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Myya Mixon and Wiltrina Jones want to help you lose weight

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Two of our most favorite weight loss success stories have joined forces to help women get healthy and fit.  These are 2 people who I would definitely suggest you take weight loss advice from.  Wiltrina was one of the first weight loss stories we shared on Facebook and our online community.  She has been featured on Good Morning America and by Huffington Post.  We featured Myya Mixon’s amazing story and People contacted us for her contact info.  In Aug 2013, they chronicled her amazing weight loss in their Beach Bodies weight loss issue (read her story).  She has also been featured on Good Morning America. These ladies are amazing!!  I’m so excited to share there new venture PHITness with you.

PHITness Wiltrina and Myya

Here is more info:

P.H.I.T.ness stands for Physically Healthy Inspirational Teachers. P.H.I.T.ness describes the journey to better health of Myya Mixon and Wiltrina Jones. After being morbidly obese, Myya Mixon and Wiltrina Jones decided that they had enough and took control of their lives. Both women have adopted  healthy lifestyles and drastically transformed their bodies, both inside and out. Between the two of them, over 300lbs have been lost.  Today, Myya and Wiltrina, both are Nationally and Internationally recognized for their amazing weight loss success, are now committed and dedicated to helping other in their journey to better health.

Myya and Wiltrina offer numerous services including their Free Health and Wellness Teleseminars which are offered every Wednesday at 8PM (Eastern Standard Time).   Myya and Wiltrina are also available for speaking engagements, workshops and classes, motivational  speaking as well as other health related services.  They expertly address topics such as weight loss, health and wellness, nutrition, weight management, etc.

Make sure that you check out their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PHITnessatl. For those of who are just starting on their weight loss journey Myya and Trina suggest these 5 key tips:

1. Decide why you want to make the change
2. Develop a plan for implementing the change
3. Commit to your plan
4. Set small managaeble goals
5. Focus on changing one thing at a time

Can Going Gluten Free Help You Lose Weight?

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In dieting, we all know that there are many diets and so many different plans. Choosing one may be overwhelming. When new concepts appear on the weight loss market, there are always people willing to give the new plan a try hoping it will be “the plan” that finally works.  There are several new diets and diet books out there that call for an end to gluten filled foods. They state that gluten can hamper weight loss and cause a broad variety of health problems.  Let’s investigate this claim.

gluten freeWhat is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein that is found within grains. Oats, wheat, barley and rye all have gluten in them. When you think about it, tons of our carb rich foods are filled full of glutens. Gluten can cause many people problems if they are allergic to gluten. Allergic reactions can include an upset stomach and even some neurological issues.

How Does Cutting Gluten Out Help?

Gluten can raise blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar is high your body may convert that sugar into make more fat and this will in turn make you gain weight. By cutting out gluten, your blood sugar numbers can remain more normal and not elevated. Thus, avoiding gluten could be a good thing.

Some people think that because of having to cut out carbs you cannot have any natural carbs. Grains are just one group of carbs.  You will need to make sure that you still eat fruits and vegetables but make sure that you don’t over do it.

You want to avoid carbs from breads, crackers, baked snacks, etc to maintain your gluten free diet.  You can also look into some of the many gluten-free options on the market today.

Benefits Other than Weight Loss

Going gluten free also has benefits other than weight loss. Many scientists and doctors believe that gluten is bad for the body and can cause a toxic reaction and causes inflammation in some people. By going gluten free they say that the body can detox and be at a much healthier state that it was before. In some studies children with certain sensory issues have benefitted from going gluten free. In other studies adults that have had neurological problems have seen a reduction in symptoms by going gluten free.

Getting Rid of Gluten Foods

Gluten can be found in a lot of things you may not think off and just not in your typical breads. Crackers, flour, processed meats, candy, gravy, soups, cookies, pasta, cakes, salad dressings, and pies can all be laden with gluten. Make sure that you always read the ingredient list before you purchase to make sure that you are steering clear of gluten. If you see a gluten food listed no matter what the product is you will want to steer clear of it.

