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Volumetrics Diet

Many diets can limit your food intake to the point that you feel as if you’re constantly hungry. If you’re someone who enjoys eating, but you want to lose weight at the same time, then you’ll want to give the Volumetrics Diet a chance.

This diet is constructed in a way that lets you eat a lot of food and shed pounds as well. The difference in this diet and others is this one is based on the volume of food that you eat being those that are healthy.

Even so called healthy diets want you to limit foods that are good for you. This diet lets users eat until they don’t feel hungry anymore. You might not know that it’s not the calories or any nutritional ingredients that fill your stomach.

It’s the kind and the amount of what you eat that keeps you from feeling hunger. The key to this diet is to eat the lower calorie foods - whatever they may be. You have to be aware, though, that this is not one of those lose weight in a hurry plans.

This one is geared to help you shed pounds over a longer time span than quick loss programs. The diet is good for people who want to eat in a way to maintain good heart health, who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and those who have or are at risk of developing diabetes.

The way that the diet works is through users setting a daily limit on their calories and sticking to that. The diet does help encourage people toward a healthier physical lifestyle as well with exercise goals.

The focus for the exercise goals is to get people to move more and up their step count.

When you learn the foods that you can eat on the diet, you’ll end up eating less because those foods will make you feel fuller than you did on the higher calorie foods.

There aren’t any special foods that you have to buy on the diet so it’s simple to follow as well as affordable. When you go grocery shopping what you have to look for is the density of the food item.

Each food has energy density. Some will have a lot of calories, less volume and won’t help you lose weight. But foods with lower calories allow you to eat more because their energy density is lower.

On this diet, there are foods that are considered free foods. These are foods that have little calories such as vegetables and fruits. Certain foods in this category are what are known as water heavy because they fill you up fast.

There are also foods that fit into the grain area and these will be things like whole wheat or lean meats. You can eat things like cheese and desserts as well as have snacks. It’s the choices that you make that will determine how quickly you reach your weight loss or health goals.

To succeed at this diet, you will have to learn how to choose the right energy dense foods. For this, you’ll want to think about getting a Volumetrics eating plan book, which may or may not include a food log. You’ll also want to get a recipe book or food suggestion guide.

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Weight Watchers Diet

Weight Watchers is a diet that’s been around for a long time. The plan focuses on teaching people to make better food choices so that they change their eating lifestyle.

By teaching people how to change the way they eat rather than simply counting calories, the people who follow the plan are given the tools they need for life-long weight loss as well as other health benefits.

Weight Watchers is good for people who want to shed pounds, those who need a heart healthy way of eating, and anyone who is diabetic or pre-diabetic. People who want to be motivated, want to have support while losing and people who want to change the way they think about food, such as emotional eaters, can all benefit from this diet.

The diet works by giving all the foods you eat a points value. This value is known as SmartPoints. The amount of the point is figured according to the content of the food. The more fiber or protein in the food, the less the point number will be.

Foods that are not nutritious will end up having a higher point value. You start out with an amount of points that’s customized for you. It’s figured based on your height, how much you weigh, how old you are and whether you’re male or female.

You’ll get an amount of SmartPoints that acts as your bank every week. When you eat, you subtract from the “bank” of points. When you have no more points left, you’re done eating for the day.

The program also gives dieters points they can use for extra food or for eating out. When you get started on the diet, you’ll want to focus on foods that don’t use up a lot of your SmartPoints.

You spend less points eating fruits and vegetables which are nutritionally dense foods as compared to something like chips or cookies. You don’t have to sign up a set amount of time and you can follow the diet by going to meetings, by using the online meetings or doing it yourself at home after buying the tools you’ll need.

Weight Watchers is one of the successful diet plans because it looks at the overall needs of a dieter. When eating healthy is balanced with exercise and behavioral changes, then it’s easier to develop a good relationship with food and lose weight long term.

Success is easy to obtain because you can eat normal foods - even your favorite ones - as long as you stick to your points plan. There are certain tools you’ll need to help you. You’ll want to download the app that allows you to scan food labels for easy figuring of nutritional values.

