One of the secrets of healthy weight control is having lots of healthy snacks within easy reach. Here are 30 choices from the simple and the basic to the creative and unusual for parties and family fun.
- Colorful raw vegetables. Try unique and interesting varieties like jicama, avocados, raw fennel, raw sticks or slices of yam, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, etc.
- Freeze yogurt for a yogurt popsicle
- Apples, pears, bananas, oranges, mangos, figs, berries, and other interesting fruit with a Greek yogurt fruit dip
- 1 medium piece of fruit (peach, orange or nectarine) sliced.
- Dried fruit like prunes, dates, figs, and raisins mixed with nuts
- Nuts and seeds of all kinds (watch the salt)
- A low-fat string cheese wrapped with a slice of lean turkey
- A carb-controlled, high fiber tortilla spread with hummus or avocado
- A lettuce wrap with chicken, turkey, or ham
- A frozen banana, grapes, berries, or other fruit mixed with nuts
- Non-fat cottage cheese with fresh raw fruit
- Hard boiled eggs
- Smoothies with LEAN™ and XypStix™
- Try all the flavors of hummus for veggie dips
- Celery spread with peanut butter
- Baked whole-grain crackers topped with hummus, peanut butter, and veggie bites
- Try no-calorie carbonated drinks like seltzer, sparkling water, and club soda mixed with lemon juice and stevia or XypStix™.
- Deli ham or turkey wrapped around a sweet pickle or dill pickle slice.
- Blend non-fat cottage cheese & lemon pepper for a quick veggie dip.
- Blend plain low-fat Greek yogurt with a scoop of LEAN for a light pudding.
Add fresh fruit & nuts.
- Crunchy freeze dried fruits: try berries, apples, pineapple, and bananas.
- Enjoy spiced, roasted pumpkin seeds
- A tin of tuna or salmon with Dijon mustard in a pocket of whole grain pita bread
- Drained canned artichoke hearts with capers and olive oil. Eat with toothpicks
- Wrap smoked salmon in lettuce leaves
- Toss air-popped popcorn with olive oil, a little hot sauce and some crumbled blue cheese
- Whip up Xyngular Super Fruit Global Blend™ with kefir and cocoa powder
- Stuff figs and dates with almonds or hazel nuts
- Stir chopped fresh pineapple into salsa and season with ground cumin
- Spray air popped popcorn with olive oil and dust with buttermilk powder, celery salt and dill.
ACTION STEPS:
1. Keep a file of these snacks ideas near where you write your shopping list. Make sure you have your favorite fixings always on the list so you won't be tempted to shop for the unhealthy ones.
2. Share this list with family members. Get them to circle ideas they'd like to try or old favorites they'd like to have on hand more often or in greater variety.
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I had a baby August 30th, 2011 and wanted to try something to get my baby weight off. I am also getting married Sept 22nd, 2012! My goal is to get to 180 pounds by my wedding. I have a great feeling that Xyngular™ is going to get me to my goal and probably lower. My wedding dress size has been a 16. I tried dresses on yesterday, and I am already down to a size 12!
I have also joined a health club and enjoy "hot yoga." XYNG™ has got me feeling more energized! I have enjoyed listening in on conference calls and listening to others' success stories.
I also added 3 members during the month of February and they all have had success too! Kimmie has lost 10 pounds, Ty has lost 8 and Nicole has lost 10 all in their first 8 days!
The best part was I invited my soon-to-be husband to come along with me on this journey, and he has done great! He lost 14 pounds and 9 inches! We will both be continuing on!
I will continue my journey with Xyngular, and hope to share my success story with many more and build a larger team!
- Kristina Kaleen Olson
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Many foods that are advertised as being healthy and natural are actually not healthy at all. There's no category of foods less healthy than most diet foods. Here some examples of unhealthy "healthy" foods.
1. Aspartame. The NutraSweet in your diet drinks and other foods may actually be encouraging your body chemistry to overindulge and crave sweet foods. It can also damage beneficial bacteria in your digestive system, which are responsible for normal digestion of important nutrients in your body.
2. Diet soda. Research has found that with each diet soda you drink, your risk for being overweight increases by 41 percent.
3. Veggie chips aren't much healthier than ordinary potato chips. Most veggie chips are mostly made from corn flour or potato ingredients.
