If you want a free metabolic self test there are a couple that I have gone through but the one I prefer is here at natural healthy yellow pages:

http://www.naturalhealthyellowpages.com/metabolic/self_test.html

What that will tell you is how to eat well according to your metabolic type, which has definitely helped me with weight loss

While searching around the web I also found a great question that asked if eating less slows our metabolism how can we lose weight when we are on a diet? Which of course is a great question and the answer is :

You touch an aching fact…our body is a genius machine that is built to save energy. When we loose fat tissue it stops sending a hormone named “Leptin” that is a one of the hormones that control our metabolism. The idea is to know this fact and continue with your diet as planed. A well balanced diet that is followed with regular physical effort will not loose weight as fast as it did on the first 2 months, but it’ll eventually do so. After loosing weight the important thing is to continue the life style you adapted until your body will regulate the amount of leptin it needs. Leptin is the cause people gain back their weight after a diet.

source : free medical dictionary

That was a great answer for me because now I know to just keep going through the weeks of no weight loss and eventually your body will start again.

I find it difficult sometimes to come up with healthy snacks because I am such a carbs lover and my snacks need to be more protein heavy. An easy one for me is to eat a banana (carbs) with a mixture of almond nuts (protein) and sunflower/pumpkin seeds.

It helps if I chop the banana up and eat it slowly while I am working rather than just eating the whole banana in one go. I have to do all these little tricks to help me get through the hours before I eat again

Apple, banana, coconut and pears are the best fruits for my metabolic type (I took a more comprehensive test using the metabolic typing online website)

Click here for more weight loss food ideas – and if you want to find out more about how the Diet Solution can help you lose weight visit

http://www.onlydietsolution.com

I have been looking at why I keep starting the Diet Solution then going back to my old ways of eating and I came to the conclusion that I was doing it for a reason, the first reason was my holiday, then there was a christening and a new man…. there are all these reasons for me to focus on weight loss but what happens once I no longer have the reason is I stopped.

So I took a long hard look at what I was doing and what I wanted to achieve and now I am following the Diet Solution again (which I understand is a lifestyle eating program not a diet!) and this time doing it for no other reason than I want to be fit and healthy.

My journey to lose 110lbs has been an interesting one and as it took me 5 years to put it all on I am not expecting to lose it without some effort but it sure has been a roller coaster.

I have tried eating only following the Diet Solution

Exercise only but eating all the old carbs and junk I used to eat (crumpets and oven chips)

Now it is time to eat and exercise and I wanted to make sure I could keep it up before I started blogging again. So I am a few weeks ahead and will update you on how I finally made this week in future blog posts.

I have given myself 90 days to reduce my dress size (I am more focused on fat burning than weight loss now) and once I reduce it by at least 2 sizes from a size 20 (yes I went back up again when I went back to my old eating ways and non exercise) to a size 18, then 90 days later from a size 18 to a size 16 then 90 days later from a size 16 to a size 14. Right now I feel being a size 14 will be slim enough for me and when I get there I will decide whether I want to go down even smaller to a size 12 (which I can never actually remember being in my whole life – maybe when I was a young girl…)

Don’t give up on me yet! I think  I am proof that an effort to lose weight can mean going down, back up a little and down again – it doesn’t always go in a straigh downward line.

Now though, I am doing this FOR ME and no one else and that is enough motivation for me. What I used to help kick start me was the services of a London Hypnotherapist called Jenny O’Kelly and I will blog more about that later.

In the meantime you will find The Diet Solution HERE

When you set off on a track to lose weight there are a lot of things to think about, remember and stick to and what helps is if you can develop daily disciplines for weight loss.

If you want an idea of what daily disciplines are, very simply, they are small changes you can make every day to change your life for the better in the future.  Small changes you can make or things you can stick to in order to develop a new (often empowering) habit.

You can click the link to read this very short blog post about Daily Disciplines – it can be anything you are going to do on a regular basis until you reach your goal (in that blog post the author was going to give one thing up for a year)

Jack Canfield said his daily disciplines are all about taking time in the morning to visualise your goals and take some time to set your intention for the day. I guess this would be a great time to focus on having a healthy day where I stick to my new eating plan with ease. He recommends we spend 30-60 seconds on each of our core goals and desires. I usually have a ‘conversation with God’ in the morning and so adding another couple of minutes to do this won’t be difficult.

Jack also recommends you have an attitude of gratitude and take time to notice when something is working because when you acknowledge what works you get more of it.

Click the link to read the daily disciplines from Jack Canfield Daily Disciplines for Effortless Success

Skip Ross has a huge choice of daily disciplines to listen to and you can subscribe to his podcast to receive a daily dose. I subscribed using itunes and will add it to my ipod so I can listen to it on the go. Skip is all about self-talk and using strategies for success.

