This week Vicky was upset with Amy for voting to send her husband home.  She bad mouthed her the entire episode and referred to her as “bitch” way more than one time.  After their “sit down” requested by Bob you could see that Vicky clearly had an effect on Amy’s vote the next time a blue team member was eligible to go home. 

The really good part of this reality show is that these people stay together for months and learn about the other people as well as get emotionally involved with their lives.  They get so involved with their emotions that they forget that this is a game and the final prize of $250,000.  So the emotions overcome the players and they end up with more of a problem because of it. 

Last night Vicky and Colleen were below the yellow line when all the weigh-in’s were over.  This means that one of them was going to go home.  Now the strategy of this game is to lose more weight than your opponent and keep above the yellow line so that you don’t have the possibility of going home.  The 4 people that remain after they leave the campus are the only ones with the ability to win the ¼ million.  If you go home, you only have a shot of a bonus of $100000 and that includes all the others that were sent home.

It looks like someone made a mistake and might have been bullied into the decision to toss Colleen from the show last night.  Vicky was only eligible for going home this one time.  She is by far the bigger threat and has the ability to lose more weight in larger amounts than Colleen does.  So by keeping her there, she has now made the others bigger targets.  If they sent her packing and stayed with a girl that has less to lose she would most likely be going home the following week. 

What’s your take on last night’s show?

As we grow older and exercise less, the task of staying fit and trim becomes even more difficult. And while a sensible diet combined with exercise is still the best answer, new research suggests that protein can play a major role in helping you achieve your weight loss goals faster.

A significant number of research studies support claims that protein can help you lose weight.

For several million years, humans existed on a diet of animals and vegetation. It was only with the advent of agriculture a mere 10,000 years ago - a fraction of a second in evolutionary time - that humans began ingesting large amounts of sugar and starch in the form of grains (and potatoes) into their diets. Indeed, 99.99% of our genes were formed before the advent of agriculture; in biological terms, our bodies are still those of hunter-gatherers.

Women need, on average, 100 grams of protein daily to build and maintain an optimal amount of lean-body mass. Men need more–averaging 150 grams of protein daily. The Ideal Meal allows you to meet these protein goals at a very low-calorie cost. These protein guidelines are designed to keep you from feeling hungry, and the calorie-controlled shakes allow you to incorporate plenty of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables into a balanced meal plan. Everyone has different protein needs based upon their size, build and age, so personalize your protein intake according to your needs.

Find out more about a protein diet plan

Elliptical machines and treadmills are two types of exercise equipment that are the most popular in the market today, and the manufacturers are eager to tell people about the benefits of each. Many people find themselves faced with a dilemma when trying to decide on a treadmill vs elliptical machine. Both machines can be found in health clubs and they are also available in models for home use.

When comparing treadmills to ellipticals, you will find that treadmill equipment has been on the market for decades and is therefore more widely known, is more commonplace, and also currently has a larger following of users. But, this could change soon because elliptical equipment exercise is quickly becoming the favorite of many people and many are either adding a elliptical trainer to their selection of exercise equipment, or they are replacing their treadmill in favor of an elliptical.

treadmill vs elliptical
Because of this recent trend, it is a good idea to take some time to gather the information you need to make a full evaluation of treadmill equipment. Everyone has different goals for their fitness workouts, so the results of the evaluation will also depend on what you want to accomplish through your fitness machines exercise routine.

One of the first things that people learn when they compare products is that a workout on an elliptical fitness trainer is virtually impact-free. Because of the fact that your feet stay in contact at all times with the large foot pedals of an elliptical machine, there is no jarring impact against a solid surface as there is when your feet strike the deck of a treadmill. This means that all of the joints in your lower body, from ankle to hips, are relieved from the jolts and stresses that come with a workout on treadmill equipment.

home fitness center
Even though the cushioning that is provided through the belt and deck of a treadmill is much easier on your joints than walking on cement or asphalt, there is still a great deal of wear and impact on your knees, hips, ankles and the structure of your foot. The impact is even greater for joggers and runners. Over time, this stressful impact can cause numerous problems and possible injury.

