Has Your Weight Loss Stalled?

Without realizing it, you could be sabotaging your diet. Learn about common diet mistakes that can stop you from losing weight and how to get your weight loss back on track.

“When people embark on an exercise and food program to lose weight, they automatically think that ‘magic’ will happen. “In theory it sounds great, but it takes much longer to lose weight and more effort than this simple combination, even when all good intentions are there.” It’s easy to trip yourself up along the way with common diet mistakes or by not being vigilant in your efforts. Here are 12 reasons your weight loss could be stuck

 

You're Not Exercising Enough

 “Many people overestimate how much they are burning when exercising. Many factors determine calories burned, including duration and intensity of exercise, whether the intensity is varied, and the type of exercise. Weight-bearing exercise, like running, walking, and aerobics, leads to burning more calories since gravity requires the body to work harder. With non-weight-bearing exercise, like cycling and swimming, there isn’t as much gravitational stress on the muscles, which means fewer calories are expended,” explains Kraus. “The best way to truly monitor your exercise would be via a journal and heart monitor to see the actual duration and intensity, and how they could be increased.

 

You're Not Getting Enough Sleep

 

 “There are many regulatory hormones secreted at night and during periods of sleep,” says Kraus. “The lack of sleep could possibly affect the proper sequence of hormone release.” Staying up late may lead to extra calories if you snack when you watch late-night TV or party with friends.

 

You're Too Stressed

A study done at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh found that stress can lead to weight gain in women, particularly in middle-aged women. “There seems to be a link between having altered sleep patterns and fat conservation — both possibly hormonally related — but also many women simply manage their feelings with food, eating mindlessly, because food is a very accessible and quick soothing resource,”  And unfortunately, an easy way for the calories to add up.

 

 

You're Skipping Meals

Skipping meals can lead to food cravings and overeating later in the day — reaching for whatever food is available and making up for the missed calories by eating more. Research at Vanderbilt University found that after approximately 72 hours of not eating consistently, the body shuts down its calorie-burning abilities and begins to store fat, warns Kraus. In clinical studies, after one week, healthy women were seen to lose 16 percent of their resting energy expenditure, which led to increased fat storage and a decrease in metabolism.

 

You're Eating Too Many Calories

You might think you’re cutting back on portions, but may not realize the real number of calories you’re eating. Use measuring utensils and a food scale; learn visual cues to estimate portion sizes. For instance, a portion of protein is the size of a deck of cards or a checkbook, one cup of rice or pasta resembles a baseball, and one ounce of cheese looks like two playing dice. Keep a food journal of everything you eat and drink to be truly aware of the total amount consumed over the course of the day.

 

You're Drinking Too Many Calories

“Very often people lose sight that beverages can contribute a significant number of calories,” Consider the calories in these 12-ounce servings: regular soda, between 150 and 200; no-sugar-added fruit juice, up to 180; sweet tea, about 150; and many sports drinks, 100 or more. Drinking three servings daily over a week can add up to 3,500 calories, or the one pound of weight you could have lost. “Switch to good, plain water, and you will save lots of calories and start to see the weight come down,” or of course drink your THERMOJETICS TEA!!!!!.

You're Too Lax About Diet and Exercise

You go to the salad bar and load up on veggies, but then add hundreds of calories with rich dressing and toppings like grated cheese, bacon bits, and croutons. You burn 300 calories by walking for three miles, but then eat a muffin with the same number of calories, erasing the effect of the workout. “You need a healthy, calorie-controlled meal plan with exercise to help maximize calorie burning and encourage the calorie deficit needed for weight control,”  Resist becoming lax about calories because you exercise, and resist becoming lax about exercise just because you’re cutting calories. Stick to our healthy breakfast HERBALIFE SHAKE to start your day off the right way.

 

You're Slipping on Weekends

 “Weekend indulgences add up very quickly,” Having an appetizer before dinner, eating extra snacks, and splurging on dessert and alcoholic drinks will increase your daily intake by several hundred calories. “The problem is that whatever is eaten over the weekend will have an impact over the entire week. Rather than taking in 1,300 calories a day on your Herbalife programme, that could lead to weight loss, your average might end up being closer to 1,600, wiping out any weight loss,”. One solution, is to eat specific indulgence foods over the weekend within your diet calorie limit.