Click the link to listen to Skip Ross’s Daily Disciplines

When you are following the Diet Solution weight loss program there is a lot of planning you have to do at the beginning once you know what your metabolic type is and it is important you get into the discipline of writing out what you will eat and planning your meals so you always have the right food at home when you need it.  It can be a little bit of a change to what you are used to and getting the discipline to follow the program is essential. You can find out more about it at

http://www.onlydietsolution.com

If you want to know how to overcome constipation when you are on a high protein diet I can only tell you what I do to stay “regular”

Being on a high protein weight loss diet means all that meat can turn things  – shall we say – a little solid! Drinking plenty of water definitely does help but not on its own (I find)

I met a health professional years ago who gave me this tip and it is great. You basically buy yourself some Golden Linseed and add water to it then leave it overnight – I have added a photo of my glass soaking nicely!  Then in the morning you drink it down with some extra water. I have been drinking one in the morning this week to give that extra boost because of all that extra protein!

It also contains 3 of the things that the Diet Solution is always talking about as important to eat when following a weight loss program – Omega 3, Fibre and fatty acids

Disclaimer : I am not a medical profession so please seek medical advice for your health.

No, I am not insulting you. It is actually a fact. If you suffer from constipation, bloated stomach, over weight, irritable bowel and a whole host of other illnesses research has shown that the cause could be the 5-25lb worth of fecal matter stored in your colon.

Your colon is full of old, rotting food that hasn’t left your body, making it toxic and proven to develop parasites that live in your intestines and colon and this is the cause of many people being over weight, rather than the food we eat or our lack of exercise.  Of course eating healthy foods and exercising are vitally important but if you have ever lost weight and gained it again or if you have ever struggled to lose weight then it is time to look at colon cleansing. In order to remain healthy we must cleanse our colon. This learning is thanks to the ebook Top Secret Fat Loss Secret

How to cleanse your colon

I looked around for this information on the internet and found a number of interesting sites. There are a few things that help including black walnut, pumpkin seeds, garlic, milk thistle and a few others.

Firstly, I looked at some fairly simple things we could do at home

Peppermint: Long known for its calming effects on upset stomachs it is also good to help with eliminating parasites. Either seeds or by drinking it as a tea (fresh leaves are better)

Green leafy vegetables: Juicing vegetables is a great way to keep the enzymes in them and make it easier for the body to absorb nutrients. Celery and apple are also great for cleansing the body.  If you decide to start juicing you need to start slowly and make sure you drink plenty of water (5-8 glasses a day). It is better to start with one or two glasses a day of juiced vegetables and build up from there. As juiced fruit can increase your insulin levels it is better to juice vegetables than fruit.

Fruits: Not just any fruit but you want to stick to fruits that are full of enzmyes like mango, kiwi, pineapple, papaya – eating them first thing in the morning. One thing I am reading about is the effect of eating fruit and food together. If you normally have fruit with a sandwich or after dinner you might want to know that eating fruit this way causes the fruit to stay in your stomach longer and ferment.  Fruit only takes a few hours to digest but something like meat takes a lot longer so when they are in your stomach together the fruit has to wait which causes it to start fermenting right there in your stomach. Yuck! Best time to eat fruit is as a snack and first thing in the morning. I remember reading about this month ago on a network I am a member of but you never know what to believe to be honest!

Chewing Pumpkin seeds : By chewing pumpkin seeds you paralyze the parasites and they lose their grip on your intestines and die. Chew them to paste in your mouth and swallow. Luckily I keep a bag of pumpkin seeds on my desk as a snack so hopefully I have been killing them already!

Garlic: I think I would rather have the parasites than everyone running away because I stick of garlic! But this is another home remedy and you have to crush and chew garlic cloves a few times a day.

If you are going to buy something instead you need to ensure it includes 3 important ingredients Black Walnut Hulls, Wormwood and Cloves – the combination of these 3 not only kill the parasites but will also eliminate their eggs.

I am not a Doctor so do your own due diligence, shop around, find out information for yourself, visit your Doctor if you are unwell and unsure about this. There are juicing detoxs on the net and you need to find a reputable one and then follow the instructions because too much too soon will have an adverse effect on your body.

If you want to read more about this get your own copy of  Top Secret Fat Loss Secret

I have never fancied the idea of having a colon irrigation but I might have to give it some serious thought

In case you are interested here is a quick summary of everything I have discovered since seriously looking into my weight problems (October 2009)

1. I kept wondering why I was over weight because I never ate much. Not eating much was the course of my excess weight along with periods of starvation and then massive hunger followed by over eating. My metabolism slowed right now and stopped functioning correctly.  I started to eat small meals often (every 3-4 hours) and  my metabolism began to work again, which started my weight loss and returned my energy for life.

