Hi everybody,

You have probably heard it said that it is better to eat smaller more regular meals to assist with revving up your metabolism.

Is this really true or false?

Well, according to some recent studies this above statement might not be true.

One study carefully looked at groups of overweight men and women who were randomly assigned to very strict low-calorie diets and followed for eight weeks. Each subject consumed the same number of calories per day, but one group took in three meals a day and the other six. There was no difference between them in fat loss, appetite control or measurements of hormones that signal hunger. Other studies have had similar results.

This being the case, then I would suggest that the content of what you eat is one of the next factors to look at.

Get into the habit of avoiding the high calorie foods lacking in nutritional content such as snack foods, sweets, flavoured drinks and the fatty foods.

Use my ‘Evaluate your Progress’ form to keep you on track.

http://www.box.net/shared/0du6ymlaaz

Also, incorporate exercise in your daily life. Research agrees that exercise is one of better ways to rev up your metabolism with added benefits.

Again, use my ‘Evaluate your Progress’ form to keep you motivated and on track.

http://www.box.net/shared/0du6ymlaaz

The Weight Wiz software application is also an excellent tool for keeping track of your progress with recipes and tracking tools.

Just go to http://weightwiz.com

Have an overall approach to your weight loss efforts. Think of it like a jigsaw. Place all of your pieces in the correct spots and over time you will see the new you.

Catch you next time.

James

Hi everybody.

We do not need to be academics to understand that diet and exercise are our best defence against illnesses such as diabetes. Yet so many people ignore the warnings and continue to lead inactive lives and eat processed foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fats. The warnings never seem to be enough.

Eventually, people find themselves in the hands of doctors being prescribed medications for the prevention of hypertension, diabetes and stroke.

Healthy people do not normally relie on high doses of medications.

So what does it take to reverse the obesity trends and to get individuals to change their lifestyle habits? T.V advertisements and bill boards portray government scare tactics in an endeavour to reverse the obesity trends, yet the trends do not seem to alter.

I am convinced in my mind that the mechanism for change in our lives lies deep within. Until each individual faces the concept that they are images of something greater than what they portray, then it is likely that we will continue to abuse our health and show little respect for what we really are. From my point of view, when we start to eat a better diet and to exercise, then we are valuing our body. (Some of us look after our pets better than we do ourselves!)

I present these thoughts to you as a challenge so that you will look upon your body as a ‘temple’ that deserves better. Any religious community, be it Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, Buddhist or Hindu would respect their temples and churches with the utmost respect. By being casual with our eating habits and with our exercise, we are showing no real respect for our bodies.

Look upon yourself differently and reverse the trends of society and never let it be said that you were partly responsible for your future health problems.

Treasure your body with respect.

Respect yourself.

Give yourself the best chance, and value your gift of life by changing your eating habits and your lifestyle habits.

Before you next eat, ask if what you are eating is showing respect to your body. And show respect to your heart and give it the exercise it needs in order to function at its optimum. Let this day be the start of a new attitude towards yourself.

Let’s get moving!

James
http://jamestansell.com

For lots of people, the concept of losing weight can seem such a hopeless task.

Here we are at Easter, three months into the year, and some of us have not even gotten started with a genuine effort to lose weight.

Most of us know what we need to do, but getting started and following through becomes the sticky point.

Society has lots of tempting treats, quick take away meals and convenient processed foods to allure us.

Nevertheless, most of these foods will only have the effect of making our weight loss efforts more difficult to achieve.

As a suggestion, join me in my quest to make our lives a healthier one.

Firstly, subscribe to my 12 Week Weight Loss Challenge emails and challenge yourself on a daily basis to improve your health and weight.

Secondly, download my ‘Evaluate your Progress‘ form, print it out and fill it in daily. Tick off what you achieve on a daily basis as well as record your starting weight and measurements at the beginning of the week.

Thirdly, go to http://weightwiz.com and check out the free trial of WeightWiz.

I recently downloaded the paid version. My wife, Maria and I have started using it. It does involve some effort in terms of planning your meals and entering foods into the data base, but it will give you a clear idea of what efforts you will need in order to reach your goals.

Fourthly, go to http://meditate.com.au and arrange for a free sample of ‘Holosync’ to be sent to you.

Maria and I use holosync recordings to assist us with our lives. Go onto the website and read about it. Our experiences are very similar to others. Ever since using holosync recordings through my IPod, my ability to deal with my day and to achieve my goals are so much easier.

Let’s make this Easter the start of something new.

