Accomplishment As Artwork

You provide your baby the best nutrition every day by breast feeding. Much of the nutrition your baby receives from breast milk comes from your body’s stored nutrients. So don’t forget - your nutrition is important too! Even while you are nursing, your baby is becoming familiar with the different flavors of food you eat. Follow these nutrition tips and set your baby up for good health that will last a lifetime!

1. Avoid Low Calorie or Fad Weight Loss Diets. Limiting the variety and amount of foods your eating can decrease much needed nutrients for your baby’s growth and development. Work on eating a healthy, balanced diet and keep your regular exercise regime with Baby Boot Camp! Keep in mind that nursing moms burn about 500 extra calories a day just from their milk production! This combined with your regular exercise and healthy eating will help you return to your pre-pregnancy weight.

2. Variety. Try to eat a variety of nutrient dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, high fiber carbohydrates, and high calcium foods.

3. Complex Carbohydrates. Avoid the white bread, rice, and pasta and opt for their whole grain counterparts. Look for 3 or more grams of fiber per serving on the food label. Complex carbohydrates provide important B-vitamins, minerals and fiber.

4. Protein. Make sure to have several servings of protein foods daily, like lean beef, poultry, fish, beans, tofu, or eggs. Protein foods are rich sources of minerals including iron, and zinc. Protein is also important for your baby’s growth and development.

5. Fats. Add several servings of “good” fats. Healthier fats include canola oil, olive oil, soy butter, and tub margarines with no Trans fats.

6. Fruits and Vegetables. Your goal is 5 a day. Fruits and vegetables are vital to provide important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for your baby’s growth, development, immune system and overall health.

7. Calcium. Aim for at least 3 servings of calcium-rich foods daily for good bone formation. Calcium-rich foods include milk, yogurt, cheeses, cottage cheese, fortified soy or rice milk, sardines, and kale.

8. Nuts and Nut Butters. Avoid eating nuts and nut butters
while breast feeding especially if you have a family history of food allergies.

© 2004 Meri Raffetto

About the Author

Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She has received a bachelor’s degree in both nutrition and psychology and has extensive experience in nutrition counseling and medical nutrition therapy. She offers individual nutrition counseling and has developed one of the only non-diet online weight management programs available on the internet. Her practice includes teaching people how to eat for endurance, improve vitality, and lose weight healthfully. For more information or to sign up for Real Living’s free nutrition newsletter, visit http://www.reallivingnutrition.com.

2005 © Marsha Maung marshamaung@yahoo.com
http://www.marshamaung.com

I am a mother of two. I used to think my children ruled my world
and my body. I used to think that the world revolves around my
children and they deserve every single second of my time and
every single cent in my bank account.

Not that I don’t think so now, but as a mom, I can tell you that
if moms everywhere in the world continue to dedicate their
entire beings to their kids, the future will have loads of happy
and well-raised children. However, there will be a lot of moms
who lack self-confidence, are unhappy with the way they lived
their lives, and is discontented with the way they feel about
themselves. Future Moms will feel regret. Future moms will lose
their own identity. Future moms will feel dysfunctional in
social surroundings.

No, motherhood does not signify the end of yourself, just
because you had your kids. In fact, motherhood is something that
enhances and celebrates your womanhood. You’ve done something
that is STILL exclusive (naturally) to women. No man will ever
be able to give birth and nurture children the way we do.

But because of the overwhelming emotions, feelings and concern
that we have for our children, we might forget to tend to
ourselves. And that’s unhealthy for mothers, regardless of race,
religion and culture.

I strongly encourage all moms to be with ‘themselves’, without
the kids for 30mins - 60mins every single day. Moms could do
something impulsive, like go shopping without the kids. Moms
could go for a facial. Moms could visit the gym. Moms could call
a friend for a talk. Moms could pick up a good book and read it
in the bath! ANYTHING you want to do!

As a mother, I encourage you to dedicate some of your time and
financial resources on finding and connecting with yourself on a
daily basis. The method could be different because one method
may work for one mother and yet, it doesn’t work for the other.
So, find the right method that helps you spend some time with
yourself.

