I was a soda addict.  Diet soda in particular was my poison of choice. It was not because I was trying to lose weight that I chose diet soda. It was really because diabetes runs in my genes and I am trying to avoid that.

I don’t have any vice – no smoking or drinking – but oddly enough, diet soda became my vice and I justified that fact that it wasn’t addiction per se, so I kept drinking it. I don’t really recall when it started, but I do remember my every lunch and dinner meal being accompanied by a cold can of diet soda.

I would particularly drink diet soda for these reasons, maybe you find yourself drinking soda for these reasons as well.

1. Whenever I was feeling stressed. Diet soda was my instant pick-me-up
2. I didn’t like my lunch or dinner meal, and diet soda made it more  appetizing, which for some reason would result to make me eating more
3. Whenever I was feeling jovial and would tell myself that I earned it
4. I was addicted to the bubbly fizz and the first gulp was always the most potent one

Frankly I don’t know if drinking diet soda made me gain some weight, but I think that drinking regular soda would considering all the sugar content it has in 1 can. Yet despite that, it would always leave me feeling bloated after every can and it was the feeling I didn’t concern myself with initially, but being exposed to numerous health-related materials, it probably affected my subconscious mind, because now I don’t want to be 100% full all the time… and well, adding diet soda to my meal always goes beyond 100% of my limit.

I didn’t consciously have to tell myself to stay away from diet soda and say something like “must stay away or must say no to diet soda.” It just sort of happened. Or maybe I got desensitized to the taste of it after downing on a bunch of it that even the first gulp of the bubbly fizz is not as enticing as it was before.

Having experienced that, I know that telling you the negative effects of soda and diet soda to your health would do you no good. In fact, you might even already be numbed to that kind of information. You know that already. I am also not going to advise you to get your caffeine or fizz from something else, because it will just go out from your ears.

I will ask you though to compare and feel what it is like to be 100% full and 80% full after every meal, and how the soda or diet soda affects that meal, because being aware of that is how I got rid of my diet soda addiction.

Maybe it would help get rid of yours too. What do you think?

The people of Okinawa, Japan are found to have the largest life expectancy in the world. This is attributed to their genetic inheritance, lifestyle, environmental factors, and most importantly, their healthy diet and attitude towards food. The Okinawans live by the concept of “Hara hachi bu,” which translates to- “Eat until you’re 80% full.”

Now, how exactly is that? How exactly do we know that we are already 80% full in your stomach? Is there a bell that alerts us and say, STOP!?

People eat not only with their mouth or their taste buds but with their brains, too. Our brain sends signals to tell us that we need to consume food. But there are also signals that stimulate our desire to eat continuously that could unfortunately, lead to over eating. When desire takes over the need, the problem of over eating steps in and over eating is the most likely reason of being overweight.

The brain takes 20 minutes to process and recognize that the stomach is already full. So if we spend the whole 20-minutes eating, it will definitely go beyond the 100% mark. If we apply the “Hara hachi bu” concept, then what we should do is stop eating before that 20-minute window is up. Though it may feel like we haven’t eaten, after 20 minutes, we will notice and feel that our stomach is actually already full.

How to make the “Hara hachi bu” even more effective?

Apart from the Okinawans following this concept, their overall eating habits and lifestyle contribute much to their healthier bodies and longer life expectancies.

-          Choose the right kind of food. - The Japanese in general, eat food rich in protein such as fish and soy. These foods are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and isoflavones that are low in calories and fat. Fruits and vegetables also play an important role in their daily meal consumption. The daily recommended servings of food in a human body is met with these colorful variation of the fruits and veggies.

-          Cook your food right. - Steam, stir-fry, pan-grill, and simmer are the usual techniques Japanese do to cook their dishes instead of deep frying the food using unhealthy cooking oil like we normally do. They also usually serve broth-based soups at the start of a meal, which can help make them full sooner.

-          Be mindful of our eating – We like to multi-task whether it is eating while watching TV or eating while tending to other things, which all end in distracted eating habits, thoughtlessly stuffing more than enough food down to our stomach. We should chew our food slowly and and deliberately and take smaller portions of food instead.

