There are various benefits to breastfeeding for both the mother and child.  They claim that breastfeeding for children prevents obesity because frankly the formulas have quite a bit of sugar among other things.  They also claim that if you use breast milk on your skin, it has antibacterial benefits that allow it to actually get rid of acne to some degree.  But when you are breastfeeding, actually you burn about 200-500 calories per day, which is a big deal if you are actually exercising too and following a better diet plan in general.  It can definitely burn off some extra calories, and even that amount can help you to lose weight over the long run in and of itself. 

There have been some celebrities that have credited it with being able to lose the baby fat afterward, which really isn’t all that surprising.  In addition, it actually increases hormones in your body that relax the body and reduce stress levels in general.  So that definitely helps with depression for one thing, that could cause you to eat more junk food and otherwise and gain weight.  So there are various weight loss and other benefits associated with the right kind of breastfeeding.

Unfortunately, the problem with losing weight or rather with gaining weight in the first place is sometimes the problems you suffer because of obesity don’t go away.  Generally speaking, when you lose weight, your cholesterol goes down, your blood pressure goes down, and moreover there have been many incidences of type 2 diabetes actually actively reversing itself, which obviously helps many to be motivated to actually get down and dirty and do the job, even if it takes surgery to properly discipline themselves and motivate themselves.  But unfortunately, sleep apnea, which is caused largely by obesity, is not one of these things. 

The most obvious thing would be that stretch marks and maybe loose skin would not necessarily go away just like that.  But sleep apnea is the same way.  It happens basically when you stop breathing in your sleep.  It may happen for just a few seconds, but in that few seconds, your brain is not actually getting the oxygen that it needs.  In some cases, unfortunately, they don’t start breathing again, and it’s scary every time it happens.  But either way, while you would expect most things to go away if they should choose to lose weight, that is one of those long term ones that you will suffer because you made that generalized mistake before.

The best weight loss tips it seems sometimes are the simplest.  There are simple ways to lose weight, and so often we don’t even think about them, because we are honestly so caught up in just going with the fads, achieving fast and extreme weight loss, etc.  But overall, weight loss should always be gradual.  You should never lose weight too fast, or else you are going to gain it back and it’s just not healthy.  But here are a few really good weight loss tips.

1. Drink more water while dropping carbonated and other sugary drinks.
2. Choose your nighttime snacks wisely, stay away from the junk food
3. Use your favorite foods, don’t completely eliminate them, just limit them to certain times during the week or otherwise
4. Eat more meals throughout the day, 5-6 in fact would be good
5. Eat protein during every meal, and it can come from various sources to increase your level of satiety
6. Use spices, studies have shown that the taste often increases the rate at which you get full
7. Have healthy and convenient foods on hand that you can just grab if you are in a hurry
8. Order from the children’s menu at restaurants to get smaller portions
9. Instead of eating pasta, eat an extra cup of veggies, they are better for you

Wellbutrin is now being used in a new and developing weight loss supplement, because apparently when people start using Wellbutrin, they lose weight. I don’t know if it’s the drug that makes it happen, I think it’s the fact that many who use Wellbutrin eat more as a response to depression and therefore gain weight, and so when they get it under control, while also increasing serotonin levels, they stop eating out of being depressed and increasing serotonin levels actually naturally suppresses appetite according to some researchers and otherwise.

So it doesn’t work the same way for everybody. I’ve never tried Wellbutrin personally, so I really couldn’t say for sure. But I do know that when I’ve used certain drugs, I usually gain a few pounds, because when I get depressed, I stop eating. That is my natural response. I sometimes force myself to eat, but I have no motivation to do so at times and frankly speaking, food just isn’t all that appealing. So I think it would depend on the individual and that particular mechanism of action. Apparently a lot of people eat more when depressed. So I can definitely see how that could happen with any antidepressant really.

