The PULSE: Darren Hardy Blog

The Fountain of Youth and Vitality DOES Exists!

It is said when you become wise and mature you no longer feel the need to be right.

Well, call me immature! ;-)

This past weekend my mother in-law (who I love dearly) had this long dragged out and spirited debate and this post is my way proving my rightness!

She was arguing that people do not need to drink that much water; that we have become obsessed with the practice of carrying around water bottles to obsessively “nurse on” and it is “ridiculous and disgusting” (she is passionate in her opinions!).

I call statistics and facts to the stand...

#1 - 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2 - In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. - Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

#4 - One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

#5 - Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6 - Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7 - A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

#8 - Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

#9. Drinking 5 glasses of water decreases likeliness to die from a heart attack by 41%.

I have a follow-up - simple logic…

It makes sense since almost 2/3rds of our body IS water:

•    Blood is 83% water
•    Muscles are 75% water
•    The brain is 74% water
•    Bone is 22% water

Water - The True Fountain of Youth and Wellness

Simple water -- when it's pure and free of contaminants -- is truly a "wonder drug." Without chemicals, additives, or anything unnatural, a steady dose of 8 glasses of water a day (ideally ½ your body weight in ounces of water):

•    Improves Your Energy
•    Increases Your Mental and Physical Performance
•    Removes Toxins & Waste Products from your body
•    Keeps Skin Healthy and Glowing
•    Increases our Metabolism and Helps You Lose Weight
•    Reduces Headaches and Dizziness
•    Allows for proper Digestion
•    Helps to keep you more Alkaline
•    Aides your Kidneys, Joints, Back, Brian and is important for Pregnancy

The 2 Great Mistakes

#1 - Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink water. By the time your body feels thirsty you have already suffered the consequences of dehydration and have the reverse effects of the list above.

#2 – Do not turn to sodas (diet ones especially!), coffee, teas, beer or sugar laden synthetic juices to cure your thirst. Many of those options will actually only dehydrate you further (coffees and teas are a natural diuretic and many sodas and beers are made to keep you thirsty) or be a Trojan horse for other stuff you don’t want to ingest.

SO… my beloved Mother in-law, unless you want to be clogged up, look old, feel miserable and die young – drink more water! ;-)

The prosecution rests.

Oh by the way, Happy Mother’s Day! :-)

Love you, ~Darren

Other related articles of interest:
How Diet Sodas Can Make You Gain Weight... or worse!

How to Have Energy ALL-DAY Long

Top 5 to Drop 5 Execute these 5 tips and drop 5 pounds in weeks.

Is Stress Making You Fat?
Success Tip - Nutrition

How to Have Energy ALL-DAY Long

Hump Day Health Tip

How to beat fatigue and feel energized morning, noon, and night

You're so predictable. Every day, you run out of steam, lose juice, or otherwise hit the wall at nearly the exact same times.

How do we know? Because it happens to everyone. Okay, maybe not to Kelly Ripa, but to everyone else. In fact, it's like clockwork, which actually makes sense, because your body clock is part of the problem -- when your internal chronometer is out of whack, you feel wiped out. There are other reasons, too. Below is a detail of all of them and a quick fix -- or at least a work-around -- for each power suck. Consider your energy crisis solved!

A.M. -- THE MORNING FOG
You would think that if there were one time you'd feel naturally alert and energized, it would be after 8 hours of resting and recharging. Instead, your mind is mush. Why?

Problem: Blame a phenomenon called "sleep inertia." "Sleep inertia can last for up to 2 hours, although it's most severe within the first 10 minutes of waking," says Kenneth Wright, Ph.D. Wright discovered sleep inertia is akin to being intoxicated. Adding to your addled state is the fact that you also have a nearly empty fuel tank. Your brain needs a continuous supply of glucose to function optimally.

Solution: Fill it up. Make your morning meal a bowl of instant oatmeal prepared with skim milk. Tufts University researchers recently found that people who ate one packet of instant

1 P.M. -- THE LUNCHTIME LETDOWN
If your typical lunch consists of carbs à la starch, then you've experienced this early-afternoon brain drain.

