McDonalds.. Ever again?



Oh holy God! I just saw this on a facebook page. I'm not going to lie to you. My stomach is heaving at the thoughts of it... If this is true, I think I'll be giving fast food a wide berth for a while! Between this and the guy who found brains or liver or something cooked in KFC breadcrumbs I doubt I'll ever eat either again!

 

Taken and shared from the Facebook Page of Danny Garcia https://www.facebook.com/#!/danny.garcia.963

 

Can you guess what McDonald's food item this is????? Say hello to mechanically separated chicken. It's what all fast-food chicken items are made of. It's chicken nuggets, patties, and the meat in fajitas... In addition the processed frozen chicken in stores is made from this.. Basically the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve... bones, eyes, feet, guts and all. It comes out looking like this... There is more, because it's crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, and soaked in it.. Then because it taste gross it is reflavored artificially. Finally since it is weirdly colored like 'Pepto Bismol' pink, it is dyed with artificial color.. This is what people eat and feed to their children... Enjoy !!!

 

 

 

 

Weight Watchers Members loose more than those that Diet Alone

Thought that this was an interesting article on Daily Mail on line

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2215062/Members-Weight-Watchers-groups-lose-times-diet-study-reveals.html

Apparently a study has revealed that members of WW loose 3 times more than those dieting alone and staying to a meeting helps you achieve more weight loss!!

It's great that an independent group has claimed this too!! So all you guys trying to battle your bulge alone, maybe head on to a meeting and see how well it goes...


 

So it's all my metabolism's fault

Here's a very interesting article on our metabolism and how it affects us depending on our age... I know I'm clinging on to my 20-somethings by my fingernails,  but by jaysus I'll continue to cling on in there until the candle on my cake says 'oh no, its the big 30!"

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/stay-slim-forever-121143236.html

Tweaks to the ProPoints Plan

I was reading the February edition of the WW magazine from the UK last night and it had an interesting article in it regarding the tweaks to the ProPoints plan.

Ok, so firstly they have been researching for the last year and have discovered that it is nutritionally and healthy to drop to 26 daily ProPoints and 49 Weekly ProPoints. The first week back we were given a menu plan for the the week, kind of like the kickstart week on the old points plan. It's all laid out for you and pointed up. My leader reckons that this is a good way to kickstart the weight loss and is also a good way for people close to their goal weight or who have reached a plateau to drop the pounds.

Now, according to the magazine article I was reading (which I don't have to hand but will get a copy of), with the tweaks that have been made to the plan, it is possible to have a "count free day" in that if there is something going on, such as a wedding or a day out, it is possible not to count your points and just eat until you are satisfied. BUT you must only choose filling and healthy foods. If you choose foods that are not these i.e. Green shaded in the book, then you must point them and these are taken out of your weekly 49 ProPoints. They reckon it is a good idea to do this because it helps prepare you for maintenance.

According to the article, you can eat as much as you like, as long as you stop when you are satisfied and you can do this as many days as you like. Interesting no?

I am going to do the kickstart week next week, just to see how well it goes.

The Six Secrets of the Most Successful Slimmers - Courtesy of Rachael Anne Hill

 

The six secrets of the most successful slimmers

By Rachael Anne Hill | The Slim Down – Mon, Dec 19, 2011 16:55 GMT

It's that time again when we all resolve to clean up our eating habits, get fit and lose weight but statistics show that less than 5% of us actually succeed long term.  So what does it take to make sure that you win the war against weight gain?

According to the National Weight Control Registry (a massive ongoing US study that has tracked the eating and exercise habits of over 10,000 people who have successfully lost at least 30 pounds for a year or longer) there are six habits that set the successful slimmers apart.

Habit 1: Successful slimmers are realistic goal setters
Instead of focusing on a weight that they would like to be to look good they focus on a weight that they know will help them feel good.

It's no use being super slim but eternally hungry or tired. Focus instead on a weight that is realistic for your body, one that will help you to be healthy and happy long term. Ask yourself what is the lightest I have been in my adult life for a period lasting longer than six months. This will give you a good idea of what is a realistic and achievable weight for you.

Habit 2: Successful slimmers want to be a 'tortoise' not a 'hare'
Weight losses of the study's participants have ranged from 30 to 300lbs and have taken between one and 14 years.

Whilst no-one is suggesting you should take 14 years to achieve your goals, these statistics do emphasise the importance of taking a slow and steady approach. Long term success is never achieved with a fast fix solution so aim to lose no more than two pounds a week. Any more than this and it is highly likely you'll be losing lean muscle tissue which will only reduce your body's ability to burn calories in the long run.

