Hoodia is currently the absolutely most talked about natural weight loss supplement in Northern-America . Until 2004 no one had ever heard about Hoodia at all in the western world. Then one September evening in 2004 CBS 60 Minutes featured a reportage about Hoodia Gordonii and that was the day when people for the first time was introduced to this traditional botanical. Hoodia has later been featured in a lot of other shows and channels such as TBC, ABC, NBC Today, BBC, CNN, and in Oprah's "O" Magazine and in tons of other major media all around the western world.

Ok… But what is it?

The Hoodia is a cactus-like plant that grows in the semi-deserts of Botswana, South Africa, Angola and Namibia. Hoodia Gordonii is considered an endangered species in the wild and the true and authentic Hoodia is only available for export from South Africa. There are more than 13 types of Hoodia and the only active ingredient identified so far is a steroidal glycoside that has been called "p57".

Hoodia is not a "new creation"…

The San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert used Hoodia for hundreds, and maybe even thousands, of years to avoid hunger and thirst during long hunting trips. In 1937, when a Dutch anthropologist who were studying the San Bushmen he saw that their use of Hoodia gordonii seemed to suppress their appetite. In 1963, scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the national laboratory of South Africa, began studying Hoodia. They claimed that lab animals lost weight after they were given Hoodia gordonii. Nowadays; Phytopharm, the manufacturer, cites a clinical trial involving human volunteers that found Hoodia consumption to actually reduce food intake by approximately 1000 calories per day compared to a placebo group. The test results were never "officially" published, however, and therefore hard to verify.

80% Hoodia Scam…

The Hoodia is strictly controlled and since Hoodia has become so incredible popular the last few years, there is a lot of fake and diluted hoodia products on the marked. It is almost impossible to know if a Hoodia product contains pure Hoodia and the active ingredient, unless it has been tested by an independent laboratory. Unfortunately estimates shows that as much as 80% of the Hoodia products on the US market today are fake products without neither p75, which is the active ingredient, nor pure Hoodia itself.

Now, after the ban of the herb ephedra diet pill the market has been very hungry for "a new natural diet pill" and this is one of the main reasons why the Hoodia has been so popular. There are no known side effects and it is as "organic" as it can be.

We have tested the leading Hoodia Brands and out of approximately 47 products (pills, powder, liquids etc) we found 18 products that seemed to be of good quality. We then had the products tested in a laboratory and we came to a total of 3 products that we felt was worth the money.

When buying a Hoodia product, in a health store or online, make sure that it is pure Hoodia.

Phentermine diet pills are being touted as the number one selling prescription diet aids on the market. Yet just because something is approved by the FDA and your doctor can prescribe it to you, does not necessarily mean that it is 100% safe or effective. It's important to do your own research when it comes to medications, as many of them can have some very serious side effects that your doctor may not be aware of.

There are many websites selling phentermine without a prescription, or the generic version, which presents even more problems. Of course they market it in such a way where it seems to be prescribed - an online consultation - but in reality it is no different than buying it over the counter in a drug store. But regardless of whether you buy it online or with your doctor's prescription, there are phentermine side effects you should be aware of.

Being one of the top sellers, you may be wondering "How does phentermine work?" It is essentially nothing more than an appetite suppressant. It reacts with your nervous system, stimulating it in order to alter the chemicals in your brain that control hunger. Now, if weight loss were only just about being hungry that would be one thing. If that were the case, you could fill up on carrot sticks and boiled, skinless chicken breasts and lose the desired weight. Many people have underlying issues with food, such as emotional triggers that cause them to overeat. Depression is also common in obese individuals, causing fatigue and lack of energy. If you are one of the thousands of people that weight loss isn't just about being hungry phentermine diet pills might not work for you.

When asking how does phentermine work look closely at one of the precautions that are listed on the bottle. It is a warning against taking them if you have, or have had a history of, "emotional problems". Since it reacts with chemicals in your brain, it can also negatively affect your moods. Most people facing obesity problems do struggle with depression. Even if they are upbeat and positive about finally getting into shape, there are bad days in any weight loss endeavor.