However, when comparing the treadmills and ellipticals, it needs to be pointed out that the treadmill machines exercise does provide for better training for runners and joggers than with an elliptical home fitness center . For people who are training to run a marathon, but cannot train outside during some months of the year, a treadmill is a better choice for obvious reasons.

When it comes to comparing the efficiency of cardiovascular workouts, the elliptical machines exercise delivers a better, more effective overall cardio workout than treadmill equipment does. With a good quality crossover elliptical trainer, you will have dual action handlebars that work your arms at the same time that your legs are working. A treadmill only focuses on working your lower body through the actions of walking, jogging or running with your fitness home gym.

home gym exercise equipment
When it comes to comparing how the treadmill vs elliptical does in regard to burning up those calories, the elliptical takes the prize once again. The reason for this is that both the upper and lower body are moving and working at the same time, burning calories on “all burners,” so to speak. This is surprising to some because the elliptical equipment exercise workout is so low-impact, giving the impression that less calories will be burned, even though the opposite is true.

Last night I was watching a documentary on Discovery Health called the ½ ton man.

This is an amazing story of a man that literally had to be cut out of the side of his bed room and taken to a hospital to lose weight. One of the side stories here is that he ate exclusively McDonald’s burgers for a good part of the last year before he was removed. Someone had to get them for him and here in lies the title of this post. Why would someone continue to bring this to him even though he was over 1000 pounds and couldn’t move?

To do this someone needed to be an enabler in order to (excuse the pun) “feed the addiction”. Someone knowing that this was killing him continued to do more harm by getting the next Big Mac. Could any of you in this same situation do the same? We collectively share our heads at something like this and proclaim that we couldn’t possibly do something like this. Yet are we as free from this type of behavior to feel we can pass judgment?

How may of us buy a bottle of alcohol for a spouse, parent or significant other simply because the drunkenness is better than the fight? How about the woman that takes the next beating and doesn’t turn the abuser in? How about the loved one of a gambler that works 2 jobs so that they can support this habit? Or maybe the person that gives some money to somebody in debt and knows that they have a shopping problem. A mother that buys the candy for the child just so the whining doesn’t continue.

Do you act as an enabler? Do you give in even when you know the consequences may be bad? Do you do it just because you’re tired of the fight? Hey this could be as simple as giving the family dog some scraps from the table or an extra treat since you know taught him to whine for it in the first place. Do you know someone that enables? Drop a comment here if you have an experience from trying to do the right thing or know someone that does this.

Diet hypnosis is gaining momentum as a viable and popular weight loss method. It has recently been hailed as one of the most effective techniques for difficult to break habits such as binge or over eating as well as smoking. It is believed that self hypnosis is an effective way to change feelings and actions that are difficult to alter using ordinary consciousness. This is because hypnosis reaches a different part of the mind, the part that accepts change more readily.

One woman recently lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks and loss her cravings for fast food and diet soda. She had this to say. “I have been listening…for just over 2 weeks now and I have lost 10lbs so far! Right up until my last meal before listening to my first session, I was craving fast food constantly. I have not had a single bite, or even wanted one since. A nice extra, I was also previously addicted to diet soda, I tried to give up several times with no success. I have not had a sip since my first CD I am excited to find out what other cool things I am going to be able to accomplish with your help!” You see hypnotherapists contend that weight gain is a result of behavioral patterns supported by foundation of subconscious attitudes and emotions.

If Hypnotic has proven to be a struggle, hypnosis can provide the extra motivation to keep you moving in the direction of your goals. It may also enable you to escape the difficult food traps that get in the way of weight loss. Hypnosis can be a powerful tool for re-educating your unconscious mind - the part that creates cravings and impulses - to stop eating foods that add unwanted pounds to your waist line. However, in order for weight loss hypnosis to be effective, their must be a desire for change. Change will not occur if the recipient does not want it. However, for those with the desire, hypnosis can be a very powerful method to lose weight.

Interested in weight loss hypnosis? Discover the world’s most popular weight loss hypnotherapist, Tom Nicoli BCH, and his powerful weight loss hypnosis program by clicking here: http://iwillmakeyouthin.net/

Many ladies have wished their arms didn’t hang and flop. They all sincerely want to enjoy all those tanks and dresses without feeling self conscious again, right?  Well glory be, it is completely possible to have a set of toned and tightened arms free from flab and rolls.

