7 Simple Ways to Control Food Cravings

Once and for all, you promise to yourself of losing the extra 10 lbs. of weight before Christmas.  You consider this goal achievable within your time frame, but of course with the help of a good diet plan and daily exercise routine. To be in perfect shape especially when the holiday season is coming, is what most women wish for. Who doesn’t want to look their best on Christmas parties, reunion and other holiday activities? But how many times have you promised that to yourself but only to fail? The culprit is food cravings.

It’s been known that when one is trying to lose weight, a sudden desire to indulge in sweets, salty and greasy foods also becomes intense. Not being able to control to these cravings could lead to feeling of guilt and disappointment that may result in giving up on the goal of losing weight.

 Listed below are some tips and tricks on how to control food cravings:

1. Trick your sweet tooth with a spice. Add cinnamon, vanilla or nutmeg to yogurt or steamed low-fat milk. According to study these spices can satisfy the sweet tooth, a sweet flavor minus the calories.
2. Try a peppermint. A really strong craving for sweets can often be subdued by eating a peppermint followed by a few bites of fruit such as an apple or pear or a few sips of fruit juice.
3. Pick a peck of pickles. If you’re about to start your binge-eating episode, open the fridge and grab some pickles. Crunching on a sour pickle helps eliminate the craving for sweets and salty treats. They’re tangy,   salty, crisp, satisfying and almost calorie free.
4. According to study, when a person is low in the mineral chromium, combined with an unhealthy eating habit such as starving your self during the day and overeating at night can generate food cravings. Taking a daily supplement of complete multi-vitamins-mineral   that includes chromium, will help get your nutrients intake back in equilibrium and make food cravings to disappear.  Broccoli, lean meat, whole grain foods, cheese, brewer’s yeast, cereals, black pepper, thyme, mushrooms are good sources of chromium.
5. As soon as you feel the urge of reaching for a bag of chips, create an absorbing activity, such as reading a favorite novel, chat with friends, play online games, listen to your favorite music, take a walk and so on, to entertain your mind. Once you are immersed in a stimulating or playful activity for 10 to 15 minutes your craving is likely to go away.  Most often people crave sugary treats when they are bored. 
6. Give in- occasionally. If craving for a certain food is very hard to control, give in once in a while. Depriving yourself from your cravings for a long time may cause a feeling of anxiety. Thus to prevent from having this negative emotion that may cause you more to crave, doctors suggest to give in once in a while.  If you want to have ice cream plan in advance, taking in consideration how much and how often you will have it. Eat only reasonable, calorie-controlled portions in the middle of a satisfying meal. Don’t store an easy to grab half-gallon in the freezer instead buy just the exact amount of what you want to eat at the same day you plan to have them. This will prevent you from the temptation to overeat. 
7. Don’t starve yourself. This strategy of losing weight will not work, though it gives you quick, temporary results but it will backfire on you. Starving can cause blood sugar to drop which makes you to crave more carbs and to binge later on.

photo credit: morgueFile

Remedies for Dark Circles under the Eyes

I’ve noticed recently that the dark circles under my eyes are getting noticeable. I had to do something. Nobody wants to have dark circles under the eyes. It does not only makes you tired and unhealthy looking but what’s worst, it makes you look older. Luckily, these days with an easy access to the internet, there’s always ready answers to our concerns.

So, what causes dark circles? Medically speaking, dark circles are harmless and not necessarily caused by lack of sleep or illness. Dermatologists and ophthalmologists agreed that the contributing factors are fatigue, allergies, overexposure to sun, menstruation or pregnancy, poor nutrition, daily stress, smoking, alcohol and most often genetics caused by hyperpigmentation. If your parents have them, there's a fair chance that you do too.

Sometimes the engorged blood vessels under your eyes can be mistakenly thought of as dark circles. Because the skin under your eyes is thinner, mostly to a fair-skinned person blood vessels there are more visible and can be perceived as darkened skin.



Below are some remedies that could help lighten or conceal under-eye circles:



Cover them up with a concealer that is especially formulated for under-eye darkness. When you’re wearing a concealer under your foundation, choose a cream concealer that’s a little lighter shade than your skin but when wearing the concealer alone pick a shade same as your skin. Gently dab the concealer with a makeup brush or your pinky finger into the dark areas and very lightly pat the edges to blend it in. Finally, powder lightly to help the concealer stay put.



