How to Control Food Cravings and Suppress Appetite Safely.

Curb Your Cravings Weight Loss Patch

Although exercise is important in keeping your body fit and your heart healthy, it may not be the best way to help you lose weight fast. If you want to see the numbers on a weighing scale go down fast, you better start lessening the number of calories that you eat.

Since cravings for unhealthy foods such as pastries, chocolate bars and tons of ice cream are heard to fight, you better find a way to curb or control your appetite if you want to eat less. Fortunately for dieters like you, there are various ways of keeping your appetite and food cravings under control naturally. Here are some of them:

Plan Ahead

Planning goes a long way, not only when it comes to your work, but also with regard to eating less. If you have no idea what you will be eating for lunch or dinner, there is a big chance that you will act on your desires when the time comes for you to choose what you are going to eat. It is quite difficult to resist the call of fried chicken if your stomach is growling for food and your mind is still at a loss on what to pick for dinner. In order to prevent situations wherein you give in to your gluttonous desires, you have to know exactly what you have to eat and where you are going to get that food. In fact, it would be better if you prepare them in advance.

Let There Be Light

Another way to prevent yourself from wolfing down a whole piece of cake or 10 slices of pizza is to eat in a well-lighted room. If you can see what you are eating, you will be more conscious of how much food you are shoving up your mouth. However, in the dark, you can do anything without the guilt. Nobody knows, not even you, that you have already finished the whole turkey in one sitting if you eat in the dark.

Fiber Up

You may already know that fiber is important in helping to clean up the colon and get rid of wastes and toxins inside the gut. However, another reason why you need to eat a lot of fiber is that it is good in absorbing water. Thus, fiber helps expand your stomach, making you think that you are already full.

Go Protein

Aside from helping bulk up your muscles, eating more protein than carbohydrates and fat can help control your appetite a bit. Protein is generally harder to digest, so you will feel full longer. However, be sure to pick good sources of protein, such as fish, chicken, nuts and other fresh produce.

Hit The Sack

Numerous studies have shown that there is a direct link between sleep and appetite. Sleep deprivation usually creates an imbalance in two types of hormones. One is leptin, a hormone that is responsible for lessening appetite. And the other is ghrelin, a hormone that is responsible for boosting appetite. People who usually skip sleep end up having more food cravings than people who have the right amount of sleep. This may also be the reason why people who are unable to sleep restfully have increased risk of being overweight or obese and having type-2 or adult-onset diabetes.

Trick Your Mind

Another way to successfully lessen your appetite is by playing mind games. Since studies show that the color blue curbs the appetite, you may want to paint your dining room blue. You can also use plates or place mats that are blue. Using smaller plates can also make you think that you have eaten a lot even if you just had a few servings. Lastly, light up a candle or wear a perfume before you eat so that your mind will get distracted from the smell of food.

Although all of the above steps are helpful, the easiest and fastest way to control your appetite is by taking a natural-based appetite suppressant. One product you might want to consider is Phenocal, which not only helps curb appetite but boosts metabolism as well.

For more information about how Phenocal can help you lose weight, simply log on to http://www.phenocal.com/

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com

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24 Tips for Successful Weight Loss.

Curb Your Cravings Weight Loss Patch

Want to look fit and trim for next summer's season or for that wedding? Here are some healthy, handy tips on how to lose weight.

1. Never skip any meals, particularly breakfast. The first meal of the day triggers your metabolism to start the fat burning process.

2. Six mini meals throughout your day helps keep your metabolism from slowing down.

3. Fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, helps fill you up and aids digestion.

4. Learn to eat slowly, even if others around you are fast eaters. It takes a full twenty minutes before your brain receives the signal from your stomach that you’re full.

5. Be sure to keep a food diary. This really helps you adhere to your eating plan. Just knowing that you have to record that piece of chocolate cake in your diary may help prevent you from eating it or at least to eat only half! Nutridiary has an excellent Free food and exercise log.

6. Get into some form-fitting workout clothes for your “before” photo. Take a photo from the front, side and back. A few successful months later, wearing the same clothing, take the same pictures – you’ll be pleased when you see the results and this will also motivate you to continue.

7. Drinking a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day helps your metabolism burn fat.

8. Hot and spicy foods have also been shown to “rev up” your metabolism.

9. When invited to a friend’s house for a meal, always mention your special diet so as not to offend anyone when you show up with some of your own food.