 

You're Diet-Impatient

 “Weight loss needs time for us to see results, for the body to change its shape, access its fat stores and use them for energy, and re-contour itself by building lean body tissue,”  

 

You Might Have a Medical Condition

Any condition leading to decreased mobility and less activity will make the ordeal of trying to lose weight even more of a challenge because exercise is limited and you might end up eating more if you’re home with more free time to snack. Some medications could lead to difficulty managing weight or even to weight gain, including steroids, some psychiatric medications, insulin, and certain beta blockers. Talk to your physician about alternatives, such as receiving some rehabilitation activity, adjusting meds, or follow a specific meal plan.

 

You've Reached a Plateau

Hitting a plateau is a common occurrence, but you need to realize that it isn’t “all about the weight,” You might be experiencing positive physiologic changes that may not be evident just by looking at a scale : As you’re losing fat tissue, you could also be gaining more lean body tissue and getting leaner. In time you’ll resume your weight loss, as your metabolic rate starts to increase. What appears to be a plateau could also be due to other factors including irregularity or fluid retention.

 

You Don't Need to Lose More Weight

Your body could be trying to tell you that you are at an appropriate weight for your size and your height. Any further attempts at weight loss might lead to muscle loss and a slowing of your metabolism  because it could take an extremely restrictive meal plan to attain and maintain a lower weight. Ask yourself why you want to continue to lose weight, if you could still manage a healthful lifestyle in doing so, what is inspiring you to want to lose more, and how healthy or appropriate that inspiration really is.

 

Your Herbalife Newsletter      
September 2012

"What we achieve inwardly will change our outer reality"

-          Otto Rank-

 

6 Ways to Calm Hunger Pangs

 

 Do you start getting hunger pangs at 11:50 a.m. in anticipation of lunch? We've all been there. The cause is the hormone ghrelin; released when the stomach is empty, it sets off a chain reaction in the body to make you hungry. In general, you want to keep levels of ghrelin low during the day so you can keep hunger in check. Apart from an empty stomach, there are several factors that can raise ghrelin levels, including drinking alcohol, eating too few calories, and eating greasy, fatty foods. Here are some strategies that will help you manage these triggers and keep your ghrelin levels from rising:

Have a substantial breakfast. One study showed that people who ate a higher-Protein breakfast produced 33 percent less ghrelin throughout the day and felt satisfied for a longer period of time.  A Breakfast featuring a Herbalife shake is Your Best bet. Or have a whole-wheat  muffin with organic peanut butter, a cup of strawberries, and some low-fat yogurt.
Choose complex carbs and get more fiber. Insulin and ghrelin go hand in hand. When insulin goes up after you eat, ghrelin goes down. If you eat the wrong kind of carbohydrates — refined carbs such as white bread and pasta — your blood sugar rises dramatically. In response, your body releases a surge of insulin to clear that sugar from the bloodstream. The insulin does its job very efficiently, and the resulting low blood sugar causes hunger sooner. These constant blood sugar ups and downs can wreak havoc on your metabolism, so it's best to eat complex carbs and fiber, which delay the release of sugar into the bloodstream so that insulin levels are kept stable and you feel full longer.
Eat on a schedule. Research has found that ghrelin levels rise and fall at your usual mealtimes, so eating on a schedule prevents spikes in ghrelin. If you're running errands and are away from the kitchen at one of your typical mealtimes, carry a small bag of almonds or other nuts with you — you can eat a little something to keep your stomach satisfied until you can get home and have a real meal.

