Downsizing that Waist - Tips and Tricks 3

It is incredibly overwhelming to jump in with both feet into a completely new, healthier lifestyle. I'm ready to admit my weight issues can partially be attributed to a lazy attitude coupled with a love for food that wasn't all good for me. Since this business with a healthy lifestyle is two-pronged - diet and exercise - it can be a fairly drastic change to make.

I found it easier to take it in steps and take on the diet aspect first. I'm a complete foody so this is a daily challenge for me still, but since having started the whole healthy eating business I've found it's not that hard to keep up with.

The first step I took was to measure my BMI and my basal caloric requirements based on daily activities. Then I researched what caloric content of various foods to see what my healthiest options were. It was really good to see how many different and options there were and how many of them I was already incorporating into my diet.

Actually, I guess the first step is to recognize that the word 'diet' doesn't mean a drastic alteration in your food consumption where you're limiting yourself to certain foods or cutting something out 100%. Diet just refers to the types and amounts of food you consume. I'm not at all into diets that say I can only eat cabbage or have to cut out all carbs from my life. Med School has taught me enough to recognize that every food group is essential for the human body, it's just that the intake amount of each thing varies for every person.

It took a few days to get into the habit of getting healthier. It only took a week for my body to get used to consuming fewer simple carbs and limiting my intake of complex carbs to what my body needs. Now, when I deviate, my body gets very uncomfortable. I'm not going to lecture you on what to eat and what not to eat. That's something you have to do some research on and figure out for yourself because every body's requirements are different. Remember, it only takes 3 weeks (21 days) to develop a habit and get comfortable with it.

Once you get a handle on your eating habits, it becomes easier to jump into an exercise routine. Your body should start feeling healthier from the change in diet. As you pick up an exercise routine, you can adjust your dietary needs more easily.

Bottom line. Don't overwhelm yourself with a complete regime change. It's perfectly alright to go at it one thing at a time. Heck, I recommend it.

Anything to lose those lbs .. Anything?

I'm on twitter when I notice a tweet from a celebrity claiming he lost 11lbs in 1 week after following a diet he'd been considering. My first thought was that's unhealthy! and he should know that. Of course that was followed by curiosity, because weight loss is something I'm struggling with.

The link the celeb had posted led me to this. The results touted in this article were fantastic, and not in a good way. As someone getting her education in health care, the concept of losing 25lbs in 4 weeks not only screamed unbelievable, but also unhealthy to the point of dangerous. Doctors recommend weight loss at a rate of 2lbs per week, and here were reports of losses of 9-11lbs in a week.

I wanted to dig a little deeper, do some research, before I started flipping out at this news channel, so I googled. Pages and pages of websites with the words 'acai' and/or 'diet' later, I agreed with MayoClinic and WebMD; there isn't much honest, reliable, unbiased and objective research on the matter. Acai berries may contain more antioxidants than most other berries, but that doesn't make them a reliable weight-loss supplement.

How do you explain the accounts of weight loss mentioned above? I'm not sure. The celeb from twitter indulges in a healthy diet & work out sessions. Perhaps the acai berries along with a combination of these factors aided in greater & faster weight loss. I won't deny that there are benefits associated with the consumption of this fruit. However, based on comments by experts and my own (limited) research, I'd have to repeat that the berry is only so good. It's not a miracle fruit. You might have to consume more of other berries & nutritious fruits, but you'd get the same results as those yielded by consumption of acai berries.

The news reporter is an entirely different story. She's a fake! As is the website; try clicking on the links for world news or business news. They all lead you to the site for the Acai Berry diet pill the "article" endorses. That explains why all the comments were positive. I wondered why no one questioned how long the effects lasted, whether you had to continue to taking the pills forever to maintain the results (but then, wouldn't you also keep losing weight..?), etc. I'll admit, a part of me was hoping to find that this truly works. I'm close to saying anything to lose these pounds. But I'm not willing to waste hard-earned money on a scam. Thank you CNN & ABC for reporting the truth!

There are too many unanswered questions regarding acai berries and the affects of it's consumption. The benefits and side effects, both short & long term, have not been fully & properly explored. In matters of health I prefer to err on the side of caution. Research before leaping into a diet or a pill, you never know when you might fall for a scam. Personally, I'm disappointed that the AcaiBerry Diet ended up being a scam; I wouldn't mind a miracle pill. But, as with all things worth having in life, it's back to hard work and perseverance.