Problem: That's because a high-carbohydrate meal is the surest way to cause your insulin levels to spike, your concentration to crash and for you to become mentally fatigued.

Solution: Order a combo meal. If you can't (or won't) limit your lunchtime carbohydrate consumption, work in extra fiber to slow your digestion and the release of insulin, says Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D. In those instances when you give in to a binge, snack on grapes or an apple afterward; either fruit will help stabilize your blood sugar.

Don’t do this: Just don't let a latte replace a real meal. "It will mask your low blood sugar by temporarily stimulating your brain," says Dan Benardot, Ph.D., R.D., an associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State University. "But you won't have done anything to satisfy the need for energy."

3 P.M. -- THE AFTERNOON SLUMP
Deep down inside, you're a conflicted person. In one corner, there's your body clock, a.k.a. your circadian clock, which fights to keep you awake until bedtime.

Problem: In the other corner, there's your homeostatic system, which competes to make you sleepy. And every day, between approximately 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., the homeostatic system tries to score a knockout.

Solution: Expose yourself. As in, give yourself a shot of sunlight. The sun's rays will provide a boost to your circadian clock that should solve your afternoon slump. British researchers recently found that when people exercised during their workday -- regardless of the duration or intensity of the movement -- they were less likely to feel fatigued, and that translated into a 15 percent improvement in job performance.

6 P.M. -- THE PREWORKOUT CONK-OUT
It's the catch-22 of exercising in the early evening: You know that working out will leave you energized, but you don't have the energy to work out.

Problem: In most cases, the problem is simply that you've forgotten a critical piece of exercise equipment: food. "If you're going into a workout when you haven't eaten since lunch, your blood sugar will be low again," says Kleiner.

Solution: Snack before you sweat. Schedule a small snack roughly an hour and a half before your postwork workout. The ideal mini meal totals 250 calories and consists of 25 to 35 grams (g) carbohydrates, 10 to 15 g protein, and up to 5 g fat, says Kleiner. Two handfuls of pretzels and two slices of cheese fits the nutritional bill, as does a Myoplex Lite bar.

Also, drink it up! Water or Gatorade that is. Then, before you hit the locker room, grab the original energy drink: Gatorade. "Often, that sluggish feeling has more to do with not having had enough fluid than with anything else," says Dr. Dunne.

8 P.M. -- THE PRIME-TIME TORPOR
There's no complicated biochemical reason for being tired now -- you worked all day!

Problem: But it's early, and even if you don't have plans, falling asleep now will only screw up your body clock and leave you feeling more fatigued in the a.m. "Going to bed a couple of hours earlier than you normally do will throw off your rhythms, while consistency can really help you feel alert during the day," says Philip Gehrman, Ph.D.

Solution: Rock yourself awake. First, do not stretch out on the couch or recline in your easy chair. "Underlying sleepiness becomes more apparent when we put ourselves in sleep-conducive positions, such as lying down," says Wright. And instead of turning on the TV, power up your iPod. "To increase the perception of energy, listen to a piece of music that is upbeat and familiar, and use that song to get you going.”

SHUT IT OFF
How to flip the switch when all you need to do is sleep

It would be funny if it weren't so frustrating: You spend the entire day fighting fatigue, only to slip into bed, shut your eyes, and suddenly realize that you now have too much energy.

Fortunately, there's an explanation, and it's pure Pavlov. Do you do anything in bed besides sleep? Maybe read, watch TV, or play Sudoku? "These activities train the brain to associate the bed with excitement," says Kenneth Wright, Ph.D. "Some people become so sensitive to this that when they go to bed, all of a sudden their brain's aroused, because normally they're watching a basketball game or reading a favorite book."

Which means the fix is what sleep researchers have recommended all along: no books, no Leno, and definitely no laptop when you're under the covers. Sex is fine -- it is, after all, nature's perfect sleep aid.

