The Dangers Of Eating Processed Foods

This post is a great example of the dangers of processed foods that I preach about constantly.

A Closer Look at Processed Foods

Editor’s note: This post is part of our WebMD Special Report: What’s In Your Food?

By Brenda Goodman
WebMD Health News

Melanie Warner is the author of Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Foods Took Over the American Diet. A former reporter for The New York Times, she spent a year and a half investigating the modern system of food manufacturing in the U.S. to conclude that “much of what we now eat is not so much as cooked as it is engineered into finely-tuned, nutrient-deficient creations of science.” Look for more articles by Brenda Goodman, she knows "Processed Foods".

She began to wonder what manufacturers were adding to foods after she started what she calls her “food museum”—a collection of products like cookies, crackers, and even guacamole from a grocery store deli that she discovered could sit on the shelf of her pantry or refrigerator for months or years past their expiration dates without spoiling.

Since her book came out in 2013, the FDA has told food manufacturers that trans fats are no longer safe to use in processed foods, and many major companies, including Kraft, General Mills, and Nestle have pledged to get artificial colors and flavors out of their products—a practice called “clean labeling.”

WebMD asked her what she thought of these developments, and whether companies have really committed to making healthier products.

Q: I’m sure you’ve noticed this recent spate of public announcements from Kraft and General Mills and Nestle that they’re going to get artificial ingredients out of their foods. Do you think companies are feeling more consumer pressure to talk more about how they make their food?

A: Companies, I think, are only going as far as people push them, and by people I mean consumers—the people that are eating their products. They’re doing it because they’re being pushed in that direction by consumers.

They get all this input coming from social media and focus groups and all this market data gathering that they usually do. What they’re hearing is that people are concerned about this, and they’re worried about sales. They feel like if they don’t do this there’s going to be an impact on sales, and they’re probably right.

But they aren’t doing it to be better companies. They’re not trying to truly open up the doors. They’re not truly trying to reform their foods to make them healthier. They’re simply reacting to what consumers are telling them. I know that sounds cynical. That’s just my observation of how food companies think and how they operate. Or any consumer-facing company, really.

Q: After telling us so many revealing details about how processed foods are made, you say in your book that food companies aren’t going to fix this. Since they’re making the food to begin with, why shouldn’t they be the ones to reform it?

A: I’ve had this debate and argument with some people in the food movement who think that we need to be putting pressure on companies. We need to look at regulation and force companies to do things. That’s great if it happens, but companies are so good at getting around regulations. They find every loophole they can. And it’s also really hard to get any regulation passed.

So I think it’s really about pushing forward with a new consciousness about food and educating people and opening people’s eyes up. I’ve been really amazed and heartened by how much has happened on that front within the last 10 years. There have been books written, articles, documentaries. People are looking at all this much more with a much greater awareness about what’s healthy for us to eat and caring about our health. Not everyone — there’s still a huge ways to go.

I think that’s where the momentum needs to continue. We need to keep focusing on opening up people’s eyes to what happens inside the food industry. And if they decide ‘Oh, it’s fine. No big deal,’ then let people decide for themselves. But most people when they see what happens inside the food industry, whether it’s on the farms or in factories decide, ‘Oh, that’s kind of gross. I think I’m going to find other options.’

Q: Where is the FDA in all this?

A: I think people have gotten so used to the FDA not doing anything that it’s hard to summon anyone’s outrage about it. They say, ‘Well, the agency doesn’t have a big enough budget to really police our food supply.’ But they’ll never get enough money if people don’t get angry about it and insist on greater regulation.

It is a Herculean job to try either initiate or try to stay on top of the scientific research on so many different food additives. Let me just say that. It is a really big deal. But there’s just clear examples of how the FDA is just not being rigorous at all in ways that it definitely could.

Trans fat is just the most recent and glaring example. We’ve known for at least 10 years, probably more, that trans fats are one of the most harmful things in the food supply and it’s just now that FDA has taken away the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status of partially hydrogenated oils. So, just the fact that they sat on it for that long and didn’t want to press the food industry, and from what I can tell, the reason they didn’t take action was that the food industry said ‘No, wait, it’s not that bad. We’ll just reduce the amount, and we’ll still have half a gram, you need to give us time.’ So they kind of go in line with the schedule that the food industry requests.

