Obesity is a roaring problem in the United States today. Between the poor food choices we are offered and lack of exercise that most people get, losing weight has become a lifelong battle for some people. Luckily, ViSalus Sciences has figured out a way to make losing weight easy, fun, and rewarding.
You Have More Than a Fat Chance to Lose Weight
Over 2 million people have joined ViSalus Sciences for their exciting Project 10. This 90-day challenge is unique in a variety of ways and most people are finding it very rewarding. The incentive for Project 10 is one which perpetuates under its own momentum, as people are encouraged to lose weight in 10 pound increments. Participants are then rewarded not only by the success of weight loss, but also by ViSalus Sciences themselves!
Those who join the already millions of people using Project 10 to lose weight will be rewarded with a nifty t-shirt upon losing their first 10 pounds. All you have to do is sign up for the program and log your progress on the website. As soon as you reach your first goal, you are promptly shipped a t-shirt that reads the Project 10 motto, “I lost it!”
You are not going to lose anything you wanted to keep, however. What the t-shirt is saying is that you have lost your weight, reached your goal, and you enjoy having a sense of humor about your battle with weight loss. However, one little t-shirt is not the only reward you get for reaching your weight loss goals; you will get the satisfaction of knowing that you can do it and the clarity of mind to see that it is possible to do again. For 2 million people nationwide, this t-shirt is a mainstay in their workout wardrobe.
Blake Mallen speaks about the ingredients in a Body by Vi Shake and how science plays fundamental role in determining what ingredients to use and how scientific research is dedicated by Visalus Sciences’ nutrition professionals.
There seems to be an overwhelming amount of people in today’s society who are either considered to be obese or overweight who are all suffering from some sort of medical issue. There are plenty of reasons people are always trying new weight loss plans or other means to lose weight. The typical plan is for people to participate in more exercise and to eat more healthy foods. The other recommendation is to remove stress from the equation. The problem is that there are so many stress factors that would have to be removed in order for this to happen and in many peoples case, it’s just not an option.
If you are someone who is looking to lose weight fast, there are some things that you can do to help you shed a few pounds quickly however this should be advised to have consulted a medical physician first. Anytime that you want to participate in a weight loss plan or to change your routine and add more physical activity, you should consult with your doctor to ensure that it is a safe thing for you to do.
One method towards getting fit for summer activities is to start walking more. You will want to invest in a pedometer which is going to count how many steps you take per day. The average person walks 1000 steps or more per day. Start by increasing your amount to 500 and then increase it again until you reach almost 3000 steps per day. The next time that you go to step foot onto the elevator, you might want to instead search for the steps. Not only will this help to increase your steps but also get your legs into better shape and more flattering for a bathing suit.
The next thing that you can do is to start to ride your bike. Someone who rides a bike is going to be in far better shape than someone who does not. The reason for being in better shape is your heart is working hard and it gets your heart pumping. The next thing is that it is working the muscles in your legs. This is a good thing for someone to do in order to get ready for summer and the activities of the summer.
Doctors and nutritionists agree that the best way to get the proper nutrition is by eating a diet rich in healthy, whole foods. Whole foods are those that have not been processed, or have been processed minimally, leaving them in their natural state. Processed foods often contain high levels of salt, fat, starches and fillers that do not provide any nutrition and can actually lead to weight gain and other health problems. Anyone that wants to get maximum nutrition from their diet should know some of the most nutritious whole foods.
Green Vegetables
When it comes to the most nutritious whole foods it does not get much better than green leafy vegetables. Most dark green, leafy vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Some people add these vegetables to health shakes as a way to get a day’s worth of vitamins easily. Here are a few of the best green vegetables for nutrition:
-Mustard/Collard greens: These leafy green are packed with vitamins.
-Kale: Kale is considered a “super food” and many use it in health shakes
-Watercress
-Arugula
-Spinach
-Bok Choy
-Broccoli
-Cabbage
-Chard
You should try to eat at least 3-4 servings of these green vegetables every day to get the proper amount of vitamins and nutrients in your diet.