The right solution has two parts and most ladies understand one but are completely oblivious to the other. This is a fallacy that will trip you up if you are not careful, so make an effort to pay attention for the whole solution. That is if you really want to abolish the arm flab.

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Step #1

In order to eradicate the under arm fat you will need to replace the flab with sexy, shapely muscle. I am sorry if I come across as disrespectful but you want and need honest solutions, so I am going to give you honest steps.

Now the first essential step involves something most ladies avoid: weight training. This type of exercise has most gals running for the doors. There is a mistaken belief amongst wpmen that resistance training (aka weight training) will make us look like a muscle freak.

A Frank Discussion About Female Hormones

Ladies let me be frank with you… that kind of muscle growth simply cannot happen for females unless you are injecting anabolic steroids on a daily basis.

The fact is that you don’t have enough of the male hormone testosterone inside your bloodstream to ever worry about this issue.

Now leave all those worries behind and lets get you headed in the right direction with some very safe and very efficient resistance machines that you can start using to get tight, sexy arms again.

* The Dips Machine

* Chest Press Machine

* Triceps Extension Machine

* Bicep Curls Machine

* Pull Down Machine

Step #2

The second step, and perhaps the must crucial, is to start using food as a tool, as an ally to start shedding the fat reserve that is hiding out on the underside of your arms.

Now don’t run away screaming just yet.

We’re Just Getting To The Little Known Truth

There is no need for a calorie calculator. All you have to do is to learn how to make food your ally in fighting the fat. Today’s nutritional researchers have realized that combining foods in specific ways - normal “shop at the market” foods - will cause your body to burn fat like crazy.

The Insiders Way To Get Rid of Arm Fat Including Under Arm Rolls To Tighten And Tone Up Without Exercise…

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The diets using this nutritional breakthrough that have shown the most promise are today’s calorie shifting plans.

This subject is a bit larger than we can deal with here. Fortunately there is a great resource available If you would like to dig into some more info about this type of dieting and how to drop the flabby arms forever… Click Here weight loss reviews

To finish this week on diabetes, I’m going to try to show how I can combat this disease by just diet and exercise.  Food is a very important part of life and especially important when dealing with diabetes.   The amount of carbohydrates ingested in the body is in direct correlation to the amount of glucose released into the blood stream.   Elevated levels of glucose without the correct balance of insulin are what cause all the complications of this disease.   Careful planning and preparation is vital to a successful outcome.

Measuring Food

It’s very important to measure all food and this is a major change to what I used to do.  I use an 8oz measuring cup along with a teaspoon and tablespoon for most of the prep.  When measuring, I need to make sure that I’m using level measures and all foods are measured in their cooked state.

Food Preparation

All meats should only be baked, boiled, roasted or broiled.  Fried foods are not allowed, but I can use an oven or grill to cook.  Fat is allowed only to season vegetables with margarine or butter.  

Food Selection

I’m trying to select my diet from the foods that are purchased with the rest of the family.  This is much easier since my three kids are in their late teens and twenties now and they’re hardly ever home.  My wife picks certain foods that are free from sugars, syrups and fats.  We are now much more conscious of carbohydrates, fat and calories that we were before.   Shopping trips require extensive reading now.

Exchanges

Meals are made up of vegetables, fruit, bread, meat, fat, and milk.   The types of each are based upon exchanges on a one-to-one basis.  An example of a fruit exchange would be 12 grapes would equal the same as 1 medium peach. 

Here’s an example of a daily menu:

Breakfast

Types                                                                                                    Actual

Lunch

Types                                                                                                    Actual

 Dinner

Types                                                                                                    Actual

This again is just an example of what a typical daily diet is.  Meals are usually eaten at the same times as the balance of blood sugar is very important.  If you want some additional  information on exchanges, just comment and I’ll get back to you.

I do not want to forget that exercise is very important to this process as well.  This can be anything that pushes your body for around an hour each day and is usually aerobic.  Going for a fast paced walk, using a treadmill or strength training are all very good options here. 

You will lose weight if you follow this diet and exercise.  If you are not overweight, this is a good method for maintaining.

