Monday, February 27, 2012

10 Weight Loss Tips and Tricks

Want to lose weight fast? Tired of getting all the wrong information from all the wrong sources? Well, if you are keep reading because we’re going to be going over the top 10 insane weight loss tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your efforts.

Most people gradually despair and start to feel that they’ll never lose weight simply because they’ve been given the wrong kind of facts, or are simply on an approach that is never going to work. These tips will help solve problems like that, and provide you with an invaluable base from which to work from, so let’s get started:
  1. Eating more meals per day is good for you. But each of those meals should be smaller than a ‘regular’ meal. By consuming 5 ‘small’ meals a day as opposed to 3 ‘big’ ones, you’re more likely to feel full and thus not overeat. Also, you’re going to give your body an easier time of absorbing the energy that you gain from the food, and thus not store it as fat!
  2. Try to plan your meals ahead as much as possible. That way you won’t risk being caught out and having no choice but to eat some notoriously bad and unhealthy meals that just pack on the calories.
  3. Drink water as often as possible, as it will help you to stay hydrated and will also help ensure that you don’t feel ravenously hungry and end up overeating. This is the key factor in weight loss.
  4. Exercise as much and as often as you can. Even something as simple as climbing the stairs to work instead of taking the lift is better than nothing, but if you can, set aside 40 minutes a day for a quick workout.
  5. Set your goals and stick to them. Make sure they’re realistic goals, but challenging enough that they keep you motivated.
  6. Try different types of ‘healthy’ food so that you don’t get bored of eating the same types of greens constantly. Nowadays there are a lot of options out there, so be sure to take advantage of them.
  7. Combine cardiovascular exercise with weight training so that you’re better able to start toning up your body muscles, look great, and have a faster metabolism.
  8. Don’t ever, ever, go on crash diets that will just probably end up backfiring on you.
  9. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want, but try to cut down on consuming too much fat. When eating meat, be sure to remove the skin if possible.
  10. Avoid late night snacks or having ‘supper’. If you eat before you sleep, your body won’t get the chance to work off all the energy it gets and is more likely to end up storing it.
All that sounds easy enough doesn't it? Everything said and done, weight loss really can be as simple as following these 10 tips, and they’re undoubtedly going to serve you well when you decide to put them to use.

Nothing could be easier!

Things to Consider Before Taking Online Guitar Lessons

Now that you have decided to take online guitar lessons, you need to consider a few other things. It is important to understand some of the most crucial aspects of this. First of all, know that practicing is one of the most important things when it comes to your guitar playing. It is not enough to just play all the time; you need to be consistently and actively improving your skills.

You also need to make sure that you do not get frustrated with yourself. When you see more advanced players, you might feel like you should be able to do the same things. Realize that everyone has to start somewhere, and there is no shame in being a beginner right now. If you have the right instruction, you will quickly move up in the ranks of guitar players. For now, pay close attention to your technique and do everything you can do the right way so you can become an expert player in no time.

Please remember that becoming a good player takes commitment. If you have motivating instruction, this will likely not be an issue. The problems start when you’re trying to attend a course somewhere, and you simply can’t make it, so you get frustrated because you fall behind in your lessons. Or, you just do not understand what is being taught. That’s why online guitar lessons are so effective — they hit on all of the learning modalities, and you are a lot less likely to become frustrated.

Since you have made this commitment, you are probably very interested in all the different guitar types out there. There are some really fabulous guitars! Many of these are quite expensive, so consider what kind of budget you have right now. You may want to start out with something simple and work your way up later as you become a better player. It can be quite fun to grow your guitar collection, but that is also something that can happen over time rather than right away.

This takes some dedication and commitment. Motivate yourself to learn how to play the guitar, and the chances are good that you will pick up your online guitar lessons quickly and easily. Your friends and family members won’t believe how quickly you are able to learn to play the guitar! Imagine being able to impress everyone at parties, and being able to enjoy yourself by picking up the guitar and playing whenever you want to. 

Make it happen!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Private or Online Guitar Lessons?

Now that you have your guitar, and you’ve decided that you want to become a guitarist, it’s time to choose how you will learn to play the guitar. Previously in this series, we touched on some of the available options. These are learning in person with a professional teacher, learning on your own with a book or video, or learning with online guitar lessons.