There are phentermine side effects which can be exacerbated in those that have diabetes, high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid or glaucoma. Due to its addictive nature, those that have ever had a drug or alcohol problem face the possibility of becoming dependent on Phentermine diet pills as well. It cautions to not take more of the medication in order to get the effect. As with other prescription meds, your body develops a tolerance to it and can, in the end, leave you feeling deflated when it doesn't make you feel as good as it did at first.

Some of the more common phentermine side effects, which are reported mostly during the first few weeks of use, are dry mouth, irritability, trouble sleeping, constipation and upset stomach. The most disturbing warning is that phentermine diet pills can cause serious side effects if you ever need surgery while taking them. It reacts negatively with the medications that are used during operating procedures.

So, consider all the evidence and investigate for yourself all of the facts before attempting to use Phentermine diet pills. Although it can be quite effective, there are other options out there, so take a look around and decide what's right for you. You can learn more about prescription diet pills as well as natural and herbal alternatives on our site.

Regardless of what you choose, make sure you discuss everything with your doctor before choosing any prescription pill or herbal weight loss supplement.

I started this blog to relay the truth to mothers who want to lose weight. What works and what doesn't. I'm not selling anything, and I welcome your comments and advice. I would like to share my story with you and then I will get into the all the secrets that I believe create successful weight loss.

I grew up in the weight loss industry. My father has been helping people lose weight with hypnosis for as long as I can remember. I guess you could say it has been a family business since my big brother Dr. Patrick K. Porter is the founder and creator of the most successful hypnosis and self help franchise in the world.

When I graduated high school I got my first job in the family business and was sure that was what I wanted to do with my life. Can you think of anything better? Helping people get healthy! It is such a great feeling.

I worked with my brother for a few months and for some reason I started to hear a different call all together-the military. At first I thought about joining the Air Force, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted the designation of being a United States Marine. So, on April 23, 1993 I hopped on a plane to Parris Island, South Carolina. I spent the next 3 and 1/2 years serving my country, and I don't regret a minute of it.

When I left the Marine Corps I was a single mom who really needed a steady income. So when my brother made an offer for me to move all the way across the country to Virginia I jumped at the chance.

I started off as a receptionist with dreams of one day becoming a hypnotist myself. All that changed when on short notice our salesperson informed Patrick that she needed the day off and he asked me to fill in. I was happy to help and I did my first evaluation. An evaluation is where we determined if someone was a good candidate for hypnosis and then we recommended the appropriate program for them. I loved it. I loved the feeling of motivating someone to make a change in their life.

From that day on I was a full time evaluator. Gone where the thoughts of training to be a hypnotist. I was able to get people the help they needed and I was good at it.

Keep in mind this whole time I was thin. Still a size 6 and feeling like I would never have to worry about my weight because I was in the right place and of course I knew everything. HA!

Little did I know that one of my greatest joys, meeting my husband, would begin a spiral of weight gain. I remember my client's complaints, at the time I called them excuses, about how they had to cook for their family and it was too hard to stick to a diet. "But that is what is great about hypnosis!" I would tell them, "It's not a diet, you just don't want to eat those foods anymore!" I would watch client after client lose weight, gain self-esteem, and basically get their life back.

When my husband and I had our daughter, my second child, I gained more weight with that pregnancy than I did with my first one. I thought that it was okay because I was getting older and I was in the right place to lose it.

As the years went by I still helped client after client reach their goal. I even a hypnotist. But I couldn't get past a size 10.

Have you ever been so close to a problem that even though the answer was right there you didn't think that it was the answer for you? I thought I didn't need hypnosis because I was a hypnotist and I already knew everything.

I had decided that I was really going to get focused on weight loss and each time I tried I failed. I started to see the reality in my life that all my clients had been talking about all those years. Funny how those same challenges they were talking about that I called "excuses" weren't "excuses" when they were coming out of my mouth. They were genuine reasons why I was gaining weight.

The next thing I knew my daughter was three and I had made the leap into a size 12. I couldn't even blame my weight gain on pregnancy anymore, my daughter was walking and talking and I was getting bigger.

My husband and I had been talking about wanting another child. I used this excuse to stop trying all together. I kept thinking to myself, "Why go through all the trouble to lose it, and then gain it all back again when I have another baby?" Eventually I got pregnant for the third, and last, time.