2. When I started drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day aches and pains in my back and hip area disappeared. I felt better, my skin felt better, I felt more alert. Dehydration is the major cause of some serious illnesses that could be avoided by simply hydrating your body – drink more!

3.  Once I found out my metabolic type all I needed to do was focus on eating that way. More protein and less carbs. Thanks to Diet Solution

4.  Raw food could be a future lifestyle for me. Food isn’t uncooked but is cooked at warm temperatures ensuring enzymes in the food live which is better for the body. This for now is a long term goal once I reach 14-15 stone and I need to ramp it up to lose my final 2 stones.

5.  I help my digestion when I chew the food in my mouth to a pulp (Paul McKenna I can make you thin! Didn’t buy it but watched it on TV), eat slowly and put less in my mouth.  The serving of my carbs (e.g. rice and pasta) should never be bigger than my fist. This has been a great way for me to measure out how much food I need to eat. Still have trouble with it because it looks like such a tiny amount but its a work in progress.

The overall goal when it comes to weight loss is to burn fat and the best way to achieve fat burning is to raise your metabolism so when I saw the title of this video – being the lazy exerciser that I am – I decided it must be worth trying!

Four minutes of exercise with 20 seconds of fast pedal action and 10 seconds of cooling down. Make note that you should also do 5 min warm up before and pedal slowly for 4-5 minutes afterwards to cool down.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piGyvhq2eTk&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

This is my third week of the diet solution and I am noticing some really big changes in my body – now remember I am no fitness/nutrition expert but I do believe that this is my metabolism picking up. I haven’t felt it working for the last 18 years but I do remember what it felt like from my super fit days.  Here are some of the things I am experiencing :

It is amazing how much more I am eating and how much more I want to eat, my body is burning my food at a much faster rate.

I feel warmer now all the time (you have to know me to understand that I was always cold – wearing 2 jumpers and a coat INSIDE my house!)

I can see that I look thinner even if the scales aren’t saying I am losing masses of weight. What I really need to do is measure my inches.

I told a friend recently how “eroctically charged” I am now. 

I feel more energetic than I have for a long time which is helping me keep up with my fat burning exercises but I do need to pick up on them (missed out Monday) and I might even need to do something every day so I don’t give up.

And all of this in only two weeks of no wheat, very little diary (milk in porridge) and an increase in protein. I am pretty sure that the increase in drinking hot water is helping – although for the last 2 weeks I have been only managing 5-6 glasses instead of the 8 I should be drinking and the 10 I really want to start drinking.

Right now my body is burning calories like a steam train furnace and the more I see results the more help I want to give it to make this happen fast!

For another few days Isabel is offering a 2 week meal plan so it is worth taking a look at because it means for your first 2 weeks everything is laid out for you (I had to do mine myself) and at the end of it you will notice the difference so much that you will want to continue yourself.

http://www.onlydietsolution.com

I first saw this video when it was shared on Facebook and today visiting a blog I saw it again

so thought I would share it as a motivational weight loss journey that ended very well.

We can all get there no matter how long it takes as long as we just keep going. It is now October 2010 and I am in the final weeks of my weight loss so lets see what happens by October 31st 2010!

A new week a new set of exercise routines. Last week I picked up on the Callanetics and this week will be the same:

Monday 13th

Woke up to no hot water – thank God for my British Gas care agreement – waiting for them now so my usual Monday morning exercise routine didn’t happen. They wanted me to wait until tomorrow for someone …. can you imagine the smell!!!

With 3 kids as well I just refused to wait so they are coming along this afternoon and once they have been and gone I will exercise.

Exercise bike with strength training exercises for 90 minutes

I found my Fat Burning For Women product and it contains loads of great strength training exercises I can use for variety. http://www.fatburningtipsforwomen.com

Tuesday 14th Sept

Callanetics – 1 hour original

I am loving this now and I can feel my flexibility returning even though I have only completed this 3 or 4 times in the last 7-10 days!

Wednesday 15th

Back at the circuit training classes in Mill Hill NW7, Wednesday evening from 7-8pm

Thursday 16th

Callentics or swimming – haven’t decided yet

Friday 17th

Personal trainer session week 9 with Anne for 90 minutes

Saturday 18th

A walk or callanetics

Sunday 19th

Day of rest!

That is my weight loss exercise schedule starting Monday 13th September –  as I have it planned right now – things can – but hopefully this will be my regular routine. Once I complete my 12 weeks with Anne my Friday session will become a weekly swimming one.