Water Pills to Lose Weight

What are Water pills ?

Water pills also known as Diuretics, are herbs or drugs that increase urination and amplify the excretion of body water. Medically, they often are used in the treatment of conditions like heart failure, high blood pressure, liver cyrrohsis, and some kidney diseases, but more and more often, diuretics are being marketed to the average consumer as a weight loss aid.

Taking Water Pills to Lose Weight is pretty controversial mainly because when it comes down to using pills for weight reduction, it is very taboo amongst fellow dieters. The reason I bring up this topic up is because about a month ago I went to a dietician to help me further my weight loss to reach my goal. After checking my blood pressure, heart and weight, he created a diet plan for me and also to my surprise prescribed me Water Pills and an Appetite suppressant.

I figured ... this is different I'll give it a shot and see how things go. Well the appetite suppressant went horrible for me. I work 8 hours a day doing customer service at a computer desk. About 30min after taking the pill, I would feel dizzy and zombified (lifeless and disoriented) . But the scariest thing of all was the feeling I felt in my chest. Just to give you a little medical history about myself, I have an Irregular heart beat or a heart murmur depending on who you ask. And for any pill that causes side effects in my chest, just isn't good for me. So I stopped taking them immediately. 

The water pills however, I did have a very good experience with. The only side effect I felt was of course increased urination and sometime dry mouth. Im sure the dry mouth comes because your losing more fluid than your putting in. Other than that, I did lose excess water weight that I frankly did not need. Think of it like this when your working out  in the Summer time your body is  heated up and your sweating. In the Winter time you can work out just as hard and just as long, but you may not get as much from the work out. This is because you sweat more in the summer time than you do in the winter time. Your still retaining water and that extra water is preventing you from seeing the scale go down. As a result some people do tend to use the aid of a water pill to help get rid of that extra water weight. 


How to Use It ?

Use the pills as directed, if your doctor tells you to use them once a day ... then use them once a day. Don't double your dosage because you feel you ate too much salt or because you feel "Fat". You will severely dehydrate yourself and may cause serious harm. If you feel you don't need to take them everyday, and only want to use as needed. Then I think that's perfectly fine if your using the pill only for Weight Loss. If you need water pills because you have a medical condition... then please use as directed by your doctor. Stay hydrated and stay away from too much high sodium foods because that will defeat the purpose of taking water pills to begin with. High Sodium per-packaged foods and overly salted foods will make you retain the fluids you drink, causing you to gain weight. 


Making a Decision

If you decide to use water pills or simply having a low sodium diet, do your research and figure out whats best for you. And remember you didn't gain the weight over night ... so don't exspect to lose it over night. Take your time and eventually we will all meet our goals.

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PCOS - Keeping Track of Weight Loss

What Can Keep You on track when Losing weight ?

1. Constant weigh ins
   Many people feel that weighing yourself too much is not good for your progress. I believe becoming obsessed with the numbers on the scale is the thing that is not healthy in your weight loss. I weight myself a couple of times a week just to keep an eye on things. and for the other days I'm feeling good,  I may weight myself only once that week which is the average most experts would say to do.
   
   
2. Keep Track of the Weight you lost
   In the previous post I created a little chart to track my weight from week to week. As Im sure you can see I did not I did not continue that tracking on that chart. But hey that's just me, someone else might think this is a great Idea.
   • Writing my weight in a notebook I bring everyday to work with me. 
   • Use your Cell to help you track, There are so many application these days that are great at tracking your weight loss and help you lose weight too if you follow their diet plan.  
     
   
3. When you Gain Weight don't Binge eat
   Ok so you feel off the wagon and ate some ice cream, cake , cookies, a hamburger, large milkshake with some chips on the side, this type of thing happens to the best of us. But what you should never do is give up. Don't just throw your hangs because you saw the number on the scale. The next day is a new day to continue where you left off. And every time you want to give up and pig out .... Don't . You'll see next time you get on the scale the numbers will be a little bit lower than before. 

As for me I'm still hanging in there, I just moved in to the 230's so im going to start working my way down from there. if im not mistaken my heaviest weight might have been around 270's maybe 280's at one point I stopped getting on the scale. So I'm pretty happy with my progress so far. My goal is to continue with my weight loss so i can be in better shape for the future. And as always, I'll let you know every step of the way . 

