5 steps to hormone health and weight loss

Our hormone health effects our bodies in many ways but one specific way is an increase in weight. Hormonally challenged women gain weight around their middle between the armpits and the top of the thighs. Often their arms are normal, their legs are normal and from the neck up they look great! Hormonally challenged men gain weight around their waists and often are on their way to developing breasts!

Estrogen is produced in our fat cells. Estrogen increases fat cells. As a result more estrogen is produced and so on and so on.

Breaking the Estrogen cycle and then going on an excellent weight management program is exactly what needs to take place.

Step One Evaluate your hormones. Find out the ratio of estrogen to progesterone presently in your body. If out of balance, we call that estrogen dominance, then you will likely have or currently be gaining weight around your middle.

Step Two Begin an estrogen-lowering program. That will include of course increasing your progesterone levels with a bio-identical progesterone cream. But hormone balancing was never all about progesterone. Modulating and balancing estrogens if found to be out of balance to progesterone is equally important to your weight loss program.

An estrogen-lowering program will include:

- Increase your fiber intake. That happens two ways: 1. Eat as much as you can by choosing fruits, vegetables and whole grains as your high? fiber carbohydrate choices and then add a fiber supplement (Fiber Source 7) to consume 30 to 50 grams of fiber daily.

- Increase the indoles (cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower) in your diet. That also happens two ways: Eat as much as you can and supplement with an indole-3-carbinol supplement (EllagiGuard). Target 3 servings a day.

- Increase the essential fatty acids (EFA? s) in your diet. They are essential because the body does not make them. They help balance prostaglandin production in the body and thus help regulate estrogens.

- Increase your overall nutrition by taking extra vitamin C (Super C Crystals) and by taking a concentrated fruit and vegetable supplement (Fruit and Vegetable Essence).

Step Three Eat 40/30/30. Incorporate a new way of approaching meals purposing to eat Carbohydrates Proteins and Fats in a balanced way at each meal. When we eat balanced meals our weight will normalize, our energy levels will increase and our hormones will be in balance. More information is available in the book? The Formula? by J & G Daoust.

Step Four Get Moving. Develop a great exercise program with the help of someone who knows what they are doing. Tailor a program especially for you - one that you can do and are willing to make a commitment to keep. Most of us need to think in terms of keeping our bodies moving and staying active for the rest of our lives. Couch potatoes rarely are healthy.

Step Five Celebrate!! Men and women whose hormones are out of balance feel unwell. Men and women who have balanced hormones feel well. Achieving hormone health will increase your overall health and wellness and assist you in losing weight. You will look younger and feel younger!

Does hoodia work 3 ways hoodia helps you lose weight

You've seen the name everywhere. Hoodia Gordonii has taken the weight loss world by storm. Being touted as the next miracle weight loss pill, Hoodia is now being put into everything from multivitamins to Trimspa.

But does Hoodia work?

Considering the debacle that was Ephedra, consumers are right to be cautious about this new weight loss pill. Does Hoodia actually work to help you lose weight? Does it really do what the pill manufacturers say?

Well, Hoodia has been shown to have some specific effects in the area of weight loss. But there are certain things you should know before running out to buy the latest Hoodia pill from your drug store.

Here are 3 ways Hoodia helps you lose weight and 3 other things you should know to make Hoodia work best for you.

#1) Hoodia Makes You Physically Less Hungry

Pure Hoodia contains a molecule scientists called "P57" which, they believe, is responsible for making you feel full.

Normally, when you eat food, this food turns to glucose. When the glucose in your body rises it eventually signals to your brain (the hypothalamus) that you are full.

It is believed that "P57" molecule in Hoodia mimics the effect that glucose has on your brain, telling part of your brain (the Hypothalamus) that you feel full. Consequently, you are physically less hungry.

One of the first studies of Hoodia Gordonii was done in the UK on obese patients. Half of the volunteers were given Hoodia Gordonii, the other half were given a placebo.

