A Guide for a Successful Spring Diet

We’ve all tried to lose those extra winter pounds every spring. Unfortunately for most of us, especially me, those diets either don’t work or I quickly gain most of that lost weight back in a short time. My weight loss chart can easily be confused with a chart showing stock market trends, a lot of ups and downs.

This isn’t another bleak weight loss article, though. As a matter of fact, this is actually a pretty positive one. About a month ago, as my girlfriend was skimming through the pages of some fitness magazines such as Natural Health Magazine and Shape Magazine, we came across a lot of different opinions and tips on weight loss. We decided to take an idea or two of each diet program and try it out. Here are some examples:

1. Set Realistic Goals – The first step should take place before you cut a single calorie. In fact, one of the strongest predictors of long-term success rests in setting the right goals in the beginning. If you set an unattainable goal of losing 10 pounds in just one week, you’re setting yourself up to fail cause it isn’t going to happen. Instead, try setting smaller, realistic benchmarks, like losing 5 pounds or a single clothing size. This will give you the confidence to continue.
2. Go Slow – Diet success entails making real lifestyle changes and that doesn’t happen overnight. You have a better chance at keeping the weight off if you lose it slowly. People who are starving get irritable and have a higher failure rate. Optimal weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds a week.
3. Expect Setbacks – Everyone is bound to give in to temptation from time to time. There is nothing wrong with going for an ice cream once and awhile. The danger is making excuses to visit the ice cream stand everyday.
4. Don’t Be a Perfectionist – So what do you do if you’ve slipped up and ate a big chocolate brownie? There is nothing wrong with a little indulgence here and there. However, if it’s perceived as a failure and a reason to give up, it can turn into an even bigger calorie indulgence. The bottom line is when you slip up, forget about it. Tomorrow is a new day.
5. Use the Buddy System – It’s hard to make major lifestyle changes alone. Finding other people with similar goals can greatly improve yours odds of diet success. When your willpower starts to wane, have people to call on to provide the support you need to continue. Having that support group, whether it’s your family or people in a weight loss chat room, can be a big positive influence.
6. Be Patient – One of the biggest diet motivation killers is the weight loss plateau. You’ve done everything right. You’ve exercised and ate well, and the numbers on the scale steadily dropped. Then out of nowhere: Nothing. The scale stays stuck for several days in a row. According to experts, this is perfectly normal. It’s a natural part of the weight loss process. You may want to try something slightly different to jump-start your diet. A few minor adjustments and you’ll be back on course.
7. Reward Yourself – Dieting is hard work, and it’s not always fun. Small rewards can provide an incentive to keep going. Be sure your rewards are not food-related. Set mini-goals along the way and reward yourself when you reach them. Your reward could be a massage, a round of golf, a new pair of jeans, or a hot bubble bath.
8. Have a maintenance plan – For a lot of us, losing weight is far easier than keeping it off. It’s important to remember that healthy eating is a lifelong goal, not a one-time project. If this has been a problem for you in the past, devise a maintenance strategy ahead of time.

Guess what. It’s working! She has lost about 5lbs in three weeks while I lost a little over 8lbs. Mind you, I’m not claiming immediate success. Lasting weight loss is a slow process and it’s all too easy to give up before you reach your goal. With the right psychological tools your chances of diet success can be greatly improved.

Health and Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology provides a key to the analysis of present and future health far beyond the scope of modern science. It can reveal physical maladies that may occur, which parts of the body will be affected, and when they may manifest. This most important branch of astrology has been used for thousands of years with astounding accuracy.
This science allows a qualified practitioner to analyze weaknesses in the physical body, and to predict possible ailments as a result. We then institute preventive measures, rather than waiting until you require curative measures.
The strength of your horoscope indicates the strength of your body, and its ability to resist illness. There are certain combinations of planets that bestow excellent health. By the same token there are combinations which cause chronic suffering. Planets each hold jurisdiction over different parts of the body and affect specific bodily functions within them.
A Vedic astrologer studies the birth chart, then the daily movements of the planets, to understand and analyze present and future health. The Ayurveda, India’s ancient medical science, is inextricably intertwined with Vedic astrology and in previous times all ayurvedic doctors were also astrologers. In India many are to this day. The combination of these two sciences provide a complete system for diagnosis and treatment of not only diseases of the body, but of the mind. Even the 12 basic salts of homeopathy are associated and related to the 12 houses of the zodiac.
Mental or emotional health can also be understood from a person’s horoscope. There are many factors and planetary conjunctions that indicate a troubled mind, neurosis, or even psychosis. The psychological functioning as a whole can be understood through a careful study of the birth chart. Therefore an astrologer must not only understand which planets cause disease, & the types of diseases that may manifest, but which areas of the body they will affect, and when.
Why is it that a healthy, robust-looking person will be said to be healthy by a doctor, yet come down with a debilitating illness? Why can a frailer, less-healthy appearing person combat and resist certain diseases? The answer is fate… “karma”. Understanding this factor helps us to act in such a way to “shape” the destiny before us, including our most vital possession, our health.