7 Easy Tips for Faster Weight Loss

A joyful dayPosted on February 28, 2011 by Rhonda

7 Easy Tips for Faster Weight Loss

When we decide to lose weight –  we want to lose it FAST! Fast weight loss isn’t always best for our health, simply because some of the methods used for fast weight loss are unhealthy or difficult to keep doing for a long enough period of time.

However, there are a few key things that are known to help speed up weight loss without harming your health:

1. Drink More Water

Drinking plenty of water is an excellent way to help your body burn more fat, as well as release excess water you may have been retaining. Experts recommend a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily.  It’s probably safe to drink more as long as you don’t overdo it.

2. Avoid Sugar — one of your biggest enemies

Refined white cane sugar has a detrimental effect on the body, namely because of the way it sharply elevates blood glucose levels. This causes your pancreas to secrete insulin to bring blood glucose back to normal levels, and too much of this up-and-down fluctuation can wreak havoc on your body.

For losing weight quickly, there are few actions more powerful than eliminating white refined sugar (and its cousin, high fructose corn syrup) from your diet. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll find that fruit is a great alternative, and so is low-glycemic agave nectar.

You don’t necessarily have to give up sweets completely – just choose healthier options to satisfy your sweet tooth.

3.  Reduce Sodium Intake

Reducing your sodium intake is another way to help speed up weight loss, simply because eating high amounts of sodium makes most people retain excess water weight. Not to mention that a diet high in sodium can contribute to hypertension (high blood pressure).

4.  Avoid Starvation

People often think that reducing their caloric intake down to almost nothing is a great way to lose weight quickly, but all it does is kick their bodies into self-preservation mode and slow down their metabolism.

A much better approach is to eat lean, low-calorie foods frequently throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism running strong, burning fat and losing weight. Not to mention you’ll have more energy and feel more satisfied all day long. Also including a moderate amount of heart-healthy fats (like those found in olive oil and avacados) can keep you from feeling hungry.

5. Burn More Calories

Cardio exercises are known for their calorie-burning power, and effective weight loss plans will focus on creating a “calorie deficit”. To lose one pound, you need to either reduce your calorie intake by 3500 calories, or burn off 3500 calories with cardio exercise.

Doing a combination of both has been proven to be most effective; for example reducing your daily caloric intake, AND burning calories via cardio exercise. So, if you reduced your calories by 250 daily (1750 weekly), and burned off 250 calories daily (1750 weekly), you would lose 1 pound that week.

Keep in mind that other factors can come into play so some weeks you may lose more and other weeks you may lose less.

6. Become a Friend of Fiber

Increasing your fiber intake is another good way to speed weight loss, for a few reasons. First, eating high-fiber foods helps you feel fuller longer so you aren’t tempted to overeat. Fiber is also helpful in slowing the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, which reduces the impact of high-glycemic foods and minimizes fluctuations in blood glucose levels.

Finally, a fiber rich diet helps “keep things moving” in your digestive tract so you clean your colon and eliminate waste more easily.

7. Reduce Stress

Last but not least, managing your stress better can help you lose weight more quickly. The hormone cortisol is prevalent in the stressed-out body, and cortisol contributes to the accumulation of belly fat. It’s virtually impossible to lead a completely stress-free life, but there are endless ways to better manage your stress so it doesn’t wreak havoc on your body. Try meditating daily for 10-15 minutes, deep breathing exercises, or a soothing exercise like yoga.

Affiliate sponsor offer:

Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms Spiral Bound Cookbook Offer

Posted in Health, Healthy Eating, Miscellaneous, Weight Loss | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How to Wake Up and See God’s Blessings Each Morning

A joyful dayPosted on February 27, 2011 by Rhonda

How to Wake Up and See God’s Blessings Each Morning

The other day, someone on Facebook posted a thoughtful question… “What if you woke up tomorrow morning with ONLY the things you thanked God for today?”

It’s such a thoughtful question to ponder because many of us fail to see that we are so very blessed!  (Sadly, some of us might wake up with nothing!)

Psalms 68:19 says,  “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah”

I asked my Facebook friends to share some of their daily blessings with me.  (I actually wanted to hear their blessings, because I just needed some encouragement that day.)

One missionary friend shared her list:

1.) We have water in our tanks.
2.) My friend just received her 1st refrigerator, she’s 36 and it’s been her dream for the 13 years that I have known her.
3.) Helped a new friend understand a biblical principle.
4.) Read Psalms 50 with 4 other friends and marveled at the Greatness of God. “cattle upon a thousand hills”
5.) Someone prepared a meal for me and also did the cleaning.
6.) Two of my five children “visited” with me today.
7.) My husband told me “You’re beautiful!”
8.) Got to post and share my blessings with you. :o )

I responded:

“Your numbered blessings were a real blessing to me! Some of the things that we think are so small or insignificant are real blessings that we might fail to give God credit for!”

