Tag Archives: Weight Loss

Weight Loss Market In U.S. Up 1.7% To $61 Billion

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bigpantsMarketdata Enterprises, Inc., a leading independent market research publisher of “off-the-shelf” studies about service industries since 1979, has released its biennial 420-page study: The U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market (12th edition). This is a complete analysis and forecast of ALL ten major segments of the U.S. diet market.

“America’s estimated 108 million dieters—about 82% of whom try to lose weight by themselves, are hunkering down. The new diet season, which starts January 1st and ends around Memorial Day, is off to a slow start this year. First, none of the major diet companies has anything that compelling or radically new. Secondly, we have a very weak economy, high gas prices and rising payroll taxes. Bad winter weather and many snowstorms in the Midwest and Northeast didn’t help weight loss center attendance either. Celebrity endorsements can go only so far in this environment.”, according to Research Director, John LaRosa.

Major Report Findings:

Market Size

Marketdata estimates that the total U.S. weight loss market grew just 1.7% in 2012, as most market segments were flat or marginally up. Revenues were $61.6 billion in 2012, and $60.6 billion in 2011, (up 3.8% from $58.4 billion in 2010). Revenues are forecast to grow 2.6% in 2013.

Do-it-yourself Dieters

Dieters shifted toward greater use of free and low-cost do-it-yourself diet plans, (diet websites, OTC diet pills, meal replacements and diet books). Marketdata finds that the share of dieters that prefer a self-directed program is now 82% during 2012— near the highest ever. Historically since 1989, about 70% of dieters have used a self-directed plan, but this share has risen due to the last recession.

Commercial weight loss chains

Sales by all commercial weight loss centers were flat in 2012—no growth. Marketdata analysts estimate this segment at $3.42 billion, and we expect 2.7% average annual growth to 2016. Weight Watchers and NutriSystem revenues were flat in 2012, while Medifast was up and Jenny Craig declined to an estimated $343 million.

MLM Rules As A Sales Method

Multi-level marketing has emerged as the growth engine for weight loss companies–Not franchising–Not adding more company-owned centers. This non-traditional method of selling via hundreds of thousands of “independent contractors” or “distributors”, is working extremely well for a few companies. Herbalife, surprisingly, is now the #2 weight loss company in the United States. The company posted North American weight loss product sales of $529 million in 2012, up 21%. Medifast sales reached a new high of $357 million last year and 65% of this was related to its Take Shape For Life MLM division. Visalis Sciences, another MLM company, saw its sales of meal replacements rise five-fold in 2011, to $220 million in wholesale sales.

Diet Drugs

No blockbusters yet. Large drug companies and the medical community are realizing that developing an effective diet drug with no significant side effects and weight loss in excess of 5% of body weight is more difficult than they thought. Qsymia sales started out very slow in the 4th quarter of 2012 and should increase in 2013, but Marketdata does not expect much of an impact on dieter behavior or competitors from this drug, or from Belviq, slated to enter the market in the coming months.

Untapped Niche Markets

American diet companies will seek to boost revenues by looking at untapped or under-tapped markets and niches, such as: the men’s market, teen market, African-American and Hispanic markets, the diabetic market, the elderly market, the $859 million worksite-based B2B market, and the $6 billion Canadian market.

Retail Diet Pills & Meal Replacements

The weak economy and tighter consumer weight loss budgets definitely helped this “do-it-yourself” category. Dieters are attracted by the low price and easy availability. Marketdata estimates that the combined sales of diet pills and meal replacements was up about 2% to $2.78 billion last year. To 2016, Marketdata forecasts 6% annual gains in sales. The strong momentum is now with meal replacements (shakes, nutrition bars) – not OTC diet pills. Meal replacements are safer for producers – no ingredients that cause side effects. They can also be easily private labeled.

Diet Websites

Online dieting is worth at least $1.1 billion, by our estimates, and is growing 8% per year. Most sites are not profitable and are moving to a user-free, ad-supported model. WeightWatchers.com is #1, with 1.7 million paid subscribers and 2012 revenue of $504 million.