The subjects were allowed to do nothing but read, watch television and eat. After 15 days it was found that those taking Hoodia had reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories a day. Despite having unlimited access to food, the Hoodia subjects lost weight without feeling hungry.

#2) Hoodia Turns Off The Desire To Overeat

Some people have reported that not only does Hoodia make them feel full, but it also shuts off their desire to eat.

As many of us know, we can feel physically satisfied but still eat for a variety of reasons like emotions, timing and social influence. In fact emotional eating is actually responsible for more overeating than physical hunger.

Hoodia can help some people lose weight by quenching this desire to eat and breaking the emotional attachment to food.

By quenching this emotional attachment to food, Hoodia can help the individual to develop new emotional coping skills that don't include using food for comfort.

Note: Hoodia may not have this effect on everyone, however many people have reported having less of a desire to eat after taking Hoodia.

#3) By Turning Off Your Appetite Hoodia Allows You To Start Making Positive, Healthy Food Choices

How many times have we planned to eat healthy and then that old, ugly hunger rears it's ugly head and demands food NOW. We end up reaching for anything that's fast, easy and usually unhealthy.

By turning off your appetite, Hoodia allows you to start to make positive, healthy food choices. It takes the pain out of building new healthier eating choices. Since you probably don't want to be on Hoodia forever, this is a great way to lose weight and transition your eating to a healthier, lighter diet - with less pain and deprivation.

So those are 3 ways Hoodia Gordonii can help you lose weight. Does that mean that it will? Not necessarily. In order for Hoodia to help you achieve your weight loss goals there are several factors you must consider:

1) Make Sure You Buy From A Pure Source.

Unfortunately, there are scam artists who are taking advantage of the current demand for Hoodia by packaging fake Hoodia, fillers or even sawdust - and then selling it as Hoodia.

Look for genuine South African Hoodia from a seller who displays both a C. I.T. E.S certificate on their website along with Lab Assays and testing of their Hoodia pills. If you're not sure about which Hoodia brand to buy, do more research until you feel comfortable with your decision.

2) Make Sure You Are Taking Enough Hoodia.

The correct dosage varies depending on whom you talk to but most people start with about 400 mg three times a day before meals. They then increase the dosage up as high as 1000 mg three times daily until they find the dose that works for them.

Also, give it several days for the Hoodia to take effect before you increase your current dose.

3) Make Sure You Consult Your Doctor Before Taking Hoodia or Making Any Change To Your Diet or Exercise Routine.

This one is a given but surprisingly many people don't do it and it can result in you wasting your time and effort for no good reason. If, for example, you have a medical condition that makes it hard to lose weight, Hoodia may not work for you as you'd hoped. Talk to your doctor before trying anything new.

So those are 3 ways Hoodia works to help you lose weight and reach your goals. Hoodia does work. Make sure you follow these suggestions and you'll be well on your way to weight loss success with Hoodia.

Does hoodia the african weight loss secret actually work

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Astounding as some dieters say the new Hoodia weight loss supplement is, other dieters say it’s a fake and doesn’t work at all. If you’re not familiar with Hoodia Gordonii, it’s the new fad in dieting products. It comes from a cactus type plant in South Africa and has been eaten there for thousands of years by the aboriginal natives. The San Bushmen in the Kalahari Desert eat the Hoodia succulent plant by picking off a piece before a hunting trip or period of time they know they won’t have much food to eat. By ingesting the piece of Hoodia they know that they will not be hungry for the entire day. This of course is very helpful when you are living in the desert and the availability of food is very scarce.

So what about if your living in middle America and are looking for something to help you curb your cravings and keep of the pounds, will Hoodia do the trick? It depends on who you ask, some dieters say it is the magic pill and will help you lose the weight with no side effects. Other people will say, “I tried it and it did absolutely nothing for me”. How can this be the case you might ask, one person swears to it and one swears at it. It’s actually no mystery at all if you know what is happening in the industry. Hoodia has gained huge popularity due to increased media exposure; so far since last November Hoodia has been on CBS 60 minutes, the BBC, CBS News, Oprah Winfrey’s “O” Magazine, ABC News and most recently it was featured on the NBC Today Show with Katie Couric. Because of this news coverage the demand for Hoodia has greatly increased and along with this, the amount of companies providing fake or impure Hoodia has also greatly increased.