But if you take a closer look at her list,  you’ll realize that her blessings are not particularly “material” things (such as jewelry or a new dress) .  For instance, the privilege of helping a friend or encouraging a friend in God’s Word…or the simple “freedom” and “privilege” to hold God’s Word in your hand to read it are blessings that we might overlook.

As we become more “grateful”…we become more “thankful” for the tiniest things as well as the biggest things.

The cross of Calvary where Jesus laid down His life that we might have eternal Hope — Life everlasting — our sins paid for in full! — is yet the biggest blessing we have to enjoy everyday.

So how do we wake up and see God’s blessings each morning?

1. Before you stick your big toe out from underneath the covers — thank God for your first breath upon waking up.  Each breath is a blessing from God.

2. When you turn on the faucet to prepare to wash your face, thank God for the running water — for the money that paid your water bill — for the convenience of having indoor plumbing.  (So glad for that on frosty winter mornings. lol)

3.  When you head to the kitchen to prepare for breakfast — thank God for the food that’s in your fridge and your cupboards.  Some people won’t have the privilege to eat today!

4.  When you get dressed, thank God that you have fresh clothing to wear — the fact that you have clothes is a blessing — and the fact that you have clean clothes is an added blessing.  (Those wash machines save us tons of scrubbing hours! lol)

5.  If you can see, hear, talk or walk — then you’re doubly blessed because so many cannot do some of these things.  If you have good health — then consider it a triple blessing on top of that!

There’s sooo much more that could be mentioned here — more than I could ever write in a blog post…please share your blessings below.  I’d love to hear your comments.  They’ll be a blessing to me as well as to other readers!

Posted in Devotionals, Miscellaneous, Spiritual thoughts | Tagged | Leave a comment

Because the Lord is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want

A joyful dayPosted on July 4, 2010 by Rhonda

Psalms 23:1 -  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23 is a very well-known Psalm of David.  David had been a shepherd in his youth and had personal experience with the responsibilities of a shepherd.  Dutifully he had to watch over the sheep and take care of their every need…lead them.  He also had the duty to protect them from harmful predators and  keep a watchful eye over any sheep that may be wandering astray.

To be a good shepherd must have been full-time job and an exhausting one at times, I am sure.   From a mother’s view point of taking care of her own little “flock” at home, it’s hard to imagine the responsibility of managing a whole flock of sheep.  A good shepherd would never leave his sheep alone, wandering helplessly. (Would we as mothers leave our little toddlers out wandering down the street alone?)  The shepherd cared for his sheep with compassion.  Ancient shepherds knew each of their sheep by name.   They were familiar with their individual characteristic marks, their peculiarities, their personal habits and tendencies, etc.

To begin the day of leading his sheep, a shepherd’s morning call was a distinctive guttural sound.  In trusting obedience, each flock would rise and follow its master to the feeding grounds.  Amazingly, even if two shepherds called out to their flocks at the same time where the sheep were intermingled, they were able to recognize their own shepherd’s voice.  They never followed the wrong shepherd.

When we realize the great responsibility of a shepherd, we can truly begin to appreciate David’s remarkable statement when he says, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

There’s three simple points that I would like ponder….

1.  We have a choice to follow.

Our Heavenly Father wants to be our Shepherd, but He gives us a choice to follow.  He did not create us to act as robots upon forced command.  Because Jesus willingly laid his life down upon the cross to pay for our sins, we should willingly repent of our sin and accept Him as our personal Savior, allowing Him to become our Good Shepherd.  (See YourFreeGift.org)

Jesus says in John 10:11,27, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep… My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

2.  When we follow, we do not lack.

For those who scoff at Christianity, claiming it to be a mere “security blanket” to believers, they’re truly missing the absolute  joy of having such a tender, loving, caring Shepherd.  Never do we have to face life difficulties and struggles alone.  Never is there a need or worry that we cannot approach our Heavenly Father and simply ask Him to meet our urgent need.

Matthew 7:11 – “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?”

3.  When we follow, our future is covered as well.

As we take one more quick glance at verse 1, we notice the particular word, “shall“ not want.  The word “shall” may express our near future, our tomorrow (isn’t that what we usually worry about?), but it also expresses what will definitely be done.

We might claim to our neighbor that “tomorrow we might pick blackberries if it doesn’t rain.”  But, when we use the word “shall”, we have obviously mustered up the determination that we’re definitely going to do something whether rain or sunshine…it’s definitely getting done!

God already knows all about tomorrow and our future needs…all our needs “shall” be met…we shall not want!

Matthew 6:8 – “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.”

When we let Jesus become our good Shepherd, we do not lack.  Our every need is met….emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Won’t you follow Him today?

Side Note: I grabbed the opportunity to join the Faithful Bloggers writing project which currently is on the topic of the entire chapter of Psalm 23.  I chose to blog about verse 1.

Posted in Devotionals, Spiritual thoughts | Tagged , | 6 Comments