Weight Loss Surgeries

The number of bariatric surgeries is significantly less than reported by the ASMBS (bariatric surgeon’s national society). Surgeries peaked at 135,000 in 2008, according to government healthcare agency data (not 209,000 reported by the ASMBS). However, since then, insurers have gotten tougher on coverage and the number has fallen 15% to an estimated 114,000 last year. This reduced the size of the total weight loss market by $2.6 billion and translated into less business for bariatricians and VLCD programs.

Diet Food Home Delivery Services

This is an $858 million segment of the weight loss market that has declined 7.5% from 2009 levels. NutriSystem captures 46% of sales, but has suffered five consecutive years of declining sales. 2011-2012 continued to be challenging years for all diet food delivery services. Four of them went out of business. Even NutriSystem, which is priced at the low end of $250-$300/month, felt the effects of the recession, cut prices and offered weeks of free food for auto-ship clients. The share of dieters that wants diet food delivery averaged 5.8% over the past eight years, but that fell to 4.5% in 2012.

“Flat is the new growth, as the U.S. weight loss market grew less than 2% in 2012. The U.S. diet market is entering a new era of slow growth, until the economy truly strengthens. Diet companies must find untapped niches, sharpen their marketing, and offer consumers a variety of programs at different price points to compete and survive. They’ll also need to use alternative distribution channels, such as: MLM, retail healthcare mini-clinics, shopping malls, OB/gyn offices, etc.”, according to John LaRosa.

To read the full press release…..Click here

- Courtesy of PRWeb

Psychology And Weight Loss

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By Dr George Blair-West

Dancing with your Daimon: Having a purpose in life is not a luxury

– not if you value your health

overweightmanPsychiatry, especially working with trauma and obesity, is incisively informative. You get to see all aspects of life stripped bare as your patients remind you again and again what really matters in life. More than anything, you get to see what works and what falls way short when it comes to making sense of our lives and finding true happiness.

In my work with the overweight, time and time again I come across people for whom eating, and food, is the most meaningful part of their day. Food gives them the most pleasure in their day. Any diets they had previously tried were doomed to fail from the outset. This was because they were being asked to give up so much more than extra calories – they were being asked to give up the most rewarding part of their existence! When we confuse pleasure with happiness we are in all sorts of trouble.

Our Daimon is the unique mix of capabilities and strengths that each of us bring into this world.

Along the way, I came across Aristotle’s writing in his Nicomachean Ethics. Here he introduced me to my Daimon … indeed, your Daimon. Our Daimon is the unique mix of capabilities and strengths that each of us bring into this world. Aristotle told us that the highest emotional state we humans can achieve is Eudaimonia – the feeling that goes with expressing our Daimon. If you have ever been engrossed in something, only to realise that hours have passed, you have touched what he was referring to.

Unfortunately, Eudaimonia was mistranslated as “happiness” and this concept of expressing one’s Daimon was lost, until recently. I’m sure that when people read the translation saying, in essence, ‘The greatest emotional state we can aspire to is happiness,’ they responded with their version of ‘Duh!.’

For a lot of people I come across – both in my consulting rooms and the outside world – pursuing one’s purpose is seen as a luxury – something you do when you have the rest of your life sorted out. Believe this at your peril. Twenty-five years of working with people trying to feel better, leads me to suggest that you will not get your life really sorted out until you work out your values, what is meaningful and what purpose this informs for you. Until then true happiness will be elusive.

If you do not believe me, believe Carol Ryff – she did the research. In what I would suggest was one of the most informative studies ever undertaken, Dr Ryff took 135 educated women, aged between 60 and 90, who were already doing okay at life (she is studying degrees of happiness, so this was appropriate). She then identified a subgroup of women with a sense of purpose in life and compared these to the others. She then put them all through rigorous physical examinations and laboratory tests.

bigpantsWhat she found was that the women with a purpose in life had higher levels of the good, protective cholesterol, HDL; lower waist-hip ratios (i.e. lower weight); and a decreased inflammatory response (that leads to a range of diseases). While there is a lot of conjecture about the importance of the mind-body axis, few studies have given hard evidence of the health benefits of a given mindset.

So not only are we achieving our highest emotional state, when we have a sense of purpose in life, we are physically healthier. This is why one of my primary strategies for helping some people to lose weight is to help them work out what is meaningful for them and what does this mean for how they can best live their life.