There are other examples like BHT, which is the preservative that’s used so that oils don’t go rancid in foods, and you find it in a number of processed foods as well as in packaging. That’s a probable carcinogen, according to the Health and Human Services department, so clearly that could be something that’s banned and not allowed in food. So those are just small examples of where the FDA could take simple action without going through tons of scientific studies. The data is already there.

Six months ago, there was a study that popped up on a couple of emulsifiers that are pretty widely used. Polysorbate 80 was one of them. It’s a whole area where there has been hardly any research done because it’s relatively new, our knowledge of the gut microbiome. We have no idea what all these additives are doing to our gut bacteria. That’s just another example of how there is a need for more research.

I’m not going to be the one screaming, ‘Don’t eat any food additives, they’re all horrible.’ I think in a limited amount, your body can handle (them) and has a system for detoxifying. Because everyone eats some processed food. We’re all exposed to food additives. It’s just a question of quantity. If people are consuming a diet heavy in processed food, then they’re getting an abundance of all these different kinds of food addititves. And I think the FDA needs to be a lot more aware of that, the accumulation of many, many food additives coming into our bodies day after day for people who are eating these diets heavy in processed food.

Q: What do you think is the next trans fat?

A: Certainly the most dangerous things in our food now are sugar and refined grains. They’re in abundance in processed food and their effect on the body in excess is well documented.

Refined grains get turned into glucose in the body very quickly. If you’re eating a whole grain product, like oatmeal, there’s some fiber that helps to slow down the absorption in the body, but if you take out that fiber, there’s nothing to prevent it from being readily converted into glucose and functioning very similar to the way sugar does in terms of rapidly going into the bloodstream and causing these rapid spikes in blood sugar, and your pancreas produces a lot of insulin to compensate, and you have that whole cycle that can lead to metabolic syndrome and diabetes if left unchecked.

Q: Do you think when you take artificial colors and flavors out of a processed food, that makes it a better product? Is clean labeling really going to make our food healthier?

A: That’s a tough one, I think. Some days I think, ‘OK, that’s kinda good. It’s making something less bad.’ It’s good to have those options as a better alternative when you do want the chips, cookies, frozen stuff and cereals. But on the other hand, the concern is that it gives those foods a health halo and confuses people. And then people think, ‘Well I can eat more … or (it’s) a healthy product.’ … I think people have to be sophisticated about it and think ‘Well, there are none of these seemingly horrible additives, but what are the other ingredients in them?’ If there’s a lot of sugar and refined grains, then I think you have to look at those ingredients and make an assessment.

(Some companies) are taking out artificial colors and flavors without really addressing the other stuff. Like BHT and methylcellulose and all these other ingredients and preservatives.

Q: How natural are “natural flavors”?

A: All the natural flavors are still highly processed. Special strawberry flavor doesn’t come from a strawberry. They’re coming from a natural source. It could start with corn, or soybeans, or yeast. It starts with a natural source, but the way you get to it is highly processed, similar to the way you would for an artificial flavoring. The process is very similar. It’s just what you start with that’s different, that makes it natural. People can decide whether that’s better. I don’t necessarily think it’s better.

Q: We looked into problems of adulteration with processed foods like parmesan cheese.  When I asked a cheese expert if he wanted the FDA to do something about it, he said no. He said the agency has to stay focused on preventing foodborne illness caused by contamination with E. coli and Listeria and things like that.  He said these additives aren’t really a health issue. What do you say to that?

A: If you have to choose one or the other, you’re going to go with prevent E. coli and Listeria, obviously. But why do we have to choose?

