Forget the Dieting Gurus: Go the Traditional Route

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There are thousands of people out there pushing diets and making promises all around the world. If you get on their plan, they tell you, you’ll be able to lose weight, tone up and get rid of those love handles you loathe. The problem with diet gurus is that (at the root), they’re trying to sell a product, be it a book, supplement, or online course. While there’s nothing wrong with this per se, it creates a conflict of interest. Does the guru want to make you healthy, or do they want the money? In reality, it’s probably a bit of both. 

Fad diets, however, are often unsustainable, and sometimes they can lead you to eat foods that are dangerous to your health, all in the name of weight loss. Many, for instance, advocate high fat and high meat consumption - two food categories associated with shorter lives and more disease. 

The key to the puzzle is to look at what thriving populations ate in the past and what worked for them. The inhabitants of Sardinia in the Mediterranean, for instance, had long lives and lived practically disease-free. They ate a diet of beans, whole grains, and vegetables, with the occasional peppering of nuts and seeds. Meat, fish, cheese, oil, and sweets were rare treats - not a part of the everyday diet. 

The following infographic details some of the most popular fad diets and talks about the dangers of going on one of these programs. It then describes the kinds of foods we should adopt if we want to live well for a long time. 


Infographic by USC

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Ready to Stop Yo-Yo Dieting? Keep Reading...

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Are you a yo-yo dieter? If you are, you are indeed not alone. The process of losing a significant amount of weight, before regaining all or most of it, and then repeating the process time and time again is a frustrating experience shared by people all over the world (trust me, I know firsthand!!)

Just as you feel like you are making progress and getting somewhere with your weight loss, you find yourself slipping back into bad habits, and before you know it, you are back where you started. In some cases, people end up even heavier than they were initially. Managing your weight in this way is neither healthy nor sustainable, and will not do your self-esteem much good either, as you may feel like you are continually failing yourself. If you are ready to break this cycle, here are a few tips to help you on your way.

Think about your attitude towards food, and any issues that you may have

When it comes to weight loss, this is one of the most important things that you can do. You will never be successful in losing weight if you haven’t considered your feelings and attitudes towards food and diets, and if you don’t deal with any underlying issues surrounding it, nothing will work in the longer term. It may be something simple, but more often than not, there are a variety of factors which, when combined, have made you gain the weight or stopped you from losing any. Perhaps you comfort eat, or eat out of boredom? Are you disorganized, so end up grabbing that calorific takeout on your way home from work? Maybe you are an inexperienced cook and don’t know how to prepare healthy meals. Working out the reasons behind the problem will help you to gain much more control over the situation. If you feel like you have some extreme emotions or issues when it comes to food, you may want to consider speaking to a counselor or therapist to help you regain control and deal with them.

Clean Out The Kitchen

It can be incredibly difficult to follow any healthy eating plan if your kitchen is full of unhealthy and high calorie/carb or nutritionally devoid snacks and food. If you have a family or roommates, get them on board too, so that you can’t use the excuse that they are available for them. Dispose of anything that isn’t providing your body with nutritional goodness - anything overly processed, salty and prepackaged, or full of added sugar or preservatives. Ready meals and jars of sauces may be convenient after a hard day at work, but they, as a whole, are relatively devoid of nutrition. Do a big grocery shop and fill your cabinets and refrigerator with fresh fruit and vegetables and healthier alternatives. Don’t completely deny yourself a treat - a piece of chocolate here or slice of cake there isn’t going to hurt, and in fact, can be a part of a balanced diet, but make sure it is an occasional treat.

Research Healthy Eating Plans

There are hundreds of thousands of eating plans out there, and it is essential to do your research and find one that is suitable for you - some will only make yo-yo dieting worse as they aren’t sustainable for more than a few weeks. Others can be implemented as a life long healthy eating plan rather than a short term diet. This noom review gives you an idea of one such plan you may want to take a look at. However, speaking with your doctor or a nutritionist that can tailor a plan specifically for you is always a good way to go!

Learn To Cook

For many people, especially these days where we rely heavily on convenience foods, an inability to cook is one of the main reasons why people struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Learning to prepare exciting, yet healthy meals, means you are less likely to pick up Chinese takeout or reach for the cookie jar just because you want something satisfying to eat. Invest in some herbs and spices and learn how to use them in your everyday meals and slowly build up your repertoire. Look for healthy swaps where possible - can you swap that heavy cream out for natural yogurt? If time is an issue, as it is for lots of us, could you invest in a slow cooker so that you can walk in after a day at work to a hearty and healthy home cooked meal? Experiment with flavors and recipes, and most importantly, have fun with them.