Traditionally, many people hire a personal guitar teacher in order to learn. This is still a very viable option, and there are many people offering their services as guitar teachers. This is a great way to learn since you will receive personalized attention. Unfortunately, it can be very expensive. It can also be very difficult to find time to fit in these private lessons if you have a hectic and busy schedule.

For that reason, many people decide to teach themselves the guitar — at least at first. Many people’s first thought is to run out and get a book on learning the guitar. While this can help to a certain extent, they are definitely not comprehensive enough to turn you into a true guitar player. At best, you’ll likely easily become frustrated learning in this manner.

There are also videos you can learn from. This is good because you can visually see what an instructor is doing, and you can also watch the video on your own time. However, they also leave a lot to be desired because you cannot go in depth, ask questions, or read written material. There are different learning modalities, and using one method simply doesn’t fulfill all of them.

Thankfully, the Internet makes it easier than ever to learn to play the guitar. There are some great online guitar teaching courses for you to choose from. These courses work because they have a handle on all of the different learning techniques. You’ll be able to read information, watch videos to see instructors playing, listen to audio, play along with audio, and even use interactive games and software.

This works well because you will be motivated to practice. It’s not just one method of learning, so you will never get bored since there are so many different opportunities to learn. The information will also stand out more in your mind since it has come from a variety of different sources.

Think about your current lifestyle and what will fit in best with your needs. Also, examine what you’re able to afford financially, as well as what kind of time commitment you are able to make. Many people will decide that online guitar lessons. are simply the best method for them!

Supplements or No Supplements?

In today’s high-tech day and age where medical science has been able to accomplish so much, there are numerous drugs surfacing here and there that claim to be the ‘answer’ to the problem of weight loss.
Most of these term themselves as ‘supplements’ and each claim to hold the secret to helping people lose weight quickly and in the easiest way possible.

But do they work?


Truth be told, many people have had numerous bad experiences with supplements and that has led to a number of widely circulated horror stories regarding them. As such, supplements are nowadays widely regarded as being nothing more than scams and are treated with a great deal of skepticism.

Still, for every horror story there is an equal number of astounding success stories. Some people have reported to have experienced compelling weight loss when they take certain supplements, and this makes people wonder as to whether or not there is more to these supplements than the skeptics think.

To understand what supplements do, it is important that you understand how they work. In general, most supplements end up doing one or more of the following:
  • Aid in appetite control
  • Help boost metabolism rates
  • Assist the digestive system
As you can see, each of these three has the potential to aid weight loss.

For starters, appetite control is an important aspect of avoiding overeating or binge eating, as it is otherwise known. Many people who are overweight generally have problems controlling the amount that they eat, and so this is something that is truly valuable and can cut out that factor entirely.

Similarly, people with low metabolism rates are constantly at risk of gaining weight, and by giving them a quick boost to their metabolism rate, they are going to be better able to work through any excess energy that their body has and thus not store it as fat.

Lastly, assisting the digestive system has been known to really streamline its tasks and allow it to metabolize food a lot faster. In turn, this means that you are less likely to be metabolizing food while you sleep, and then just storing all the excess energy too.

In a nutshell, supplements that do any of the three above tasks which we have just discussed definitely have the potential to help you lose weight. However the big question is: Do they work as advertised?

When it comes to that, there is no easy answer. Sure, most supplements can help, but if they make claims that are more outlandish than realistic, then they probably are not going to work as you expect them to.

When used to aid weight loss, supplements can be a valuable tool, but at the end of the day if they are not accompanied by other efforts to lose weight, then you are probably not going to get very far.

Bottom line: Supplements can be of some help, but they are not a ‘miracle cure’.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Play It Like This With Online Guitar Lessons


If you want it then the place to start is with online guitar lessons.



There is nobody stopping you but yourself. Get started NOW

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Guitar Art Through Online Guitar Lessons


Master the twelve string with online guitar lessons



Click on the link below to get started

Emotional Eating and Weight Loss Control


Find out why your emotions play a big part in weight loss control.


Click on link below for the best in weight loss control

Monday, February 20, 2012

Make A Joyous Noise With Online Guitar Lessons


The first step toward mastering the guitar is with online guitar lessons.