Research source: Lauren Russell of Men’s Health

Don't let your friends end up like this guy! Send them a link to this article: http://darrenhardy.typepad.com/blog/2007/04/how_to_have_ene.html

How Diet Sodas Can Make You Gain Weight... or worse!

Research statistics find people who drink diet sodas, or soft drinks have a very high chance of becoming overweight or even obese!

At the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio researchers found, during a 26 year study, that 622 participants aged 25-64 who drank diet soft drinks were more likely to be overweight.

According to the Associated Press, the chances of becoming overweight or obese increased by 65% with each and every diet drink per day.

Throughout the study, 32.7% of all those involved in the study, became either overweight or obese. And 47.2% of those who had 2 or more regular soft drinks a day became obese or overweight. But, the ones who drank 2 or more diet drinks a day, 57.1% became overweight or obese.

"Right now we don't have any clear public message here. This just raises an interesting question" says Sharon Fowler, the study's lead author at the University of Texas Health Science Center. She told the Houston Chronicle, "I want to be very clear our findings do not prove that diet soft drinks cause people to gain weight".

So what is this telling us? Do diet soft drinks make us gain weight? Well, the answer is no, not really. The real issue is the mentality of those who drink diet sodas, when people drink a diet drink they tend to eat more or higher calorie foods. We seem to think that we can go ahead and eat that "super size fry" or that "triple cheeseburger" because, hey, I'm drinking a diet soda.

Source: Lisa Andrews of ThinandHealthy.com

My personal opinion – stay away from the stuff as if it were cyanide.
Whenever you replace sugar with a synthetic laboratory made chemical you are asking for trouble. I have no scientific proof, and this is sheer intuitive opinion, but there is a reason why our cancer wards are full, yet we don’t know why.

The combination our highly processed, long shelf-life, mass distribution systems (rooting out all “live” and natural food sources and shoving in all sorts of inventive preservatives) and our diet obsession (pulling out natural sugars and fats and replacing it with laboratory concoctions) is causing an effect to our bodies that I think we will not know the full impact of for many years (if we are told then).

Be smarter than that. Listen to your intuitiveness. You know what is or is not healthy for you.

If you are thirsty, drink water. If you need some flavor, add some natural fruit juice. If it adds sugar to your intake, go walk or jog it off. Don’t want to? Then drink water.

~Darren Hardy

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Hump Day Health Tip

5 medical myths--busted!

By Jennifer Nelson, Women’s Health, abridged by Darren Hardy

By now you know that Bill Gates won't be sending you a $1,000 check for forwarding an e-mail. Still, thanks to the Web, urban legends, rumors, and myths make the rounds faster than Anna Nichole Smith murder rumors.

Despite reliable medical sites like WebMD, wrong-headed — and possibly dangerous — health information too often circulates as fact.

"There seems to be a kind of industry out there producing these scary stories," says Elizabeth Whelan, Sc.D., president of the American Council on Science and Health in New York City. "Then they take hold and have a life of their own."

Before you toss your deodorant or have your silver fillings yanked, see if you're really up to date on what's medical myth and what's reality.

1. The Myth: Antiperspirants trigger breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

False. Read the wild leap that invented that rumor – here

2. The Myth: Once you kill brain cells, they're gone forever.

Good News – Not so. Read how a commercial created that paranoia – here

3. The Myth: You should have silver fillings removed.

Only if you like needless pain. TV is once again to blame. Read more – here

4. The Myth: Going on the Pill will cause weight gain.

Nope, sorry. Has more to do with everything else you put into your mouth. Read the facts – here

5. The Myth: Cold weather causes colds and the flu.

Here goes your excuse for calling in sick - here

Read more health and fitness tips - here

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Hump Day Health Tip

Trick Yourself Thin

8 Scientifically Researched Weight Loss Tips

The Great Ones have great strategies for success--Odysseus hiding in the Trojan horse, Ali using the rope-a-dope, Bugs Bunny dressing in drag.