This year our youngest son will be 3 and I was again back in the same boat, but this time I was a stay at home mom. And the food was way too easy to get ahold of. I kept gaining until I was pushing a size 16!! When I saw the scale I wanted to faint! I weighed the same amount that my husband did when we met!

So many questions started running through my mind: How could I have let myself go so badly? Why am I not using what I know works?

I sat myself down and treated myself like a client and the first I wrote down on my paper was G.O.Y.A. This was something I learned from my father. When I would be sitting with a client who might be struggling and giving me all her "excuses" I would write down these letters. Underneath of that I would fill in the meanings for each letter. So I sat there looking at "Get Off Your Ass!"

That that is exactly what I did. I remembered the 10 steps I would use with clients when they started asking me if there was some wonder supplement out there that would help them lose weight.

I started (and still am) listening to hypnosis processes, even making some myself, since I am a hypnotist. If you want to buy any, of course I suggest my brothers. You can get them at www.hypnosistogo.com.

After the first 30 minutes I started to notice all the things my clients had noticed. The best one was control - I had control! Not struggling until I was sweating type if control, but steady, "I don't really care if I ever have that piece of chocolate or that Little Debbie cake again" kind of control. IT WAS AWESOME! That convinced me that I was on the right path.

I feel that I have conquered the first 4 steps in creating permanent weight loss because that is what I'm going for! So if you are of like mind below are the first four steps:

1. I've stopped bingeing. I am able to leave food on my plate (and my kids plates too).

2. Cravings - Totally gone!

3. No more emotional eating. My mind is full with the thought of success, so I am bored. And because I'm using hypnosis I am not stressed!

4. Snacking is a thing of the past.

The next 6 steps require a little more than just sitting back, closing your eyes and waiting for the changes to come. In the upcoming posting I will be going over them just I used to with my clients.

The important thing to remember is that you do not, I repeat, do not move on to the next step until you have conquered the current one.

I've made the above changes since January 1, 2006 and I have lost over 3 inches in my waist, my clothes are noticeably loser, but I have not weighed myself. If you want to know why, I will explain that in a later posting.

The most important thing you can take away from article is if you are ready to lose the weight. By that I don't mean "try", because trying implies failure. When you try to do something you are not committing yourself to success. If you are ready, I will be giving the tips that clients used to pay a lot of money to hear, but you will get them for free. So, use them!! We can do it, you can do it. If you found this blog then you are possibly struggling and frustrated that nothing is working. I truly believe that I can help you - while I'm helping myself!

I welcome your comments, and of course advice!!

Remember - Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!

A recent report has highlighted, yet again, that obesity is becoming a major problem for governments all over the world. This is especially so in the western world, people in countries such as the USA are finding it difficult to control their weight. It is now time to start fighting obesity before the situation escalates out of control.

People who are generally obese can cause many problems on their country. Their health is not likely to be that of a person of an average build and therefore obese people are more likely to require additional forms of medication. They can of course also require much needed bed space in our hospitals.

Obese people are also less likely to be in stable employment. There are of course many people in employment who are obese but the latest statistics reveal, that the percentage of obese people in full time work in comparison to people of an average build is a lot lower.

Governments are now looking into ways of reducing the amount of fatty foods that people are eating. Exercise is of course a must when attempting to lose weight or to keep fit. It is therefore important to encourage people to participate in more sports and to walk to more places, for example leave the car at home.

We all need to work together to fight the problem of obesity. Instead of relying on our own government to find a solution, why not start on our own weight loss programs today? Eat less and exercise more is surely the answer.

It just started

Happy Holidays, Happy New year

I hope you are ready to start right NOW, because it just started. And the first thing that must be crystal clear is that THERE IS NO WAY BACK. It is not another New Year resolution that we are going to forget about in a few weeks.

We cut off all the bridges, we can only go forward. Forget the past, forgive the past. Bless your past for all the goodness and the joy of life it brought into your life. Bless it and now forget it. Forget your past, because we have to learn from scratch. We need new eating and new drinking habits. We need new exercise habits. We need new beliefs. We need a new Mindset and motivation all day long, all year long.

You can start right now enjoying and loving the new YOU. Because today you are like a new born. All the opportunities lie in front of you, everything is possible. Start having faith again, faith in yourself and your abilities to lose the extra weight and to manage your weight permanently.

