You know there is no magic way to shed pounds or become fit. The only way to get there is through hard work and eating right. Yet you can give yourself a leg up in the process by changing how you think about food, weight loss and eating healthy. By changing how you think, you’ll also change how you act and hopefully impact your health for the better. Meditation can play a key role in helping you overcome food issues and create the body you want to have now. Awareness, consciousness, focus and concentration  developed through yoga practice and meditation will help you to embody these key points. Here are 50 tips to help you learn some tricks to get your mind ripe and ready for weight loss.

General

These general tips will help you learn to adapt your thoughts to healthy weight loss.

1. Be patient. Losing weight in any kind of healthy way is going to take time. Give yourself a break and relax, and the weight will come off.

2. Don’t stress. Stressing about weight loss will likely only make it harder to lose.

3. Be realistic Setting unrealistic goals for your weight loss isn’t healthy for your body or mind. Get your mind set on more realistic accomplishments and you’ll be happier and healthier.

4. Create a routine. Success with any weight loss program requires creating a routine and sticking to it in what you eat, when you work out and how you think about your progress.

5. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you aren’t eating enough, you’re eating too much, or you’re pushing yourself too hard.

6. Use your imagination. Our imaginations are powerful things and you can use yours to picture your body and your life the way you really want it to be.

7. Take it slow. You cannot expect to change your mindset or your body overnight. Take the process slow and steady for the best results.

8. Be honest with yourself. Being honest might be more difficult or more painful, but you cannot move forward in changing your body or how you think about it without facing some hard truths about yourself.

9. Find out what you truly want. The reality is that you might not be ready to lose weight or commit yourself to the work that it takes. Find out what you truly want in your life. Knowing that you really, really want to lose weight can be a huge factor in motivating you.

Mindset

Learn how to change your mindset with these tips.

10. Always be accountable. There is no one else who is responsible for you losing weight. You have to be accountable for what you eat and how often you work out.

11. Break the cycle of excuses. We all make excuses to try to justify our behavior, but these kinds of excuses aren’t doing you any favors when it comes to weight loss. Force yourself to accept your failures and work to improve them.

12. Deal with your emotions. For many people, food is an emotional thing and a coping mechanism for other things that aren’t right in their lives. If you want to change your mindset about your body, you’ll first have to deal with these powerful emotions.

13. Make the decision to be thinner. Sometimes all it takes is a firm resolution to make a change in your life. If you want to lose weight, make the choice to do so and let your actions follow suit.

14. Take responsibility. No one is forcing food down your throat or keeping you from the gym. Once you realize that and can take responsibility for your own actions regarding your health and fitness, you’ll be one step closer to meeting your goals.

15. Think clearly. Weight loss, body image and personal health can be emotionally charged issues. When you think about these things it it important to separate them as best you can from your emotions and make logical, thoughtful decisions about what is best. For instance, our emotions might tell us we need a piece of cake after a hard day, but our logical thinking would tell us it will only make you feel worse about yourself.

16. Change your programming. Many of us have programmed our brains to think we are fat, unhealthy and will never look or feel like we want to. Thinking this way is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, but by changing your mental programming, you’ll change what you’re capable of in weight loss.

17. Stay positive. There is no upside to negative thinking when it comes to losing weight. Staying positive will help you feel better about yourself, keep you motivated and reduce stress — all of which will help you lose more weight.

18. Train your mind to think in your best interest. If you want to lose weight, focus on replacing your unhealthy thoughts with healthy ones. After a while, you will think less unhealthy thoughts and be a step ahead in reaching your goals.

Motivation

Give your mind some motivation with these ideas.

19. Pick out a motivational photograph. Whether you want to look more like you did 20 years ago or have the physique of someone else you admire, choose a photograph you can look at when you’re struggling to help keep yourself motivated.

20. Set smaller daily goals. While your larger goals are important, focusing on smaller, individual goals will give you more of a sense of accomplishment and change your mindset on a daily basis.

21. Use support from friends. There are few things that can change how you feel about yourself and your progress like motivation from friends around you.

22. Reward yourself. When you’ve worked really hard for something it’s only fair to reward yourself. Give yourself an indulgence, though not a food-related one, that you’ve really been wanting.

