Slimming Tea: Lose 10 pounds every week!

Research reveals an approach that turns Tea into a slimming agent so effective, women are losing 10 pounds every week.

With a few strategic adjustments to the normal routine of most tea drinkers, tea can seriously fast-track weight loss, helping millions of women losing 10 pounds every week.

Here are the benefits you’ll enjoy just by following these smart –sipping strategies that will make slimming a cinch.

1. Drinking tea calms cravings. Savoring a strong cup of tea when you feel the urge to eat shuts down food cravings in as little as two minutes. In fact, the slimming magic of tea sets in before you even take the first sip. “When inhaled, tea’s odor molecules travel from the olfactory bulb to the limbic lobe of the brain, where they activate the brain’s satiety center”, explains Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.

2. Drinking tea soothes stress eating. Ingesting L-theanine, an amino acid in tea, stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, UCLA scientists report. This includes a calm state that inhibits stress eating in as little as 10 minutes.

3. Drinking tea speeds metabolism. Research suggests that within 24 hours of starting a tea-drinking habit, your resting metabolic rate rises. “This helps the body burn 100 additional calories daily,” says Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Ph.D., senior scientist at Tufts University at Boston. That alone can shed 10 pounds a year. Thanks to tea’s catechins, they block the breakdown of noradrenaline, a hormone that stimulates the release of trapped fat so it can be rapidly burned for energy.

4. Drinking tea steadies blood sugar. Drinking 8 oz. of tea 15 minutes before meals helps dieters lose four times more fat than women who count calories without adding slimming tea, according to research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “The credit goes to tea’s theaflavins, tannins and other polyphenols,” says Steven Pratt, M.D., assistant clinical professor at the University of California at San Diego and coauthor of The SuperFoods Rx Diet (Rodale, 2008). “These antioxidants nourish the body’s insulin-regulating system and optimize the burning of carbs and fat.”

5. Drinking tea targets belly fat. Women who switched from coffee to green tea reduced visceral fat (the kind that accumulates in tissue surrounding the abdominal area) by 76 percent in four months, according to research in the journal In Vivo. “Tea’s L-theanine reduces production of the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 47 percent,” explains Mark Ukra, author of The Ultimate Tea Diet (Collins Living, 2008). “Cortisol increases belly-fat deposits and prevents fat breakdown, so as cortisol levels drop, belly fat is lost, slimming your waist line.”

6. Drinking tea keeps weight off. “On most diets, at least half of the weight lost is calorie-hungry muscle, which is a recipe for disaster because less muscle means a sluggish metabolism and a higher risk of regaining pounds,” says Harry Preuss, M.D., professor of physiology and biophysics at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “But on a tea-rich diet, up to 90 percent of weight lost is fat, and many women actually gain three to four pounds of metabolism-boosting muscle. This makes it easier to stay slim since metabolic rate hasn’t slowed down”. What’s more, preliminary research reveals that the powerful tea antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) helps block the formation of new fat cells. In one study, taking EGCG helped women keep off 60 percent more weight than those taking a placebo.

Look at what Tea can do:
Tea’s health benefits extend beyond slimming. It’s a proven remedy for bad breath and dry mouth, it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and it doubles the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Drinking five cups a day can also reduce:
1. Breast and colon cancer risk by 30%.
2. Ovarian cancer risk by 46%
3. Rheumatoid arthritis risk by 50%
4. Stroke risk by 69%

Drink five-plus servings of tea a day, including one cup before each meal. For best results, eat three balanced meals that contain at least 50 percent veggies, fruit and whole grains, plus a serving of lean protein and a bit of fat.

Cook with Tea to Slim even faster.
Seasoning dishes with tea (pulverize loose tea in a coffee grinder for one minute) will significantly up your antioxidant intake. "Fruity teas can eliminate the need for sweeteners in breakfasts or desserts", says Ukra. "Or use tea as a seasoning, which enhances flavor and seals the juices into meat so less fat, sugar and salt are needed. This simple step can help you shed an additional two pounds weekly."

For a healthy spice rub: In bowl, mix 2 tsp. ground black pepper, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp. finely ground oolong tea. Sprinkle on chicken before baking for a full-bodied smoky flavor. Slimming benefit: Blending black pepper with tea leaves enhances absorption of pound-paring catechins by 60 percent.

Enjoying these tea-packed products can deliver similar slimming benefits as drinking the brew:

Overwhelmed by Stress? Each packet of Kashi Heart To Heart Instant Oatmeal contains a hefty dose of green tea (100 mg) and white tea (50 mg). For a sweet start to the day, try the apple cinnamon flavor.

Craving Fizz? A 12 oz. bottle of fruity pomegranate or raspberry Steaz Organic Sparkling Green Tea fills in for an afternoon soda while delivering the health benefits of a cup of green tea.

Need a Chocolate fix? Smile Chocolatiers Choclatea bars (at Whole Foods Market stores)are an infusion of crushed tea leaves and chocolate. Coconut-Green Tea dark chocolate is truly tasty.

