20 WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

1.   Limit liquid intake before and during a meal (digestion).
2.   Exercise on an empty stomach (am or pm).  According to Women's World magazine (April 18, 2011 on page 12) we burn more fat when we exercise on an empty stomach.
3.   Eat at the same time every day so that the body knows what to expect.
4.   Chew gum for at least 1 hour a day (metabolism).  (Don't do if you have GERD.  If you have GERD,  eat 2 to 5 servings of applesauce per day for at least 1 month.)
5.   Keep a good pH balance for healthy cell function.
6.   Do an Iodine test to make sure there is no deficiency there.  (Use USP iodine, not the substitute, to color test on your arm.  Swab a 2 inch patch of it on the upper arm.  If it disappears in 1 to 2 hours, there is a deficiency.  Look at my article on iodine for foods to eat to get more iodine and it's metabolic functions.)
7.   Do little exercises while doing something else...  dancing a little while doing house chores, wagging foot while studying or reading, chair dancing while doing routine work on the home computer, playing with a pet(s), foot shifting while cooking, jaw exercises when no one is looking...
8.   Eat smaller amounts so that the stomach will start to expect less.  This will cut down on hunger pains eventually.   A tuna kit with crackers and tuna salad is an ideal meal for a woman.  A man might get away with two as a meal.  6 regular sized grapes is one serving size.  An apple or banana is usually 2 servings of fruit.
9.   Keep a log or diary of food intake and other health items.
10.  Substitute Stevia or honey for sugar (raw sugar at the most).  No high fructose corn syrup.  No MSG... search on rense.com for article on msg and a list of ingredients it is hidden in.
11.  Eat fresher for more enzymes and nutrients.
12.  Do juicing for one of your 5 small meals per day. 
13.  Stay hydrated with water.  No other beverage counts towards hydration.  Up to 1/2 gallon a day is usually fine for healthy adults. ***According to an established medical professional, this amount of water can be fatal for someone with certain illnesses.****  Too much water on a regular basis is hard on some organs.  The body can only use so much water at any given time.
14.  Have one set day per week where you can go off your diet.  This will be useful to keep your metabolism from sabotaging you and will bolster will power because you'll have a reward to look forward to.
15.  Have a card playing night with three of your friends.  Play an active game that requires speed like Nurtz (spelling).  It works with two people, but competition is encouraged more with a 4-some.  This isn't a lot of exercise... but, it is exercise you won't notice.
16.  Use object oriented exercise.  This takes your mind off the chore of exercising and places it with another activity.  Walk around the neighborhood picking up litter, walk a dog, teach herbology on a nature hike (volunteer an activity at a local state park),  pick up aluminum cans alongside a back road (with a companion?), volunteer as a teachers aide in a grade school (picking up chairs at the end of the day or playground duty)...
17.  Turn a stationary bike into a friction generator that powers some needed electrical appliance.  A cell phone charger is a good choice.  Using this for a cell phone charger might also reduce dirty electricity.  (This might fit under the heading of object oriented exercise.)
18.  Chew your food longer.  This requires more saliva and saliva helps digestion.  Chewing longer also means a slower processing.  Fast processing of food dumps more sugar into the blood stream.  The body can only use so much at a time.
19.  Add both soluble (coffee for example) and insoluble fiber to each meal.  Fiber can also play a role in a slower processing of food.
20.  Get enough good sleep.  The body can only handle so many crises at a time.  Good sleep, diet and exercise makes for a healthy body.