Habit 3: Successful slimmers take full responsibility
They realise that there is no point blaming external people or circumstances for their weight.  They also understand that they must lose weight for themselves — not to please others and accept that there are no magic pills or potions that will do it for them.

Be honest enough to identify the real reasons you have gained weight in the first place and have the courage to tackle those root causes head on. Accept that whilst others may be able to eat anything and never seem to gain a pound you simply cannot and therefore need to adopt an eating an exercising regime that takes this into account.

Habit 4: Successful slimmers exercise — a lot!
The successful participants lost weight in a number of ways, 55% with the help of some kind of programme whilst 45% achieved success by themselves.  However, almost all have found that in order to maintain their weight losses they need to exercise for approximately an hour a day.

Start by upping your general activity levels. 62% of the successful slimmers watched less than 10 hours of TV a week and 75% achieved their exercise hours through an increased amount of walking. Buy a pedometer and aim for the recommended 10,000 steps a day. Walk or cycle to work and back and power walk through your lunch breaks. Then, once you're moving more build in some structured exercise on top. Start attending fitness classes, swim after work, enroll in a tennis club or take up dancing. Whatever you do, find a way of exercising that fits with your lifestyle and adds quality to your life.

Habit 5: Successful slimmers don't even try to be perfect
They understand that to be a long term success it's all about getting it right most of the time — but not all! They don't ban foods and they certainly don't beat themselves up when they 'fall off the wagon'. They see exercise and healthy eating as something they deserve to have in their lives to help them feel better not as a grueling regime or a punishment. They eat smaller portions which enable them to have the odd treat here and there and they don't just reward themselves with food. They understand the value in other rewards such as a manicure or a hot bath and they don't obsess over the scales.

Habit 6: Successful slimmers eat real food
They also eat at regular intervals. 78% ate breakfast every day and almost all monitored calories or portion sizes but steered clear of pills, potions or pre-packed diet foods.

Eat at least seven servings of fresh fruit and vegetables a day along side good quality, slow releasing carbohydrates. Limit fat, sugar and alcohol and adopt a consistent eating pattern regardless of whether it's a weekday, weekend or holiday.  Make sure you listen to your body too and only eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.

(article taken from http://www.yahoo.ie/)

Waist Circumference - Health Advice from Weight Watchers

This is an article I found on http://www.weightwatchers.ie/fitness-and-health/health/health-archive/waist-circumference.html

Weight Watchers dietitian, Zoe Hellman, explains why your waistline is an important indicator of your health.
As the weight of Ireland as a nation increases, so waistlines are expanding. With these excess inches, come the added health risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Apple Or Pear?

Most people have one of two body shapes; often referred to as apple and pear shaped figures. People who store fat around their middle (abdomen) are said to be apple-shaped and tend to have a greater risk of developing conditions such as heart disease. Losing weight and reducing excess inches around your waist will help to reduce this risk.
Those whose fat is stored around their hips and thighs are said to be pear-shaped and tend to have a lower risk of developing conditions like high blood pressure. Before you pull out a tape measure to measure your middle, read on to find out how to do it accurately.

1. Find the bottom of your ribs and top of your hip bone.
2. Breathe out naturally whilst standing.
3. Place a tape measure in the middle of these points and wrap it around your waist (for many people this is where the tummy button is)
4. Check your measurement against the table below

	Healthy	Increased Health Risk	High Health Risk
Men	Less than 94cm (37")	Higher than 94cm (37")	Higher than 102cm (40")
Women	Less than 80cm (32")	Higher than 80cm (32")	Higher than 88cm (35")

If your waistline is above a healthy level, the good news is that losing weight and shedding those excess inches around your waist can really help to reduce the potential health risks.
And incorporating more activity into your daily life can help too. Recent studies have shown that people with low activity levels are more than twice as likely to have a waist circumference above healthy level compared to those with high activity levels.
Losing inches from around your waist can be a great indicator of weight loss success and a brilliant way to stay motivated if the scales don’t always show a change in your weight.

Set Up For Success

Goal setting is best when you don’t bite off more than you can chew. Steady progress working towards realistic goals is the way to stay motivated and achieve your ultimate aim of your Goal Weight.
For most people, losing a relativity small amount of weight, about 5-10%, is enough to reduce the health risks associated with being overweight, like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure that can lead to the development of heart disease.
There are also huge benefits for emotional health; people who have lost 5-10% of their body weight report improvements in quality of life, symptoms of depression and perception of appearance, energy and vitality.
So, aim for your first 5% and get off to a flying start for your motivation – and your health!