If you don’t, you’ll feel tired and resentful about being mom.
And when you’re at that stage, it’s hard to snap out of it and
you’ll end up mistreating, not only yourself, but your kids and
your husband too!

How did I know? Simple. It happened to me. I snapped out of it
and I hope that those who are in the same position can snap out
of it too. Don’t stay in the trance for too long.

Pamper yourself, you deserve it….yes, even though you’re mom,
you’re still a human being…you’re still a woman!

There is a growing concern about fertility in the whole
industrialized world today. Almost 14% of couples have
infertility problems. There is a fear that infertility is on the
increase and about 40-50% of these problems are associated with
the woman. It is amazing to note, however, that there are many
things that can affect reproductive health, that we as humans
have control over. Lifestyle choices like smoking, alcohol
consumption, caffeine healthy/unhealthy eating habits, weight,
sexual practices and so forth all have impact on fertility and
it is within our ability to control all these.

Most women are unaware as to how important these choices can be
with regard to future attempts to conceive. It will be in order
to examine these lifestyle choices and how much they affect our
reproductive health.

*Weight Problems

Over/Under weight On both sides of the scale, body weight plays
a vital role in fertility. Obesity has been associated with
infertility and menstrual irregularities. Women who are
overweight but without Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) suffer
the same problems with ovulation and menstrual anomalies as
women with PCOS and in most cases, this is found to be
inexplicable medically. But it has been shown that group
treatment programs that help obese women with diets and exercise
plans have caused a return of fertility in many patients. In
overweight women with ovulation and menstrual irregularity, a
weight loss of 6.5kg (15lbs) has been shown to restore normal
ovulation. Therefore, it is believed that the improvement in
insulin resistance achieved with the weight loss has more to do
with restoring ovulation than the actual amount of weight loss
itself. Several studies have shown that a Body Mass Index (BMI)
of 23-30 is considered overweight and a BMI above 30 is said to
be obese.

Just as overweight is bad for fertility, extreme underweight has
also been shown to cause ovulatory dysfunction and thus
infertility. In a woman with anideal body weight (BMI of 20-25)
a moderate weight loss of 10-15% can cause menstrual
irregularity and a weight gain in such underweight women has
also been shown to restore ovulation and pregnancy in most
cases. A BMI of 17.5-20 is considered underweight and below 17.5
is severely underweight.

*Smoking

Over the years, several reports have consistently reiterated
that smoking decreases fertility.

Smokers suffer a risk of menopause1.5-3 years earlier than
normal, decreased oestrogen with breakthrough bleeding and a
shortened luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. All these suggest
that smoking exerts some toxic effects on the follicles
directly. Also, nicotine, a component of cigarette smoke has
been shown to concentrate in cervical mucous and the metabolites
have also been found in the follicular fluid. This is believed
to be responsible for delayed follicular growth and maturation
in smokers. Smoking is also associated with an increased
incidence of ectopic pregnancy and an increased spontaneous
abortion rate which also suggests it affects the uterine tubes
and tubal motility.

*Delayed Childbearing

Civilization also comes with its consequences. It is common to
see women in industrialized nations delaying childbearing to
pursue educational and career opportunities till later years.

What most women in this regard do not realize is that aging
brings with it many effects that affect almost every part of the
body and the reproductive system is not left out. Some of the
effects of age on fertility include:

- Depletion, over time, of the ovarian follicles affecting
menstrual and ovulatory regularity - endometriosis has more time
to produce scarring of the ovaries and tubes, reducing free
movement of these organs. It can even take the place of the
ovarian follicular tissues, if ovarian endometriosis persists
and grows.

- Fibroids can slowly grow causing endometrial bleeding that can
disrupt implantation sites or even distort the endometrial
cavity which affects the ability to carry pregnancy in the early
stages.

- Abdominal adhesions from other intra abdominal surgery or
ruptured ovarian cysts can also affect tubal motility, required
to sweep the ovaries and gather an ovulated egg.