If I can stress only one thing in this Hoodia article, it would be to know what is in the Hoodia you are buying. When it comes to buying Hoodia, you have to be an informed buyer; you can’t just buy the first Hoodia Pills you see. And unlike other supplements you buy at your nutritional store, in the case of Hoodia, you can’t trust brick and mortar stores anymore than you can an online company. There is no regulation when it comes to Hoodia pills; there is no testing process or certification that a Hoodia brand has to go through. Because of this anybody can start a new Hoodia brand, put whatever they want in a pill and call it Hoodia and sell it. Many companies are doing just this, making lots of profit and leaving you the dieter with a bogus product, the dieter then tells others, “hey, this Hoodia stuff is no good”.

Natural Health Report has published a study done by Truth Publishing and Alkemist Pharmaceuticals located at: naturalhealthreport. com/A-Hoodia-Gordonii-exposed. html, the study findings state that eleven out of seventeen brand-name Hoodia supplements tested failed a laboratory analysis of authenticity. Unfortunately in the study they don't say which brands failed but they do say which brands passed.

The following brands passed the independent testing:
* Desert Burn
* Hoodoba Pure
* Dr. Wheeler's Afrigetics
* King Hoodia
* Hoodia Max
* Ethno Africa

Eleven out of seventeen brand names failed to be authentic, to me that is an amazing statistic and says a lot about the industry. Looking at those statistics we can now see why some dieters are saying Hoodia is wonderful and helps you lose weight and others are calling it a scam. The truth is there is both authentic pure Hoodia and bogus fake Hoodia available and what you get will determine how you feel about it.

This information should not necessarily stop you from buying Hoodia, as there are many reports of Hoodia decreasing you appetite by up to 1,000 calories a day and many people trying to lose weight swear by its results. Like we have stated before you just need to be very cautious and be able to identify pure Hoodia from ineffective and impure Hoodia. So how can you identify which Hoodia brand is best? Here are some things the consumer should look for:

* Certification - the company should provide a visual documentation on their website that the Hoodia they are selling is authentic Hoodia Gordonii from South Africa.

* Independent Testing – some of the top companies selling Hoodia are now submitting their product for independent testing to assure the customer their Hoodia is authentic and set them apart from the competition. If the brand has been tested you will again most likely be able to see visual documentation on their website.

* You should be know if the product is a pure hoodia powder or in extract form. There is a lot of information on the internet as to which is better and you should be informed on which kind you want to buy.

* Know what all the ingredients in the pill are - many companies will increase the total milligrams of a Hoodia pill by adding other ingredients to it, so in a 750 mg. pill you might only get 50 mg. of Hoodia. Also know if those other ingredients are something you want to be taking.

* Brand Reputation – the longer Hoodia is around the more people are talking about which brand is working for them. Do some internet searches on the brand you are thinking of trying and see if you find that lots of people are having problems with that brand. You have to take general public comments with a grain of salt though because many company owners have people spreading bad publicity about their competition.

* Common Sense – overall use your common sense about your purchase. Does the company not disclose much information? Do they have easy way to contact them? Do they have any type of guarantee? Also, especially when it comes to Hoodia on eBay, does the label of the product look like it was printed on a home inkjet printer? Also be wary of deep discounted Hoodia, there may be a reason it’s so cheap.

In closing, when it comes to Hoodia the consumer will need to stay cautious for awhile, the situation may get worse before it gets better. Demand for Hoodia is growing, supply is decreasing and the wholesale cost is increasing. What does this formula equal? It equals bad news for the dieter who wants to get some authentic Hoodia; there will be a lot of fake Hoodia out there. Give Hoodia a try, just do your homework first, be an informed, educated buyer and you may find that you truly have found a product to help you shed those extra pounds with no side effects. For more information on Hoodia visit Totalink's Hoodia Directory at hoodiagordonii. totalink. com

Yoga for weight loss what you need know to succeed part 2

Welcome back folks.

