In the May 2007 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, there was an article called “Soothing Hunger’s Savage Beast” which talked about six different strategies for satisfaction. These strategies can help you overcome hunger in the toughest moments when you’re likely to go crazy and overeat when food is placed in front of you. I found all of the strategies to be helpful, and thought you might too.

1. Pile on the protein - it’ll make you feel more satisfied than any other nutrient. You can get protein from sources like yogurt, milk, and lean meats.
2. Fill up with Fiber - we’ve talked about the importance of fiber before but its importance in overcoming hunger is huge. It’ll take up space in your stomach and digests slowly so that you’ll feel full longer.
3. Get some nuts! - When your stomach is growling at you, it’s doing so because of a hormone called ghrelin.  Eating nuts will cause the ghrelin levels in your body to lower.
4. Take a walk! - A brisk walk has actually been found to temporarily suppress your hunger.
5. Keep your hands busy - choose a snack in which you’ll have to work to get the food like pistachio nuts.
6. Sooth the taste buds - perhaps you’re not actually hungry but you just want to taste something.  Dr. Oz says to try a strong mint or a breath strip and that just might be enough to satisfy your taste buds.

This week on the Oprah Winfrey show, she invited people who lost dramatic amounts of weight to share their stories. All of the people that were there were able to drop the pounds without surgery, and without diet pills.  One women dropped over 500 pounds! Really, it’s amazing and is a great motivator. If these people can lose that much weight, we can reach our goals too whether it’s 10, 50, or 100 pounds. Here are a few before and after pictures:

Nancy

Current weight: 173 pounds
Total weight loss: 530 pounds

David

Current weight: 173 pounds
Total weight loss: 530 pounds

Bunny

Current weight: 168 pounds
Total weight loss: 267 pounds

Chris

Current weight: 180 pounds
Total weight loss: 187 pounds

Emily

Current weight: 135 pounds
Total weight loss: 160 pounds

You didn’t really think I was going to tell you about some great diet pill that will help you lose weight fast, did you? Of course not! Why? Because diet pills are a HUGE no-no. If there was some magical diet pill that dropped the pounds quickly, I don’t think anybody would have an excuse to be overweight or obese. So today’s advice is simply this, there is no magic pill that’s going to get your weight to where you want to be that is healthy and good for your body.

I remember a while back when I was watching The Oprah Show and Oprah Winfrey said something like - If there was a diet pill that could keep her thin, no matter how much it cost, she would have it. Obviously she doesn’t have any magic diet pill, so all of those ads and commercials are just giving you false hope that there’s an easy solution. Losing weight is a challenge, trust me, I know! But it feels SO good when people ask you how you did it and you can say “by eating right and exercising.”

To add to this pro-losing-weight-naturally chat we have going on here, another thing to keep in mind is this: A recent study by the University of Connecticut found that sixty-five percent of diet pill users think they’ll shed pounds — and don’t know that most of the drugs aren’t government regulated. Would you allow your child to take a drug that wasn’t regulated or approved by the government? Probably not, so why should things be any different for you?

Anytime you see a commercial for a diet pill that sounds appealing and seems so convincing, remember, there is no diet pill that is going to allow you reach your overall goal of maintaining a healthy life style. Always look at the big picture and what will be best for you in the long run.

Yesterday we talked about how broth soups are generally good for us while cream soups are usually a no-no. Today I thought I’d post a recipe for “The ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup” from the October 2007 issue of O - Oprah’s Magazine.  This soup is made from scratch meaning you make your own stock! I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds delicious and much better than what you can get out of a can.  The instructions say that the stock recipe makes more than what the soup recipe actually calls for, but you can freeze the leftovers for up to three months. With cold weather right around the corner, this healthy soup loaded with vegetables will be perfect for an arctic Winter day!

Oprah’s Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup - Serves 6 to 8

Stock:

• 1 whole chicken, halved and cleaned, plus 6 chicken wings
• 3 carrots, trimmed
• 1 onion, peeled
• 2 leeks, thoroughly rinsed
• 4 celery stalks
• 3 parsnips, trimmed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1 whole lemon

Soup:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch coins
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 Tbsp. chopped dill
• 1 pound egg noodles
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the stock: In a large pot, combine all ingredients and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to the barest simmer and cook 4 hours, occasionally skimming the scum off the surface. Strain stock into a large bowl and discard solids except for chicken halves; set those aside.

To make soup: In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook about 10 minutes. Add 6 cups stock. Cook 25 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.

Meanwhile, pull chicken into shreds from reserved chicken halves; discard skin and bones. Add chicken to stock, along with dill and noodles and cook until noodles are al dente, 8 to 10 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (the stock is unsalted; it may need more than you think). Serve hot.