Emphasize high-volume, low-calorie foods. Levels of ghrelin remain high until food stretches the walls of your stomach, making you feel full. High-volume, low-calorie foods, such as salads and soups, reduce ghrelin levels long before you've overeaten. All green veggies and any foods with a high water content count as high-volume, low-calorie foods.
Eat protein. Protein-rich foods can also suppress ghrelin levels — they help create a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Try adding whey protein to a low-calorie smoothie. (If you're sensitive to gluten, just be sure to check the ingredients list; some whey protein products contain gluten.) One study found that whey brought about a prolonged suppression of ghrelin.
Drink More water. During a National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, they identified one appetite reducing agent that is costless, does not require any medical prescription and never has and side effects. This is water. According to the researchers, water fills up the stomach with zero calories so When you feel hungry, drink more water. If you really don't like plain water, then add some flavour with our Herbalife Thermojetics Beverage - Available in Original, Lemon, Peach or Raspberry flavours.

R222.00

Enjoy it Hot or Cold

Your Herbalife Newsletter
 September 2012

 Multivitamin Magic

 

 

Increased stress levels, a poor diet and exposure to pollutants can rob your body of essential nutrients. As a result, you may look and feel tired, get sick easily or have difficulty shedding that excess weight.

According to a recent study reported in the International Journal of Obesity a study of obese women was done and those that were taking a high quality multivitamin lost an average of 3.6kg compared to the other group who lost 0.9kg in the same time.  Lower concentrations of vitamins and minerals can lead to weight gain.  A good multi can help to break down fat and burn more energy. 

A leading pharmacist and nutrition expert warns against taking a “one-a-day multivit”  as it is impossible to fit everything you need on a daily basis into one tablet.  The best multivitamin is 3-a-day tablet that supplies what you need in 3 “doses” that you can take with each meal giving you the ultimate top-up.  An absorbable multivitamin in FOODSTATE (not all are!) repairs cells on a cellular level and aids energy and vitality on an ongoing basis.

Herbalife Multivitamin Complex gets absorbed immediately and contains 22 different vitamins and minerals including A, B, C, D, E, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Chromium, Zinc, Potassium etc. At the excellent price of R151 is for a month’s supply. 

 

Safe for kids too!

Q&A about Formula 1 Nutritional Shakes

David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.N., Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at UCLA* and Chairman of Herbalife’s Scientific and Nutrition Advisory Boards, answers some of your most frequently asked questions about the Formula 1 shakes

Q: What are the components that make Formula 1 shakes a healthy, satisfying meal?

A: Formula 1 shakes provide high-quality soy protein, healthy carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients to provide the cells of your body what they need for optimum health.† You will be able to tell the difference from your usual breakfast after the very first shake.

Q: Is the soy protein in Formula 1 shakes beneficial to both men and women?

A: Yes, the soy protein in Formula 1 shakes is definitely beneficial for both men and women. Numerous scientific studies demonstrate the benefits of soy protein for heart health when included as part of a healthy, low-fat diet, which is why Formula 1 shakes have a healthy heart symbol on every label (except Tropical Fruit flavor, which contains less soy).†

Q: How can one product, Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix, be ideal for both weight loss and weight maintenance?

A: Research shows that drinking two shakes a day and eating one healthy meal will lead to weight loss, while having one shake a day will keep the weight off for years. Formula 1 shakes are the ideal meal for everyone, whether they want to lose weight, keep off the weight they have lost or just maintain their naturally healthy weight.†

Q: If I'm lactose intolerant, can I use soy milk to make a shake?

A: Yes, simply add soy milk to Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix and you should have no problem. By the way, most humans are lactose intolerant to some degree. You lose nothing when you substitute soy milk for dairy milk from a health standpoint.†

* The University of California does not endorse specific products or services as a matter of policy.
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

‘Thought for the day!’

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add,

but when there is nothing left to take away

 

- Antoine Exupery -

 

Spring Clean

 

Feeling like the spring still isn’t in your step after the winter months?

Follow these food tips for an energetic and re-energised new you!