-          EXERCISE! – Japanese love casual exercise – in fact walking and biking are part of the Japanese lifestyle. They are exercising without even putting much thought to it. Let’s face it, we don’t exercise, or maybe we do like once in a blue moon. So we should try to move as often as possible and incorporate exercise even as little as 20 minutes a day.

Hara hachi bu! Isn’t that quite a fun and healthy mantra you can say to yourself just before you start your meal?

With the holidays fast approaching, almost all of us are on the lookout for a fast way of shedding some pounds in time for a party or a reunion. If you want to drop a size at least or perhaps try to really shake that 5-6 pounds of weight that may be making you feel bloated or worse – give you that bloated “look.” Perhaps a simple cereal box in your local grocery store might help you achieve that.

We all know that the Special K cereal is healthy and all, but little did I know that there really is a whole dite plan dedicated to it.

I initially thought that I will be devouring solely on this brand of cereal in the Special K diet plan. Which can be a bummer if you think about it. It turns out that there are other Special K products available that you can include in your meal plan when you want to start with the Special K diet plan. There are Special K cereal bars, meal bars, protein bars, protein drinks, protein water mixes, crackers and chips! The possibilities are endless!

To top it all off, I get to eat one full healthy meal either for lunch or dinner. It doesn’t look bad at all.

So here’s a ONE day sample from the CLASSIC Special K Diet Plan:

Breakfast: Original cereal with non-fat milk

Morning Snack: Chocolatey Pretzel Cereal Bar

Lunch: French Vanila Protein Shake

Afternoon Snack: Multi-grain crackers

Dinner: Southwest Vegetarian Chili

Take note that almost all of the food items in the plan are created by Kellogg’s Special K. And you can find the recipe of the suggested meal that is part of your plan over at the Special K Challenge website.

The two-week menu looked like that it was going to be a walk in the park. Any menu that has the word CHOCOLATE in it sounds AWESOME to me!

The meal recipe was easy to do. The other meals were easy to buy from my favorite supermarket. However, it got quite boring for me by DAY 5. Everything I ate from their plan TASTES THE SAME, even the recipe meals. But, I trudged on - teetering on wanting to throw in the towel or keep moving  on. Just a week to go, and this was going to be worth it.

After finishing the Special K Diet Plan, I went on the scale and lost 4 pounds!

I am happy and elated with the results – after all, this is not a long term diet program. I found another online diet program, which gave better results. But it wasn’t easy to follow.

I realized that if I want to REALLY LOSE WEIGHT, taking the FAST TRACK WAY will never be the best way to do it. Just good ‘ole common sense and smart eating like the Diet Solution Program.

If you have been struggling with weight loss for quite some time now, chances are, you’ve read many self-help books and have gone through numerous diet gimmicks like master cleanse, low-carb, low-fat fad diets. You’ve probably even tried shakes and exercise equipment that seemingly promise to do the work for you.

But even if you’ve tried and failed many times, you still haven’t lost hope so you can’t just shrug off anything you hear or learn about everything pertaining to diet. It could just be the “one” to help you lose weight. One growing diet trend that’s been making a buzz is the ViSalus Shake, but what makes this different from other slimming shakes out on the market?

Unlike its competitor, Slim Fast, Visalus Shake has several kits to choose from. You don’t just randomly get a shake and replace it with your meals. The kit you will need to purchase should match your current need.

ViSalus Kits:

• Balance Kit: Choose this kit if you wish you maintain your current weight. For $49 a month, you get 30 packs of Vi-Shape Shake Mix, 5 servings of flavoring mix0ins that you can put in your oatmeal, cereals, yogurt, coffee and others, and an online membership where you have access to Visalus Shake Recipes and menu plans, exercise videos, progress tracker, and support from other users.

• Shape Kit: The Shape kit is designed to help you lose weight. This kit contains 60 servings of Vi-Shape Shake Mix, 10 flavoring mixes,  and online membership for $99 a month.

• Core Kit: The Core kit is suited for you if you mean to bulk up. For $199 a month, it contains 30 packs of Vi-Shake,  5 servings of flavor mix-ins, 30 servings of Vi-pak smart energy drink mix, which contains caffeine to jazz up your active lifestyle without jitters, 30 servings of patented anti-aging shake that contains omega oils, reservatrol, multi-vitamins and minerals, glutathione, anti-oxidants among others, and access to its membership support.