Stop putting it off - go for it!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Beginning With Online Guitar Lessons


Posted by: Your Humble Host


Using online guitar lessons to learn to play the guitar or improve an already blossoming talent is a convenient and affordable way to obtain instruction. Video clips and written explanations with diagrams are a couple of the forms of online guitar lessons. When considering a source of lessons, the prospective student should consider the expertise of the teacher, cost, and whether the format of the lesson is a suitable match for the student’s learning style.

An online guitar lesson might be part of a series of video clips or articles that explain how to play the guitar. Some students learn very quickly with detailed explanations and diagrams. These types of learners may want to read several articles and then try what they have learned on their guitars.

Guitar lesson videos help the student by showing the correct positioning. With a video lesson, the student can hear how the practice piece should sound. Many students need that kind of input to be able to judge if they are playing the piece correctly.

Lessons for guitar online are made for various levels of guitar players. A beginner who is completely new to the guitar would benefit from introductory lessons that demonstrate the correct positioning of the fingers and the names of the guitar strings. From the thickest string to the thinnest, the strings are called E,D,G,B, and E. An acronym to help someone remember the names of the guitar strings is: “Elephants and Donkeys Grow Big Ears.”

If the person has never read music before and would like to learn, the student may want to research basic lessons about reading sheet music. A foundation of learning how to read sheet music can help the student to more easily follow the guitar lessons. If the student does not know anything about sheet music, this lack of knowledge should not deter them from learning the basics and beginning to practice playing the guitar.

Some lesson series do not focus on reading music. A way to teach guitar without learning to read music first is by practicing the chords. Lessons for guitar online that use this method often teach the beginner some simple songs that only use a small number of chords. No matter what type of online guitar lesson the student uses, learning to play an instrument requires practice and patience.

Practicing several times a week is very important. If too much time lapses between lessons, the student forgets part of what was learned in the previous lesson. This inhibits progress during the next lesson since improvement in playing an instrument builds on what was learned previously. As the student learns, more advanced lessons can be used to continue to build on the new skill. The student can continue to use online guitar lessons of increasing difficulty to learn to play guitar proficiently.

Article Source: http://killerguitarcourses.com/online-guitar-lessons/

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Simple Tips For Weight Loss Control


apples photo
With a heavy dose of knowledge and some willpower, anybody has the power to lose weight. Here you’ll find the necessary tips to help you begin your weight loss journey. Losing weight can be frustrating and hard at times, but be sure that you do it the right way.

One task that will help keep extra pounds at bay is the daily cleaning of your house. You will lose weight just by burning calories while house cleaning. Listening to music while cleaning is even better, since it encourages you to move around with the beat, which will increase the calories you burn.

Try cardio if you want to lose weight. In order to build and maintain your muscles, you can’t ignore weight training entirely, but cardio is what is going to really melt the fat away. When it comes to weight loss, increasing your heart rate is more beneficial than increasing muscle mass.

To eat less at meals, make sure you don’t eat by yourself. Singular eating tends to make us focused on what we are doing, and we will keep consuming food until our plate is empty.

Green tea can be a great aid to your diet by cleaning out your system and helping you burn more fat. Many experts consider fresh-brewed green tea to be among the healthiest beverages you can drink next to water. This can greatly assist you in your weight loss efforts.

When following a healthy diet plan, think of the meals you want to eat ahead of time. Having recipes for a complete meal at hand may keep you from veering off track and resorting to forbidden foods because you “can’t think what else to eat.” Don’t sway from your planned meals. If you become bored of your diet, you can replace items with other healthy choices. You could always burn calories as you cook.

It may not be easy, but losing weight can be achieved. By using the advice given above correctly, you will be able to reach your goals and look great. You will want to stop trying but stay with it.

Article Source: http://napa-texas.org/control-your-weight-with-these-weight-loss-tips

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Friday, February 17, 2012

YouTube Music Lessons Are Popular


By Derek  Reed
In concert photo
More and more, aspiring musicians are turning to YouTube for free music lessons. But are they effective at moving you from chopsticks to Tchaikovsky?

