Lose Weight Fast: Post-Holiday Diet Plan

An extra serving of sweet potatoes, a sliver of pecan pie, a Campari cocktail or two. By itself, each of these festive splurges seems so innocent. But like holiday presents, dietary indulgences come at a cost. Most of us never lose the 1 to 2 pounds we gain between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve--and over the years, they add up. The damage is even worse when December's hearty eating patterns take hold and last well into spring, as they often do.

That is why we developed this 3-day quick weight loss plan--to get you out of party excess mode and put you on a healthy eating track for the new year. It's simple, fast, and effective. Stick with it and you will have those extra pounds gone before you take down a single decoration.

Goal #1: Break the Sugar Cycle

The Splurge: Those dreams of sugarplums dancing in your head may be more like a nightmare brought on by too many sweet treats. While experts used to dismiss the notion of sugar addiction, a growing body of research suggests that the sweet stuff can hijack the same brain circuitry that's affected by drugs and alcohol, leading to a vicious cycle of cravings and binges. And holiday desserts with high levels of both sugar and fat provide a double whammy. The sugar hooks you, while the fat piles on the pounds.

The Solution: Eliminate desserts that are rich in sugar and fat for at least 3 days--7 to 10 would be even better. This will help quell cravings while you start to reestablish a taste for naturally sweet foods, such as fruit and starchy vegetables.

Goal #2: Resize Your Stomach

The Splurge: As the "it's a holiday, I'll diet tomorrow" mentality sets in, one of your natural appetite control systems--the stomach's network of stretch receptors--starts losing its effectiveness. Normally, when your stomach is full, these receptors send messages to the brain that say "I'm satisfied." But prolonged periods of overeating make the receptors less sensitive. This helps explain why that feeling of "I'm so full, I'll never eat again" is followed the next day by the sense that you're even hungrier than usual.

The Solution: If you keep eating the same high-calorie foods but merely reduce the quantity, your stretch receptors will signal your brain that you're starving and need emergency rations--now. But you can short-circuit this by eating healthy-size servings of low-calorie, high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Their bulk will keep the receptors happy while avoiding excess calories.

Goal #3: Cut Down on Cocktails

The Splurge: So you had a few too many spiked eggnogs. The problem isn't just the sugar and fat. The alcohol itself packs in 7 calories per gram (compared with 4 for protein and carbs and 9 for fat). And the stomach and brain don't register liquid calories in the same way as solids, so it's easy to go right on eating and drinking--without compensating for the added calories.

The Solution: Satisfying, low-calorie beverages can boost metabolism and even temper your hunger. Tea (lose the cream and sugar) has zero calories and lifts metabolic rate. Or prepare a pitcher of flavored water. Add sliced oranges, lemons, and limes to a pitcher--or toss in berries or sprigs of mint or lemongrass. They're refreshing and give you healing antioxidants.

Source: Yahoo

7 Quick Fixes for Healthier Holidays

The holidays are upon us, which makes us think about minutes in a whole different way! Everything at this time of the year is done at a faster pace and in a bigger fashion. We tend to eat more, drink more, fit more parties and activities in, spend more money, sleep less and forget about weight loss. It's not unusual for most of us to feel time crunched wishing for just a few more minutes (or hours) each day to get things done. And then, as fast as we create the holidays, they disappear!

Oftentimes, we let the holidays leave us exasperated, exhausted and a few pounds heavier. Now, I know that weight loss over the holidays isn't usually in the cards, but certainly we can come out with an even score. Instead of feeling like you are starting over from rock bottom on Jan. 1, let's just not fall behind!


This year, I want you to make a choice. Don't eat and drink your way through the parties and don't ditch your exercise routine completely for shopping and baking. Just be creative with how you use your minutes. Here are a few tips to help you use your holiday minutes wisely. If you don't believe that a few minutes can make a weight loss difference, remember that in less that one minute you can consume 100 calories at a holiday party. And, keep in mind that in 10 minutes, you can work those 100 calories off! So if you manage your minutes wisely, you'll be able to start the new year feeling good.

Shop Online
Don't get me wrong, I'm a retail-lover, just not at the holidays. Nothing gets my stress levels flowing faster than long lines and crowds at the stores. Spending time waiting in stores not only leaves you frustrated and in a bad mood but also takes away time to do things like exercise and stock your house with healthy food. If you get started now on the computer, free gift wrapping and shipping are available from many online retailers. It'll come as no surprise to you that I send my family fresh fruit baskets for Christmas (they would expect nothing less from me)!

Stop, Drop and Roll
Instead of burning the candle into the wee hours every night, just STOP what you're doing; DROP into bed; and ROLL over! Nothing horrible will happen if you let some decorating wait until tomorrow. Instead, your body will thank you. Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can cause weight gain, and I believe that if you aren't getting enough sleep you're more likely to make poor choices when it comes to weight loss and fitness.