• Transformation Kit: This kit is meant to promote a healthy well-being.  For $249, you get a 30-day supply of the ff: 60 packs of Vi shake, 30 tablets of Vi-Slim Metab-Awake, which helps burn fats faster, 30 servings of Vi-Trim Control drink mix that controls your hunger, 10 servings of flavor mix-ins, 30 servings of Omega-Vitals that keep your heart, joints, skin, and every cell of your body healthy, 30 servings of smart energy drink mix, health membership, and the program guide.

These kits are good for 30 days and each shake should only replace 1 or 2 of your meals per day. By doing so, you can more or less lose 2-5 pounds a week, and as much as 20 pounds in 90 days. You also have the option to add-in other Vi-products like cookies, performance enhancing flavored drink mixes, anti-oxidant supplements and more.

Another thing that can set ViSalus Shake apart from the others is its ingredients. The shake or the drink mix contains Pre-biotics, which is said to help you absorb the nutrition better, and a patented-fiber that can make you feel full without leaving you feeling bloated unlike the regular fiber. ViSalus Shakes also use artificial sweetener, as opposed to regular sugar that just increases calories, so diabetics can benefit from it as well. I suppose by using artificial sweetener, it dispels all critics who will be quick to argue and claim that “it’s just full of sugar!”

If exercising and eating a balanced diet is not working for you, would you like to try ear stapling and shed pounds?

Wait – what?

Ear stapling is weight loss fad that’s making people do a double take because the first time they hear or learn about it. It claims to need no exercise regimen or no changes with your diet whatsoever -  just an ear staple to achieve weight loss.

Sounds easy and brilliant? It’s probably every unmotivated dieters’ dream. But how does it work exactly beside stapling your ears?

The Mechanics

This Ear Stapling weight loss trend is based on acupuncture- an ancient Chinese practice, which treats patients through needles. Through insertion and manipulation of needles in the body, it is said to relieve pain, treat and prevent diseases, and promote general health including weight loss. Ear stapling involves a constant stimulation to specific acupuncture points in the left ear that have something to do with suppressing a your appetite and cravings.

But does it really work?

If you are a scientific-proof kind of person, then you may not fall for this type of alternative approach to weight loss, because there is no science behind ear stapling when it comes to weight loss. It is based on a common and traditional practice of stimulating specific points in the body that can open and clear channels in the body crucial to overall health and well being. There are no pieces of medical information that can justly prove that ear stapling can lead to weight loss. In fact, there is one web site that offers acupuncture includes a bold disclaimer that exercise is strongly encouraged for weight loss.

Benefits  and Risks of Ear Stapling

Some practitioners claim that stapling the left ear releases endorphins – the feel good brain chemicals that make you feel giddy and happy. When that feeling is maintained, your stress and anxiety level, which is the common and lame excuse why you over eat, is reduced. Others also attest that ear stapling can increase metabolism, eliminate migraine headaches, nicotine cravings, and insomnia.

It sounds too good to be true but the risk of ear stapling could just lead you to serious infections due to the length of time that the staples need to stay on. It can also cause permanent scarring. There is also a big risk of causing permanent damage to the ear cartilage. Staples may also fall out or enter the ear canal and damage the inner ear and ear drum.

In Conclusion:

There are tons of weight loss programs, techniques, and products out in the market that are guaranteed to make you lose weight – so long as you are willing to work for it. Before you jump into a trend or a weight loss shortcut,  it is best to do some research first.

Ear stapling is a weight loss fad with no medically proven results. Are you willing to have an ear stapled without a 100% guarantee of really losing weight?

With Kellogg behind the much-publicized Special K diet, it was not surprising to know that it found its way to people who are keen on weight loss shortcuts.

I was one of those people. I  joined in on the Special K diet bandwagon.

Do I just follow one plan from Special K Diet for my target weight loss of 5-8 pounds within two weeks?

