By Vienna Miller

Wondering how to lose weight? Weight loss is big business these days. In fact it’s a billion dollar industry.

So it’s not surprising that diets and weight loss programs are becoming more and more complicated. After all, the newest fad diet has to be different from the 37 other fad diets that were popular before it right?

In fact, dieting almost seems like a national pastime – a recreational sport. Who cares that we never actually reach our goals – as long as there’s something new to try!

If you’re confused and wondering about how to lose weight, don’t worry. Assuming you’re in general overall good health it’s not that complicated.

If you’ve failed in the past with complicated diet plans and food counting, you don’t have to go back to that. Here are 3 simple and easy weight loss tips that you can use to slim down, without complicated or time-consuming fad diets:

#1 Control Your Portions

Portion control may seem like an old fashioned concept but it works. We are so out of balance today on what a “proper” portion is, it’s ridiculous.

From extra large big gulps to supersized fast food meals, we eat portions in North America that would feed a family in poorer countries – for a week. Even if you don’t want to cut out your sweet treats or comfort foods, you can lose weight just by cutting your portion sizes.

Start slow, maybe by cutting them in half, then maybe by a third. Take your time and really taste the food. Savor it. By doing this you may not even notice that you’re getting less of it – or care.

#2 Eat Food You Like

Yes, that’s right – in order to lose weight, you have to actually enjoy your food. The problem with a lot of diets is that people don’t enjoy the food.

You can’t expect to eat bland, dull, blah food for more than a few days without feeling like you want to rip someone’s head off. That’s called deprivation – and it’s actually a natural reaction.

Most people don’t realize that food has 2 purposes. The main purpose is to nourish you physically. However there is also an emotional nourishing element to it as well.

Other cultures know this – that’s why the French and the Italians treat their food (and meal times) as something special. When you ignore the emotional aspect of eating by eating food you can’t stand, then you will break your diet guaranteed.

So no matter what diet or weight loss plan you choose – make sure it includes food you enjoy.

Now that doesn’t mean you eat twinkies and chocolate bars for every meal. However there are diets that include chocolate and even pizza. There are diet food delivery services that will make you gourmet, restaurant-quality meals that taste amazing – but are still low in calories.

No matter what you choose to do, make sure that you feed your emotional need every day for good-tasting food!

#3 Get Moving

No, this is not about exercise. We all know we need to move around more in order to keep the weight off. But this is more about your mental attitude.

See, many of us wish we could lose weight. And maybe we half-heartedly try the latest diet for about a day or two. Maybe we turn down a dessert at a restaurant here or there. But we’re not really taking active steps to lose weight.

There are many reasons for this – maybe we feel bad about diets that failed in the past (note: the diet failed – not you!). Maybe we are beating ourselves up for gaining weight over the holiday season (note: you’re normal – no reason to feel bad, we all indulge. It’s not the end of the world.)

But the outcome of this is that we are scared to really take serious steps to tackle the problem. We get lulled into thinking “If I don’t really try, I can’t really feel bad if I fail.”

But if you are serious about losing weight you must get moving. Try something. Pick a diet, choose a weight loss plan that you get excited about.

I personally like to use a diet meal delivery service every spring to get the winter weight off – it gives me built-in portion control and the meals are delicious. But you may choose to try something else. Whatever it is – do it. Take action steps to put your weight loss plan into place.

Get off the couch and go after your dreams. Nobody is going to do it for you.

So those are 3 simple tips on how to lose weight. If you follow these 3 tips, you won’t be one of those people this year who only “wish” they were slimmer – you will be slimmer, happier and more confident!

About the Author: Vienna Miller writes for

Diet Food Delivery

Reviews – a site giving you the latest tips and reviews on diet services that deliver to your home.

For the top 3 diet meal delivery services rated by price, food taste and fast weight loss results visit Best Diet Meal Delivery

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Considering Weight Loss Surgery? Ask Yourself These Important Questions

by

Smith Christine

Here are some essential questions you should ask yourself before you decide on weight loss surgery.

Do I really need surgery to lose weight? The first question you should ask yourself is if weight loss surgery is the final answer left to you, or if you should look for a different option. Surgery is only rarely ever the sole option for weight loss. In fact, most physicians would agree that a good diet and exercise plan would be much safer than surgery. Before choosing surgery, you should try to lose weight naturally, through a good nutrition plan and exercise. Am I a good candidate for weight loss surgery? Most bariatric surgeons use the following criteria to determine whether a person is a good candidate for weight loss surgery: — You are severely obese with a body mass index (BMI) over 40. — You have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight through non-surgical means — Your weight is affecting your daily life and relationships — You understand the procedure, and realize the risks that are associated with weight loss surgery What are the risks of weight loss surgery? All types of surgery carry some level of risk, including surgery for weight loss. Even though many weight loss surgeries use laparoscopic techniques, which are considered minimally invasive, there is always the potential for complications. Talk to your doctor about this issue during your initial consultation. How much will this surgery cost? Weight loss surgery can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000. Clearly, you will have financial considerations as well as medical issues to think over before you make your decision. You should talk to your insurance provider to see if they cover the type of weight loss surgery you are considering. How do I find a qualified weight loss surgeon? When you do your initial research for a weight loss surgeon, you should first check to see how much experience he or she has performing the type of surgery that you want. It’s a good idea to see how many of these surgeries this surgeon has performed. Most states require surgeons to provide potential patients with their surgical history, success rates, and other information. A good weight loss surgeon will establish a post-surgery follow-up plan for you, which can help you through the process and will monitor your progress. What should I do to prepare for weight loss surgery? This is one of the most common questions people ask when they’ve made the decision to have weight loss surgery. Keep in mind that the preparation isn’t limited to medical issues – you also have to be ready to deal mentally with the life-altering changes that will happen to your body. What happens during the post-surgery phase? Clearly, your life will change drastically after weight loss surgery. For one thing, you will be eating far less, and you won’t be as hungry as you used to be. And while dietary changes are an important post-surgery issue, there are other considerations, too. Learn as much as you can about the typical recovery process for the type of surgery you have chosen, so that you will know what you can expect.