23. Tell yourself you can do it. Change your mindset about weight loss by constantly reminding yourself that no matter how hard it is that you can and will do it.

24. Never stop thinking about your goals. Keeping your goals in mind throughout the day will help motivate you and keep you on the right track.

25. Surround yourself with good role models. You won’t do yourself any favors when you’re trying to lose weight if you surround yourself with people who practice bad habits and influence you to do so as well. Spend time with friends who motivate you to be healthy instead.

26. Have a mantra. Finding your own personal weight loss mantra can be a great way to help keep yourself positive and focused on your goals.

27. Look at the bright side. Setbacks don’t have to ruin your motivation for weight loss. Instead, think of them as a chance to work harder and prove your commitment to your goals.

28. Create a map to your health and happiness. Spending some time laying out your goals, collecting photos that motivate you, and planning out your steps along the way can help make process easier, more real and something you’re more motivated to do every day.

Food

Change your relationship with food by changing your thoughts using this advice.

29. Think yourself out of bad habits. Bad habits with food don’t have to take down your weight loss goals. Instead, use the power of your mind to fight these bad habits. It will take some doing but you can overcome them.

30. Look at food differently. Food isn’t your enemy or your friend — it’s neutral. Learn to look at food as a source of nourishment rather than a reward or a way to deal with emotions.

31. Picture what food is doing for your body. When you look at what you’re eating, picture what that food can do for your body and how the nutrients will help you feel.

32. Allow yourself to eat when you’re hungry. Losing weight should never mean starving yourself. Listen to your body and feed yourself when your body tells you it’s hungry. Just make sure it’s actually hunger and not boredom or thirst you’re giving into. Likewise, stop eating when you are full.

33. Eat foods you crave. You can have foods you crave while you’re trying to lose weight if you can do so in moderation. Keeping things totally off limits could cause you to binge.

34. Be conscious. Always be aware of what you’re eating. Eating mindlessly while watching TV can lead to a lot of unwanted and unneeded calories.

Self-Image

How you see yourself can make a big impact in how much weight you lose. Try these solutions to feel good about yourself no matter how much you weigh.

35. Change how you think about your body. If you think you are a fat person, you’ll likely stay that way. Train your mind to see yourself as attractive at any weight and you’ll see more weight loss progress.

36. Get control over your thoughts. When your thoughts are out of control it’s easy to think cruel things about yourself and put yourself down. When you start to feel your thoughts heading in that direction, take the wheel and steer them somewhere positive.

37. Stop looking at the numbers. Weight isn’t everything when it comes to health. Some people look super skinny and feel healthy at one weight while another person might be totally different. We all have our own comfort zone, so listen to your body, not the scale.

38. Focus on how you feel. You might not have met your goal weight yet, but focusing on changes in how you feel can help keep you motivated and feeling good about yourself.

39. Stop berating yourself. Negative thoughts aren’t going to help you lose weight. If you have a misstep or aren’t progressing as fast as you’d like, never berate yourself. Simply get up the next day and start again from a positive standpoint.

40. Fill yourself with love. If you want to get the most out of your weight loss journey, make part of the process learning to truly love yourself. No one is perfect so get a handle on accepting and appreciating your faults.

41. Take pride in your appearance.It doesn’t matter how much you weigh, you can look good and feel good about yourself. Shower, put on a fragrance, style your hair, and wear your favorite clothes. It will change how you see yourself and how others see you as well.

Meditation

Learn how to turn your meditation practice into a reflection on your personal weight loss goals with these tips.

42. Imagine yourself eating like you should be. The more you imagine it, the more likely it will become reality.

43. Picture yourself thin. If you believe that you can and will be thin, then you give yourself the motivation and drive to actually make it happen.

44. Think about activities you’ll do when you’re thin. If you’re too overweight to do things you love right now, picture yourself doing those things as the new, thinner you.

45. Relax. You can’t take control over your thoughts and your mind if you’re stressed out and distracted. Simply relax and let go the problems of the day.

46. Picture yourself wearing something you’ve always wanted to wear. A big reason many people want to lose weight is to fit into the clothes and style that they love and admire. Get a mental picture of how you’ll look sporting something you’ve always wanted to wear to give you some motivation.

47. Imagine that you love to exercise. Rely on the power of imagination to help give yourself the initiative you need to get fit and in shape.

