Change Your Ways, Change Your Weight

Is losing weight on your list of New Year’s resolutions? This year, try a different approach. Forget the fad diets and expensive exercise machines of yesteryear. Instead, focus on changing your habits and behaviors – this will help you reach and maintain your weight loss goals. Set achievable goals The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends setting two to three goals at a time and making them:

• Specific
• Realistic
• Forgiving

 

Make your weight loss goals specific and measureable. For instance, setting a goal of losing one to two pounds per week is not only specific, it is realistic – and healthy. But, you’ll need to break it down even more. How will you lose the weight? Will you exercise five times a week? Cut 500 calories from your diet?

Write down your goals and be specific, realistic – and forgiving. We’re all human and fall short of our own expectations. If you don’t reach your goal one week, don’t give up!

Reward yourself
As you reach daily, weekly and monthly goals, reward yourself. This doesn’t mean you should indulge in your favorite dessert. Reward yourself with a massage, a new haircut or even a new outfit – in a smaller size, of course.

Monitor your progress
Keeping track of your progress is a good way to stay on track and gain encouragement. You can monitor what you eat, how much you eat, how often you exercise and how much weight you’ve lost. If you’re having trouble reaching your goals, your records will help you determine what may be jeopardizing your weight loss, such as eating too many snacks.

Review your eating habits
Food is associated with so many aspects of our lives. We watch a movie, we munch on buttery popcorn. We meet a friend for coffee, we get a baked treat to go with it. Pay careful attention to your eating habits so you’ll be able to identify what changes you need to make.

Get full, not stuffed
It takes your brain 15 minutes or more to recognize that you are full. So changing the way you eat can dramatically affect how much you eat.

• Eat slowly; put your fork down between bites and swallow before picking it up again
• Eat plenty of high water-content fruits and vegetables; they will make you feel fuller
• Drink lots of water each day; it will help you feel full, and offers a wealth of other health benefits

Get started today. Change your ways, change your weight – change your life!Learn more…
Exercise is a critical component of weight loss. Plus, it’s great for your overall health. Find out how much you need and the best way to get started.

Healthy eating is one of the best ways to help you reach your weight loss goals. Our nutrition expert shares how you can eat healthfully; not just decreasing calories, but eating correctly.

Source: TriVita VitaJournal January 2009 pg 9.

New Hope For Diabetes Sufferers

Proper nutrition, exercise and vitamin supplementation can help people with diabetes enjoy a healthy, productive life By Dr. Samuel N. Grief, M.D., CCFP, FCFP

Diabetes is a silent enemy

Every year, millions of Americans live their lives not noticing that they have subtle warning signs of diabetes. These less obvious signs, such as change in vision, fatigue, sleepiness and trouble fighting off infections, may not necessarily make you think of diabetes… but they should! It is usually the more obvious symptoms, such as unintentional weight loss, excess thirst and urination and fainting that signal the onset of diabetes and spur people to action.

Remember, if you are diagnosed with diabetes, life does not end! However, change is required in order to correct some of the imbalances that led to the development of diabetes in the first place.

First, take stock of your weight

Obesity causes approximately 60% of all cases of type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes. Losing weight is very likely to lessen the need for prescription medicine to control diabetes. Second, learning to count carbohydrates is necessary for all people with diabetes in order to keep the blood sugar relatively stable and free of any wild fluctuations. Limiting carbohydrate intake may also minimize the need for insulin.

Third, exercise will help improve your body’s natural sensitivity to its own or to any injected insulin you provide. Many people are not sure why they end up with diabetes. For most, a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle habits sets off a slow and steady decline in pancreatic function. This decline is inevitable unless the above lifestyle modifications are introduced. Taking supplements to help keep diabetes away is tempting. But do they really work?

Good news from the scientific world regarding vitamins and diabetes prevention

A recent study of middle-aged and older men and women was undertaken to see whether the rate of developing diabetes would be affected by how much Vitamin C was circulating in the blood among the study population’s participants. Vitamin C is a known antioxidant and promotes the well-being of several organ systems, including the heart, blood vessels, skin, gums, teeth and the immune system. This particular study concluded that those individuals with the highest blood levels of Vitamin C were significantly less likely to develop diabetes over the 12-year study than those with the lowest levels.

This is outstanding news! Translating this news into real-world practical advice, if you or any member of your family would like to lessen the risk for developing diabetes, consider eating more Vitamin C-rich foods. Specific Vitamin C-rich foods include:
• Oranges and other citrus fruits
• Sweet and hot peppers
• Cantaloupe
• Potatoes (baked, not fried)
• Cherries.

Vitamin C can also be obtained through supplements

If you choose to supplement, be sure you take a high-quality one that contains the appropriate amount to boost your blood level. Healthcare professionals recommend anywhere from several hundreds to several thousands of miligrams of Vitamin C per day.

Finally, diabetes is a known risk factor for heart disease, eye disease, skin infections and kidney disease. Fortunately, Vitamin C is known to help improve blood flow and as an antioxidant protects against sun damage to the eyes and skin, as well. The bottom line is this: eat a healthy and balanced diet, stay active and supplement with the right combination of vitamins and minerals to help stave off or keep your medical conditions under control, especially diabetes.

Source VitaJournal November 2008 pg 10.

TriVita’s Vitamin C supplements