 

Though spring might mean the start of the warmer months (and the festive season right round the corner…), sometimes our bodies don’t experience this shift, and instead of feeling more fresh and invigorated, we remain in “hibernation” mode, carrying some extra kilos and feeling sluggish.  What’s needed is a clean sweep for renewed energy.  Here’s what to eat and drink…

 

 

Drink up – Water – drink, drink, and drink.  It’s common knowledge that it’s one of the most detoxifying and cleaning fluids.  Try to drink about 6 – 8 glasses a day.  Other good cleansing liquids include teas such as peppermint, chamomile, Rooibos and green tea. Try Herbalife Thermojetics Beverage which contains green tea extract.  It comes in 4 flavours: lemon, peach, raspberry & original and can be enjoyed hot or cold.

 

The F Word – Eating food rich in dietary fibre will help cleanse your system.  Fruit & vegetable fibre assists in slowing down the absorption of sugar in the blood, helping to maintain good energy levels, while cereal fibre prevents constipation and digestive disorders.  Good food sources are: raw fruit & vegetables, dried fruit, wholegrains, lentils, beans, oats and brown rice.  If you don’t think you’re eating enough fruit & vegetables, try Herbalife Fibre and Herb Tablets.

 

High Energy – To keep energy levels and metabolism up, eat little and often (about every 3 hours) and choose slow-release carbohydrates to sustain energy levels throughout the day.  Top energy foods include:

Sprouts – for their high concentration of antioxidants plus trace minerals, protein, enzymes and fibre.

Grains – for a steady flow of energy and a good source of B vitamins.

Oats – these are full of energy nutrients and keep blood sugar levels on an even keel.

Parsley – for high levels of vitamin B12

Green vegetables – for B vitamins and energy nutrients.

Flax seeds – for omega-3 & omega-6 essential fatty acids.

Sunflower seeds – for magnesium, iron, copper, protein, vitamin B, essential fatty acids and zinc.

NB - Remember that some foods are energy thieves – sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, fried foods and highly processed food.

 

The Best Energy-Boosting Snacks – to ease your hunger between meals, try snacks that are also good for an energy kick-start: fresh bananas, oranges and apples; yoghurt, baby carrots, peppers, sugar snap peas, baby corn, cucumbers or tomatoes with a cottage cheese or hummus dip; a handful of almonds, pecans, walnuts or seeds; a slice of rye bread with peanut butter, tuna, lean turkey or chicken.

 

Spring is around the corner here!!!

Destiny is no matter of chance; It is a matter of choice

It is not a thing to be waited for; It is a thing to be achieved

William Jennings Bryan -

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Core Nutrition Programme

Formula 1 Nutritional Shake

Formula 2 Multi Vitamin

and Fibre & Herb Tablets

Winter is coming to an end!!! Don’t wait till the start of spring to get rid of those few extra kilos. NOW is the perfect time to start looking closer at your diet and your general health.

Start with the Herbalife Core Nutrition products - The healthy Nutritional Shake, the Multi Vitamin and the Fibre & Herb tablets.  These form the basic building blocks for good nutrition to supplement your diet and designed to optimise your nutritional intake.

 

Formula 1 Nutritional Shake

It's easy and practical - a healthy meal anytime, at home, at work.

It will help you manage your calorie intake and keep you feeling fuller for longer all while sustaining your energy levels. A busy work schedule can erode your fitness levels as you rush through the day.  The nutritional shake gives you a convenient and easy to prepare meal alternative, which provides the nutrition your body needs to help you replenish your energy and nourishes your body with an excellent balance of protein and key nutrients to help you feel energised.  It is also high in heart healthy soy protein and contains key nutrients to help you build lean muscle mass.

Formula 2 Multi Vitamin

It's a nutritional supplement containing key vitamins and minerals and a unique blend of herbs to complement your daily diet.  It is optimally used in conjunction with the Nutritional Shake as part of your weight management or healthy nutritional programme.

Fibre & Herb Tablets

It's a nutritional supplement that compliments the body's natural elimination of waste and toxins.  Use in conjunction with the Nutritional Shakes and Multi Vitamin as part of your weight management or healthy nutritional programme.

Your Herbalife Newsletter Foods That Burn FAT July 2012

We're all entitled to having our particular likes & dislikes when it comes to the food we eat. But which foods should we all make a point of including in our diets, because they are simply magic?