Learning to dance with your Daimon, is not an option, it is why we are here. Our true quest in life is to work out what is meaningful for us – which will reflect our inner Daimon –and to pursue a purpose that allows us to give our Daimon full, glorious expression.

- Medical Doctor and Psychiatrist, Dr George Blair-West, is the bestselling author of Weight Loss for Food Lovers: Understanding our minds and why we sabotage our weight loss. His latest book, the award-winning The Way of The Quest, explores the ‘how to’ of finding one’s purpose in life. For more visit www.dr.blair-west.com

Exericse Versus Diet

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weightbaFrom Your Health Journal…..”A very good article that appeared in the South China Morning Post entitled Muddled thinking is fueling obesity epidemic written by Anirban Mukhopadhyay. We know how there is an obesity epidemic facing mankind, from all corners of the world. Obesity related illness such as asthma, weak joints, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease are also on the rise. The question of how to lose weight is always a concern, whether exercising, improving your diet, or both. A 2010 survey revealed that 39.2 per cent of adults in Hong Kong are overweight, and this proportion is steadily growing. If we believe overeating causes obesity, and we want to lose weight, we cut our intake. If, on the other hand, we believe weight gain stems from insufficient exercise, we try to increase our activity. However, relative to the increased exercise, reducing caloric intake is actually much more likely to be effective. This all makes sense. Many of overweight due to excessive eating, not from lack of exercise. So, in order to lose weight, we must reduce caloric intake, but exercise as well for a healthy balance, to tone the muscles, and improve overall health. This is a very interesting article. Please visit the China Morning Post to read the complete article.”

From the article…..

Contrary to what many people believe, cutting down on what you eat is a far more effective way to lose weight than burning calories with exercise

People’s beliefs about the causes of obesity can affect their own weight, my research has shown.

If you think lack of exercise is the primary cause of obesity, you are more likely to be overweight than someone who implicates poor diet.

A 2010 survey revealed that 39.2 per cent of adults in Hong Kong are overweight, and this proportion is steadily growing. Google searches for “Hong Kong” and “weight loss” turn up over 8.25 million hits. Clearly this issue matters to a lot of people.

Weight loss is one of the most common goals people have. However, when looking for ways to lose weight, people encounter advice that is often outright contradictory – some “experts” encourage greater exercise, some advocate reduced calorie intake, and others lay the blame on genetics.

As a result, there are differing beliefs about the best way to lose weight (ie. what specific steps one should take).

New research shows that these beliefs have real consequences – they predict an individual’s actual body mass. In a series of studies forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science, Brent McFerran of the University of Michigan and I examined what regular people believe causes obesity. We asked over 1,200 people from five countries on three continents about their beliefs regarding the primary cause of obesity, and found a roughly equal split between people primarily blaming overconsumption of calories and those blaming a lack of exercise. More interestingly, those who blamed a lack of exercise were more likely to be overweight, and indeed ate more food.

Why is this? People’s beliefs guide their actions. If we believe overeating causes obesity, and we want to lose weight, we cut our intake. If, on the other hand, we believe weight gain stems from insufficient exercise, we try to increase our activity.

However, relative to the increased exercise, reducing caloric intake is actually much more likely to be effective.

To read the complete article…..Click here

Is Weight-Loss Surgery Worth The Cost?

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bigpantsFrom Your Health Journal…..”A very interesting article in MSN Money by Bruce Kennedy entitled Is Weight-Loss Surgery Worth The Cost? I encourage you all to visit the MSN site to read the complete article – a link will be provided below. The article touches upon a popular procedure – bariatric surgery, and the chance of reducing a patient’s long term health care in the future. Obesity is on the rise all over the world, increasing obesity related illness such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and weak joints. An annual $190 billion is spent on obesity-related medical costs, according to a Reuters report, citing data from the Mayo Clinic. In fact, an overweight person is expected to have about $1,850 more in yearly medical costs than someone of healthy weight. So, the question does come up about weight loss surgery and it’s long term effect on health care costs. One report is quoted as stating it does not help out in the long run. These finding were surprising to me, but leads one to question whether those who elect to have this surgery are able to keep the weight off, causing them to become obese again. This would be an interesting finding to support this study more. The bottom line, health diet and exercise play an important role in keeping us healthy. Please visit the MSN web site to read the complete article by Mr. Kennedy. I enjoyed it, and found it very informative.”

