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Surecomp: Streamlining the Trade Finance Ecosystem

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Udayan Kelkar, Global Head of Sales and Marketing, SurecompUdayan Kelkar, Global Head of Sales and Marketing
World Economic Forum has estimated that 20 percent value of trade would be the cost of documentary trade as the banks and corporates spend a hefty amount in processing the trade documents. Companies such as Surecomp were the first ones to realize the tremendous need to automate and streamline the whole process of documentary trade.

Founded in 1987 as a fintech company, Surecomp started its journey as a trade finance software solutions provider and has been focusing on trade and supply chain finance ever since. “We help the banks and corporate stakeholders to streamline the entire trade finance process making it more efficient, reliable, and productive by reducing the costs of supporting the trade. In a way, what we are doing is enhancing global trade,” explains Udayan Kelkar, global head of sales and marketing, Surecomp.

Surecomp has an impressive track record of delivering trade finance solutions to a large client base for three decades. Today, it has over 300 clients globally including banks and corporates across North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “One measure of success is acquiring new clients and businesses while the other is the ability to retain those clients; we are unique in this regard,” says Kelkar. Not only does Surecomp acquire new clients but also continues to retain the old relationships with banks and corporates, which is a sign of trust that clients have in Surecomp.

Surecomp provides trade finance solutions to banks as well as corporates thus giving it a unique vantage view of the entire trade ecosystem. Its trade finance systems help streamline the management of trade transactions, reduce turnaround time, and optimize costs. Surecomp’s trade finance systems provide customers with visibility into the volume and structure of their trade finance transactions. Its trade finance systems have enabled Surecomp to weave several success stories, with large and small/mid-sized banks as well as several corporates. One of those is of a large global multinational corporation operating in almost 140 countries with over 4000 users. Surecomp’s solutions offer corporate organizations a solution to control and manage the risk involved in documentary trade, control costs, improve the efficiency of their different departments, and manage bank limits or credit lines. The solutions help to automate the entire workflow in order to support approval hierarchies, complex corporate structures, and centralized/ decentralized operations.

One measure of success is acquiring new clients and businesses while the other is the ability to retain those clients; we are unique in this regard

Apart from trade and supply chain finance solutions, Surecomp also provides treasury products to businesses in Latin America and is looking forward to delivering them to businesses outside that region. Taking automation and the entire ecosystem of trade finance to the next level, Surecomp is leveraging new technologies such as blockchain—DLT, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, open APIs, among others. Currently, the firm is participating in blockchain initiatives and realizing the rapid adoption of open APIs amongst banks and corporates. Surecomp also has started leveraging open APIs to enable its customers to access different trade finance solutions quickly and efficiently. The team has already launched Surecomp open API— SAPI—which allows various stakeholders, banks, customers, and corporates to interact with each other. In a nutshell, Surecomp seems to be taking all the possible initiatives to ensure that it offers the best possible and future proof solutions to its clientele.
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Toronto, Ontario

Udayan Kelkar, Global Head of Sales and Marketing

Provides trade, supply chain finance, and treasury solutions to help banks and corporates optimize their trade processes

Surecomp News

Surecomp Creates Trade Finance API Platform

Trade finance FinTech Surecomp is rolling out an API platform for the industry aimed at accelerating trade finance industry players’ adoption and integration of technology.

In a press release Canada-based Surecomp said its APIsure platform has officially launched amid deepening collaboration between banks, FinTechs and corporates in the trade finance industry. The platform’s suite of services will see a series of rollouts throughout the year, the company said.

The solution was designed with participation from companies across Europe and Asia, and early testing of the platform saw firms creating their own trade finance applications that can seamlessly integrate with other third-party solutions. Surecomp said APIsure interfaces with banks’ and corporates’ existing API infrastructure, including blockchain projects and initiatives with collaborators across borders.

Developers can access the platform via the Surecomp website and accelerate banks’ and corporates’ rollout of their own trade finance apps.

“Our continued investments in embracing disruptive technologies will enable our customers to move towards higher levels of automation and enable them to run their operations more efficiently, customizing applications to their all-encompassing needs,” Surecomp Chairman and CEO Joel Koschitzky said in a statement.

Lyron Wahrmann, Surecomp’s head of digitization, said the firm has pledged to ensure its customers’ digital futures. “We are confident that APIsure will exponentially extend the capabilities of our trade finance platforms through our collaborative partners and the in-house development of our customers,” Wahrmann said.

APIs have become a critical component of corporate banking technology as Open Banking initiatives in the U.K., Europe and elsewhere proliferate.

Last year France-based Tinubu Square launched an innovation lab to explore trade credit finance technology development with a focus on APIs and blockchain, while APIs have also become a focus for development of technology in other areas of trade, including cross-border payments and B2B eCommerce.

In an earlier conversation with PYMNTS for its B2B API Tracker, Mayank Mishra, managing director and global head of Channel Services for Citi’s Treasury and Trade Solutions, said APIs are allowing companies to take “a leap over applications” and reflect shifting needs among globally trading organizations.


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Resize Images

Resizes images uploaded to Cloud Storage to a specified size, and optionally keeps or deletes the original image.

How this extension works

Use this extension to create resized versions of an image uploaded to a Cloud Storage bucket.

When you upload an image file to your specified Cloud Storage bucket, this extension:

  • Creates a resized image with your specified dimensions.
  • Names the resized image using the same name as the original uploaded image, but suffixed with your specified width and height.
  • Stores the resized image in the same Storage bucket as the original uploaded image.

You can even configure the extension to create resized images of different dimensions for each original image upload. For example, you might want images that are 200x200, 400x400, and 680x680 - this extension can create these three resized images then store them in your bucket.

The extension automatically copies the following metadata, if present, from the original image to the resized image(s): Cache-Control, Content-Disposition, Content-Encoding, Content-Language, Content-Type, and user-provided metadata (except Firebase storage download tokens). Note that you can optionally configure the extension to overwrite the Cache-Control value for the resized image(s).

Detailed configuration information

To configure this extension, you specify a maximum width and a maximum height (in pixels, px). This extension keeps the aspect ratio of uploaded images constant and shrinks the image until the resized image's dimensions are at or under your specified max width and height.

For example, say that you specify a max width of 200px and a max height of 100px. You upload an image that is 480px wide by 640px high, which means a 0.75 aspect ratio. The final resized image will be 75px wide by 100px high to maintain the aspect ratio while also being at or under both of your maximum specified dimensions.

Additional setup

Before installing this extension, make sure that you've set up a Cloud Storage bucket in your Firebase project.

This extension uses other Firebase or Google Cloud Platform services which may have associated charges:

  • Cloud Storage
  • Cloud Functions

When you use Firebase Extensions, you're only charged for the underlying resources that you use. A paid-tier billing plan is only required if the extension uses a service that requires a paid-tier plan, for example calling to a Google Cloud Platform API or making outbound network requests to non-Google services. All Firebase services offer a free tier of usage. Learn more about Firebase billing.

How to install this extension

Using the Firebase console

To install and manage extensions, you can use the Firebase console.

Install using console

Using the Firebase CLI

To install and manage extensions, you can also use the Firebase CLI:

Step 1: Run the following npm command to install the CLI or update to the latest CLI version.

npm install -g firebase-tools
Doesn't work? Take a look at the Firebase CLI reference or change your npm permissions.

Step 2: Install this extension by running the following command

firebase ext:install storage-resize-images --project=projectId_or_alias
Cloud Storage

warcinfo:
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publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for February 2020
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
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Karbonn A9s

On this page, you will find the official link to download Karbonn A9s Stock Firmware ROM (flash file) on your Computer. Firmware comes in a zip package, which contains Flash File, Flash Tool, USB Driver, and How-to Flash Manual.

Karbonn A9s Stock Firmware (flash file)

The Flash File will help you to Upgrade, Downgrade, or re-install the Stock Firmware (OS) on your Mobile Device. The Flash File (ROM) also helps you to repair the Mobile device, if it is facing any Software Issue, Bootloop Issue, IMEI Issue, or Dead Issue.

File Name: Karbonn_A9s_V9_21-08-2014.zip
File Size: 467 MB
Flash Tool: SPD Flash Tool
How to Flash (install): Follow Tutorial

Get Link

How to Flash or Install Firmware (ROM)

Step 1: Download and extract the Karbonn A9s stock firmware package on your computer.

Step 2: After extracting the package, you will be able to get the Firmware File, Flash Tool, Driver, and How-to Flash Guide.

Step 3: Install the provided USB Driver on your Computer, and if in case of USB Driver is already installed, SKIP this step).

Step 4: Follow the How-to Flash Manual to Flash the Firmware on your Karbonn A9s Device.

Follow Pictorial Tutorial in Detail

Readme Once:

[*] SPD Flash Tool: If you wish to download the latest version of SPD Flash Tool, then head over to the SPD Flash Tool page.

[*] Take a Backup: If you are going to flash the above Firmware on your Karbonn A9s device, then take a backup of everything because your personal data will be deleted after flashing the stock firmware.

[*] The firmware shared on this page is officially released by the company and helps you to recovery your device if you ever got boot loop, software error, update error, hanging and dead issue.

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Copyright © 2015-2020 Firmware File. All Rights Reserved.


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First Advisory Group

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    Rely on the know-how and experience of our specialists. For more efficiency and quality.