Other Vegetables
Although green vegetables are some of the most nutritious whole foods, there are others that pack plenty of nutrition. You can find most of these vegetables at a standard grocery store, so there is no reason not to incorporate them into your diet right away. Some of the most nutritious non-green vegetables are:
-Radishes
-Butternut Squash
-Carrots
-Cauliflower
-Bean Sprouts
-Red Bell Peppers
-Artichokes
-Tomatoes
-Turnips
-Radicchio
If you are having a hard time getting enough servings of these vegetables you should search for new recipes that are tasty as well as healthy. Other people simply choose to put these into a juicer and quickly get their nutrients in one healthy shake.
Fruit
Many fruits contain sugar, which is why they are not as healthy as many vegetables. However, some of the most nutritious whole foods are fruits, so it is vital to add them to a diet. Moderation is key, as eating too much fruit can lead to excess sugar intake. Here are some fruits that are very nutritious in moderation:
-Strawberries/Blueberries/Blackberries/Raspberries: Berries are the best of all fruits, as they pack lots of nutrition and are low in sugar.
-Apricots
-Pineapple
-Papaya
-Kiwi
-Watermelon
-Cherries
-Plums
-Cantaloupe
-Apples
-Peaches
Not only are these fruits healthy but also delicious so you should try to work a few servings into your diet each day. Avoid store bought fruit juices, as they often contain extra sugar and unnatural ingredients that make them unhealthy.
Beans
Although many beans lack some vitamins and minerals, they often contain high levels of protein. This makes them a great way to get lean protein into your body without eating meat. People that get most of their protein from beans are at much lower risk of heart problems, which makes them one of the most nutritious whole foods. Some beans to try:
-Lentils
-Chickpeas
-Black Beans
-Edamame
-Pinto Beans
-Red Kidney Beans
A good approach to eating beans is to use them to replace meat once or twice a week so you are still getting protein, but without the animal fat.
Nuts and Seeds
Another of the most nutritious whole foods are nuts and seeds. These not only provide a lot of protein but many contain anti-oxidants that are great for improving the health of the immune system. Try to incorporate some of these nuts and seeds into your diet:
-Sunflower seeds
-Cashews
-Pecans
-Almonds
-Walnuts
-Flax Seeds
-Pumpkin seeds
One problem with nuts and seeds is that they often contain excess sodium and other unnatural flavor enhancers. For the best results try to eat nuts and seeds that do not have any additional salt added.
Variety is Key
Above are some of the most nutritious whole foods you can buy. It is important to remember that variety is important. You should eat a wide range of these foods to ensure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals. If you are unsure about how to incorporate these foods into your diet, be sure to talk to a doctor or nutritionist.
Your little bundle of joy is finally here, and so is the extra weight from your pregnancy. Even if you packed on the pounds while eating for two, do not worry, you can get your pre-pregnancy bod back. Just follow these great tips for losing weight after pregnancy.
One thing to keep in mind is that there are very few mothers who instantly lose the weight they gained during pregnancy. It took you nine months to add those extra pounds, so it will take a little bit of time to get rid of it. Your body needs time to recover from childbirth, so you need to take it easy for the first six weeks after delivery, and you may need to wait even longer if you had a Cesarean section. If you try to jump into heavy exercise, you may do more harm to your body than good, which could lead to serious complications that could keep you from reaching your weight loss goals even longer. If exercise causes pain or discomfort, slow down! Your body will tell you what you can and cannot do, but if you have any serious concerns, be sure to check with your doctor before continuing.
Losing Weight after Pregnancy – Tip: #1 Move!
Once you start feeling better after delivery, get your body moving. You have to take things slow, so try to take a walk around the block. If you feel fine and do not notice an increase in bleeding, try to walk two blocks the next day. Keep adding a block at a time until you have made it to a mile or so. Pushing your baby around in a stroller for one mile in 30 minutes can burn up to 150 calories or more to help you start losing weight.
Tip #2 Breastfeed
You already know breastfeeding is best for your baby, but did you know it also helps you lose weight? Your body can burn up to 800 calories when you breastfeed, and for some women, this is all you have to do to lose all the weight you gained during pregnancy. Be careful, though, if you do not adjust your calorie intake after you stop breastfeeding you will start adding pounds back on.
