6 Tips to Help Lower Your Cholesterol

From The Official South Beach Diet » About the South Beach Diet » Cholesterol and the South Beach Diet 6 Tips to Help Lower Your Cholesterol The South Beach Diet encourages you to eat nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods and to exercise regularly. These healthy lifestyle habits will not only help you meet your weight-loss goals, but they’ll also put you on the right track to lowering your cholesterol, thereby reducing your risk of heart disease. Here are 6 ways to help improve your cholesterol levels: Limit saturated fat. Saturated fat (often referred to as animal fat) is typically found in foods like poultry skin, full-fat dairy products, and fatty cuts of beef, lamb, and pork. It should be limited because it can stimulate cholesterol production in the body and cause your total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels to rise. By adopting our diet, which is low in saturated fat, you've taken a good first step toward improving your cholesterol levels. Avoid trans fats. Trans fats, aka hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (check the list of ingredients on nutrition labels), may be even more damaging to cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they can raise your LDL cholesterol while lowering HDL ("good") cholesterol. Studies have shown that trans fats may also increase the risk of cancer. The South Beach Diet excludes foods like stick margarine, and any commercially processed foods like baked goods and chips, that often contain trans fats. On the South Beach Diet, we replace these unhealthy choices with products made with good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in oils such as olive, canola, peanut, and sunflower. Maintain a healthy weight. For many people, cholesterol levels improve as weight decreases. This is not due to the weight loss itself, but rather to the effects of following a healthy eating and exercise plan like the South Beach Diet. In other words, the lifestyle changes that are necessary for sustained weight loss are the same ones that will help lower your cholesterol. Exercise smart and often. At least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise that incorporates interval training every other day can help lower LDL levels and raise HDL levels. The important thing is to be consistent: Find aerobic activities you enjoy. Walking, swimming, and biking are all good choices. Quit smoking. In addition to being a major risk factor for heart disease and cancer, cigarette smoking can also contribute to low HDL levels. If you smoke, quitting may raise HDL levels by up to 10 percent. See your physician regularly. If lifestyle measures haven’t helped to lower your cholesterol, or if you have a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease, it may be necessary to embark on a program of medical therapy in the form of a cholesterol-lowering drug or drugs. Your physician will help determine the best course of action for you.