It’s ironic that the FDA was inspired by Harvey Wiley, MD, who wanted an agency to oversee food, specifically because there was so much adulterated food and no one was overseeing this. That was the original inspiration for the FDA in the first place. So you didn’t have sawdust in your coffee and things like that. Now it’s cellulose in the parmesan cheese. Maybe that’s why all those shakers of parmesan cheese, when you buy them, have no taste. There’s no flavor. You have to put so much on to get a little bit of taste.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Understanding Underlying Causes Of Weight Gain

By Jennifer R. ScottReviewed by a board-certified physician

I like this blog post from VeryWell.com. It answers a lot of the questions I get in my emails. Many of us don't understand what's happening to our bodies. They don't know why they keep adding weight? Answering this question is "key" to losing your fat. When you're adding weight, you're adding body fat and you have to correct the problem before you end up with serious health problems. Excess body fat will slow down body functions.

Most people who aren't overweight think that the root cause of overweight and obesity is deceptively simple. If you take in more calories than you use, you'll gain weight. And if you eat less, you lose weight. But in reality, there are several underlying weight gain causes that can contribute to your weight beyond just calories consumed and calories burned.

Normal Weight Gain in Daily Life

Some weight gain is a normal part of life, particularly for women.

Weight gain occurs with pregnancy, and many breastfeeding mothers maintain a certain amount of weight while nursing. In addition, most women experience a periodic weight gain each month before and during menstruation. While much of this weight gain is typically referred to as water weight, many women get used to rising and falling numbers on the scale. Rapid weight gain that can't be attributed to either of these normal causes may be a sign of dangerous fluid retention, and anyone experiencing it should notify their doctor.

Aging also contributes to natural weight gain in many adults. While it's unclear whether or not aging actually causes weight gain, it is clear that most of us gain at least a small amount of weight as we get older. So why does it happen? As we age, our body composition changes, we often lose muscle mass, metabolism slows, and our lifestyles change. Each of these factors can contribute to weight gain unless we reduce the amount of food we eat and get enough exercise to maintain our weight.

Other Possible Causes of Weight Gain 

You may also gain weight because of other reasons that are not a part of everyone's daily life. These are some underlying weight gain causes to consider if you start to add pounds or inches.

• Significant alcohol use. Booze calories add up quickly. And when we drink we often indulge in empty calories that can contribute to weight gain.

• The use of certain drugs such as corticosteroids, cyproheptadine, lithium, tranquilizers, phenothiazines, some antidepressants, and medicines that increase fluid retention and cause edema. If you've started a new prescription and notice weight gain, talk to your doctor or pharmacist to make sure that the weight change is normal
• Emotional factors, such as guilt and anxiety can contribute to changes in your weight. Some people lose weight during divorce, job change or other difficult transitions but other people gain weight during times of stress
• Quitting smoking often leads to weight gain in some people. Why? It may be that smoking was the way that you managed anxiety or nerves. Without cigarettes, some people turn to food.

Medical Causes of Weight Gain

If you notice that you're putting on weight and there is no apparent lifestyle cause, it is possible that something more serious is at play. Weight gain can be a symptom or the result of certain medical conditions. These can include:

• Certain endocrine diseases, such as Cushing syndrome and hypothyroidism
• Heart disorders
• Lung disorders
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Depression

It's important to talk to your doctor today if you have unexplained weight gain and any of the following symptoms:

• Constipation
• Hair loss
• Sensitivity to cold
• Swollen feet and shortness of breath
• Uncontrollable hunger accompanied by palpitations, tremor, and sweating
• Vision changes

If you suspect that there is a medical issue that is causing your weight gain (or weight loss) don't be afraid to speak to your health care provider.  The good news is that weight gain, regardless of its cause, can often be managed with consistent lifestyle and dietary changes and an increase in physical activity. Your physician can help you determine whether or not these underlying causes may be leading to weight gain in your own personal situation.

He or she may also be able to refer you to experts including a registered dietitian, physical therapist, behavioral health experts for additional help. 

If you really want to lose the extra flab you can get help, I write 4 blogs and I’ve written two E-books. E-books are the easiest and cheapest way to learn about any subject without groping through hundreds of website looking for the material you want. 

My first e-book is “HowBadDoYouWantToLoseWeight” and it sells for $2.99 on most online bookstores like Amazon, BN.com, iBook, Kobo, and Gardner books in the U.K.