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Stop Requested, Denied

I spoke recently with the shocked survivors of a horrifying experience, one of shock and horror and buses. Comp Sci Major and local urban legend Brandon McChandler says that it was shortly after he got on what some are calling the Santa Cruz Metro Bus from Hell that he began to notice that something wasn’t quite right. “People started whispering quietly and a few people were tugging vigorously at those cables on the sides”. Brandon says he didn’t pay much attention at first. “Someone was like ‘we have to stop the bus’ but I ignored them because I was gonna get from Crown to 9/10 if it killed me goddammit.” However, as multiple stops came and went, Brandon says he started to grow a little concerned. “I didn’t know what was going on,” says Art History Major Tupac Shakira, “but all of a sudden the display at the front of the bus started glitching and then the voice announcer said ‘Stop Denied’ in this menacing tone. I was terrified. We all were.

“I dunno, I wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying or anything,” comments Brandon “cause honestly like she’s so hot I got distracted. My ‘To Do’ list is just her, Siri, and the unexpected item in the bagging area lady. And then her again.” At this point, Brandon says, “I was like hey the bus driver isn’t there anymore, and the bus is steering itself, like what?”

“We were speeding along streets and over sidewalks. The bus was going full speed and it wasn’t stopping,” says Geology Major Nathanos Glover, “it was literally possessed.”

“No one knew what to do,” Brandon later DMed me on Instagram, “We all thought we were gonna die. Anyway Gennifer it’s so random that I found you again, we should totally hang out sometime haha.” Unfortunately, I was not able to reach Brandon for any further comment.

Our slugs’ terrifying ride only ended when ‘Beelzebus’ careened into the metro center. Most people on board still made sure to thank the bus as they left. Santa Cruz Metro released a statement on the matter, confirming that the bus would be placed on a 3-day paid leave.

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2 Week Diet Archives - Fit Life Geek

Category Archives for "2 Week Diet"

Jan 10

Forget the Latest Fad, Is a Mindful Eating Diet Right For You

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

There’s always a hot diet everyone is talking about. Every year, sometimes every month, it seems like there is something new that is the “latest and greatest.” The problem is, these don’t always work for everyone.

The other problem is that it’s not always realistic to turn your life and routines on their head to lose weight. It’s no wonder people fail so often when these plans call for such drastic action.

Every season, men and women alike decide that they want to get in shape and change their ways for a more healthy lifestyle and more fit body. You may come across diets that involve rigorous structures and only allow certain foods, which can make it a bit daunting to start the diet in the first place.

One option to consider is a mindful eating diet – one that doesn’t specifically rule out any foods, making it an easier diet to follow if deprivation diets have let you down in the past.

Basic Principles of a Mindful Eating Diet

A mindful eating diet works off of the principle that you don’t have to stop eating the things you like in order to lose weight. Instead, the diet revolves around only eating when you really need to, as opposed to snacking constantly throughout the day or eating huge portions that go above and beyond what you really need.

While it’s very easy to snack on things like chips and candies throughout the day, it only adds empty calories and carbs. Typically, you would want to wait until you’re really hungry, and then eat a balanced and healthy meal.

You can also still eat unhealthy foods, like chips and candies, but just in smaller quantities. Instead of a whole bag of gummi candies, eat a single serving to go along with your meal.

If you’re still hungry and craving after that, you can always get more, but typically you won’t really be too hungry. Whenever you get the feeling that you might be hungry or even just want to eat, think about how hungry you really are at that moment.

Once you cross that line of needing some food, make the right choices and pick out your meal carefully. If you’re feeling like having some chips, check the serving size on the nutrition facts, and have just one or even one half of a serving.

By only eating when you’re really hungry, you cut back significantly on the amount of calories you take in, even if you’re eating unhealthy foods. This also means that you can spend more time doing things you enjoy, instead of just mindlessly eating.

By eating mindfully, you’re more aware of how much food you’re eating and what that food is. While eating mindlessly, like snacking while watching a movie or a TV show, it’s very easy to lose track of how much you’ve eaten.

There are some downsides to this diet, but there are way more positive aspects. For example, you may find it a bit more difficult eating in this new way, and have to teach yourself to not snack mindlessly.

However, the upside is that you can still have all of the foods that you like, just in more moderate quantities. Mindful eating has been proven to be an effective form of dieting, and is much better for beginners.

Since you don’t have to completely cut out any foods, you’re less likely to trail off from the diet due to cravings. There are no good foods or bad foods, and when you realize that nothing is off-limits, you aren’t as panicked wanting to binge on unhealthy foods – so it paves the way for better food choices.

Who a Mindful Eating Diet Works Best For

Mindful eating diets work really well for beginners or those who always fail to adhere to a deprivation or restrictive diet, because you don’t have to cut out food choices in your usual diet like you would with other stricter diets.

The hardest part of it is reversing the old habits you may have built up when it comes to mindlessly eating. You’ll have to actively think every time you eat and make sure you’re genuinely hungry, and if you’re not, make the decision to not eat until you are.

If you have a fair bit of time on your hands, then the mindful eating diet can work better for you. You have to forget about rushing through a meal and eat slower so that you can check your hunger cues.

You’ll be able to take time to prepare your meal when you’re hungry, and be able to wait and see if you’re still hungry after you eat. It’s recommended that you wait about 20 minutes after eating to see if you’re still hungry, because your body takes that much time to digest the food.

Mindful eating diets will allow you to get more acquainted with healthier foods, acting as a bit of a gateway into dieting. You’ll end up eating more healthy, low calorie food naturally because you’re still getting all the other foods you want that you previously considered a guilty indulgence – only in much smaller portions.

Fruits and vegetables as well as lean protein will help satisfy your hunger faster, allowing you to consume smaller portions. Mindful eating diets may not work as well with people who are very athletic, because they may need to eat even when they’re not hungry to fit in caloric and macromolecule goals.

People who don’t have a lot of time and have to eat a lot on the go may get frustrated with this diet as well, since they won’t be able to sit down and think about how hungry they are and if they really need to eat at that moment.

The mindful eating diet involves a lot of patience, so if you’re impatient, it might be worth checking out a different diet. If you’re very observant and patient and willing to take the time to understand your hunger cues, then this diet is definitely for you.

It takes willpower to be able to realize that you’re not hungry and then not eat until you really are. You’ll have to be able to say no to yourself when you want to snack or eat mindlessly, which isn’t an easy task.

Nonetheless, it’s entirely possible to do it successfully, so don’t get deterred. It will take some practicing, and you may slip once or twice, but once you get used to this diet, it will just come naturally.

How to Get Prepared for a Mindful Eating Diet

There are a few steps you can take to get yourself prepared for your mindful eating diet. These steps will make your transition to this new diet much easier, and make you more likely to succeed and not drop the diet.

If you try to just jump right into the diet without taking a few steps to ready yourself, you’ll find it to be pretty difficult and a very jarring transition. One step that you can take to get yourself ready is buying smaller portions of foods – especially those you love to eat that you deem “unhealthy.”

Instead of a large bag of chips, get individual portion sizes so that you become familiar with what a normal portion is. Get some healthier foods to balance it out, though, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grain, and white meats.

Because no food is off limits, you’ll need to begin practicing how to balance the good with the “bad” so that you’re not living off of an unhealthy diet 24/7. You should also spend a few days before even making any changes to your diet just thinking about how hungry you really are while you eat.

The sooner you start taking note of things like this, the sooner you’ll get used to doing it naturally, making the whole diet a lot easier. Eat as you normally would, but just think about whether or not you’re really hungry when you eat – and to what point you eat, too – until you’re no longer hungry, or until you’re so stuffed that you’re miserable?

You’ll also want to get used to eating without doing something else at the same time. For example, you might be used to eating while watching TV, but that only leads to mindless eating, since you’re more focused on the TV than you are on how hungry you are.

Instead, try to get used to sitting down at a table and eating without any distractions. You’ll be much more observant about how much you’re eating and how hungry you really are, whereas if you were engrossed in a TV show, you could go through an entire large bag of chips without even realizing it.

It will also help if you roughly plan out your meals in advance. If you eat more on impulse, you’ll find that you end up eating more than you really should. Plan on eating a smaller sized meal, and then after you eat, wait before eating any more.

You can even prepare your smaller meals ahead of time and refrigerate them, so when you’re ready to eat them you can just microwave them. Try investing in smaller plates, too – more like the kid sized plates, bowls and cups.

This makes your brain think your plate is fuller, but the reality is, it’s a much smaller portion than you’re used to. It prevents you from overloading your plate with food your body isn’t truly hungry for.

Sample Meal Plan for a Mindful Eating Diet

One of the best parts about mindful eating is that you don’t have to follow an exact diet plan, with some foods being allowed and others not. While you should be incorporating more healthy foods, it’s not required with the mindful eating diet, since the whole point is just taking everything in moderation.

You can still have some dinners that aren’t that great for you, as long as you have less of it and only eat when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re no longer hungry (not until full).

When craving snacks – make sure that your body is genuinely hungry for it. It might just be a mental hunger or even mouth hunger, where your mouth is used to the habit of eating.

If you are truly hungry, you have options. You can have something you crave that’s unhealthy, but try to use a very small portion of it to take the edge off – and use healthier foods to fill the rest of that void.

For example, fruits are a really great mid-day snack. Whether it be bananas, apples, oranges, or any other fruit, they can stop your cravings and provide you with lots of nutrients.

You can also snack on peanuts, almonds, and other nuts, which are good sources of protein. You may also want to get foods that you can make in advance and refrigerate. For example, you can cook and store some chicken and vegetables.