Here are some ingredients to avoid:

Barley Grass (can contain seeds)
Barley Malt
Beer (most contain barley or wheat)
Bleached Flour
Bran
Bread Flour
Brewer’s Yeast
Brown Flour
Bulgur (Bulgar Wheat/Nuts)
Bulgur Wheat
Cereal Binding
Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Cookie Crumbs
Cookie Dough
Cookie Dough Pieces
Couscous
Criped Rice
Edible Coatings
Edible Films
Edible Starch
Enriched Bleached Flour
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
Enriched Flour
Farina
Farro
Filler
Flour (normally this is wheat)
Germ
Graham Flour
Granary Flour
Groats (barley, wheat)
Hard Wheat
Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
Kamut (Pasta wheat)
Kecap Manis (Soy Sauce)
Malt
Malted Barley Flour
Malted Milk
Malt Extract
Malt Syrup
Malt Flavoring
Malt Vinegar
Matza
Matzah
Matzo
Meringue
Orzo Pasta
Pasta
Pearl Barley
Rice Malt
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Spelt
Sprouted Wheat or Barley
Tabbouleh
Tabouli
Teriyaki Sauce
Udon (wheat noodles)
Unbleached Flour
Wheat Bran Extract
Wheat, Bulgur
Wheat Germ
Wheat Nuts
Wheat Protein
Whole-Meal Flour
List Source: Cellac.com

Many companies are now specifically making foods that are gluten free and labeling them. You can find these foods in a health food store and many grocery stores will now have these foods in stock Be sure to look in the health food section in your store as well as the regular isles. Another option is to research companies online to find gluten free products. Some grocery stores may provide a helpful list online of what they sell as well as coupons to help you save money when going gluten free.  Gluten free products are very popular with moms and stores want to capture that market.

Cutting the gluten out of your diet can help you have a successful weight loss. Your sugar levels will not be increased by the carbs.  You also will avoid any allergic reactions and inflammation that you may not be aware of. If you can find helpful recipes online that can show you what to eat and what to replace in meals to make sure that you stay full and aren’t hungry. Remember that when you first switch to a gluten free diet you may feel bad while the body detoxes but after awhile your body will become used to not having that grain foods.

What Is Body Mass Index and Why Should You Care?

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When it comes to determining the state of your well being, sometimes it all seems to come down to numbers – your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol. All of these numbers give doctors an idea of how healthy you are. A vital number that measures your health and overall risk for disease is the BMI or body mass index. Your BMI measures your assumed body fat in relation to your height, and it is one of the most reliable ways to measure body fat since muscle mass, bone density, and the size of your frame aren’t taken into account with other simple weight measurements.  It’s not perfect…

Let me say up front that I know that the concept of BMI is debated in terms of it’s validity.  It is a formula that was created back in the 1800s and of course body image and eating habits have changed dramatically.  It also doesn’t take into account any tendencies for some women to be more curvy or social norms in communities like ours (black women) about weight and size.  Many people are shocked when their BMI  denotes that they are obese or extremely obese and they don’t feel that they fit that description.  I’m writing about it because I think you should be very aware of it since the medical profession uses it and your doctor, nutritionist or other medical professional is likely using it as a guide to determine whether you are “overweight”.  You have to make your own decisions about whether you think BMI is a valid measurement.  Many do not.  That being said, let’s talk about what BMI is.

BMI: Where You Are and Where You Should Be

All it takes is a simple math equation to determine your BMI. If the math is too daunting for you, there are also BMI calculators online that allow you to punch in your numbers and get an answer without crunching any numbers yourself. To calculate your BMI you will need to know how much you weigh (in pounds) and your height (in inches). Following is the equation you should use to calculate your BMI:

(Weight / (Height x Height) ) x 703 = BMI

Your BMI says a lot about your health. In fact, it is a better indicator of obesity than the number on the bathroom scale. Your BMI will also tell you if you’re underweight. Take a look at the following to see what your BMI says about you:

  • 18.5 and Lower – Underweight
  • 18.5 to 24.9 – Healthy Weight
  • 25 to 29.9 – Overweight
  • 30 to 39.9 – Obese
  • 40 and Over – Extreme Obesity

Why Your BMI Is a Useful Measurement

Maintaining a healthy weight involves a great deal more than hitting a “golden” number on the scale. In fact, most people inaccurately estimate what their healthy weight should be and overshoot or undershoot their ideal weight. Instead of picking a weight goal and working toward it, most doctors recommend tracking your BMI for a better look at the whole picture. Here’s why your BMI is a useful measurement:

  • Assesses Risk – Your BMI is an extremely important predictor of risk when it comes to cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes. People who are considered overweight have an increased risk for these diseases and those with a BMI of 40 or greater have an extremely high risk for developing these conditions.
  • Predicts Disease – People with high BMIs are more at risk for developing several types of cancers, osteoarthritis, respiratory issues, infertility, gastro esophageal reflux, incontinence, type 2 diabetes, and strokes. Simply by knowing your BMI, your doctor will know what types of diseases to screen for during your routine examinations.