*Alcohol and infertility

The total effects of alcohol consumption on fertility may not be
clear, but what is known for certain is that alcohol abuse does
constitute a risk of infertility. In a survey, women with high
alcohol use reported more menstrual and gynaecological surgery.
Alcohol has also been shown to alter oestrogen and progesterone
levels and also cause anovulation (menstruation without
ovulation). But what is not clear, however, is how much alcohol
consumption is bad for fertility, or alternatively, how much is
safe. It is established that during pregnancy, an average of
2drinks per day or more can produce foetal alcohol syndrome
birth defects. Another study showed that a consumption of more
than 100gram of alcohol a week (1drink per day) is associated
with 60% increase in ovulation difficulties.

Also, increased caffeine consumption has been shown to affect
the ability to become pregnant and carry the pregnancy. This is
because caffeine clearance from the body is decreased during the
luteal phase. Animal and human research data also show an
increased risk of spontaneous abortions with increased caffeine
use and a decreased foetal growth during pregnancy with
increased caffeine intake. Consumption of three or less servings
of coffee per day may be harmless, but more than this amount
i.e. greater than 300mg per day may lead to fertility problems.

Women with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) stand a greater
risk of infertility and untreated STDs especially gonorrhoea and
chlamydia, are the major cause of PID.

The choices we make everyday have a positive or negative impact
on our ability to conceive.

Decide to make the right decisions today and enjoy a better
reproductive health.

If you have any sort of email account that does not offer spam protection then there is a very good chance you have received an email telling you of the many benefits offered when you buy Viagra online, as well as any other prescription medicine. Before you buy Viagra online it is likely that you will want more information regarding the process, the legality and many more different items. This research is a vital step to making any online purchase and one that you should, wherever possible, undertake.

BUY VIAGRA what to look for…
When you first look to buy Viagra online the choices can seem overwhelming. The first thing you will probably notice is that there are a lot of websites that claim to try and help but are nothing more than thinly veiled attempts to make some money from Google and other advertisers. As such, they have nothing of any relevance or importance to your search. You will need to find a dependable online pharmacy that can assist you through as much of the process as possible. This can be anything from some general questions regarding Viagra itself to the actual purchasing of Viagra through their website.

Check that the website you are considering using has a reasonable amount of contact methods because if they are lacking phone numbers or email addresses it can become very difficult to get hold of them when you need to. You may also want to consider whether the pharmacy you are going to use are able to offer you a prescription when you order Viagra through their website. It isn’t always necessary to see a doctor to determine whether you are suffering from an illness and it should be obvious whether you have a need for Viagra or not. Visiting your physician and then the pharmacist regarding this can be difficult and embarrassing but if you buy Viagra online none of this is actually necessary.

We do not suggest that the use of online pharmacies should replace regular visits to your doctor or physician but in the case of impotency and similar illnesses it simply isn’t necessary. You will need to inform the pharmacy of whether you are already taking any medication and whether you have any illnesses or are taking any medication that may conflict with Viagra but you can do all of this via one online form giving you a great level of anonymity that is not realized when visiting your doctor’s surgery or the pharmacist.

Ensure you are using a website that offers secure payments when you go to buy viagra or buy Cialis, although this has probably been drummed into you already if you have made any other online purchases before. Most sites offer you the benefit of being able to make your purchase using credit card and there is no excuse for a site not offering secure payment facilities on their e-commerce site.

When you are ready to buy Viagra online the final step will be to order Viagra by completing the simple process. By buying larger quantities of the drugs and in higher dosages you will usually realize even greater savings. If the pharmacy you intend to use offer 100mg dosages then you may want to consider purchasing these. Even if you cut the pills up with a pill splitter, which many online pharmacies actually provide, and take a smaller dose you will be saving more money when you buy viagra

More info relating to ED and its effect on men at http://www.canadadrugdepo.com.

M.Jackson Author, and online investigator

http://www.canadadrugdepo.com come read more articles.

Most women, although not all, love shopping. I’d be lying if I did not place myself in the category of women who love almost nothing more than a great day or two of shopping. There are too many great things about shopping for me to ever stop liking it so much.

For me, one of the biggest reasons I love shopping is because of how relaxing it is. We all know how busy days become busy weeks that become busy months, and once in a while I like to get away from it all by spending an afternoon shopping. Shopping allows me to unwind and to take my mind off all of the more serious things that are happening in life. I can just wander through stores and think about the color of shirt or shoes I am looking for. Of course, living in this sort of dream world would not be healthy all of the time, but once in a while I think it is healthy to escape. Shopping is definitely my preferred method of escape.