My second e-book is available in the same stores. And on smashwords.com.  Just type in the search line “getting to a healthy weight”.

My Belly Fat Won't Budge

This is a common problem. I found this post on Healthnet.com and it explains what's going on.

Whether you’re bothered by a little too much padding on your hips, thighs, belly or any other place else on your body, you probably know that spot-reducing isn’t possible. “When you gain weight it’s circular, meaning that you store fat all over your body,” says Obi Obadike, fitness expert and celebrity trainer whose washboard abs have graced many a fitness magazine cover.

“But certain parts of your body are prone to store more fat than others.” For some it’s the hips or butt. For others, it’s right smack in the middle of the body.

What’s the secret to losing the tubby tummy? Obadike says there are three things you must do:

1. Eat a Clean/Lean Healthy Diet: “Abs are not made in the gym, they are made in the kitchen.” Obadike says this is something he and many fitness experts tell their clients. “Flat abs are not indicative of 1,000 sit ups a day, they’re indicative of how low your body fat is. And reducing your body fat comes from a clean, healthy diet.” 

That includes at least two protein servings a day, at least two servings of veggies/fruits, good fats and at least two servings of good carbs. “Diet is 80% of your success in losing belly fat,” says Obadike. “But by combining that with a rigorous cardio and weight-training plan, you increase your chances of losing belly fat by 15% to 20%.” That gives you a 95% to 100% chance of success. Not bad odds! 

Clean/Lean foods to add to your diet include oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, baked or broiled chicken breast, baked or broiled turkey breast, fish and, of course, fruits and veggies. “I teach my clients the 90/10 rule,” says Obadike. “That is eat clean 90% of the time and cheat 10% of the time.” Of course, a cheat isn’t a plate of chicken parm followed by a slice of tiramisu. Examples of a “cheat” would be one slice of pizza, a small hamburger or small slice of chocolate cake. The serving size should fit roughly in the palm of your hand. 

How many calories should you limit yourself to each day to shed pounds? “A weight loss caloric diet that I use is 10 to 12 calories per pound,” says Obadike. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, your daily caloric intake would be between 1,800 to 2,160 calories (180 x 10 = 1,800; 180 x 12 = 2,160). “I’ve had great success with my clients using this formula,” he says. “They never feel hungry even though it is a low-calorie diet.

2. Follow a Weekly Cardio Program: “To see results you’ll need to do 30 to 45 minutes of cardio at least four times a week,” Obadike says. His favorite fat-blasting equipment? The elliptical, stairmaster and treadmill. “They help you burn calories fairly fast,” he says. But walking on the treadmill while reading a magazine won’t cut it. “I always tell my clients, if you aren’t sweating then you aren’t working.

3. Work Those Abs: “Abs exercises are important for strengthening your stomach muscles,” says Obadike. But they must go along with the fat-melting cardio. Otherwise, he says, the abs are “hibernating” under the belly fat.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Weight Loss Made Easy

It’s not that hard to lose weight but there’s a “but” clause in here. There’s many different way to lose weight and not every way will work for you. That’s the BUT CLAUSE, "not every way is going to work for you". There's going to be some "trial and error” if you’re going to find the best way for you. 

There is one constant that applies to any diet, YOUR BODY HAS TO BURN MORE CALORIES THAN YOU CONSUME. The way the body works is what we might call “real time”. In other words, we are suppose to first eat (that first hour after we wake-up from a nights sleep) and then use that food for energy and then eat again and use that food for energy and so on. You want to eat first thing in the morning because your body has been working all night on repairing the body and doing the basic organ functions like pumping blood and breathing air. So you need some nutrition and you need to drink a full glass of water to hydrate your body after that long sleep.

As I mentioned before you have to burn more calories then you eat. So the big question is "how many calories do I burn?” That’s the part that most everyone gets wrong. And if you get that wrong you won’t lose weight. Statistics show the the average women who works 8 hours a day may only burn about 1200 calories all day, because most working women will spend most of that 8 hours sitting at a desk.  While the average mother with school age children will burn a little more because there more active and have more time to workout, so the average goes up to 1500 calories for non-working or unemployed women. For men the number are a little different. Actually most men not working out of the home will burn less calories, about 1500 and men working out of the home will burn closer to 1800 calories. 

