Does Primal Eating Really Work For Losing Weight?

If you are currently making an effort to lose weight, you are certainly not the only person who finds that they are in this position, as this is something that thousands of others are trying to do each day as well; at the same time, however, most of these people who are "trying to lose weight" end up finding no success whatsoever - and one of the reasons is that, quite simply, the approaches they are taking to weight loss give them no real chance of achieving success.

One weight loss approach that has been growing in popularity in recent years is "primal eating," which basically calls for people to revert back to the sort of eating our hunter/gather ancestors indulged in - which, essentially, means no grains, no processed sugars, and no processed foods in general.

Scientifically, the thinking here is really quite simple as well: basically, the human body takes carbohydrates and turns them into glucose (i.e., sugar), and when the body has an excessive amount of sugar in the bloodstream, it uuses insulin to get rid of all this sugar; this has two side effects, with the first being that the removal of sugar causes a "sugar crash," therby causing you to want to replace it in order to get more energy, and with the second being that insulin is now no longer to perform its other function, which is to burn your stored fat for energy!

Of course, the question this brings up is whether or not this lifestyle actually works for helping a person lose weight - and the answer is that, if you stick to the prescribed eating regimen, it absolutely does work, enabling you to eat all the meats, veggies, and (within reason) nuts, and fruits you want to eat, while losing plenty of weight!

There is certainly a great variety of approaches to weight loss, and each different person will have a different one that works best for them, but if you are looking for something new to try, primal eating is certainly one that is worth looking into!

Be sure to check out The Primal Blueprint for more information!

Is It Good To Eat On A Schedule?

One thing that is odd is the fact that a lot of the advice you will find on “the right foods to eat,” or “the right ways to eat” conflict with one another, which often muddles the whole issue of knowing what to eat and when to eat; one aspect of this that especially tends to give people problems is whether or not it is good to eat on a schedule, and while some people and sources will tell you that eating on a schedule is good, and while others will tell you that eating on a schedule is bad, the true answer is: it all depends!

The idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is one thing that is absolutely true, as breakfast will enable your body to start working, and to have energy heading into the day; this means that whether you are hungry or not when you wake up in the morning, you should always take the time and make the effort to get a good, healthy breakfast into your body before you start your day.

It is certainly good to eat regularly in the rest of the day as well, but one thing to realize is that your body will often have cravings when it does not truly need food if you consume a fair amount of grains and sugars; because of this, it is important to have a set eating plan – as far as the times of day when you will typically aim to eat – if you regularly consume a fair amount of grains and sugars, as this will keep you from giving into your cravings, and will enable you to be much healthier as a result.

On the other hand, if you tend to avoid grains and sugars for the most part, your body will also experience far fewer cravings, and will instead “tell you” when it needs food; if you avoid grains and sugars in your regular diet, you can pretty much avoid the whole “eating on a schedule” thing, and can instead listen to your body, putting food into it when you feel hungry, and not putting food into it when you are not particularly in the mood for food.

Healthy eating is sometimes complicated and confusing, but with this information in mind, you will at least know whether you should be eating on a schedule, or can instead simply listen to what your body is saying.

How To Get Into Swimsuit Shape

Trying to get into what one would call "swimsuit shape" is one thing that tends to give a lot of people problems - and if you have a tropical vacation coming up in the winter, this can be even more difficult to do, as it is tougher to really sculpt your body the way you might like when it is cold outside; at the same time, however, it is entirely possible for you to get your body into swimsuit shape, no matter what time of year it is, as long as you keep a few simple things in mind.

If you are wanting to get into swimsuit shape, the first thing you will need to realize is that you can train your genes to burn fat, and if you want to do this, one of the best ways is by realizing that when it comes to eating, more is less; rather than eating "three square meals a day," get in the habit of eating five or six smaller (healthy!) meals a day, and this will help your body to burn fat on its own.

You should also be aware of the fact that getting your body into swimsuit shape will generally entail getting your body fit and toned, and in order to do this, you will want to combine your "more is less" approach to eating with a "less is more" approach to working out. When you do a lot of walking (instead of putting unnecessary strain on your back and joints by running!) and do some lifting just a few days a week, you will tone your muscles, encourage your body to lose fat, and keep your body from experiencing cravings for sugar and carbs - all of which will add up to a much better "swimsuit body."

Combine these things with plenty of rest (making sure you are giving your body as much sleep each night as it requires), and you will soon find that you are in tremendous swimsuit shape - with a whole lot less work than you may have thought this process would have required at the start!

A Look At Foods To Avoid In Order To Lose Weight

The weight loss industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the world, as "losing weight" is something a lot of people want to do, and is something most of these people do not understand; of course, one of the reasons the weight loss industry is so lucrative is because many of these companies capitalize on the fact that most people do not understand what they are doing - but the truth is, weight loss is quite simple, as long as you understand a few foods to avoid.

Most people are fully aware of the fact that they need to cut sugar out of their diet in order to start shedding some of those extra pounds, as the body pretty much takes sugar and turns it directly into fat, but what a lot of people fail to realize is that the body also takes grains (and other forms of excessive carbs) and turns them into sugar; because of this, you should avoid breads and pastas if you want to lose weight, as they provide little nutrition and lots of "sugar"!

