The UnDiet Weight Loss Guide » December 2012

Monthly Archives: December 2012

Tips

Suppressing Hunger Naturally

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Have you been sucked in by late night infomercials hawking the latest miracle supplement which will help you to lose weight without changing your diet or adding to your exercise routine? Don’t be embarrassed, I’ve tried many of them. Of course, I can pretend that I’m doing it as research for this blog, but the truth is that I had high hopes when I opened each little bottle of miracle pills. I had the highest hopes for the ones that were made of natural ingredients. But let me tell you – EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT AND A WASTE OF MONEY. At least with the whole food supplements I could console myself that I was putting good things into my body, but as to weight loss – NADA.

In the end, the same thing that I’ve been telling you since day one on this blog and earlier with the website, eating whole, minimally processed foods is the path to weight loss. But did you know you can use food to suppress hunger naturally.

Eating a whole apple slows down the the digestive process due to the pectin which is an indigestible fiber. Almonds are another food that works to keep hunger under control. They are a good source of fiber and protein, but they can be high in calories so eat a small amount (6 to 10) as a snack. Oatmeal for breakfast is a good fiber source and also very filling. These natural appetite suppressants are also a part of a healthy eating plan.

If a sweet tooth is your diet downfall you can suppress that sweets craving using natural sweeteners such as Stevia. Stevia is an herb that sweetens foods but has zero calories and zero carbs!

One last tip – drinking plenty of water (plain water, herb tea and citrus flavored water) throughout the day is one of my biggest ways to help decrease hunger. Water cleanses the body of toxins and contains minerals your body needs.

What it all boils down to is that eating whole foods in place of highly processed foods works to decrease your hunger simply by giving your body the nutrition it craves. When you try to satisfy a craving by eating something such as a bagel made with white flour or a sticky cinnamon roll your body still cries for you to feed it because it didn’t get the nutrition it needed.

So add more whole, unprocessed foods and unprocessed water drinks to your day and you’ll find that your hunger will be safely suppressed without needing to waste your money on questionable supplements.

Kid Friendly Neutral

Neutral After School Snacks

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There’s nothing like a quick and easy snack that contains no starches, no proteins and is essentially a “neutral” snack. Neutral foods are made up of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and/or soy.

Apples with Cheese: top apple slices with thin slices of non-dairy cheese.

Apple Peanut Butter Sandwiches: slices of apple topped with peanut butter.

Baked Tofu: slice baked tofu into sticks.

Banana Peanut Butter Bites: slices of banana topped with peanut butter.

Coconut Milk Yogurt: eat as is, use as a fruit dip or freeze in popsicle molds.

Frozen Grapes: freeze grapes. Eat directly from the freezer.

Roasted Endamame: pour one layer of shelled soybeans into a pie plate. Spray or drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and garlic or chili powder if you like. Roast at 450 degrees until lightly browned, about 10 to fifteen minutes. These are more delish than you can imagine!

Soy Yogurt: eat as is, use as a fruit dip or freeze in popsicle molds.

Veggie Sticks: dip radishes, celery, carrot, jicama, cucumber, bell pepper … into your favorite lo-cal dressing or stir lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper and a little garlic into lo-fat yogurt.

 

Healthy Products Working Out

Treadclimber: A Low Impact Way to Achieve a High Level of Fitness

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Normally I am kind of a skeptic when it comes to infomercials on fitness equipment. The testimonials just seem too unrealistic for the most part and quite often I find myself rolling my eyes and changing the channel within just a few minutes. However, when I saw an infomercial for the Bowflex Treadclimber, for the first time … maybe ever, I was pretty intrigued by the piece and what it can do for its users.

What is a Treadclimber?

A Treadclimber is a home gym piece of equipment that basically gives you the best of three different types of cardio machines. It functions largely like a treadmill in that it generates a forward walking motion, like a stepper, as it has two separate treadles allowing you to step up with each stride, and finally like an elliptical machine as the two previously mentioned motions are combined to make a smooth, low impact exercise that protects your joints from intense wear and tear.

So Why is it So Great?

The great thing about the Bowflex Treadclimber is that the calorie burning that it facilitates is AWESOME, especially for a piece that is made for only walking. The claim behind it is that more muscle groups are engaged simultaneously, causing you to burn more than twice the amount of calories that you would on a stepper, treadmill, or elliptical trainer. Users also claim that it is easy to use, provides a great workout, operates smoothly, and has up to date technology that allow for goal setting and tracking of progress. It also supports a pretty high weight capacity at 300 lbs.

Cons?

The primary complaints that Treadclimber users have are that it hard to store, can be hard to move, it is expensive (ranging from about $1000 to $3300 depending on the model), it can be noisy, and the warranty isn’t very long.

The truth is, sometimes injuries and joint pain keep us grounded and unable to engage in high impact exercise. However, the Treadclimber still offers a way to get into some pretty great shape. You can still achieve great fitness and contribute to a much healthier lifestyle. So, no more excuses! You can also check out this page featuring home gym reviews that could add even more possibilities to your fitness program.