Special Considerations

In some cases, BMI measurements aren’t accurate. For example, someone who is a professional body builder will weigh more due to muscle mass. While their BMI might indicate they are overweight, they are anything but. Following are some exceptions to the BMI chart:

  • Competitive athletes and body builders
  • A person with high muscle mass and high bone density
  • Pregnant women
  • Children (without the aid of a growth chart)

For these groups of people, the BMI is not a good measurement of overall health. In the case of children, BMI measurements can shed some light on health and weight issues but it must be cross referenced with a growth chart in order to determine where a child falls in relation to his peers. Age must also be taken into account.

How to Lower Your BMI

If your BMI is higher than it should be, you can lower it by making positive, healthy changes in your life. The best way to lower your BMI is by eating a healthy, balanced diet and increasing your physical activity in an effort to lose weight. And it doesn’t take a great deal of weight loss to dramatically bring down your BMI. If you lose as little as 10-percent of your body weight, it can have a profound impact on your BMI. Making simple, modest changes today can greatly impact your overall health and your BMI tomorrow.

Fasting 101: Water Fasting and Intermittent Fasting

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Fasting is considered as one of the most powerful and ancient methods of detoxification of the body and all the systems. Overtime, a number of variations in the methods and strategies of fasting have been developed, but the overall health benefits and effect on the metabolism are still the same.  Today I want to talk about two very common methods:

  • Water fasting
  • Intermittent fasting

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This info is my opinion and based on my own research.  Since I’m not a medical expert, I would always suggest that you talk to your doctor before starting any fast…water, juicing, etc.

Regardless of the strategy employed, the main health benefits of fasting are:

  • Spiritual rejuvenation and connection for those who do it for spiritual reasons.
  • Healing and detoxification for the body, per organs being able to heal and do their natural detox functions
  • Conservation of energy by the body in general and with regard to the body processes related to digestion.  That energy can be used for cleaning the tissues, blood, etc.
  • Metabolism of fats
  • Promotion of weight loss

What happens during fasting?

Fasting is a physiological phenomenon for your body. Human body is designed for fasting and research suggests that most of the dramatic changes take place during initial 3 days of fasting. These changes are attributed to the alterations in the normal pattern of energy metabolism (from glucose and carbohydrates to fatty acids and ketones).

Benefits of fasting in addition to detoxification:

  1. Fasting is helpful in controlling blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia and high LDL cholesterol levels.
  2. Tightly regulated and properly structured fasting plans are helpful in decreasing the obesity and obesity related health issues.
  3. Fasting increases the production and concentration of anti-inflammatory mediators in the body that lessen the symptoms of joints disorders, arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.
  4. Fasting has been used for spiritual uplift in cultures and religions all over the world.

Who should not fast?

If you have any of the below listed condition, you may not be an ideal candidate for detoxification by fasting:

  • If you are severely anemic
  • If you have eating disorders, like bulimia or anorexia nervosa, as well as depression.
  • If you are pregnant or nursing
  • If you are suffering from malnutrition
  • If you have diabetes or blood sugar issues
  • If you have issues with kidney function
  • If you have a serious health concern or chronic illness, you may benefit from fasting or it could make your condition worse.  You have to discuss fasting as an option for greater health with your doctor/medical expert.

Those of you who are medically well and want to choose fasting for detoxification have a lot of options.  Here are the 3 most common methods.

Water Fasting

Normally done for 3 – 10 days, water fasting is one of the oldest forms of fasting.  It is most often done for spiritual as well as physical healing.  How do you do a water fast?  You abstain from anything other than purified water for the period of time you are fasting.  No water, no food, no juice, etc.   Thus, it’s not something that most people can do for an extended time and their are many potential health risks for long term water fasting.  Increased self control and increased spiritual connection are thought to be the main benefits of water fasting.