From the article…..

Bariatric surgery is extremely popular, but a new study questions whether it reduces a patient’s long-term heath care expenses.

Obesity isn’t just a serious health issue for more than a third of Americans. It weighs us down financially as well.

An annual $190 billion is spent on obesity-related medical costs, according to a Reuters report, citing data from the Mayo Clinic. In fact, an overweight person is expected to have about $1,850 more in yearly medical costs than someone of healthy weight.

There are even obesity-associated costs to the overall economy. The report says job absenteeism among the obese is higher, airlines need an extra $5 billion in jet fuel to fly heavy passengers compared to 1960 weight data, and we spend an additional $4 billion annually on extra gas for heavy passengers and drivers.

Along with calls for better diets, more exercise and additional research into weight-loss drugs, a lot of hope has been invested over the past two decades in bariatric surgery as a treatment for obesity.

The American Society For Metabolic And Bariatric Surgery calls the medical specialty “the only proven method that results in durable weight loss,” with the potential to treat or even cure a dangerously overweight person of ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, liver disease and arthritis.

And the popularity of surgical weight-loss procedures has soared. The Los Angeles Times reports the number of bariatric surgeries performed in the United States — often at a cost of $10,000 to $43,000 per procedure — is up 16 times from where it was 15 years ago, to about 220,000 annually.

To read the complete article…..Click here

‘Diet Mom’ Defends Her Daughter’s Weight Loss In New Book

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From Your Health Journal…..”An interesting article from People magazine about a Mother and her 7 year old daughters fight with obesity. The Mom just completed a book about this called The Heavy. The Mom’s mission is to let people know the difficulties in helping a child lose weight, to show it is not an easy task. To help her daughter Bea lose 16 lbs. from her 93-lb., 4’4″ frame, the Mom primarily focused on “reducing processed food, increasing fruits and vegetables, and getting a little more exercise. Please visit the People web site (link provided below) to read the heartwarming story.”

Snip from the article…..

After making headlines last year with her Vogue story about her then-7-year-old daughter Bea’s battle with obesity – and the mother’s strict orders about no pizza Fridays at school and no whip cream on hot chocolate – New York City “Diet Mom” Dara-Lynn Weiss has just released a new memoir on their journey, called The Heavy.

“There wasn’t a voice from a mom who had lived through this and been an imperfect but very loving and dedicated parent around the issue of childhood obesity,” Weiss tells PEOPLE.

“I wanted to be honest about the difficulties. I wanted people to know that this is a lot harder than conventional wisdom would have us believe the solution to childhood obesity is.”

To help Bea lose 16 lbs. from her 93-lb., 4’4″ frame, Weiss primarily focused on “reducing processed food, increasing fruits and vegetables, and getting a little more exercise,” she says.

To read the full article…..Click here

Seven Surprising Weight-Loss Hurdles

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From Your Health Journal…..”A great article today from the Stratford Press about Seven surprising weight-loss hurdles. I strongly recommend your visiting their site (link provided below) to read the complete article. The article starts off discussing how we all know we put on weight during the day from snacking or eating too much at meals, but it may not be as obvious to us how we are actually gaining weight. This excellent articles gives 7 other ways we put on weight, including having friends who may become overweight, eating the wrong diet foods, staying up late at night, and your job – just to name a few. Obesity is on the rise all over the world, so articles like this are a valuable reference for many of us to educate ourselves. Please visit the Stratford Press web site to read the entire article.”

From the article…..

From that 3pm trip to the snack machine to those evenings curled up on the sofa with your favourite treat, we all know the major culprits when it comes to gaining weight. However, the reasons why you’re struggling to keep off the kilos may not be as obvious as you think. To rid yourself of sneaky diet spoilers, check out these surprising things that make you fat.

YOUR FRIENDS

While having close friends generates plenty of health benefits, research has also indicated that being overweight can be contagious among friends.

Research results published in the journal PLOS ONE indicated students were more likely to gain weight if they had friends who were heavier than them, while a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found having an obese friend increased your own chance of obesity by 50 per cent.

