Poor Valerie Bertinelli. Here she loses a great deal of weight, probably thirty pounds, maybe more, and instead of the media congratulating her on her new, svelte body, they are maligning her face, saying that she looks older now than she did two years ago when she still wore a size twelve. Facial exercise, not twists, puckers or contortions, is a safe and sane alternative for a healthier, younger looking face. The exercises are painless, there is no risk and you look like you did ten to fifteen years ago.

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Poor Valerie Bertinelli. Here she loses a great deal of weight, probably thirty pounds, maybe more, and instead of the media congratulating her on her new, svelte body, they are maligning her face, saying that she looks older now than she did two years ago when she still wore a size twelve.

Losing weight means that your face will lose weight too. Volume as unwanted pounds is shed throughout the entire body when a person loses weight.

There is really no such thing as “spot” reducing as in ‘I will only lose weight in my waist, tummy, hips and thighs,’ so as you put away mounds of carrots, broccoli and organic lettuce leaves, just know that having a skinny body means you will have a skinny face.

If you experience weight loss in your thighs, you will also experience weight loss in your face. Loss of volume in the face is especially noticeable as previous atrophy like slightly sagging cheeks now are actual lines or grooves between your nose and your mouth.

Jowls and pouches also seem to form almost overnight as the pounds melt away. You probably feel this is a very unfair scenario – losing weight to look better yet your face is losing the battle against aging.

There are hollows that can form along the sides of the cheeks when weight is lost quickly. Sometimes hollows are thought to only plague those over 65 but if your weight has taken a sudden plunge, you might find your skin acting in ways you have never seen.

Fat surrounds our muscles and our internal organs as it weaves and marbles throughout our bodies. Fat nestles between our skin and body muscles. You may or may not know that it is very easy for our bodies to store fat; if we overeat and are under active, our bodies glom on to ingested calories.

Most of us gals need only 1500-1800 calories per day to maintain our ideal weight; overeat and you outgrow your clothes as you become a candidate for obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure issues and other health challenges. In addition to watching our caloric intake we certainly need to include some type of physical activity to energize our bodies and to put the roses back in our cheeks.

When our faces show aging whether we have lost weight or not, there is sometimes great temptation to use extraneous methods to recapture our youthful appearance.

Thinking that temporary injections that plump and paralyze will enhance your face may leave you feeling cold and offish. Injections cost a lot of money and carry a certain amount of risk. Oh sure, there will probably be redness or bruising at the injection site but if you choose to allow toxins and chemically altered cadaver material to be injected inside your body, you will first have to read and sign a very comprehensive disclosure that will absolutely let your practitioner off the hook if you have an adverse reaction.

Surgery is another avenue men and women consider when their face looks drawn and tired but if you stop and think about it carefully, cutting perfectly healthy muscle and skin, then draping it and suturing it into place may not be ideal either. In fact, some people may think it is a barbaric practice and not in line with healthy alternatives; after all, it is surgery and surgery always carries risk like infection, disappointment and even death.

There are non-surgical alternatives and less invasive practices but not all of them produce the desired results of a younger looking face.

Facial exercise, not twists, puckers or contortions, is a safe and sane alternative for a healthier, younger looking face. The exercises are painless, there is no risk and you look like you did ten to fifteen years ago.

Facial exercise that uses resistance training is likened to weight training. When you train your body with weights, the muscles sculpt, tone, tighten and reposition.

Just as exercise works for the body, exercise will work for the face. Using white exercise gloves to hold and anchor tiny facial muscles, the facial exercises quickly work to enhance the face by engaging the muscles hidden under the skin.

Most users see immediate results when using isometric facial exercise with resistance although in the beginning the results are not long lasting because the muscle needs sufficient strength training to hold the new look. After a few weeks of training, the face begins to lose the tired, drawn look as muscles and skin become revitalized with oxygenated blood.

Learning the techniques is easy, the steps are simple and the results are stunning.

Now you can keep your face looking toned, tightened and lifted when you are ready to shed a few pounds without worry that your face will look tired or old.

The Atkins’ diet has been a craze for a couple of decades. Here’s how you can gain from it.

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All of you who are reading this article right now have definitely been on a diet at some point or the other of your lives. The battle of the bulge is an ongoing problem and we are always on the lookout for various means to win this war.

Along with exercise, our diet and nutrition also plays an important role in reducing our weight. Hence, this obsession persists in all of us to undertake some form of dieting. But going on a diet is definitely not an easy thing. What to eat and what to stay away from is always a perennial problem.

One of my friends told me that she ate the normal menu which she cooked for the family, but her weight loss recipe is “portion control.” This is a really simple diet plan. In this plan, you cut down on the portion of food you consume. For example, if you usually have two pieces of toast for breakfast, you should eat only one piece. If you normally eat two cups of rice for lunch, cut it down to one cup. In this way, you are automatically reducing your calorie intake by half.

Another popular method of dieting is to stop all intake of fatty foods and sugar. In this diet, you cut down on your oil, butter and ghee intake which automatically reduces your fat deposits.

While I was leafing through a magazine, I read about one of our Hollywood celebrities following the Atkins’ diet. This immediately aroused my curiosity about the diet. Though I have heard about the diet many times, I had no inside knowledge about it. So, I immediately set to work on it and found out certain basic facts’ about the Atkins diet which I want to share with my readers.

The Atkins’ diet made its first appearance in 1972 and was invented by its namesake, Dr Atkins. According to him, this method enables us to lose weight by inducing a change in metabolism. Our body burns both fat and carbohydrates to provide energy. If we reduce the intake of carbohydrates significantly, our body starts burning only fat to provide energy. This method is called “lipolysis”, which in turn induces ketosis. In ketosis, our body burns fat as fuel. Atkins also felt that ketosis will affect insulin production which will result in less fat being formed. And, once your body enters ketosis, your cravings for carbohydrates will reduce significantly which, in turn, will reduce your body weight.