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Four Truths About Weight Regain After Weight Loss Surgery

I was born with the disease obesity and by the time I was out of college it had advanced to morbid obesity. At age 33 my disease was treated with gastric bypass surgery which affected a loss of weight that put my disease, morbid obesity, in remission. Three years later I suffered a relapse of my disease with a weight gain of 20 pounds. Through dietary and lifestyle compliance, much like a person

Tips to help speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight.

Here are the best weight loss tips that works to help speed up your metabolism plus help you lose weight.

Easiest way to lose weight fast and safely is to cut your calorie intake by eating more on fiber, fruits and vegetables. You'll feel full with fewer calories on them. Fruits, vegetables and fibers are packed with nutrients but less on calories.

1. Fill up on Fiber and Lose Weight Fast

Foods rich in fiber will make you feel satisfied and help curb your appetite, helping you to lose weight fast and safely - so make sure to pack your diet with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

2. Boost fat-burning metabolic rate by 50% by sipping coffee

Sipping coffee before a meal can suppress appetite by 35%, plus boost fat-burning metabolic rate by 50%, according to extensive research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The study-proven dose: 250 mg of caffeine daily, taken either in supplement form or by sipping to cups of coffee or 4 cups of tea.

3. Lose Weight just by eating Yogurt

Yogurt is a calcium-rich food. Research links calcium with lower cortisol production, and it has been proven that women who increase their intake lose up to 40% more weight than calcium avoiders.

Plus Yogurt has live microorganisms which helps proper digestion and absorption of nutrients we take. Make sure to get yogurts that say "with live microorganisms in labels/packages".

4. Try this Hunger-Taming Trick

Cut fat and you'll cut cravings. Consuming a high-fat diet may suppress your body's natural satiety signals, according to a new study from Pennsylvania State University. Animals who'd been consuming a diet rich in fat ended up eating 40% more of a high-calorie snack than those on average diets. Keep your fat intake to less than 30% of total calories.

5. Feel full on less food.

Apples are rich in pectin, a soluble fiber that slows the digestive process, so you'll feel full on less food. The result: You'll eat just enough food to make you happy, reducing calorie intake.

6. Studies suggest people pursuing a healthy weight could lose more weight and burn more fat by including 24 ounces a day of low fat or fat-free milk in their reduced-calorie diet, instead of 8 ounces or less.

7. Speed fat burn with Cranberries.

The ascorbic acid in cranberries helps thin liver bile, making it easier for the organ to emulsify fat so so it can be quickly flushed out of the system rather than stored in cells.

8. Boost your protein intake and lose almost a pound a week without hunger.

Boost your Protein intake- You can try protein smoothies. Packed with nutrients and low in calories, smoothies are a fast, easy and great tasting way to achieve good health.

You can find a wide collection of Healthy Fruit Smoothies here.

By boosting your protein intake from the typical 15% of total calories to 30%, you may be able to cut your daily calorie intake by 440-enough to lose almost a pound a week without hunger, according to a recent University of Washington study. "A high-protein diet appears to fool the brain into thinking you've eaten more than you have," says the study's lead author, Scott Weigle, M.D., a professor of endocrinology at the University Of Washington School Of Medicine. Stick with lean protein rather than high-fat, artery clogging meat and dairy products. For breakfast, use low-fat milk instead of water in your oatmeal and sprinkle nuts on top. Eat plenty of beans, fish and skinless chicken breast.

9. To counteract a binge, keep your body's fat-burning furnace running on full blast by drinking Green Tea.

Green Tea contains caffeine and the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) , which is proven to boost metabolic rate. In fact, in a recent 3 month study, participants who took Green Tea extract lost 4.6% of their body weight without changing their diet. To get the benefit, drink at least 3 cups a day.

Whenever I eat too much, I just drink green tea and I don't have to worry gaining weight.

10. Speed weight loss and double energy levels by eating Coconuts.

This tropical treats contain medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), a unique fat that is shuttled straight to the liver and immediately burned for fuel. Research shows this little detour revs metabolic rate by up to 50%, speeding weight loss and doubling energy levels.

A Favorite Tip: Before you eat, drink a glass of water. This will help you feel fuller without additional calories.

Dogen Zenji on Nutritionism

Dogen Zenji was the man who brought the Soto lineage of Zen Buddhism to Japan. He was a prolific writer, and many of his texts are respected both inside and outside the Soto Zen community. Last week, my Zen group was discussing the Genjo Koan, one of his works that is frequently used as a chant. Here's an excerpt. It may seem cryptic but bear with me:

...when you sail out in a boat to the middle of an ocean where no land is in sight, and view the four directions, the ocean looks circular, and does not look any other way. But the ocean is neither round or square; its features are infinite in variety... It only look circular as far as you can see at that time. All things are like this.

Though there are many features in the dusty world and the world beyond conditions, you see and understand only what your eye of practice can reach. In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole worlds are there. It is so not only around you, but also directly beneath your feet, or in a drop of water.

What Dogen meant, among other things, is that the world is much more complex than what our conscious minds can perceive or understand. It was true in the 13th century, and it's still true today, despite our greatly expanded understanding of the natural world.