One Tuesday I wrote about finding out that I have diabetes. Wednesday was an explanation of what diabetes is and the symptoms to look out for.  To keep the theme of this week going, I’d like to expand and look at the next phase of diabetes, and that’s how to deal with it to live a more fulfilling life.    

If you in fact have diabetes, remember there are 2 types.  Type 1 being childhood (also called insulin dependent) diabetes, where basically you’re born with a defective pancreas that doesn’t produce insulin.  Type 2 is adult-onset diabetes (also called non-insulin dependent) where your pancreas produces insulin, but no longer works efficiently enough to use the glucose in your blood stream. 

Now this glucose is an important factor in everyone’s life.  It is created from complex carbohydrates that are ingested into your body.  Insulin is produced by this little gland, the pancreas, and reacts with the glucose to move it into cells of your body to manufacture energy.  You need this energy to read this post, get out of a chair, move, ect.  

There are basically 3 ways to deal with a poor or non-functioning pancreas.  For those that can’t produce, you’ll need the manufactured type that is injected.  The majority of people in the category are type 1, but some type 2 will need to resort to this as well.  If you have type 2 you can manage this by using some medication usually in the form of pills.  They are taken at different times during to day in order to balance you glucose levels.  The third way is to balance the amount of glucose is by diet and exercise and this is the way that I’ve chosen to deal with it. 

I’m now on a 2000 calorie a day diet that reduces tons of useless calories from things I use to love.  You know, pies, cakes, candy, soft drinks, fried foods, jelly, jam, honey, etc.  I now eat a balanced diet of grains, fruits and vegetables, with small amounts of meats.  The foods are eaten around the same time each day, again to balance the glucose.  Are you seeing a theme here? 

There is one point that I need to make, and that is that you need help to deal with this disease.  You can’t just say OK, I’ve got diabetes and I’ll watch what I eat and run around the block each day.  Your body is always changing and the issues that go on with diabetes needs constant checking.  You’ll need more doctor visits, blood and urine checking for changes to be monitored as well.  One person that you also might want to work with is a registered dietitian.  One I know that has a great blog herself is Diana Young who is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator.  You can find her site at Ask the Dietitian. 

If you just found out that you have diabetes, you can approach things with your doctor to get your life back on track.  Reach out to people and don’t be afraid to ask questions.  November is National Diabetes Month and awareness is the most important process that can help you today.

Yesterday I posted an article that went into the past few weeks and the notification that I have type 2 diabetes.  It covered the symptoms that I felt and what I did about it.  For me it was as simple as setting up an appointment with my doctor and having some test that were mainly some blood work and a urine check. That was 5 days ago and I want to give you some information that will definitely help me by coming to grips with this disease and may help someone else. 

First and most important, this is a disease, which left untreated can lead to some very harsh outcomes.  Now I didn’t catch this like the flu and it’s not a rash that you just put some ointment on and it goes away.  I didn’t get this by doing anything foolish like have unprotected sex nor did I contract this from touching a door knob or sitting on a public toilet seat.  I got this because my pancreas doesn’t work like it should. 

Diabetes comes in 2 types

There is type 1 or as its better known name “juvenile diabetes”.   It’s called that because most individuals that have this type are children.  They were born with a defect in their pancreas that does not allow insulin to be produced.  Because of that they must inject insulin every day.  Type 2 diabetes occurs usually in older individuals, comes on gradual and happens when the pancreas does not use the insulin it creates the right way. 

What’s the big deal about the pancreas? Well your body needs insulin (a hormone that is manufactured in the pancreas) in order to live.  You see insulin is kind of like a traffic cop in your blood stream that directs glucose (made from complex carbohydrates) into body tissue cells.  The energy you get from those cells and need to exist, comes from that glucose.  When type 2 diabetes sets in, the amount of glucose sent to those cells is dramatically decreased from what used to be allotted.  You now have an over abundance of glucose in your blood and that can lead to some very bad complications, like blindness, heart disease and stroke, kidney problems, frequent infections and nerve damage.

Now type 2 diabetes gets some bad press by people thinking that only obese people are the ones that get this, but that’s not entirely true.  Yes, weight control is one of the factors for people most likely to get diabetes, but there are other factors as well.  Mostly type 2 diabetes is caused by heredity, and increases in likelihood in people over 50, or overweight, or those that may not have an any exercise routine.  That means that any one or more of these factors can lead to this disease not necessarily all of them together.  Statements such as eating too much sugar causes diabetes is a myth rather than reality.