The good news is being slim can also be contagious, so try to influence your social group and keep your weight down by arranging healthy, fun group activities such as walks, bike rides or dance classes.

DIET FOODS

You’ve cleared your cupboards of junk food, stocked up on smoothies and cereal bars, and now you’re feeling pretty saintly.

However, those seemingly innocent diet foods nestling in your cupboards could actually be causing you to gain weight. Many foods claiming to be diet-friendly are actually hidden kilojoule traps packed with sugar and syrup. “Healthy” cereal bars can contain as much fat, sugar and kilojoules as an average chocolate bar.

Research by the Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio also found those who consumed diet drinks daily experienced a 70 per cent greater increase in waist circumference than those who drank none.

LATE NIGHTS

Most of us lead busy lives – and this sometimes means sleep becomes a last priority. But a study by researchers at the University of Washington found that getting less than seven hours of sleep a night was linked to a higher body weight.

They also found that the longer a person sleeps, the less impact the obesity gene has on their weight. For a quick and easy way to keep off the pounds, try to skip your favourite TV show or night out once in a while and catch up on sleep instead.

To read the complete article…..Click here

Xenadrine: Letting Go Of The Past And Looking At It Now

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By Archie Ward

bellymeasurementsmallXenadrine is marketed as a weight loss supplement and energy enhancer to people looking for an edge when trying to achieve their weight loss goals. When it was first released, one of its key ingredients was ephedrine, which was later banned by the FDA as an ingredient in dietary supplements due to a disproportionately high incidence of deaths associated with products that contained ephedrine. The manufacturers of Xenadrine reworked their marketing approach to promote Xenadrine as a weight loss supplement substituting other natural ingredients for the banned ephedrine. Xenadrine has been mostly successful in recovering from the taint of the ephedrine controversy but some people have avoided the supplement because they believe it is dangerous to take, but this is most probably an aftershock of the ephedrine

How it Works

Xenadrine, with or without ephedrine, works by acting to speed up the body’s metabolism through increasing the amount of adrenaline present to burn fat. This is done by stimulating the heart rate of the individual so that when combined with exercise and the fat breaking effects of the rest of the natural ingredients in the supplement, more fat is burned in less time than before. Xenadrine also causes a dehydration effect, because of increased body temperature, that can lead to weight loss through fluid loss.

Is it Safe?

There is no natural or artificial dietary supplement that can safely replace responsible nutrition and exercise in weight loss.

Yes and no. There is no natural or artificial dietary supplement that can safely replace responsible nutrition and exercise in weight loss. While Xenadrine no longer contains ephedrine, certain of its other ingredients such as Guarana and tyrosine can cause complications in individuals if more than the recommended daily amount is consumed or adequate fluid replacement is not maintained. No one should begin any kind of weight loss regimen or add a supplement to their diet without consulting their doctor. An adequate review of the person’s health and examination of possible interaction with other supplements and prescriptions taken is the only responsible way to undertake making the decision to use Xenadrine or not as part of a weight loss program.

Does it Work?

While there are no conclusive and reputable clinical studies on Xenadrine working to promote weight loss there are ample studies that support why taking a diet supplement like Xenadrine could work. Cytodyne replaces the ephedrine with Bitter Orange which has been found to have a similar stimulating effect on the body. Combined with Guarana, a natural caffeine, and white willow bark which acts similar to aspirin and prolongs the effects of stimulants in the body; Xenadrine has all the elements to properly stimulate the body’s metabolism. The supplement also includes B complexes and high doses of Vitamin C, both water soluble vitamins that are necessary to fat burning but easily depleted in the body.

The DMAE Difference

While the combination of clinically proven weight loss supplements in Xenadrine may increase its potential to work for you, it is its inclusion of Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) as an active ingredient that may make it more effective than other over the counter diet supplements. DMAE has been proven to have a positive effect on elevating mood in some people and this can make it easier for them to stick to their diet plans and exercise routines.

- This guest post was written by Zilko Ravi, who works at this Aussie retailer of Xenadrine. Zilko trials a few different diet pill brands a year, in an attempt to separate the good from the bad.

From the webmaster…..Any questions regarding this post should be directed to the author through their web page or the comments section of this site. Publishing this article does not mean this web site, or people affiliated with this web site endorse the use of Xenadrine. We believe consulting with your physician is the way to find out what is best for each individual person.