You’ll also want to get cookbooks featuring Weight Watchers recipes. You’ll need a kitchen scale for accurate measuring of some foods and you’ll want to invest in healthy snacks.

To ensure success, always divide your snacks up into portion sizes and don’t buy the bigger family size bags. Any food that you know are your weakness and you may end up binging on, don’t buy and bring into the house.

You’re staring at your computer screen with weary eyes. Dinner has come and gone, but that

oh-so-familiar beast we call Hunger has reeled its damn head again.

But you can’t snack after eight o’clock, right? That’s weight loss rule number one. Or is it?

I’m about to share with you some helpful truths for a situation of this kind.

There’s an ironic flipside to my mostly honorable label of ‘Liz Swann Miller – Weight Loss

Expert’. I must strictly resign myself to the continuous expectation the general public

attributes to the title – that I have it together.

Managing Opioid Induced Constipation

Opioid medications are frequently used to help manage pain – both acute pain and chronic pain. While they are very effective at pain relief, that relief can come with a price. Opioids have side effects and many of them are related to the gastrointestinal system.

One side effect is the slowing down of the gut leading to constipation. This is the most common side effect and also one of the most debilitating. While other side effects may go away with time, constipation tends to be a side effect that stays present even with long-term use. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772344/)

So how can you manage when constipation becomes a problem?

There are two different approaches – those that use medications and those that don’t. Both can be effective tools in managing this problem and helping you to get back to a normal bathroom schedule.

The approach that doesn’t use medications typically involves practicing a good schedule of going to the bathroom. Many people ignore the urge to go to the bathroom until a later time and doing so will increase constipation when using opioids.

It can also be helpful to look at lifestyle factors. Not drinking enough water or eating enough fiber can contribute to constipation in anyone. So if you’re not drinking an adequate amount of water to begin with, this could help.

However, if you’re already someone who drinks adequate water and eats adequate fiber, adding more isn’t likely to help constipation caused by opioid drugs. In fact, eating too much fiber can actually make the problem worse and even lead to a bowel obstruction.

Instead, it may be necessary to begin a regimen of medications to help with this type of constipation. There are several options you can try by working with your physician and determining what makes the most sense.

One of the simplest choices is mineral oil. Mineral oil helps to lubricate the intestines and keep the colon from absorbing more water from the stool. While mineral oil is typically safe, it can cause complications.

The most significant is choking. To avoid choking, it’s important to take mineral oil in an upright position and to stay upright for at least 30 minutes after taking it. Mineral oil taken long term can also make it hard for your body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. It’s important to have blood tests to confirm adequate vitamin levels.

Stool softeners work in a similar way. They help the body to add more water and fat to the stool so that it can pass more effectively. This is a very safe choice and is readily available over the counter.

Drugs note as osmotics work to add more water into the bowel. They can be taken orally or rectally. They are also available over the counter. These should be used with caution as they can cause excessive loss of fluids.

Stimulants can also be purchased over the counter to treat constipation. They cause the muscles of the intestines to move so that the waste can be pushed through the system.

Finally, if none of the over the counter remedies work there are prescription medications available that can block some of the effects of opioid medications and restore normal bowel function. It’s important to discuss options with your healthcare provider if you suffer from opioid induced constipation.

Are “Opiates” and “Opioids” the Same Thing?

News of the opioid crisis in the United States has become front and center in the world. Sometimes you hear the word “opioid” and sometimes you hear “opiate”. But are they the same thing? Read on to learn the difference.

Natural Opiates

People have been using natural plant extracts to help heal and relieve pain for thousands of years. The opium poppy plant is one such natural pain reliever. Drugs derived from the opium poppy include morphine, heroin, codeine, and opium.

Drugs derived from this plant have the powerful ability to relieve pain. However, they also are highly addictive.

Synthetic Opioids

Opioids are actually synthetic pain relieving drugs, or at least made partly of synthetic materials in a lab. Opioids work in much the same way as opiates, but they don’t require the opium poppy to be manufactured.

Some examples of opioids include fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, methadone, and pethidine. These are prescribed by physicians to relieve both acute and chronic pain. Like natural opiates, opioids are highly addictive.