Raw chicken is fairly cheap when bought in bulk, and it can be cooked in many different healthy ways for variety. You can pair the chicken with either cooked or raw vegetables, store it all in some plastic containers, and refrigerate it.

If you end up eating out at a restaurant, you can usually get to-go boxes that let you bring a good portion of your meal home. It’s very easy to overeat at restaurants, since they give you such large portions of food and you don’t want to waste it.

Always ask for a to-go container and only eat until you stop being hungry, rather than eating until you’re full. You can always put the food from the restaurant into the plastic containers to keep it fresh for a longer time.

The best kind of food to eat on a mindful eating diet is food that’s fresh and enjoyable – and full of flavor. You want to eat slowly when you eat mindfully because it takes time for your body to send the signal to your brain that you’re not hungry anymore.

You don’t want the kind of food that you scarf down quickly and eat a lot of, especially those that are high in calories and not filling. Ideally, when it comes to mindful eating, you would vary the sizes and contents of your meals according to what you felt like eating and how hungry you were at that time.

Don’t follow a structured schedule when it comes to meals, setting a time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While you don’t want to graze all day, learn how to be in tune with your body’s needs and eat only when true hunger strikes.

Tips to Increase Success on a Mindful Eating Diet

There are a few extra tricks that you can employ to increase your chance of success on the mindful eating diet. For example, it’s worth trying to keep a log of all the food that you eat.

When you eat mindlessly, you don’t realize how much you’re actually eating – especially since you don’t lay it all out at once before you eat it all. By keeping a log of what you eat and how much you’re eating, you can look back and see how much you’re really eating.

You don’t have to write it. You can create a private Instagram account and simply snap a picture you can look back on. You can even take 2 pictures per meal – a before and after, to see how much food you left on your plate.

Another good tip is to drink some water before you eat. The water will make you feel a bit fuller, making you want to eat less that you’ll usually want to. This also helps you get a good amount of water in your system, which will help you digest the food better.

Similarly, tea is a good thing to make and drink before eating or when you get the urge to snack when you’re not really hungry. Whenever you get the urge to snack without being hungry, work on a hobby that engages your mind and keeps your hands busy.

For example, you could mess around with some modeling clay or whittle some wood. It doesn’t really matter what you’re doing as long as it takes your mind off of snacking. You should also avoid doing other things while you eat – unless you take time to stop periodically and assess your hunger cues, with 10 being miserably stuffed and 1 being starving.

If you’re watching TV shows, movies, reading, or doing anything else while you eat, you’re not going to be paying attention to how full you are or when you stop being hungry, leading to mindless eating.

Make eating more of an event by sitting down at a table and only focusing on eating food. This will make you much more conscious of what and how much you’re eating. Some have even recommended watching yourself eat in a mirror, which can really make you see how much food you’re eating.

You can also end up eating less if you slow down and enjoy your food more. Many people tend to eat very quickly, and don’t really realize how much they’re eating when they do that. Instead, chew each bite thoroughly.

This will not only make the food more enjoyable, but it will also give your body time to let your mind know if it’s hungry or not anymore. Finally, you should still eat some of the things you like and enjoy eating, even if it’s not healthy.

The hardest part of diets for everyone is the immediate switch in food choices, so if you don’t pull such a hard switch, you’ll find it much easier to stick with. You shouldn’t feel bad about eating, you should just be mindful of how much you’re eating and know when to stop.

If you think this sounds like something you want to try or at least learn more about, check out this link: Mindful Body Program

Jan 07

This is How to Reclaim and Restore Your Health with the 30 Day Paleo Challenge

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

Sure, losing weight would be great. But wouldn’t also be great to feel healthy? What about actually having more energy? That would be awesome. Most diets I tried made me feel worse.

So what’s all the buzz about the 30 day Paleohacks Challenge? It’s about how to reclaim, restore and rejuvenate your health in 30 days or less. Let’s start with the basics, what is the paleo diet anyway? The paleolithic, or simply paleo diet – is a fairly popular diet which revolves around the concept of only eating foods that humans could’ve eaten in primal times, basically an all natural, no processed foods diet.

Basic Principles of a Paleo Diet

In a paleo diet, you can’t have any foods that prehistoric humans couldn’t have gotten. This means you can only have foods that are completely natural, either coming from animals or from plants and trees.

This diet has a lot of benefits to it. Since you’re cutting out processed and factory-made foods, you’re cutting out a ton of unhealthy foods from your diet. This alone will yield weight loss and health improvement results almost immediately. This is the foundation of the 30 Day Paleohacks Challenge .

Additionally, the lack of processed foods containing harmful ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup can lead to you having more energy and even an increased life span.

The paleo diet is supposedly how our bodies were meant to live, so we perform better on it. The meals you’ll eat on the paleo diet will leave you feeling more full, which helps prevent you from overeating, a major contributor to weight gain in the United States.

As long as you keep your portions controlled under this diet, you won’t be hungry, and you’ll be plenty satisfied. A paleo diet still allows you to have enough food options that you’ll never quite be bored of the meals, but is restrictive enough that you won’t be overwhelmed by options or be allowed to just go overboard.

No unhealthy food means you’re most likely going to lose weight, but just because a food is healthy doesn’t mean you can have as much of it as you want. For example, you can have just about as much broccoli as you’d like, which fits within the limits of the paleo diet.

However, if you were to eat an excessive amount of almonds, which is also allowed, you’d be taking in too many calories. One of the few drawbacks is that this diet can get to be a bit more pricey than a diet full of junk food.

Processed factory foods are often far cheaper than real natural foods, but there are a few ways around that if you know how to shop smart. However, the increased cost is worth it given the results.

The paleo diet can even help with inflammation pain, as naturally occurring foods like vegetables and fruits can help immensely with that. They contain all of the right nutrients to help your body fight disease, whereas the chemicals in factory foods can lead to increased risk of disease.

Are You Ready to Reclaim and Restore Your Health?

One of the hardest things about dieting and lifestyle change is staying motivated. It’s easy to go from gung ho New Year’s Resolution to complete defeat in a matter of a week. That’s what’s awesome about the 30 day challenge.

Most successful people will tell you that goals need to be well defined and they need to have time limits. You can’t just say, hey, I’m gonna lose weight this year. . .

It’s too broad. You lose focus and motivation too easily. That’s where the 30 day challenge kicks in. This will keep you focused and motivated to get you to the point where you see results and start feeling better.

If you think this sounds like something you want to try or at least learn more about, check out this link: 30 Day Paleohacks Challenge.

Everytime I want to do something, I put it off to “think about it.” By the time I decide two weeks later, I’m mad that I could have been making progress all that time. That’s especially true in this case, you could be halfway through in two weeks. So there’s no time like now to get started.

Jan 07

Get Heart Healthy and Lose Weight with the Mediterranean Diet

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

If you’re tired of all the latest fad diets, but want to get serious about your health and losing weight, you should check out the Mediterranean Diet. Whenever you’re dieting for weight loss, it’s even better when there are additional health benefits. That’s what the Mediterranean diet brings to the table – a plethora of heart health benefits your body needs. The concept is derived from the eating habits and meal customs of the countries that are based around the Mediterranean Sea where the people enjoy olive oil, red wine, delicious vegetables and more.

On this particular diet plan, your cravings for sweets will dissipate and you’ll be able to enjoy a burst of energy because your blood sugar becomes more stabilized throughout the process.

Basic Principles of the Mediterranean Diet

This diet is proven to help reduce heart disease by helping you lower your LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol that accumulates in your arteries and causes blockages). The weight loss is a side benefit of following this diet, but it’s the primary reason why many people choose to follow it. In addition to heart health and weight loss, you also cut your risk of certain cancers and reduce the chance that you’ll suffer from dementia or Parkinson’s disease.

You’ll want to begin incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet and cut out processed foods like pasta and white rice. Whole grains are perfectly fine on this diet, and while you’ll be able to enjoy meat, it’s not the focus – plants are! When you do eat meat, make sure it’s heart-healthy fish or lean chicken. Red meat is okay, but it’s best to consume it in moderation. Forget about processed meats like bacon, sausage, or some sandwich meats. You want to make sure that you’re consuming plenty of produce throughout each day, about 9-10 servings per day – and start enjoying snacks of nuts like walnuts, almonds, and pistachios.

Your cooking habits might change a bit. Instead of cooking foods in a way that’s not healthy, you’ll be using olive or canola oils and naturally occurring herbs and spices to contribute flavor to the food – not salt. Can you drink milk or wine? Moderate wine (red) is acceptable, as are dairy products – but try to make sure it’s the low fat version. In other ways, you don’t want to eliminate fat from your diet – not healthy fat, that is.

Healthy fats like olives, avocados, and those found in nuts are beneficial for the body and won’t impede your weight loss efforts. They’ll also bring a lot of flavor to your meals and help you feel full, longer.

Who the Mediterranean Diet Works Best For

The Mediterranean diet plans work best for people who also want to reap the rewards of additional health benefits as they shed pounds. The way this diet works to promote better health is perfect for anyone who is borderline diabetic, has a family history of heart disease or who just wants to live a more natural life.

This is a plan that’s best created for people who have some time to meal prep or cook fresh food on a daily basis. Since most processed foods are the ones people choose for a chaotic, on the go lifestyle, this diet requires just the opposite. You’ll do well if you love vegetables and fruits. If your taste buds haven’t experienced produce in forever, it might be a drastic change for you to engage in right at first. But you can learn to prepare these foods in a delicious and healthy manner. If you’re a hardcore red meat eater who loves anything fried, then this diet might be a struggle for you. But if you’re a master on the grill, it might be the perfect pairing. Baking is also a wonderful talent to have when you’re following the Mediterranean Diet.