VALUE OF IODINE IN DIET

     The role that Iodine plays in our diet is important.  It is used by the thyroid for a healthy function in thyroid hormones.  Goiter
     The primary amount of iodine in the body is stored in the Thyroid which is located on the front of the neck just below the voice box.  
WHAT IODINE DOES:    
     And since iodine is used with every cell in the body,  any deficiency can spell trouble for our health.  Specifically, iodine helps to fight against fibrocystic breast disease, reduces cognitive impairment, bacteria, immune system, hyper and hypothyroidism, goiter, cretinism (newborns) and may prevent miscarriages.  IODINE BASICS
     Another website suggests that iodine may prevent acne, PMS, anxiety, cold, flu, moles, dermatitis, bladder infections, and some allergies.  Iodine cures
     Additional claims of eliminating mercury, arsenic, aluminum and fluoride along with fatigue are made on this site:  Iodine and Bromide . 
FOODS etc.:    
     It is suggested that certain (mostly millet, turnips, peanuts, soy and cruciferous veggies) foods can interfere with thyroid function or iodine use.  This is only true in two conditions and it refers primarily to raw foods.  If these foods are eaten in excess and/or the intake of iodine or selenium are deficient in the diet.  Cooking these vegetables tends to reduce the isoflavonoids and thus affects the thyroid much less.
    Please keep in mind that some medications or food additives might cause problems with the thyroid or iodine use.  Some red food dyes are one of those food additives.  Amiodarone (generic name) for irregular heart beats may also be problematic. 
Food Sources of Iodine:
Kelp
Eggs
Cow's milk
Strawberries (some site differ on this one)
Yogurt
Mozzarella cheese
IODINE BASICS
ILLNESSES:
     Ailments that iodine might cure or aid are listed at: http://www.earthclinic.com/ailments.html.  But, this information doesn't appear to be regulated by or from the medical community.  Under the diabetes listing, there is an article that suggest cooking oil consumption aggravates or causes type 2 diabetes by preventing the cells from breathing.
     Additionally, a post from 4/2010 suggests that diet soda reduces iodine in the body and that the soft drink Mountain Dew contains brominated vegetable oil.  http://forum.bodybuilding.com/archive/index.php/t-123647881.html .
     Other items that prevent the uptake of iodine include Halides and their derivatives.  These include fluoride,  bromide, chloride, and iodide.  toxins (Iodide is a bit tricky since that is also used in usage by the thyroid.  So... I'm not sure about it's listing on the source site.)
     Putting fluoride and chlorine in drinking water appears to do more harm than good since both substances are toxic and apparently cause thyroid problems via reduction in iodine in the body.
TESTING:    
     The easiest test for iodine deficiency is using a swab of USP Tincture of iodine on the upper arm.  The quickness with which it disappears gives some indication of any deficiency.  
     The amount of time and where on the upper arm varies by source of information.  If the discoloration from the iodine disappears in 1 to 2 hours, that means there is a deficiency.  Normally, it should disappear in 4 to 6 hours.   a better site for this test
     Another way to test which might be more accurate is found on a very well written site:  a more accurate home test

The MAD MAX mentality is flawed

     The concept of a Mad Max world where only canned food is available in dwindling supplies and the idea that we should stock up on canned goods is a fantasy based on fear. 
     According to some websites, all canned goods are acid ash forming in body fluids.  Death and disease shows up in a high acid forming diet.  I am right there at 5.0 or less (5.0 is as low as the test strip that I use goes).   So, I have some idea of the mess this can create.
     If all meat proteins are acid ash forming (as most web sites say) and the only other thing left to eat is canned food, then the result is just a slower death.
     Additionally, anything containing sugar, MSG, High fructose corn syrup and many other sweeteners will make any food they are in automatically acid forming.  Alkaline and Postassium info
     SO.  WHAT DO we eat?  Well... I guess the rabbits in the world had it right all along!  Salads and raw produce.  A few VERY select nuts and dairy (Some forms of yogurt and cottage cheese*...  home made varieties are best) here and there.. and good clean water.  *Not all websites agree as to what foods are acid or alkaline forming.
     Overcooking, OVER exercising, processed and refined foods are also acid forming.  chelation therapy
     This all seems simple on the surface.  Unfortunately, it's not that easy.  "Alkaline-ash foods are those containing large amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and/or iron.  Most fruits and vegetables are considered alkaline-ash, for example.  Acid-ash foods are those containing chloride, phosphorus, iodine, or sulfur, minerals that form acid compounds.  Thus meats, fish, poultry, grains, eggs, and legumes are considered acid-ash, for example.  However, human biochemistry and physiology are far more complex than a lab's Bunsen burner, and foods are not "burned" by literal fire in the belly!  The effect a food may have on a living human body cannot be determined in this manner."  http://www.allaboutnutritionalhealing.com/acidalkalinebalance
    

LIST OF pH FOODS

     One's pH can be tested with pH strips (litmus) or a pH meter.  And, since pH is the same thing as voltage...  maybe a voltameter could be used.  Testing is done first thing in am, b4 bed and/or 2 hours after eating. A healthy balance is between 7 and 8 on these strips.
According to: pH and Testing,
"Internal pH cannot be determined by urine or saliva pH alone.  The kidneys have several methods for disposing of excess acid and each has a different effect on urine pH.  Saliva pH is affected by bacteria and other microorganisms in the mouth and is not a reliable indicator of the internal environment.  Symptoms are not always a reliable gauge since they may occur with any number of other problems."

     Low voltage or a low number (acidic) on the pH strip is normally experienced by people who are unhealthy such as in chronic fatigue, cancer, MS, and diabetes...  i.e. like me.
     I am currently teaching myself about what foods to eat.  I was shocked to find out how much of the food I eat is acid forming.
Here's some lists of what foods are acid or alkaline forming... 
This one is my favorite:  rense.com
Then, there's these:
http://www.essense-of-life.com/moreinfo/foodcharts.htm
http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/acidalkfoods.html
http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/acid_alkaline_food_chart.html