15 Things Really Successful People Want You to Know

15 Things Really Successful People Want You to Know from Oprah.com - The link is below if you want to copy and paste it Not to Sweat the Small Stuff The thing that's grand about spending your time thinking about the universe is that it makes you feel insignificant. I don't mean that in a bad way. If you understand that we've now discovered entire solar systems that contain planets similar to Earth, and that those are just the ones we know about, since most of the stars we've looked at are within about 300 light- years of Earth and the distance to the center of our galaxy is nearly 100 times that—then you realize that the laundry you've left undone and the dumb thing you said yesterday are about as significant as slime mold. —Alyssa Goodman, PhD, professor of astronomy, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Pace Yourself A therapist once told me something that's as true now as when I first heard it: "You can only go as fast as the slowest part of you can go." —Singer Bonnie Raitt, who took a seven-year hiatus from the studio before releasing her new album, Slipstream The Secret to Trying New Things People say it's gross that I eat grubs and goat liver, but if you haven't tried it, how do you know? Our brains tell us lies, and if we listen, we cost ourselves surprises. When trying something new, cast off your fear and expectations. —Andrew Zimmern, host of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods America Simple Ways to Look Polished Start with a great haircut, neat nails, and well-shaped eyebrows (if eyes are the windows to the soul, eyebrows are the frames). Invest in a tailor—and in a few no-fail items that will help you look pulled together: a crisp white shirt, a pencil skirt, a great-fitting shift dress (just add shoes and go!), a tissue-weight scarf, and the perfect jacket. Whether it's a black blazer with a structured shoulder and nipped-in waist or a little leather jacket that looks great over anything, the right jacket projects confidence. And isn't that what polished really means? —Adam Glassman, O Creative Director Know When to Quit After my first book was published in 2000, I spent two and a half years writing a novel. But it never felt right. I didn't even name it—it was the poor, misshapen beast child I kept hidden under my bed. Then I showed it to my agent. "None of the things you do well are in evidence here," she said. I was devastated, then relieved: I had failed, and now I could stop. If you don't feel a shiver of excitement or fear, if there's no emotional risk involved, let it go. You can't discount how hard it will be to leave your bad marriage or stop writing your bad book, but if you're unhappy, nothing can get better as long as the status quo stays the status quo. —Elissa Schappell, author of Blueprints for Building Better Girls How to Delegate Make certain the people around you have good values, good judgment, and are loyal. Allow them to impress you but be sure they're comfortable coming to you for feedback. Most important, hire people smarter than you! —Ivanka Trump, executive VP, Trump Organization; principal of Ivanka Trump fashion and accessories lines Fake It Till You Make It The philosopher William James believed that acting a certain way could make you feel that way. hundreds of experiments have proved him right. a clark university study showed that smiling made people feel happier. (for best results, smile wide and hold for 20 seconds.) at the university of rochester, when researchers gave subjects an unsolvable problem, those who folded their arms in a stubborn pose persevered nearly twice as long as others. and a study in Singapore revealed that clenching your fist powers your willpower. Try it next time you're avoiding french fries. —Richard Wiseman, PhD, psychology professor at the UK's University of Hertfordshire and author of the forthcoming book The As If Principle How to Laugh at Life The tap water hits a spoon in the sink and sprays you. You pull a window shade and it just keeps going and going. You can't roll up a garden hose in any dignified way. You have to become a connoisseur of these events—"Wow, look at that, that's great." You have to hope that a higher power is saying, "That was a good one!" And that you're sharing the divine pleasure it's taking in your misfortune. —Ian Frazier, author of The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days Not to Waste Time at Your Computer Disable e-mail sounds. That ding!isa Pavloviancueto procrastinate, and once you're distracted, it takes 15 minutes to return to being productive. Create a second log-in, with a different name, theme, and background than your personal account. Use only this one when you're working. Download Freedom, a program that will block you from going online for whatever length of time you set. —Piers Steel, PhD, author of The Procrastination Equation Make Yourself Heard I had just graduated college, my loans were coming due, I was working two jobs and counting every penny. Five dollars wasn't a ton of money, but it was enough to piss me off. Having signed petitions on change.org before, I knew it was a good platform. Then I went on Twitter to direct people to my petition. Maybe they weren't concerned about the fee for themselves, but when they saw me, they saw their granddaughter or niece. It's important to connect with people on a visceral level. If there's an issue you care about, start locally: Write a letter to your newspaper or talk about it with your friends and neighbors. Then find others who share your beliefs. As cheesy as it sounds, working together is the only way to achieve anything. —Molly Katchpole, creator of an online petition that received more than 300,000 signatures and pressured Bank of America to drop a proposed $5 debit card fee Keep the Faith The draft lasts seven rounds, and I knew I wasn't going to be in the top 100 guys, but I was sure a team would call and say they wanted me by early in the sixth round. When the sixth round ended and my phone still hadn't rung, for a second I thought, "This is the worst day of my life." But I'd had a pretty cool college career, and I'd done well in tryouts. Plus, my girlfriend and my family were right there all day telling me I was a great player. I realized then that you can't be successful on your own; you need a supportive loved one and some spiritual guidance. I knew I was meant to play football, and if you know your purpose, and you're patient, the ball will eventually bounce your way. —Chandler Harnish, Indianapolis Colts draft pick and 2012's Mr. Irrelevant, the name given to the last of the 253 players selected in the NFL draft How to Spot a Good Opportunity A lot of people ask me how I knew Mad Men or Breaking Bad would make great TV. I knew because when I read those scripts, I felt something. I didn't do any market testing or focus groups—I just asked myself, Would I want to watch this? When you're weighing an opportunity, make the question that simple: Do I really want this, or am I doing it for the money or the prestige or because I think I should? It can't just be about those things. It has to make you feel good, too. and by the way, if opportunities aren't knocking, you can make your own. When I was looking for work several years ago, I took everyone I knew in New York, where I'd just moved, to dinner or drinks or tea. I explained that I was open to anything. Six months later, one of those dinner dates called about a possible job at AMC. If I hadn't put myself out there, that never would have happened. —Christina Wayne, former senior VP at AMC, current president of Cineflix Studios, and an executive producer of the new BBC America series Copper The One Thing to do If You're Starting a Business Scout a business space the same way you would a home—by studying the neighborhood. Get to know local business owners and pay attention to what kinds of people walk by and when. If you're opening a coffee shop where no one will see it, you won't succeed. —Tabatha Coffey, salon owner and host of Bravo's Tabatha's Salon Takeover Win the Fight It's always more effective to be civil. —Sandra Fluke, former law student whose congressional testimony in favor of birth control insurance coverage prompted Rush Limbaugh to call her a "slut" and a "prostitute" on his nationally syndicated radio show Adapt When Your Life Takes a Turn You can't move very fast if you're carrying a lot of baggage. I try to remind myself of that every day. It's easy to get weighed down by bad stuff from your past— an accident, a difficult breakup, family issues, whatever. But if you're tied to the past, you're not going to get very far. When I was lying in the hospital after the accident, my surgeon, Dr. DeLong, handed me some magazines about the Paralympics and told me to think about it. I had no idea what it would take to be an amputee, let alone a sprinter, let alone a gold medalist. But I told myself, "This is your new dream. Here it is. Take the first step." —April Holmes, Paralympic gold medalist in the 100-meter dash. In 2001, at age 27, the former college track star lost her left leg from the knee down in a train accident. Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Advice-from-Successful-People-Secrets-to-Success/3#ixzz2LInkwMR9