Now these are marly averages, and that’s were most dieters go wrong. I thing the numbers may be correct if your of normal weight, but if you’re overweight you’ll burn less calories. Why, you might ask. As you gain body fat you tend to burn less calories. You may not realize it, but you’re slowing down as you add weight. It’s a gradual process so in most cases you don’t realize that you’re slowing down. Most people don’t realize their overweight until their 30+ pounds over. 

So what has really happened is that you may be only burning 800 or 900 calories a day. At this point you have to cut your calories down to 800 a day to see if you can start losing fat. I understand that it’s not going to be easy and here is were exercise can help. If you don’t exercise now and you want to lose weight, one hour a day of real heart-pumping exercise will burn about 300 calories, so if you were burning an extra 300 a day you could eat more calories.  So now you would be up to 1100 calories. If you change your meal plan and go with 5 small meals a day about 3 hours apart, eating 200 calories per meal, you can stay under 1100 calories and control food cravings. 

Now you have to find 200 calories that will give you nutrition to hold you for that 3 hours. Your in luck, just GOOGLE “200 calorie meals” and there’s several websites to help you. Remember to spend your 200 calories wisely, that’s all you get for 3 hours. If you just eat a snack and think that if you save 200 calories now so I can eat more later, that doesn’t work. It takes your body time to process food and if you eat say 500 calories for one meal, your food won’t have fully processed in 3 hours and your body will have to store some of those calories in fat cells so it can begin to process the next meal. 

If you find that your losing weight and you want to increase calories, I suggest 6 small meals a day about 2 hours apart. This is better for cutting out food cravings but you have to be the judge of which plan will help you lose weight.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $2.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Reconsider Yoga

If you've ruled out yoga for physical reasons, it might be time to reconsider.

This is a great article for anyone who thinks it's too late for them. It's never too late.

If you think you're not the yoga type, think again. Just about anyone can do it, and it's not about bending yourself into a pretzel.

For men and women of all shapes, sizes, and abilities, yoga builds strength and balance. It's also a great way to ease stress.

"In a gym, you're really pushing yourself to go further when you're working out. In yoga, it's the opposite. The poses encourage all the range of motion that the body is designed to do," says Megan Dunne Krouse, a yoga instructor in Chicago.

                

When Megan Garcia signed up for yoga at Smith College, she felt intimidated because she was the only overweight person in the class. She stuck with it, though, and noticed she started gaining strength, plus feeling and sleeping better, too.

Now she is a plus-sized model and Kripalu-certified yoga instructor who teaches in New York and specializes in teaching yoga to people of all shapes and sizes.

Garcia found that yoga changed her in unexpected ways.

"Before I started doing yoga, I really lived life from the neck up," she says. "After yoga, I began to really feel at home in my skin. If I didn't have yoga, I can't imagine feeling so good in my body. Yoga has made it comfortable for me to sit on the floor, to twist, to bend. It grounds me in my body."

RaeAnn Banker, who owns River Yoga in Lahaska, PA, started taking yoga classes on her 42nd birthday as a present to herself.

"I was overweight, and since my mother was morbidly obese, I knew I better do something or I was going to end up just like her," Banker says.

"It took several months of driving by the yoga center before I got up the courage to go in. But once I started, I loved the classes. I was the weakest student in the class, but I kept going," Banker says. "I ended up losing 35 pounds over the next 2 years and becoming a yoga teacher. Yoga literally changed my life."

"Yoga doesn't discriminate," he says. "Yoga will make you feel good. Yoga, at its root, is about bringing more awareness to action and to movement. The more you get in your body, the more connected you are to the world."