Last year, all top 10 searches on YouTube with the word “lesson” in them were music related, and searches for guitar tutorials jumped 50% in 2011 from 2010. Besides music, viewers can surf YouTube for yoga classes, salsa dancing tips, and crochet pointers. Other sites, like teachertube.com, offer geography, history, and details on how to make model volcanoes. KhanAcademy.com, of course, has 3.5 million unique visitors each month who tune into Salman Khan's math and science lessons.

The main reasons for video lessons’ popularity are the most obvious ones: They’re convenient and free. You can pause or rewind them at will, and you can take them at 2 a.m. in your pajama pants, if so inclined. And, in these lean economic times, there’s a growing number of people who can’t afford to pay the $20 per half-hour or more that traditional music lessons cost.

Searches for intermediate guitar lessons jumped 70% in 2010, says Annie Baxter, a spokeswoman for YouTube. “We're seeing growing interest in music lessons on YouTube, and we think this is because the nature of the YouTube community lends itself to learning,” Baxter says. “It's naturally very interactive.”

Andrew Furmanczyk is a 24-year-old piano teacher in British Columbia who’s played since he was five. He began producing lessons for YouTube nearly five years ago. “I started with nothing but a half-broken 5-megapixel digital camera placed on an oatmeal box shooting at 320×240 resolution and no video editing knowledge whatsoever,” he says. From the beginning, his idea was simply to spread his musical knowledge to people he couldn’t reach as an in-person teacher. Soon enough, that’s exactly what happened.

After a slow and steady climb, his video lessons are now some of the most popular on YouTube, with more than 22 million views. Viewers from places like Nevada, Vietnam, and Argentina flooded his website with grateful comments and stories of the progress they’ve made with help from his lessons.

This same story is unfolding all across YouTube. Some channels, like Furmanczyk’s, focus on teaching music theory, while others just teach viewers how to play popular songs like Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” Some of the more prolific teachers have embedded their videos into dedicated websites to make them easier to browse. Justin Sandercoe, who runs the most popular guitar lesson channel, has 97 million views across all of his videos.

But though viewers don’t shell out cash for YouTube lessons, some of the more popular teachers have found ways to turn their videos into revenue. YouTube’s partner program lets owners of original content share advertising revenue generated from their videos. Depending on how much advertisers are willing to pay per view, a channel owner with hits in the millions could make thousands of dollars per month.

In most cases, ad revenue is not enough to make YouTube lessons anyone’s main gig--most of the better teachers also hold day jobs as traditional, in-person instructors--but in the online space, teachers have found an extra stream of income and a way to market themselves, both as teachers and musicians in their own rights.

But of course, the most important question is whether online students are actually learning. Though comments on websites like Furmanczyk’s and Sandercoe’s show that plenty of people are satisfied with their results, this method of teaching does come with unique challenges. And, so far, no famous composers or pianists have attributed their skills to YouTube.

Furmanczyk said that, while in-person lessons are tailored to each individual student, he has to make his YouTube lessons accessible to every possible type of viewer who might stumble across his channel. “You can’t be fully understood by a 5-year-old, 70-year-old retired veteran, and a 17-year-old teenager all at the same time,” he says.

Another thing missing from YouTube lessons is the instant feedback that students get from in-person instruction. “I don’t believe you can ever replace the way a teacher can adjust a student’s arm or hand in real time,” Furmanczyk says.

Whitney Gardner, a piano teacher in New York City, founded a consortium of freelance music teachers called InThePocketNYC.com. She compares online music lessons to workout videos versus personal trainers. "Workout videos can be very helpful to those who know what they are doing and who have the drive to keep up with them," she says. But a personal trainer can offer better observation to train a person in rhythm, timing, and physical technique beyond elementary levels. "It's the physical learning that needs guidance."

As with any form of online education, students learning via YouTube have to be independently driven, since there’s no flesh-and-blood teacher to make sure they’re practicing. “I like to think of free lessons as giving people a taste of what music is about without asking them to commit to anything up front,” Furmanczyk says. “It’s a great way to bring more musicians into the music world who, otherwise, wouldn’t have made the initial commitment." This is why Furmanczyk doesn’t think his online lessons cut into their traditional counterpart’s market. “At some point the student will outgrow the YouTube lessons and need a teacher in person,” he says.