Activity-wise, it’s good either way. Those who are sedentary will do well on it because the diet doesn’t have a ton of foods high in carbs – besides fresh vegetables and fruit. But the active individuals will be able to enjoy the energy boost these foods give them, to help them maintain the go getter schedule they adhere to. Is this a good plan for the whole family? Yes! It’s not about weight loss. That’s a perk of being on this diet. It’s a meal plan that is heart-healthy and beneficial for the whole family – mom, dad, and kids alike!

If you’re the kind of person who can’t control portions or goes way overboard on calories, then this may not work as well for you as a stricter diet plan. With the Mediterranean Diet, they tell you what foods to eat, but the willpower to maintain normal portion sizes is up to you. You don’t have to worry about losing weight if you’re eating healthy fats. These are fats that actually work better to help you lose weight – not against you where you’re packing on the pounds.

It’s a good plan for anyone who wants some flexibility. It’s not foods that are eliminated, but more of a swap in the method of preparation. So instead of a chicken fried steak with cream gravy, you’d enjoy a lean filet mignon with fresh vegetables on the side. You’re still getting the same foods, but they’re prepared in a manner that’s better for your body. Grilled or steamed, baked or broiled. Not fried in unhealthy oils. This is more a matter of learning how to use foods to better your health than to use them against you.

How to Get Prepared for the Mediterranean Diet

Processed food is the enemy of success for this diet plan. You’ll want to spend some time and money stocking up on the freshest foods possible – along with some pantry staples such as herbs, spices and olive oil. Get a variety of flavors. With olive oil, you can get flavors like garlic, basil, lemon, Italian herb, fig, chili, orange, ginger, oregano, and even bay leaf. Get yourself a seasoning set so you can test out flavors such as cumin, rosemary, cinnamon, thyme and more. One of the best ways to prepare for the Mediterranean diet is to become familiar with how to cook a wide variety of vegetables to your liking. When you have a good grasp of how to prepare them, it makes it easy to save money.

Instead of being held hostage to the prices of the store, you’ll be able to amend your meal plan on the go whenever you spot a fabulous deal on a particular item in the produce section. Do some test runs on cooking meat in a healthier way if you’re used to deep frying and breading your meats. Try using the broiler or grilling the food and most importantly – learn which fish your palate likes and master the art of cooking it in line with the Mediterranean diet plan. If you like alcohol, make sure you have a variety of red wines available to pair with your menu options. Some non-alcoholic drinkers like to replace wine with red grape juice for the same great benefits.

Do you need a scale? The Mediterranean diet isn’t based on exact portions. You’re encouraged to watch your own hunger cues. But if it makes you feel better, then by all means get a food scale so you can measure the meats and other foods. You might want to get some Mediterranean cookbooks that align with how you like to eat. For example, if you’re a busy person, you might want to get a Mediterranean slow cooker cookbook so you can stick the ingredients in a slow cooker and let it prepare your meals for you by the time you get home. You can find smoothie recipes for the Mediterranean diet and get recipes for yummy desserts like biscotti, chocolate dipped fruits, baked fruits in wine sauce, grilled fruits and more.

You might be able to find some meal delivery services that specifically offer Mediterranean diet-friendly foods for their customers. The plan has such wide health appeal and is so popular that many companies offer it as a staple selection, so if you’re in a time crunch, ready to cook meals might be just the ticket to longevity with this diet.

Sample Meal Plan for the Mediterranean Diet

When you’re planning your meals, make sure you’re adhering to a natural foods premise. Fruits and eggs are great for breakfast – just make sure you’re cooking the eggs in olive oil. Omelets are a great options. You can load the eggs up with vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, onions and more – a Mediterranean-friendly breakfast choice. You can also make smoothies that are good for this diet plan.

Lunch and dinner can be similar, depending on whether you’re cooking at home, taking meal prep containers with you for lunch, or needing to pack more convenient foods. Some places, such as Starbucks, offer Mediterranean meals like the protein pack that are in line with this plan. If you’re cooking vegetables, make sure you add broccoli whenever possible. This vegetable curbs hunger and provides many nutritional benefits. You can sauté some green vegetables in olive oil with something to flavor it – like garlic. Or roast some red peppers for a bright, flavorful addition.

Choose whole grains to cook with – such as brown rice or quinoa. Making pasta meals is fine, but try to make the meal a healthy version and not one loaded with melted cheese and high fat meats. In fact, meat like fish and chicken are great to have frequently, but if you like red meat, cut down on that and only eat it in moderation, such as a couple of times per week for optimal health.

If you’re eating salads, don’t be shy about sprinkling nuts or seeds over the top. Greek salads are different from a typical lettuce-based salad. They sometimes include tomatoes, beans, cheese, olives, cucumbers, and onions and is drizzled with olive oil. Even pizza isn’t off limits! Pizza made with fresh ingredients is a healthy option – especially the heart healthy tomato sauce. One thing many dieters appreciate about this meal plan is that bread is not off limits.

You can have bruschetta, which is a delicious mix of the bread, topped with tomato, basil and garlic to flavor it. You can also have dips made from fava beans or hummus made from chickpeas and a few flavor additions. If you’re in the mood to snack, choose Greek yogurt – or make a nice plate of raw fruits, vegetables and healthy nuts. Anything natural that hasn’t been processed is usually a good option, but just eat enough to take your hunger away and no more. With all of your meals, keep them fresh and steer clear of drowning the nutrients out with creams and sauces – or cooking them in a manner that depletes the produce from maintaining its health benefits.

Tips to Increase Success on the Mediterranean Diet

Whenever you’re cooking, or planning a meal, look at each individual ingredient and ask yourself if it’s natural or processed. If it’s a processed food, like butter, figure out a comparable, Mediterranean friendly swap – such as olive oil. Look at the plate as you prepare it. Is it bland looking? Mediterranean meals are often vibrant, so the person eating it gets a wide array of produce, which delivers maximum health benefits.

Check to make sure you’re using whole grains in everything – including bread. You can enjoy bread and dip it into a flavored olive oil as a snack. This is delicious and filling, and helps you lose weight as long as you don’t overdo it. Make sure you’re not avoiding fat. It’s easy, on a diet to lose weight, to get the mindset where you want to avoid anything that even remotely resembles something you’re trying to lose – but this type of healthy fat can assist you in shedding pounds.

You have a wide variety of foods you can enjoy on this diet plan, so enjoy them! Try tons of foods you’ve never sampled before – or even heard of before. Get a recipe for it, buy the ingredients and go for it. Use the Greek habit of creating mezzes, which are little plates that almost create a sampling of appetizers or hors d’oeuvres. You can put things like your favorite nuts, green or black olives, and even cheeses. Make sure that first and foremost, you’re relaxing and enjoying your new Mediterranean way of eating. The natural fats will help you feel full, faster, but you still have to slow down and savor each bite so that you don’t go overboard.

If you’re doing this for weight loss, you’ll likely be tracking your weight on a regular weigh-in basis. But it might be helpful to track other elements of your health such as your cholesterol and triglycerides, too. You should notice a remarkable change in the numbers and the boost of confidence you’ll get, knowing you’re on the track to overall better health, will assist you in sticking to the program for a long period of time. The best part is, since the fat is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, you probably won’t be craving sweets anymore. Your energy will level off, rather than spiking and crashing throughout the day because your blood sugar will stabilize.

The Mediterranean diet is also easy to amend while eating out at restaurants. Simply ask the kitchen to prepare your foods in the way that you want them, and avoid menu options such as breaded meats and dishes with heavy creams and sauces in them.

Jan 07

Here’s How to Start Your New Year with a Low Fat Diet

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

With all the talk of High Fat/Low Carb diets, people may have forgot that you can lose weight by cutting the fat in your diet instead of increasing it. Some may have also forgot that cutting fat can be very healthy. A low fat lifestyle can cut your risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, coronary disease, cancer and stroke. Unlike other popular diet plans that are complicated and time-consuming, the Low Fat Diet is easy to follow and beginners can adapt quickly.

Some researchers say that the low fat diet is better than the low carb diet for reducing body fat and losing weight. Others say a low carb diet is better for losing weight – and in recent years the low or no carb diet plans have been the trend.

You can easily research these two diet plans along with others you think you might want to try and decide which is best for you.

Basic Principles of a Low Fat Diet

Some research indicates that a low fat diet plan leads to more fat loss and eventual weight loss – and that a low carb diet leads to fast weight loss. Fat loss has proven to be best for your health and is best for obese men and women.

The low fat diet plan encourages exercise to help you lose weight and be able to keep it off. Your energy comes from both burning fat and carbs and both depend on the hormone insulin for a good balance.

A good hormonal balance ensures that your metabolism burns more fat, lowers your insulin levels and causes you to eat less. Researchers in one study noted that the low fat diet resulted in more body fat lost than a low carb diet when it was tested calorie-for-calorie.

When you choose the low fat diet, you’ll be restricting fat and saturated fats, plus cholesterol. Preventing heart disease and obesity is the main focus for the low fat diet. By reducing the fat in your diet, you’ll naturally cut calories, too.

By going low-fat in your diet plan, you’ll be able to eat more food than when your diet was high in fats. Limiting fat intake to 35% of the total number of calories you consume in a day can prevent obesity and control saturated fats.

