The Secrets to Weight Loss After Pregnancy

by: Andrew Mills

Sarah is a pregnant mother of three who continues to breast-feed her 18-month-old. After each of her pregnancies, she has had difficulty losing weight. With all of her responsibilities, weight loss isn’t a priority. Still, she wishes that, once this pregnancy is over, she will be able to return to her pre-marriage weight.

The average woman gains more than 25 pounds during her pregnancy. The procedure of childbirth may result in a weight loss of up to 14 pounds, which means that new moms still have considerable weight to lose once they leave the hospital. However, some women simply assume that this “baby fat” will never go away. Yet, it is entirely possible to lose weight during the post-partum period.

A number of medical experts recommend easing into a weight loss program after the birth of your baby. This means that you will not start dieting until about three months following birth. You should combine a low-fat diet with moderate exercise in order to achieve weight loss.

Don’t expect instant results. It will take you a good nine months to get back to your weight prior to pregnancy. A go-slow approach is best because you need to give your body time to recover after childbirth. Certainly, you might be able to lose weight faster, but you might be sacrificing valuable nutrients as a result.

Interestingly enough, breastfeeding actually enhances weight loss. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has found that breastfeeding leads to the release of hormones which enable your uterus to return to its normal size. However, breastfeeding alone won’t bring down your weight. You need to combine it with a sensible diet and a moderate exercise program. Keep in mind that you need to have at least 1800 calories a day while breastfeeding in order to keep yourself and your baby healthy. Still, stay clear of junk food during this period. You should rely on food with high nutritional value to maintain the proper level of calories each day.

There are many good reasons to exercise during the post-partum period. In addition to helping to accelerate weight reduction, exercise can help alleviate post-partum depression, improve your mood, and boost your confidence. Exercise can also “clear your head” so that you’re better able to meet the demands of motherhood. You might consider joining a “Mommy and Me” exercise class so that your baby can exercise right along with you. Another helpful hint is to enlist the help of a friend or relative to act as your exercise buddy so that you’ll have some emotional support while exercising. An added bonus of exercise is that it should boost your energy level, which is quite important when battling the fatigue which comes from caring for a newborn.

Your diet should generally be low-fat but not fat-free; vitamin rich; and high-fiber. Under no circumstances should you go on a fad diet. Such a diet could be quite harmful to your health and could actually slow your recovery from childbirth. It’s a good idea to set weight-loss goals, but don’t go overboard. Recognize that there’s a limit to the amount of weight you can lose during a given period of time.

You may see a number of actress-moms gracing the covers of magazines shortly after the birth of their children. They appear svelte and elegant, totally devoid of baby fat. In the accompanying article, they may even talk about exercising right after childbirth. Such articles send new mothers a dangerous message: that you must do all you can to become thin as quickly as possible after your baby is born. Such a philosophy is not only ridiculous, it’s also unhealthy. As a result, you’ll need to “tune out” such messages from the media and stay the course with your own gradual weight loss plan.

The time right after the birth of a child can be quite challenging, taxing both your physical and emotional strength. While it is certainly a good idea to eat healthy, you’ll need to pace yourself as far as weight loss is concerned. Over time, you should be able to lose the weight you gained during your pregnancy. In fact, you might find that you’re actually healthier after your baby is born. Read more weight lose and diet articles at http://www.thinkingstop.com http://www.anabolic.ca http://www.takingsteroids.com http://www.dietpost.info http://www.fitnesspost.info

About The Author Andrew Mills Webmaster of http://www.thinkingstop.com http://www.anabolic.ca and http://www.takingsteroids.com http://www.dietpost.info http://www.fitnesspost.infohttp://www.articlehole.com and many other websites for over 5 years.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Are You Often Tired? Searching for a Cure?

by: George Alarcon

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is probably one of the most misunderstood diseases in existence today. Many doctors continue to doubt that CFS is even a real disease. Some doctors think CFS is no more than a psychological disorder, or an extended symptom of another disease. CFS is an insidious disease with no absolute connection or root cause being yet discovered. On top of that, there exist no constant biological determinants to open the way to objective measurements like brain scans or blood tests for conducting an absolute diagnosis of CFS. So clearly and frustratingly for those who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, have great barriers stacked against them from the very beginning.

Surveys indicate that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome impacts more than four in every 1,000 Americans. According to a U.S. study, women suffered the highest rates of CFS. Individuals ages between 40 to 50, suffered CFS more often than any other age group. CFS affects both sexes of all ages, and across all ethnic and racial groups.

What are some of the most common symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

The most identified and common symptoms of CFS are the following:

• --A severe exhaustion lasting over six months and which doesn’t get better even after sleep.
• --Periods of forgetfulness, memory loss, confusion, or difficulty concentrating
• --Tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpits.
• --Joint pain without redness or swelling.
• --Unrefreshing sleep, or unable to fall asleep
• --Fatigue lasting more than 24 hours after exercise.
• --Fatigue that significantly disables a person’s ability to behave and function regularly at work, at home, and in social events.
• --When minimal exercise intensifies other CFS symptoms.
• --Sensitivity to sunlight.

