Yes, you read it right…no diets!
The first step in this weight management program is to gather all of your old fad diets, quick weight loss remedies, and “magic cures”. Once you have them all together in a nice, neat pile- throw them into the trash! One thing we have learned in the last 20-30 years is diets don’t work and actually can make things worse. Fad diets may provide short term weight loss but they are generally too difficult to stick with for a lifetime. The majority of people who lose weight on fad diets regain that weight within 3 to 5 years. Over time this yo-yo dieting effect can slow your metabolism, the way our bodies burn the calories from the food that we eat. Most fad diets require you to significantly restrict your caloric intake by limiting or even eliminating specific foods from your diet. They lead you to believe that it is these specific foods that are causing you to gain weight. The fact is; a cookie or a slice of French bread is not responsible for weight gain. It is the total number of calories that you consume in a day compared to the amount of calories you use as energy. The calories you don’t use as energy turn into stored fat and over time this translates into more body weight.

Yes, its true consuming excess carbohydrates can result in large insulin spikes and cause you to store fat more readily and stimulate your appetite. However, does this mean that everyone in America is eating too many carbohydrates? Not necessarily. Does this mean we need to completely eliminate all carbohydrates from our diet? Absolutely not. It means we need to learn how to eat the right kind of carbohydrates and the right amount.

It’s also true that eating excess fat can make us gain weight because fat carries more calories than protein and carbohydrates, but does this mean that everyone’s issue is too much fat? Once again, no. Therefore, we must approach weight management on an individual basis because not everyone is eating too many calories from bread. Just the same, not everyone is consuming too many calories from cookies. We are all individuals and our eating habits are all unique which is why the one size fits all diet plans don’t work. The ultimate key to success is BALANCE.

Balance is providing the appropriate amount of calories, nutrients, and (don’t forget) enjoyment from our meals. In a balanced diet, there are no perfect days, no foods are omitted, and you don’t have to starve yourself. It may simply be that you’ve been eating too many starchy foods and too little fat. This may have stimulated your appetite and caused you to consume more than your body needs. Or vice versa, it may be that you are consuming too many fats and too little fruits and vegetables which can cause you to have a high calorie level with a fairly small intake of food. Perhaps you’ve been eating the right balance but with too large of portion sizes. These are the kinds of things that throw us off balance and cause us to consume more calories than we utilize for energy.

Let’s take an example

Unbalanced Day
Breakfast: skip (too busy)
Large latte
Snack: chips from vending machine
Lunch: (restaurant) hamburger and large French fries
Dinner: 8 oz steak and 2 cups mashed potatoes
Dessert: large bowl of ice-cream (1-2 cups)

Meal Makeover
Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, 1 cup low fat milk
Snack: apple, 1 oz peanuts
Lunch: (restaurant) turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with a bowl vegetable soup
Dinner: 3 oz steak (size of a deck of cards), 1 cup mashed potatoes, and a large salad w/1 TB vinaigrette dressing
Dessert: small bowl of frozen yogurt or sorbet (1/2- 1 cup)

