The Diet for Busy People - 7 Ways to Lose Weight, Even When Your Life Is Crazy

You'd think that the busier you are, the less time you have to eat. So why do many of us put on weight when we get busy?

Sometimes we eat unconsciously. Our minds get so busy chewing on something that we don't seem to realize that our mouths are chewing, too. Sometimes we rely too much on convenience foods or fast foods instead of the slow, nutritious food that is so good for us.

But life is busy - sometimes for months and years at a time.

So what's a busy dieter to do?

Here are 7 quick tips to help even the busiest among us to slow down, enjoy our food, and lose weight.




1. It seems counter-intuitive, but make sure that you don't multitask during mealtimes. It might seem like you're saving time by eating at the computer or while reading the latest company memo, but you're probably eating more calories than you think.

Your mealtimes are your well-deserved break times. Particularly for busy people, meal time is a punctuation mark in your day. It is a time to slow down and really think about the food you are eating and the way it is nourishing your body.

Prepare your meal and then take 10 deep breaths before you take your first bite. Chew each bite slowly, ten to twenty times, and do nothing but taste your food. Savor it. If it doesn't taste good, don't take another bite. Choose something different. As soon as you are full, stop eating. If you slow down and eat consciously and mindfully, you'll likely take significantly fewer bites than you're used to.

2. If you don't have time to cook, explore raw food options. Even if you have a family, meals don't have to be elaborate affairs with marinated meats, sautéed onions and three side dishes. Make it simple and keep it healthy. Choose a small bit of protein - some lunchmeat or yogurt, perhaps. Then eat raw fruits and veggies until you're full. We do this in my family on our busiest nights and the kids have come to love it. Plus, this kind of meal is ready whenever everyone is ready to sit down to eat - especially if you pre-cut the veggies.

3. Make healthy foods easily accessible. As soon as you get home from the supermarket, wash your fruits and vegetables. Prepare them so you can grab and eat on the go. Here are some foods we always have on hand: fruits and vegetables of all sorts, prepackaged salads (what could be easier?), coconut milk/coconut water, lowfat or nonfat Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt typically has as much as twice the protein as regular yogurt.)

4. Reduce the temptation to hit the drive-thru by planning ahead. Look at the week's schedule and figure out dinnertime options for each day. You might even want to prepare a few meals during the weekend so that you have a diet-friendly meal each night of the week.

5. Amp up your fitness routine. Instead of taking an hour long walk, take a 20 to 30 minute jog. Then find other ways to increase your activity throughout your day. Walk more, take the stairs or bike to work.

6. Consider a replacement meal plan. If you're not cooking for a large family, you might find the most success with a prepackaged meal plan. This can range from the occasional Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers frozen entrée to the complete NutriSystem or Medifast meal replacement plan. Many busy dieters have found success with these types of programs.

7. Get a mobile app. If you, like me, prefer to follow a particular weight loss program, consider one that has a component you can follow along with on your mobile phone. SparkPeople and Weight Watchers Online, for example, both have easy-to-use mobile apps for tracking calories/points as well as exercise and water intake. If you're a gadget lover, this can help make dieting more fun.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jamie_Jefferson/44401

Lose Weight and Feel Great With the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

The anti-inflammatory diet can make you feel great! "How," you ask. By cutting out or significantly reducing your consumption of pro-inflammatory foods. When these foods are cut from your diet, inflammation in the body reduces taking stress and strain from the joints and organs.

While following this diet your chance of weight loss also goes up. "How does this happen," by reducing your consumption of grain and wheat products, sodas, and other simple sugars that cause excess weight.

I'll start this discussion by telling you what extra inflammation in the body causes; chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies, acne, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, cancer, hypertension, depression, and diabetes. However, this is a shortened list there are many other conditions out there caused by inflammation.

In short summary, the fewer inflammatory foods we eat, the less inflammation we have in the body.




Background Information on Pro-Inflammatory Foods:

Grains, refined sugars, partial-hydrogenated oils, vegetable and seed oils are from modern man. These foods have been around a short time; hence, obesity and disease are on the rise. Humans are genetically adapted to eat fruits, veggies, nuts, lean meats, and fish, foods not related to chronic diseases.

Why Do Grains Inflame?
 
Grains contain a protein called gluten. Gluten is the main cause of many digestive diseases, such as celiac disease, also contributor to frequent headaches. They also have a sugar protein called lectins which has been shown to cause inflammation in the digestive system. Grains also contain phytic acid which is known to reduce the body's absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Lastly, grains contain high amounts of fatty acid biochemicals called omega-6 fatty acids which do cause inflammation. Fatty acid biochemicals known as omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and found in fresh fish and green vegetables.

What Should I Eat?

Anti inflammatory foods

- All fruits and vegetables (raw or lightly cooked)
- Red and sweet potatoes
- Anti-inflammatory omega-3 eggs
- Raw nuts
- Spices such as ginger, turmeric, garlic
- Organic butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh fish, avoid farm raised
- Meat, chicken, eggs from grass-fed animals
- Wild game such as deer, elk, etc.
- Water, organic green tea, red wine, stout beer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr._Steve_Smiley/606995

How to Lose Belly Fat in Just Minutes

If you are like me then you do not like spending money on a gym membership that costs a bundle but is hardly used. If you look to lose belly fat in just minutes then you have come to the right place. It is quite intense but very brief and includes a very aggressive cardio workout. The workout takes only minutes and burns up a couple hundred calories at a shot, not bad huh?

So, here it the method on how to lose belly fat:

Start by running in place or alternatively you can do jumping jacks. Spend about two to three minutes doing one of these exercises as intensely and quickly as possible. It may be difficult but it is one of the most important parts of the workout so make sure you do it right. Remember to focus on the fact that you are losing weight.

Next, you will be doing an exercise called the "Mule Kick." The right way to do this exercise is to stand with your feet right below you and try and kick both legs up toward your buttocks. Essentially, it will feel like you are trying to kick your backside. You need to do this exercise for two to three minutes with this exercise and watch the belly fat go goodbye.




OK, here is the next two minutes: Hit the floor for some good old fashioned pushups. Make sure you do the pushups so that your arms are parallel with the ground. In other words, make sure your body goes all the way down to the point that it all but touches the ground but does not actually do so.

Now, you spend the next two minutes going back to doing the running in place or doing jumping jacks. Once again, remember to think of the fact that you are losing body fat. The more you get into the workout the more the belly fat sheds. The key is to keep up the intensity while doing these exercises for the few minutes that you are involved in them.

In these last two minutes you should ride a stationary bike on the highest level possible for two minutes. This part is critical to the entire workout and if you are seriously want to lose belly fat in minutes then you have to use this time of critical mass to "go for it."

On a final note: make sure you do these exercises on an empty stomach as this is proven to be one of the most important things you can do in order to lose belly fat.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Cliff_Welden/306393