prescribed by a medically qualified professional - especially if it means taking something which may have side effects...

...yet so many of us are willing to risk our health by taking pills advertised in hype-filled leaflets and the Internet by unknown (and often fraudulent) companies.

Who knows what these things will do to you? The least of your worries and (hopefully) the most likely - they will do nothing at all. Are you really ready to shell out hard earned money for this stuff?

I know they make it seem so believable but the claims so often defy the laws of biology AND physics (and probably the laws of most countries in the world too).

A new slogan for you :- "Just DON'T do it"