The original meals were heavy in high fat foods, large in portion sizes, (beef, French fries, chips, and ice-cream) and low in fiber. The balance was off. By making these changes we saved approximately 800 calories while still enjoying steak, mashed potatoes, and dessert! Not to mention you get to eat more when you incorporate more plant based foods since they are much lower in calories. We also improved the nutrient content by adding more fiber/vitamins/minerals/and antioxidants with increased fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Have you been trying for a long time for that weight loss you have always wanted? Do you struggle with your food cravings and weight control?We imagine you have tried every diet available and none succeeded; well, if this is you, then read on as you find out about a brilliant medical therapy that can support your weight loss goals.The medical therapy we are talking about is Hypnotherapy. This is a therapeutic medical treatment that is used in a wide range of psychological and physical issues that many endure.While many would have seen the likes of Paul McKenna on the television using Hypnosis to get the participants to engage in silly activities, many of you may not know that there is a more important use of Hypnosis. Can you truly say to yourself that you knew Hypnosis was used as a medical treatment? Truth is many don’t.Hypnosis started out in life some two hundred years ago and from its beginnings medical practitioners saw the importance it could have in medicine. At the outset, medical professionals used Hypnosis as a therapy for Psychological issues; initially these issues were called Hysteria.Today we see Hypnosis still in use in medicine and it is now called Hypnotherapy. While in the old days anyone could learn Hypnosis and use it medically, today this is not the case.Anyone who wishes to become a medical practitioner using Hypnotherapy has to undergo training and become registered. This requires being educated and gaining certification in Hypnotherapy; something easier said than done. After this, the individual needs to be registered with the British Medical Association to be allowed to practise medically.Now that you know about Hypnotherapy, you are probably wondering how it can help you with your weight loss and how it can help you control your weight and cravings. Well the truth is that it can really help if carried out properly.Hypnotherapy is all about putting the patient in a relaxed and suggestive state, one where the Hypnotherapist can use gentle but suggestive language to get you to feel different about your dieting. This still sounds a little cryptic but this is because Hypnotherapists don’t give their training away and the actual information given to patients under hypnosis is part of the patient confidentiality agreement.One method we do know Hypnotherapists carry out weight loss is through something known as the Hypno-band. The Hypno-band is for those who have a very high BMI and regular weight loss Hypnotherapy does not work.The Hypno-band use in Hypnotherapy is a surgery-free way of making the patient feel they have a gastric band fitted. Through the power of Hypnosis, a Hypnotherapist can make the patient feel like they have a Hypnotic gastric band, or virtual gastric band fitted on their stomach, this makes the patient eat smaller amounts without having to go under a surgeon’s knife.While the Hypno-band is only used for extreme problems of obesity, it is a clear indication of the work that a Hypnotherapist can carry out for those wishing to lose weight.If you have been struggling with your weight or find that you are classed as clinically obese by medical professionals, why not look at alternative avenues to support your weight loss such as Hypnotherapy? If you live in the UK, there are many different Hypnotherapists that could help you and you are sure to find someone local to where you live that can support your weight loss through the power of Hypnotherapy.Just think about that end goal of losing the weight you wish, Hypnotherapy could help you get there.

What is a bland diet? It is a diet specially set to treat certain gastrointestinal or stomach problems such as heartburns, ulcers and gas.

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An answer to a question, what is a bland diet, is that it is a simple treatment for people suffering from any one or more gastrointestinal disorders such as chronic gastritis, ulcer, esophagitis and dyspepsia.

Bland diet is a dietary regimen for people suffering from stomach disorders. Hence, it is quite understood that ingredients of a bland diet are soft food items, which are easy to digest with a capacity to keep the acidity to low levels. Questions about diet may be asked to your physicians and he/she can suggest the diet or recommend a dietician to do it.

Diet medical questions may include the queries about the food stuffs to eat and food stuffs to avoid during the time while a person experien ces any gastrointestinal disorders. However, before a dietician could decide the bland diet for a person, he/she needs to seek answers to several medical questions related to the person such as any food allergies or irritations associated with any food items and emotions medical questions of people.

Bland Diet:

The diet prescribed as a bland diet will include food items that are easy to digest and low in fiber and acid contents. Even giving up alcohol and smoking is advised while patient is on bland diet. Also a patient is advised to have 4 to 6 light meals after regular interval to avoid heavy and large meals.

Chewing food properly and eating slowly helps in the digestion of the food. Adequate sleep, avoiding smoking and controlling anxiety are supportive treatments for the standard treatment of the problem.

Allowed Food Items:

• Dairy Products
Milk, cheese, yogurt with low-fats and other dairy products are easily digested and hence, can be included as a part of bland diet. However, there is no restriction on ice-creams and one may consume even ice creams during bland diet, but it should not have any product such as nuts that are not allowed in bland diet.

• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh vegetables and fruits are allowed to a bland dieter. However, while carrot, squash, green peas are good to eat in a bland diet, broccoli, onions and green peeper should be avoided as it forms gas. In fruits, oranges, grapefruits, and bananas are allowed.

• Proteins
Protein requirement of the body, while on a bland diet should be met with soy products and meat. Fried chicken and greasy hamburgers are not allowed to be consumed, while grilled and baked chicken is allowed.
Low-fat peanut butter and eggs are also efficient to meet the body’s protein requirement in a bland diet.

• Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are contained in whole grain breads, pasta, oatmeal, corn flakes, white rice and sweet potatoes. All these food items are allowed.

Bland diet is designed for treating certain medical circumstances such as gastrointestinal problems. Hence, to answer what is a bland diet, we can say that this is a diet that aims at improving the digestion with the help of a timed-routine diet and soft to digest food items. Once the problem is controlled patients can return to their normal diet.