Copy & paste Weight Loss Dinners from Oprah.com

http://www.oprah.com/food/Weight-Loss-Dinners_1

5 Things Worrying Is Doing to Your Body

The Science of Stress: 5 Things Worrying Is Doing to Your Body Think you can't afford to relax? Consider the alternatives. By Emma Haak Brain Strain Stress starts here. When your body goes on high alert because of a real or perceived threat, your brain sets off your fight-or-flight alarm system, triggering your adrenal glands to release a flood of hormones—including adrenaline and cortisol, which increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Unfortunately, because so many of us are chronically stressed, our fight-or-flight response never shuts off and our cortisol levels remain elevated, potentially increasing the risk for depression, hypertension, and possibly some cancers. Stomach Upsets Roughly 25 percent of people say stress gives them an upset stomach or indigestion, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association. Here's why: Prolonged anxiety slows digestion as your nervous system directs its energy toward the organs and muscles most critical to survival. This, in turn, can cause nausea, constipation, cramping, and bloating. Memory Loss Stress-prone people are about 40 percent more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, according to a study from Rush University. Researchers believe that high levels of stress hormones may damage or shrink the hippocampus (an area deep in the brain that's responsible for long-term memory). Heart Ache Chronic stress can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that drama with a spouse or close friend could increase your risk of heart problems by up to 34 percent. Fertility Trouble The hormones released by your body's stress response may suppress ovulation, according to research from the Emory University School of Medicine. A separate study found that women undergoing IVF were 2.6 times more likely to get pregnant if they also participated in a stress-management program. Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Science-of-Stress-What-Stress-Does-to-Your-Body#ixzz2L0R0hFNi