I don’t suggest water fasting for weight loss because of the lack of nutrients and nutrition, however I do think that for detoxing and spiritual practices that it’s fine for healthy people.

Intermittent Fasting with Calorie Restriction:

Intermittent fasting refers to decreasing total calorie intake and increasing the spacing between the meals.  In essence it’s changing your eating patterns.  Some people designate a window of time (6 hours or 4 hours for example) and they only eat then.  They fast the rest of the day.  Others will fast a full 24 hours a few times per week.  For example, They may have breakfast ending at 10am and not eat again until 10 am the next day.

The thought with intermittent fasting is that your body will have to pull from it’s stored fat for energy rather than the food you eat that is turned into glucose that goes into your bloodstream or glycogen in your muscles.  The metabolizing of this fat should cause weight loss, but it also opens the door for toxins that are stored in the fat and lymphatic system to be detoxed (if you properly fast).  This is basically true with all claims that fasting will help you lose weight because the only fuel available to the body is fat…technically.

What are the benefits?    Intermittent fasting is helpful not only for weight loss and healthy metabolism but also for longevity and well-being according to a research published in the peer reviewed journal Ageing research reviews suggested that intermittent fasting and calorie restriction can decrease the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia. This suggests that reducing the amount of calories help the cells to adapt and regenerate to the toxic environment around us. In addition, studies have shown that intermittent fasting may increase the rate of overall metabolism. This is a concept that’s still be sorted out in the research so it’s not set in stone.

Personally, I think it’s healthier to focus on whole, unprocessed foods, like fresh, uncooked fruits and veggies (organic if you can get them) to cleanse the body.

General Cautions:

  • If your total calorie intake was more than 3000 calories, intermittent fasting or severe calorie restriction may lead to complications. It’s better to reduce your calorie intake moderately by 500-1000 calories (cleaning up your diet) per day and then initiate intermittent fasting.
  • Lastly, after certain period of fasting, body begin to mobilize muscle proteins to generate energy (leading to weakness and muscle aches). Research data indicates that after the mobilization of glycogen (the storage form of glucose), body begin to metabolize proteins (almost 60 and 84 grams per day or 3 ounce of muscle mass) for the first few days until ketone production is initiated after which the rate of protein breakdown decreases.  You don’t want to lose muscle, you want to lose fat.  This one of the main reasons why people gain the weight back after fasting or dieting.  Less lean, calorie burning muscle on their bodies because it’s been eaten away.

Prolonging you fasting (more than 2 weeks) can lead to severe lethargy, electrolyte imbalance, weakness, dizziness and alterations in the productivity.  Talk with your doctor before going on any fasting plan.  Fasting can be done in a healthy way, but you have to know what you’re doing.

Caroline Jhingory shares her loose skin surgery story

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Caroline skin surgery

Hey Divas, our good friend Author Caroline Jhingory recently wrote to us to talk about loose skin.  We featured the story of her 150 pound weight loss back in July and she received a lot of questions from Black Women Losing Weight members about sagging skin post-weight loss.  She shared the info below and photo for more info:

“As a result of my weight loss, I was left with a mass of hanging skin on my belly and underneath my arms that hung like curtains. The fact that my stomach was bigger than my already tiny boobies bothered me the most. People often commented that my belly looked like the stomach of a woman that had 5 kids, although I have never had children. I know of others that were successful at losing 100+ pounds and they had no issues with sagging skin. Their skin bounced back. However, for many (myself included), there was no amount of exercise or strength training that would get rid of my post-weight loss flab.

In December 2007, I choose to have an abdominalplasty (tummy tuck) and lipo on my arms to remove the excess skin. I thought that the skin weighed more, but the doctor said it was around a pound and half worth of skin he removed. Over the last few years, I have reduced additional flab around my belly with more intensive cardiovascular exercise. Much of the research out there says that you need to SWEAT, meaning cardio, to burn fat around the belly.

I’m a little 50/50 on whether I would have plastic surgery again.  Maybe on my thighs. I’m a little hesitant because the surgery was the worst.  Let me say it again …the worst pain of my life. Maybe I am just a sucker. It hurt when I laughed, it hurt when I breathed, it hurt when I walked, it hurt when I ate.  And for some reason I couldn’t pee after surgery unless I splashed ice cold water on my “vajayjay” with a water bottle and shocked it to pee. The doctor said this was normal and that it happens to some women after C-sections, so go figure.”