Take my situation for instance; I am over 50 and not sure if someone in my family was diagnosed with diabetes or not.  This goes back to parents, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews, etc.   I’ve been active most of my life but about 25 pounds overweight according to the BMI scale.  I exercise by using a treadmill and also walking in the evenings, so you wouldn’t consider me to be obese and live a sedentary life style.  The pancreas in my body is not working the way it should.  Sort of like a part that fails on a car only I can’t just run out to a human body store and get a new pancreas.

Now this is permanent and will be with me for the rest of my life, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a death sentence.   If I get a lot of information and help from professionals I can live a fairly normal life.  What I really need now is for anyone that reads this, is to get a check up for yourself or encourage one for someone you know that has symptoms of:

• Feeling tired
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Slow healing cuts or sores
• Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
• Dry, itchy skin
• Increased urination
• Problems with sexual function
• Increased hunger and thirst

There are over 6 million Americans that have this disease right now and are undiagnosed.  Check out the website of The American Diabetes Association for some additional information or try this book The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed  .

A few weeks ago I starting to feel a little dizzy while at work and my eyes were giving me some trouble, like pressure behind them, some tearing and a little out of focus.   I put this off as a slight change in a blood pressure medicine I just started and figured I would be fine the next day.   The next day came and I felt better, so I must have been right and I don’t think I even gave it a second thought.   My hubris was short lived because the following day, everything came back with the same systems as before and now a headache too.   I felt concerned that something was up, but not scared or worried more a feeling that I needed to check with someone that might know what this was. 

 Right after lunch I called my doctor for an appointment.  The receptionist  asked if this was an emergency and I said no, I was just not feeling so great, so they scheduled an appointment for the following Friday.  When I got in to my doctor, my head was throbbing and I had that unsteady feeling while on my feet.  My doctor asked me what brought me in today and I told him my symptoms.  He asked some additional questions about getting up to urinate in the middle of the night and if I was scratching myself anywhere.  I said that I was getting up more at night and that my scalp was driving me crazy.  My wife and I were raking some leaves over the past weekend and I thought I must have gotten irritated from picking them up.  He also asked me if anyone in my family had diabetes.  I told him that I wasn’t aware of anyone but I have a rather large family. 

He wanted to do some tests first and started with some blood and a urine sample Saturday morning after fasting from midnight.  That Tuesday he called and asked me to stop back because the results were in.  Now I don’t know about you, but when your doctor calls and asks you to “stop in” the wheels start spinning in your head and you start to think of all sorts of problems.  (Doctor’s usually don’t call you back to tell you everything is fine. J ) Rational thinking was gone and now I was going to diagnose myself, by going to different Internet sites.  Don’t tell me that I’m the only one that has ever done this either.  I must have spent the rest of the day searching and checking before I left for my appointment. 

My doctor told me the news as soon as he came into the exam room “Your blood sugar is 145 and I’m pretty certain that you have Type II Diabetes”.  “What do you mean I have diabetes?” I said “I don’t eat too many awful things.”  Of course my mind races back to Saturday night just a mere 72 hours ago as I was stuffing my pie hole with pizza.  He told me that I didn’t do terrible things but that I was in the correct risk group for this disease.   I’m a male over 50 years old, a little overweight and my exercise was OK, but I guess I wasn’t pushing myself like I should.  He also explained that I was lucky since there are over 6 million Americans that have this disease and go undiagnosed and untreated.

He gave me some booklets to read and explained that my pancreas was not making enough insulin so that excess sugar was being released into my blood cells.  When abnormal levels are high they can be related to heart disease, obesity, blindness, and kidney failure and also nerve disease.   There is no real cure for this and it is a very serious disease, but it can be controlled and the first step is to do it with diet and exercise.

  So today I’m on a 2000 calorie diet with daily exercise in order to lose 20 pounds.   The information I got from I know diabetes was a great place to start to find out about diabetes and how to cope with this problem.  Within the next few weeks I’ll be devoting some of my blog for the issue that go along with problem and I hope you’ll check back to offer some of your thoughts as well.