Weight Loss Products - Do They Work?

Free Report Exposes Top 10 Diet Scams and Myths!

Looking to lose weight fast? Heard all of the hype about Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse? There are lots of weight loss products and weight loss pills available out there, but don't spend any money on the "latest and greatest" diet scams without finding out WHAT WORKS and WHAT DOESN'T! Get your completely FREE report on the Top 10 Diet Scams and Myths of 2009 at www.tinyurl.com/topdietmyths. There ARE weight loss products out there that can help you to lose weight fast, but to maintain any weight loss you might achieve, you MUST change your daily eating habits.

Just to tell you a little about myself, I am a single mother of two, and between staying busy with life, family, and work, I had gotten up to almost 200 pounds. I was miserable, and I had a poor self-image. I cared more about everyone around me than I cared about myself! I would go shopping and buy clothes for everyone BUT ME. I got fed up with myself, and decided that if I wasn't happy, no one around me would be happy. I realized I had to love myself in order to love others the way they needed and deserved to be loved. I decided to get my life (and my weight) under control!

I have now lost over 70 pounds over the last year, and I have kept it off. Now, it didn't take me a year to lose the weight, but I would lose some and then maintain a while, then lose some more and maintain a while, then lose some more and maintain. I am now at my ideal weight of 130 pounds for a woman of 5 feet 5 inches. The most important thing I have learned is that IT DOES MATTER WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH! It's not about HOW MUCH you're eating, it's about WHAT you're eating. People who are overweight don't necessarily eat MORE than those who aren't overweight. Mostly, they just eat the wrong things. When I changed what I was eating, I lost 5 pounds in the first week. That made a believer out of me.

HOW I DID IT....

FIRST, I found a friend who wanted to lose weight too. Over the past year, I have teamed up with three different friends, and we have all lost dramatic amounts of weight. We made our food decisions together and helped keep each other accountable. It is important to have support in WHATEVER goal you set out to achieve.

SECOND....get on the scale! I know you don't want to see the number, but living in denial does not change the facts. You have to know where you are starting from if you expect to see the progress along the way. Start with a goal of 5 pounds. Don't worry about the next 5 until you lose THIS 5 pounds. Congratulate yourself on EVERY 5 pounds you lose!

THIRD, You can't go into battle if you aren't armed! Your first line of defense is to go to the grocery store and stock the refrigerator and pantry with healthy options for meals and snacks. Stick to the outer aisles of the grocery store as much as possible, buying fruits, vegetables, meat and fish, and low-fat dairy. Eat plenty of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, and eat regularly. Don't wait until you are starving to find something to eat, because you will make the WRONG choice of what to eat, and you will overeat at the same time. When you are full of the RIGHT thing, you don't have cravings for the WRONG things. If you have a craving, promise to eat something healthy first. Most times, the craving will be gone by the time you are finished eating the healthy choice.

Drinking plenty of water is another important component to weight loss. Water is responsible for carrying the energy converted by our cells to our muscles. Just drinking more water could help you to shed pounds, if you did nothing else. If you haven't learned to love water yet, try unsweetened tea, or the artificially sweetened drink mixes that you can add to bottled water. Carbonated drinks are never a good idea because of the sodium and all the additives, but if you MUST have one, make it a diet soda, and only occasionally.

When you do indulge in something sweet, make sure it is in moderation and only on occasion. You would be surprised at how quickly your tastebuds will adjust, and once you have kicked your sugar addiction (and it IS an addiction), you won't even enjoy that piece of dessert or soda like you used to. Also, beware of hidden sugar...things like ketchup, barbecue sauce, and dressings, for instance. Check the label on everything you eat, and don't eat anything that has more than 3 g of sugar in it.

Avoid high-fat items, like mayonnaise and butter. Olive oil is a healthy oil and can be used in place of butter on anything you cook. Try lots of spices, seasonings, and marinades (be sure to check the sugar content on the label) to add flavor to meat and veggies. Avoid fried foods, and bake or grill lean cuts of meat. I use a George Foreman Grill to cook almost everything!

Avoid white foods and starch...things like white flour, white sugar, white potatoes, etc. Sweet potatoes are a better choice than white potatoes, and whole wheat flour is a better choice than white flour. Try to keep your total carbs to 30 g per day or less when you are trying to lose. When looking at the carbs on a label, you will see that the whole wheat items have a much lower carb count than the white items. If there is sugar alcohol or fiber, you can deduct those grams from the carb count because they have no impact on blood sugar. When you have lost all the weight you want to lose, you can start upping the number of grams of carbs per day that you take in.

Last, but not least, is the exercise component. Now, you may HATE exercise, or you may LOVE it! (You can LEARN to LOVE it!) You can lose weight without exercising, but if you DO exercise, you can lose weight faster. For instance, if you walk just 30 minutes a day, your body can tolerate more carbs without damage to your fat burning process than if you didn't walk at all. Anything that burns calories will help you lose weight faster.

It's all about making BETTER CHOICES in what you eat. Small decisions on a consistent basis will add up to BIG results. Make it your goal in 2010 to make those better choices and shed those extra pounds. You will be surprised at how fast the weight falls off when you kick the sugar addiction!

Grilled Sesame Salmon

Serves: 4

Details:

This flavorful, heart-healthy dish cooks up quickly but looks impressive, making it a perfect meal for entertaining.

Tip:

To test for doneness, insert a small, sharp knife in a fillet; fish should be opaque throughout. When pressed with your finger, salmon should feel firm but not hard.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus additional to taste
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tahini or smooth, natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 4 salmon fillets (about 5 ounces each)
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 6 cups baby arugula or salad greens

Nutritional Information:

329 calories
17 g total fat (3 g sat)
75 mg cholesterol
12 g carbohydrate
31 g protein
3 g fiber
2,011 mg sodium

Directions:

1. Place cucumbers in strainer set in sink; toss with 1 tablespoon salt. Press kitchen towel on cucumbers; drain at least 1 hour or up to 3.
2. To make sauce, combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, soy sauce, tahini, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon water in blender; puree until combined.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high. Season both sides of salmon with salt. Place skin side down on grill; cook 3 minutes, or until skin shrinks and separates from flesh. Flip; cook 4 minutes, until done.
4. Toss cucumbers with remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon oil, and sliced onions. Refrigerate until serving.
5. Divide arugula equally among four plates. Top each serving with salmon, then cucumbers. Drizzle sauce over servings.

Source: South Beach Diet Recipes

Chicken Breasts with Tarragon Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup light or fat free cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 3/4 teaspoon dried
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with oil. Brown chicken breasts on both sides.
• Reduce heat and cook, covered, 15 minutes, just until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; tent with foil to keep warm.
• Add cream to skillet; scraping up brown bits. Stir in mustard and tarragon. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken.

Source: South Beach Diet Recipes