Marathons are long and hard things to do.  They take time to prepare for, and frankly you aren’t going to do it overnight.  There are some people who choose to instead run a half marathon, which can be a good thing to do or it can be a building block in your process toward actually running a full marathon.  Either way, if you can pull off a full marathon, you are quite accomplished to say the least fitness wise anyway. 

Keep in mind at all times that most of them are for charity.  You aren’t competing, and frankly if the man that won ran it in 2 hours flat, that doesn’t mean that you have to run that fast.  Just finishing it is an amazing thing.  Now, preparing for a marathon in general will help you to run farther, longer, get cardio in general, and that’s a good thing.  You can increase your speed, length, and otherwise over time.  But just remember in so many ways that you have to do it at your own pace. 

Maybe you only increase your distance by 1/10 of a mile per week, maybe you get an extra ½ a mile each week.  It depends on the person, and you should never overdo it, because then you will just do more damage than good.  But all in all, it’s important to remember that you are doing a good thing for yourself any way you look at it.

I know that legs are genetic, mostly calves are genetic.  But it still amazes me sometimes how it works.  I mean my calves grow and shrink with my weight.  Granted, they never get really small, not nearly as small as I wish they would.  At their smallest, they just seem to get more muscular or something or more defined rather.  But there are some who they get really big even, or it’s more common in men to have a heavy top half due to muscles, and then they have these little tiny chicken legs. 

Mariah Carey is kinda like that.  She ensured her legs, because however big she gets, those legs stay about the same.  It’s rather ridiculous really.  But my grandma is that way, too bad I didn’t get those genes.  She used to be really petite, still is about 5’0 if even that tall.  But in her older age, she gained a lot of weight, but for whatever reason her legs just stayed absolutely tiny.  I mean they’re small enough that at size 0 or less, they would look great.  They don’t actually ever shrink or grow either. 

That’s the part that really gets to me.  When she’s smaller, they look proportionate, and when she gets bigger, they just stay that same exact size.  How she manages it is still beyond me.  I mean my great grandma was just skinny in general.  But honestly, I wish my legs would work like that.

If you want to lose weight, though it’s not so likely to happen, you want it to be easy.  For example, you actually want to find an exercise you like.  It seems like if it’s too fun, it couldn’t be burning as many calories.  But if you can’t stand it, you aren’t going to keep doing it, even if it’s the ultimate fat or calorie burner in general. 

Second, balance out the mind-body-spirit connection.  When it’s in balance, you are less likely to overeat, overmedicate, and overindulge in general terms. 

Third, put out a few more calories and a little bit more effort when you are doing your household chores.  You are doing it anyway.  So realistically speaking, you might as well put out more exertion and lose weight doing it. 

Fourth, don’t keep junk food in the house.  It’s partly so tempting, because you see it every day.  You have it in your reach and in your house, and so it’s extremely tempting.  However, if it’s not there at all in the first place, you are less likely to bother with it.  You are far less likely to fall victim to it.  Don’t even use the lean cuisine meals and otherwise meals that give you the same old junk food you like supposedly with fewer calories.  Instead, look into fruits and vegetables among other things.  These will actually help you to see greater results.  These are simple ways to make it easy.

The most extreme diet I’ve ever heard of is of course that of an eating disorder.  But some of those diets out there I would swear are equal to an eating disorder in so many ways.  For example, I know of one that actually requires you to eat nothing but protein shakes and eggs, that’s it.  You can eat until you are full, but seriously?  You really can’t get effective results in the way you want.  To be sure, you will be losing weight, but you’ll gain it all back because it’s not sustainable, and it is by no means actually healthy, which presents a huge problem to say the least. 

Either way, it would be highly inadvisable to actually use this kind of diet.  I compare it to the Atkins diet in some ways.  But it’s even more unrealistic and unattainable to a larger degree in general terms.  It doesn’t give you the results you want to be quite sure, and it can do quite a bit of damage in various ways, especially in terms of the possible vitamin deficiencies and otherwise.  And frankly, you shouldn’t be replacing food sources with a multivitamin, let’s be completely honest, that’s a really bad sign.