In the nearly eternal quest to lose weight, people seem willing to do just about anything. It has been that way ever since people felt societal pressure to lose weight, and is sure to continue for many years to come. They will submit themselves to food they don’t like, brutal exercise regimens, and the downright bizarre. But there’s one thing very few of them do, and it can greatly increase their odds of permanent weight loss. What is it? Documenting their progress with before and after photos.

Huh? Does that sound like a dumb idea to you? Don’t laugh. It can have a major psychological impact; before, during and after your weight loss. It has the same effect as writing down your goals. Just by doing this step, you will increase your odds of success.

Look at it this way, you will be working hard, eating right and exercising to lose weight. Before and after weight loss photos won’t make the weight come off, but they are another tool in your arsenal in the battle of the bulge.

If you have children, then you’ve heard comments from relatives who haven’t seen them for a while. They say, “oh, they’ve gotten so tall”, or something similar. That’s one of the reasons for doing before and after weight loss photos, it’s not always easy to see your own weight coming off because you see yourself every day. But when you can look back at the visual evidence, it’s a game changer. It’s motivational.

Here’s the best way to do it to maximize your results. Take a photo every so many days, but with no more than a week between. Try for the same pose, in the same clothes, in the same location in your house. This next part will be harder at first. Expose as much of your body as decency allows. If you’re a female a sports bra and shorts; if you’re a male then just a pair of shorts. You want to see the bigger picture (pardon the pun). And don’t forget to do one picture for each a front and side view.

Refer to the photos later to see how far you have come. Put them up in the trouble spots around your home. For example, on the door of your refrigerator to keep you from binging, or on your weight bench to encourage to do a few reps.

It’s up to you whether or not you will share them with anybody else. But there’s a good chance that your desire to share will increase with the number of pounds you lose. So, be sure to eat right, get moving and get healthy. And while your at it, go ahead and keep a visual record of your progress, you’ll be glad you did.

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Eureka! We’ve finally made it, now we really can eat candy and lose weight thanks to hoodia power pops. The wonderful little lollipops are infused with genuine hoodia to help suppress your appetite between meals while also allowing you to indulge your sweet tooth in a guilt free way.

For those of you who aren’t really sure what hoodia is, here is an overview:

1. Hoodia is a plant that grows exclusively in the Kalahari desert in South Africa. The plant has been known for centuries by the native bushmen as an effective appetite and thirst suppressant.

2. Hoodia is thought to work by tricking the brain into thinking that the body is full, thus effectively shutting down the appetite. If you don’t feel hungry, you won’t eat as much in between meals as well as during your meals and less food intake will result in weight loss.

3. When purchasing a supplement containing hoodia you must make sure that it’s the hoodia gordonii variety that has been added and not some other form of hoodia (there are over 20 different varieties but only the gordonii has been shown to have the P57 compound which scientists have isolated as the compound that provides the appetite suppressant.)

4. The P57 compound is not in the roots or skins of the hoodia plant, only in the core. Therefore make sure that the supplements you purchase are made up with only core hoodia powder and not whole powder since whole powder will have a much lower concentration of P57 and won’t work as effectively (though it will be considerably less expensive).

5. While there has been no documentation of any dangerous side effects from hoodia the one thing that you do need to be careful about is not eating or drinking enough. Even though you are dieting you don’t want to starve your body and the appetite suppressant can be powerful enough so that many people forget to eat. Hoodia is also a thirst suppressant so be very careful to drink plenty of water throughout your day when taking the supplement.

6. Make sure that you enter into your diet program with the right frame of mind. Hoodia has millions of loyal fans who swear by it’s effectiveness but you still have to alter your lifestyle and eat plenty of low fat, high nutrient food and get a lot of exercise if you want to see the full effects… and keep those changes permanently.

The power pop diet recommends that you have one sucker along with 8 ounces of water 30 minutes prior to each meal during the day to help you eat less and feel sated more quickly.

While hoodia power pops may sound like a dieters dream come true, it’s important to remember that they aren’t magic. When it comes to losing weight and maintaining a safe weight for life you have to remember that it’s all about what you eat, drink and how much exercise you get. Using supplements to help you stay on course is a great idea, but don’t enter into a diet thinking that your old habits can continue, that approach won’t work for the long run and you’ll only end up failing.