Tips for Trying Yoga

Check with your doctor before starting yoga or any new exercise program. And keep these pointers in mind:

• Choose a style of yoga that suits you. Not all yoga classes are alike. Some are more vigorous than others; others may emphasize meditation.
• Find a teacher you like. Classes that are billed as "intro" or "beginner" can attract a wide range of skill levels. You can sign up for a private one-on-one session customized to your needs.
• Go at your own pace. You can modify yoga poses using blocks, straps, and other tools so that you don't overstretch. Ask your instructor for help and for modifications that suit your needs.
• Listen to your body. If you're forcing yourself into a position that's painful, that's a signal to stop.
• Don't compare yourself to others. It's not about being as flexible as everyone else -- or as the people you see in yoga magazines who have been practicing for years. And always remember, there's room for you, too.

WebMD Feature

If you decided to join a class don't do it blindly. Find a group about your age and a class with other beginners. Yoga can make the aches and pains go away. Like anything else it will take time. But even Retirement Homes have Yoga class for their residents. You can find free classes in your area.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of

the home page. 

Getting To A Healthy Weight

Getting to a healthy weight is about changing your lifestyle. Changing what you eat and how you eat. It takes planning to make a lifestyle change. You can’t just make small changes. You have to go all in and start from scratch by first designing a menu you can stick to.

You want to eat fresh. Think about that for a minute, fresh veggies, fresh fruit, frozen is o.k., but frozen without any sauce or syrup. You don’t want to buy any frozen foods that are already prepared and ready to heat and eat. When it comes to meat, poultry or fish be careful of the frozen packages. Read the labels to see if there are any added ingredients. Sodium is your enemy when you’re on a diet. Sodium and sugar or fructose (a chemical substitute for sugar) are two ingredients commonly used in frozen foods and both are not good for your diet.

I know it might cost extra but you want to buy any meat or seafood fresh and the highest quality. I know you're thinking about your budget; Americans overdose on meat, for some reason we think we need to eat meat at every meal. The truth is seafood should only be eaten 3 times a week in small quantities like 4 ounces, poultry 1 time a week in 4 to 6-ounce quantity, and red meat which includes pork 1 or 2 times a month in 4-ounce quantities. That’s all you need. All meats contain animal fat, even if you can’t see the fat like you can on poultry it’s there and it goes straight to your stored fat area.

If you cut back on the meat you’re eating the cost of groceries shouldn’t change, even if you’re spending more on the meat you buy. In fact, eating fresh and only snacking on fruit, nuts and seeds you should be saving money. Also, drink mainly water, you can flavor it with lemon. Hot or ice tea (no sweetener), or black coffee (no sweetener) non-diary creamer is o.k., check the label for the calorie count.

When you get serious about losing weight you want to stop smoking. If you drink alcohol you want to cut back. Personally, I had to stop all beer and wine when I got serious. After you lose the body fat and get to a healthy weight, you can drink alcohol in moderation. Two drinks a day for a man, one drink a day for women. I don’t know why, that’s what all the books say.

Also if you're going to get to a healthy weight you want to "manage your stress." I understand that most of us have no idea how to do that and some of us don’t realize they have any stress. I was in my own business for 30 years and I know I had stress but I loved stress. Dead-lines, dealing with employees and tax management, I could handle it. Men especially like to be busy and until they have more than they can deal with, they don’t realize the stress they have. The reason I mention stress is because most people manage their stress by eating. Being busy causes a person to become hyper. Then when you want to slow-down, you’ll take a break and that’s when most of us will look for something to eat. It happened to me.

I learned to walk, when I stop working and want to think or just take a break, I’d get up and walk. I might walk for 10 minutes or more until I’m calm and have thought through the situation. When I’m working from home, I use a stationary bike for a break from writing. You might think that writing isn’t stressful but anytime you have to produce work in a certain amount of time, that’s stressful. Learning to mange your stress without eating is a big part of living healthy.

Research shows you can improve your health just by losing between 5% to 10% of your weight. Then depending on how much weight you have to lose, You probably will continue. It does get easier. Losing say, that first 10% will give you more energy and you’ll feel it. That makes the next 10% easier because you’ll feel better and have more energy so your activity level will increase and you’ll burn more calories just by being more active.