Do you remember your childhood? Do you remember your dreams as a child? Do you remember how everything seemed possible? Do you remember dreaming what you would become when growing up? Back then you probably believed you could grow up to be what ever you choose to be. You know what, nothing is changed. You can still become what ever you want to be, you will. Just remember you can and you will.

Now is the time to invest in your future. Now in the time to invest your efforts and your thoughts toward the gorgeous healthy fit body you will have in the future. Today and everyday, you will eat a healthy nutrition that will nourish your body; and you will exercise to strengthen and shape your body. Everyday you will keep motivated to regain your health and the body you deserve.

Once your mind is set, you are unstoppable. There is no other possible outcome, you are trimming the extra weight, a little everyday; you are regaining a healthy, fit and slim body.

Happy New Year. Make 2007 the best year ever, the year you regain a healthy and fit body.

You'd think that something like this would be relatively simple, but unfortunately

- as with everything today - that just isn't so. Weight control and weight loss

aren't just something that happens; they take a complete understanding of why

we eat, goal setting, and effort in order to achieve any kind of long-term success.

So if you do plan to lose weight, your first step needs to be the understanding

of why you are eating the way you do.

We eat for two main reasons: physical and emotional.

The physical reasons for eating are more obvious than the emotional ones.

We feel hunger pangs - the body's signal that it needs fuel for building and

maintaining itself - and we respond.

On the other hand, emotional reasons can be much less direct. There are a large

variety of reasons that we may choose to eat, and it is important that each

of those reasons be identified before we begin any kind of weight loss effort,

including diet change, habit change, and nutritional reprogramming.

We learn from a very early age that food serves an important purpose in our

lives other than basic nutrition. Consider the following common experiences

<ul>

<li> Being given a lollypop from the doctor after being "brave" through the

booster shot. </li>

<li>Snacking through exam time to keep energy levels high for more efficient

studying. </li>

<li>Being rewarded with a special dinner or dessert after achieving well on

an exam. </li> </ul> After all of the positive reinforcement that food makes you feel better, it's

no wonder so many of us look to food to help fill our emotional needs when they

are not being otherwise filled in our lives. Unfortunately, that lifestyle is

also a fast road to weight gain.

Fortunately, it is possible to break away from that emotional connection to

food. As aforementioned, the first step is identification. Keep a journal for

a minimum of one week that records everything you've eaten, when you ate, where

you ate, and how you were feeling emotionally when you ate. Then, at the end

of the week, look through the journal in search of patterns in emotions linked

to your eating behaviors. If you need to, take a second week to record more

data.

Once you have identified the pattern, try using an alternative action to deal

with your emotions other than eating. For example, if you're most likely to

eat chips while you watch Sunday night television because you're feeling antsy

about work on Monday, drink water and take up an activity such as knitting,

keeping a diary, folding laundry, or anything else to keep your hands busy so

that you won't eat.

You can also take the time to deal directly with the emotions that you have

identified. Call a friend to vent, join a yoga class, or talk to a counselor

or therapist. If you work on the emotions that are causing you to eat in the

first place, the triggers won't even be there anymore.

By recognizing your emotional habits, you're well on the right path to controlling

your eating habits, and achieving much more effective weight loss.

After six years of living with gastric bypass I've finally come into a regular eating routine where I no longer fight against the gastric bypass nor do I battle the head games associated with eating restriction. I don't believe what I do day-to-day is perfect but I know it works for me giving me optimum energy and good health.

Over time I've found if I strictly control my food choices for breakfast and lunch I can allow a bit more freedom and adventure in my evening meal. In fact, I enjoy wonderful variety and flavor in my evening meals. I seldom snack which I believe is the key to having maintained my weight loss.

<b>Kaye's Regular Eating Plan After WLS</b>

For breakfast and lunch I eat the same things almost every day. Breakfast is most often 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of Kashi Go-Lean High Protein cereal or cottage cheese with 1/2 cup sugar free jell-o or cottage cheese with 1 hard-cooked egg. I also have a cup of coffee about an hour after breakfast. (Coffee is not recommended during the phase of weight loss.)