48. Don’t let negative thoughts interfere. It’s easy to think negative thoughts about yourself when you’re tackling a big and difficult obstacle like losing weight, but you have to make sure to keep these kinds of thoughts out during your meditation. Replace them with happy, supportive ones instead.

49. Kick all unhealthy habits and foods out of visualization. Don’t let your mental fantasies include unhealthy foods and behaviors. You might really crave them but the purpose is to retrain your mind to let them go.

50. Breathe deeply and calm yourself. Once you’re calm, relaxed, and in control of your mind and body, you’ll be able to start thinking clearly about who and where you want to be.

This article was contributed by www.NursingSchools.net. We GREATLY APPRECIATE their CONTRIBUTION & FUNDAMENTAL INFORMATION ON HEALTH & WEIGHT!

The sensation of taste… AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! An ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of most people! How gratifying is it to taste GOOD FOOD?? Personally, I learned how to LOVE GOOD FOOD by traveling in Europe and then from a family friend who took us out and explained the sensation of taste. I have never looked back.

To truly appreciate and enjoy the sensation of taste is a HUGE BLESSING! I can’t imagine not understanding the true pleasure of biting into a decadent dessert or a fresh, seasonal dish made to perfection. An apple a day is a treat in itself and so satisfying it can change your mood!

How is it that our body receives the taste sensation? When we eat the saliva in the mouth breaks down the food so that your taste receptor cells can tell your brain what you are experiencing. Taste receptor cells are in a cluster and they are called taste buds; there are thousands of them on your tongue and in your mouth. Each taste bud has about 50-100 taste cells that represent the five taste sensations. The tongue has pores that connect to each taste bud so when the different substances are taken into the mouth they can reach the receptor cells below the surface. Once converted, the sensation of taste is found in the brain and this is true for all five senses. The tongues taste receptor cells connect through a synapse because the neuron releases a hormone to the receiving cell.

We have five primary sensations of taste:

Sour                        Sweet                             Salty                                Bitter                                      Umani

Perception of a sense is an awareness. In yoga we build awareness. I would venture to say that many people who begin to practice yoga then become increasingly more aware of their different senses. It is desirable to enhance your cognizance of the five senses that enrich and enhance your life every second of every day. Food is an experience that can leave you satiated, happy and energized.

Eating for nutrition, enjoyment and socially are all different experiences. Find one example of each setting, try and connect to the sense of taste and see if you notice a difference in the taste of your food. If you are alone and it is quiet the taste is easier to focus on. When you eat for nutritional purposes you may forget to even taste your food. The presence or absence of a good atmosphere and people can either take your food experience off the charts or leave you unsatisfied.

To cultivate a stronger sense of taste you can begin to become mindful of the breath, relax, clear, focus on the food you are about to receive, be grateful for this nourishment and begin to eat slowly, chew your food well and close your eyes and feel the experience of eating food moving through your body.

Each day is more fulfilling when you find you can simply just enjoy your food!    

When we change what we eat, everything changes. Everything. Food literally becomes our blood, cells, tissues, organs and muscles. But it also becomes our thoughts and emotions. That’s simply the science of food. It affects every process in our body, physically, mentally and emotionally. Is that crazy? Or does it seem to make perfect sense? Stay with me then. Follow this…

If the food we eat literally becomes a part of us, wouldn’t that make the idea of “you are what you eat” quite real? When we begin to grasp this notion and put conscious effort and thought into the process of choosing our foods, we start to realize that we really are what we eat! So what does this mean?

It can be broken down into simple concepts like: buying local and organic products to avoid putting harmful toxins into our bodies, to support not only the environment as a whole but also our personal environments (our bodies!), and to fuel our bodies with the highest quality of food possible. Given half the chance, our bodies will take care of themselves. But we need to give it that chance, starting with the very thing we do at least three times a day – eating! Most of us would not knowingly ingest the chemicals that are now abundant in our food chain – things like methanol, a well-know neurotoxin. But we do, everyday. Reading labels and buying organic can help to start the process of “cleaning up” your diet.