4. Pretzels. Because these are mainly made from salt and refined white flour, you may as well be eating straight sugar, because that's what your body chemistry creates from this refined carbohydrate snack. Don't be fooled by the package, which shouts "fat free" or "sugar free."
5. Cereals. Whether they're high-fiber, whole-grain or not, break down in your body and increase your insulin levels for more efficient fat-storage. Put limits on them and replace them with vegetables, healthy fats like avocados, and proteins.
6. Frozen yogurt. Most contain way too much sugar. It will spike your insulin and encourage fat storage. You may want to create your own home-made frozen yogurt sweetened with fruit.
7. Fructose. This sweetener is often considered "healthy" because it's what exists naturally in fruit. If you only ate the fructose in raw fruit you'd be fine. But the fructose as in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not fine! It shows up in all kinds of foods and beverages. It's the primary factor in the obesity epidemic.
At the end of the day, what decides whether we'll be successful at managing our weight and health is how we manage our carbohydrates, whether it's grains (including whole grains) or sugars (especially fructose).
ACTION STEPS:
1. Make a pantry check for the 7 foods listed above and eliminate them from your shopping list.
2. Share some of these ideas on Facebook and in calls with your team. Give them a quiz to see if they can identify all seven.
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Losing weight isn't just about appearances. There are dangerous health risks associated with being overweight or obese. With children and adolescents becoming overweight earlier in their lives, this dramatically increases the risk of the following health conditions and diseases.
1. Diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas that can lead to many of the other medical issues on this list. Being overweight or obese is one of the main causes of diabetes.
2. Cancer has many different types and forms. Many of them could be prevented with more careful nutrition and keeping weight under control.
3. Congestive heart failure is often linked to being overweight. Your heart can't pump enough blood to the organs of your body.
4. Enlarged heart is a condition where your heart muscle is overworked, which naturally happens from being overweight.
5. Pulmonary embolism is a sometimes fatal artery blockage. Most overweight people reduce activity, which can result in an embolism.
6. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a situation sometimes linked to being overweight, where cysts grow in your ovaries.
7. Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common in overweight people. It happens when stomach acids flow from your stomach back up into your esophagus.
8. Fatty liver disease is a condition where large pockets of fat gather in liver cells.
9. A hernia can be caused when the hole in the diaphragm weakens and enlarges sometimes due to being overweight.
10. Erectile dysfunction can be caused by a medical problem tied to obesity.
11. Urinary incontinence is frequently associated with obesity, weak bladder and pelvic floor muscles
12. Chronic renal failure means your kidneys stop working. There is a much greater risk in those who are overweight or obese.
13. Lymph edema happens because of a damaged or dysfunctional lymphatic system. It's sometimes caused by obesity which actually crushes the lymphatic system in the body.
14. Cellulitis is a skin infection that spreads in the dermis and deeper skin tissues. It sometimes comes from poor lymph flow often caused by obesity.
15. Stroke results from a lack of blood supply to your brain. It's more common in the overweight or obese.
16. Sleep apnea often results from an excessive load on your pulmonary system from being overweight.
17. Depression is often more severe among those with weight problems.
18. Osteoarthritis is a low-grade inflammation in the joints. It is caused by wearing down of cartilage, often as a result of being overweight or obese.
19. Gout comes from uric acid accumulating in your blood. Nerve endings are irritated, which causes extreme pain. This is made much worse when there's excess weight.
20. Gallbladder disease is common among overweight people. It is a result of high blood cholesterol levels, which encourages the formation of gall stones.
According to the US Surgeon General's report, obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year in the United States. Because of Xyngular, you and your loved ones don't have to look forward to becoming one of them.
ACTION STEPS:
1. Do a quick survey of your own. Write the names of those you know with one or more of the conditions or diseases listed. Make a note if they are overweight or obese.
2. Make a note of those diseases and conditions that are common in your family and resolve to prevent them in yourself and those you love by keeping the weight off with Xyngular.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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People who are obese have usually tried and failed at multiple extreme methods for losing weight. They will do anything to get the weight off—even try surgery. Bariatric (weight-loss) surgery has increased 10-fold since the year 2000.
As a Xyngular® Distributor you've read testimonials in our ConneXions™ from some people who were ready to go "under the knife" and found Xyngular just in time. In addition to these dramatic stories, it may be helpful for you to understand some of the risks associated with bariatric surgery so you can share them with friends who may be that desperate.