Will the free music lesson community move on to more advanced skills? YouTube is rolling out a live-streaming feature for partners, which would let teachers give lessons while students watch and comment in real time. And Google+ allows users to embed YouTube videos in their "hangout" chats.

“The added revenue added by YouTube has enabled me to upgrade my video equipment and has given me the ability to be more picky about which (in-person) students I take on,” says Furmanczyk. “With enough viewers it might generate enough income to replace a full-time teaching job, although it’s not at that point yet.”

"If anything, these videos help keep music alive and that's what all music teachers want," says Gardner, who only offers in-person lessons at present. She said the video lessons by Furmanczyk and others only help increase the pool of prospective serious music students by "whetting the appetite of those who really want to delve in to further private instruction and wedding out the students who really just want to learn how to play their favorite pop song and be done with it."

--Paul Glader contributed to this article.


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Get Motivated For Weight Loss Control

The first step in weight loss control is motivation

Weight Loss Control
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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Advantages of Taking Guitar Lessons Online



Guitar Lessons Online: Good day guitar lovers and to everyone who would love to learn how to play this really one-of-a-kind instrument! I would like to share my thoughts as to why it is more beneficial to take guitar lessons online than hiring a private tutor, or getting guitar lessons in a music school.

Learn Guitar PhotoThough there is a real big difference if you have an instructor who is there in front you physically and correcting you real time of your mistakes, you can still get that same edge even if you are taking guitar lessons online. But, like any other, there are few disadvantages to it as well. Imagine, a typical private guitar instructor would charge more or less $15 to $25 per hour and you can expect it to include more or less the following:
  • Getting ready of the lessons’ materials, modules, etc.
  • Checking and making sure that the guitar is in the correct tuning
  • Getting your fingers ready
  • Reviewing previous lessons
  • Question and answer portion of last week’s lessons and correcting mistakes
  • Learning a new lesson
Now this pattern would repeat every single session that you meet with your guitar instructor. This method has been practiced by most instructors and has been proven to be effective every single time. There’s just one main fault to it: it takes a longer time to learn the guitar to point of it getting such a drag and not to mention, it is really costly too! Now, think of getting online guitar lessons. You’ll probably be able to get rid of the first three points above and focus more time on learning how to play and practice the guitar. Plus these:

You’ll be your own boss. You won’t be forced to wake up early in the morning (if that’s your schedule) and you will be the master of your time. If you want to prolong the session, go ahead! If you are already tired after a few minutes, then stop and rest by all means. There won’t be a pouting guitar instructor who will reprimand you if you don’t get there on time, or if you ask for another break.

You’ll have complete privacy in your home. No more drives, no more cab rides for you. All it takes is just a short walk to your computer and voila! You’re already ready to take lessons. If you are quite the shy type, then no one will be there to watch you struggle as you learn those chords.

You control what you want to learn. With online guitar lessons, there is really no stopping of how far you can go in learning things about how to play the guitar. If you want to skip a few less important guitar theories, you can do so. If you want a more practical approach to learning the guitar and practice a lot, no one’s there to stop you.

It’s totally cheaper. Like what I have pointed out before, guitar instructors are paid by the hour. With guitar lessons online, you can save more than half of what you pay for those expensive guitar tutors and expensive tuition fees on guitar schools.

You learn at your own pace, making learning faster. Since you control what you learn, you are sure to grasp every lesson you are learning. You have the option to skip, review, or even rewind those previous lessons that you had trouble with before. Learning things on your own comfortable pace can definitely speed up the whole guitar learning process.

So, are you still having thoughts of getting online guitar lessons? The decision is really up to you. One tip though, make sure you like your choice and you are comfortable with it.

By the way, I don’t have any intention of assaulting those private tutors and music schools because I was actually a product of these. I just would like to point out how great guitar lessons online can be as an alternative to those. Everyone has the right to know of the advantages of each choice so that they can choose what they really want.

So, what’s it going  to be? Better make that choice now! Good luck and happy learning!



Can water or diet drinks aid weight loss?

It's common sense: water is a better diet aid than fizzy drinks


Drink Water Photo“Drinking water can help dieters lose at least five per cent of their bodyweight,” the Metro has reported.