Remember to introduce new habits into your daily life that you can sustain. Break down your goals and focus on inching your way forward.

Remember, just a quarter of a kilo of weight loss a week would amount to 12 kilos lost after 12 months!

It can be done. Just focus on the activities and better eating habits on a daily basis, and let your body work itself out.

Happy Easter!

Bye for now.

James

There is growing evidence to suggest that diets high in fructose are a leading cause of the obesity epidemic in children and adults throughout the modern world.

Sweetened beverages and processed foods are the main sources of fructose. While fructose is found naturally in fruits, it is also added to many processed foods and beverages to sweetened the flavours.

There is a book written by Dr Johnson, chairman of medicine at the University of Colorado called ‘The Sugar Fix. The High Fructose Fallout that is making you Fat and Sick’.

Fructose is a high source of calories and fruit juices contribute is this. Therefore it is important to control the quanties consumed. As a general guideline, fructose should be kept to under 25 grams per day.
Keep in mind that one orange can have 6 grams of fructose.

It is not the natural fruits that are causing the problems. Rather it is the added fructose to processed foods and drinks that play havoc with our diets. A can of soda can have up to 40 grams of added fructose.

There is growing evidence to suggest that this high fructose diet is playing havoc with not only diets but also with our metabolism.

This effect on our metabolism is making it increasingly difficult for individuals to burn off the extra calories through exercise.

So, check the labels, avoid processed foods, cook from scratch, avoid the sugar free drinks such as diet cokes etc and begin to feel better!

James

Sugar May Be Bad, But This Sweetener Is Far More Deadly:
http://bit.ly/5ohcGV

Hi everybody,

I hope that your Christmas was a very merry and relaxing one.

If your Christmas was anything like mine, you are probably thinking that you have managed to eat way too many sweets. Christmas would not be Christmas in our society if you did not feel tempted to eat more than you needed. The problem is never really Christmas when it comes to over eating habits and weight management; it is the other 364 days of the year!

Today I would like to offer a couple of suggestions that I have learnt to assist with understanding weight control and health matters.

Firstly, check your waist measurements and ensure that you keep below 80cm for women and below 94cm for men.

These measurements are an indicator for determining whether or not you are carrying too much fat. The dangerous fat is called Visceral fat. This fat surrounds your vital organs such as your heart, liver and muscles and is linked to heart attacks, diabetes and strokes. We can often refer to it as having a ‘pot belly’. Furthermore, this fat can be even present in thin people and they might not even be aware of it. My father had a sudden heart attack in his sixties yet he looked thin!

Whatever your shape and waist measurements, exercise is going to be an insurance and a friend. Exercise is one way that you can manage to deal with Visceral fat in your body. Exercise can have a dramatic effect quickly. Most people have the problem of never really getting started. Don’t let this be you. Start by doing something today. Try a 30 minute walk for starters.

Secondly, improve your diet.

Avoid sugars and reduce the intake of unhealthy carbohydrates such as white breads. Avoid saturated fats found in biscuits, fried foods, processed foods, cakes and take away foods.

To assist you with keeping on track, why not download my ‘evaluate your progress’ form on my blog here at http://jamestansell.com

The link is on the right under the heading of ‘downloads’ or click on this link to start the download.

I have compiled a number of questions for you to fill in on a daily basis to assist you. Your goal is to fill it in and to keep track of your score and to improve on it from week to week. I fill my form in every day and use it to gauge my progress to better health. Join me and do the same. You will be amazed by the results if you endeavour to improve on your performance score.

Get started today and avoid the ‘pot belly’ effect!

Catch you later.

James
http://jamestansell.com

Merry Christmas everybody!

Whatever your situation might be, I want to take this opportunity to wish you a very merry and enriching Christmas.

The lead up to Christmas is always one of those hectic occasions for many of us. Mine was no different. Nevertheless, Christmas is here, and now is a good time to relax, spend some time with family and friends, and to think about the approaching year ahead.

I look forward to sharing some of my insights over the coming year and to assist anybody who wants to manage their weight and improve their health.

So have a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.

Regards

James
http://jamestansell.com

Hi everybody,

Day 74

I want to share with you a concept that I have been using to assist others with their weight loss. Over the past 5 weeks I have been using a system of evaluating my weight management progress, and it has been very successful.

From the way I view it, the more you develop a healthier lifestyle, the more likely you are to manage your weight.
This is where my ‘evaluate your progress’ form comes in handy. All you need do is to download my form from my blog, print it out and start ticking off your achievements on a daily basis. Your goal is to better your results from week to week. Simple as that!