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With ever increasing numbers of obese or morbidly obese people in the world today, it’s somewhat comforting to know that there are solutions that can speed up the process of weight loss. While diet and exercise are efficient methods of improving your health, for many people who are suffering from the serious medical complications of being overweight, it simply takes too long, they need help and they need it fast. Gastric bypass surgery can be the answer for many people. If you are considering this type of surgery, you’ll likely want to know more about it, such as learning more about gastric bypass recovery.

The actual time you spend in the hospital after the surgery can vary greatly from one person to the next and what type of procedure you had performed. For example, for someone who has the minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure the average post op hospital stay will be between 3 – 5 days assuming you don’t have any complications.

If, on the other hand, you have the somewhat more involved open gastric bypass procedure you will have a larger incision and will require a slightly longer hospital stay, generally between 5 – 7 days, again, assuming you have no complications. Your surgeon will be able to provide you with more specifics based on your situation and your overall health and the exact type of procedure you are having.

As to recovery after the surgery, there will also be a fairly involved process which will include significant lifestyle changes, in particular the types and amounts of food that you eat. It’s important to understand that this procedure will make your stomach about the size of a walnut, and that will greatly reduce the amount of food and drink you will be able to consume at one time. That change will be permanent so the days of having a huge feast are over, or at least you’ll have to spread the meal out over several hours.

Most people will continue to lose weight up to 2 years after the procedure, and weight loss of up to 80% of your excess body weight is not uncommon. It’s not likely that you’ll lose 100% of your excess weight but losing the majority of it is still a great start for most people.

Losing weight at such a rapid pace can have virtually immediate impact on other obesity related issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Another benefit, after your recovery period, should be an overall lessening of many aches and pains and increased mobility. Just being able to move around more comfortably can have a dramatic effect on your health as well as your overall disposition.

For many people, gastric surgery really is a matter of life and death. While it is possible to lose weight the ‘old fashioned’ way, for people with serious and potentially life threatening health issues time is of the essence and this surgery can help them lose weight much faster than they would normally be able to do. Just make sure that when you’re considering surgery, you pay close attention to the gastric bypass recovery time and carefully follow all of your doctors advice.

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Whether you are trying to get rid of an unsightly beer belly or want to look good in a swimsuit, the battle of the bulge can be a tricky one to win. The good news is that it’s entirely possible to drop the pounds in a relatively short amount of time. How to lose weight comes down to one thing: burning more calories than you take in. Therefore, you either have to burn them, or decrease your intake. Here is one way to help you do the latter: Cut out soft drinks. First we’ll cover soda, then we’ll look at some other options.

You may think that drinking just one soda per day doesn’t make that much of a difference. If you’re active, and have your weight under control, then having the occasional soda is fine. But let’s take a look at how that one soda can add up and what the impact on your weight will be when you go with a calorie-free alternative.

Let’s use some simple math to see what a positive difference this one small change can make when trying to lose weight. The first thing to know is that every 3,500 calories you get rid equals one pound. Next, a typical 12 ounce can of soda contains 150 calories. Okay, here’s how it works out…

365 days in a year X 150 calories per 12 oz. = 54,750 total calories.

54,750 calories divided by 3,500 calories = 15.6 pounds!

Talk about a small change that can make add up to significant weight loss. And if you happen to drink soda in larger bottles, it could make a difference of 30 pounds or more. But be careful that you don’t replace those calories with other calories. In other words you have to cut those calories out completely to get the full benefit.

So, what are the options? Most people think juice is a good replacement for soda. Not if you’re counting calories it isn’t. For example, while soda may have 150 calories per 12 ounces, grape juice has closer to 250. Some juices have a higher water content, so you’ll have to check the label to be sure. However, if it’s a choice between soda and fruit juice, go with the juice. At least the juice contains some vital nutrients while soda is nothing but empty calories.

Another thing you may not be aware of is that the sugar in soft drinks can make you thirsty. Putting you into an endless loop of drinking calorie-laden beverages to slake the thirst that the same beverages are causing.

The best way to quench your thirst when trying to lose weight is water. Keep a large bottle within arm’s reach throughout the day, making it easy to take a sip when needed.

Tags: 365 Days In A Year, Amount Of Time, Battle Of The Bulge, Beer Belly, Benefit, Calories, Counting Calories, Days In A Year, Fruit Juice, Grape Juice, Juices, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Math, Ounce, Oz, Soda, Soft Drinks, Swimsuit, Water Content, Weight Control, Weight Loss —