When I logged into Special K’s website, I learned that are 4 plans to choose from which would serve as my diet guidelines. They are:

1. Class
   ic Plan – Recommended for dieters who like the basics. No frills plan with Special K.
2. Mix it up Plan – Foodies who like a variety of flavors and textures. Perfect for dieters who are easily bored eating the same flavors
3. On-The-Go Plan – For moms who don’t not have enough time to cook meals every day. This is also for business people who find it hard to diet because they are always up and about. Top choice for dieters who prefer to eat or drink something easy and  fast.
4. Chocolate Lover’s Plan – For people WHO NEED chocolate in their system!

I was torn between the Classic Plan and the Chocolate lover’s plan.  I ended up with the Classic Plan instead to see how I would fare first. I did not want to jump into a plan that involved chocolates at the start of my weight loss journey.

After choos

So everyday for 2 weeks, I had 2 servings of cereals or cereal bar, some crackers, a protein shake, and 1 complete meal.ing the plan, I had to decide when I could start the Special K diet and map out my calendar for 2 weeks.  A 2-week menu plan complete with the recipes for each meal was to serve my diet bible for the duration of the diet.

I lost 5 pounds within those two weeks!

But, I gained it all back with additional 2 pounds, making it 7 pounds in total – just after 2 weeks from the Special K 2-week challenge.

Can Special K Boost

Your Weight Loss?

In hindsight, I think dieting this way can be a real roller coaster ride for your taste buds, your body, and your EMOTIONS. Following the Special K diet is okay for people who need to lose a few pounds quickly for big events like wedding, class reunion etc.

But if your main goal is to lose weight for your HEALTH and WELL-BEING’s sake, then Special K is not the best route to take.

Although Kellogg’s marketing tactic for Special K diet works, eating almost the same thing over and over is not something you can do permanently. Not only are you sacrificing a lot for a few pounds, but you are bound to get cranky like I did. One full meal a day is not enough to make up for the sacrifice, trust me.

If you want long term results, changing your overall lifestyle is the main key for getting rid of the stubborn fat and extra pounds that may have been weighing you down for years.

You are better off with the kind of Diet Solution Program that you can follow everyday for life.

After gaining weight, I knew I had to devise a different game plan, which needed to be developed as a HABIT.

So here’s what I did:

• Cleaned out my pantry and refrigerator with anything in a can or pack
• Learned how to read and understand Nutrition labels
• Penciled in 30 minutes of brisk walking/ jogging every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30PM

I also followed a diet solution program that had recipes that was easy to make and veered away from anything processed. I am into this program for a couple of weeks now and have lost 4 pounds.

The best of all is l feel happy that I don’t feel restricted!

In my experience, the lower abdominal area is the hardest part to work on. You need to be very dedicated and you really must want the “two well-formed lower ab” to appear, else your hard work will not show.

Getting those two lower muscle cut is probably every guy’s dream, because it completes the six pack.

But alas, the lower ab always likes to play hard to get. Even Mike Geary, the author of Truth About Abs, knows that.

Personal Journey to 6-Pack Dream

My journey to getting a six-pack ab didn’t run as smooth as I thought it would be. I needed to give up my favorite foods and get myself used to eating the right and healthy food like whole grains, veggies and protein.

Contrary to the popular belief, junk foods need not be taken out of the diet. In fact, it was really up to me if I wanted to stop eating or not. But like what Mr. Mike Geary will always say, it will just hamper your progress to getting your lower abdomen ripped because you are putting junk into your body.

In the Truth About Abs, Mike Geary does not give you a set time as to when you’ll start getting your lower abs ripped. He’ll tell you that every person has different results. It’s the consistency and the willingness to continue the journey to the 6 pack that will determine when and if you get there.

My journey to reaching the six pack dream was long and tedious, because admittedly, I found it hard to take the diet part seriously.  I started working out around October 2009 and only got as far as a dull cut on my lower abdomen on December 2009.

It was a grueling lifestyle for me too. Like the daily ab workout and fitness routine weren’t backbreaking enough, I had to think about every food I eat and made sure that I didn’t eat anything that would wreck my hard work like fries and nachos. And if I did steal a few bites, I had to make sure that I  burn every piece of it, so I ended up just nibbling very small portions so that I wouldn’t work twice as hard and twice as long.

If you’re thinking of getting 6-pack abs, your biggest worry would probably be on the diet too. Just like me, I constantly found myself cornered by food, tempting me in every block. Parties and booze are probably on your beck-and-call too. It’s hard to resist the call of beer and mounts of delicious meals when everyone around you is eating like there’s no tomorrow.