What Can I Do Right Now to Better Cope with CFS?

Here are a few steps you can begin implementing in your life for coping with CFS:

Tip #1: If you suspect but are not 100% certain that you have CFS, locate a clinic that treats CFS and request a diagnostic test to determine if you have CFS.

Tip #2: Eat a well-balanced diet consisting of fresh fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains. Try to eliminate as much as you can sugar and animal fat in your meals.

Tip #3: Exercise regularly everyday but do not over do it. Stay within your limits. How? If you cannot tolerate a whole hour of walking, jogging, or cycling without adverse consequences such as sleeping more than your usual, do less.

Tip #4: If you find yourself unable to sleep soundly, consider taking a safe natural remedy that treats insomnia.

Tip #5: If you feel depressed, discouraged, and even defeated because of chronic fatigue syndrome, consider taking a safe natural remedy that treats depression.

Tip #6: CFS patients suffer from a weak immune system. That is why they catch a cold or flu so easily. Supplement your diet with something that strengths your immune system.

Tip #7: Whenever you have time, educate yourself about CFS online and offline. Type in “chronic fatigue syndrome” in the search engine window and browse. The more you know about CFS, the better you’ll cope with this disease.

I personally have done battle with this enduring and merciless "beast." I can honestly confess that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an affliction not easily treated. I have learned a great deal through trials and errors what works and what doesn’t. Often I have wasted my hard-earned money on products that did nothing for me.

George Alarcon reveals at http://www.chronic-fatigue-aid.com his personal Chronic Fatigue story, how he fought and learned how to boost his energy level back to normal. He freely offers the suffering CFS patient a remarkably easy two-step formula for successfully fighting CFS. Under “More Help” at his site you’ll learn how to treat insomnia, depression, and a weak immune system

About The Author

George Alarcon reveals at http://www.chronic-fatigue-aid.com his personal CFS story, how he fought and learned how to boost his energy level back back to normal. He freely informs suffering CFS patients about a remarkably easy 2-step formula for successfully beating CFS. Under "More Help" you'll learn how to treat insomnia, depression, and a weak immune system.

Dangers Of Smoking

by: Michael Sneed

Almost everybody knows that smoking is bad for the health. Images of blackened lungs line school hallways and hospital waiting rooms, but despite this people continue to take up smoking. This may have to do with the pervasive romantic image of smoking -- an image that has nothing in common with reality.

There are many ways to take tobacco. You can chew it, inhale it through the nose, and smoke it in the form of cigars or cigarettes. No matter how it's taken it is dangerous, but because smoking is the most popular way to consume tobacco it has also received the greatest attention from the medical field and the media.

When a smoker inhales a puff of cigarette smoke the large surface area of the lungs allows nicotine to pass into the blood stream almost immediately. It is this nicotine "hit" that smokers crave, but there is a lot more to smoke than just nicotine. In fact, there are more than 4000 chemical substances that make up cigarette smoke and many of them are toxic.

Cigarette smoke is composed of 43 carcinogenic substances and more than 400 other toxins that can also be found in wood varnish, nail polish remover, and rat poison. All of these substances accumulate in the body and can cause serious problems to the heart and lungs.

Cancer is the most common disease associated with smoking. Smoking is the cause of 90% of lung cancer cases and is related to 30% of all cancer fatalities. Other smoking-related cancers include cancers of the mouth, pancreas, urinary bladder, kidney, stomach, esophagus, and larynx.

Besides cancer, smoking is also related to several other diseases of the lungs. Emphysema and bronchitis can be fatal and 75% of all deaths from these diseases are linked to smoking.

Smokers have shorter lives than non-smokers. On average, smoking takes 15 years off your life span. This can be explained by the high rate of exposure to toxic substances which are found in cigarette smoke.

Smokers also put others at risk. The dangers of breathing in second-hand smoke are well known. Smokers harm their loved ones by exposing them to the smoke they exhale. All sorts of health problems are related to breathing in second-hand smoke. Children are especially susceptible to the dangers of second-hand smoke because their internal organs are still developing. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are more vulnerable to asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections.

Smoking can also be dangerous for unborn children. Mothers who smoke are more likely to suffer from miscarriages, bleeding and nausea, and babies of smoking mothers have reduced birth weights or may be premature. These babies are more susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome and may also have lifelong health complications due to chest infections and asthma.

It is never too late to give up smoking, even those who have smoked for 20 years or more can realize tremendous health benefits from giving up the habit.

About The Author Michael Sneed can be found online at http://www.smokingblogonline.com.