Naturopathic Solutions

This AP article via the Washington Post is typical of many articles that have been reporting on a recent study of 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women which was published Monday online in the journal Circulation.

The study has reported that “People who drank one or more diet sodas each day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda.”

Needless to say this is somewhat of a surprising result since it’s definitely counter intuitive that the diet colas would have the same impact as fully sweetened sodas given the massive calories contained in the latter. Not surprisingly, a representative from the American Beverage Association opined:  "How can something with zero calories that's 99 percent water with a little flavoring in it ... cause weight gain?"

Still, the study found those who “drank one or more sodas a day diet or regular had an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, compared to those who drank sodas infrequently. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that increase the risk for heart disease including large waistlines and higher levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides.”

Some of the theories being put forth are as follows:

1.      Adverse selection problems.  One contingent of diet soda drinkers are already overweight and drink diet sodas in an attempt to keep from gaining more.  Their link to heart disease is due to their overweight status, not the fact that they drink diet sodas.

2.      Diet sodas condition the palette to sweetness and users over consume non diet sweetened products elsewhere in their dietary intake, increasing weight gain and heart disease.

3.      There is something about diet drinks that we don’t understand.

Still, according to the article, the American Heart Association still condones the use of diet sodas as part of a program to control weight.

In our opinion, the most useful function of diet drinks is to help wean yourself off of regular fully sweetened soft drinks.  If you are still drinking fully sweetened soft drinks you are definitely not serious about losing weight.  However, once you have successfully accomplished this goal, the next step should be to replace diet drinks with, yes you guessed it, water.  Over time, you can adjust your palette so that ice water or carbonated ice water is just as refreshing as diet sodas.  And when you drink water you don’t have to be concerned with the caffeine content, availability, or the risk that this recent study  may in fact be correct.  Dribbling a little orange juice into soda water over ice can also be a refreshing low calorie and healthful drink.

So I figure that we've got about 5-8 weeks before the spring thaw starts (depending on where you live). If you aren't good with crash diets, you might want to gradually incorporate naturally thin habits so you'll be ready for spring.

If you build in 1 or 2 naturally thin habits a week, you'll be able to sit back and relax in your loose-fitting spring clothes while watching everyone else do the mad dash for the gym. So I've listed some of the easiest naturally thin habits below to help you get some ideas about how to lose weight before Spring:

#1 Drink More Water - helps speed your metabolism and flush fat

#2 Increase Exercise Time or Frequency - especially focus on strength training as this keeps your metabolism elevated for 12-24 hours after your workout

#3 Stop Eating After 7:00 - After 7:00 pm your body pretty much stores most food as fat - it doesn't need it since you'll just be going to sleep

#4 Eat Breakfast - I read a study recently where they proved that breakfast eaters actually ate less total calories for the day than non-breakfast eaters. Personally I've found this to be true for me but everyeone's different so try it and see if it works for you

#5 Make Small Changes - Have your regular toast with peanut butter - but maybe cut out the margarine. Go ahead and indulge in your 3:00 coffee break - but instead of that 600 calorie whipped mocha-frappa-lattee- cino thing, why not tray a Chai latte? Or a hot chocolate without the whipped cream? Little changes add up to large calorie cuts - especially over 5 weeks.

So those are 5 thin habits to start now to be svelte for spring. They're fairly easy and don't involve harsh crash diets or massive feelings of deprivation.

I'll try to post some more easy tips here in the coming weeks.

Until next time - V

Many people want to tone up and get ready for those warm weather months - but not everyone is the same. Some people find that a strict, basic diet works for them whereas others prefer to exercise the extra pounds off. Others achieve success when they get to the root of their overeating with a more psychological approach.

Everyone is different. To find which weight loss method will work best for you, take some time first to get to know yourself. Then you can find a weight loss plan that fits best with your personality and personal history (for example, if diets haven't worked for you in the past - you may want to look at other weight loss methods).