But thankfully, I found a way to “refill” my determination level to the max and will myself not to be tempted and cheat on my diet.  Whenever I found my dedication waning and whenever my mind would start saying things like “forget it, it’s okay not to have 6-pack abs,” or “I’m good looking enough, I don’t need 6 pack,” what worked for me was to go through The Truth About Abs again. This always sets me back on the track.

And the result? Finally acquiring visibly cut 6-pack abs!

The Truth is …

You may workout 6 hours a day and run for an hour every week, but this does not translate to you having an automatic barrier against unhealthy foods like fast food, Chinese takeaways, beers etc. Food temptation will always be around, sniffing its way to your brain. It’s every health-conscious, fitness-enthusiast Achilles heel.

But you need to remember that when hard work is put out, it will always pay off even when other people don’t see it. This may take in a form of a boost in self-confidence, wisdom, determination, friendship etc.

The “Truth about Abs” teaches you about dedication, determination and hard work. It sounds intimidating at first, but the rewards of being in a better health, having better self-esteem, and growing into a more disciplined person will feel intensely better than you expect once  you got your 6 pack abs.

Are you looking for an exercise program that will help you burn all your calories and keep your muscles in shape without having to do numerous routines? Do you know that there’s a fun and new fitness trend that keeps you looking fit by being stationary?

The American College of Sports Medicine ranked Spinning® or indoor cycling on the 15th spot in their Top 20 Worldwide Fitness Survey, joining the other fitness programs like Boot Camp programs, Pilates, Zumba, Core Training, and Small Group Training on the list.

The Spinning program is in over 35,000 facilities in more than 100 countries worldwide and that should be enough to say that the program is more than just a fitness fad.

How does Spinning work?

Just like an aerobics or Zumba class, Spinning classes are done in a studio with Spinning bikes inside. Lights are turned down, adrenaline-rushing music fills the air and the instructor rides on his/her own bike while giving out commands to all the rider or spinners.  The riders spin the pedals in synchronicity, increasing the pace as directed by the instructor depending on the skill level.

The group (around 15-20 people) workout typically lasts for about 30-75 minutes. The instructors will guide the riders starting from the warm-up phase, the steady and upbeat cadences, the challenging climbing phase, and up until the cooling down phase. 75 minutes on the Spinning bike with all these intense phases to go through should be enough to burn those calories last night.

What do you get from all the Spinning?

You won’t get your world spinning out of control, that’s for sure. Instead,  Spinning or Indoor Cycling provides steady and vigorous work out and a lot more. Indoor cycling has a number of benefits for your physical and mental health such as:

Physical Benefits of Indoor Cycling

-         Increase of cardio respiratory endurance

-         Muscular Strength

-         Decrease of body fat

-         Increase of lean body mass

-         Increased bone density

-         Increases leg strength

Psychological Benefits of Indoor Cycling:

-         Relief from anxiety and stress

-         Eases symptoms of depression

-         Increases beta endorphins for increased feeling of relaxation

-         Over-all feeling of well-being

-         Camaraderie with fellow Spinners

Sure you can just get your own indoor bike and do the cycling at the comfort of your home but the Spinning bike, the upbeat music, the other Spinners, and the Spinning instructor propelling you to spin towards your weight loss goal are the factors that are worth considering.

So go ahead and check with your nearest gym for their Spinning class and start pedaling those legs and fats away!

Exercising, dieting, and losing weight seem like enormous tasks. Completing these tasks solely depends on your readiness and willpower.

The stress that involves in these tasks will get to you, if it hasn’t already. If you find that you already have to drag your feet to the gym, it’s just a matter of when, before you give it all up completely. So to prevent that from happening, you’re going to need a friend who can motivate and challenge you (yell at you even like Jillian Michaels). But a friend can also make it all fun, like what the book “The Game On! Diet: Kick Your Friend’s Butt While Shrinking Your Own” does.

The Game On! Diet was invented by Az Ferguson to help his friend and co-author, Krista Vernoff, shed off her pregnancy weight. As head writer of the TV series, Grey’s Anatomy, Krista worked long hours and her free time was all spent with her new baby (best excuse for not working out!). All Az ever heard about was her whining about the weight she had gained during the pregnancy and not having the time to burn them off.