All surgeries have risks, but bariatric surgeries appear to have a lot higher ratio of complications. Nearly 40 percent of those who have weight-loss surgery have major complications including:
• Infection
• Kidney stones
• Band erosion
• Malnutrition
• Liver failure
• Black-outs
• Abnormal band expansion
• Gallbladder and bowel problems
• Higher risk of death
There are two types of weight-loss surgery: (1) Gastric banding is a reversible procedure that involves inserting a band around the top section of the stomach and cinching it to create a smaller stomach area. (2) Gastric bypass involves removing a section of your small intestine that is responsible for most of your nutrient absorption.
One study that followed the results of gastric banding found that nearly 50 percent of patients required later removal of their bands. One in three experienced band erosion, and 60 percent needed additional surgery. Complications and adverse side-effects include gastric reflux, difficulty swallowing, stomach obstruction, band slippage, and other more severe problems. But that's nothing compared to the complications of gastric bypass surgery.
According to one study reported in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the risk of dying within 30 days of the surgery was one in 50. This procedure limits drastically your amount of food, so you won't be able to eat normally for the rest of your life. You'll have to be extremely careful to avoid malnutrition because of the small amount of food you are forced to consume. Constipation, hair loss, and muscle loss are common due to improper nutrition.
Certain foods like tomato sauces, mayonnaise, fruit juice and dressings often lead to cramps, nausea and diarrhea. You most likely won't be able to digest some important nutrient-dense foods like red meat, the nutrient-rich skins of fruits and vegetables, high-fiber vegetables and spicy foods.
As a Xyngular Distributor you have a far better solution than surgery for weight loss.
ACTION STEPS:
1. Keep a file of testimonials from ConneXions of people who were contemplating bariatric surgery but who instead chose to succeed with Xyngular. If you hear of anyone contemplating surgery for weight loss, send them some of these testimonials.
2. Learn a few of the statistics and side effects and share them in comments with people who you feel may be contemplating surgery.
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Here are my photo results after my 8-day IGNITE™ program. I normally wouldn't post photos of me like this, so this shows how confident I am about the Xyngular health and wellness program.
I lost 5.5 pounds and 9 inches in only 8 days and I can't believe all the energy I have! AmaXYNG! This has helped me understand how well my body works when I eat all the right foods.
I haven't finished my journey to be healthy yet...it's just the beginning!
-Michelle Moshier Harrell
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People are always looking for ways to boost metabolism and burn fat. Most people think first of exercise, building muscle and changing eating habits. However, most people forget to identify individual foods that could improve metabolism and burn more fat. Here are 10 foods you could try.
1. Fish
Salmon, tuna and cod are all great fish to help you lose weight. They are all great sources of protein and omega 3 oils, which help your cardiovascular system and your brain function better. Your body needs to burn calories to metabolize foods, and it takes more calories to break down protein than it does carbs or fat fat.
2. Grapefruit
You've heard of grapefruit crash diets. It's because grapefruit contains a great fat-burning enzyme along with its vitamin C. It helps lower insulin in your body, which decreases fat storage. It takes extra calories for your body to metabolize grapefruit, much like protein.
3. Yogurt
If you want to replace unhealthy breakfast foods, then have yogurt and some fruit to start your day. It's packed with protein, which takes extra calories to metabolize. Greek yogurt even has extra protein.
4. Apples
Apples are packed with nutrients, are full of fiber and are low in calories. In fact, apples belong to an unusual category of foods with "negative calories." They actually take more calories to digest than they contribute.
5. Spicy Foods
Jalapenos and other chili peppers contain capsaicin, which helps your body burn a few extra calories.
6. Cinnamon
Many studies show the potential health and fat-burning benefits of adding a little cinnamon to just about anything. Add it to your yogurt or breakfast cereal. Sprinkle it on fruit.
7. Broccoli
Broccoli is rich in both calcium and vitamin C, which are great nutrients for burning fat. The calcium boosts metabolism while vitamin C helps your body absorb even more calcium. It's also a great source of fiber, which gets you full faster and keeps you full longer on fewer calories.
8. Water
Your body needs plenty of water to process calories and burn fat. If you aren't giving yourself enough water, you're slowing your metabolism.
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