Check out Caroline on Instagram.

More info on loose skin.

Top Myths About Detoxing

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There are a few myths about detoxifying which can cause confusion.  Here is some info on top myths:

“We are all toxic!” 

detox mythsWhile it is true that there is more pollution entering our bodies now than in any point in history, this does not automatically mean that all people are suffering from toxin overload. If you may not be “toxic” if you…

  • Are a healthy, active person who always eat homemade, small meals with only organic ingredients and minimal saturated fats and starches
  • Drink only spring water
  • Live in rural areas away from EMF radiation,

If you fit this profile, you probably do not need an intense detoxification protocol. The body’s natural cleansing process can handle the small amounts of toxins that are part of a healthy lifestyle. For most modern people, especially those living in urban environments and/or who have made poor eating choices, detoxes can help us discover the difference between surviving and thriving.

 “All you have to do is fast and you’ll lose tons of weight!”

Detoxes are an excellent way to kick-start a weight loss regime, but they are not the final answer. Experts indicate that usually people only maintain weight loss after a cleanse ends when they continue to exercise regularly and limit caloric intake. Detoxing, and especially fasting, can trigger a sense of depravation that can cause overeating after the cleanse if one is not vigilant. Many people have even gained weight after a detox because their bodies were not nutritionally supported well enough during the cleanse, or they did not eat right and exercise regularly afterward. A healthy lifestyle that includes eating appropriate amounts of organic food (and foods that are not highly processed) and exercising vigorously is the safest and most effective long-term detox strategy. Detoxing is a great supplement or kick-start to a weight loss plan, but should not be relied on as the only solution.

“People on a detox only drink water.”

detox waterSome religious and spiritual practices include periods of water fasting to purify the mind, but this is not a sustainable way to stimulate detox for weight loss long term.  I’m not saying that people don’t report benefits from water fasting, because it is known to help, but the reasons and time frames are varied.  Too varied for me to recommend it in connection with weight loss.  There are several ways to effectively detoxify the body, and many are quite gradual and gentle. Some include periods of fasting on vegetable juice, but even eating a careful diet (raw fruits and veggies for example) can be a helpful detox. If you haven’t done your research, water fasts should only be practiced by healthy adults under the supervision of a doctor or qualified health care professional or within a spiritual context..

“You have to buy Product XYZ to detox effectively.”

Most effective detoxes include food, liquids, and herbal supplements that can be purchased at many health food stores and online retailers. While it can be helpful to have the support of a nutritionist or cleanse specialist, no special proprietary formula (a.k.a. who knows what is in it) is necessary. Some diet pills and powders can actually be harmful because of the questionable chemicals they contain and lack of any regulation.

6 Reasons Why Quick Weight Loss Isn’t Healthy

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Although doctors and scientist have reiterated time and again that healthy weight loss takes time, crash diets and fads promising rapid weight loss continue to ensnare those looking for a quick fix. From celebrity diet fads to fat-burning pills, people are looking for an effortless way to take off the pounds fast. Unfortunately, such methods rarely work, and some also pose several health risks. While you may be able to lose weight quickly, the price might just be too high to pay.

diet plansHealth Risks and Negative Side Effects of Rapid Weight Loss

Losing weight too quickly can cause the body to go into shock and ultimately cause serious health conditions. Not only do many extreme dieting methods cause severe fatigue, dehydration, malnutrition and weakness in the short term, it can also cause long term effects. Following are 6 reasons why you should avoid rapid weight loss:

  1. Losing weight quickly requires extreme efforts such as consuming starvation-level calories and following intense exercise regimens. Not only are such extreme efforts hazardous to the body, they are impossible to maintain long term.  You are not going to drink cabbage soup everyday for the rest of your life, right?  True weight loss takes a lifestyle commitment. It’s just simply impossible to follow a “eat only these 7 things” style diet for the rest of your life or to exercise non-stop indefinitely.  Your weight loss plan should be realistic.
  2. Once you give up on your extreme diet – and you will – you will put the pounds back on plus some.  This is what happens in the long term for most people.  This is called the yo-yo effect, and it’s often associated with rapid weight loss plans. You see, extreme diets cause your body to go into starvation mode – a mode where your body uses fewer calories, thus your metabolism slows down. Once you start eating again, it takes your body a while to start using those calories again. In the amount of time it takes your body to adjust your metabolism, you will regain the weight you lost plus additional pounds.
  3. Rapid weight loss places undue stress on the body, heart, and immune system. Low-calorie, low-nutrient diets can also result in mineral deficiencies, fluid imbalances, cardiac arrhythmia, muscle cramps, and bone-mass loss.
  4. Losing too much weight too quickly is just uncomfortable and not very pretty. Side effects associated with extreme, rapid weight loss include headaches, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, constipation, hair loss, muscle loss, loose skin and menstrual irregularities.
  5. Several medical conditions are caused by rapid weight loss including gallstones. In fact, gallstones occur in as many as 25-percent of people who take weight off too quickly. Dehydration and malnutrition are also not uncommon as are fainting spells. In rare cases, severe electrolyte imbalances can put your life in danger.
  6. Following a fad diet slows your metabolism, pushing your body into starvation mode. Not only does starvation mode result in rapid weight gain after you give up dieting as mentioned above, it also causes your body to break down muscle to use as energy. This means that much of the weight lost during a fad diet is likely a combination of muscle and fat.

For the best results, a balanced, moderate diet and exercise is recommended. If you reduce your food intake by about 250-500 calories per day and increase your activity level, you will achieve a sustainable weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week.  Not only is this amount of weight loss healthy, it’s easy to maintain for the long term.  Of course, this is the case for most people.  I’m not taking into account health issues and those who have more than 100 pounds to lose.  In that case, a healthy diet may be more limited or less limited depending on your health needs.  You really should speak with a doctor and a nutritionist to really understand what works for you as an individual.  Education is key and there are a lot of great resources online that can show you want a healthy balanced diet really is.  Do your research and don’t fall for the weight loss fads and schemes.

Loose Skin after Weight Loss: Why It Happens and What to Do about It

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loose skin after weight lossFor many people, the joy of watching the number on the scale and the size of their clothing go down gets overshadowed by the presence of loose skin. Not only can your skin get loose and saggy after extreme weight loss, your body can maintain the same shape it had before your weight loss efforts. The image in the mirror, while smaller, appears to change little all the while your skin loses shape and elasticity. Fortunately there are ways you can combat loose skin while dieting.

Why Do People Have Loose Skin after Weight Loss?

Your skin is an amazing organ with the ability to expand and contract along with your growth spurts and changing body. This ability is called elasticity and it is at the heart of the factors that contribute to loose skin. You see, once elasticity is gone, your skin loses its ability to shrink back – much like a worn out rubber band that refuses to recoil. Following are just a few things that can affect your skin’s elasticity:

  • Obesity – If you are considered obese, your skin has stretched considerably. Those who need to lose 100 lbs. or more in order to reach their goal weight can expect some lose skin.
  • Time – the amount of time you have been overweight also has some bearing on how loose your skin will be once you lose the weight. The longer your skin remains in a stretched-out position, the harder it will be for it to snap back.
  • Age – As we age, we lose elasticity – it’s what causes wrinkles. Younger skin has more ability to shrink back after weight loss than older skin.

So, some of these factors can not be affected that much.  This is why many people have to have surgery after losing large amounts of weight.  It’s just a fact.  However, you should never let loose skin stop you from losing weight.  Being obese or overweight and dealing with weight related health issues is not worth the vanity.  Your health is more important than some loose skin.

How to Minimize Loose Skin during Weight Loss

As mentioned before, there are several things you can do to minimize loose skin during weight loss. While you may not be able to avoid loose skin altogether, you can surely improve your skin’s ability to retract.