Okay, let’s cut right to the chase for how Yoga for weight loss works.

We’ve gone over the sun salutations and if you are anything like me, you probably tried them out and are sold on Yoga ‘the stretching’ exercise actually burning calories.

Now let’s target the trouble spots.

Poses for Trouble Spots when Using Yoga for Weight Loss:

1. Abdominal Region: The Forward Bending Pose, the Bow Pose, the Peacock Pose, the spinal twist and the Triangle Pose.

2. The Arms: Definitely the Peacock Pose! the Wheel Pose, the Crow Pose, the Side plank Pose and the 4-limb Staff Pose.

3. The Thighs: The Bow Pose, The Shoulder-Stand, the Hero Pose, the triangle and wheel poses.

4. Love Handles: The spinal twist, the triangle pose, (with practice) the Side Crow Poses, (for ease) The Side plank pose.

I realize the spots above are the ones most of us seem to target when trying to lose weight, so I have made sure to go over them first.

I’m under the impression that if you had searched in google or done some research on Yoga for weight loss, you must have gotten some degree of information on the poses above, or signed up for a class, bought a Yoga DVD, something to learn some more about it, which is why I did not go over each pose in detail. But trust me, they are indeed very easy. I will emphasize though, performing the Sun Salutations (upwards of 24 rounds) should be your main focus in using Yoga for a weight loss regimen, even before the other poses.

This too will help: One pose that some Yogis and Yoginis state to be a versatile enough pose for the whole body will be the Shoulder-Stand. It is best practiced with its counter poses, in fact, since these poses have effects on the meta-physical and spiritual aspects of our lives, it will be safe to say never execute a yoga pose without counter posing it. You may throw some things out of normalcy.

Here’s a brief overview on the Shoulder-stand as a yoga pose for weight loss:

Spread a thick blanket on the floor and place your yoga mat on it. Lie on the back. Slowly raise the legs. Lift the trunk, hips and legs to a vertical position. Rest the elbows firmly on the floor and support the back with both hands. (See the Illustration for Proper Execution). Raise the legs till they become vertical. Press the chin against the chest. This is the chin lock. While performing this pose, the back of the neck, the posterior part of the head and the shoulders should touch the floor. Breathe in counts of 5-5-5 (inhalation, retention and exhalation). Don’t allow the body to shake. Its counter poses are the bridge and fish poses which will target your forearms/thighs and chest/neck respectively.

As I promised; here is the Breath of Fire breathing exercise that you can add to your yoga practice to speed up the burning of calories. (Doesn’t the name alone tell you something…?)

Breath of Fire Exercise (aka Kapalabathi or Bellows Breath)

-Take a few breaths and see that the diaphragm is moving properly. Now with the eyes closed (as they should be when performing all breathing exercises) make a sudden contraction of the abdomen with a backward push. This leads to a sudden yet firm expulsion of stagnant air from the lungs.

-Now follow this with a sudden relaxation (which naturally makes the new air rush in) now perform the exercise in this manner: passive inhalation and active expulsions at a rate of sudden abdominal push per second one after the other. A round should have 15-20 expulsions. Do not exceed 3 rounds

-You may gradually increase to 120 expulsions per round and then perform only 2 rounds. (As soon as you are doing 50 expulsions per round, do not exceed 2 rounds!) Between each round take a pause for about 30 seconds of normal breathing.

Now, there you have it, the information needed to get you started on the use of Yoga for weight loss: The poses for the trouble spots, the bellows breath, the shoulder-stand and the almighty Sun Salutations.

Remember, for the same reasons Hippocrates-the father of Medicine stated: “Let your foods be your medicine and your medicine your foods”, you’ve got to include a proper diet when seeking to lose weight with yoga. Keep in mind this is an all too important limb of this exercise so, there’s no way around it friends. (But I’m sure you know that already)

So strike a pose, and see for yourself how Yoga for weight loss can be an effective and safe choice.