10. When dining out, order a salad to eat before your meal. This will fill you up so you’ll eat less of the main meal. But be sure to ask for a low calorie salad dressing and ask for it “on the side” so you can regulate how much dressing to add to your salad. If they do not have anything low calorie, ask for oil and vinegar, again on the side. Be careful with the oil – use a teaspoon or tablespoon to measure it onto your salad.

11. Increase your activity – do activities you enjoy to prevent boredom.

12. Make a list of reasons why you want to lose weight and refer to it often. Tape it up on the fridge to remind you!

13. Pre-package weighed or measured snacks.

14. Going away? Bring your “before” photos with you. Keep them in an easily viewed spot to help motivate you to not lose touch with your eating plan during your vacation.

15. Calculate your BMI or body mass index which measures the proportion of fat in your body. Check your results to see the proper BMI for your health. Use this handy Body Mass Index Chart to find out if you’re carrying around too much fat in relation to your body weight. The fat is measured using the BMI or Body Mass Index.

16. Just because it claims to be low fat or fat free, that doesn’t mean calorie free! Check those labels!

17. Weigh yourself in the morning unclothed, only once a week. Track your progress in your diet log (see #15 above).

18. Eat your meals on a smaller plate to fool your subconscious!

19. Drink plenty of water while eating to fill you up and help with digestion.

20. Keep your before photo on your fridge.

21. Set several mini goals for yourself. Be sure to write them down and keep them handy. Reward yourself with a non-food reward at the end of successful completion of each goal.

22. Get lots of rest. Being tired lowers your resistance.

23. When eating out, cut your meal in half and pour a lot of salt onto this portion to discourage you from finishing off your plate, or ask that it be packaged right away for you in a doggy bag to be taken home after your meal.

24. In the mood for dessert? Try low fat graham crackers. They are whole grain and a couple of them with a hot mug of tea will help curb your craving for sweets.

Want more of Heather Diodati’s articles and how-to’s? Visit http://www.whimsies-online.com/freecontent.htm. By the way, you are free to use these articles on your websites and ezines provided you include the author’s bylines. A courtesy copy or an email mentioning where the article was published would be much appreciated!

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Nicotine Patch and Weight Loss - What You Need to Know.

Quitting smoking may be an obstacle for some. However, if you have successfully quit smoking, congratulations! But the party does not start yet. According to studies, if you are chain smoker that gave up smoking, you will gain up to eight pounds. Hence there are some products that work by eliminating the craving for smoking and at the same time helping you lose weight. Scientists are now developing a nicotine patch and weight loss that helps hit two birds with one stone.

Smoking as weight control

Smoking is usually associated with weight loss. Hence, some women have resorted to smoking to help them lose weight. In a University of Toronto study, girls who believed themselves to be overweight were 50% more likely to be smokers than those who believed themselves to be of average weight or too thin.

Why does one gain weight after going cold turkey?

Just as nicotine is believed to help speed up metabolism, quitting smoking can make your metabolism slow down and make you gain weight even though you're not eating more food. Once you have given up smoking, you will usually feel hungrier and food will taste better. You also need something to replace the butts and some people turn to food. The combination of consuming more calories while burning less results in weight gain.

How to keep the pounds off

Exercise and a balanced diet are the best solutions to losing weight after smoking. Studies show that smokers have an easier time quitting when they add exercise to their smoking cessation program.
Your healthy diet is critical as well. But studies have also shown that for smokers, exercise is easy but dieting is not. As a result, many turn their cravings for nicotine into longings for food, satisfying the oral gratification they're not getting.

The new drug Acomplia

In 2006, the French company Sanofi-Synthelabo has released a nicotine patch and weight loss product called. Acomplia, is the brand name for the drug Rimonabant, is a nicotine patch and weight loss product combined in one pill. It is designed to help you stop both food and cigarette cravings – hence, helping you quit smoking and lose weight at the same time!
In a research conducted by Sanofi-Synthelabo, Acomplia actually helped obese individuals lose an average of 20 lbs. and in another doubled the chances that smokers would quit.

How it works

The nicotine patch and weight loss drug works through the active ingredient of Rimonabant. Rimonabant works by blocking the CB1 receptor, one of two receptors found in a newly described physiological system called the Endocannabinoid System (EC System), which is thought to play a crucial role in regulating food intake and energy expenditure.