I’ve written about Dr. Oz before - you know, the Dr. who makes an appearance here and there on the Oprah Winfrey show and offers some tips on over-all health and living? Last time, we talked about Dr. Oz’s “excuse-buster” list which includes excuses people come up with not to exercise, and then the “excuse-buster.” It’s a great list, and definitely one worth checking out if you find yourself making excuses not to exercise.

Today we’re going to go back to Dr. Oz for some more advice. In his “One minute to better health” episode on the Oprah website, he talks about a harmless trick that you can play on your body to feel full longer, and it’s simple. He says, “If you have a little of the right kinds of fat right before you eat, you can play a trick on your hormonal system by sending a signal to the brain that you’re full.”

CCK is the hormone involved which sends that all important signal to the brain to stop eating because you’re full. When food hits your intestines, this CCK hormone is produced, so for this trick to work, you need to eat the healthy fats about 20 minutes before you plan on eating so that the fat has time to reach your intestines. One great source of healthy fat is walnuts, but we’ve got a whole list of healthy fats here that you can check out.

As always, remember to slow down when you eat anything! The average person is done eating well before 20 minutes which is how long it takes for your brain to get the signal that you’re full.  When you eat slow, not only are you able to enjoy your meal, but you’re giving your body the time it needs for the hormones to kick in to prevent you from over-eating.

Thanks for the tip Dr. Oz!

I don’t know about you, but some days it feels like I could eat and eat and eat! When I was flipping through Bob Greene’s Best Life Diet Book, he offered some suggestions on different things you could do to curb your appetite. You know who Bob Greene is, right? He’s best known as Oprah’s personal trainer, and appears on The Oprah Winfrey show quite often offering fitness advice and weight-loss tips. I’ve followed some of these suggestions, and I’ve found that most of them really do help to curb my appetite.

1. Eat every three to four hours  – this helps keep your blood sugar at steady levels so you won’t feel the urge to pig-out. This is one of those tips I regularly follow. I usually eat about every three hours.
2. Load up on foods high in fiber and water – Fiber keeps you feeling full!
3. Make every meal and snack a combination of protein, fiber-rich carbs and fat – This is one of those I need to continue working on. It’s not always easy for me to get protein into every meal and snack, but I do it the best I can.
4. Wait 20 minutes before having seconds or another course – Your brain needs time for it to realize that you’re full! 20 minutes isn’t much of a wait, and chances are, you’ll realize you’re full and you don’t need that second helping or dessert.
5. Avoid being around food when it’s not time to eat – If there’s food in front of your face, in particular, unhealthy foods, you’ll be tempted to eat it.
6. Get some exercise – Chronic overeaters are believed to have less pleasure receptors. This means it’ll take more food for them to be satisfied. Exercise fits in the picture because research has found that physical activity can actually increase those receptors in the brain.
7. Resolve emotion issues that trigger you to eat – I’ve mentioned it before… often times I’m one of those emotional eaters. If you find that you are too, find ways to cope when you’re emotional like listening to music, going for a walk, talking to a friend, etc.
8. Go to bed – You need sleep! Not getting enough sleep has been linked to being overweight. Make sure you are getting adequate sleep!

Out of all those suggestions to curb your appetite, the ones that I follow regularly include eating every three to four hours, getting exercise, resolving emotional issues that trigger me to eat, and getting adequate sleep. What do you do to curb your appetite?

Anyone can come up with a handful of reasons why they can’t exercise. I’m sure some of you have got a few “go-to” excuses of your own that you use.  It’s easy to come up with an excuse! I’m too tired. I don’t like exercise. I don’t know how! I can’t afford a gym. And the list goes on and on…

I’m a pretty big fan of Oprah Winfrey because I think she’s an amazing woman who gives so much of herself.  I also love her show, and in particular the visits from Dr. Oz. If you don’t know who Dr. Oz is, he makes an appearance here and there and offers tips on over-all health and living. In Oprah’s April issue of O Magazine, Dr. Oz explains a 20 minute workout that anyone can easily do, assuming you set your excuses aside.

Dr. Oz lists several excuses that anyone could come up with, and then the “excuse-buster.”

• No Time: The workout is only 20 minutes three times a week. If you have an hour to watch TV in a weeks time, you have time to do a 20 minute workout.
• No Gym: There are many workouts, and Dr. Oz’s is definitely one that doesn’t require a gym!
• Working out is hard: No excuse here! You can customize the workout so that if you’re a beginner, you can still do it.
• Exercise is boring: Put on your favorite tunes and you will be good to go for 20 minutes.

After you’ve set all of your excuses aside and you’re ready to start the 20 minute workout from home, you can get started on it here.  You’ll be guided through each step with both words and pictures.

Isn’t it about time to get moving and start exercising?

Source: Oprah.com