Your weight-loss strategy should be similarly inspired. Willpower alone won't shrink your waist--you need facts and wisdom on your side if you're going to maintain the resolve you showed in January.

Here is a collection of the latest and greatest scientifically proven weightloss tips published. Pick a few tips, put them in your lineup, and get back in the weight-loss game.

1. CHECK THE SCORE OFTEN
Weighing yourself often can be discouraging - that is if you are on the losing side of the game. But after studying 3,500 individuals from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) who've maintained 60 or more pounds of weight loss for at least a year, researchers found that 44 percent weighed themselves daily.

Unhealthy obsession? No, says James Hill, Ph.D., "They use it as an early warning system for preventing weight regain," he explains. "If your goal is to keep your weight at a certain level, you have to have feedback to see whether you're successful."

2. TURN OFF BOOB TUBE
Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York recently determined that simply seeing food can trigger a physiological "feed me" response. In the study, visual food cues caused brain activity to jump by 24 percent--mostly in the orbitofrontal cortex, the area of the brain related to drive and acquisition. So a constant barrage of pizza-delivery ads on TV could test your limits. And don't get me started on the Food Network.

3. PRAY IT AWAY
Wanting to look good for your relationship - with God. Lead researcher Karen Kim suggests, "General religion in the United States encompasses theological teachings about the body as a temple. This philosophy and belief is a constant reminder to keep your body in good condition, which may also lead to the consumption of a healthier diet and increased physical activity," she adds. Amen to that.

4. TAME THE BEAST
"Hunger increases healthy men's taste sensitivity to sweet and salty substances," says researcher Yuriy Zverev, of the University of Malawi. This means vending-machine snacks (which come in two flavors: sweet or salty--coincidence?) will taste even better when you're hungry. You could trust that you'd savor the flavor by eating only a small amount. (Right!) Or you could sidestep this land mine altogether. "Eat offensively," says Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., "Eat regularly during the day to stave off cravings and the bingeing that can result."

5. GO NUTS
Almonds that is, seventy per day, to be exact. That's the number that people in a City of Hope National Medical Center experiment ate daily for 6 months, in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet, to drop 18 percent of their body weight. Study author Michelle Wien partially credits the satiety factor. "Almonds are a nutrient-dense food that provides healthful monounsaturated fat, protein, and fiber, which together contribute to feeling full," she says. Go for whole almonds in their unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted state. Fifteen to 20 will do the trick for a quick snack. Try 50 as a meal replacement.

6. CARPE DIEM – SEIZE THE (LONGER) DAY
Our new longer days can help you lose weight. "The best time to start a diet is in mid-March, because the days are very longer, which makes your energy levels go up and your food cravings go down," says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at MIT. "You'll eat less and exercise more." So if you get home and it's still light, go for that run. Conversely, resolution-crazed January is the worst time to diet--the short days knock your serotonin levels out of whack, causing cravings.

7. THE COLLEGE DIET
A study from Purdue University shows that eating cereal in place of meals helps you lose weight. Participants consumed an average of 640 fewer total daily calories and lost roughly 4 pounds during the 2-week intervention. According to study author Richard Mattes, Ph.D., the approach teaches portion control with a convenient, easy-to-use food. Stick to filling, high-fiber cereals, like All-Bran or Fiber One, and eat them with low-fat milk.

8. GAMBLE IT OFF
Take a cue from the poker craze and wager against a buddy to see who can shed the most pounds. "Men do really well when they make weight loss a competitive game," says New York City nutritionist Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., author of Cooking with Joy. "Have a 6-month and a 1-year check-in--none of that 2-week garbage. Healthy competition can bring out the absolute best in people”.

Research source: David Schipper of Men’s Health

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Hump Day Health Tip

Don't be fooled any longer - 12 Foods You Should Never Eat.

You Call That Health Food?
Just because the label says it's good for you doesn't mean it is.

Here's how to read beyond the marketing hype.

