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Imaginary Diet

Hi,

Imagine eating your favorite food.  Really imagine it.

Imagine how it smells, how it looks.

Imagine how it tastes, how it feels on your tongue.

Imagine the pleasure you are getting from imagining all of this.

Now, what if I told you that doing this will help you really lose weight?

You might think I am a little crazy.  Well, you might be right about that part. 

But, what I said is true.

ABC News showed a report about imagining eating and the effects it had on real weight loss.

They used M&M’s in the study.  The subjects imagined eating M&M’s.  they imagined the first one in as much detail as possible.  Then they repeated the process another 29 times. 

Another group didn’t do any imagining.

The study then put a bowl of M&M’s on the table and measured how many each group ate.

They originally thought that the imagining group would eat a lot more of the M&M’s.  But, the opposite happened. 

The imagining group ate about 1/2 of the amount the non-imagining group did.

Turns out that all this imagining stimulated the release of dopamine in the brain.  In this case dopamine satiated the hunger receptors and therefore the appetitie.

So the imagining group actually felt full and therefore only ate 1/2 of what the non imagining group did.

Talk about the power of imagination. 

So how can you use this – especially with all the holiday meals coming up.

Do you have to imagine 30 times. or is 1 or 2 times enough.  Unfortunately, there were no details on this.  But, I will try to find out more and post it at a later time. 

For now at least try to imagine eating your favorite food for a few minutes before you eat, or drink.  (Maybe it also works with drinking – either alcohol or soda.)

Try it and see if the imaginary diet will work for you.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Lose Weight VS Nicer Body

Hi,

Would you rather just lose weight or have a nicer body?

Now you might think that just losing weight will automatically make you have a nicer body.  And this is true for some people.

It is usually true for those that already have a more active lifestyle.

But, for most people, losing weight doesn’t really change their appearance too much.  Except they are a smaller version of theirselves.

This is because if you just lose weight you are losing weight from not only body fat, but also from muscle tissue.

If is muscle tissue that will help you have a nicer body. 

Now some people are born with a naturally nice looking body.  Others aren’t.  That has to do with genetics.

While you can’t change genetics, you can help it.

Having a muscular body will help determine your shape.  Now that does not mean you have to have huge muscles. 

But, having firm, strong and shapely muscles is something that is considered appealing in most societies.  This is whether you are male or female.

Just losing weight does nothing for your shape.  To change your shape you have to do something for your muscles.

That means moving more.  Maybe it is just walking, maybe just jogging, maybe a fitness class, or maybe weight training. 

You know how much you are moving and exercising now.  If your body isn’t in the shape you want it to be in, then you will have to do more of the moving and exercising part.

And while you are doing that you will be raising your metabolism which means that you will be burning more body fat. 

Ergo, you will be losing weight from body fat and not from muscle tissue.  That way you will be able to transform your body, not just make it smaller. 

I think that in the losing weight vs having a nicer body, that having a nicer body is actually the way to go.

So get out there and start moving and exercising more. 

Thanks,

Mike Val 

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Hi,

I just read an article about your aging metabolsim. 

It started out like this: “Getting older means losing muscle and a slowing metabolism.  That is a harsh fact.”

So is this really true?

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of people it is.  And that is because they don’t do anything about it. 

One of the side consequences of this “truism” is that as you lose muscle mass, you metabolism will slow down.  And that means weight gain.

You will not be able to control this weight gain by dieting alone.  Because of the way the body works any diet you go one will only make the slowing metabolism problem worse. 

If you look around you, you will see that most older people do have more body weight and their body shape is not that of a healthy athlete.  And they pretty much don’t have much muscle. 

This trend has been going on for some time and it is affecting younger and younger older people.  And it will get worse.

You have read the statistics.  Over 2/3 of the population is overweight or obese. 

I would guess that the vast majority of these people do not do anything to keep their muscles strong and their metabolism stoked.

So, the question is, do you have to be one of these people?

The answer is NO. 

However, once you say that you are not going to be one of those out of shape older persons, what are you going to do about it?

Here are two things you can start doing.

One if to change your eating patterns.  Notice I did not say go on a diet.  That is the worst thing you can do.

But, you can eat healthier.  You can eat more organic foods.  You can up the good quality protein you eat.

You also have to move you body.  And not just a leisurely stroll for a few minutes a day.

Now if you are already terribly out of shape, then maybe a leisurely stroll is all you can do.  To start with. 

You do need to start however.  And you need to increase the amount of movement you do.  That is because your body is a great adapting machine.

If you do the same exercise for the same amount of time and with the same level of intensity pretty soon that exercise will not give you the same benefits.

Your body will adapt to whatever stress that exercise is providing you.  And soon that exercise will not be stressful.

This is good in that it shows that you are making progress.

It is bad in that you now have to do either more or something else to continue to get the benefits of this stress (this is good stress).

So now my question is can you start doing this tomorrow?

Stay tuned for my surprising take on the probable answer to this question.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Hi,

Have you tried the picture diet?

No you don’t have to eat a picture of your food.  But, you do have to take a picture of it. 

Now there are several ways to help you stay on your diet.  And support from others is a great way to help you.

After all if someone else is going through the same thing, you are actually motivated to help them and to do better yourself.

A coach is also another way to help you.  Now you have somebody to answer to.  This is another motivation.

Many people have used online support groups to help stay on their diets. 

That doesn’t mean just fitness or diet sites and forums.  Although these are great places to meet others that have the same motivations and desires as you do. 

Even sites like Twitter and Facebook have plenty of people dieting and trying to get fit.  You can find them easily with the built in search engines on the sites.