Get Moving!
Try finding exercise minutes each day to get your heart pumping. Remember, I said minutes, not hours. Ten minutes is better than nothing. In fact, 10 minutes can burn off a few hors d'oeuvres, a glass of wine or it can just simply be a healthy release of stress. Especially at this time of the year when you're ingesting more calories, a brisk walk on the treadmill or elliptical can keep your jeans from feeling tight. Remember, it's all about calories in vs. calories out. And I find that 10 minutes in the morning is often the best time for weight loss during the holidays since our days get busy with extra to-do's and social events throughout the day.

Don't Forget Strength Training
Maintain your muscle mass by doing a few minutes of strength training each day. Try a few tricep dips while watching a holiday TV special with your kids, do some walking lunges as you talk on the phone to your relatives, pump out a few pushups before you get in the shower. Better yet, try a few multi-joint movements to save time. Do lunges with overhead shoulder presses. Do squats with bicep curls. Throw in a few core body crunches.


Stick With the Five-a-Day Plan
Make sure to get your fruits and vegetables. In a bid to cut calories and save time, we often forgo the foods that would nourish us during the holidays. The excess sugar we often consume at the holidays gives us a high and then energy lows. So fill up on healthy food -- eat five fruits and vegetables a day before you allow yourself to snack on holiday treats. Those few extra minutes you take to plan some healthy snacks and meals will save you many minutes of burning off extra calories later!

Control the Risk for Temptation
Avoid constantly putting yourself in situations that tempt you. For example, walking through the break room at work 10 times a day when you know it's filled with holiday treats and candies isn't to your advantage. Spend a few minutes in the morning packing a healthy snack (like almonds, a piece of fruit or a yogurt) so you'll have a healthy, weight loss alternative. And don't place treats on your kitchen counter to stare you in the face or take four desserts off the buffet vowing to take only one bite of each.

Be Careful of Liquid Calories
Holidays are notorious for tempting us with drinks we wouldn't normally consume. Alcohol offers no nutrients -- just empty calories and we often forget to count them. Eggnog coffee drinks with whipped cream, hot toddies, spiced rum; these drinks can have as many calories as a personal pan pizza! Limit your consumption and instead order sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice. It'll look festive and save calories.

So give yourself the gift of staying on the weight loss track this holiday season by spending some extra minutes to plan and stay healthy. Believe me, come January you'll agree that it was the best gift you received!

Dreaming 'eases painful memories'

Scientists have used scans to shed more light on how the brain deals with the memory of unpleasant or traumatic events during sleep.

The University of California, Berkeley team showed emotional images to volunteers, then scanned them several hours later as they saw them again.

Those allowed to sleep in between showed less activity in the areas of the brain linked to emotion.

Instead, the part of the brain linked to rational thought was more active.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, said it showed the links between dreams and memory.

Most people have to deal with traumatic events at some point in their lives, and, for some, these can produce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leaving them emotionally disturbed long after the event itself.

Mapping blood flow

There is significant evidence that the 20% of sleep in which we dream, also called REM sleep, plays a role in the processing of recent memories, and researchers believe that better understanding of this could eventually help PTSD patients.

The researchers recruited 35 volunteers, splitting them into two groups.

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In cases of more severe trauma, it may be just too difficult for the patient to process it during sleep, especially if the event has had a significant impact on that person's day to day life”

Dr Roderick OrnerConsultant clinical psychologist

After showing them 150 images designed to provoke an emotional reaction, half were allowed a good night's sleep.

While inside an MRI scanner to map blood flow in the brain - a good way to work out which regions are most active - the volunteers were shown the images a second time.

Those who had slept properly had less activity in the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with heightened emotions, and more activity in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region linked to more rational thinking.

The non-sleepers reported a far more emotional response to seeing the pictures again.

The scientists believe that chemical changes in the brain during REM sleep may help explain how the body makes this change.

Dr Matthew Walker, who led the study, said: "We know that during REM sleep there is a sharp decrease in norepinephrine, a brain chemical associated with stress.

"By reprocessing previous emotional experiences in this neurochemically safe environment of low norepinephrine during REM sleep, we wake up the next day, and those experiences have been softened in their emotional strength.

"We feel better about them, we feel we can cope."

Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Roderick Orner said that although sleep was believed by many to play a crucial role in the processing of traumatic memories, there were likely to be many other factors at work in PTSD patients.

He said: "In cases of more severe trauma, it may be just too difficult for the patient to process it during sleep, especially if the event has had a significant impact on that person's day to day life."

Source: BBC