Tip #3 Eat Healthy
Healthy eating is one of the best tips for losing weight after pregnancy. You should eat healthy fruits, vegetables, grains, low fat dairy, and lean meats, and if you are breastfeeding make sure you are eating enough calories. If not, you may not be able to produce enough milk for your baby. Cutting out chips, soda, and sugary foods will have a huge impact on your weight loss.
Tip #4 Get some rest
Your baby has you losing more sleep than ever, but your body needs rest to maintain metabolism. Your best bet is to try to take naps whenever your baby does. Your housework may pile up, but the extra energy you gain by getting enough rest will have you zipping through it when your baby is awake. Plus, you will not feel nearly as exhausted!
Tip #5 Grab some weights, or your baby
Once you have been cleared by your doctor (usually around six weeks after birth), you can incorporate weights into your exercise routine. Weight training speeds up your metabolism, which helps you lose weight faster. You can incorporate your baby into your exercise routine by doing lunges with him or her in a baby carrier on your chest, or do lunges when you are pushing the stroller. You can also lay down on your back and push your baby up and down – be careful though, babies can wiggle so make sure you are comfortable with this before trying it.
Losing weight after pregnancy can be frustrating, but the most important thing to remember is to not give up. Your body needs time to recover from the stress of being pregnant and delivering the baby, but you will lose the weight if you follow these tips for losing weight after pregnancy. Your new baby should bring you joy, so make sure to enjoy the time you have with him or her instead of fretting over losing the weight it took you nine months to gain.
There are good reasons that make a whole food diet optimal, not the least of which is taste. Food that is prepared and eaten in their natural state tends to have more honest flavor compared to foods that have been processed with added salt, sugars, and fats. Also, when you prepare your ingredients in their natural state, there is no guess work regarding what else is in the food such as preservatives and chemicals you can barely pronounce or recognize.
Sadly, American taste for food has been tainted by the “miracle” of processed foods that can be popped into the microwave and eaten on the run. After a while that food starts to supposedly taste good so that when a person is introduced to foods prepared in their natural state they will tend to find the food tasteless. If they were to take the time to get used to the different tastes and textures and avoid processed foods as much as possible, they will find that whole foods actually taste better. Then it just becomes an added benefit that they are also good for you and helps protect you from developing serious illnesses.
What are the medical benefits with a whole foods diet?Eating a diet with a good balance of whole foods will help reduce some of the risk factors that can lead to cardiovascular diseases and other serious illnesses such as hypothyroidism and diabetes. The balance comes in setting up your meals to take advantage of all types of whole foods rather than just vegetables that many people tend to think of as the only whole foods. Balance your meal with 40% carbs, 30% lean protein, and 30% healthy fats and you may see some of your numbers fall into significantly safer ground next time you visit your doctor.
If you need some more motivation to try a plant based diet you can read this article to learn about how these diets will help improve your health in more ways than just shrink your waistline. Another good bit of news is that a plant based diet doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stop eating all processed foods or avoid eating any meat based proteins. Of course you can certainly benefit from making those choices, but if you would like a bit of something here or there that is fine. The point is to create a diet that will help you stay healthy for better and perhaps longer life.
There are a few different plant based diets that have gained some popularity in recent years. Some abstain completely from any type of meat or animal by-product. Others allow for certain by-products of animals, but still abstain from meat. And then there is a plant based diet that allows only certain types of proteins along with a diet heavy in plant consumption.
Let’s break it down to the different plant based diets and share the facts of their health benefits and what is actually allowed or disallowed for each type.
A vegan diet allows absolutely no meat, eggs, or dairy. Those who consume this restrictive diet experience a 20% reduced risk of heart disease factors. Also they tend to experience a 27% less likelihood of dying from cardiovascular diseases. Among those who confirm they live on a vegan diet the development of heart diseases is reduced by 15% to 25% compared to others who consume meat, eggs and dairy.
Individuals who eat a mostly plant based diet along with dairy product, but no eggs or meat will experience similar benefits to that of a vegan. Although, nutrition scientists do note that those who drink and eat lower fat dairy products do better than those who consume whole fat products.
The health benefits of protein shakes with well balanced ingredients are undeniable. For people trying to lose weight, keep weight off or even put weight on by bulking up and adding muscle, protein shakes can help accomplish all of these goals. Essentially, it’s like drinking a steak or getting a big helping of protein like one would expect from a helping of meat and beans. Of course, the taste isn’t anything like a great chop of beef, but there are ways around the lack of flavor. For people who know how to make a homemade protein shake, it’s possible to make them taste as desired.