Copy link into browser for ways to relieve stress from Oprah.com

http://www.oprah.com/health/Fast-Stress-Relief-Calm-Down-Quickly/1

Filling Food to Speed Weight Loss

Filling Food to Speed Weight Loss Learn which foods fight hunger by keeping you feeling full longer. Pros and Cons of Protein The Benefits of Eating Whole Grains By Madeline Vann, MPH Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD Get the latest health facts, tips, and advice. @EverydayHealth It's the dieter's worst enemy — that gnawing hunger when you're trying to eat less and lose weight. But fighting off those feelings of hunger could be as simple as a walk to the nearest soup and salad bar for lunch. Here's how you can make food choices that will keep you feeling full and help prevent the hunger pangs that lead to diet-busting snacks or binges. Food Strategies For Losing Weight If you want to feel full all day on less food, focus on these eating strategies: Get enough lean protein and fiber. A study of 22 men who changed the amount of protein in their diets for 18-day periods showed that those who ate the least protein were the most likely to report being hungry. "Protein is the number one thing to help you feel full," says Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at Houston Northwest Medical Center. "The second thing is fiber." Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Researchers tracked the weight-loss success of 71 obese women between 20 and 60 years of age on a low-fat diet. Half of the women were also told to increase their fruit and vegetable intake. At the end of one year, both groups of women had lost weight, but the women who ate the most fruits and veggies reported the greatest weight loss and were less likely to say they felt hungry on any given day. In fact, when the researchers crunched the data, they found that whether the women reported feeling hungry frequently predicted their ability to lose weight. Other studies have shown that changing your eating habits to focus on these water- and fiber-rich foods will help you maintain weight loss for up to six years. Sip soup. Adding two low-calorie soups to your diet every day could stave off hunger pangs and keep you satisfied longer. Choose soups that are broth-based, not cream-based, to reduce the calorie count; also look for soups that are low in sodium. Consider chunky, pureed vegetable soups, as they have been shown to produce the most lasting full feeling. Timing your soup so that you have it before a meal also reduces the amount you eat at that meal by about 20 percent, according to a study of 53 overweight adults. Eat whole grains. A serving of whole grains will stick with you longer than a serving of refined wheat bread or any other refined flour product, for that matter. Most refined flour is white and often bleached. Pick "airy" snacks. If you must snack and you don't have a piece of fruit or a veggie tray on hand, choose the snack food that has more air in it — think cheese puffs instead of potato chips, rice cakes instead of cookies. You will feel just as full as you would if you ate the same serving size of another snack, but you will consume fewer calories on average. Another way to fight off hunger is to develop a "low-energy density" eating plan. This means that you can eat a large quantity of foods that do not have a high calorie count. Learning about portion sizes and counting calories is one way to approach this, but you can also try the plate method, which dictates that half your plate be full of veggies, one-quarter dedicated to a starch (preferably whole grain), and one-quarter to a lean protein. And speaking of plates, it's worth noting that a study of 45 adults demonstrated that the oft-repeated advice to eat on a smaller plate if you want to feel like you have more food in front of you actually has no effect on the amount you eat at a meal (if you are serving yourself) or your feeling of being full. So, if you prefer, you can go back to eating on your good china — just make sure to emphasize lean proteins, fruits, and veggies. Learn more in the Everyday Health Weight Center.

