Lose Weight- Count your Calories

There are numerous diets out in the world. Low carb, fasting, juice diets, soup diets, and brand names (big money making corporations) such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig. While you need to chose what is right for you, I think that counting your calories will be the most successful thing you can do.

Calculate the calories you need per day: To lose weight, gain weight, or maintain.

Calculate Your BMR

Your BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function. We use about 60% of the calories we consume each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing.Other factors that influence your BMR are height, weight, age and sex.

Step one is to calculate your BMR with the following formula:

Women:

655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Please note that this formula applies only to adults.Calculate ActivityStep two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:

• If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percentIf you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
• If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
• If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
• If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent

Add this number to your BMR.The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than this result.

As you lose weight, you can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.

source:http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blcalintake.htm 12/11/09

Don't want to do the math yourself?

Enter your info here: http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm

Dieting/ Eating Healthy Tips from ME!

• Read the labels
• Stick to the amount of calories recommended for you, per day
• Exercise (do what you can)
• Avoid foods that make you want more (potato chips, cookies)
• Eat plenty of fruits and veggies, so you won't have hunger for the junk
• Eat one serving size

Check with a doctor, or nutritionist if you have any questions on your dietary needs, supplements, or allergies.

Leave a comment!!! I'd love to read what you have to say.

Allergy Meds to Avoid, and Alternative Solutions

Allergy medicines you should skip, and why.

• Clear Eyes Redness Relief

Active Ingredients
Naphazoline Hydrochloride 0.012% (redness reliever)
Glycerine 0.2% (lubricant)

Side Effects
Can be addictive.

Review
Be wary of eye drops designed for redness relief. They get the job done—eliminate red, bloodshot eyes—but the way they do it is a problem, according to Suzanne Levitch, A.R.N.P., at Mary Cliff Allergy Specialists in Spokane, Washington. "The active ingredients in redness relievers vasoconstrict the blood vessels in your eyes," she says. That means they reduce blood flow to the eyes and ultimately result in even more redness. Look for drops with lubricants and antihistamines instead of redness relievers (decongestants). An easy way to spot a decongestant is to look for "line" at the end of the ingredient's name—naphazoline or tetrahydrozoline.

• Neo-Synephrine Regular Strength Spray

Active Ingredient
Phenylephrine hydrochloride 0.5%

Side Effects
Can be addictive.

Review
"Nasal sprays like Neo-Synephrine are very addicting and we don't recommend them," says Beth Miller, M.D., chief of the Allergy and Asthma Clinic at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Topical decongestants like phenylephrine and oxymetazoline are addictive because they cause a rebound effect—meaning the nose gets stuffier the longer you use it, and you become dependent on the spray for short-term relief.

• Tylenol Allergy Multi-Symptom

Active Ingredients
Acetaminophen 325 mg (pain reliever)
Chlorpheniramine Maleate 2 mg (antihistamine)
Phenylephrine HCL 5 mg (nasal decongestant)

Equivalent
1 aspirin + 1 antihistamine (like Benadryl) + 1 decongestant

Side Effects
May cause drowsiness, dizziness, headache, constipation, upset stomach, or dry mouth/nose/throat.

Review
The allergy aisle is full of multi-symptom over-the-counter drugs like this one that claim to knock out a long list of complaints with one tablet. But there's a catch: Combination medicines are usually made up of first-generation versions of medicines that can give some relief, but are short-acting and can also have significant side effects, says Dr. Richard Gower, M.D. and president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Newer antihistamines are available in over-the-counter allergy medicines such as Claritin and Zyrtec to provide longer-lasting relief without harmful side effects. Unless you're experiencing pain and nasal congestion in addition to symptoms of hay fever, avoid multi-symptoms medicines. "I recommend treating only the symptoms you have instead of adding extra ingredients you don’t need," Dr. Gower says.

• Boiron Sabadil Allergy

Active Ingredients
Allium cepa 5CHPUS (runny nose)
Ambrosia artemisiaefolia 5CHPUS (cough)
Histaminum hydrochloricum 9CHPUS (allergy symptoms)
Euphrasia officinalis 5CHPUS (burning eyes)
Sabadilla 5CHPUS (sneezing)
Solidago vigaurea 5CHPUS (nasal discharge)

Side Effects
None.

Review
Homeopathic allergy medicines contain small dilutions of pollens that, in theory, will help your body become tolerant so it no longer has allergic reactions, says Timothy Craig, D.O., an allergist and immunologist at Penn State University. "But the digestive system destroys most of what's in these pills." Also, there is no clinical data to show that herbal remedies like these are effective, he says.

• Sudafed PE Nasal Decongestant

Active Ingredients
Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg (nasal decongestant)

Side Effects
Do not take phenylephrine if you take medication for heart disease or high blood pressure without consulting your doctor first. A dangerous drug interaction leading to serious side effects could occur.

Review
The PE stands for "phenylephrine," but it might as well stand for "placebo effect"—because there's no research that proves it works. "From my experience, phenylephrine doesn't work and pseudoephedrine does," says James Wedner, M.D., director of allergy and immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. If you have high blood pressure and can't take pseudoephedrine, try a saline wash or prescription nasal steroid before you pony up for a placebo.

source: "5 Medicines to Avoid" http://www.menshealth.com/allergycenter/5-to-avoid.php 12/4/09

Solutions to help relieve your Allergies

For your throat: Drink Green Tea(add some honey for extra relief), the heat helps sooth a sore throat, as well as loosen mucous. Add some ground ginger for some antibotic properties.

Consume Vitamin C and D.

Get a supplement or load up and fruits and veggies, ie: oranges, grapefruit, berries, green leafy veggies, etc. You will boost your immune system which can help alleviate allergies.

It is recommended for Adults to have 1000 IU of Vitamin D a day, pill, liquid, or from the sun.

Supplements I like:

Wellesse Vitamin D(3) 1000 IU (liquid)

Nature Made D 1000 IU (pill)

Ester C 500mg (pill)

At the drugstore:

Over the Counter (OTC) eye drops

Saline Nasal Spray

Advil Allergy and Sinus (will help relive pressure and headaches)

Advil Cold and Sinus

find more:http://www.menshealth.com/allergycenter/medicine.php

*Please check with a doctor before adding, or removing medications to your routine. An allergist or ENT doctor will know what is best for you. it is always good for you to get a second opinion, as well as doing your own research.