Here’s an article I read from RealAge.

Trying to lose a few? Aren’t we all. You’ll lose even more if you set out a plate of this before each meal: apple wedges.

Eating a bit of high-fiber fruit — like a small apple or pear — before each meal is a proven weight-loss booster.

Fruit Booster
You’ve seen those ads for weight-loss pills that promise to help you lose even more weight when you diet. It’s possible that apple wedges could give those pills a run for the money. In a recent study where women were divided up into fruit-before-meals and no-fruit-before-meals groups, the fruit group lost more weight — even though they all followed the same reduced-calorie diet. The key? Choosing fruit that’s high in fiber but low in calories (read: high water content, like apples).
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Here’s another reason to stop drinking a can of soda a day. Other than giving you a nice Beer Belly and causing diabetes, drinking too much soda can cause kidney problems according to this study. The reason is because soda’s contain high levels of phosphoric acid, which has been linked to kidney stones and other renal problems. Not only that, drinking too much soda pulls calcium from the bones, increases the risk of kidney stones, rots your teeth, and is just plain terrible for your kidneys. Aren’t these reasons enough to stop drinking all that soda?

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Every once in a while, I like to look through some of the articles or books that I have saved and re-read them. After all, we don’t remember everything we read and some things are worth reading a few times since repetition will help you remember things.

I came across an article by Randy Gage titled “Removing Negative Thoughts” and thought it’d be worthwhile to share with you. Studies have shown that positive thinking people tend to lead happier and more productive lives. But some of us just aren’t programmed that way. In this article, Randy talks about how he re-programmed his brain to think differently, to think more positively, which resulted in better changes in his life.

From my own experience, I believe positive thinking has tremendous benefits, not just mentally but physically as well. You’ll feel lighter, laugh more, feel more confident and maybe it’ll give you that extra push to start losing that Beer Belly. So the next time you become frustrated when doing something difficult, like trying to lose weight, take a step back to gain some perspective and re-focus your efforts and thoughts. Develop a system or a reminder that will make you more aware of your negative thoughts so you can be conscious of them and change them pro actively.

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How would you like to be force-fed until you’re fat and plump simply because you’d have more status in society? Yes, in some countries, like Mauritania, it’s actually good to be a fat woman. If you’re fat, it’s a sign of wealth but if you’re skinny, it’s a sign of being poor.

There are Fat Farms that focus on getting women fat. Imagining your mom and pop sending you to a fat farm where they fed you all kinds of goodies, until you have layers of fat and show signs of wealth.

Here are some interesting quotes from a fat farm manager..

“I make them eat and eat and eat. And then drink lots and lots of water”

“Of course they cry - they scream”

“They are proud and show off their good size to make men dribble. Don’t you think that’s good?”

Here are some quotes from men who seemed to have lost interest in the traditional fat women…

“We’re fed up of fat women here”

“Always fat women! Now we want thin women.”

Very interesting BBC article, read more about it here.

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Sometimes we ignore pains and blow them off as something minor.  I know I do that quite a bit; pop a painkiller and move on.  Well NBC reporter David Bloom also had this mentality and it didn’t turn out so well for him. While covering the war in Iraq, David ignored a pain behind his knee.  He ignored the advice of going to see a doctor and popped a few aspirin.  Three days later Bloom died at the age of 39 of a pulmonary embolism caused by deep-vein thrombosis.

Here’s a list of 7 pains you shouldn’t ignore.  Check out the article in Men’s Health for more details on these symptoms.

1. Sudden Groin Pain
2. Severe Back Pain
3. Persistent Foot or Shin Pain
4. Sharp Pain in the Abdomen
5. Transient Chest Pain
6. Leg Pain with Swelling
7. Painful Urination

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