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Jeunesse: The Future of Well-being

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Wendy Lewis and Randy Ray founded Jeunesse Global in 2009. Since its founding, the company has grown and now has 32 fully operational offices that are located throughout the world. The company invests in research for fat loss transfer, adult stem cell science, DNA repair, nutrigenomics, and telomere support. The company offers multilingual customer service, in-house programming, a global enrollment system, and a back office support team. The company has flourished because it has continued to provide consumers with a wide range of skin care products and nutritional supplements that increase vitality and overall well-being.

ZEN BODI

ZEN BODI features the ZEN Project 8 weight loss and management program. This program includes three phases that are Detox, Ignite, and Thrive. With this program, participants will learn how to monitor food portions and make healthy food choices to maintain a healthy weight. The program lasts for eight weeks, and it provides participants with healthy recipes and an active support group of program participants.

Instantly Ageless

Instantly Ageless is an effective micro cream that lasts for up to nine hours and starts to work in as little as two minutes after it is applied. The cream is an ideal way to treat forehead wrinkles, crow's feet, under eye bags, and hooded eyes.

M1ND

M1ND is a drink that helps individuals improve mental focus and memory. This product was inspired by Eastern medicine, and it contains CERA-Q. This ingredient is made from proteins that were taken from silkworm cocoons. The drink is a lemon meringue flavor that comes packed in a small and convenient package.

Reserve

Reserve is a drink that is made to enhance well-being. It is packed with powerful antioxidants that protect cells from free radical damage. The drink is a sweet berry flavor and doesn't contain artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors. Reserve contains dark sweet cherry that is taken from the Caucasus Mountain region. These cherries contain ample amounts of anthocyanin glycosides that are known to effectively fight against oxidative stress. In addition, the drink also includes Concord grapes, acai berries, blueberries, green tea, grape seed extract, and more.

Naara

Narra is a skin care supplement that is offered as a drink, and it contains powerful anti-aging ingredients that include 5000 mg of TruMarine Collagen. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, TruMarine Collagen improved the appearance of the skin in under one month. The supplement also promotes the natural formation of collagen, minimizes pores and fine lines, and improves firmness and elasticity.

MonaVie Active

This supplemental drink is formulated to promote well-being. It has a potent blend of antioxidants that were derived from 19 fruits that include the acai berry. MonaVie Active contains an abundance of vitamin C that is essential for protecting the cells from free radical damage and oxidative stress. Some fruits that are included in this blend are apple, white grape, banana, prune, pear, blueberry, cranberry, blackberry, and kiwi. In addition, this drink also includes a plant-based source of glucosamine, which is vegan-friendly and suitable for those with an allergy to shellfish.

Nevo

Nevo is the Jeunesse energy drink. The drink is available in four flavors that include peach mango, acai grape, mixed berry, and lemon ginger. The drink contains green tea, guarana, and Yerba Mate. In addition, the drink also includes vitamin C, vitamin B6, Vitamin, B12, and more. The drink doesn't contain artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors, and it is only 50 calories per can.

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Turning Your Life Around? It Just Needs A Kick-Start

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It is very easy in life to reach a point where enough is enough. We can get fed up with how we feel, how we look, how we act and how our lives are going in general. It could be a photo at a party that catches you unaware; it could be how your actions are affecting someone, it could be how bad you feel in your job - sometimes, push will come to shove, and you'll be forced into change. That's not a bad thing - but sometimes that point won't come. If you are thinking of following certain paths to make your life better, you shouldn't delay.

As easy as it is to stay stuck in a rut in regards to your physical health, your mental health, your career or your hygiene - it can be just as easy to start upon a better path. Simply put, we need to break it down. What are you going to do each and every day to make your life a little bit better? Will you stop snacking, will you be nicer? Will you put pen to paper and write that novel idea down? Take it one day at a time and make your journey as easy as possible. When we look months ahead, we can break down and fail quite easily. No worries though, you just need to pick yourself up. Remember that help is always available.

Yep - it's true. No matter what your goal is whether you want to lose weight, or jump into a more satisfying career path, you can find advice everywhere these days - thanks to the internet. With tutorials and how-to methods in abundance, you should never be without guidance. You only need to reach out and grab it - if you're looking to lose weight take this weight loss article as a good example of that. What's more, if you look, you are certain to find communities of people in the same position as you who are on the same path as you in places like Reddit or Twitter - or even dedicated forums. If you’re trying to turn your life around for whatever reason, you won’t be alone and with some basic research you’ll be able to find a set of like minded people who can give you advice and help spur you forward.

Dedication is your main tool when it comes to changing your life as well as discipline. Both of these blend together to make commitment and if you are not committed to your own personal mission to change something in your life for the better, you'll find it harder. Changing your life around is an uphill struggle, so don't burden yourself with laziness and unhelpful thoughts that will only make your personal journey harder. They are not helpful in the slightest. If you're not dedicated, you won't make room for the changes you need. If you're not disciplined, you'll find it harder to stick to the path you have chosen. Most of all, a life changing journey requires that you actually start it...

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