Take a moment and consider this logic: 
1. Fat-free foods are healthy.
2. Skittles are fat-free.
3. Therefore, Skittles are healthy. Make sense? Of course not. But it's exactly the type of reasoning that food manufacturers want you to use.

You see, in our example, we started with a false premise. That's because the term "fat-free" is often code for "high-sugar" -- an attribute that makes a product the opposite of healthy.

Case in point: Johns Hopkins University researchers recently determined that high blood sugar is an independent risk factor for heart disease. So high-glycemic foods -- those such as sugars and starches that raise your blood sugar dramatically -- are inherently unhealthy. (See Skittles, above.)

Unfortunately, faulty food logic is far less obvious when you're shopping outside the candy aisle. Why? Because making healthy choices isn't as simple as knowing that beans are packed with fiber, or that fruits are loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants. After all, manufacturers often add ingredients, such as sugar, that can instantly turn a good snack bad. As a result, many of the products that you think are wholesome are anything but.

And that's why we've created our list of the dirty dozen:

12 "healthy" foods that you can -- and should -- live without.

1. Yogurt with Fruit at the Bottom
The upside: Yogurt and fruit are two of the healthiest foods known to man.

The downside: Corn syrup is not. But that's exactly what's used to make these products supersweet. For example, a cup of Colombo blueberry yogurt contains 36 grams (g) of sugar, only about half of which is found naturally in the yogurt and fruit. The rest comes in the form of "added" sugar -- or what we prefer to call "unnecessary."

The healthy alternative:  Get plain organic yogurt and put whole fruit in it and whallah! Great healthy snack.

2. Baked Beans
The upside: Beans are packed with fiber, which helps keep you full and slows the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream.

The downside:  The baked kind are typically covered in a sauce made with brown and white sugars. And because the fiber is located inside the bean, it doesn't have a chance to interfere with the speed at which the sugary glaze is digested. Consider that 1 cup of baked beans contains 24 g sugar: That's about the same amount in 8 ounces of regular soda.

The healthy alternative:  Red kidney beans, packed in water. You get the nutritional benefits of legumes, but without the extra sugar. They don't even need to be heated: Just open the can, rinse thoroughly, and serve. Try splashing some hot sauce on top for a spicy variation.

3. California Roll
The upside: The seaweed it's wrapped in contains essential nutrients, such as iodine, selenium, calcium, and omega-3 fats.

The downside: It's basically a Japanese sugar cube. That's because its two other major components are white rice and imitation crab, both of which are packed with fast-digesting carbohydrates and almost no protein.

The healthy alternative:  Real sushi made with tuna or salmon. These varieties have fewer bad carbohydrates, while providing a hefty helping of high-quality protein. Better yet, skip the rice, too, by ordering sashimi.

4. Granola Bars
The upside: Granola is made with whole oats, a nutritious food that's high in fiber.

The downside:  The oats are basically glued together with ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, honey, and barley malt -- all of which quickly raise blood sugar.

The healthy alternative: Grab a low-sugar meal replacement bar that contains no more than 5 g net carbs -- those are the ones that affect blood sugar -- and at least 15 g protein.

5. Pasta Salad
The upside: Most pasta-salad recipes include a variety of fresh vegetables.

The downside:  The main ingredient is white-flour pasta, a close relative of white bread.

The healthy alternative:  Egg salad has no impact on blood sugar, and a University of Connecticut review reports that there is no connection between egg consumption and heart disease.

6. English Muffins
The upside: One English muffin -- two halves -- has half as many calories as two slices of bread. So it's better for a breakfast sandwich.

The downside:   Most English muffins not only raise blood sugar significantly but are nearly devoid of fiber, protein, and vitamins. This makes them a great example of a food that provides only empty calories.

The healthy alternative:  One hundred percent whole-wheat English muffins are a decent start, but we like the kind made from sprouted grains, which contain no flour and are packed with nutrients. For instance, Food for Life sprouted-grain English muffins have twice as much fiber and 30 percent more protein compared with the typical 100 percent whole-wheat version. (For stores, check  foodforlife.com)

7. Croutons
The upside: They're so small they contribute very few calories to your overall meal, yet they add a satisfying crunch.