The low-fat diet includes more carbohydrates than the low-carb diet, so the calories add up easily and you might find yourself gaining weight if you don’t watch the calorie count. The promise of a low-carb diet plan is that you can eat foods high in fat.

Low carb can be much more difficult to keep weight off because you eventually want to eat fruit and other great-tasting, high carb foods. Reducing the fat in your diet means you’re reducing calories, so weight loss will occur.

Most diet plans are based on reducing calories, so other plans can be just as effective as the low fat diet for losing weight. One of the huge benefits of the low fat diet is that you’ll help prevent heart disease and lower your total and LDL cholesterol because you won’t be consuming foods with saturated fats.

Who a Low Fat Diet Works Best For

A low fat diet is especially good for very overweight or obese people who need to embark on a healthy diet that reduces fat in the body and helps regulate the metabolism.

This is a diet plan that can be followed for the long term because followers are usually happy with taste, are satisfied by the amount of food that can be consumed – and, it’s a practical diet that doesn’t require a lot of unusual ingredients.

Also, if you’re at high risk for coronary disease, stroke or the many other problems that can be caused by too much body fat, this could be the diet plan for you. The low fat diet is also a healthy plan, requiring that you change your lifestyle to consuming low fat foods that can keep you on track.

If your main focus is to lose weight, almost any type of diet will work. But if your objective is to lose weight, eat healthy and keep the weight off, the low fat diet may be able to generate results.

If you’re not willing to give up high fat foods such as donuts, cookies, other types of sweets and fatty meats and starches, this diet may not be for you. But, if your cholesterol is elevated you could be at risk for a stroke because of the plaque in your arteries.

The low fat diet limits the percentage of calories you consume from fat and also limits the sodium, dietary cholesterol and total calories. Many have complained that the low fat diet is bland – but it doesn’t have to be.

There are many ways to spice up your food without adding fat calories. Snacking between meals is also discouraged unless you snack on veggies or other low or no-fat foods.

Keep in mind that the foods must also be healthy for you. Some foods that tout low fat may be processed and considered unhealthy. The low fat diet won’t necessarily help you lose weight fast, but it will immediately make an impact on your health. Eventually, you will lose the weight you desire and you’ll be living a healthy lifestyle.

How to Get Prepared for a Low Fat Diet

There are good and healthy fats that you need in your diet and then there are the high fat foods that can put your health at risk. On the low fat diet plan, you need to familiarize yourself with the foods you can cook with and consume without adding fat to your diet.

If you cook with cooking oils that contain saturated fats, change to heart-healthy canola oil. Choose extra-lean meat when purchasing beef, pork or chicken breasts and then trim the meat to remove any extra fat.

Since you can bake, braise, poach, grill, broil, slow cook and microwave foods, you may want to purchase items that you can use for some of those cooking techniques. Be sure to read labels for the calorie amount. Some calorie-rich foods are labeled low-fat.

Healthy carbs can be consumed on the low-fat diet because high carb foods can sometimes trigger hunger. Make sure you choose healthy carbs such as fruit and whole-grains. Again, be aware of calories.

Plan your meals so that you have about as much time when not eating as when you’re sitting down to a meal. Your body will get used to the routine and it will serve to balance hormones.

You can prepare low fat dishes as easily as high fat dishes by following simple cooking conversions. There are lots of online cooking conversion charts you can use at a quick glance.

Measuring spoons, cups and other types of tools for cooking is important for you to have available in your kitchen to take the guesswork out of calorie and fat consumption. If you’re a busy person, you won’t lack for low-fat meals you can just pop in the microwave.

Learn how to read food labels. It’s essential for you to know the exact amount of fat in the product you’re purchasing. For example, extra lean or lean is used for meat such as poultry, seafood, game meat and meat.

Raw food that has never been frozen, cooked and contains no preservatives can be classified as fresh. Low on a food label might refer to calorie, cholesterol, fat, sodium and saturated fats.

Stay committed to a low fat diet plan and you’ll derive the benefits that it can provide such as good health, prevention of chronic diseases, gaining control of your life and losing weight.

After awhile, you will have more energy and self-confidence. Low fat is a lifestyle that you can easily adapt to if you prepare ahead of time and search for low fat options in the supermarket.

Sample Meal Plan for a Low Fat Diet

You don’t have to give up your favorite foods because you’re on a low fat diet. There are ways to reduce the fat without diminishing flavor. For example, lower the fat content in a BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich by trimming the fat on the bacon, use more lettuce and tomato and use mayonnaise that is fat-free.

Breakfast should always be a main meal on a low fat diet so you won’t lose steam in mid-morning. Use eggs and egg whites to make a great omelet with your favorite veggies and little or no butter.

Another healthy breakfast might consist of ¾ of a cup of oatmeal, orange juice, a banana and coffee. There’s hardly any saturated fat and as an extra bonus, all of the items can lower LDL because of the soluble fiber it contains.

Lunch can be quite filling with a Caesar salad made with egg substitutes and fat-free Parmesan cheese. Tacos or fajitas can be tasty items that you can take to work when you prepare ahead of time.

Use fat-free flour tortillas, lean flank steak – or beans – and lots of peppers and onions. Try ½ of a tuna sandwich made with light mayo, lettuce and tomato, a cup of low-sodium vegetable soup and an apple for a great brown-bag lunch that contains only 7.5 grams of fat.

Dinner can be very satisfying and tasty when you prepare ahead. You can prepare casseroles ahead of time and use trimmed, lean meat, reduced amounts of cream or cheese and low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

Add lots of veggies, beans, grain, rice or pasta to the casserole for texture and taste. After dinner, enjoy a piece of fruit (but watch the calories) or a dessert made with low-or no-fat products.

Rather than preparing pasta dishes using high-fat cream, cheese sauce and meat, use pasta primavera or pasta marinara. Cream sauce could be made with skim milk, fat-free cottage cheese and sour cream and add a fat-free Parmesan cheese for a topping.

Give up unhealthy snacks such as potato chips or candy bars and snack on low-fat microwave popcorn and/or baby carrots. Snacking between meals can ruin your diet plans, so avoid the vending machine in favor of low-calorie, low-fat snacks.

Low calorie meal and snack alternatives can provide lots of ideas for revamping your favorites. Also, consider minerals and vitamins when preparing meals. Many foods contain calories from fat and sugar, but have very few vitamins and minerals.

Today, we can choose from many low-fat or no-fat substitutes as ingredients for many dishes. And, non-stick cookware can keep you from having to use oil for sautéing – or try the many varieties of olive oil and no-stick sprays.

Tips to Increase Success on a Low Fat Diet

The best ways to reduce fat and calories in a low-fat diet and achieve the success you want lies in the preparation process. By using some low-fat or no-fat substitutes in your favorite recipes you can eat more of the dish without the fatty side effects.

So many products on the market today can help you along with your low-fat diet plan. Low-fat mayonnaise, non-hydrogenated items and other substitutions for high-fat options are great choices to keep you from feeling deprived.

Avoid convenience items that may contain a high amount of fat and processed ingredients. When purchasing meat, always look for lean – and limit your red meat intake to no more than three times per week.

Dried beans, tofu, peas and lentils are great meat substitutes. You should also limit the amount of egg yolks you use to three or four a week. Always choose non or low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt. Other options for dairy include fat-free cream cheese and sour cream.

Use spices and herbs for flavoring to keep you from missing the fat that makes many dishes tastier. Use lots of veggies, rice and beans for meals and avoid recipes that require the use of a deep-fat fryer.

Our busy lives don’t always leave time to prepare dinner. During those times, choose low-fat frozen dinners or make extra when you cook and freeze some of your own dishes ahead of time.

For a delicious and light dressing for your salads, simply squeeze lemon juice, add a bit of vinegar of mist some olive oil on the veggies. When you’re cooking pastries, use Phyllo Dough for pies, tarts and turnovers.

Learn what your trigger foods are and avoid them. Trigger foods make you crave high-fat foods and can slow down your progress on the low-fat diet. Also, know what are your buffer foods are.

For example, to ward off cravings you may enjoy a couple of squares of dark chocolate in the afternoon rather than a high-fat snack. Using a fat-free chicken broth in your recipes like soups, gravy and mashed potatoes adds taste without adding lots of calories and fat.

Season French fries and bake them in the oven rather than frying them in oil. You can enjoy a glass of red wine in the evening. It’s full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and can actually help your heart by increasing HDL – the good cholesterol.

It’s all in moderation – and calorie counting. Exercise is a big part of any diet plan and you should know that some forms of exercise may serve to make you hungry while others have little effect.

Sleep and stress may also affect your weight loss and health plan. Be aware of your body and what it’s telling you about exercise, sleep and stress and discover how your lifestyle is affecting your eating habits and weight gain.

Your lifestyle greatly affects your metabolism and how your body reacts to the low-fat diet, so pay attention to your actions and preferences.

Jan 07

This is How the Blood Sugar Diet Can Help You Lose Weight and Be Healthier

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

It’s hard to keep up with all the latest diets. Especially if you have other health concerns like type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. In that case, you need to know that a diet will help you lose weight and stay healthy. Today we’re going to check out the “Blood Sugar Diet” and look at whether its a good fit for you.

Taking control of your health by losing weight and feeling good are the main objectives of most diet plans. Everyone is different, so one particular diet won’t work for all of us. Many diets are followed for awhile and then dropped – causing more weight gain.

If you’re struggling with being overweight, tummy fat or type 2 diabetes, the Blood Sugar Diet may be the one that works best for you. Other diets may concentrate on weight loss through low carbohydrates, high protein or other methods.