The major difference between Atkins’ diet and other types of diet is that, while most diets restrict calorie, intake, the Atkins’ plan encourages us to eat more. While most of the diets recommend low fat, high carbohydrate intake, Atkins’ does just the opposite. Instead of carbohydrate and sugar, this diet wants us to consume plenty of fat and protein.

The core principle of the Atkins’ diet is that, by limiting carbohydrates, our body is forced to burn its stored fat, rather than carbs for fuel.

The Atkins’ diet has a four carbohydrates stage plan induction, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance. With the help of these four stages, you can reduce as well as maintain your weight throughout your life.

Induction – phase 1: This phase lasts for two weeks, by the end of which you can obtain significant results. Another point is that, in this diet plan you can begin at any of the phase. But it is recommended to start with induction. As you cut back on your carbohydrates significantly in this phase, you will jump start your weight loss programme. In this phase, only 20 gm of carbohydrates are allowed and hence your weight loss is significant. As you drastically cut down on carbohydrates your body shifts into high gear and starts burning fat. This takes about 48 hours to occur and you may feel hungry and irritated for the first three-four days. But don’t worry, as soon as your fat starts getting converted to fuel, you will feel fit as a fiddle. Induction will strengthen your immune system and also improve our long-term health.

Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) phase 2: In this phase, the weight loss pace slows down as you add nutrient-rich carbohydrates to your diet. During this period, you will boost your body’s ability to burn fats as well as understand your body better. You will find the right amount of carbohydrates which you can consume and still lose weight. Your body will also prepare itself for permanent weight management. The amount of carbohydrates which you can eat is increased to 25 gm per day for the first week and increased in five gm instalment for the next few weeks. If your weight loss is significant, you can increase your carbohydrate intake. A person has to be on OWL till he or she is within three-five kg of their goal weight.

Pre-maintenance – (phase 3): Pre-maintenance is a practice run for lifetime maintenance. In this phase, you are fast approaching your target. As long as you continue to lose weight, you can increase your weekly allotment of carbohydrates by another 10 gm. You will be in this phase till you reach your goal and stay on it for one month. The ultimate goal here is to achieve a state of balance called Atkins’ Carbohydrate Equilibrium (ACE). The ACE is your individual level of carbohydrate intake wherein you neither gain nor lose weight.

Lifetime maintenance phase 4: In this phase, you have to focus on your individual ACE and strive to stay within two kg of your ideal weight for the rest of your life. By following a sensible eating plan, you gain energy, better health and confidence in yourself.

By following these four phases, you not only achieve your dream weight but are also able to maintain it throughout your life. You can learn more about this diet by reading the book, Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. But, as with any other diet, this plan also has its pros and cons. The good point is that this diet recommends exercise as a vital part of the weight loss programme. Another point to be noted is that you cannot start on carbohydrates after you lose weight as this will result in your gaining back all that you have lost.

Medical experts advise that people who have gout, kidney problems, diabetes or are pregnant women should not follow this diet plan. As this diet is very stringent, do consult your doctor/dietician for proper advice.

Your dietician will provide you with a proper menu chart as to what should be eaten, in what quantities, etc, based on your eating habits and general lifestyle.

Happy dieting and hoping to see slimmer and fitter readers.

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

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The Idiot-Proof Diet

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

The ‘calorie shifting’ model takes place because you eat every two and half hours. The theory is that because your body is consuming calories (energy) constantly throughout the day, it’s always in ‘burning calories’ mode instead of the ‘saving calories’ mode.

When you sign up for the diet, you get access to a diet handbook, an 11-day diet-plan and a diet calculator. You get to pick what foods you like to eat so don’t think that you’ll be tarving in this diet!

NutriSystem

The NutriSystem way of dieting is all about proper meal planning. People love this diet because it takes away the burden of trying to figure out what to eat during their dieting phase. You see, a lot of people actually get confused as to what they can eat when they want to lose weight. That’s not really surprising because there’s so much information out there and for every yay sayer, there is a nay sayer so it’s really tough to know what to eat.

However, with NurtiSystem, they do all the meal planning and portion controlling for you. You just need to sign up to any of their diet programs (e.g., Women’s Program, Men’s Program, Vegetarian Program, etc.) and order a multi-day (usually for 28 days) diet program.

After you choose your diet program, a menu is presented to you and you simply choose what you want to eat. The meals are then delivered to your doorstep at various intervals during your diet program.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is popular because the name alone conjures bikini-clad bodies! Add to that the fact that it was founded by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, then you have a sort of ‘doctor recommended, doctor approved’ seal on the diet as well.

At first glance, the South Beach Diet looks a lot like the Atkins Diet in the sense that it restricts carbohydrates during the initial phase of the program (there are 3 phases). The first phase (14 days) encourages ‘normal eating’ in the sense that you can pretty much eat whatever you want but you must NOT eat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. Fruit is also not allowed. No sugar. No alcohol.

The second phase allows you to SLOWLY introduce these items back into your diet but at lesser levels that you consumed them before of course. The third phase is more about general maintenance.

Weight Watchers

Probably one of the longest running diet programs out there is Weight Watchers. It believes in the overall approach where food, exercise, behavior and support are addressed.

Weight Watchers is known for advocating a point system for foods. Using this system, one calculates the calorie intake of the foods he or she eats. The number of points you can have in a day varies depending on your weight. The beauty of the program is that there are no gut-wrenching food restrictions so you never feel deprived of anything. However, the point system teaches you how to balance your meals so that even if you indulge on one food item, you don’t go overboard and consume too much in a day.