Have you heard about people changing to a raw food diet?

Raw and living foods

The raw food diet is something that I’ve been hearing a fair bit about lately.  Essentially what you do on this diet is eat living and raw food exclusively.

Now before you turn your head away at the idea - keep in mind that changing to a raw food diet does not entail you having to acquire a taste for raw meat.  In fact - meat is not a part of this at all!

Starting a raw food means that you’re focused on eating raw and living foods - in particular fresh fruits and vegetables.  And while the raw food diet plan might not be for everyone, people who try it have experienced raw food weight loss.

So how does it all work?  Well - the basic idea is that you’re following what is essentially a vegetarian diet, or more accurately a vegan diet with a twist.  The raw food diet includes no cooked food (or anything heated above 116 degrees F).  The idea is to eat living food, organic food, fresh fruits, raw vegetables and so on, with the payoff being not only weight loss, but more energy and overall better health.  The theory behind this diet is that by eating raw and living foods, you are eating the essence of life - as opposed to putting “dead” foods into your body.  And it make sense - because we all know - we get out, what we put in.  Live foods = live body.

So if you’re up to it - try it out on a 30 day trial.  Maybe changing to a raw food diet is for you!  The best part is - the food is widely available (at your organic grocer and online).  Or if you don’t feel like being quite that “hardcore” check out the 7 tips in my free report up in the top left of this page!

Have you ever tried to calculate weight watcher points? I have - and I ‘m confused!

The other day I was doing some research into some weight loss programs, and in particular, Weight Watchers. I mean, it’s been around for AGES, so it’s got to have something going for it, right? One of the first things I noticed about the program was the existence of a weight watchers points calculator.

Should you need this just to eat??

From what I’ve been able to gather, there’s a specific weight watchers point value to pretty much anything you can eat. Now on the one hand, this seems fantastic - everything’s all indexed, everything has a value. Should be easy to follow, right?

But then I got to thinking about it - and remembered some of the issues my girlfriends had when they were losing weight using this system.

First off, when you eat anything that’s packaged, you have to ensure that it’s completely done the right way (prepared according to package instructions). For those of us who grew up making “little changes” to the pre-packaged food we buy in order to make it more edible - this is a little difficult.

And for anything that’s not packaged, you need to know how to calculate weight for anything that needs to be portioned. You need to prepare meat cuts with all visible fat removed, and you need to make sure you have the appropriate grams or more dietary fiber per serving.

In short - there’s an obvious science there - but it’s confusing to say the least! All this effort just to calculate weight watcher points!

So how do you make this easier? Well the literature all points to a very interesting fact: those who attend weight watchers meetings lose three times more weight than those who don’t. And I have to say - this does make sense. After all, if you hang out with people who have similar goals, you’re more likely to achieve them. But it also says to me that there’s an unspoken need for people to have to learn more about how the system works. In short - how do you calculate weight watcher points.

Again - I have nothing against meetings per se. They’re obviously effective. But what happens if you live in an area that doesn’t have these meetings? Shouldn’t there be an easier way to lose the weight? Personally I think so - and I think a good place to start is with some good old fashioned common sense AND some information - like the information I have in my free report (the one at the top left of this page).

Because in my opinion - life’s too short to have to spend it all trying to calculate weight watcher points. Weight loss can be easier than that!

Valerie Bertinelli - my new hero!

Holy Smokes!!  OK - so I know that it’s been a while since I last posted - sorry about that.  But oh my goodness!  Have you seen what Valerie Bertinelli has done now?!  She’s on the front cover of People magazine in a bikini.  Valerie Bertinelli in a bikini!

It’s not enough that she was a super-successful television actress back in the 70s and 80s - AND she married Eddie Van Halen at the top of HIS game!  But then, as she fades into (relative) obsurity and puts on weight (just like the rest of us, right?), she finds Jenny Craig - and becomes their spokeswoman!

Now the last couple of times I saw her on TV - I thought she looked FANTASTIC! And with each advertisement, I could scarcely believe this was the same Valerie Bertinelli we had seen in the “before” pictures.  She lost 50 lbs!!!