Once these signals are blocked, your cravings are controlled that results in weight loss, improvement of cardiovascular/metabolic risk factors in overweight and obese patients, and appears to reduce tobacco dependence without post-cessation weight gain in people who smoke.

Smoking cessation programs

Combining nicotine patch and weight loss remains in constant study at present. However, research has shown that other nicotine products like nasal spray and inhaler have a higher success rate compared to the nicotine patch.

Regular diet patches

For non-smokers, taking a nicotine patch and weight loss product might be dangerous. So instead of taking a nicotine patch and weight loss product, they should be using a regular diet patch instead.
A regular diet patch works just like a nicotine patch. Just as a nicotine patch suppresses your cravings for cigarettes, a diet patch curbs your cravings for food.

The ingredients of a typical diet patch are as follows:

1. Fucus Vesiculosus – helps increase the body’s metabolism, burn more calories and enhance digestion.

2. Guarana – a stimulant which also helps to increase to the metabolism while keeping energy levels high.

3. 5-HTP – helps control sweet and carbohydrate cravings by controlling serotonin levels in the brain.

4. Zinc Pyruvate – assists in the breakdown of fat cells while helping to build lean muscle mass.

5. DHEA – helps the body to manage the intake of calories more efficiently.

6. Yerba Mate – A powerful appetite suppressant from South America.

7. Lecithin – Helps to breakdown fats and cholesterol and balance body weight

8. Flaxseed Oil – Keeps a balance of essential fatty acids for healthier dieting

9. L-Carnitine – Increases the bodies fat burning capabilities

10. Zinc Citrate – An essential mineral often lost when losing weight.

Effectiveness

Nicotine patch and weight loss is proven to go hand in hand when it comes to helping smokers lose weight. However, further studies should still be conducted to strengthen the known results we have at present.

Phillip England is a weight loss expert and Author of the popular report "The Ultimate Weight Loss Secret". To receive your free information on the secret that doctors, and health companies either don't know, or don't want you to know, please see http://www.theultimateweightlosssecret.com/secret

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How to Choose a Diet or Weight Loss Plan.

Did you know that Americans spend approximately $30 billion a year trying to lose weight? In the big business of weight loss, it pays to shop around for a program that suits your needs.

Following by:-

• Step1

Choose a program that helps you set realistic goals and aim for gradual weight loss.

• Step2

Be sure to ask how much weight you can expect to lose per week, as well as how long it will take to reach your own weight loss goal.

• Step3

Research the credentials of the experts involved in the program, such as doctors, nurses, dieticians and counselors.

• Step4

Make sure the plan offers a variety of foods to ensure that you receive all the nutrients you need - your diet should include all the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, minerals and protein.

• Step5

Look for a plan that includes plenty of exercise to be combined with a balanced diet.

• Step6

Select a plan that not only helps you lose weight but teaches you to keep it off. You need to make permanent lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy body.

• Step7

Consider how much time you are willing to spend on this program. For instance, will you need to attend meetings or counseling sessions?

• Step8

Consider the total cost of the program, including the initial membership fee, special foods, supplements and other features.

Tips & Warnings

• Seek help from a variety of experts: a doctor, a dietitian, an exercise physiologist, a psychologist. Each can provide advice that the others cannot. Be sure to check credentials.
• Weight loss medications provide only short-term weight loss.
• Weight loss self-help support groups, such as Overeaters Anonymous or Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), are available to those who would like peer support without following a particular commercial program.
• Opt for a commercial weight loss program, such as Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, if you want to lose at least 10 pounds and would like a structured weight loss plan, as well as extra services and special foods.
• Ask your physician about weight loss programs that take place in a clinical setting, such as Optifast or Health Management Resources (HMR), if you are 20 to 30 percent above your ideal weight; these include liquid meal replacements in their plans.
• Single-food reduction diets (such as grapefruit or cabbage diets) are not only boring but nutritionally unbalanced.
• It is dangerous to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds per week after the first week.
• If you have any questions or concerns, contact a physician or other health care professional before engaging in any activity related to health and diet. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment./By eHow Health Editor

How to Lose Weight With the Pink Patch

The Pink Patch is similar to the patch designed to help smokers quit cigarettes. This diet aide is designed to enter the bloodstream through the skin via the patch. The manufacturer claims it can help curb cravings and suppress your appetite, thus causing you to lose weight.

