I'VE JOINED SPARK PEOPLE...

Diet, Weight loss, Diet tips, Weight Watchers, Slimming. Diets, Health, Fitness, Diet Classes, Keeping Fit, Weight loss tips, Slimming Tips.

I've just joined 'Spark People' as my stone weight loss is starting to creep back on again and I am determined to stop this happening.

I want to lose another stone before I'm sixty (next June) and I am hoping this site will help me along the way.

I've got to get my head around it and sort my meals out put I will start posting my progress on here as I go along.

If you haven't heard of 'Spark People' weight loss plans before then you should take a look around their website www.sparkpeople.com - it's an amazing site with everything available and the best bit is that it is all completely FREE.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP - CUT CALORIES...

According to the US Agricultural Research Service, cutting your calorie intake by just 10% can give your immune system a major boost, and you will lose weight as well. Volunteers who ate 10% fewer calories over six months showed significant improvements in the functioning of their immune system.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP - WALK UP HILLS...

Walk up some hills as even walking up a gentle incline will ensure that you will burn up 50% more calories than walking on a flat surface.

NO GIMMICKS WEIGHT LOSS GROUP...

No gimmicks weight loss group is an online group formed within the daily strength website, www.dailystrength.org/groups

It was formed for those who are losing or looking to lose weight the healthy way through exercise and cutting calories.

They say, “We are all about making a lifestyle change instead of 'dieting”.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP - SLEEP...

Sleep more – sleeping an extra hour at night could help you drop 14 pounds in a year.

THE TEN DAY BRAIN BALANCE DIET...

THE TEN DAY BRAIN BALANCE DIET...

The ten day Brain Balance is from Pure Package which aims to boost brain power, improve mood and avoid energy lows with its balance of proteins, complex carbohydrates, essential fats and antioxidants. It's all about portion control with the right foods.


Their principles are:
Fresh & balanced
Convenience with a conscience
Yummy guilt-free grazing
Guidance to reach your goals
Healthy & wholesome
Nutritional know-how
All of our programmes are ideal for those looking to feel healthier and fitter.

It's not really a diet for losing lots of weight on but its aim is to boost your brain power rather than lose the weight. The cost is £399.50 for ten days and more details can be found on their website www.purepackage.com

WEIGHT LOSS TIP - WALK THE DOG...

If you can walk your dog, come rain or shine for 20 minutes you will burn up 100 cals, two 20 minute walks a day equates to 200 cals, over a year that's 1.5 stone !!!

WEIGHT LOSS WITHOUT ACTUALLY GOING ON A DIET...

Sorry I have been unable to write my blogs over the last couple of months but my Dad collapsed in January due to a heart condition and caring for step mum who has dementia.

It's taken the last two months to get mum sorted in a care home and rearrange dads flat to now suite his needs.

He is to have a pacemaker put in some time this month, Mum is settled although had a bad fall last week and banged her head and they have found a small tumour in her brain but they are not going to operate as they think it should be left alone.

My life, dads life and mums has changed considerably over the last couple of months and mine and dads will not be back to our usual routine until he has the operation and is recovered from it.

The problem is that he is 100 miles away from me so therefore I am back and forth trying to sort things out. We have changed his second bedroom which he was using as a study back to a second bedroom for me and my husband so that should make things a little easier. Especially as I have major problems with my back and need to rest every afternoon which I was not doing while commuting back and forth.

I obviously stopped going to Weight Watchers and gained a few pounds from when I first started but have rejoined again now.

I have lost a pound and a half for the last two weeks and can honestly say that I have not felt as if I have been on a diet at all. During the last couple of months of caring for Dad I have had loads of magazines to read and have been slowly making a note of diet tips I have read here there and everywhere and some of them are definitely working.

So, instead of you following me losing weight on a weight watchers diet I plan to post as often as I can with tips to help you lose weight without actually dieting. I am trying to get one for every day of the year so keep reading my blog for updates.

Thank you for following me during my large gap in writing on the blog.

WEIGHT WATCHER WEEK TWO...

It was week two weigh in today and I am delighted to say I have lost another 2.5lbs so I am chuffed to bits. 5lbs off towards my stone for my holidays.

Love the new Weight Watchers Pro Points system, it means you can have a little bit of what you fancy. I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it and wants to lose some weight.

WEIGHT WATCHERS NEW PROPOINTS PLAN...

Well today I joined our local Weight Watchers group in order to try out the new ProPoints plan. The difference to their other plan is it takes into account how protein, carbohydrates, fat and fibre are processed by your body instead of the dreaded calorie counting.

Basically every food and drink is assigned a ProPoints value. It takes into account the way your body processes the nutrients in food, to give you a more accurate measurement of the calories available to your body, after you have eaten it.

There's more room for a real life with the ProPoints as fresh and frozen fruit are free and most vegetables. All the points from the old system are completely different from the new system so even if you bought a Weight Watchers meal you would have to use your calculator to work out the new points until all the products have been redesigned with the new points on them.

It's going to take a few days to get my head round it so I will come back and blog when I understand it completely but there is a lot more freedom with the diet this time, which is a real plus

THE GI DIET - THE QUESTION IS DOES IT WORK?...

GI stand for Glycemic Index and is a measure of the impact of food in your blood sugar. The diet focuses on the way in which different foods affect low sugar levels.

Basically, when blood sugar increases, insulin levels in the body are elevated, and as a result, the body doesn't burn fat. This is what the GI diet plan attempts to minimise.

On the GI diet there are no foods that you can't eat but the secret ie eating more low GI foods rather than high GI foods.

Some examples of low GI foods are Al Bran and Porridge, Soya and Linseed bread, cabbage and carrots and some examples of high GI foods opposite the above are Cornflakes, Bagels, and Parsnips.

Really the only way you can get your head around this diet is either to download some of the details on the website www.the-gi-diet.org or buy one of the diet books. One highly rated book is by Antony Worral Thompson simply titled 'GI Diet'.

I'd be really interested to hear anyone who has been on this diet as looking at it, once you understood the plan and fill your cupboards with low GI foods then you should by all rights find weight dropping off.

SOME MORE BRILLIANT WEIGHT LOSS TIPS...

Drink two glasses of milk a day + a vitamin D supplement for a weight loss boost

Buy yourself The Diet Plate from www.slimmingplate.co.uk which marks out how much carbs, proteins, veg and sauxes you should eat.

Swap a Mint Aero bar for a Naked Cocoa Mint Bar – The Aero is 256 cals and the Naked bar is 135 calories.

SLIM PATCH...

Apparently 'Purefect' sell slimming aids with capsules which are a natural supplement that helps detoxify the body and reduce bloating and also a discreet patch that releases natural extracts to suppress the appetite.

They also have an easy to follow fitness videa and meal plans. The aids are for 30 days and cost around £49.95 and available online at www.howtogetslim.co.uk