You shouldn’t be looking to reproduce the same kind of shake as your favorite one to drink. While you can go for the same kind of general flavor, getting the precise makeup of any protein shake is pretty much impossible unless you make it yourself. Essentially, they all start out with the same few ingredients though. There are one or usually more sources of protein like soy, whey and other kinds, which are dehydrated down to a dense, dry powder. Flavoring agents, vitamins, minerals and preservatives all make it into store-purchased protein shake mixes. By making homemade protein shakes you can cut out the need for preservatives.
Unfortunately, the agents used to keep foods and drinks viable for longer often do bad things to the overall taste of the product. By coming up with the ingredients yourself, you ensure your protein shakes are free and don’t need preservatives since they’re consumed on the spot. Usually you can find ingredients at a health food store though some powdered proteins may be purchased at supermarkets and more widely available. You’ll be looking for anything that promises lots of energy, especially B vitamins which will aid in breaking down your fat and giving you more of the fuel you need to make it through the day.
Not just any kind of protein is going to do; you should be looking for lean stuff, especially since any extra fat is just calories to burn off later. Your protein shake should be something which could substitute for a single meal during the day or maybe even just hold you over between lunch and dinner. It’s not supposed to be all you drink all day. There are so many calories in the protein that if you aren’t active and on your feet, you’re going to bulk up all right, just not the way you’d intended. So you can’t make your homemade protein shake too rich.
Project 10 Winners: WOMEN
Susan Davis – Dallas, Texas
Susan Whitney – Auburndale, Florida
Melissa Spokus Duvane – Rockland, California
Sherry Gardner – Wilmington, North Carolina
Cheryl Nadler – Newhaven, Missouri
Project 10 Winners: MEN
Jean Sebastien Boux – Brossard, Quebec
Francisco Deanda – Indianapolis, Indiana
Larry Wiese – Verdigre, Nebraska
Nestor Baquero – Hagerstown, Maryland
David Franco – West Covina, California
Men and women both typically diet for the same reasons, to lose weight. What many women do not realize is that all diet foods are not created equal. The best diet foods for women will not only help them lose weight, they will also help provide the nutrients that are most important to a woman’s unique health needs.
The first thing to understand when choosing the best diet to follow is that fad diets are never a good choice. While they may yield fast results, nearly every single one will deprive the body of at least one nutrient that is required for healthy and sustainable weight loss. A healthy weight loss diet should be one that includes foods from all of the food groups in order to meet the nutritional requirements that every woman needs.
One of the best diet foods for women are foods that contain calcium. Women are more likely than men to suffer from osteoporosis, and calcium rich foods significantly reduce these risks. Foods such as low fat milk, yogurt, and cheese all provide high levels of calcium, and should be included in any weight loss diet. Additionally, yogurt and milk contain protein and healthy fats, which are important for sustaining energy and heart health.
Raw vegetables should also be included in any weight loss diet. Vegetables are high in fiber and other essential vitamins, and have very few calories. Eating a colorful array of vegetables will help ensure that the body is receiving the vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health, and the fiber will help curb hunger and maintain a healthy digestive system.
Fruits are another of the best diet foods for women. Fruits that are high in vitamin C, like oranges, mangos, strawberries, and kiwis help promote healthy skin and hair. Vitamin C is also important for immune system health and cell production, and aids in the absorption of iron, which is also important for a woman’s health.
Iron rich foods are a must for any woman, so it is no surprise that foods high in iron are some of the best diet foods for women. Iron is important for a strong immune system, facilitates the movement of oxygen throughout the body, and is also needed for proper cell growth. Since women are more likely to suffer from iron deficiencies, a healthy diet needs to include leafy greens like spinach and kale, lean red meats, fish, poultry, and legumes to help maintain the most optimum levels needed for the body to function properly.
Whole grain foods should be a staple for a healthy diet. Whole grains are packed with fiber, which means they help maintain a feeling of fullness. These foods take longer to break down, so the body feels satiated for a longer period. Grains are also a great source of energy, which will help make sure a woman is not too tired to hit the gym to further her weight loss goals.