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All Natural Raisin Bran Cereal

The New All Natural Raisin Bran

Has anyone tried the new version of Raisin Bran ? I have and it's not too bad. However I must say I think I like the original brand a little bit better. Maybe because I'm  use to the taste of High Fructose corn syrup.

This cereal is more natural than the original Raisin Bran. As a result the taste might have suffered some. , however its sill a good cereal to eat. 

I picked up this cereal at the local 99cent store ... LOL that's right 99 cent store. Although the cereal cost me about $2.50 and not 99 cents, I wanted to try it anyway because it's more natural than the original version. You should be able to find the Natural Advantage Raisin Bran cereal at local grocery. Test it out and let me know what you think. Is this a nice alternative to the original ?

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5 Tips to Lose Weight 2 Get Pregnant

This guest post is written by Lauren Dzuris. Lauren runs FindMyCarSeat, a car seat website that also offers a Baby Blog so that parents can learn what to expect with pregnancy and learn advice for after pregnancy.

We all dream of having a baby and getting pregnant at some point in our lives. Whether we’re in our 20’s or late 30’s it’s important that we’re healthy enough to get pregnant. A great way to figure that out is through a simple physical at a doctor’s appointment.

Having a healthy weight before you get pregnant is important for a number of reasons. First, you don’t want to increase your risk of getting gestational diabetes, and more importantly because of our PCOS, many of us here need to get pregnant in order to have a child. So, if you know that you’d like to have a baby somewhere in the future but know you have a couple pounds to lose, no problem! Consider a few of these ideas to get your process going!


5 Easy Ways to Lose Weight


Create a plan: It is so important that you come up with some type of plan to lose the weight. Whether your goal is to lose 20 pounds by this fall, or you’d like to work on shrinking your mid-section, work on having a goal. Being organized and having a plan is the first thing that needs to be done in order to lose weight. If you don’t have rules or restrictions, you won’t know what’s good enough and what’s not.

Eliminate sugary drinks: It’s so easy to consumer hundreds of calories by the beverages we’re drinking. Consider replacing those with water, or by doing half juice and half water. Getting rid of pops, and other surgery drinks all together isn’t necessary, but simply replacing at least one of those drinks a day with water is essential.

Eat colors: Make sure you eat a great variety of foods. Since some foods only have certain vitamins and minerals, it’s important to eat a variety to increase your chances of getting all those important nutrients.
Eat lots of colors. If it’s produce and it’s colorful eat as many as you can to cure the cravings or hunger.

Move around: We all need to move around more often. Whether you park your car farther away in a parking lot, or you take the stairs instead of the elevator, move around. The more movement, the more calories burned.

Get your sleep: Make sure you’re getting your rest. In order for your body to repair itself from a long day, it needs to rest. Try to aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night. The closer you get to 7-9 hours a night, the healthier you’ll be, the stronger your immune system will become, and the less time you have to eat those snacks!

As you can see, there are many ways to lose the weight you need to in order to get pregnant. It is so very important that you realize how crucial it is to be a healthy woman before you become a healthy mother.

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Yoga Techniques to Burn the Extra Calories to Remain in Shape

Yoga is the key to remain healthy and in perfect shape in life. It is very useful as it gives you total control over body and mind. Regular practice of yoga can result in numerous health benefits, it helps to prevent and cure various health issues. Similarly, yoga practices also help to lose the extra calories in the body to remain in perfect shape. We know that, weight loss can be achieved by various methods such as aerobics, heavy exercises and dieting.

Yoga exercises to lose weight do not provide instant result. It has to be practiced regularly for better and permanent results. These techniques performed for weight loss are very gentle methods to stretch and tone the body. Nowadays, people across the world follow and focus on the new yoga techniques to achieve toned and slim body especially in the western world where obesity is in the rise. Yoga practices for weight loss involve special yoga techniques that concentrate to improve the metabolism along with burning extra calories in the body. It is more of a relaxing exercise to calm your mind away from stress than performing hard exercises.

Practicing yoga for weight loss, it can be achieved even faster than practicing other sporting activities such as aerobics or cardiovascular exercises. To burn calories faster with yoga, the following yoga techniques must be applied.