Try a cold compress. You can use a cold washcloth, chilled spoons or used teabags as your cold compress. Lie down for 10-15 minutes, close your eyes and apply a cold compress to your eyes. During weekends when you’re at home all day you can repeat the procedure several times throughout the day. Cold compress will help constrict your blood vessels and may help lessen tissue swelling thus results in eliminating some of the darkness.


Always use sunscreen especially made for the face with a sun protection (SPF) of at least 15- 20 every day, since sun’s rays is one of the culprits of darkening the skin under your eyes. Wear a hat and sunglasses when going out in the sun.


Brighten up your eyes by using white eyeliner on you lower eyelids. Lighter color makes your eyes look brighter thus diverts attention away from dark circles.



Use an eye cream that contains Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s). It will not only reduce wrinkles but also lighten up the skin. The most common type is glycolic acids (extracts derived from fruit and other plants). Also an eye cream that contains ingredients such as retinol and vitamins K, C, and E are very effective in treating dark circles under the eyes.

However if you are still unhappy about the skin darkness under your eyes, see a dermatologist for a consultation to know if prescription creams, laser therapy, dermal fillers, etc. are suitable for you. These treatments are a bit expensive and some are mildly invasive but may give you a greater satisfaction and long term results. Good luck!

photo credit:

Free Stock Photos.biz

My Ramblings

To be or not to be? For few days now this question has been playing in my head repeatedly. My thoughts are a mess, my spirit is low. I don’t know what triggers this sudden emotion, perhaps just plain boredom or something deeper as in midlife crisis. Out of the blue, I’m longing for change. As the lyrics of a song goes, “I guess I wanted something new in my life, a new key to fit a new door, to wake and see a different view in my life the one I've been waiting for.”

This is exactly the same feeling I had several years ago. I still remember the day I stunned my hubby, when I told him I wanted to go back to college. Actually, the original plan was to go to law school but I ended up taking nursing instead.   

Though I love the simplicity of life here in the tropics and I’m happy being away from the rat race - the feeling of being stagnant is what drives me crazy. After soul searching I came up with a plan. I should go back to the US and work for few years. Oftentimes when life is mundane and without goals, our self-esteem suffers.Our soul craves for something new, something worthwhile!

As expected, negative thoughts always interfere when you are making positive plans. The questions of “what if” are overflowing which makes me feel eager and scared at the same time. Besides I haven’t experienced being alone in a huge foreign land.  Though I had been away from hubby many times with no problem, being far from my son would be a different story. Then again I should get used to the idea, whether I like it or not, in a few more years I’ll be facing the dreaded empty nest anyway.  

Then I saw an article in yahoo news, “Who’s getting hired right now?” number one on the list is Registered Nurse. I thought maybe this is a sign from up there that I should go for my goal?  I did some research about this article in nurse’s forum and many nurses didn’t agree saying the details are incorrect and misleading. Although I believe there are jobs out there, just need to look harder and be persistent.  

My next worry is I can’t drive, how will I survive commuting during summer and winter months?  Living in a place that has good public transportation system is the only way. I know New York and San Francisco are the best places to live if you don’t drive, but I want more choices. Guess what? The next day I went to yahoo to read the news. There it was- at the front page the answer to my question, an article by Charles B. Stockdale, "The Best Cities to Live in Car Free". 

"Several factors make a city easy to live in without a car. The most important one is a widely available and efficient public transportation system. Another is having daily amenities, such as groceries, shopping, schools and entertainment, nearby and within easy reach on foot or by bicycling. The best cities have both features and 24/7 Wall St. has identified the ten best ones to live without a car…"

Is this another go signal? Sometimes we feel alone and disheartened that no one cares. Thus we oftentimes forget that there’s someone who is always listening to our worries and fears. Thank you Lord!


So, to be or not to be? What is the answer to William Shakespeare's famous first line in Hamlet? I don't know, I'll leave it all to God, I know I'll get more signs from Him when the right time comes. For now, I will just keep preparing for a possible new journey.

Tips on How to Lose Weight

 
A few years ago, I started to notice that gaining weight seemed easier and losing it was always a great struggle. Even though I had been careful on what I ate and was exercising regularly, my weight kept on climbing. I noted that my diet and exercise routine were not as effective as it used to. I panicked. I thought I had to do something before it’s too late.

Then I learned that as we age, our metabolism slows down due to hormonal imbalances or hidden medical conditions and perhaps from yo-yo and crash dieting. There are also other factors to consider like genetics, muscle loss associated with aging and a sedentary lifestyle. I realized that I had to change my diet plan and decrease my caloric intake to be able to lose weight. Nowadays I eat more fruits and vegetables, cut back on carbs and greasy foods. I also move around more often and add 15 to 30 minutes more to my daily walk. I’m in control of my weight again.

