I had major weight problems when I was growing up, I liked all of the wrong types of food and drinks.

I also had other things in my life, which were a concern for me, I suffered with a stuttering speech impediment from the age of four, I had a bald patch on my head from birth and I was also quite short for a male at only five foot four. These combined with my worries over my weight affected my self confidence. To make myself happy, I would binge and comfort eat, which would only add to the problem. I would feel guilty for hours, after eating for only twenty minutes.

By the age of twenty-one, I had had enough. I was now working for a front doors company and also part time for a firm which offered cheap calls, it was now time to attempt to lose some weight. I then went about formulating my own form of diet. I realised I had to cut out these wrong type of foods I was eating and to also drink far less alcohol. To say this was difficult was an understatement, however I knew that I had to be strong and to fight off my urges and cravings.

OK so the majority of weight loss experts would advise me to stop eating such fatty and foods and to cut down on my alcohol intake - this was not something that I was particularly interested in doing and so I formulated the following plan:

Breakfast

For breakfast I would eat properly for example, a bowl of cereal or a couple of slices of toast.

Lunch

For lunch I decided that I would also be good and eat something like a healthy salad bowl or some pasta.

In between meal snacks

It was obvious that I had to stop eating in between meals as this I believed was the main factor why I was overweight.

Evening meal

Lets have some fun, this was the meal where I allowed myself some pleasure as I decided that I could basically eat what I wanted to, including pizza, my favourite.

For exercise I decided to ditch the car, wherever possible, and walk to more places. Something else that I started to do, and have continued to do, was to take my kids to the local playing fields on a much more regular basis. At the park we would play games such as football, cricket and baseball. It is amazing how much weight you can lose by having fun.

 Pass along this post

Popularity: 11% [?]

Technorati Tags: binge and comfort eat, comfort eat, self confidence, speech impediment, weight problems

Posted under Women's Health

During your first and second trimesters, time crawls. It appears as though you’ll have plenty of time to get yourself and your home in proper order for the arrival of your bundle of joy. You’re buying cute nursery items, wearing the cutest maternity clothes, and fighting about names. Then comes the third trimester. Suddenly, things happen in a rush and you’ll likely find yourself trying to squeeze extra minutes into each day. Such is the process that millions of moms-to-be go through as their due dates grow nearer.

Below, we’ll give you a quick checklist of items that you need to address before your baby is born. These are the things many new moms and dads neglect as the third trimester flies by.

Getting The Word Out

When your baby arrives, you’ll want to announce the news to your friends and family. Finding time to paln and design the annoucements can be problematic if you wait until after she’s born. Plan ahead. Gather the necessary information beforehand during your third trimester.

For example, if you want to announce your little one’s birth in your college alumni magazine, visit their website to figure out how to do so in advance. There are also services that allow you to design the layout of your announcements through their website. Some will even mail them for you. If you take the time to design them before your baby is born, you’ll only need to fill in a couple of details (e.g. the birth date) before sending them.

Providing The Right Care

After her birth, you and your little one will need plenty of assistance from others. For example, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with a pediatrician within one week of her birth date. You’ll also need to educate yourself regarding how your medical insurance works. Must you add your baby to your plan immediately after her birth or do you have a few weeks to do so?

You should interview and choose a few babysitters upon whom you can rely. Having family and friends that will be willing to babysit can make this less of a priority. That said, having a few extra resources in your phone book may come in handy down the road.

Another professional new moms neglect to consult are nursing and lactation experts. If you’re planning to breastfeed your little one, choose a few experts in advance from whom you can seek advice.

Planning For Tragedy

It’s unpleasant to think something tragic might occur that prevents you from being near your baby’s side. However, planning for tragedy is critical and should be done long before your little one is born.

You’ll need life insurance that provides a layer of financial relief in the event you pass away prematurely. Depending on your budget and the needs of your family, term life insurance may be an attractive option.

You and your partner should also identify a guardian who will care for your baby in the event something tragic happens to both of you. There are several methods to accomplishing this, so be sure to consult a lawyer to determine the most appropirate approach for your family.

Also, gather the necessary documents and phone numbers to change the beneficiaries on your retirement accounts (e.g. 401K, IRA, etc.) and life insurance policy. Upon the arrival of your new little one, you’ll have the oppotunity to make a few quick call to have her added.

By the time your third trimester arrives, time will seem to slip through your fingers. Moreover, when your baby is born, you’ll have little time to devote to anything except her care. Plan your announcements, select your care network, and make the necessary arrangements for unforeseen circumstances ahead of time. The peace of mind alone will make the effort worthwhile.

 Pass along this post

Popularity: 7% [?]

Technorati Tags: new baby, new mom, planning for baby, pregnancy, preparing for newborn

Posted under Women's Health

Nowadays, there are all sorts of things that we have to worry about when it comes to romantic partners. If we are worried about our health, we need to make sure that we don’t get any sexually transmitted diseases. This might be easy if you know what to do. Unfortunately, there are so many different kinds of sexually transmitted diseases that it can be hard to keep track. This is specially the case with the viruses that are harder to notice, and that are permanent and don’t have a cure. One of these is vaginal herpes, also called genital herpes. This form of herpes not only affects women, but men as well. If you want to truly avoid getting an STD, you should learn as much as you can about this virus. Especially because herpes is among the most common sexually transmitted diseases in america.

Herpes is also referred to as the herpes simplex virus, or HSV for short. There are two main forms of this virus, type one and type two. Type one herpes is common with most people. This type of herpes comes in the type of cold sores that happen in and around your mouth. This isn’t generally sexually transmitted and not something you ought to worry too much about. Genital herpes is the type two variety. When you get this illness, you will experience several different kinds of symptoms. For one thing, you will get an initial outbreak that can be very painful. The first outbreak is usually the worst and it tends to occur about four to seven days after people contract the virus.

The worst thing about herpes is that there is no cure. While you will find vaginal herpes treatments out there, they only help relieve the symptoms. Not only that, but vaginal herpes is highly contagious. You can contract this from closing contact with a vagina, penis, anus or other genital parts that happen to be infected. This doesn’t even need to be through sexual intercourse. If you come into contact with the skin, you can get the illness. There have been rumors floating around that, when someone who has herpes isn’t going through an outbreak, you can’t catch the illness. This actually isn’t true. While it is harder to contract in this time, it is still possible. In fact, most people who have herpes never or rarely experience any symptoms. Some people who do have symptoms don’t even notice them, so it can be really easy to catch this virus if you aren’t cautious. The best way to avoid this is to limit sexual contact with multiple partners, and to constantly use condoms.

Vaginal herpes medicine is limited. The best it can do is lessen your symptoms and outbreaks. This means that when you had outbreaks maybe five times a year, it could limit your outbreaks to only two or three times each year, maybe less. This is a good reason to take the medication since a herpes outbreak can be very painful for some people. There are several prescription medications in the marketplace that can do this for you. Since they are all acquired with a prescription, you will need to contact a physician in order to get help.

If people know what to do and what to search for, you ought to be able to avoid getting vaginal herpes. Remember to know your partners and to make sure that condoms are used whenever you have direct make contact with, whether or not you plan to have full intercourse. This can drastically improve your chances of avoiding this terrible illness. You will regret it otherwise.

 Pass along this post

Popularity: 15% [?]

Technorati Tags: Health, herpes, Herpes Simplex Virus, Herpes Virus, HSV, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, skin care, STDs, STIs, Vaginal Herpes, women

Posted under Women's Health