The downside:  Most croutons are made with the same refined flour that's used in white bread, a food with a higher glycemic index than sugar.

The healthy alternative:  Sliced roasted almonds. They're crunchy, sugar-free, and high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of healthy fats found in olive oil. In fact, Harvard University researchers estimate that substituting nuts for an equivalent amount of carbohydrates results in a 30 percent reduction in heart-disease risk.

8. Fat-Free Salad Dressing
The upside: Cutting out the fat reduces the calories that a dressing contains.

The downside: Sugar is added to provide flavor. But perhaps more important is that the removal of fat reduces your body's ability to absorb many of the vitamins found in a salad's vegetables. Ohio State University researchers discovered that people who ate a salad dressing that contained fat absorbed 15 times more beta-carotene and five times more lutein -- both powerful antioxidants -- than when they downed a salad topped with fat-free dressing.

The healthy alternative:  Choose a full-fat dressing that's made with either olive oil or canola oil and has less than 2 g carbs per serving.

9. Fruit Cocktail
The upside: The main ingredient is fruit.

The downside:  If you don't read the label closely, you may choose a brand that's packed in heavy syrup. For instance, a 1/2-cup serving of syrupy fruit cocktail contains 23 g added sugar.

The healthy alternative:  Look for fruit cocktail canned in "100 percent juice," not syrup.

10. Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
The upside: Even the reduced-fat versions pack a substantial quantity of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.

The downside:  Many commercial brands are sweetened with "icing sugar" -- the same finely ground sugar used to decorate cupcakes. In fact, each tablespoon of Skippy contains half a teaspoon of the sweet stuff. Reduced-fat versions are the worst of all, because they contain less healthy fat and even more icing sugar.

The healthy alternative:  An all-natural, full-fat peanut butter -- such as Crazy Richard's or Teddy's -- that contains no added sugar.

11. Pretzels
The upside: One ounce has just 110 calories.

The downside: These twisted low-fat snacks have one of the highest glycemic indexes of any food. In fact, they rank above ice cream and jelly beans in their ability to raise blood sugar.

The healthy alternative:  Cheese crisps   --   baked pieces of cheese that crunch like chips.

12. Corn Oil
The upside: It contains omega-6 fatty acids -- unsaturated fats that don't raise cholesterol.

The downside: Corn oil has 60 times more omega-6s than omega-3s, the type of healthy fats found in fish, walnuts, and flaxseed. Studies suggest that a high intake of omega-6 fats relative to omega-3 fats increases inflammation, which boosts your risk of cancer, arthritis, and obesity.

The healthy alternative: Olive or canola oils, which have a far better ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s.

Reference source: Cassandra Forsythe, M.S. & Adam Campbell

Hump Day Health Tip

Hey, here's one way to lose your love handles - DEATH!

Studies show that your spare-tire, you know the one we have pet named "love handles", could be contributing to higher risks of lymphoma.

What's that? The sixth leading killer of men.

How do you get it? Belly fat.

Thirty years ago, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma was a rare form of cancer. Today it is the sixth most common malignancy in men. (Hodgkin's lymphoma, which arises in a specific type of lymphocyte, remains relatively rare.) The American Cancer Society estimates that when the numbers are in, 30,680 men will have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006, and that 10,000 will have died of the disease -- that's about twice the number of men cut down by melanoma.

Yet, we keep feeding the beast (the Grim Reaper that is!). Body fat is more or less dangerous depending on its location. And for guys, it's usually located in the worst possible spot (yeah, that Michelin tire you're lugging around!).

"Men typically carry more fat around the abdomen," says Skibola, one of the authors of the British study, "and this may be contributing to their higher risk of lymphoma".

Here is one thing I know for sure, you will get MORE love with less love handles ;-)

Wanna avoid the early knock on the door from skelator carrying his scythe? Stay tuned into the Wednesday Hump Day Health Tips here on the DarrenHardyBlog.