The quiz below is adapted from www.FreeToBeThin.com and will help you better define which weight loss paths may be your best options:


Weight Loss QuizAnswer these questions as honestly as you can, there are NO RIGHT or WRONG ANSWERS! Keep track of how many a), b) or c)'s you get and then see the results below.

1) Which statement best describes your personality:

a) I prefer order and control. I like well-laid out plans before trying anything

b) I like to just 'go for it' and jump into things. It's more fun that way.

c) I like to thoughtfully explore why I'm doing something but I can also be spontaneous if the occasion calls for it.


2) Which statement best describes your past history:

a) Traditional diets have often worked for me in the past

b) Diets don't usually work unless I'm working out also.

c) Diets have NEVER worked for me and exercise is a chore.


3) Which statement best describes your lifestyle:

a) I have a fairly hectic lifestyle and I'm always rushing to fit things in.

b) I am busy but have time on my hands to devote to activities that enrich my life.

c) I am not very busy but would like to devote some time to activities that enrich my life


4) Which statement best describes you:

a) I can go a long time putting off what I want now in order to achieve a larger goal.

b) I always like to be actively moving towards my goals.

c) I prefer to do something right once and never have to do it again


5) Which statement best describes you:

a) I like to have definite boundaries within which to work towards my goals

b) I don't like boundaries. I like to push myself beyond my limits.

c) I don't like boundaries, I like to explore and understand things as I move towards my goals


6) Which statement best describes you:

a) I like doing what I know

b) I get bored easily

c) I don't like doing things the conventional way.


**Now count up all your a's, b's and c's.**
MOSTLY A's: If the majority of your answers were a's, your best weight loss strategy may be in the area of diets. You prefer a structured plan and a proven success rate. There are many diets on the market to choose from. Take your time and choose one that you can get excited about. For more help, check out our reviews of diets that work - click here.MOSTLY B's: If the majority of your answers were b's, your best weight loss strategy may be to sweat the pounds off. You don't really like the structured food plans but prefer instead to challenge yourself physically and build a strong metabolism to burn the fat off - even while you're sleeping. For more information on losing weight through exercise, check out our Best exercise to lose weight page.
MOSTLY C's: If most of your answers were c's, you're more of a free spirit. Diets probably haven't worked for you in the past and you probably have some degree of 'Diet Burnout'. You don't want to feel deprived by a diet and you don't necessarily want to be a gym bunny. Perhaps a gentler, kinder weight loss method would suit you - even one that deals with the psychological reasons behind overeating. For more help, in this area, check out our natural weight loss product reviews.This article was reprinted with permission from http://www.FreeToBeThin.com - For more diet reviews, exercise articles and weight loss tips visit:http://www.FeeToBeThin.com/Articles.html

'Health Canada is warning consumers not to use two unapproved products being marketed as natural weight-loss aids because they may contain substances that could cause serious side-effects or injury. '

Read the entire article here:

Why do we love reading weight loss testimonials? Why do we scour the diet plan websites for before and after pictures and personal stories of pounds lost? Why do weight loss plans almost always include testimonials?

I think it's because we are looking for one thing, perhaps subconsciously, that will help us achieve our weight loss goals: Confidence.

Skeptical? Stay with me on this.

Here's the bottom line: we all know that most diets or weight loss plans will at least work in the short term because they all include some form of calorie restriction (that doesn't mean they'll necessarily work in the long run - but that's an entirely new post).

But although we know this in our heads, our past failures tell our heart something else - this may not work. And if we think something won't work, we simply don't try it. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The diet didn't work because we didn't follow it 100%. Why didn't we follow it 100%? Because we believed it wouldn't work. See the cycle?

So reading weight loss testimonials helps us to have the confidence to give a particular program our all - if other people could try it and get these amazing results then we can too. Even if you don't want to buy a certain diet program, you can still be encouraged to lose weight just by reading weight loss testimonials.

Because if other people can lose weight and look that amazing, so can you.

Perhaps it's not even the diet plan itself that does or does not work - perhaps it is the confidence that you have in the diet plan that is the deciding factor on whether or not you will lose weight. Just something to consider.