Your skin after a crash diet

The one reason I tell people not to go on crash diets (losing more than 5 pounds a week) is the fact that your skin will look like loose flab after you lose the weight. Your skin needs time to adjust to not being stretched over your fat. Unless you want to pay for cosmetic surgery to remove all that extra skin, do yourself a favor and don't go on any crash diets. You will find that even a wrinkle cream that works will not remove that turkey neck if you lose weight too fast.

By losing weight slowly you skin will have a chance to bounce back to a slimmer you.

Myths about exercise

Since the early 1900's there have been so many myths perpetuated about exercise. Everything from if it doesn't hurt it is not doing any good, to stretching before, during or after a workout.

During my exercise class, a member of the group announced that she was told never to stretch before a workout. What she failed to realize is that our class warms up before stretching, she just never realized that using the treadmill for 5 minutes prior to the beginning of workout class was the warm up for the class.

Another myth is that you don't need to exercise if you use diet pills or eat correctly. Even the best diet pills in the world and the most balanced diet will not help your heart or lungs stay in shape for exertion. Exercise is not just for losing weight or looking good it is for staying out of the hospital with a heart attack or artery problems.

The one phase I hate the most as an exercise myth is "no pain, no gain," that saying alone will stop people from even wanting to exercise. Pain is your body's way of saying "stop" before you get badly injured. Listen to you body and don't go over the point of pain but just to that point and no further.

The down side to body shapers

Corsets were what our mothers wore, now they call them body shapers. Pictured above is the kymaro body shaper a diet cheaters way to fit into their clothes. The only problem is the fact that these types of spandex underwear tend to cut off blood circulation. The wearer will have indigestion and intestinal discomfort. I don't know about you but even a tight bra on me is very uncomfortable much less having that feeling all over my body.

Also, take a good look at the photo above. Are those before and after shots really the same person? The chest on the woman on the right looks much larger than the woman on the left.

I have found a new use for my PDA

I recently bought a PDA off of eBay. For $25 I got a great deal. I use it for making shopping lists, playing MP3 music files and now keeping track of my workouts. Of course you might have an iPhone to do that. I do have a laptop but the PDA is something I keep in my purse or carrying pouch. I have just enough memory in the PDA for what I need. I am not the type of person that has so many files that I have to resort to having an online backup for them. I keep it very simple.

Along with tracking my workouts I can also keep track of my daily eating habits and adjust them if needed. Often you don't realize how much you eat each day until you see the entire amount in words and numbers right before your own eyes.

Be careful what diet products you buy

I cannot emphasize enough that you thoroughly investigate any over the counter diet supplements before you buy them. You don't have to have a pair of discount prescription glasses to get a real good look at those labels. If any of the label says something about a secret ingredient then put that product back on the shelf. Familiarize yourself with chemical names of common ingredients like the chemical name for salt or iron.

Keep in mind that many diet products are untested and unregulated by the FDA. It is not until there are deaths attributed to a product will the FDA step in and take a product off of the market. Protect yourself and your health and read those product labels.