Veggie Blog

Imagine that you wear a size 14 and you pin a picture of a size 8 dress to the fridge as motivation. If you are not wearing it a month later, you are likely to feel guilty, frustrated and angry, and that is exactly the mood in which people give up, or turn to a fad diet that promises fast results. A better plan starts with a realistic goal and a way of eating you can keep.

What is a realistic goal?

Smaller, achievable targets work better than a dramatic one. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says that experts recommend an initial goal of 5% to 10% of your starting weight within six months. For someone who weighs 200 pounds, that is about 10 to 20 pounds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that losing about 1 to 2 pounds a week is more likely to be kept off. If you like the new-clothes idea, go down one size at a time, and do not buy anything that costs you a second mortgage. Our post on the weight loss plan to aim for explains how to set goals.

Why do fad diets fail?

A fad diet is a plan that is popular for a while because it promises quick, easy results, and then fades. Most of them fail for the same reasons. They are too strict to follow for long, they do not teach you new habits, and the weight you lose at first is often water and muscle that comes back when you return to normal eating. Quick weight loss can also bring problems of its own, such as gallstones, tiredness and loose skin.

What are the warning signs?

1. It tells you to skip meals. Going for long periods without eating is not a healthy habit. It can make you ravenous so that you eat twice as much at the next meal, and for people with diabetes who take insulin or certain other medicines, skipping meals can cause low blood sugar, which is dangerous. Ask your doctor before you change how you eat.

2. It ignores exercise. Our bodies are designed to move, and regular activity is good for the heart, the bones and the mood. A plan that asks you to diet without any activity is missing half of what works, and a plan that relies on exercise alone, without looking at what you eat, is missing the other half. Food and movement belong together.

3. It promises fast results or sets a rigid schedule. Be wary of any plan that guarantees a certain number of pounds in a fixed time. Weight loss is a gradual process, and the pace varies from person to person.

4. It bans whole groups of food or needs special products. Plans that cut out all carbohydrates or all fats, or that require you to buy powders, pills or meal replacements, are rarely suitable for the long term. Low-carb and low-fat diets can both work, but a study that compared them found the differences between brands of diet to be small.

5. It does not mention a doctor. If you have a health condition, take medicine or are pregnant, a good plan will tell you to speak to your doctor first.

How can you tell it is working?

Pay as much attention to how you feel as to the numbers on the scale. If you are losing weight slowly, but you have more energy, sleep well and feel positive about your efforts, you are probably doing fine. The NIDDK guide to choosing a safe weight loss program advises that the best plan is one that is backed by science, tailored to your health, culture and preferences, and that you can stick with over the long term.

Weight loss is not a quick process, and that is the main point. If you want ideas that last, read our posts on rapid weight loss tips that are safe, weight loss tips and natural weight loss.

Weight loss patches: what they promise and what to know

For very overweight people who have been unable to lose weight by ordinary means, the weight loss patch is often advertised as an option.

Basically, a weight loss patch is a product that is supposed to help people lose weight. The weight loss patch, also known as the diet patch (one brand is the Slim Form Patch), is a weight loss product that is readily available on the market.

Its manufacturers say that the ingredients used in weight loss patches are 100% natural, so people who use them can be assured of a safe and effective weight loss regimen. “Natural”, however, does not automatically mean safe or effective.

To understand more about weight loss patches, here is a list of the main claims made for them, and what is known about each:

1. It is described as a natural and easy way of losing weight.

The manufacturers say that the patches are made from 100% natural ingredients, which is why they claim the products are safe to use. Patches are certainly simple and easy to use. But herbal ingredients can still have side effects and interact with medicines, and diet patches are generally not tested for safety or effectiveness the way medicines are.

2. It is presented as different from the usual fad diet.

Sellers say the patches are clinically proven and can safely burn calories and fat without skipping meals or crash dieting. There is no good scientific evidence that diet patches cause weight loss, and the US Federal Trade Commission has taken action against companies for making unsupported claims about diet patches.

On the positive side, a patch does not require you to cut out any food groups, so a person using it can still eat a well-balanced diet. Any weight lost while using a patch is most likely due to that diet and to exercise.

3. It uses what is called patch, or transdermal, technology.

The sellers’ explanation is that substances taken by mouth pass through different organs of the body, and that harmful ingredients that enter the body this way may pose greater risks.

According to this claim, the substances go through organs such as the stomach and liver before they reach the bloodstream, and therefore pose a greater risk to the person concerned.

With patch technology, substances are absorbed through the skin and go straight into the bloodstream, without passing through the stomach and liver first. Transdermal patches are a real and useful way of giving some medicines, such as nicotine or hormones.

However, the claim that the blood filters out harmful substances, so that only the useful ones reach the cells, is not accurate. Whatever is absorbed reaches the whole body, and there is no evidence that the herbal ingredients in diet patches are absorbed in amounts that affect weight.

Manufacturers also say that their patches contain ingredients that help people lose weight while improving their health and well-being. These claims are not backed by reliable studies.

So before you spend money on a weight loss patch, think carefully and talk to your doctor or pharmacist, especially if you take medication, are pregnant or have a health condition.

The patches are usually sold in packs of 30, and one patch is meant to be worn each day, so a pack lasts about a month.

Weight loss patches are marketed as making weight loss easy for everyone.

In practice, lasting weight loss still comes from a balanced diet, regular exercise and patience, with or without a patch. If you do choose to try one, treat it as an extra, never as a replacement for healthy habits.

The Chinese milk scare does not stop just in China. Factories that buy from China sells in every country and the milk are mixed in animal food and to make chocolate for example.

Melamine has been found in Thai eggs from China and in Chocolate from Switzerland. The problem is that the government can not find the products fast enough before people have been affected.

So how can you be sure there is no melamine in you food? The best way for now is to avoid products from China. You can do that by check the barcode on your products.

I went down to the shop yesterday and 80 % of the food I was thinking of buying was from China. I have no idea that that much food was made in China.

Check the bar code

If its 690, 691and 692 then its MADE IN CHINA while 471 is made in Taiwan and here is some random countries that make a lot of food.

00 ~ 09 USA & CANADA
30 ~ 37 FRANCE
40 ~ 44 GERMANY
49 – JAPAN
50 – UK

So if you want to take care of your health avoid products made in China right now.