Ashtanga Yoga: This is a dynamic style of practicing certain postures providing various advantages for people needing to lose weight. It is a series of complicated postures, which are practiced by dedicated yogis. However, beginners can practice the postures before which they will have to practice a series of other poses to increase the level of motivation. If a person learns the posture well and perfectly, it can be practiced at home regularly, as it is very effective. Regular practice of the Ashtanga yoga will result in a strong and toned body.

Bikram Hatha Yoga: This is highly preferred by celebrities and athletes to burn the extra calories to stay fit with a well-toned body. The Bikram Hatha Yoga is an integration of soother yoga practice and other calorie burning exercises such as cardiovascular exercises or aerobics. It is not easy to practice the Bikram Hatha yoga as it does not let the practitioner to rest or relax between the exercises. However, this is a very effective and highly preferred method to burn calories little faster.


Power Yoga: This type of yoga practice is very popular across the world as it is effective and provides positive results quickly. The power yoga is a series of vigorous and energetic cardiovascular exercises.

Vinyasa Yoga: This type of yoga is practiced in a hot room. It makes the body to sweat a lot and burn calories.

Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutations: This is series of yoga asanas and pranayama. It is well thought-out as the best exercise for the body. Similarly, it is considered as the best exercise for burning calories and is often recommended for the treatment of obesity.

While practicing these yoga techniques, it is vital to prepare your mind to focus towards losing weight. Changing the mentality towards a better feeling will help to achieve the focused aim. All the types of yoga mentioned above have additional advantages for the improved mental and physical health.

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How to Count Calories to Lose Weight ?

Do you know how many calories you need to consume everyday in order to reach your weight loss goal ? Neither do I, so it's good to know that I'm not alone on this. Counting calories can be really confusing depending on who your talking to. There are however two very important rules to Counting Calories.


Rule 1 - Calories "In" How much you eat 


Rule 2 -  Calories "Out" How many calories you burn through out the day


So what that means is this ... In order to 'Lose Weight" you need to burn more calories than you take in. Now of course realistically we cant work out long enough to burn off 1200 calories worth of foods and liquids. The good thing is, you don't have to. A person burn calories every minute of the day.


We Burn Calories By

• Sleeping
• Sex
• Sitting on the toilet
• Watching TV
• Breathing ... anything

What this means is, you can do an extra physical activity such as working out at a gym or at home in order to burn the calories needed to lose weight. Because the calories you burned during your workout plus the calories you burn on a regular basis will be combined. As a result this should create a deficient for you.


What does deficient mean ? In short it means for example you eat ...

 1500 calories eaten

-1800 calories burned 

= 300 calories deficient 

(which means you should lose weight)

So if you continue to have a deficient of 300 calories then within a certain about of time you should reach your target weight goal. To help you out with what your deficient number should be, you can visit a Calorie Counting Website  to make things easier for you. These type of websites will be able to tell you how many calories you need to eat daily in order to reach your goal weight by a certain date. Or you can do like I do, which is to read the labels for the foods you want to buy. I normally look for low calories and sodium intake. Which ever way you decide, as long as you keep in mind the foods your eating and try to pull back on fatty and sugary foods, then you should being to lose weight in no time. 

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10 Super Foods to Incorporate Into Your Diet

Food supplies the nutrients our bodies need, but super foods take it one step further. They are known for having health-promoting or disease-preventing properties. Some super foods can also help with weight loss and management. Here are 10 great super foods to incorporate into your regular diet.

Alfalfa Sprouts

The most nutritionally concentrated form of all sprouts, alfalfa sprouts provide more antioxidants, protein, and vitamin than most other vegetables. They also contain important enzymes that help to assimilate protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Alfalfa sprouts have been used to treat numerous health conditions, including arthritis, digestion issues, menopause symptoms, and high cholesterol.

Apples

The phrase "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is more than just an old proverb, it is a basic fact. New research from Florida State University proves that apples not only lower bad cholesterol and help to prevent heart disease, they also fight inflammation and assist with weight management.

Blueberries

Native Americans used blueberries to treat coughs, and it certainly seems that they were on to something. Blueberries have more antioxidants than any other fruit. These low calorie berries are also high in fiber and contain 25 percent of recommended daily dose of vitamin C. Some of the conditions that blueberries can prevent include urinary tract infections, age-induced ocular problems, constipation and digestive issues, high cholesterol, and colon and liver cancer.