Often when a person becomes overweight they lose the willingness to be active, therefore they burn fewer calories. That’s the downward spiral you can fall into and the slowing-down is so gradual you don’t realize you're slowing down. Have you ever wondered why an overweight person can eat less than a thin person but not loss weight. The thin person burns more calories naturally. They may not even workout, but they still burn more calories than someone overweight.

If you're someone who has been overweight for some time and have tried dieting, dieting restricts the amount of food you're eating and it’s not healthy. Forget those diets and change to a healthy meal plan. It will take some work on your part. You need to do some research and find a meal plan for you. The trick is to eat fresh. No processed foods, no already prepared foods, you make the food yourself.

If you don’t know where to start, you might think about "Weight Watchers”. For a beginner, they know how to motivate you and keep you on the right track. You don’t have to stay forever, but you want to stay long enough to learn how to lose and how to keep it off. Don’t buy the food plan, you don’t have to and there’s no pills involved. It’s a support program. They teach you how? If you're not a self-starter, this might be the way to go.

If there is no Weight Watchers near you, look online for a location near you or use the “online program”.
E-books are the easiest and cheapest way to learn about any subject without groping through hundreds of websites looking for the material you want.

My first e-book is “HowBadDoYouWantToLoseWeight” and it sells for $2.99 on most online bookstores like Amazon.com, BN.com, iBook, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, and Gardner books in the U.K.
My second e-book is available in the same stores. And on smashwords.com.

It’s obviously not that simple, but there are little mind tricks you can use to bolster your efforts to lose weight. Try these smart ways to put your brain to work for you:

1. Imagine Yourself Fitter. You’ve undoubtedly heard about the power of visualization. And when it comes to exercise, an important part of any weight loss program, your imagination can be an effective motivational tool. One small study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2010 found that adults who imagined their future selves -- either as slimmer and fitter or out-of-shape and inactive – were more apt to stick with their exercise routine. So whether it’s hope or fear, choose whichever motivates you to keep moving. 

Yes, think positive and always imagine you as a fit, healthy person who jogs or bikes with friends and having fun. This is the best way to keep motivated.

2. Tweak Your Attitude

You may occasionally catch yourself thinking things like, “There must be an easier way,” or “I wish I could have potato chips instead of carrot sticks.” When this happens, cognitive behavioral therapy expert Judith Beck, PhD, author of The Beck Diet Solution, suggests countering those thoughts with an “oh, well” attitude. In other words, say to yourself, “I may not like this, but I’ll accept it, do what I have to do and move on.” A shorter version? “I want the potato chips but I’m going to skip them. I know better now".

3. Focus on the Habit, Not the Calories

You’re really not hungry, but that 100-calorie snack is only … 100 calories. Will it bust your calorie count for the day? Not likely. But here’s the problem: When you cave to that urge to nosh, it doesn’t matter if it has 20 calories or 200. Eating when you’re not hungry reinforces the habit of giving in to temptations, according to Beck. Instead of focusing on calorie count, stop and think about why you’re reaching for food. Are you bored or upset? Is it time for your favorite show and you always eat in front of tube? Whatever the trigger, go for a walk, work on a hobby or call a friend --anything that distracts you from feeding a bad food habit.

Losing weight is a lot like quitting smoking. It is mind-over-matter. The ones that suceed are the ones that don't give-up. Study everything you can find about weight loss and remember that we can't all lose weight the same way. What works for me probably won't work for you. You have to find what works for you.

After 30 years of struggling to lose body fat, I hit across something that worked for me. I had little success losing body fat until I retired. I took the time to study about losing body fat and after about six months of a healthy diet and exercise, I lost my last 20 pounds of fat.

Losing body fat should be your goal. Read up on weight loss and losing body fat. It doesn’t cost money to lose weight. The internet is full of free information.

But the quickest way and cheapest way is to buy an ebook online and get everything you need in one short read. I have two ebooks on Amazon:

How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight

Getting To A Healthy Weight

Check out one of them, I think you can find all the info you need and plenty of tips on how I lost my body fat. 

Look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find these e-books. These books give you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my books at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.