And all of that is phenomenal - but to take it that extra step and get bikini pictures is amazing… but then to have those bikini pictures show up on the COVER of People magazine?!?  That takes a LOT of guts and self-confidence!  Especially at the “ripe-ole-age” of 48 (yes - I KNOW that’s not old!  :-))

Valerie Bertinelli’s bikini shot on People magazine is a reminder to us all that if we can dream it, and believe it - we can achieve it!  LOL - don’t know where I heard that, but it seems fitting today!

Thanks you Valerie!  You’re my hero!!!

Red red wine...

WOW… Ok - so I just HAVE to tell you about my night last night.  It was FABULOUS!

As you know, yesterday I wrote about “motivation.”  And to be honest - I was writing it more for me, than for you guys.  See - I knew I was going to be going out to one of the nicest restaurants in town with my man (woo hoo!), and I was trying to psych myself up to not blowing my diet!

Originally, I was going to tell you about how I was able to go out for a wonderful dinner and stay completely committed to my weight loss plan.

And I have to tell you the result:  it was a total success… well… kinda.

Let me explain.

You see - as I always say:  my idea of a great weight loss plan is one that allows me some ‘wiggle’ room.  It’s a plan that allows me to celebrate from time to time without worrying about, “am I blowing my plan?”

So yeah… I did “cheat” and stray away from the actual diet.  BUT, the good news is - my plan has allowances for me to do exactly that!

YAY!

So I was able to enjoy an amazing italian dinner with my man!  I was swept off my feet with a dozen red roses and a promise of a post-dinner bubble bath and massage.  The dinner was fantastic - from the appetizers, to the wine, straight through to the scrumptious dessert!  Originally, we were going to share a dessert between the two of us, but we ended up getting one each!  (They were DELICIOUS!!!)

But the best part of it all, was the complete lack of guilt I felt during the whole meal!  I was able to eat that delicious food without fear of completely messing up my diet - because the “wiggle room” is built into the plan! And if  you’re looking for a little “wiggle room” yourself - check out my yayFOOD! weight loss plan review and see if it’s the right thing for you!

You could be closer to that “beach bod” than you think!  I know I am! 

Weight Loss Systems Exposed - The Seedy Underbelly Of Losing Weight

Have you ever checked out a weight loss system?  What am I thinking - of course you have, that’s probably why you’re reading this note!

In my extensive research of weight loss and weight loss systems, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend - a trend that I’m going to expose today!

As I’m sure I don’t need to tell you - there are an overwhelming number of options out there when it comes to weight loss.  And one of the main reasons I set up this site, was to help you separate the good from the bad.

If you’ve been checking out any of my other notes here, one thing that I think is key (well, for me at any rate) is simplicity.  I need something to be simple, easy to understand, and easy to do.  And it’s not because I have difficulty understanding things - it’s because I simply don’t have the time or energy to spend trying to figure this stuff out!

Nope - like you, I have a full and busy life.  And that’s why I liked the idea of a weight loss system so much.  It’s a system.  It’s like an assembly line for weight loss!

And then I started to look into these weight loss systems - wondering how they work; how quickly I could expect weight loss.

I’m not going to mention any names of the “weight loss systems” that I investigated, because ultimately, they probably do get results for their customers - I just don’t like the way they do business (well - that’s as close as I can get to “if you don’t have anything nice to say… )

But the common threads in the (what I like to call the “bad”) weight loss system, are that they make you take time out of your day to go into their place of business.  Now - on its own, this isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a person.  But if you’re not in the neighborhood, it quickly becomes a hassle.  Also, they tend to force you to purchase some sort of nutritional supplement or food from them.

And while I agree that, at the outset, this seems simple and fool-proof, it doesn’t account for “life” getting in the way.  I found the biggest loophole for these programs was asking the simple question of: what do I do on vacation?  The responses tended to vary from a blank stare, to “try to be good”.  One person even suggested I bring the food with me!

No, a true weight loss system - as far as I’m concerned at least - is something that fits into your life.  So much so that it easily becomes a part of your life.  In other words, it’s a system that moves with YOU, throughout your life - not something you need to become a slave to.

And that’s why I look for weight loss systems that are simple, easy, and adapt to your life - not the other way around.  Because, let’s face it, the odds of success go through the roof when it fits your life already.