  1. Lose weight slowly – Sustaining a gradual weight loss of approximately 1-2 pounds per week will go a long way in preventing loose skin. You see, it takes time for your skin to contract. When you lose weight quickly, your skin has no time to catch up.
  2. Consume plenty of protein and good fats – Your skin, hair, and nails are made up of protein. Eat plenty of it to alleviate loose skin.  Collagen is a protein that is related to this in the body.  The issue is that if you aren’t eating right and your body starts to cannibalize the protein in your body…it could eat up or hinder the production of collagen that you need for skin elasticity.  It’s also important to include healthy oils in your diet to keep the skin flexible and as healthy as possible.
  3. Get a weekly or monthly massage –  Massages improve circulation to the skin and helps skin retract. Getting a massage also helps alleviate cellulite – another unsightly issue that occurs during weight loss.
  4. Take a multivitamin or monitor the vitamins you are eating – For good skin health, you need vitamin C, E, A, B-complex and K.  Iron, selenium and zinc are also minerals you’d want to get the recommended amount of.
  5. Don’t be afraid of weights – Weight training will help to reshape and redefine the body.  Muscle also burns fat at rest.  Adding some muscle definition and muscle tone will help to redefine your body so that it doesn’t appear that you have just deflated.

In addition to these tips, it’s vital to remain hydrated. All of your body’s organs, including your skin, need water in order to function properly. If you stay hydrated, lose weight slowly, follow a balance diet, and make efforts to increase your skin circulation, you can greatly diminish the amount of loose skin you will have after you lose all the weight. In cases of extreme weight loss, however, it often becomes necessary to surgically remove excess skin when it becomes apparent that it isn’t going to bounce back into shape.

5 Benefits of Adult Weight Loss Camps

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Adult weight loss camps and weight loss resorts are designed to give overweight adults all the tools they need to transform their life and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Typically, adults sign up for a certain number of days or weeks, pack their bags, and call the resort home for the duration of their treatment.  You may be familiar with the Biggest Loser resorts, like the one in Utah, or Pritikin Longevity Center in Florida.  Camps normally employ nutrition experts, personal trainers, counselors, and nurses in an effort to create a well-balanced program that puts campers on the path to sustained weight loss and weight management.

resortzumba5 Benefits of Weight Loss Resorts

Although not everyone is successful at a weight loss camp, these camps have helped countless individuals realize their weight loss goals. Since many require a controlled environment in order to establish healthy habits and make a positive lifestyle change, weight loss camps have proved to be invaluable.

  1. Helps you establish realistic goals. Many people set unrealistic expectations of themselves, causing them to give up too early when they don’t get the results they expect. Experts at a weight loss camp will help you set realistic goals according to your body type, lifestyle, and eating habits.
  2. Promotes healthy weight loss. With so many fad diets out there and contradictory information, it can be difficult to figure out the healthiest way to lose weight. When you attend a weight loss camp, you have a host of experts including physical trainers and nutritionists at your disposal. They will help you dispel the hype and establish a healthy weight loss regimen.
  3. Gives you a head start on a healthy lifestyle. It can be difficult to make a lifestyle change through sheer willpower. Residing at a resort for a few weeks allows you to adopt a new lifestyle in a controlled atmosphere. You won’t have to worry about backsliding, the counselors won’t let you.
  4. Addresses emotional triggers. Many times, overeating and binging are caused by underlying emotional triggers. If not addressed, these triggers will continue to wreak havoc on your weight loss attempts. Not only do camp counselors help you with your eating issues, they help you overcome emotional issues as well. When you uncover emotional triggers and learn how to counteract them, you will be much more successful with your weight loss endeavors.
  5. Educates you about nutrition. Nutrition experts will not only educate you about nutrition, they will help you establish a realistic meal plan and give you the information you need to continue making wise food choices in the future.

Adult weight loss camps pose many benefits for those who wish to jump start their weight loss efforts. However, they can be expensive, which is why many people decide to forgo the experience. Although weight loss camps are not cheap, the information you get from attending camp can prove to be invaluable. In addition to helping you establish a healthy lifestyle, a weight loss camp will provide you with the necessary tools you need to continue to make wise, healthy decisions regarding your weight, diet, and activity level.

Here is a list of weight loss resorts from the Travel Channel.

Haters Gonna Hate, Poverbs 9:8

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Today’s Inspiration: Haters Gonna Hate. Proverbs 9:8 – Don’t worry about what other people think about your weight loss efforts. Let them tell you that you don’t need to lose weight. Let them warn you about not getting “too skinny” or losing your curves. Let them speak out of sincere concern or just jealousy. If you decide to lose weight for greater health, greater wellness and because you want to get off of the weight loss roller coster…that is YOUR right.

Proverbs 9:8 (NLV) – “So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. Correct the wise, and they will love you.”

haters gonna hate proverbs 9:8