The story is based on research that hoped to find evidence to support the common sense theory that replacing high calorie drinks with water or diet drinks helps weight loss. While patients in all groups lost weight on average, the study failed to prove this intuitive method of weight loss was better than simply advising overweight people on how to lose weight.

The news was based on a small study of overweight or obese adults, which looked at whether encouraging them to drink water or diet drinks rather than sugar-sweetened drinks could help with weight loss, without other dietary changes. It found that those who were encouraged to drink water lost on average 2.0% of their body weight, those on diet drinks lost 2.5% of their body weight and those in the control group lost 1.8%. The difference in weight loss between the groups was not statistically significant.

A separate analysis did find that people switching to water or diet drinks were more likely to lose 5% of their body weight, but the overall, more important findings suggest that, on average, the groups did not differ in weight loss.

It’s worth pointing out that the study was funded by a leading bottled water company in the US. It’s also noteworthy that people in the water/diet drinks groups were given the bottled water or dietary beverages. In real life, people who had to buy their own drinks might not be as good at sticking to drinking low calorie alternatives.

Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of North Carolina and was funded by NestlĂ© Waters USA. It was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
It was reported uncritically in the Metro, the Daily Express and the Daily Mail. The claim that people who switch to water or diet drinks are twice as likely to lose 5% of their body weight sounds dramatic, but overall there was no significant difference in average weight loss between the groups.

What kind of research was this?
This was a randomised controlled trial, which is the best way to find out about the effectiveness of an intervention.

The researchers investigated whether encouraging people to switch from sugar-sweetened beverages to water or diet drinks, without any other changes to diet or lifestyle, was an effective weight loss method. They did this by comparing drink replacement to just giving people information about a healthy diet.

The researchers point out that increased consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks is linked to several health problems including obesity. They argue that replacing high calorie drinks with water or low calorie drinks could be a simple strategy for promoting modest weight loss.

What did the research involve?
Between 2008 and 2010, the researchers recruited 318 overweight and obese people. The average age of the study’s participants was 42, most (84%) were women and a significant proportion were black (54%). To be eligible for the study people had to report consuming 280 calories or more of calorific drinks (including juice and juice drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, sports drinks and alcohol) daily.

Participants were allocated at random to one of three groups: the water group, the diet beverage group and the control (advice only) group. All three groups had the same contact time with researchers, monthly weigh-ins, group sessions and weekly monitoring.

Two of the groups were encouraged to replace two or more servings a day of drinks containing calories with either water or diet beverages. Four single servings of these drinks were provided daily, with two additional servings given in case family members drank them. Participants in both of these groups were given a choice of different beverages at their monthly treatment meetings.
They were also given monthly group behavioural counselling to encourage them to adhere to their substituted beverages.

Members of the control group were given general weight loss information – for example, they were told to increase their physical activity and vegetable consumption, and to read product labels. They were not given specific weight loss plans, nor goals for physical activity. They were not encouraged to change beverage intake, nor were they provided with beverages.

All groups had access to a study website where they could report their weekly weight, receive feedback and view advice. The water group and the diet beverage group could also use the website to record how much of which drinks they consumed.

Participants’ body weight and height were measured at the start of the study, and at three and six months. Waist circumference and blood pressure were also measured. Researchers also collected information on dietary and calorie intake.

At six months, the researchers compared the weight of participants in all three groups, using standard statistical methods. In a further analysis, they examined whether more people in either the water or diet beverage groups had achieved a 5% weight loss target than in the control group.

What were the basic results?
At six months, all three groups had achieved small amounts of weight loss, but the difference between the groups was not statistically significant.
The average percentage weight loss in each group at six months was:
  • 2.03% (about 1.9kg) in the water group
  • 2.45% (about 2.6kg) in the diet beverage group
  • 1.76% (about 1.9kg) in the control group
In a separate analysis, researchers found that the chance of achieving 5% weight loss at six months was greater in the diet beverage group than in the control group (odds ratio 2.29, 95%confidence interval 1.05 to 5.01; p=0.04). In a combined analysis putting together both drink replacement groups, people in both the water and diet beverage groups were twice as likely to have achieved a 5% weight loss as those in the control group (odds ratio 2.07, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 4.22). However, the study did not report exactly how many people in each group achieved this degree of weight loss.