Both Work in the Same Way

Both opiates and opioids work in a similar fashion. They have chemicals that when taken internally will bind to opioid receptors on nerve cells. When they bind to those receptors, the nerve cells tell the brain that the pain is lower than it actually is.

Over time it takes more and more of the drugs to provide the same feeling of relief. At the same time if someone who is not in physical pain takes the drugs they will provide a feeling of euphoria (a high feeling) and also relaxation.

Many people who become physically and psychologically addicted to these medications start by being prescribed them for legitimate pain. But over time they become dependent on the drugs to feel normal or even to escape psychological pain.

In the early days of opioid manufacturing, physicians were told that these synthetic medications were not addictive and they began prescribing them widely. However, years of research and experience now show that these substances are highly addictive.



Illegal Opiates

While most of these drugs can be prescribed, there are still non-prescription drugs such as heroin that are illegal. Unfortunately, many people who become addicted to prescription opiates and opioids move on to heroin when they’ve exhausted the ability to obtain prescriptions.

Along with the dangers of addiction and overdose, injection drug use also comes with risks of infection from hepatitis C and HIV. Along with the opioid crisis, the rate of these infections is increasing in the United States.

Another danger associated with heroin use is that street drugs are often cut with other ingredients. There is no regulation for street drugs. Often they are cut with synthetic drugs that make the heroin even more dangerous and increase the likelihood of an overdose.

While there are drugs that can help to reverse the effects of these drugs in the case of overdose, they aren’t always effective against heroin that is cut with synthetic drugs. The medical community is working to reduce the amount of prescriptions for opiate and opioid pain medications in an effort to prevent future addiction issues.

Opioid Babies

One of the most tragic results of the opioid epidemic in the United States is the rising number of babies being born addicted to opiates. Exposure to opiates in utero can have immediate consequences at birth as well as long-term consequences.

Pregnancy and Opioids

While opioids should not be taken during pregnancy, many women are prescribed them during their pregnancy. On the one hand there is a problem of women taking prescribed drugs and then on the other there are women who are taking these drugs illegally. And in both cases there can be detrimental effects for babies exposed to them.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

When a pregnant woman uses opioids, the drugs can cross the barrier of the placenta and get into the developing baby’s body. Just as it does in an adult brain, the drug will bind to the opioid receptors of the baby’s brain and over time cause a tolerance or dependence on the drug.

Then when the baby is born, the supply of opiates from the mother’s bloodstream immediately goes away and he begins to experience withdrawal symptoms. There are many signs and symptoms associated with this.

Babies experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) may have tremors, seizures, and muscle twitches. They may also be very fussy and have a telltale high-pitched cry. They can have trouble feeding because their sucking instinct is poor.

NAS may also result in breathing problems, fevers and trouble sleeping. Gastric problems are also common such as vomiting or diarrhea. Obviously babies who are born with this syndrome are very uncomfortable and can be in pain.

This syndrome usually begins to show up within three days of birth and can last as long as six months after birth. But babies can be treated for this to improve their comfort and also prevent life threatening symptoms.

Medications can be used to manage withdrawal and help the baby slowly detox from the drugs. Babies are also treated with IV fluids and high calorie baby formula to prevent dehydration and encourage growth.

Babies also need lots of swaddling and skin-to-skin care to stay calm and feel comforted during this difficult process. Babies with NAS can be difficult to soothe so it’s important to stay calm and provide a calm environment.

If you know you have been using opioids during pregnancy, it’s important to talk with your healthcare provider so that you can plan to support your baby after she is born. Putting a plan in place can be lifesaving.

Long Term Effects

Using opioids during pregnancy can have long-term effects for your child. A child can have birth defects and is more likely to be stillborn as a result of opiate use. Long-term, children exposed to opiates can have developmental delays.

For example, they may take longer to develop language and math skills. They may also be more likely to have behavioral problems than children who are not exposed to opioids. Often children who are affected will require special education in school.

Ideally, it’s best for pregnant mothers to avoid opiates of any kind. If you’re using opiates, it’s a good idea to use birth control until you are no longer using them to avoid possible complications from fetal exposure to opiates.