For lunch I enjoy tuna mixed with a little miracle whip, or canned chicken fixed the same. Sometimes I'll have shrimp (6-8 peeled) or those imitation seafood flakes. Usually I add a piece of low-fat mozzarella cheese and then some fruit, whatever is in season. If have lunch out I'll order a salad with the chicken and eat the chicken and taste the salad. I may order a sandwich and eat the insides, not the bread. I may taste the bread, but not eat much of it.

Now for dinner: that is when I get my variety. I cook at home almost every night of the week. I enjoy learning new recipes and often experiment with finding "safe" foods that both my husband, a normal eater, and I will enjoy. We eat fish twice a week, chicken and pork frequently and red meat once a week. We have essentially eliminated starch such as potatoes, pasta and rice from our regular diet. Remarkably, neither of us miss it or the heavy feeling it brings. Side dishes are generally steamed in-season vegetables or baked vegetables such as winter squash.

I imagine this all sounds very blah and basic. It took a long time to accept that if I eat my safe foods for breakfast and lunch I will feel good and chemically balanced all day. Dinners seem like such a treat because of the variety, so it is working for me (finally!). It takes a long time to resolve and accept a regular eating plan, but once established it feels like a comfortable place to be.

Are you looking into the different ways that can help you to lose weight? Have you tried a number of different diets in the past but still find yourself being overweight? Are you fed up with being fat? Do you yearn the day when you can buy the type of clothes that you really want? If you have answered yes to any of these questions then this article could well prove to be of benefit to you.

I am somebody who until a few years ago would have answered yes to all of the above questions. I had tried many forms of diet, I would buy clothes that suited my size rather than the clothes I actually wanted to wear. I was without doubt fed up with being fat and was desperate to find a way of losing weight which would last.

In my opinion the answer to all of weight problems was quite simple. I do not need any fancy diet, what I needed to do was to think in a logical way. I first of all had to ask myself a number of questions:

Question. Why are you overweight?

Answer: I eat far too much food and drink far too much alcohol. The food that I do eat is basically fat food such as crisps, chocolate, takeaways and microwave food. I also do very little exercise, therefore I do not give my body a chance to burn off some of this fat. I tend to rarely walk anywhere, I prefer to drive.

Question. Why have you been unsuccessful with your past dieting attempts?

Answer: I did not really follow the program. I may have done for the short term but certainly did not over the longer term. I also gave into temptations by eating food types which I was not really supposed to.

Question. How much do you want to lose this excess weight?

Answer. A huge amount.

Question. So why do you not follow the dieting programs to the letter?

Answer. I am weak, I suppose.

As you can see, the answers to my weight issues are in the answers to these questions. Quite simply I need to:

Be more disciplined

Be more determined

Be stronger

Walk and exercise a lot more

Eat in a much more healthy way

Cut down my intake of alcohol

Stick to the above for the long term

A couple of years ago I started to implement my new logical form of diet and I am happy to report that I am now at a size that I am happy with.

While raw foods are not new, the focus on eating plans that focus on them are and this trend in healthy eating appears to be gaining strength across the country. The focus of the diet is on eating uncooked, highly nutritious foods

Negative Calorie Effect in Foods

Whatever food we eat, our body has to work hard to digest it and absorb. Some foods need more energy than the others in the process of digestion. It is likely that there may be certain foods that require more calories to digest than the caloric content of the foods themselves. In fact there are certain foods in nature which possess this property. Such foods may be termed as negative calorie foods because these foods take these extra calories from the body fat. Similarly there may be foods that require the same amount of calories as the calorie content of these foods. Such foods are effectively of zero calorie.

The secret of negative calorie effect lies in the fact that these foods use more calories to digest then actual calories. The overall effect of these negative calorie foods in our body is that of using calories from body. These foods are mostly natural plant foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils and legumes.

If you eat a food high in fat, your body will expand almost no calorie and the fat very easily goes to your waistline. On the other hand, the more you eat these negative calorie foods, the more you have a feeling of fullness, thereby leaving a little chance of eating other fatty and oily foods. The other important thing about these negative calorie foods is that these can form part of a perfectly balanced diet.

There are a large number of foods that combine low calories, delicious taste, and excellent negative calorie properties. Include these foods in your daily meals. You will get maximum benefit if you eat them in raw natural form, with little butter or oil. The most important thing about these negative calorie foods is that you will never feel hungry if you are on a diet with negative calorie foods.

Copyright 2004 P. Mehta

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