Save a friend's life - send them this article: http://darrenhardy.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/hump_day_health_1.html

Hump Day Health Tip

Top 5 to Drop 5 
Execute these 5 tips and drop 5 pounds in weeks.

1. Drink more and less…
More water - Carry a water bottle with you at all times. Drink at least five, 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day and drink 8 to 16 ounces of water with every meal.

Less alcohol - Alcoholic beverages add calories but not nutrients. Keep your consumption to one drink per day, a few days a week.

2. Eat slowly, more, less and not at all…
Slowly - Eat meals and snacks slowly, savoring every delicious bite.

More - Eat a meal or snack every three to four hours to avoid being hungry.

Less - Curb your sweet tooth. By avoiding sweetened beverages such as soda and fruit drinks, you curb your cravings for all sweets. Choose water instead of diet soda.

Not at all - Stop eating two hours before you go to bed.

4. Keep up with your exercise routine. You might consider longer or more intense workouts to increase the calorie burn.

5. Measure your portions. It is easy to underestimate how much you are eating. A food diary is also helpful in keeping an eye on food intake.

Source: ivilliage.com

How Dieting Works

Here is a good resource for all you ever wanted to know about dieting and weight loss – FREE – without someone trying to sell you something.

I especially like the Weight Loss Myths section.

By the way, I have a very simple weight loss strategy. This will save you thousands of dollars in books, dehydrated foods, supplements and the rest of this multi-billion dollar industry mostly concocted of hype and hyperbole.

Here it is (drum…drum…drum)…

Burn (exercise) more calories than you eat.

That’s it. It is that simple. No one with anything to sell you will tell it to you that straight.

Want more detail? OK…

·        If you put more in your mouth than you work off each day – you will gain weight.

·        If you put as much in your mouth as you work off each day – you will tread water or maintain your current state of affair.

·        If you put less in your mouth than you burn – you will lose weight.

Ta-da! Don't let the weight loss industry perplex thus paralyse you with complex formulas and wonder products. What goes in must go out. Too much in without going out gets stuck (fat). No big deal ~DH

How Dieting Works
by Marshall Brain

1. Introduction to How Dieting Works
2. Your Body's Efficiency
3. Taking Calories In
4. Sample Menu
5. The Idea Behind Dieting
6. Why Diets Tend Not to Work
7. Building a Sustainable Diet
8. Cutting Calories
9. Fitting in Exercise
10. Weight Loss Myths
11. Lots More Information

Introduction to How Dieting Works

Dieting is one of those things that is completely integrated into American culture. On any given day, a huge portion of the U.S. population is "on a diet" and "counting calories" in one way or another. And look at how many of the diet names in the following list you recognize:

·             The Atkins Diet

·             The Cabbage Soup Diet

·             The Grapefruit Diet

·             The Hollywood Miracle Diet

·             The Rice Diet

·             The Scarsdale Diet

·             The South Beach Diet

·             The Zone Diet

You probably recognize many of these names because you hear them all the time!

In this article, we will look first at weight gain and why gaining weight is so easy. Then we will look at what you can do about weight gain -- in the form of diet and exercise -- to maintain a consistent weight.

Click the links above to read each section.

Forward to a friend: http://darrenhardy.typepad.com/blog/2007/01/how_dieting_wor.html

21 Ways to Stick to Your Workout

Scott Quill of Men’s’ Health (with some adjustments/edits/additions  by me - DH)

Simple solutions for our favorite excuses

We hear you're ready for a gut-busting 2007. This is the year you'll stick to your muscle-building, fat-burning covenant: the New Year's resolution. No missed days.

No empty calories. No wimp-outs. No excuses.

No, really.

We believe you. More people join gyms in January than in any other month. Of the 16 percent of people who resolve to work out more in the New Year, however, 49 percent fail to adhere to their resolutions. We've heard all the excuses. (We've used a few ourselves.)