Foods That Burn Fat

Get excited! You are about to learn about some amazing foods that can help you burn fat and also make you healthier!

Everybody wants healthy foods that can melt away belly flab, but is that really possible? Believe it or not there are actually foods that have certain properties that can boost your metabolism to burn more calories and fat. Lets start with some metabolism boosters.

"Peppers."

Peppers don't have that spicy image for nothing. This vegetable is an excellent way to spice up otherwise bland dishes. Peppers come in a beautiful array of colors and shapes. They add flavor, color, and crunch to many low-calorie dishes. Jalapeno, cayenne , Habaneros and Red Peppers will all jump start your metabolism so that your body will burn fat faster so you lose weight faster, sometimes as much as 25% faster. Both hot and sweet peppers contain substances that have been shown to increase the body's heat production and oxygen consumption for about 20 minutes after eating. This is great news; it means your body is burning extra calories, which helps weight loss.

"Avocados."

Many individuals are at first stunned when learning that one of the best foods for weight loss is avocado. Avocados are the perfect fat burning food because they are high in fiber (11 to 17 grams for each Avocado) and that helps you feel full longer. They also contain monounsaturated fats and there are recent studies that show that mono-unsaturated fats target and reduce belly fat. Additionally, mono-saturated fats trigger the release of the hormones in your body that are responsible for burning fat. Add avocado to your salads, but remember to consume in moderation. Since fat has twice the energy of protein or carbs, the trick with avocado, as with all good fats is to eat smaller portions of them. Limit your avocado consumption to 1/4 to 1/2 avocado at a time.

"Brussel Sprouts."

Brussels Sprouts have been shown to provide the benefit of accelerating the function of your pancreas which results in the release of hormones that have a cleaning effect on your cells. Brussels sprouts are considered by many to be a super food. Brussels sprouts are very low in calories and their detoxification benefits will assist you in losing weight. Brussels Sprouts have been associated with the prevention of many cancers including bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. Steamed Brussels sprouts are a great addition to a healthy fat burning eating plan.

"Carrots."

Did you know that you can burn fats just by crunching on a few carrot sticks? Carrots have a wide range of nutritional and health benefits that not only keep your system healthy and well-functioning but also help stave off additional fats and keep your body slim. Carrots also have very few calories so when they are being digested by the body, a lot more calories are used to break down the carrots as compared to the calories that are in the carrots. Carrots contain carotene which turn into Vitamin A and vitamin A helps initiate the fat burning response in your body. They are also very high in fiber are very low in fat and calories. They also help eliminate waste quickly and help to reduce cravings for sweets.

"Beets(Beetroot)."

The beet is a root vegetable similar to its turnip cousin. Beets are a good addition to your weight-loss program because they contain no fat. A powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, beets help maintain a healthy energized body beneficial to your diet. Beets may assist your weight-loss by lowering cholesterol due to their high fiber content Beets are also a powerful diuretic that have the ability to rid your body of hanging body fats while also purifying blood corpuscles that can control fat sediments. Because of these diuretic properties beets can help you flush out floating body fats. They also contain a special iron that helps to cleanses corpuscles, corpuscles are blood cells that contain fat deposits. Additionally beets contain chlorine that helps stimulate your lymph glands to further eliminate fatty deposits.

"Cabbage."

When it comes to weight loss, there might be something special about cabbage besides its low calorie count. Cabbage, a cruciferous vegetable, contains a compound called glucosinolate, which may protect the body from several different cancers, according to the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. It is possible that glucosinolate promotes weight loss, along with greater endurance when exercising. Glucosinolate spurs the body to use additional fat for fuel, which keeps energy levels steady and extra weight off of your hips. Other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower also provide Glucosinolate. So Can cabbage help weight loss? The simple answer is yes, There is no doubt about it. Cabbage in all its varieties is a vegetable that requires more calories to digest than is contained within the food. The sulfur and iodine content of cabbage can assist in melting down fat in your stomach and waistline areas. .

Thought for the day!

"It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them."

- Dalai Lama -