Following by:-

• Step1

Make sure the Pink Patch is safe for you. Research the patch's ingredients before purchasing it so you know what you're taking into your body.

• Step2

Look for retailers or websites that sell the pink patch and make your purchase. Many online merchants now sell the patch. There is no prescription needed to buy the pink patch, so you can get access to it easily.

• Step3

Apply the patch to your arm. Place it somewhere indiscreet that can be covered by clothing, such as on the upper arm or thigh.

• Step4

Remove the patch after 24 hours and replace it with a new one. Repeat this step until you have your appetite under control or lose weight.

• Step5

Keep a record of your weight loss as you progress when using the Pink Patch. Most people lose approximately 5 to 10 pounds per month.

Tips & Warnings

• Be realistic with your goals when using the Pink Patch, and pay attention to what you are eating as well as try to exercise at least 30 minutes per week.
• The pink patch has not yet been approved by the FDA. It is recommended that you talk to your doctor first before trying this or any other weight loss program.

Resources

• Review on the pink patch

Weight Loss - How to Curb Your Cravings

Often weight watchers find themselves craving for certain foods which are usually simple carbohydrates and sugar. The reasons for the cravings may well to fulfill a basic physiological need or a hormonal imbalance condition. Another explanation for the cravings could be due to the levels of serotonin in the body system. Serotonin is a hormone found in the brain that helps in regulating appetite and mood. When we consume food, the serotonin level rises and gives us a feeling of satisfaction. A low serotonin level can lead to a craving for a certain food in order to satisfy a feel good factor.

Here are 7 practical ways to curb your cravings for sugary and starchy stuff:

• 1 Check Your Health

It pays to have your blood sugar level checked so that a right approach action may be taken. For example, a pre-diabetic condition may well trigger cravings for sugary and refined carbohydrate foods. It is best to seek professional help first. Giving in to cravings even if the food is considered safe to eat is a mistake. It can do more harm to both health and weight management.

• 2 Eat Regular Meals

Ensure that you have at least 5-6 meals per day on a regular basis. It helps to guard against carbohydrates and sugar cravings for most people. For weight watchers, you should regulate the intake proportion with a right balance mix of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, fatty acids, minerals and fiber. Getting the right nutritional support is basic to curbing your body cravings.

• 3 Eat Healthy

Ensure that you are consuming only healthy and nutritious meals. Avoid refined and processed foods which may get your body signals mixed up. Fast foods are unhealthy as they are usually deep fried and contain trans fats. Your individual meals should be varied to contain whole grains, vegetables, legumes, beans, eggs, fish, nuts and seeds. Taking protein is important for carbohydrate cravings control as it helps in giving a feeling of fullness.

• 4 Hydrate Your Body

Drinking water is ever so vital for your body system to function efficiently especially for weight loss. Drink a full glass of water about half an hour before eating your meals. It helps in clearing your system ready for a nice meal. Drinking after meals are not advisable because it can interfere in your digestion.

• 5 Have a Ready Snack

It is good to keep some healthy low calorie snacks ready in your office or your bag. The purpose is not to encourage eating but to eat healthfully in case you find yourself in a must-eat dilemma. A recent research study has shown that chewing gum can help in reducing hunger and curb cravings which lead to a reduction in caloric intake of food for weight management.

• 6 Practice Mind Control

It remains futile to concentrate on healthy eating without taking charge of your mind. Whenever the urge to crave for a certain food crops up, immediately get into a mind discipline situation. Examine yourself why you must eat and writing down the reasons can help in controlling the cravings. Be mindful that there is a responsibility behind a decision.

• 7 Keep Busy

Keeping yourself busy is one effective way to curb your food cravings. Engage in bodily activities such as playing a game or going for a walk. Don't just read a book but keep your hands busy with some notes writing and food snacking cravings will reduce. Be flexible and change course if one particular activity causes you to crave. For example, use another route to get to your destination just to make it harder to buy the food you crave for.

Whatever the reason behind the food cravings, the need for both body and mind to work together is the key to overcoming the problem. Craving may fulfill a temporary psychological need but it fails in many aspects if you are trying to lose weight.

Jessie Mcfarland is your #1 recommended weight loss consultant. Get FREE Insider Access to her opt-in-list, private blog and members only forum to learn how to lose weight quick the healthy and smart way.

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