How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution To Lose Weight

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From Your Health Journal…..”Adam C. Powell did an excellent post with the Huffington Post this week which I wanted to share with you. As many of you know, I do love stories from the Huff Post. Dr. Powell wrote about how to keep your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. Weight loss is the most common resolution on New Year’s, yet many people are unable to keep there promise to themselves to lose weight. Our collective failure to do that has made America the world’s fattest nation, and has added needlessly to our healthcare expenditures. Dr. Powell discusses how weight loss is not really hard, just exercise more, eat less. But, many Americans do make poor choices, and do not help themselves lead healthier lifestyles. The article concludes with Dr. Powell giving some great suggestions on how to keep your New Year’s resolution. Please visit the Huff Post web site (link provided below) to read the complete article, and many other interesting health articles.”

From the article…..

If you hope to lose weight in 2013, you are not alone. Polls have shown that weight loss is the most common New Year’s resolution. Yet few people actually succeed in meeting their weight loss goals. Our collective failure to do that has made America the world’s fattest nation, and has added needlessly to our healthcare expenditures.

In theory, losing weight isn’t hard. You simply eat less and exercise more. However, cultural, environmental, and social barriers lead people to make poor choices. Plus, many folks tend to underestimate the calories in their food and overestimate the benefit of exercise. While weight loss companies have existed for decades, the growing popularity of smartphones gives us innovative approaches that were not feasible during the era of boxed meals and public weigh-ins. Here’s how high-tech tools can hep you succeed with this year’s resolution.

1. Know how many calories you are really eating. A Starbucks coffee can range from being a healthful beverage containing only 5 calories to a dietary monstrosity of 700 calories. (Venti Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream, anyone?) Likewise, while Subway sandwiches were the key salvation for company spokesman Jared Fogle, had he made the poor decision to regularly pick the Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt, he might have ended up even fatter.

Now you can use apps to avoid such errors. Restaurant Nutrition provides nutritional information for meals at most chain restaurants. If you prefer to cook at home, MyFood offers nutritional insights about your groceries.

2. Don’t fool yourself into thinking ketchup is a vegetable. It’s a lot easier to reduce the number of calories going in than it is to increase the number going out. For example, you can slurp down a mocha in minutes, but would have to walk for over three hours to burn off the calories you just injested. To make matters worse, people systematically underestimate the calories they are consuming, particularly in the case of meals combining healthy and unhealthy items.

While precise measurement is admittedly not for everyone, sharing photos of meals with friends can provide a reality check. An app called The Eatery lets you photograph meals and have friends rate them as either “fit” or “fat.”

To read the full article…..Click here

Guest Post – Alisa Martin, Weight Loss Apps for iPhone

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bellyWeight loss is a common goal people would like to achieve for better health and self-esteem. It can be difficult to eat healthy meals, count calories, and stay motivated to exercise, though. These iPhone apps will help you achieve your weight loss goals and get in shape.

Lose It!

Perhaps one of the best free iPhone weight loss apps is Lose It! The app allows you to enter your personal information and calculates your personal daily “calorie budget.” Enter the food you eat and the exercise you do each

Perhaps one of the best free iPhone weight loss apps is Lose It!

day in order to track the number of calories you consume. Initially, it may take a little time to enter all the food you consume in a day. However, you can create a favorite foods list, which will make entering foods you eat often easier. The app also contains calorie counts for many restaurants so that you can figure out how many calories you are using from your daily “calorie budget” when you go out to eat.

Calorie Tracker Tap & Track

Calorie Tracker Tap & Track is perhaps on of the most comprehensive calorie tracking apps you can get for you iPhone. With this app, you can view charts of your weight loss, goal weight, nutritional content, and calorie consumption. Additionally, this weight loss app contains a database of 700 restaurants and 300,000 foods. The app is available for $3.99 through the iPhone app store.

Weight Watchers Mobile

With the app, you can find out how many points a certain food or beverage is worth according to the Weight Watchers plan.