Another thing I love about shopping is that it is exciting almost all of the time. I can set out on a shopping trip with one item in mind and end up discovering several other items that I hadn’t thought to buy before. I rarely if ever wander into a store without being pleasantly surprised by at least one item that they have for sale. Shopping is as exciting for me as watching basketball is to my husband. I just cannot get enough of it.

Shopping is a great way for me to connect with friends that I do not often see. Because all of my girlfriends have a love for shopping in common, shopping becomes a great way for us to spend some time together after weeks or months apart. I love that I can go shopping for endless hours with my girlfriends without getting bored. It is fun to shop with people that have unique tastes. I find myself learning from the style of my friends and I gather new ideas for future shopping every time I am with them. Shopping provides us with enough time to share great conversation as well. We never let shopping rush us or distract us from being together, we just shop as we reconnect.

And of course, I must mention that I love shopping because I find great things to wear, to give away, and to decorate my home with whenever I shop. I love to replace old things with new things and to update my style every so often.

It’s official: I, like most women, love shopping. I’m quite sure that it will never be any other way.

Belina Storrey loves shopping almost as much as she loves writing about it. See more about shopping at www.shoppingspot.info.

Fourteen years ago, I was introduced to our marvelous FLP
products by Senior Vice President, Harold Greene. He suggested
that I take the FLP “Touch of Forever” Combo Pak home and try it
myself. As Harold continued to talk about and show me each
product, my initial response was that I needed to try the
wonderful Fleur de Jouvence kit. I thought that it was the most
beautiful, natural skin care package I had ever seen.

Incidentally, I was a trainer for the Shiseido cosmetic line in
upscale department stores, as well as a floral manager for a
large chain of supermarkets. At this point, I was completely
impressed with my new, shiny black box containing six impeccable
products. As I have known about and used Aloe Vera for skin care
since 1963, I was so happy to find a company with products
containing Aloe Vera as their number one ingredient. I went home
with my treasure.

This began my love and respect for FLP’s wonderful Fleur de
Jouvence kit. Little did I know at that time that I would be
conducting skin care seminars several times a week during my
training meetings. The great family of San Francisco
Distributors were as impressed as I was with the positive
results they got using this super great regimen. After only one
or two seminars, our meetings grew to standing room only.
Everyone was getting the results that they were looking for and
for a very reasonable price! Eventually, I was spurred on by the
training and using these lovely products to get a license to
practice esthetics in the state of California. I now own my own
ladies’ day spa. Due to the fact that I have used these
wonderful products on myself and found the results desirable,
positive and immediate, I have been able to, with total
confidence, recommend them to everyone I meet. There have been
so many ladies, both Distributors and retail customers, with
whom I have shared these most wonderful products, that have
thanked me for utilizing the best of the best for their beauty
regimen; it makes my heart sing! To see the change in each user
of the Fleur kit and to hear their steadfast intent to continue
to use this great product is most gratifying. The referrals that
I have received are beyond my expectations.

My advice to each of you, when you approach anyone who desires
better looking skin, is to recommend the Fleur de Jouvence kit.
It’s 100% guaranteed so you have nothing to lose! Display it and
sell it with the utmost confidence. My sincere advice is to read
the manual contained within the kit; try the products yourself.
You will be most impressed with the results.

Aloe Fleur de Jouvence facial kit - Item #041

Exfoliating Cleanser is a non-greasy, non-irritating lotion
that removes makeup and dirt thoroughly with just a few drops.
Hypoallergenic, pH and moisture balanced.

Rehydrating Toner combines aloe, witch hazel, toning plant
extracts, skin moisturizers, collagen and allantoin for a
gentle, non-alcoholic toner. Removes traces of cleanser, oils
and dull lifeless surface cells, reduces pore size, and leaves
skin balanced.