Cabbage

Cabbage is a high-fiber food and a good source of everyday vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene. Red and purple cabbages contain anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Every type of cabbage is thought to boost immune function, energy, and weight loss. 

Cranberries

Like blueberries, cranberries are at the top of the antioxidant heap. They contain a moderate amount of fiber and a range of vitamins and micronutrients. Cranberries also prevent a number of bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections, GI tract infections, and bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Oats

Oats are the fiber king. They help with weight loss, bad cholesterol, and digestion. A daily serving of whole oats can lower blood pressure and control glucose levels. Oats can also help you get required servings of protein, carbohydrates, iron, and vitamins.

Quinoa

This grain-like crop has been valued for its nutritional value for more than 500 years. It is very high in protein and easy to digest. Quinoa is also an excellent source of fiber, iron, magnesium, and essential amino acids. It is the perfect super food for anyone on a plant-based or gluten-free diet.

Spinach

Like many other green, leafy vegetables, spinach is a rich source of vitamins. Just one cup of spinach can satisfy daily vitamin A and vitamin K requirements. Spinach is also thought to contain more than a dozen different flavonoid compounds that function as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents.

Wild Salmon

Wild salmon is an excellent source of protein. It is naturally rich in vitamin D, iron, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Wild salmon can help decrease blood pressure, reduce the risk of strokes, lower blood lipids, and protect against inflammation. Eaten in moderation, omega-3 fatty acids can also slow digestion, make you feel full longer, and reduce belly fat.

Yogurt

Eating yogurt can ensure that you have a healthy amount of good bacteria in your digestive tract. It is high in protein, calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium. A daily serving of yogurt can help prevent osteoporosis, reduce the risk of high blood pressure, discourage vaginal infections, and assist with weight management by making you feel full longer.

Guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey writes for InsuranceQuotes.org.

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How To Maintain Your Weight Loss While Having PCOS

Congratulations ! You successfully lost all the weight you needed and you have reached your goal ! Now What ? Most people find it pretty easy to lose weight on their own. However, after doing so they soon realize that "Keeping the Weight Off" is the toughest thing to do. The reason is because there are so many other aspects in our lives that can easily cause us to go off track.

Reasons We Gain Weight Back

• Holidays 
• Social Events 
• You miss your old foods and the way you use to eat. 
• The reason for your weight has now come and gone so the  importance of weight management no longer exist. 
• Get too comfortable and begin to slide back in to your old ways
• Reward yourself with with snacks too many times
• You surround yourself with people that like to eat, and that has become your way of socializing with them.

Now lets talk about different ways we can maintain our weight loss. As I might have mentioned in the past I have already lose about 30 pounds. And believe me when I tell you, it was not easy, especially if your suffering from PCOS. Some times I felt frustrated when I didn't see the number I felt I should see. I wanted to give up because I felt like losing weight was pointless if I'm going to be "Fat" all over again. There were so many things I thought to my self in my frustration that would have sabotage my goals. So for me to sit here and say that I kept the weight off so far, is a great accomplishment for me. Of course I still have a long way to go in order to reach my goal, but at least I didn't backtrack and gain the 30 pounds back (see I always look on the bright side of things). 


How I maintained my weight loss ?

• I live with a very supportive boyfriend that is doing his own weight loss journey also. Therefore we support each other and make sure we don't fall off track. 
• I am determined not to go back to where I was before. I don't know about you, but I have been doing the "Yo-Yo Diet" for far too long.
• Make sure you keep weighing yourself. The reason for this is so that you can keep aware of the weight you are. Therefore if you see yourself slowly gaining weight again, then you need to make sure that the week coming up you try to stay away from fatty foods. By eating more vegetables, fruits, low sodium foods and staying away from a lot of carbs, you should be back on track in no time.
• Start changing some of your habits. For example, I have a bad habit of watching TV and snack at the same time. In one sitting I can eat an entire 99cent bag of chips with out a second thought. Whereas now, I eat fruit while watching TV.
• Most importantly, even though I still do eat the foods I love from time to time, I now have more control over myself. I am more important and my future children is more important than Ice cream and chips.

The tips above are just a few things I have done in order to keep my self in check. And a lot of those reasons above are also the reasons I want to lose weight. Each person is different and want to lose weight for their own purpose. However I'm sure a lot of us has had the feeling of failure when you gain back every single pound you lost plus more. And the cause of that failure has a lot to do with some of the reasons I mentioned above.