Clinical trials have shown that The Blood Sugar Diet can greatly improve or reverse type 2 diabetes or prediabetes – and it’s the first diet to achieve that important goal. Research various diets yourself and choose one that you think would best work for you.

Basic Principles of a Blood Sugar Diet

Years of research has occurred to formulate the Blood Sugar Diet and the results have been amazing for those who have type 2 diabetes, prediabetes or those who simply want to have and maintain good health.

The Blood Sugar Diet is based on the popular and successful Mediterranean style diet plan. There are fewer refined and starch-based carbohydrates because these elements quickly transform to sugar in the blood.

Instead, this diet promotes a variety of colorful vegetables – lots of greens – and protein. Healthy fats like avocados and olive oil and unsweetened, plain yogurt are also on the list.

Not only can you lose up to 15% of your body weight in only eight weeks, but you’ll learn healthy eating habits that will help you reach your weight loss goals and keep the weight off.

The diet adheres to the theory that when you replace meals with bars and diet shakes, you don’t learn new eating habits that will keep your weight off and keep you healthy. You’ll just go back to the same meals, processed foods and those containing too much fat and gain even more weight as a result.

The biggest draw to the Blood Sugar Diet is that it can reverse some types of diabetes – and the evidence is there to prove it. You’ll learn that it isn’t the calories or portions that matter as much as it is learning a new way to eat.

It’s a formula for a healthy life. Your body controls your blood sugar levels and may become a serious problem if your level is too low or too high. In type 2 diabetes, blood sugar can no longer be controlled by the body.

Many young people are falling prey to this disease and they don’t seek help because they don’t realize they have it. The main objective of the Blood Sugar Diet is to get control of your blood sugar levels.

When that happens, you will lose weight rapidly and reach your goals faster than ever before.

Who a Blood Sugar Diet Works Best For

Anyone who has a problem or anticipates a future problem with blood sugar levels – particularly diabetes – can benefit from this diet plan. Since it’s based on the Mediterranean diet plan, you’ll get lots of fresh vegetables and a very healthy meal plan.

You may already have higher blood sugar levels than normal or have a history of diabetes (or raised lipids) in your family tree. Your waist line and tummy may be expanding, indicating that you’re storing excess weight around your internal organs.

Symptoms of unbalanced blood sugar include feeling thirsty, passing an excess amount of urine, cuts or scraps that are difficult to heal and feeling very fatigued most of the time.

The only reliable way to test your blood sugar is to have a blood test. Most people are unaware of raised blood sugar levels and only find out when they hear the doctor’s diagnosis and some damage has already been done.

If you need to lose weight (especially if you’re obese) or suspect you might develop diabetes, this diet plan is perfect for you. Be prepared for spending quite a bit of time required in the kitchen for prepping.

Chopping vegetables, measuring ingredients and sometimes weighing them and discovering new spices to make the food interesting can be time-consuming, but the results are delicious.

Although you won’t likely have hunger pangs on the Blood Sugar Diet, you might become bored with the plan. Since there’s no flexibility allowed, you might find it difficult to socialize at lunch or dinner at a restaurant since most meals would put you way above your daily allowance.

The Blood Sugar Diet doesn’t use low calorie shakes, but instead, advocates fresh and healthy foods to create meals from. The results for weight loss tend to be the same as meal replacement and the results are also proven to be healthier.

If you’re concerned about your health and blood sugar levels, this diet will work for you. If you simply want to lose weight you may want to check out other diet plans that are more acceptable to your lifestyle.

How to Get Prepared for a Blood Sugar Diet

Part of the preparation for the Blood Sugar Diet is to clear your pantry and refrigerator of all sugary, high-carbohydrate and processed foods that contain hidden sugars. You’ll want to find the nearest farmer’s market because you’ll want to eat fresh from now on.

Meals should be planned a week ahead of time to prevent last minute chaos and the possibility of going off the diet. You can find online sites that provide meals and ingredients for each week.

Some sites also include shopping lists so you can print it off and take it to the supermarket with you. Of course there will be foods you don’t like and in those cases you’ll need to substitute another meal and ingredients.

You can even find websites that will let you tweak the meals and ingredients so when you print the list out, it will be exactly what you need. Be prepared to spend a bit more to purchase ingredients for meals on the Blood Sugar Diet.

Fresh, organic and sugar-free foods cost less than sugar-laden and processed foods. You’ll likely have lots of leftovers which you can freeze and use on another day. You may also want to purchase pre-sliced or pre-packed fresh items in smaller quantities rather than a whole item.

For example, you can purchase vegetables already cut and in small containers rather than an entire vegetable. If you do find yourself with lots of leftover ingredients, consider preparing meals ahead of time and freezing them. It will save money and time.

Check out mail order or home delivery diet plans. Some have menus and ingredients specifically planned to be low-carbohydrate and low calorie. It may save you time in the kitchen and help you stay on the diet.

Kitchen gadgets help save you time during food prep and you might consider adding some to your kitchen when you begin preparation for this diet plan. You can get tools for blending, chopping and slicing and also those that make food more attractive (such as the tool that can julienne vegetables).

A food processor can make you look like a gourmet cook and can speed up the task of chopping, slicing and blending vegetables. It’s an investment that you’ll never regret and wish you had gotten sooner.

There are also mini-processors that are great for prepping smaller amounts of food – like chopping garlic, herbs and nuts. They’re great little tools and don’t take up a lot of room in your cabinet or countertop.

A box grater has been a staple in kitchens for a long time. Shredding and grating cheese, apples, zucchini, cucumber and carrots is easy and fast. The various holes in the gadget can be used for various ways you want to prepare the food.

Another must-have when preparing meals for the Blood Sugar Diet is the bench scraper. It’s usually used by bakers to scrape dough, but it works brilliantly for scooping up chopped veggies. It makes the kitchen cleanup fast and easy.

Anytime you embark on a new diet plan, there are ingredients and preparation techniques to learn and get used to. Eventually, you won’t have to think so much about the process and be able to prep in a flash.

Sample Meal Plan for a Blood Sugar Diet

Getting your blood sugar under control to prevent diabetes and other diseases can make a big difference in how you feel. The meals on the Blood Sugar Diet are designed to meet the need to stabilize your blood sugar, help you lose weight and give you more energy.

Some breakfast meals that are recommended on this diet include a vegetarian omelet made with fresh eggs and a variety of vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, onions or mushrooms. Be sure and sauté the veggies before adding them to your omelet.

Another good choice for breakfast would be a veggie frittata. Use any fresh vegetables such as squash, spinach or broccoli (use leftover vegetables if possible) to whip up a simple, but delicious frittata to get you off to a good start in the morning.

A Mediterranean salad bowl can be prepared ahead of time for lunch and give you all the nutrition you need for a balanced diet. Quinoa, cucumber, olives, tomato, hummus, red onion and olive oil can all be tossed in a bowl and eaten for nutritious and filling lunch.

Pizza rollups can be put together quickly and packed for a busy day’s lunch. Tortillas, tomato paste, black olives, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves can be mixed and spread over flour tortillas. Roll them up and cut them in ½ or 1 inch spirals.

Chicken and sage risotto is a hearty and delicious dinner meal that the entire family will enjoy. Cook onion and red pepper in low fat chicken broth and “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” and add rice and garlic.

Then, add Arborio rice and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the cooked chicken at the end and you have a great dinner. Pair it with a salad and low-fat vinaigrette and you’ll have a dinner meal that will be asked for time and again.

Greek-style pasta is a real people-pleaser and simple to prepare. Combine tomatoes, feta, olives, spices and salt and pepper in a bowl and chill while cooking some penne pasta. Drain the pasta when done — then, heat the garlic with olive in the same pan.

Add the pasta, chilled veggies and toss. Greek-style pasta is an attractive and delicious dish to serve company. You can also add a salad made with a variety of greens to round out the meal.

Snacks for the Blood Sugar Diet might include chickpeas that have been roasted with sea salt and Tamari. Chickpeas are a staple of a vegetarian diet because it provides protein that is often lost on a vegetarian or Mediterranean diet.

Another choice for a snack could include roasted cauliflower. It can also be used for a side dish with a main meal – and it’s so easy. First, cut the cauliflower in bite-sized pieces and then toss with olive oil just until the pieces are lightly coated.

Sprinkle some salt and fresh-ground black pepper, add parmesan cheese and toss again. Place cauliflower pieces in a large casserole dish so it’s in a single layer and roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn the pieces over and cook another 15 minutes.

You’ll be eating fresh and healthy foods on the Blood Sugar Diet but you can add lots of twists to the recipes so it will never be boring.

Tips to Increase Success on a Blood Sugar Diet

There are many tips to ensure success on the Blood Sugar Diet. One thing to avoid on this diet is “diet products.” These items often contain sweeteners or sugar which keeps your hunger cues active.

Soups are especially healthy and can rapidly fill you up. They’re also inexpensive and practical. You can make a large pot of soup, freeze some and eat the rest throughout the week.

Rather than using starchy and high-carb potatoes at meals and in recipes, try using grated cauliflower. Cook or steam it for a few minutes, then mash it and serve rather than mashed potatoes. Cauliflower can also be used instead of rice.

Flavor boosters such as mustard, chili, lemon, pepper, garlic and many herbs can make any dish tastier. You won’t be adding as many calories, but you will get lots of taste. You can change your old recipes into more blood sugar friendly ones.