Mask Powder is a unique combination of rich ingredients chosen
for their skin conditioning and pore cleansing properties. When
mixed with the pure aloe vera gel and allantoin in the Aloe
Activator, the formula moisturizes and cleanses while it
tightens and smoothes your skin. Aloe Activator is an exclusive
moisturizing and cleansing agent formulated with stabilized aloe
vera gel and allantoin. It contains enzymes, amino acids and
polysaccharides.

Firming Foundation Lotion is rich in vitamins A, C, and E and
emollients to firm, re-texture and tighten pores under makeup.
It helps the skin retain vital moisture balance.

Recovering Night Cream minimizes the appearance of wrinkles.
Polysaccharides and skin humectants lock in moisture. Natural
lipids, wheat germ glycerides, jojoba, and apricot kernel oil
control oil/water balance, while collagen and hydrolyzed elastin
reduce fine lines.

For more information on Fleur de Jouvence kit or any of
Forever’s other quality products, please visit
http://foreverliving.com/. Click “Come In”, then-”Shop” and use
Distributor Id # 001002251915.

Attention! With Forever Company you have an excellent
opportunity to have additional income or work at home,
especially if you have your own web site! Pease contact:
victoriazeltov@yahoo.com.

* The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by
the FDA. The products discussed are not intended to diagnose,
mitigate, treat, cure or prevent a specific disease or class of
diseases. You should consult your family physician if you are
experiencing a medical problem.

This article is copyright protected. If you want to reproduce
it on your web site please ask
permission:victoriazeltov@yahoo.com

Not everybody looks like Helen of Troy. If Mother Nature
happened to be harsh on you concerning looks, you can score over
her with some easy to practice makeup tips. It is guaranteed
that these makeup tips will turn even a plain Jane into a woman
of rare and exquisite beauty.

There are makeup tips for every beauty problem. With makeup, you
can draw attention to your most beautiful feature or downplay a
not particularly appealing one or even hide a scar or blemish.

Every makeup tip is unanimous on one point and that is a good
skin foundation. It is essential for that “oh-so-glamorous”
porcelain smooth look. A foundation also gives protection to the
delicate facial skin from harmful weather forces and pollution.
In conjunction with a moisturizer, it prevents the skin from
ageing.

The key to sparkling eyes, as every eye makeup tip will swear
by, is light colored eye shadows like brown, mauve, vanilla or
beige. You can play in the subtle undertones of the skin and opt
for colors like gold, olive, pale purple and gray.

The adventurous at heart can try out bronze, tan or any other
shinning translucent eye shadow powder or go in for a layered
look by combining two colors. Experimentation is all right, but
every make up tip profess one thing, “don’t go overboard”.

Mascara is another aspect of eye makeup. In fact, there is
nothing like a dash of mascara to dramatize the eyes. For a no
makeup look, a brown shade or clear mascara is the best. For a
wide-eyed innocent gaze, try curling your eyelashes. But curl
before applying the mascara and do not curl your lower lashes
for they are apt to fall off.

A makeup tip is not meant only for highlighting a facial
feature. Makeup can be used as a cover for problematic zones too.

You can make your concealer or foundation stay all day by
dusting it with some translucent powder and its good riddance to
bad rubbish like pimples, scars and dark circles. For the real
obstinate acne, just a dab of concealer, that is one shade
lighter than the foundation, bordering on the green or yellow
tone is ideal.

For a large nose, light colored shoulder-length voluminous hair
is the ideal mask.

There also happens to be a makeup application tip that will help
those unhappy with the spacing between their eyes. A medium
neutral eye shadow on the inner eyelids with a thick eyeliner
stroke bordering the entire length of the eyes will make the
eyes appear closer.

For eyes that are too close for comfort, a good beauty makeup
tip is to apply a darker tone in matte finish in upward and
outward strokes on both the lids and end in a thick flourishing
curve.

The essence of all makeup tips is to make you, and not the
makeup, stand out in a crowd.

It’s estimated 200,000 American’s will undergo gastric bypass surgery this year. Only 15 percent, 30,000, will be men. Yet obesity statistics in this country indicate morbid obesity is not gender specific. About 60% of American men and women are obese. So why are so few men, comparatively speaking, going under the knife to lose weight?

