Thirty Days To A Slimmer You

If you're overweight, you want to lose weight. That's a given. But how much weight do you want to lose? If you set an unrealistic goal weight, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Unfortunately, the media and the weight loss industry mess with our minds. Most of us have no idea what our goal weight might realistically be.

Why not set mini targets? For example, if you have 50 pounds to lose to meet what you think might be your goal, aim for a ten pound weight loss, and see how you feel.

Setting a mini target helps because it's achievable. If you change one habit - eating an apple and piece of cheese for a snack, rather than a couple of donuts - you can achieve this goal very quickly.

As you lose weight, you'll gain energy and confidence. That might spur you to lose more weight, and you will then see what your realistic goal really is.

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When you're eating less, it's vital that you add more fiber to your diet: this helps everything to move along smoothly. It also helps your metabolism to work better, which is essential for health.

Fiber is a very healthy addition to a good diet. By improving the solidity and bulk of solid waste it also helps to keep those who are aging more regular, less constipated. The result, supported by many studies, is (among other benefits) a reduction in the odds of colon cancer.

Insoluble fiber, so-called because it doesn't dissolve readily in water, can be found in nuts, wheat bran, whole grains and many vegetables. But there's another kind called, not surprisingly, soluble fiber. As the name suggests it does dissolve readily in water. It, too, has benefits.

Soluble fiber is found in citrus fruit like oranges and lemons, apples, beans, oats and barley grain. Among its other virtues, studies strongly suggest that some soluble fibers (beta glucan) can help reduce cholesterol.

But, as with every other aspect of diet, it's best to have everything in the proper proportion. What is that, in the case of fiber? The recommended consumption for the average adult over 50 years of age is 21g for women and 30g for men. For those under 50 the amounts are 25g for women, 38g for men.

Of course, that's only an average (for men about 170lbs, women around 120lbs). You'll want to consult tables to find out the needed amounts for your weight. There are those rare individuals who are sensitive to certain foods and they will need to seek out sources of fiber that suit their particular circumstances.

But, as a rough starting point, there are several common foods that will be right for most.

A cup of raisin bran cereal has 7g of fiber, and is usually manufactured with helpful vitamins as well. A cup of oatmeal is a good source, even though it only contains 4g. A half-cup of cooked black beans contains about 7.5g. A half-cup of tomato paste has nearly 6g, while a half-cup of cooked Lima beans has nearly 7g.

Bran muffins have been touted as a good source of fiber, and that's true, they are. But many also are high in fat and sugar, so exercise moderation and seek out a low-fat type. A couple dozen peanuts can also be a good source of fiber, but here again they are high in fat. Control the urge to get large amounts of fiber from them. You don't want to pile on the calories when getting needed nutrients.

Many fruits are a good source of fiber, including raspberries (1/2 cup contains 5.5g), blackberries (1/2 cup has 3.8g) and apples (3.3g per apple). Even pumpkin is a good source (3.5g in 1/2 cup), but this too can be a source high in fat and sugar, if it's in the form of pumpkin pie.

A slice of bread has 2g, so the average sandwich will supply 4g. But be sure to get whole grain bread, not the ultra-processed white.

Put both soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet and lose weight the healthy way. An added bonus: when your system is working well, you'll feel great and you'll have more energy.

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The "cabbage soup" diet is often touted as a quick fix, a way to lose a few pounds quickly. If you're overweight and want to get into a dress for a special event, the diet can certainly help you shed a few pounds. However, the idea of a quick fix can also be dangerous.

The cabbage soup diet has been around since time immemorial; decades ago women swore to losing weight by having bowls full of the cabbage diet soup and things haven’t changed in the 21st century either. You may have it easier by the cabbage soup diet pills floating around in the market, but the concept remains unaltered.

The cabbage soup diet is pretty restrictive but it does show results and is often recommended by doctors for patients who are going to undergo heart surgery or something similar when they need to lose weight fast. The premise of the diet is that the cabbage soup made of lots of vegetables and water will fill you up and help detox your body by flushing all the fats out. In addition to the unlimited amounts of soup you can have, each day is limited to just a few other things.

Sample Days of cabbage soup dieting

For instance, day one is unlimited soup plus all the vegetables you can eat (apart from a few starchy ones like peas and corn). Day two is soup again plus all the fruits you can eat except for a few like bananas and mangoes. Day three is soup plus fruits and vegetables. Day four is soup plus skim milk and bananas. Day five is when you can introduce a little grilled meat and some brown rice and so on. Tea, coffee and pop are not allowed on the cabbage soup diet and exercise is recommended though not mandatory.

Maintenance Phase

Experts recommend that people not go on this diet for too long a period at a stretch because it could deprive your body of essential nutrients. However, it has been considered relatively safe for a week or so and does bring about results. Nevertheless, while on the cabbage soup diet, don’t forget all about it as soon day seven is over; this may result in a downward spiral leaving you back at square one.

Even if you don’t follow the cabbage sop diet strictly after the first seven days, do make the soup part of your daily meals. Have it before your meal; it will fill you up on minimum calories leaving you with not much room to overindulge in the actual meal. Don’t forget the fruits and veggies either; having a variety of different colored produce and leafy vegetables can always help you reach your weight loss goals.

The danger of the cabbage soup diet

Because it's a quick fix, the cabbage soup diet builds a "diet" mind set. This is dangerous, because you're never done with dieting. Take the time to rethink your life style and eating style while you're on the diet. You know what's causing you to increase your weight - drop a bad habit like fast food, and make up your mind to develop some good habits.

If you use the cabbage soup diet as a quick fix too often, it will not only stop working, but you're also depriving your body of nutrients: this can lead to real health problems.

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