How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers conclude that replacing high calorie drinks with water or diet drinks resulted in average weight loss of 2-2.5% of body weight. They say that replacing high calorie drinks with low calorie ones could be a simple strategy to reduce obesity and an important public health message.

Conclusion
This was an appropriately designed study for looking at the effect on weight of switching to non-calorific drinks. However, it does have some limitations, including that:
  • The study included only people who consumed more than 280 calories in beverages each day. Almost 40% of the people assessed did not consume this many calories in beverages, and could not be included in the study. The results of this study may not apply to those who consume fewer calories as beverages.
  • The researchers had calculated that their study should be large enough to detect a difference of 1.8kg in weight loss between the groups, but that it might not be statistically able to detect smaller differences in weight between groups.
  • The study was relatively short and may not represent what would happen over a longer period of follow-up.
  • The people in the drink replacement groups received behavioural counselling to help them stick to the drink replacement programme – and they were more likely than the control group to attend group sessions.
  • Participants were provided with water or diet beverages as part of this study. People who had to buy their own drinks might not be as good at sticking to drinking low calorie alternatives.
  • The people taking part in the study were typically black, middle-aged women in the US. Its findings may not directly translate to all people in the UK.
Most importantly, the results did not show any significant difference in average weight loss between those who were encouraged to switch to water or diet drinks and the control group. A secondary analysis found that those in the water and diet beverage groups were about twice as likely to achieve a 5% weight loss as those in the control group. However, the proportion achieving this level of weight loss was not reported.

Sugar-sweetened drinks, juices, alcohol and similar beverages are a hidden source of calories and most dietitians would advise limiting intake of these in order to maintain a healthy weight. However, it is also important to maintain a healthy diet overall and to do regular exercise. There is no short cut to sustainable weight loss.

Analysis by Bazian

Article Source: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/02February/Pages/water-helps-lose-weight.aspx

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Jimi Is Smiling

This little gal is bound to have Jimi smiling!

Malina had to start somewhere and you can too!

What’s the Best Way to Help Teen Girls Control Their Weight?

By Katherine Hobson


Remember being a teenager? You probably wanted to spend as little time with your parents as possible. So it’s not surprising that the usual weight-control strategy used for younger kids — counseling and advice delivered to the whole family at once — isn’t so appealing to adolescents.


Researchers at Kaiser Permanente wanted to test out an approach aimed specifically at teen girls: one that involved peer meetings, with parents meeting separately, and that also tried to avoid messages that might encourage eating disorders.


In a paper published online in Pediatrics, the researchers report some early, but modest, success with the program. “It’s a first step” says Lynn DeBar, lead author of the study and a researcher with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.


More than 200 overweight or obese teen girls were randomly assigned to either a six-month program that involved regular meetings with peers and a counselor and two meetings with their own doctors or to to-called usual care, which involved some information on lifestyle change and one meeting with their physician.


The teens participating in the weight-control program were encouraged to cut portion sizes, drink water instead of sugary beverages, to eat breakfast, to reduce fast-food consumption and eat less energy-dense foods, among other behavioral changes. “What we were really interested in, rather than a very quick weight loss, was various lifestyle habits they could use on a day-to-day basis and sustain over time,” says DeBar.


As for exercise, the meetings with counselors included a yoga component. The girls were also given a copy of the exercise video game “Dance Dance Revolution,” and were encouraged to exercise at least five days a week for 30 to 60 minutes. “We tried to identify things they could enjoy and sustain,” says DeBar.


When they started the study, the girls’ average body mass index — a way to gauge a still-growing child or adolescent’s BMI compared to kids of the same age and gender — was in the 97th percentile. (The CDC considers kids and teens whose BMI is in the 95th or higher percentile to be obese.)


A year later, the teens who participated in the program had a BMI in the 95th percentile, while those in the control group were in the 96th percentile. Teens in the program also reported eating less fast food and had more meals with their family, which has beenassociated with more healthful eating habits.


The modest progress suggests researchers are “on the right track” with the overall approach, says DeBar. But the program might need to be made more intense, perhaps by adding an online or social media component or focusing more on counting calories rather than just behavioral changes.


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