We as women sometime need that extra support from others like ourselves. That support helps us to remember why we are doing this, or what made us start this journey to begin with it. If you can't find that support in your friends or family, then find it online. There are hundreds of online forums and blogs like pcosdiaires  that will give you the support you need. Once we reach out to each other and continue our goals together, then we all can be successful.

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Exercise Video Games, Do They Work?

Advances in interactive gaming and motion sensors are credited for the popularity of a rash of exercise video games known as the exergame phenomenon. No longer is indoor exercise limited to the treadmill, stationary bikes and repetitive videos. There are many exercise video games which track workouts, monitor vitals, and allow you to connect with friends at the online level.

Exercise games were first introduced as a way to get kids off the couch and start exercising. Later generations of exercise games were family orientated using long time favorite sports including tennis, golf and others, hoping to involve the entire family in video workouts . These were followed by the current wide selection of games of all genres for all ages. Exercise video games have also been found useful in rehab. facilities and nursing homes.

There are several video systems which are popular in motion gaming and incorporate the use of exercise games. The Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit first introduced us to the concept of getting a workout while playing a video game. It tracks your movements and range of motion as well as workouts, calories burned and vital stats. The Playstation Move system uses a camera based motion control system, whereas, the Wii uses the controller.

The Move has been reviewed to be more accurate than the Wii but also requires more game calibration. In the Wii you actually create an avatar called a Mii which represents an individual in all games, there's nothing like this in the Move system. All in all most agree the two gaming systems are pretty equal in terms of motion gaming, both having a few differences but not alot.

The Xbox 360 Kinect is controller free motion gaming in which there is a full body motion sensor. The Kinect is different than other motion gaming systems. It doesn't require the use of a controller and there's a fairly big game library. The down side to the Move is you have to stand while playing, the other systems can be played while sitting. The Kinect also requires more room to play the game fully, so for those on limited space this could be a disadvantage. The Kinect doesn't list specs. for tv size but the general consensus is the bigger tv it's played on the better.

Exercise video games do get results and work, but like anything, all in all, it's still exercise and must be routinely done to get long-term results. Exercise video games do provide some relief to the boredom of working out at home. The wide variety of games also make it an easier way to workout without having the feeling of doing the same routine each day.

Exercise video games provide an outlet for the entire family to workout together, no matter age or skill level. Used in rehab. and nursing facilities exercise video games enable stroke victims and older patients to increase their range of motion giving them a more fulfilling lifestyle. Exercise video games leveled the playing field of exercise between ages and skill levels and appealed to the mass market. The wide variety of games available also helped increase the popularity of exercise video games.

With advances in home gaming systems exercise video games have become very popular in the last few years, provided a fun, challenging workout at home. Exercise video games are used by people of all ages and skill levels. Home exercise equipment now includes gaming systems, video exercise games and accessories. The most popular gaming systems are the Nintendo Wii, Playstation Move and the Xbox 360 Kinect. Exercise video games do produce results in a fun, challenging format.

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Weight Loss Tip - Sweat While You Work Out

If your lucky enough to live in warm climate area like California or Florida, then you have a great opportunity to burn much more calories then people that live in colder climates. The reason for this is because living in a warmer climate your able to sweat more and  in return burn more calories.

I live in the New York area, and I make sure to take advantage of the nice weather that has come upon us. Today for example I took a nice walk outside in 70 degree weather.

While walking outside I wore: 

1. Sauna Suit - Top and Bottoms
2. Sweat Pants - Is worn on top of the bottom half of the sauna suit
3. Sweat Shirt - Worn on the top part of the sauna suit.
4. Coat or Jacket - Is worn on top of sweat shirt. As a result I am now wearing 3 layers on top and 2 layers on the bottom.

Wearing these items while doing a nice long walk, will cause your body to be covered in sweat. I was outside and actively walking for about an hour. By the time I got back home, sweat was dripping down my hands.

Suana Suits are very inexpensive (but can rip very easily depending on which one you buy). My only warning is when your doing your phsyical activity while wearing your Sauna Suit, make sure you do not get too dehydrated. Having a small bottle of water with you on your walk will be great. Two different Examples of a Sauna Suit is shown below. Have a good and safe work out ... I know I will. 

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