Maybe you can begin to explore more complex ideas like the cross-species transference which hypothesizes that cruelty to animals, during the course of their lifetime or at time of their death, can be transferred over to whichever species chooses to (or unbeknownst to them) eat them – a simple transfer of negative energy. Crazy? I think not. We all certainly have experienced this transfer of energy before – from someone that gave you a “bad vibe” or someone that is so visually broken down and depressed that your own mood begins to change when you are around them (they bring you down).

You can start with a simple idea that works for me – when you eat better, you will begin to feel better. When you feel better, you begin to live better. This makes sense, right? So take a step back (or should we say forward) next time you are at the grocery store or out to dinner and think about what food is going to make you feel better, on all different types of levels: think about where your food came from, how it has been processed, how close is it to its natural state and even think about how it has been treated. This is not a revolutionary idea, but it is evolutionary. It will help decide how we move forward in our existence. Think of where we have come in the last 75 years alone – cancer, obesity, diabetes and diseases of all types are reaching epidemic proportions. I believe it is no coincidence at all that our diets have evolved more drastically in those last 75 years than they have in our entire existence! Can you see a connection? I can.

So just think about it – food, that is. I guarantee you it will change your life. Guarantee.

More Alive Health & Wellness Consulting Eat Better, Feel Better, Live Better…Today! 215-834-5618 www.mauramanzo.com

“You are what you eat” is more than just a familiar saying – it’s another way we can all strive to be totally zen. Being mindful of what we eat nourishes our bodies and connects us with the earth.

In our busy lives, we often don’t have time to cook or be thoughtful about what we’re eating. Sometimes we need to be reminded that you don’t have to cook for hours to enjoy a healthy and delicious meal. Even the simplest foods like blanched vegetables and steamed fish with lemon and pepper can be extremely satisfying. Open yourself up to the possibilities in simplicity.

Another way to make your diet totally zen is to buy local and seasonal foods. By eating these we become more aware of the seasons and cycles of life and learn to appreciate the finite moments for each vegetable and fruit. Eating local and seasonal is not only great for you, it has echoing effects like supporting family farms, protecting open space, reducing emissions spent on transporting food long distances, and building your community.

The farmers’ market is one of my favorite places to shop and browse because it’s so full of possibilities. There’s something about meeting the person who grows your vegetables that solidifies a connection with the land and makes cooking an experience rather than a chore. The vegetables are always more tasty and fresh than at a supermarket too.

Farmers’ markets are also great for opening up creativity in the kitchen. Try buying something you haven’t tried before like mustard greens or lima beans, and then ask the farmer for suggestions or look up a recipe when you get home. The only thing that trumps shopping at a farmers market is growing vegetables in your own garden. Nothing is more satisfying!

Buy Fresh Buy Local Week in Philadelphia is this July 12th to July 20th with plenty of events: from farm tours, to medicinal plant walks, to cooking demonstrations, to samples of local beer and ice cream. There’s no better introduction to local food – check it out! For more info visit the Farm to Philly Blog.

Some of my favorite places to buy local food are:                              

Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market
12th and Arch Sts
Tuesday – Saturday 8am – 6pm
Sunday 9am – 4pm

Jefferson Farmers’ Market
10th and Chestnut Sts
Thursdays 12pm – 5:30pm

Headhouse Farmers’ Market
2nd and Lombard Sts
Saturdays and Sundays 10am – 2pm

Some of the local foods available in July are:                                                          

Beans
Beets
Blueberries
Cucumbers
Corn
Eggplants
Peppers
Sweet Potatoes
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Lettuces
Herbs
Radishes

Later in the month look for:

Tomatoes
Peaches
Watermelons
Cantaloupe
Potatoes

Our bodies are comprised of 80% water. The Earth is covered with 70% water. Staying hydrated is a key to good health. We are meant to drink 8-12 glasses of water a day. So, it makes sense that you need to eat food that is rich in water to help with this process. Fruit and vegetables are water-based foods.

Fruit’s energy is glucose. Glucose is turned into energy by converting it with oxygen. The waste products of fruit are water and carbon dioxide. The body uses the water and releases the carbon dioxide through your lungs. Animal protein is much harder to digest because it takes more energy to convert protein and fat into energy and there is no oxygen to aid it. Also, the by-product of processing animal protein is ammonia toxic and must be excreted through the kidneys. All this work is much harder on your system and takes longer.

