Can you really eat all you want and still lose weight?

According to a new Australian study, you sure can.  As long as you
keep your stress levels down, which in turn keeps your metabolism high.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353118,00.html

The study showed that mice with low levels of ACE ("angiotensin
converting enzyme"--say that five times fast) had 60% less tummy
fat, weighed 20% less and had a higher metabolic rate than
their little mice mates with higher amounts of ACE.  It makes
sense to conclude that high levels of ACE contributes to wei/ght
gain.

So how do you get high levels of ACE?  Stress and hypertension.  How
do you drop your levels?  Reduce stress and hypertension.

The vast majority of folks with hypertension and high blood pressure
treat it with drugs.  Therefore, the study goes on to conclude that
this finding means ACE-blockers may be useful as weight-loss drugs.

My opinion:  why not try to reduce stress and blood pressure
without the use of drugs?  Drugs have their place in saving and
prolonging lives, certainly, but I think most of us can reduce
stress and blood pressure organically, by making simple changes
in our schedules and attitudes.

And if we do that successfully, and reduce levels of ACE in our
bodies, we can eat more and still lose weight!  (Bonus:  we'll
lose our tummy fat, too).

Ideas on reducing stress have filled entire books, but here are
some quick suggestions:

SCHEDULE
========
--Add margin to everything you do (get up earlier, leave earlier,
don't schedule every minute of your day, every day of your week,
every weekend of the year)
--Cut out some of your activities.  You can't do everything.  What's
really bearing fruit in your life? 
--Schedule leisure time into every day. 
--We used to just watch TV.  Now we have the computer, blogs, PC's,
video games, cell phones, etc.  This just takes up more of our time
and makes it harder to get things done.  Be aware of how these
time-stealers are adding to your stress levels.
--Practice saying no.  If you can't do it, have someone else do it
for you.
--Create more routine and regimentation in your life.
--Delegate.  Deal with things not always being done the way you
want them done.
--Get enough sleep.  You need at least 7-9 hours a night.

ATTITUDE
========
--It sounds trite but you can always control how you react to
circumstances.
--Is it worth getting angry?  Is it worth getting upset?  Is it
worth getting worried or anxious?
--Learn to say "life is too short" to yourself over and over.
--Reflect on those who have it worse than you.  Nothing changes
your attitude more quickly than that.
--Don't hold on to grudges.  It only hurts you.  The person who
hurt you in the first place probably doesn't care whether you're
upset or not.
--Accept that life isn't always fair.  Everyone experiences unjust
circumstances.  Bad things do happen to good people.
--Belly laugh every day. There are always reruns of "Funniest
Home Videos" on cable TV!  Watch funny movies on DVD, read humorous
books, sign up for joke-a-day email, watch YouTube videos of people
falling down...you get the picture.

This study simply shows that losing weight and keeping it off has
a direct correlation to reducing stress.  Reducing stress has a lot
to do with attitude and how you structure your life.

So, want to get rid of that belly fat?  Not so hot on exercise?
Want to eat more of the reasonably healthy foods you love?

RELAX!!!!!!

***

Another study was released last week that blows the "fit but fat"
theory out of the water.  The study was seeking to prove whether
heavy women who are "active" have the same risk for heart disease
as women at healthy weight who are inactive (don't exercise). 

A quick synopsis of the study/article:
--Being active reduces but doesn't eliminate heart risks faced by
"heavy women"
--Still not known whether weight or exercise contributes more to
reducing risk of heart disease
--2 in 5 of US women age 50 will have heart attacks or other
cardiologic problems
--extra weight always increases risk of heart disease

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/28/fitness.heart.ap/index.html

In discussing the study, I heard one doctor on TV say that 1 in 3
Americans are obese!  I was shocked by that statistic.  Overweight,
maybe, but obese?

I think we can all agree that it makes sense to be at a healthy
weight AND exercise.  (Preaching to the choir here, as I need to
work on the "exer/ise" angle myself.)

The long and short of it:  if you're overweight, you're at greater
risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other not-so-fun illnesses.

If you need to lose weight, please don't be discouraged.  You don't
have to diet.  You DO have to change how you eat.  Take small
steps.  Make small, daily changes.  Work up to a healthy lifestyle.

It's kind of like debt.  You didn't get into debt overnight.  You
won't get out overnight.

You didn't gain weight overnight.  You won't lose it overnight.

BUT you can easily look back a year from now and realize you've
lost 20, 30, 40, 60 pounds.

Let me share my method for weight loss with you.  It's based on
real-life experience and continues to work for me (and my husband,
who went from a waist size of nearly 42 down to a 32).  We eat
real food and enjoy life.  We don't diet.

http://www.RealPeopleDontDiet.com

***

That's all for this week. 

Keep it real, and see you next week!

Warmly,



http://www.RealPeopleDontDiet.com

P.S.  Speaking of debt, you've heard me talk about my childhood
friend Leo Quinn's "get out of debt" ebook/program.  Well, he
updated it last month, so it's new and fresh and DEFINITELY what
a lot of folks need with food and gas prices rising and the
economy struggling.  Check it out here:

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=341299

P.P.S.  There's a new website address for archived issues of this
newsletter:

http://dontdietdigest.com

Easy to find, easy to catch up!
Keep it real, and see you next week!

---

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