Krista, being a competitive person that she is, Az realized that a weight loss program with the elements of competition and fun was going to be the best motivator for her. And sure it was, The Game On! Diet was born.

The Game On! Diet is all about losing weight and getting fit in “a fun, fierce, wildly competitive GAME that brings people together to get results.”

How to get started with the Game

1. Find people for your team

You don’t have to go through the weight loss process alone. Find people who have the same weight issues as you do, or those who you think are up for a new challenge.

2. Find people who will be against your team

People to play against your team could be those people who think that they don’t need any changes with their eating lifestyle. They could also be those people who are lazy and heavy enough to move around like your husband, or your boy/girlfriend, who simply can’t be bothered to eat healthy and exercise actively.

3. Choose a starting date for the Game On!

There’s no reason to delay the game. Gather everybody and start immediately after explaining the mechanics!

4. What’s up for grabs!

A game isn’t a game without the prizes! The harder to acquire the prize is, the higher the motivation of each team members.

5.  Finally, PLAY your heart and your butts out!

Grab a copy of the book from their website and let the game begin!

The Game On! Diet encourages healthy competition in weight loss (think The Biggest Loser).

The book gives detailed chapters of the challenges and tips towards healthy living- what to eat, what to drink, how much sleep one needs, what bad habits to avoid, what exercises to do for the day, etc. The Game On! Diet makes you lose weight without the pressure of doing it all by yourself. Losing weight and being healthy don’t have to be difficult and boring.

There are a lot odd sounding diets that are floating around the health and fitness arena. One of those diet programs is called the “Cabbage Soup Diet.” This is also known as skinny soup, 7-day soup diet.

The Cabbage Soup Diet claims that it can help you dramatically lose weight. How does it work?

First thing you should know is that this diet is short-term. You should stick to it no more than 2 weeks.

In a nutshell, you take a lot of soup made from vegetables, cabbage being the main ingredient. You also should add fiber but low-calorie vegetables daily.  The concept behind this diet is that your body burns the excess calories while the cabbage soup serves as a cleansing agent for your body.

Your Soup Calendar

Each day consists of a list of different foods, but every day, you get to have cabbage soup.

• Day 1: Allowed to eat any fruit especially ones that are rich in water. Bananas; not allowed.
• Day 2: Cabbage Soup and any veggies except peas, corns and beans. A baked potato with butter is allowed to be eaten.
• Day 3: Cabbage Soup with any fruit and veggie except bananas and potatoes.
• Day 4: Cabbage Soup, bananas(up to 8 pieces) and skimmed milk.
• Day 5: Cabbage Soup, 500grams of beef and tomatoes(up to 6 pieces) with 8 glasses of water
• Day 6: Cabbage Soup with veggies and beef
• Day 7: Cabbage Soup with brown rice(2 cups), fruit juice(unsweetened) and veggies.

This diet is all about calorie restriction. The lesser you eat, the more weight you lose. Of course, you get protein but it’s not the main focus of this diet.

Effectiveness

Does it work?

Frankly, it does. With veggies as part of your diet, your probably will lose about 10 lbs in a week. Losing weight in this diet is not a problem. The real question is whether or not you can maintain the weight you’ve achieved in 2 weeks. A lifestyle change is in order for you to get closer to your ideal weight or even maintain that ideal weight. You cannot and will not be able to stay on this diet for long.

To do so, you will need to invest in a long-term healthy diet and exercise.

Side Effects

Taking just soup for 2 weeks in bound to give you negative effects such as:

• Light-Headedness
• Indigestion
• Lose bowel movement
• Extension of the diet will lead to dizziness and nausea

Basically, you’re detoxifying your body so expect to have a lot of things come out. During first few days of detox, it’s not a good thing to be around people during those days. The fiber incorporated in this diet will be the one doing the cleansing so it’s best to hang on to your toilet when you’re on Cabbage Soup Diet.

The good thing about this diet though is that it teaches you self-control. If you can control your mind for 7 days, the succeeding days for your weight-maintenance may be easy. May is the operative word because it tends to backfire. It just depends on how long you can keep up with that mindset.

Cabbage Soup Diet