How to Reach Your Weight-Loss Goa

How to Reach Your Weight-Loss Goal, Step by Step Want to lose weight and keep it off? Follow these tried-and-true strategies for a weight loss plan that works. By Regina Boyle Wheeler Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD Many people look for a fresh start by resolving to lose weight. If you make that promise time after time but find yourself unable to make true progress, you’re far from alone. A major reason why people abandon their weight-loss goal is because their goals are too big and their expectations are unrealistic, says Michael Zemel, PhD, professor emeritus and former director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Changing your lifestyle is often easier said than done. Dr. Zemel says that people often resolve to go to the gym every day or change their diet completely, and when they can’t do it, they feel like failures and throw in the towel. Many people lead hectic lives, and that healthy meal you envision eating for lunch or dinner may be reduced to finding what’s in the vending machine or going through the fast food drive-thru. “Life can get in the way of your best intentions,” Zemel says. How to lose weight involves more than a vague dream and a refrigerator full of diet foods. To make your weight loss plan a winner this year, use this step-by-step plan as your diet road map: #1 Step to Lose Weight: Set Realistic Weight-Loss Goals Erika Anderson, a grant writer in the foundation department at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, says she tried and failed at losing weight many times because her goals were too ambitious. But in January 2010, she decided to go about weight loss with a different approach. Erika joined Weight Watchers and learned how to lose weight gradually using diet and exercise. “This time, I set small goals — five pounds at a time,” she says. Each five-pound increment took her about two weeks or sometimes longer to lose. “At Weight Watchers, you get a star every time you lose five pounds. I remember getting my first star and thinking about how many more I had to go. But those five pounds add up little by little,” Anderson says. So far, she has dropped 120 pounds and blogs about her weight-loss journey. “If I had set out to lose more than 100 pounds, I definitely would’ve quit. That’s way too overwhelming, but five pounds at a time is doable.” Zemel says setting attainable goals will help you feel successful and motivated to keep going. Plus, you can see results in the mirror, and your clothes will start to fit better. #2 Step to Lose Weight: It’s the Little Things That Count Making small changes can add up to big results over time. Since drastic lifestyle changes often don’t work, find one aspect of your diet that you can change fairly easily. For example, instead of ordering large fries at lunch, opt for the medium or small size, Zemel suggests. Find little ways to work extra physical activity into your day, too. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and find the farthest parking spot at the mall or office lot. When talking on the phone, get up and walk around instead of sitting. #3 Step to Lose Weight: Be Accountable to Yourself Monitor your behavior to see where you can make improvements. Smartphone apps can help, Zemel says, such as using a free pedometer app that will count your steps in a day. A good weekly goal is to add 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day with an ultimate goal of 10,000 steps each day, which is equivalent to about 5 miles. Using a pedometer can also help you realize how sedentary you may be during the day. Be mindful of what you eat as well. Take a mental note or, better yet, use a food diary, to keep track of exactly what you’re eating. You may not realize that you’re dipping into a bowl of mints every night as you watch your favorite TV shows. When you realize how you could be sabotaging your weight-loss goals, you can change your behavior, Zemel says. #4 Step to Lose Weight: Find Support Anderson says that writing her blog and getting support from her co-workers helped her stick to her weight-loss plan. “The blog saved my life,” she says. Before her weight loss, Anderson says she was a compulsive overeater who used food as her “drug” of choice to cope with the death of her mother. You can easily build your own support network to strengthen your weight-loss challenges: The social network. Posting progress and getting encouraging words from friends on your Facebook or Twitter network can keep you motivated. A buddy. A diet or exercise partner can help you stick to your weight-loss plan. Anderson says her exercise buddy helped keep her going during summer boot camp sessions that began at 5:30 am. Your family. Family support can make or break your weight-loss goals. If a spouse is not behind your efforts, dropping pounds can be very difficult, Zemel says. Explain your goals and get them to rally behind you. Reward yourself. Find non-food ways to reward yourself. Zemel suggests splurging on a new, slimmer outfit when you reach a milestone. #5 Step to Lose Weight: Measure Progress Carefully Be prepared to hit some weight-loss plateaus, but don’t be tempted to try a crash diet to jump-start more weight loss, Zemel says. This can cause your body to resist, slowing your metabolism and making weight loss even harder. “There were times when I got really frustrated because the scale wasn’t moving, but I was never willing to give up,” Anderson says. “Eventually, that perseverance moved the scale.” In addition, Zemel says that the numbers on the scale don’t always measure progress accurately. As you get fitter, lean muscle will replace fat, but your weight may stay the same. Focus on the way your clothes feel — if they fit better or are getting looser, your weight-loss plan is headed in the right direction. Anderson says when she starts to veer off track, she recalls when she was heavy and felt far older than her 38 years. “I walked around like I was 70 years old, and I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired,” she says. She also keeps her “before” picture close at hand to remind her of just how far she’s come. Last Updated: 12/28/2012 This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com. © 2013 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.

Richard Bach Quotes