But, getting back to the picture diet.  A study from my old alma matter – the U. of Wisconsin in Madison – had the research subjects take a photograph of everything they ate. 
This actually helped them lose weight.  The actual proof of what they put on their plates helped them stick to their diets. 

Part of the reason was they focused on what and how much they were eating.  If they had too much food they felt guilty.

If they had nothing but french fries, they realized that it was not a balanced meal. 

This – in your face – proof of what they were eating and how often they were eating helped eliminate one of the problems of under counting calories.

Under counting calories is one of the main problems with diets.  Most people say they have reduced their calories, but how do they really know unless they keep a food dairy and take their calculator and scale with them everywhere they go.

Seeing a picture eliminates the need for all of that.  Now they can’t fool themselves into thinking they didn’t eat very much.  If they have pictures of a day of eating a lot of food and not so good for you foods, then they know.

This is great motivation. 

To take this a step further, post your pictures on your favorite social networking sites for all to see. 

That will be another step in the motivation factor. 

Dieting is not just about the physical.  It is about your whole essence.  This includes the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of your life.

Dieting is hard and it goes against your very nature.  It is about depriving yourself.  So if the picture diet helps you, then use it as another tool in your arsenal to get rid of those extra pounds.

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Hi,

Dieting is simply too hard, says a survey titled, “Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America” (2008).

They came to this conclusion based upon the fact that more and more people are giving up on dieting. 

And you know what, they are right.

Dieting is too hard. 

It is hard not only from a physical aspect, but also from your mental and spiritual aspects also. 

You have heard of the body, mind and spirit, right?  Well, if you can get all three of these aligned to accomplish something, you will be able to accomplish it much easier. 

If, one aspect is not in alignment, then your task becomes much more difficult, if not impossible.

Think of trying to push a wheelbarrow when the wheel is not attached and you will get an idea of what it is like trying to accomplish a goal when you are not aligned. 

So why is dieting such a problem?

First, you body is not designed to diet.  Your body is a series of checks and balances that help you function at the optimal levels. 

When you are hungry a hormone called ghrelin signals you to eat.  When you are full another hormone called leptin tells you to stop eating.

Every system in your body has these checks and balances.  As long as that system is maintained then you will never need to diet. 

So, if the system gets whacked out of balance then the body doesn’t really understand how to get back in balance, so it resists.

Let me explain.  If you overeat a little bit everyday (finish all the food on your plate), the leptin learns not to react as quickly.  This process is a desensitization of leptin. 

So it takes more and more leptin to tell you when you are full.  This is a gradual process and eventually it doesn’t work well at all. 

It was found that obese people actually have very high levels of leptin, but it doesn’t work anymore. 

Now there is nothing to tell you when you are full.  Ghrelin has no counter force. 

So you keep eating and eating and eating.   Why doesn’t ghrelin slow down or stop working also?

No one knows for sure, but I am guessing it has to do with what you eat.

Your body needs nutrients to function properly.  If it is not getting these nutrients, that doesn’t mean it stops wanting them.

What it means is it keeps signaling your body to keep eating until it gets the nutrients.

Try this.  Eat a well balanced meal of proteins, fats and carbs.  Something like wild salmon with vegetables and a sweet potato.  That will give your body all the nutrients it needs and the body will be satisfied.

If you eat a meal of a double bacon burger with fries and a soda, your body will not be getting hardly any nutrients.   And you will be signaled that your body still needs the nutrient.  Go eat some more says your body. 

This becomes a vicious cycle.  And even though continual eating of bad food is not good for you, it doesn’t matter to your body.  It will keep signaling you to eat more until it gets the nutrients it needs.

As you can see your body doesn’t want to go on a diet.  It doesn’t know how to act on a diet and it will rebel every step of the way.

That is one of the reasons that dieting is simply too hard.  Stay tuned for the mental and spiritual sides of the equation tomorrow. 

Thanks,

Mike Val

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Hi,

One of the problems with just dieting is that not only do

you lose weight, but you lose muscle weight also.  Usually,

this isn’t measured or paid attention to very much. 

But, it is important, especially as you get older. 

Most people just concentrate on their weight loss and don’t

concern themselves with what the weight loss consists of.

Much of the weight loss when you first go on a diet consists

of water loss.  Then you start getting into the body fat and

muscle stores. 

The ideal goal would be to not lose any muscle and – after

the water loss – lose only body fat. 

Your body mass also consists of bones, ligaments, tendons,

organs, etc, but these will all stay the same weight, so you

don’t have to be concerned about those. 

A study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports

and Exercise a few years ago showed that in a controlled

environment the weight loss on a diet can match the weight

loss on a diet with exercise. 

However, there is still a big difference.  In the people who

only did the diet, the non fat loss (ie. muscle) was almost

twice as much as the group that did exercise.

In other words the group that exercised while dieting,

lost only 1/2 the muscle weight that the diet only group

lost. 

This is one of the reasons that people that only go on a diet

can lose a lot of weight but not be as strong or really look

any better. 

If you chose to exercise, you will be keeping your muscles

and losing more body fat.  This will make you look a lot better

and feel a lot better. 

It will also help you keep the weight off easier.  Muscle

helps you burn more calories throughout the day and this

is what you want to keep the weight off.

So, if you are thinking about going on a diet, make sure to

include some exercise along with it so that your diet does

not equal muscle loss.

You don’t need to do hours a day.  Just a few minutes at

a time is all you need.  Stay tuned for details.

Thanks,

Mike Val

http://www.valshealthsite.com