Another way to ensure you stay on the plan until your desired weight is achieved and your blood sugar is balanced is to join an online forum. These social online gatherings can encourage you to keep on and can provide lots of tips from those who have already been through it.

You don’t have to cook complicated meals when you follow the Blood Sugar Diet. You can poach or boil eggs and add mushrooms and spinach for breakfast or lunch. A grilled piece of chicken or fish is great for dinner with a simple salad.

As with most diets, the Blood Sugar Diet requires that you drink lots of water. If you become bored with that, try infusing some fruits and vegetables in the water – or, add a sliced cucumber or lemon to the water.

When you first embark on this diet plan, you may crave carbs, but hang in there – in a few days those cravings will subside. You’ll soon begin to enjoy the effects of the Blood Sugar Diet by realizing a balanced blood sugar level and also begin to restore your energy level.

Nov 21

7 Diet Hacks to Beat Down Your Mental Roadblocks to Weight Loss

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

You know the drill. This $!?# is hard!

Another diet, another war with your toughest enemy: Your mind.

Totally unfair fight, because your brain knows what you’re thinking before you do! Well, if your brain’s not gonna fight fair, why should you?

That’s why you need these 7 hacks to beat down those mental monsters in your head.

If you were to spend two minutes on Google researching statistics on how many people fail at trying to lose weight, or sticking to their diets or achieving the body that they want, you would be surprised.

The current stats show a 95% to 99% range of failure.

That means that the majority of people are destined to fail at it. This may be a little shocking… or it may not.

There is a reason why the weight loss industry is a billion dollar one. Every month, new weight loss pills with bold claims, snazzy marketing and attractive packaging hit the market.

People flock to purchase these ‘miracles in a bottle’ hoping to shed the stubborn pounds that keep fighting the good fight and winning.

Yet, as usual, the pills don’t work. Results never appear and the jaded folk look towards the next shiny solution that will melt their flab.

The question one should ask is, “Why are most people failing to lose weight?”

After all, they start out with the best intentions. They promise themselves to be determined and stay the course. They actually take action and change their diets. Many drop a chunk of cash on a gym membership that will supposedly get them the body they’ve always desired…

And despite all these positive actions, they FAIL.

The answer is simple. Losing weight is a mind game.

Not a physical one. If you change your mind, you WILL change your body… but they never really change the way they think. And that’s why they fail.

You’re probably thinking, “So what does that really mean? What is a mind game?”

It means that your weight loss comes down to the decisions you make on a daily basis. Successful weight loss comes about through a sum of small efforts multiplied by time.

This is where most people trip up. They do not last the distance. They sabotage themselves along the way and when progress is slow to come, they beat themselves up over their lack of progress.

Finally, they decide that it’s all too difficult and they’re just not capable of it. They resign themselves to their fate of being overweight or obese… and they quit. The biggest tragedy of all – most people quit within a month.

But you’re not going to do that. No, not you. You’re better than that. You are going to develop the mindset that will take you from flab to fab. You’ll not stop till you get there… and if you understand the points below, get there you will.

1. “Does It Hurt Me Or Help Me?”

Before you make any decision that affects your weight loss journey, this is the first question you need to ask yourself. This question alone, is enough to make you think before you act.
If you see a donut in the office pantry, before you chomp down on it like a starving alligator, ask yourself, “Will it hurt me or help me?”

Common sense will indicate that the extra calories from consuming that donut will affect your weight loss adversely. It’s not something you should be eating… and here you are salivating and contemplating not realizing that you are about to hurt yourself.

Now that you’ve asked the question, it’s time to run for the door. Don’t do what hurts you.
The same applies to your workout sessions. Will skipping one hurt you? Of course it will. Your progress will be slowed down and there will be the niggling feeling in your heart that you did not keep your promise to yourself.

Your metabolism for that day will not be elevated and you’ll not be in fat burning mode. Your action or lack of it will hurt you. So, get the workout over and done with.

While training, are you tempted to take things easy and not push yourself? Does the idea of panting from exertion and perspiring profusely make you balk?

Good questions… but they’re irrelevant. The only one that matters is if it will hurt you to slack off on your workout. Yes, it will. Case closed. Do your best until you are a sweaty heap of exhaustion. Sweat is just your fat crying.

Like the Navy Seals say, “No one ever drowned in sweat!”
As long as you proactively ask yourself this question and do what helps you, your progress will be accelerated.

Discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most.
Help yourself. You’re all you’ve got when it comes to losing weight.

2. “Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard…”

Yard by yard, life is hard. This is a very simple concept that the majority of people fail to grasp. Losing weight is a marathon and not a sprint. Most people gain the weight gradually over a long time. Just like how it took you a while to gain the weight, it will take you a while to lose it.

If you think that you can lose all your excess pounds within 2 weeks or a month, you’re almost certain to fail in your weight loss journey. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment and unnecessarily stressing yourself.
You want to make it easy on yourself by making small positive changes over time. If you drink 2 sodas a day, drop it to 1 and a half cans for a week, then 1 can a week and slowly eliminate it totally from your diet.

If you decide to go cold turkey and cut out sodas completely from your diet, you’re constantly going to be craving for it. Some people make it even worse by drinking water with lemon slices as a replacement for the old habit. They hate the taste of it and gag half the time while they’re fighting the urge to just drink the soda.

The goal here is to go slow. You do not want to do it all at once. We are creatures of habit. It takes time to break habits. Foods containing sugar are highly addictive. So is junk food and oily food. Your body craves these foods to feel satiated and happy.

By totally cutting them out in a misguided attempt at life transformation, you’re making your body and yourself unhappy. It’s just too much too soon. In most cases, sooner or later you’ll give in to temptation and binge on the very foods you’re supposed to avoid.

Asking yourself if it will help or hurt you will be pointless here. Your cravings will be too strong and you’ll cave in. The end result is that you’ll feel like you’ve failed yourself and you just don’t have the determination to stay the course.

This is what happens to most people who try to do too much too soon. Once they feel like they’ve failed themselves, they experience a sense of regret and guilt and worthlessness. The goal seems beyond their abilities and they throw in the towel without realizing that they are their only opponent.

Make slow, measurable progress over reasonable time. Slow and steady will make your journey easier and you will reach your destination.

3. Willpower isn’t your friend

This point ties in closely with the earlier one. We live in a day and age where there is so much talk about being disciplined and determined in order to succeed. Much emphasis is placed on willpower.
If you give in to temptation, you’re deemed weak and lack focus. When it comes to weight loss, you want to eliminate willpower from the equation as much as possible. It sounds counterintuitive but it works.

What does that mean?

If you’re trying to eat clean, you need to remove all unhealthy foods from your refrigerator if you have a sweet tooth. You need to avoid going to the bar with friends if there’s alcohol going to be served and you love your drinks.
It is arrogant to assume that you’ll have the willpower to say no and be true to your diet. Have you ever noticed that most people binge eat late in the day or at night?

There’s a reason for this. Every day when we wake up, we have a certain amount of energy for the day. As we go through the day, our energy stores get depleted. Willpower requires energy. When it’s early in the day, you’ll have the strength to say no to temptations that come your way.

However, by the end of the day, when you’re exhausted after a day’s work or a hard workout and you’re sitting on the couch watching TV… and a little thought creeps into your head telling you that there’s a tub of cookies and cream ice-cream in the fridge whispering your name, it will be extremely difficult to say no. And the whispering will get louder.

You can bet on that. You’re tired and you just do not have the energy to summon up enough willpower to say no. Next thing you know, the tub of ice-cream is all eaten and you go to bed feeling like a fat loser.

This could have been avoided if there was no ice-cream around.
No temptation = no willpower required.

The same applies to everything else.

Finish up your workouts early in the day. You might not have the energy to force yourself to hit the gym after work. Make things as easy as possible for you to follow through. You do not want to give yourself obstacles to cross. Losing weight is tough enough as it is.

4. Don’t Reward Yourself With Food

Don’t… just don’t. You only reward pets with food. It’s a common practice for people to have a cheat day every few days. This cheat day is like a reward for the hard work endured during the previous few days.

What many people don’t know is that one cheat day can undo 5 days or even a week’s worth of working out. Let’s assume that you lost about 3,000 calories over 4 days… and on your fifth day (cheat day), you decide to ‘reward’ yourself for your hard work.

And this is what you eat for the day:

* 2 Pancakes with maple syrup – 520 calories
* 2 Slices pizza (14″ regular crust) – 570 calories
* 1 Can of coke – 140 calories
* 1 Big Mac – 563 calories
* 1 Fries – 510
* 2 Scoops chocolate ice-cream – 530
* 3 Glasses of Vodka Red Bull – 558

Of course, one does need to party with the friends to celebrate a little. The above scenario is not exaggerated. In fact, it’s a very modest estimate. Many people eat way more than this because they feel entitled to reward themselves for their hard work.

That’s a total of 5,694 calories. If your daily calorie requirement is 2200 calories, you’ve just consumed an excess of 3,494 calories. That exceeds whatever you lost and you actually added an extra 494 calories.

Where are these calories going to end up? Back on your belly, waist and everywhere else. And people wonder why they don’t lose weight… or worse still… they gain a pound or two despite all their efforts.

This mindset will sabotage your weight loss progress greatly… and you may wonder why the weight on the scale just doesn’t seem to change.

It’s fine to have a cheat meal or indulge in some of the foods you love every now and then, but don’t go overboard. Don’t cause your blood sugar to spike and raise the insulin levels in your body. This will cause weight gain. Reward yourself with a movie or some new clothes… or something that you long for, as long as it’s not food.