For a more detailed understanding of my ‘evaluate your progress’ form, why not join my 12 week Weight loss Challenge by subscribing to my emails at

http:// jamestansell.com

Once you start monitoring your lifestyle habits on a daily basis, and by challenging yourself to do better, you will find it much easier to make the adjustments towards a healthier you. Weight loss and health results follow.

Don’t delay. Subscribe to my emails and lets all work towards a healthier ‘you’.

Regards

James

Day 33 of my Weight Loss Challenge is already here.

This means that the challenge is 1/3 over.

My purpose in starting my own challenge has had a number of benefits.

Firstly, I have wanted to draw awareness to the concept of my readers starting their own weight loss challenge. And secondly, I have wanted to draw awareness to the fact that any weight loss challenge is likely to have its own unexpected setbacks.

One thing that I continue to realise is that the concept of starting your own 12 week challenge is really beneficial because there is a starting point and an ending point. Regardless of what happens throughout the challenge, you will benefit if you stick with the committment.

Throughout my challenge, my weeks have been shadowed by both work committments, holidays, visitors and even some health issues such as a middle ear infection. The unexpected is likely to happen so the best laid plans can be quickly erased.

With this in mind, I have created a new form to assist with keeping participants and myself on track.

Just go to my link on my blog at ‘evaluate my progress’ and fill in the form on a weekly basis. The purpose of this form is to draw you towards habits that assist with weight loss rather than deter.

I find that when I focus on the positives and draw more of them into my daily life, the likelihood of succeeding is more apparent.

Have a look at my form, download the daily worksheet to keep you on track and fill in the form on a weekly basis and submit it to me. I will report back to you with your weekly score and after every 30 days I will give you a summary of your results over the past 4 weeks.

Your goal is to simply better your score each week. Do this week in and week out, and you will be on your way to better health and weight control.

Eventhough my past thirty days have been a combination of work routines, holidays and visitors, surprisingly my weight and waist measurements have been on target.

Part of my secret to weight management has always been connected to the approach I take.

I always have a high protein shake to start the day regardless of what is happening around me. I always have extra supplements with my meals to assist with any deficiencies, and most of the time I add an additional shake at lunch. I always ensure that I drink lots of water and I walk regularly for exercise.

Keep it simple. Get some regular healthy routines in your daily life and weight management is so much easier to achieve.

Whilst I recognise that some people do have very sluggish metabolisms, but with programmes that cleanse the digestive tract and stimulate change, it is more likely that any new dietary habits will have the desired affect.

If you are interested in some of the products that I use to assist with weight management, check out my site at

http://JamesTansell.herbalcoach.com

Weight management incorporates a number of factors. Everybody may have their own particular circumstances but the fundamentals are common to everybody.

Look forward to writing again soon.

James
http://jamestansell.com

Day 6 of my personal 12 week challenge to better health and fitness.

Hi everybody,

Creating my own 12 week challenge for myself brings about its own insights.

We probably all know this point but it is worth repeating. If we fail to plan, we could be planning to fail. This is where using something like the 12 week challenge worksheets can assist, otherwise we are leaving our planning up to chance.

I know that I like to be spontaneous at times but the concept of having a weekly plan tends to keep me on track. From my experiences, it is too easy to deceive myself into thinking that I am on track but in actual fact not!

The advantage of the worksheets is that you can record what activity you have done and look back over the week and see in black and white what you have actually done. You are not relying on your memory.

I am far from perfect with this, but I do realise the importance of gauging my performance.

As an example of this, I work in a very busy inbound government medical call centre. Every call that we receive is recorded on a productivity spreadsheet. The type of call is recorded as well. As a call centre operator, I can tell how I am progressing throughout the day. Any processing work I do between calls is also recorded. The end result of all this is knowing at the end of the day my productivity. I aim for 100% productivity. Sometimes the result is more; sometimes it is less but I know after a 4 week period just how well I am going.

Use this as an example to encourage yourself to map your weight loss progress. Don’t leave it to chance. From my experiences, if I leave it to chance, then September rolls into October and then before you know it Xmas is here.

If you haven’t already done so, download the worksheets from my blog at
http://jamestansell.com and join me in challenging yourself to better health and fitness.

Catch ya soon.

By the way, we celebrated International Pirate Day at work yesterday, so the extra temptations were on show. The treasures I am referring to were cakes and sweets, not gold!

So remember to get into the habit of planning your week as this will generally keep you on track.

Have a great weekend!

bye for now.

James