It’s time for us to take care of our body and time to take care of our health. According to a medical study, even 20 percent of excess weight puts our health in higher risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, diabetes and other diseases.



I listed below some tips and tricks that help me shed few pounds here and there. Every little bit helps.

• Exercise is crucial in losing excess weight and in keeping it off. We gain weight when we ingest more calories than we burn and the only way to burn up calories and fat is exercise. A good exercise is when it increases your respiration and heart rate such as running, walking, bicycling, etc. for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. Choose an exercise that you enjoy the most, like walking, dancing, swimming, etc. You are less likely to give up exercising when you are having fun. Be creative, for example if you are not an early riser take a walk in the evening instead. If working out seems overwhelming at the beginning, exercise 15 to 30 minutes in the morning and 15 to 30 minutes of exercise in the afternoon, do whichever works for you.
  
• Eat slowly, learn to savor and enjoy each bite of your food. Put your fork or spoon down between every bite. Sip water frequently. By eating slowly, it will give your body time to signal your brain that you are full, and to stop eating. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full.
  
• Drink a glass or two glasses of water 10 minutes before meals. The water fills up your stomach and reduces the feeling of hunger, therefore makes you eat less. Water will hydrate the body, making the metabolism speed up, which will aid the body in burning calories and fat. Make water your prime drink.  Stay away from sodas and other sweetened drinks. Eliminating the non-nutritive, sugar-filled, possibly harmful beverages from your diet is a great first step in the right direction of losing weight and improving your health.
  
• Limit your intake of white rice, and white flour, or better yet switch to whole grain breads and brown rice instead.
  
• Put tempting treats in hard to reach spots (like the highest cupboard), or better yet don’t bring junk food into your home, so there will be no temptation to eat unhealthy foods.
  
• Take a nap or a shower when feeling a strong desire for food. Make an activity to divert yourself from reaching for food in the fridge. Make sure you have 8 hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep would dampen your mood and could lead to overeating.
  
• Try to eat 5-6 smaller meals per day, such as breakfast, a lunch, an afternoon snack, a dinner, and an evening snack. Eating smaller meals keeps your metabolic rate high throughout the day because your body is constantly using up energy to digest the food you are eating. Eating smaller meals will also leave you feeling lighter and more energized throughout the day.
  
• Eating several small meals per day may not work for everyone. For me I eat a good breakfast but in a smaller portion, lunch is my biggest meal of the day and dinner is the lightest. Exercise burn up calories, which means that your body will burn up food better while your active, so eat your main meal at middle of the day and eat something light (like salad with fat-free dressing or a small bowl of vegetable soup) for dinner.
  
• Avoid skipping meals or starving yourself because this will put your body into survival mode. Your metabolism will slow down to conserve energy. When your metabolism slows down your body burns a lot less calories.
  
• Don’t deny yourself from the fun of eating out once in a while, but remember to pare your portions. Save half or one-third of the food for take out and make it your lunch the next day.
  
• If you lose control and overeat one day don’t get discouraged, just compensate for it by exercising more the next day to burn the extra calories you consumed. 
• Don’t deprive yourself of some enjoyable treats once in a while, like a cone of ice cream or a small slice of a chocolate cake, but add an extra 30 minutes to your daily walking routine to pay off for the extra calories and eat less on your next meal.
  
• If you can’t avoid a meal that is high in fat especially during an event or a celebration, prevent the harmful effects of a fatty feast by following it up with a bowl of oatmeal. The whole grains help transport cholesterol out of the body. Researchers say the soluble fiber and anti-oxidants in the oats are responsible for their usefulness as a fat taxi.
  
• Brush your teeth right away after every meal. The minty freshness and clean feeling of your mouth will serve as cue to your brain that mealtime is over.
• Have an inspiration, take use of the upcoming Christmas party or a high school reunion to motivate yourself to lose weight. Think about buying an expensive blouse or dress one size smaller than your actual size. Hang it beside your mirror or a place where you can see it every day to serve as an inspiration to lose weight so you can wear it when the event comes. Imagine how trim your body looks and how well the clothing fits you.
• The bottom line is do not wait till the excess weight files up on you. As soon as you notice that you are gaining a few pounds, do something to get rid of it right away, if you don't your putting your health at risk. Remember to eat less and exercise more!

photo credit: Free Stock Photos