We can apply this principle to nutrition. For example, what is red palm oil? Two hundred years ago, perhaps we only knew a few basic facts about it. It's a fat, it's red, it comes from an African palm fruit and it has a particular melting point and flavor. Then we learned about vitamins, so we knew it contained vitamin E, carotenes (provitamin A), and vitamin K. Then fatty acid composition, so we found out it's mostly palmitic and oleic acids. Now we know red palm oil contains an array of polyphenols, sterols, coenzyme Q10 and many other non-essential constituents. We don't know much about the biological effects of most of these substances, particularly in combination with one another.

Add to that the fact that every batch of red palm oil is different, due to strain, terroir, processing, storage, et cetera. We know what the concept "red palm oil" means, roughly, but the details are infinitely complex. Now feed it to a human, who is not only incredibly complex himself, but genetically and epigenetically unique. How can we possibly guess the outcome of this encounter based on the chemical composition of red palm oil? That's essentially what nutritionism attempts to do.

To be fair, nutritionism does work sometimes. For example, we can pretty well guess that a handful of wild almonds containing a lot of cyanide won't be healthy to eat, due at least in part to the cyanide. But outside extreme examples like this, we're in a gray zone that needs to be informed by empirical observation. In other words, what happens when the person in question actually eats the red palm oil? What happened when a large group of people in West Africa ate red palm oil for thousands of years? Those questions are the reason why I'm so interested in understanding the lives of healthy non-industrial cultures.

I'm not criticizing reductionist science or controlled experiments (which I perform myself); I just think they need to be kept in context. I believe they should be interpreted within the framework of more basic empirical observations*.

One of the most important aspects of scientific maturity is learning to accept and manage uncertainty and your own ignorance. Some things are more certain than others, but most aren't set in stone. I think Dogen would tell us to be wary of nutritionism, and other forms of overconfidence.

* Wikipedia's definition of empirical: "information gained by means of observation, experience, or experiment." As opposed to inferences made from experiments not directly related to the question at hand.

My thoughts on September 11, 2001

I was replying to the blog The Sierra Home Companion which asked, "Where were you on September 11th?" and the memory just flowed from my fingertips.  I thought I would share my thoughts here and repost my reply:

You're right.  I too will never forget where I was or what I was doing on that day. 


I was pregnant with my 2nd child.  We were in bed when my mother called to tell us the twin towers fell. (I'm ashamed that I didn't know what she was talking about-World Trade Center?) We got up, flipped on the tube and caught the 2nd plane crashing into the tower.  I will never forget that image.


Yes, the next couple of days, the world seemed to stand still.  I don't remember leaving the living room.  I remember wondering what the world held for the future of my children.  We didn't know what would happen next.  Part of me feared, the other part knew I needed to have faith.


I found a patriotism that I never felt before.   As tragic as it all was, Americans stood together like never before.  Suddenly it didn't matter who you were or where you came from.  Nothing mattered because as an American, we were one.  Flags erupted EVERYWHERE.  The mere sight of them found on cars, houses, buildings, you name it, would bring me to tears.  Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, maybe it was the mere shock of the tragic events I watched unfold, maybe I was just patriotic for the first time in my life.    


As much as my heart ached for the families involved, it also swelled with American pride like never before.  September 11th heightened patriotism in America...and I miss it.  America has forgotten.  Maybe not in our hearts, but we have moved on and life has resumed as before.  

Stressed? Me? Maybe just a little.

Does this sound like stress?

I woke up several times last night, thinking about work. Thinking of things I needed to do at work and composing work emails in my head.

I had a nightmare where I was invisible to my husband. He kept calling my name and I was standing right in front of him. I kept saying, "can't you see me?! I'm right here!", as I waved my hands in front of him. He never did see me. I woke up crying.

I went to the gym this morning, worked out for an hour and 15 minutes. Got in my car, drove home, sat in my parked car and had a meltdown. Tears and all. Thinking about work.

I took my shower, but couldn't remember if I put conditioner on my hair, or even if I had shampooed it. I couldn't remember if I had shaved my underarms.

I couldn't remember if I gave my diabetic cat his insulin shot that morning. I pondered about it, but just could not remember. Was that last night or this morning?

As I was driving to work I glanced in the mirror at my hair. I had used hot rollers on it and I had "winglets" (thanks to these crazy layers I have now). I started laughing hysterically at how silly I looked. In my car, by myself.

At about 11am my stomach was rumbling. I suddenly remembered I didn't eat breakfast. I NEVER skip breakfast. It's the highlight of my day. How on earth could I forget breakfast?!

Yes, I'm kind of stressed out these days. I know things will eventually calm down. Things work out one way or another. Somehow. Someday.

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I actually wrote the above during my 10-minute lunch break today as I shoveled lukewarm soup in my mouth. I didn't have time to head back to our lunch room and heat it a couple more minutes.

My day actually did get better. Things have a way of working out. I think I've calmed down a little and don't feel as freaked out as I did this morning.

Things aren't fabulous at work, but they're definitely better than the past week.