Individuals who follow the Weight Watchers plan may find Weight Watchers Mobile useful. With the app, you can find out how many points a certain food or beverage is worth according to the Weight Watchers plan. Weight Watchers Mobile contains a database of over 30,000 foods. In addition, the app will display how many points you have remaining in a given day. While this app is free to download, you cannot view certain information with it unless you are a Weight Watchers Online subscriber, which requires a monthly fee.

Gain Fitness

Gain Fitness is an app that will not only help you lose weight, but it will help you get in shape as well. Input your available time and the equipment you can utilize during your workout into this app, and it will create a customized workout for you. You can create a workout calendar with this app as well. Gain Fitness will send you motivational messages on your workout days to keep you encouraged. Additionally, the free app allows you to track your progress.

Runmeter

The Runmeter app is a good app you can utilize to track your workouts. The app can track how many calories your burn, the distance you travel, and your pace while you walk, run, swim, hike, bike, ski, or skate. Furthermore, you can share your running, walking, hiking, or skating route with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail.

Achieving your weight loss or fitness goals can be challenging. Utilizing these iPhone weight loss apps can help you get in shape, lose weight, and attain a healthier lifestyle.

- This Article is written by Alisa Martin who is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast. She is a regular blogger of MacApper.com.

Guest Post – Dr. Randy Gilchrist, Hypnosis For Weight Loss: Getting The Weight Loss Mindset

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hypnosis

Hypnosis Is A Tool To Change Your Mind To Change Your Habits

Why do so many people struggle to lose weight? And for those few who do lose the weight, why is it so hard to maintain it? Well honestly, there are a number of answers, depending upon who you talk to. As a licensed clinical psychologist, I understand how our mindset often acts as a stumbling block to getting thin. Without having and maintaining the necessary motivation, focus, and commitment to follow through with their diet and exercise plan, we will eventually fail. Simply put, when we associate food with emotional comfort and relief, cues and triggers to “emotionally eat” occur very often and are hard to withstand. Feeling lonely, stressed, depressed, or bored often leads to eating as a self-soothing escape and stimulation. Weight loss eating basically involves associating food with nutrition only, and eating it accordingly. The problem is that, because of previous psychological conditioning, making this shift through “will power” or “self-discipline” alone is pretty tough to do. Even though a part of us wants to eat better, eat less, and exercise more to lose weight, another part of us likes to emotionally eat as a coping tool and a way of life. Therefore, a great tool to break though this challenge is clinical hypnosis.

Clinical hypnosis is a psychotherapy tool best practiced by a licensed clinical psychologist. In a simple sense, hypnosis is a tool to change your mind to change your habits. In hypnosis, a subject usually sits or lies comfortably, closes their eyes, relaxes, and focuses as a hypnotist talks. Usually, the hypnotist leads the subject with different suggestions and visuals promoting relaxation and positive change. The power of hypnosis is this: as the subject relaxes, their usual conscious resistance to change lowers, allowing them to be so much more accepting and embracing of the many suggestions to change and improve the follow. In other words, being in a more relaxed, focused state naturally lowers walls and helps a person be more open to suggestions to change and improve their lives. And when we accept a suggestion, or emotions change, or habits improve, and our lives improve.

There are mainly 2 kinds of hypnosis:

1) live, face-to-face hypnosis in a psychotherapist’s office

2) pre-recorded hypnosis the subject listens to privately in their home.

Most people today choose pre-recorded hypnosis out of convenience and greater affordability. To listen to prerecorded hypnosis for weight loss, you simply play when you conveniently can–such as before bed–and your weight loss mindset begins and continues to develop, strengthen, and improve weight loss habits, lifestyles, and results. Of course, as a good example of a quality hypnosis for weight loss program, I recommend my own self-help version of my live hypnosis services: my Weight Loss Mindset audio hypnosis program.

To learn more about The Weight Loss Mindset, check out www.TheWeightLossMindset.com, using the following promotional code for a discount: cba97. Thank you,
- Randy Gilchrist, Psy.D.

- Dr. Randy Gilchrist is a licensed clinical psychologist and hypnosis for weight loss expert in Roseville, CA. When in the greater Sacramento area, feel free to look him up at www.dr-rg.com. He is also a world class hypnosis for weight loss expert and creator of The Weight Loss Mindset self-help audio program (www.TheWeightLossMindset.com).