When you eat more fruit and vegetables and less animal protein you should notice a surge in your energy level after about 30 days of starting your new regimen. Your body needs time to assimilate the new nutrients into its system. Your digestion should become easier and more regular. Your skin’s complexion should brighten. Overall, fruit is an elixir for the soul and body.

There are more WONDERFUL reasons to eat FRUIT! Let’s remind ourselves of them now:

Fruit is from the Earth and is totally natural! Try and eat organically grown fruit because it will not be full of toxic chemicals. When you eat fruit grown locally it is choked full of more nutrients because it takes less time to get to your stomach! Eating fruit does not violate the treatment of any animals to keep you healthy and has no karma associated with it. Fruit can keep you free of bad cholesterol. We need fiber in our diets to cleanse our systems and fruit is a fiber rich food. Fruit is a great detoxifier. There are so many nutrients in fruit it can ward off cancer, disease and prolong life.

Now, with all that nutritional information in mind, next time you pick up a piece of fruit concentrate on its taste, flavor, juiciness and delightful offering to your body. How great does fruit taste! Fruit is super satisfying and it comes in so many varieties. Seasonal fruit allows you to change your focus on different types of fruit that grow at different times of the year allowing your body to be in rhythm with the seasons of the Earth.

Try to eat 5-9 pieces of fruit a day, as recommended by the American Heart Association. The great thing about fruit is that it is convenient to pick up and portable for your life. One piece of fruit can satisfy your hunger for hours.

http://www.thefruitpages.com/whyfruit.shtml

Mmmm.. Are you wondering how to prepare this delicious tofu dish before you know it?

I don’t think I can do much to convert a person who just doesn’t like the feel or look or texture of tofu. But, if you can’t seem to make it taste flavorful, rich and satisfying- I have just the right secret for you!

Sometimes people complain it is bland or tasteless. The key is to marinate the tofu.

I think the meat, poultry marinades are an excellent choice for tofu as well! I like the ones from Whole Foods, 365 Everyday Value label. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/    They mix up really well. Salad dressings are tasty too (watch the vinegar ratio though). I use Bragg’s Amino Acids, liquid protein concentrate, derived from healthy soybeans, that contains essential and non-essential amino acids, to add more health and flavor to most of my cooking sauces.   http://www.bragg.com/products/liquidaminos.html .  I like to combine a number of sauces.

• Begin by washing a block of tofu. Chop it into mid sized chunks or bite size ( if it is too small it falls apart). I like firm tofu so it doesn’t crumble in the cooking process.
• Once you have chosen the marinade mix and/or pour it into a deep dish so it is consistent throughout the dish. I use a casserole dish. 
• Mix in the tofu VERY WELL! Put it in the refrigerator for 6-24 hrs.
• Once allotted time has passed you can begin to cook your tofu. The next part of your success is the freshness of your vegetables. Support your local growers! Try Organic!
• I used Chinese greens (from Chinatown), flower shitake mushrooms (from Chinatown) , white onion and yellow pepper.
• Wash and dry all vegetables.
• Chop the greens ;this is a big job. Use the stems that look good. Chop the stems fine so you get the fiber and crunch while still tasting good!
• Peel and finely chop the onions (another key to tasty cooking) , yellow pepper and shitake.
• Heat up the oil. I used sesame in this dish. It gives it an earthy, nutty, rich flavor.
• Once oil is hot you can put the onions in, they should cook until transparent & lighter. They should look cooked, not raw.
• Next add the mushrooms Wait until they cook down a bit.
• Peppers are added right before the sauté is ready. You don’t want to overcook the peppers.
• Now, the flavor is done cooking up (10-15 min.) .
• Add the tofu , stir it in & let it cook. (5- 10 min.)
• When browned or cooking add the greens. Stir in again. This time cover the pot & let it steam and fold the flavors together. (5-8 min.)
• Take cover off. ! When letting dish cool down, only leave a crack off the lid on top. Also, take it off the cooking burner.

The prep time is about 15 minutes. The cook time is about 25-30 minutes.

This dish serves 4-5 people. Serve over rice ; brown rice is so much better for you!

*Adding different sauces and vegetable mixes can give you so many choices it almost doesn’t seem like you are eating the same thing all the time!