Natural Home Remedies And Cures

Are You Really Overweight?

First off you need to determine if you are indeed overweight. A surprising number of people, young women in particular, feel as though they are overweight and tend to obsess about their weight when they are very close to, and sometimes even under the normal weight for their size. It never ceases to amaze me that a person can look at themselves in the mirror and see an overweight person when in actuality they could even be rail-thin!

Make sure you have a realistic view of yourself, that what you see in the mirror, is what other people see when they look at you. Having a few extra pounds is ok.  It can become a constant battle to try and have those  six-pack abs, that “cut” look, especially for women whom nature has given a normal higher body fat ratio then men. Life is too short to constantly obsess about a few pounds, learn to relax, you can love yourself just the way you are! You have a lot more going for yourself then just the way you look!

There is a much more accurate way to tell if you are overweight, and that is you’re BMI (Body Mass Indicator.) Don’t just think you’re overweight, check your BMI and know for sure if you need to shed some pounds or not.

Put the appropriate values in the BMI calculator below and see where you stand:

 So Where Do You Stand? Do You Need To Lose Weight?

My BMI is just above 27 so I could lose a little weight myself lol (too many hours sitting in front of this computer!). If your BMI is in the moderate range or above than you too should shed some pounds. The higher your BMI the more urgent this weight loss becomes.

People with a BMI in the higher ranges have a much higher risk of developing diseases such as Heart Disease or Stroke, Diabetes, Cancer, Sleep Apnea, Osteoarthritis, Gout, Gallbladder Disease, Hypertension (high blood pressure), Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol and/or triglycerides), and Gynecological problems (infertility, abnormal menses.)

How To Lose Your Excess Weight Safely And Naturally

Losing weight tends to be a mental thing, kind of like an addiction, I mean we are “addicted” to food right? And not just any food but food that’s high in calories and tasted good! When your body is telling you loud and clear it wants those brownies and a glass of milk it’s hard to settle on a carrot, but that is exactly what you need to do on a consistent basis if you want to lose your excess fat.

You need to really want to lose your excess weight and maintain a high level of motivation to be successful. You need to do it for yourself-see yourself as that slim, healthy, fit person you want to become! I’m a firm believer in the power of the human mind, you will become what you see yourself as.

Weight loss is not complicated, it all boils down to taking in less calories then you burn! It really is as simple as that. If you burn more calories than you consume you WILL lose weight! 

There’s of course a huge market of weight loss products out there to try to make weight loss easier then it should be, but the bottom line is you will have to deprive yourself of calories, and feel hunger, if you expect to loss weight! I just don’t believe you should try to take a “pill” as a short-cut to weight loss. Hell, most people have absolutely no idea what is even in all those “secret weight loss pills” hawked all over the Internet! My best advice is to steer clear of any and all of those “weight loss” pills, lose your excess weight in a healthy, natural way.