Another thing to that will be important for you to understand is that not all "healthy" foods should be a staple in your diet; even though fruit is healthy, a lot of fruit is packed with carbs, and you will want to avoid excessive consumption of these fruits (such as bananas, oranges, and pineapple), as these will actually cause you to put on weight if you make them too big a part of your diet.

And in the same vein as avoiding making fruits a huge part of our diet, you should also avoid excessive consumption of fruit juices (such as orange juice, apple juice, pineapple juice, et cetera), as these juices lack the fiber you will get from the fruits themselves, but have an excess of the carbs you will find in these fruits - which makes them a bad thing to add to your diet if you are trying to lose weight.

Trying to lose weight can be a frustrating experience, as there are a lot of things that go into this process, but if you cut out these foods (along with sugar, of course!) and get some regular, light exercise, you will be well on your way to shedding those extra pounds!

Calming Your Nerves

When you find yourself in a situation where your nerves are “rattled,” this can be a bit frustrating, as it can hinder your progress throughout the remainder of your day; of course, there are lots of different things that might make someone end up feeling as if their nerves are a bit unsettled, but more important than knowing exactly what causes different people to become unsettled is knowing what you yourself can do to fix the problem when you are in this position.

Often times, people go hours (or even days) with nerves that are unsettled before they even realize that this is the problem that has been plaguing them during this time; because of this, the first step to calming your nerves when they are unsettled is to be able to identify when your nerves are rattled – after all, you cannot fix the problem until you know the problem exists!

Once you have successfully identified the fact that your nerves are unsettled, the next thing you will want to do is search back through your memory and figure out exactly what it was that caused you to be in this state; when you do this, you will be able to pinpoint exactly what it was that caused this problem, which will make it a whole lot easier for you to make the problem go away.

And in order to calm your nerves, the final thing you will need to do is this: take the thing that unsettled you in the first place, and put that thing out of your mind, working to usher in calming, soothing thoughts instead. Even though this is, naturally, not always as easy as it sounds, making this conscious effort to dwell on positive things instead of on the negative will go a long way toward allowing you to unwind when you are in that tough position of having rattled nerves!

Give Backpacking a Try With Your Children.

The thought of taking a child backpacking can be intimidating at first even to people who have packed their whole life. This hesitation is unfortunate for a number of reasons. Children love to explore their environment, and adventure. Here are just a few things to consider when thinking about taking your child backpacking:

You first you must find the perfect backpack to fit the size of your child.  Here are some suggestions that may work for your child. If your child is around the age of 6 they should be able to carry childrens Camelpak, with a few snaks, an emergency blanket, and a safetly whistle. As they grow, they will be able to grow into larger packs and carry more weight and more of their own gear. It doesn't take long for children to be able to carry more either.  In only a couple of years they can carry their clothing and their ultra light sleeping bag on heir own. You will see your child grow from a small camelbak to a daypack or a school backpack for your trips with them. By the time they are 9 they may even fit into their first rigid pack depending on their size! You can expect your child to be as excited as you are to go backpacking if you start taking them with you.

One big concern about taking your child backpacking is their safety. Although you can never guarantee anything in life, you can do what you can to keep them safe. It comes down to some simple rules for kids to follow. They should stay in sight at all times. Children must next understand that if they are to get lost, they must stay put and blow on a safety whistle to draw attention. Make sure your child understands how to use a safety blanket in case the worst happens.

Backpacking can be a safe and rewarding hobby for both adults and children alike. Plus it is a bonus to see the world through your childs eyes. You child will also love the time they get to spend with you!

Taking A Look At Three Healthy Mid-Morning Snacks

You are probably aware of the fact that breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day (after all, it is the first thing you eat after sleeping all night, and it is necessary for providing you with energy at the start of the day), but what you might not have thought about is the importance of that mid-morning snack you tend to have. After breakfast has passed, and when lunch still has yet to roll around, many people get hungry enough to indulge in a little snack, and because it is not technically a "meal," they do not pay much attention to exactly what it is they are eating; they end up grabbing something from the vending machine and they think nothing of it, but you should make sure your mid-morning snack is something beneficial!

Fruit:Fruit will give you the energy and the nutrition you need in order to keep going through the morning, and it is easy to bring with you to work; what's more, fruit is inexpensive (certainly far less expensive than going to the vending machine each morning!), and it is easy to eat on the go.

Cheerios: Oats are good to put into your body, as they will give you energy and help lower your bad cholesterol; by bringing a baggie of Cheerios (or another favorite cereal) with you to work, you will have something healthy and easy to snack on halfway through the morning.

Yogurt: If the office where you work has a refrigerator, yogurt is a great snack to add to the middle of your morning; plain yogurt (with no sugar!) is the healthiest option, and you can add a bit of flavor and sweetness to your yogurt (without sacrificing the health benefits) by stirring in some honey before you start to eat.

Begin to pay attention to what you are putting into your body as part of your mid-morning snack, and you will start to see a big difference - not only in the way you feel as far as health, but also in the way you feel as far as energy for the rest of the day!