National Bariatric Link was created to help match you with the right

Medical Weight Loss

where ever you are located. It’s very simple! Fill out a quick form and be matched with a caring weight loss counselor for free! For more information please visit:

Weight Loss Surgery

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Submitted by: Janet Daughtry

On the first day of a new year, we make all kinds of resolutions about things that we are going to change and do differently. While all of our intention and effort is certainly good and noble, maybe it’s a little backwards in it’s approach. Maybe we are getting the cart before the horse. Rather than behaving our way into change, maybe we need to re-think our way into personal success!

Why do I say this? Many years ago, James Allen wrote the very popular book, “As A Man Thinketh.” In this book he states, “All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.” That’s a very powerful statement! We are as far in life as we are because of our thoughts. In fact, a person can never act outside of their beliefs. If you want to change your behavior, you must first analyze it backwards. You have to go back to what you believe, because what you believe determines what you think about; and ultimately what you think about affects your emotions. Once your emotions get involved behavior soon follows. If you believe a lot of things that are not true, your emotions and behavior will ultimately reflect that!

I believe James Allen was probably influenced by the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote in the 12th chapter of Romans (NIV Bible), “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing your mind.” Basically Paul says you if you want to be transformed then renew your mind. What does it mean to have your mind renewed? Actually the word renewal or renewing here means being made over . It’s like having a mental make-over, if you will. Do you want to achieve a desired behavior? Then you must first change how you think. If you change your perspective, the way you think about things, you will change your life. Renew your thinking, renew your life! You and I could sure use an extreme makeover of our thoughts daily!

You may be saying to yourself, I still don’t see what all of this have to do with New Year’s resolutions? It’s very important because, on any given day, all kinds of negative thoughts and destructive self-talk assaults your mind. Did you know that most people entertain about 600 negative thoughts a day? That’s a lot of negative influence! That’s a lot of pressure that s fighting good intentions. In fact most of us, by the age of six, have learned enough trash to mentally do us in for life. We have learned all sorts of lies that our society, friends and families have told us or modeled for us. These lies have become recordings that play non-stop in our sub-conscious minds. We adopt them as true and they become the life message and creed that we live by, almost unconsciously.

For example, what happens to your resolve to loose weight, when you get into a fight with your spouse? In a split second, after the yelling, you are pulling food out of the refrigerator and binging. Where did that come from? You just reacted without giving it a thought. Then you rationalize, “Well, I’m not good at dieting anyway so why bother and you throw in the towel. What happened to your resolve?

I believe if we want renewal, or being made over in our life, we are going to have to do some introspection. What do I really believe? If food is the issue, what is my perspective about food and why do I turn to it? How do I view myself in the first place? Most importantly, what is the truth that I should believe? What does God think about me?

Not long ago, one of my clients did want to get a handle on her eating. She had undergone gastric bypass surgery and had lost a tremendous amount of weight but her eating habits had not changed. I thought it was an unusual coaching request, but why not? If I really believed that people acted out of their beliefs, then why wouldn’t it work here? So we began to examine why she was eating in the first place. She had devalued her self-worth because of some abandonment issues from her past. Her eating was a form of self-love and comfort. So, she made a conscious decision to reject the lies that she had believed about her value. She began to believe the truth that God could not only change her, but loved her unconditionally on a personal level. She was determined to challenge her negative thinking patterns, especially the way she thought about herself. She began to talk to herself (faith comes by hearing) and tell herself the truth. She would write love notes to herself from God and daily affirmations on her mirrors. She would tell herself the truth over and over. She would consciously become aware of her negative thought patterns in various situations and work on changing her self-talk. She began to visualize herself as loved, valued and healthy. My client was renewing her mind, just as the Apostle Paul had said. Her change did not happen overnight, but I did see her change. She began to be transformed before my eyes because she began to believe the truth! She experienced tremendous changes in her eating habits and desires.

When it comes down to it, resolve and commitment are great, but if we don t take the time to discover why we do the things we do, we might as well just keep repeating history. We don t need to reform the old as much as we need to walk out our new identity as believers! If you will take the time to change your thinking, you will change your life. Renew, or makeover your thinking with the truth, and you will ultimately renew your emotions and most importantly your quality of life. It is really true that our life will go in the direction our thoughts take us.

About the Author: Janet Daughtry, MDIV, CBC, is a certified Christian life coach helping women find their purpose and potential in life. Her website is at

CoachJanet.com

.

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