5. Observe Your Patterns

Every one of us has certain behavioral patterns that we follow innately. It’s your job to understand yourself. If you notice that you feel great working out early in the morning, stick to it instead of working out at different times.

If you have food cravings whenever you watch TV late in the day, it’s best to avoid TV and go to bed early. By knowing yourself, you’ll know what suits you best. You do not need to do what everyone else is doing. Some folks may swear by a run in the morning, but if you hate waking up early you’d be better off doing a high intensity cardio session in the afternoon. Don’t work against yourself.

6. The Road Is Not Straight

This is something you should sear into your mind. The weight loss journey is not linear. It is very common to expect yourself to progress smoothly and steadily with no hitches or delays. Reality though is quite another story. There will be days where you slip up on your diet. There may be weeks where you hit a plateau and see no change in the scale weight. You did everything right and still no progress. This is normal.

Everyone who lost weight successfully has gone through this. All you need to do is keep going. If you slip up, acknowledge your mistake and examine what led you to it. Very often, you’ll notice that you tempted yourself or you were tired or you let someone tell you that ‘just one donut won’t hurt you.’

It happens. What’s crucial is that you do NOT give up and quit because your journey isn’t perfect. The goal here is persistence and not perfection. If you’re persistent, you’ll get it… and if you’re consistent, you’ll keep it. So, do not give up and you’ll never need to start over.

7. Don’t Take Your Eye Off Your Why

There is always an emotional reason for why we do what we do. If you’re trying to lose weight, there is DEFINITELY an emotional reason to it. This is your ‘why.’

The guy who got dumped by his woman might be trying to get in shape so that other women look at him in a whole new way. The mother who is trying to lose weight may want to improve her health so that she can be around to see her beautiful kids grow up. The successful career woman who wants to get in shape may secretly hate the way she feels when giving presentations because she thinks that she’s fat.

Whatever the case may be, there is an emotional reason and it ALWAYS conjures up images in your mind. Your job is to know exactly what your why is… and always keep your eye on it. When you take your eye off your why, you lose focus. Suddenly, all the effort seems like a pointless struggle. The juice doesn’t seem worth the squeeze… and you give up.

This applies to any goal you have in life. Success is about knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing… and then you will gladly pay the price. Make no mistake here. Losing weight will come with some sacrifices.  You will need to cut down on your food intake and reduce consumption of all the foods you love. You may need to give up TV time to work out at the gym.

All these sacrifices will be worth it in the end, if you know your why.  If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want will be your sacrifice… and that’s no way to live. Adopt the tips above and implement them in your life. Shift your mindset and you’ll shift the numbers on the scale. Be stubborn with your weight loss goal but be flexible with your methods. You will get there. It’s inevitable

Nov 16

This is Why You Are Not Losing Weight Even When You’re Trying So Hard

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

Sure, there have been times when you weren’t trying very hard. But this time is different. You actually want it.

But still. . .

Nothing. Goose egg. FAIL.

Losing weight is probably one of the toughest challenges on the planet. Millions of people struggle with it daily and it wears them down on a physical, emotional and mental level.

While the concepts and principles are simple, applying them is a huge task.

You need to eat right, and you need to be at a caloric deficit. Over and above that, you’ll also need to exercise to accelerate calorie burning and boost your metabolism.

Eating right is a struggle, and finding the motivation to exercise regularly will require you to dig deep within you. Most people fail in one or both areas and never see much or any success.

However, there are times when you have diet dialed in. You know exactly what to eat and how much to eat… and you’re on track. You’re also working out at the gym regularly and giving it your all.

Yet, despite your best efforts, your results are slow to come or non-existent. In this article, we’ll look at 3 reasons why this may occur. Once you remedy these issues, your fat will melt off and you’ll shed the excess pounds faster than you thought possible.

1. Toxins
The environment we live in, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and many other factors introduce toxins into our body. The body deals with these harmful toxins by binding them in the fat cells.

If you are overweight, your body is holding on to a lot of toxins. It will resist burning the fat because it’s trying to protect you. If the harmful toxins are released into your system all at once, you can get sick.

Most people don’t realize that slow fat loss is the body’s way of self-preservation. The first step to fixing this will be to go through a detox process. In fact, many weight loss programs have a 3-day or even 7-day detox program just to cleanse the body and start off on a clean slate.
It may be argued that the liver is more than capable of detoxification. That’s true. However, we’re just giving it a helping hand and helping to speed up the process. There are several ways you can detox, such as:

* Going on a 3-day juice fast (only freshly squeezed fruits/vegetables)
* Drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice every morning on an empty stomach
* Consume detox teas sold in health stores

There are also diet programs that encourage the body to burn fat through reduced carbs. Check out the Keto Diet or the Two Week Diet.

2. Inflammation

When your body aches and hurts for no reason, you’re probably suffering from inflammation. The cells in your body are inflamed and you absolutely must address this issue before tackling weight loss.

The first step will be to eliminate sugar from your diet. Sugar is highly inflammatory and just 3 days without sugar will really help to mitigate the problem. You may also want to consume foods like pineapples, spinach and broccoli.

Another very useful tool to combat inflammation is turmeric. You can purchase turmeric supplements over-the-counter from most health stores. The active ingredient in the turmeric, which is curcumin, will help to reduce the inflammation.

Once your body has recovered, it will be more responsive to your weight loss efforts. Always remember that the foods you eat will have a direct impact on the inflammation in your body. So, do your best to avoid processed foods and clean up your diet.

3. Hormones

There are several different hormones in your body and some of them have a direct or indirect impact on your body. Testosterone encourages muscle growth and aids in weight loss. Estrogen encourages weight gain.

Foods that are rich in estrogen will make your body gain weight. Foods like tofu and soy products are best avoided. It would be a good idea to avoid milk and dairy products too.

Another hormone to watch out for is cortisol. This is a stress hormone that indirectly causes you to gain weight. It causes the body to store the more harmful visceral fat that is found around the organs. Only exercise can burn off this fat. So, if you’re stressed out at work, or in other areas in your life, do take time out to de-stress.

Now that you know the 3 possible factors that could be impeding your progress, you should analyze and see if they affect you. Follow the tips in this article if they do. Also, check out some of the different approaches out there like the two mentioned above, the keto diet and 2 week diet.

Lastly, do know that weight loss is a slow process but a sure one if you stay on the path and do not deviate or quit. Your dream body is well within your reach.

Nov 03

Fat Fueled To Freedom

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

The one size fits all approach to nutritional ketosis ends now. Fat Fueled is a sensible guide to creating a ketogenic life focused on plans to support thyroid  imbalances, weight gain, adrenal fatigue, hormone irregularities, anxiety,  candida, infertility, and more.

 A revolutionary wheat-, dairy-, gluten-, egg-,  nut-, legume-, and sugar-free approach to the ketogenic eating style to uncover  your best self by fueling; and healing, with fat. Liberate yourself from restriction, macronutrient manipulation, exercise abuse,  and feel hot-dawn sexy doin’ it.

I am nourished, I am strong, I am balanced, and I’m using keto, and a healthy dose of dietary fat, to keep me here.

This is what it means to be Fat Fueled.

Nov 03

Give the Gift of a Guilt-Free Christmas

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

Post-Christmas guilt doesn’t have to be your reality this go-around. No more  stressing about hurting friends’ feelings, having to justify your dietary choices  or feeling helpless around the dessert table Christmas Dessert Freedom  Cookbook is a 35-page, full-colour PDF digital/ebook with paleo, vegan &  gluten-free dessert recipes that will motivate you to celebrate a guilt-free  Christmas.

Rum balls, Tiramisu, Peppermint Patties and all. Your friends and  family will be blown away with your dessert skills, and you can rest easy  knowing that everything you are enjoying this holiday season? Is good for your body.

Oct 27

3 Secrets To Stick To Your Weight Loss Program

By Jessica | 2 Week Diet

Struggling to stick with your diet program? You aren’t alone. Millions of people worldwide fall off diet programs every day.

Often, it’s due to a few key mistakes they’re making along the way. Let’s take a closer look at three powerful secrets for sticking to your diet plan. Put them into action and see the results you’re looking for.

Get A Diet Buddy

One word of advice: don’t go at it alone. Those who get a diet buddy will experience the high’s and low’s together. They stand a much better chance of success in the long run.

If you can’t convince someone to diet with you, at least find someone who will support you and keep you accountable as you need it.

You will hit hard times, and it will really help to have someone by your side.

Use Hunger-Busting Strategies

Hunger is another reason why many people can’t stick with a fat loss diet plan. That’s natural, but avoidable. Either they cut their calories too much, or they lack foods that promote satiety.

Focus your diet around foods that break down and digest slowly. Lean proteins coupled with fibrous carbohydrates are the best choices, followed closely by small doses of dietary fat.

While fat calories can add up quickly, small amounts can work wonders for hunger control.

Set Short Term Goals

Think about what you want to accomplish in two weeks. It can be beneficial to dream about your transformed body in a year’s time, but only in tandem with achievable short term goals. Otherwise you will lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.

Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you won’t lose all the weight in a week. Focus on the here and now. Find a program, such as The 2 Week Diet, that focuses on the coming weeks. Use that time to build good habits, and you will be prepared for the future months.

Want to make the 2 week concept work for you? Check out The 2 Week Diet plan, which teaches you how to build proper habits over the course of two weeks. Equip yourself for a future of weight loss and health maintenance.

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