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Have Diets Lost It?

With ever-increasing numbers of weight-loss programs, health instructions and diet books on the market, any sane person would expect every one of us to have a slim, well defined and healthy body.  Yet most of us are the exact opposite. With about 60% of us considered to be overweight or obese, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a very ‘heavy’ end, and many people are starting to question whether diets are invented to make people lose their money rather than their weight.

Is it that people have given up on their regular and often expensive diet regimes? Is it that people are fed up with being forced to eat only according to the ‘allowed food’ of their chosen diet? Are they fed up with having to ‘whoop down’ weight-loss shakes, while their colleagues enjoy a lovely breakfast?  Or to replace a whole meal with just a handful of ugly looking diet pills? Not to mention going through all this effort only to find out that the moment they stop their diet all the hard work is lost, because the kilos that have slowly disappeared over the course of some hard and difficult weeks usually bounce straight back on – often resulting in even more weight showing up on their scales.

 According to an article from Colorado State University Extension, Weight Loss Products and Programs, only about 5% of diets or diet programs have long-term success. I personally think that the 5% success rate is due to those people who actually make lifestyle changes while on their diet.

Could it be true that with most diets and diet programs, people are more likely to lose their money than their weight? The fact is that, according to newspapers and magazines, we are not happy with the current ‘heavyweight’ business, which is why most of us try one diet after another, even though some of them can have very unhealthy side effects.

I think people are caught in a trap. If you allow your brain to think logically, you’ll realise that, with any diet, you will start to regain the weight as soon as you go back to your previous eating habits. The key to maintaining a healthy bodyweight long-term is an enhanced lifestyle. Try it and you'll find that it is the easiest way to achieve – and maintain – a healthy bodyweight. 

Isn't the most important thing in our life our body? It is our body that sticks with us our entire life - and it is mostly upon us how well we keep it functioning. 
Please take care of your body and your health - it is worth it.

                                                                                                            Sandy                                          

“Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking”

This is quite different to the conventional methods for quitting smoking. If you think about it, most methods focus on all the reasons why we shouldn’t smoke — it’s expensive, it’s unhealthy, it smells blah blah blah. Here’s the news — smokers already know this. Contrary to popular belief we’re not stupid!

Those scare tactics the government uses simply don’t work. In fact they make us more likely to smoke as they cause fear and anxiety. What’s the first thing we do as smokers when we feel anxious? Yep, light up a cancer stick.

So if you’re anything like most smokers, when those ads come on you’re either looking the other way, switching channels or on your way outside for a quick puff.

So this is where ‘Allen Carr’s Easyway’ is different. We know this stuff because we were once smokers ourselves. After all, it takes a smoker to know one.

We understand the psychology of smoking; we understand your fear of quitting; we understand the panic feeling you get when you’re about to run out of cigarettes, and we understand why you keep putting it off and making all those excuses. Because we were once caught in that same trap ourselves.

But because we understand it, we also know how to change it.

We know why sticking a patch on your arm isn’t going to work.

We know why going cold turkey is an unbearable nightmare.

We know what nicotine withdrawal is really like and that it’s not the real problem.

We know that the issue is more mental than physical.

And we also know how easy it can be to quit once you know this stuff too.

I attended Allen Carr’s clinic in June 2003 and after 20 years of smoking and 15 years of failed, miserable attempts using conventional methods, I finally broke free from nicotine addiction. Easily, happily and no willpower required.

All it took was one five - hour session. A few cups of coffee, regular smoke breaks (yes, that’s right, you carry on smoking whilst you’re doing it!), no drugs, no needles, no patches, gum, lasers, pills or potions. No awful withdrawals, no misery and no weight gain.

 The Cancer Project

Jennifer K. Reilly, RD, Senior Nutritionist

The Cancer Project is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, USA and is dedicated to cancer prevention and survival through nutrition education and clinical research. The Cancer Project reaches thousands of cancer survivors and their families each year in more than 80 cities across the United States, providing them with free and low-cost nutrition and cooking classes along with educational materials.

The Cancer Project also publishes and conducts research studies and public service announcements stressing the vital role of healthy food choices in preventing and battling cancer. Since up to 60% of cancers are preventable with a healthy diet, and most individuals think cancer is determined solely by their genes, getting this information out to the public is crucial. The Cancer Project has also just launched a “Food for Life Kids” program to help get youngsters eating healthy as soon as possible. Eating habits are established in childhood and the longer these habits are in place, the better our defenses.

Countless research studies point to the importance of a healthy diet in preventing and surviving several cancers, most notably cancers of the breast, prostate, ovary, uterus, and colon. Time and again, the diet prescription is the same: eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dried beans, and limit overall fat intake. This low-fat, plant-based diet is our best dietary defense when it comes to cancer prevention and survival. But what does it mean when it comes to meal time? How about: oatmeal with dried fruit for breakfast, lentil soup with a whole grain roll and a vegetable salad for lunch, and a black bean burrito stuffed with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes for dinner? For snacks and sweets, hummus and raw veggies, dried and fresh fruit, and even chocolate mousse can be made with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and silken tofu. For more information on the power of a healthy diet and quick and easy recipes, visit The Cancer Project.