All Natural Weight Loss Tips

• Exercise-This is my one most important weight loss tip-Exercise- I don’t care if you’re so heavy that you get winded walking to the mailbox, just start with that, and build on it! Push yourself a little harder (and burn more calories) every day or so. Regardless of your capabilities the important thing here is that you start an exercise program and stick to it! I find just walking (at a good pace to get the heart rate up) is a great way to burn some calories, and improve my overall health. You can walk faster, longer, and/or up hill to increase the intensity and burn even more calories. Get out there and just do it, over time you will become more fit, your health will improve, and you will lose weight.
• Diet-What you eat, and of course what you don’t eat, can greatly impact any weight loss plan. You need to take control of your diet and eat healthy food to maximize your nutrition (since you will be eating less.) You should also take a good multi-vitamin with minerals, especially since you’re dieting and eating less than normal. Buy your vitamins at a Health Food Store as opposed to a store like Wal-Mart, simply because you should get a higher quality product and the difference in price should be minimal. Taking a multi-vitamin daily will not only help you maintain your health it will make you “feel” better as you diet,  as well as reduce stress (dieting is very stressful to the mind and body) and increase your metabolism and energy level which in turn will help you burn more calories. It can be helpful to count the calories you consume and keep track of the calories you burn, but I’ve never been that regimented. When I diet (I call this my smart, common sense diet;o)!) This diet will work, is a healthy way to diet, and won’t cost you anything! So here it is in a nutshell-I just eat roughly half my normal portions at mealtime, while cutting out all high calorie snacks in between. I try to eat about the same ratio of protein, fats, (you still need a little fat in your diet!) and carbohydrates, but effectively cut my caloric intake by about half. If I feel hungry in between meals (and I do!) I snack on fruits and vegetables or any nutritious low calorie snack. Dieting and losing fat is not “rocket science” it’s just consuming less calories than you burn, and that’s all there is to it!
• Practice Healthy Living Habits
• Drink Plenty of Water-This is sooo important! Our bodies are made up of about 65% water as adults and water is needed for just about every bodily function! Water can help suppress your appetite (drink a glass or two right before a meal), help to eliminate toxins and waste from your body, and is needed to metabolize the fat that you’re trying to get rid of! Water is about the best “diet food” there is! 
• Give Yourself a “Break” From Your Diet-What did you say? That’s right give yourself a break once a week or so. For one day or one meal give yourself a break and eat just about anything and everything you want to (within reason-that is.) Treat yourself to an ice-cream sundae or a larger portion of your favorite food.
• Chew Your Food Thoroughly-Make it a point to chew your food thoroughly when you set down to eat and really enjoy your food. Prepare foods that you like, although you should stay away from processed and fried foods.
• Eat Early in the Day-Less at Night-Try to eat your large meal early in the day and eat less in the evening.
• Eat Smaller Amounts More Often as Opposed to One Large Meal-You will be more likely to burn the calories you consume if it’s only 300-500 calories at a time.
• Be Sure to Include Plenty of Protein in Your Diet-Protein digests very slowly and will make you feel more full and satisfied. It is also needed for nearly every chemical process in your body. Don’t skimp on the protein!
• Chew Sugar-Free Gum-To reduce food cravings.
• You Don’t Have to Diet Forever!-Once you’ve lost the weight and you’re where you want to be, you can of course eat as many calories as you burn and maintain that same weight. You just need to keep an eye on your weight and if it starts to creep up take the necessary steps to get it back down again before it becomes problematic. Don’t “let yourself go”.

Herbs That Can Help You Lose Weight

• Alfalfa-Acts as a diuretic and helps with the metabolism of fat.
• Kelp-Can increase metabolism.
• Chickweed and Burdock-Helps with fat metabolism and is a hunger suppressant.
• Cardamom-Aids digestion.
• Cayenne, Red Pepper, Most All Hot Spices-Improves digestion, circulation, and increases metabolism.
• Cinnamon-Can lower cholesterol, and helps stabilize blood sugar.
• Dandelion Root-Acts as a tonic and mild stimulant.
• Nettles-Helps to curb your appetite.
• Fennel-Enhance energy levels, as well as a diuretic, and appetite suppressant.
• Gymnema Sylvestre-Stabilize blood sugar which helps with cravings.
• Flax Seed-Good for you in so many ways, for dieting it helps curb your appetite.
• Garcinia Cantbogia-Actually used in weight lose formulas, reduces hunger and increases metabolism.
• Green Tea-Increases energy and metabolic rate.
• Guar Gum-Helps to decrease appetite.
• Hawthorn-Mild stimulant.
• Kola Nut-Mild stimulant.
• Parsley-Helps curb the appetite and reduce food cravings.
• Phyllium-Helps curb hunger.
• Citrus Aurantium-Aids gastrointestinal function.
• Ginger-Increases metabolism.
• Siberian Ginseng-Builds stamina, burns more calories.
• Cordyceps-Builds stamina, helps with workouts.
• Oat Straw-Helps with food cravings.
• St. Johns Wort-Helps relieve the stress of dieting.

Conclusion

Everybody is looking to lose their excess weight as fast as possible, and they want the pounds to just melt away quickly and effortlessly. That’s just not the way your body works! It takes time to put on those extra pounds, and regardless of what the latest diet fad promises, it will take some time to shed them. Besides, losing weight quickly is just not healthy, your body takes time to adjust to changes, short-cuts are a bad idea!

Before beginning any diet you should see your doctor to discuss your plans with him. As you will hear me say again and again on these pages, take care of this one body you’ve been given. Research any product you’re thinking about using, whether it’s natural and organic or not. If you’re thinking about using some “secret formula” diet pill, my best advice…don’t! Don’t risk your health on some guys claim that his pill will get rid of your fat a little faster or a little easier. Relax, let nature take her course, and lose your weight in a normal, natural way. Be healthy and live a long healthy life!