So we made a list of them--the lame and the understandable. Then we called around to psychologists, dietitians, trainers, and men who manage to work out no matter how busy their lives are.

"LOOKS LIKE RAIN."
Your home gym--those dumbbells over there, and your chin-up bar--makes staying in a viable option. You can also spice up your indoor cardio by jumping rope or running up and down stairs. Or tie both ends of a resistance band to a doorway, place a towel across your chest, face away from the door with the band (cushioned by the towel) across your chest, and run in place.

"I HAVE NO TIME."
Combine things you do anyway--work, breathe--with athletics. Set up business meetings during which you walk or jog; play tennis with your date; take a spin class to find dates; or take your family hiking, suggests Charles Stuart Platkin, M.P.H., author of The Automatic Diet.

"I PACK MY GYM BAG AND THEN THE OFFICE COMES ON."
Get TiVo… and don’t be a dork.

"I NEED MY SLEEP."
Pat Croce manages to stick with his workouts, and this father of two has been busy hosting his syndicated TV show, Pat Croce: Moving In, and opening a pirate museum in Key West, Florida. "Like me, you have to schedule fitness," he says. On the first of each month, Croce reviews his schedule with his secretary and then his wife, and breaks it down into weeks. Every Sunday, he goes over the coming week, making sure there are gyms at hotels where he'll be staying.

"I DON'T WANT TO SPEND $50 A MONTH ON A GYM MEMBERSHIP."
Don't. January's the month to negotiate fees, trial months, or group discounts. Think you don't have the cash? Save $900 a year by switching from cafe' mocha to metabolism-boosting green tea when you stop at Starbucks every morning.

"MY GYM SUCKS."
So move. Changing gyms is an opportunity for you to upgrade your workout. See the next tip.

"I'M BORED WITH MY WORKOUT."
If you are bored, you are boring. "Throw it in reverse," says Gunnar Peterson, C.S.C.S., author of G-Force. Do something different. Get a trainer, read a fitness magazine, don’t be a wet blanket.

"I NEVER SEE RESULTS."
Maybe you're not looking in the right places. Measure your waist, your heart rate, and your weight. Write them down. Then measure again after a week or two, says Croce. Celebrate even the smallest sign of progress. Muscles appear as fat melts.

"FOUR WEEKS, AND NO CHANGE IN WAISTLINE, HEART RATE, OR WEIGHT!"
Whether you see results or not, you're strengthening your joints and connective tissues, which means you're laying down a foundation for future muscle growth, says Peterson. Your diet, stress, sleep patterns, and other factors besides your workout may be holding you back--so don't give up.

"I HAVE NO ENERGY."
Eat. You need the fuel. "An active guy needs up to 1,000 calories more than an inactive person," says Gay Riley, R.D.

"I DON'T WANT TO LOOK STUPID TRYING TO USE THOSE SPACE-AGE MACHINES."
You do look stupid, so does everyone else… and they’re there too! Approach new machines with enthusiasm. Read the placard, ask a trainer for assistance, and give it a shot. Nobody's looking. "They're so into themselves that they're not even thinking about you," Peterson says.

"MY BUDDY CAN'T MAKE IT TONIGHT."
It's easy to blame others. "If you're serious about training, think of it like a job," says Murphy. "If your training partner was an employee who continually was late and had poor performance, what would you do? You'd fire him!"

"I HATE WORKING OUT ALONE."
Go to the gym at the same time and on the same days. Say hi to people. You'll find others who are on your schedule, says Abramson.

"I SHOULD REALLY STAY WITH MY WIFE TONIGHT AND HELP WITH THE BABY. PLUS, THE OFFICE IS ON."
Or you could help all three of you. More and more gyms have child-care centers so you and your wife can get away and spend time together--something that new parents need, says Abramson. Or go over the calendar with your wife: For every day she's out, you can schedule a workout.

"I COMMUTE FOR AN HOUR. I'M NOT GETTING BACK IN MY CAR."
Go straight from work twice a week, then work out at home the other nights... and enough of the excuses  - go workout!