It has long been known that if a man wants to lose weight he’ll go to the gym, pump some iron and maybe run a few laps. Seldom does he head for the kitchen to fix a nutritious, balanced low calorie meal. Men are genetically predisposed to lose weight more quickly than women. Most experts agree men tend to lose weight faster because they typically have more lean muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage than women. Said simply, men generally have a higher metabolism, or rate at which they burn calories, because they have more muscle.

Given the better odds for quicker success can we conclude that men are opting for conventional weight loss methods - diet and exercise - before considering gastric bypass as a plausible option?

Perhaps. But it’s been my experience that obese men, like obese women, are ashamed of being fat, ashamed of failing to lose weight and ashamed to take the last-resort surgical option for weight loss. And unlike women, men don’t cluster to talk about their “feelings” or the shame and self-loathing that accompanies obesity. Not surprisingly, many men feel very alone in their battle of the bulge.

One man, William, who secretly underwent gastric bypass said, “It is very difficult for men to reach out and ask for help because obesity is still very much considered a ‘women’s disease’. Men may also not want to come forward for fear that people will think they are vain or worse weak.” When someone asks William how he is losing weight he answers with a slap on the back and a wink, “Working my ass off at the gym, buddy - you ought to try it!” He doesn’t even mention diet, portion control or nutrition.

Women are more often prompted to pursue weight loss, including gastric bypass, for self-esteem issues. They need to recover a sense of self-worth or validation, they need to feel attractive to future mates. Women often perceive that being overweight is a character flaw and by fixing it they can become a better person. Many believe media presentation of perfection fuels this perception. Men have generally been immune to unrealistic standards and historically an overweight man was one of affluence and abundance.

These days more and more men are prompted to lie on the surgical table for health reasons, few will admit having surgery to improve their self-esteem. Obesity related health problems scare, and perhaps, shame men to have surgery, lose weight and become healthier. But social stigma shames men into keeping quiet about it.

“I watched three men in my family, one-by-one, drop dead from massive heart attacks. Near as I could tell I was next,” said 37-year-old Frank Elliott. “At 385 pounds I needed to do something fast. So I had the surgery, I lost the weight and kept my mouth shut about it. I was ashamed of being so weak that I couldn’t lose weight on my own.”

Because men are reluctant to go public with their obesity solution there is a lack of male-bonding or support for one another. One LivingAfterWLS reader, Rob said, “I’m finding it difficult being one of the very few men who’ve had this surgery locally. By nature, I’m a talkative and sometimes overly reflective and analytical person. Maybe this is why I get a real sense of fulfillment when I can “talk shop” with other WLS people. But men, by nature I believe, don’t tend to want to band together in the support groups like women seem prone to. This lack of a true peer support system makes it a bit tough.”

Surprisingly men tend to celebrate the same “magic moments” women do when it comes to massive weight loss. Rob said, “The physical changes have been such a treat! I was wearing size 60 pants this time last year and I’m buying 46s and 48s now. Buying clothes is a blast!! One of my biggest short-term goals was to be able to go to most any store in town and buy clothes off the rack. I’ve jumped for joy each time I’ve had to take my watch to the local jeweler to have a link removed from the band. Did I mention that the physical changes have been a treat? I have collarbones now! The girl at the lab can find my veins by sight instead of “poke and fish” now. I’m almost down to having only a single chin!”

Wouldn’t it be great if he had a support network of men who were celebrating the same milestones?

In the context of human relationship male bonding is most likely to happen on the sports field, at the bar or in the stadium stands. Perhaps this is where the WLS male contingent needs to gather, rather than in the traditional meeting room on folding chairs. Given a familiar and comfortable environment where the words “emotions” and “feelings” aren’t requisite for the event I submit WLS men could build a camaraderie based on shared experience and common compassion.

Will that bust the social stigma for overweight men who chose to control their obesity with surgery? Probably not. But if it can help one or two or a hundred men become more self-respecting and more self-assured then why not? In the meantime, we have several male subscribers to LivingAfterWLS. Rob is one of them. I’m happy you are here.

© 2005 Kaye Bailey - All Rights Reserved

Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com and http://www.livingafterwls.blogspot.com

LivingAfterWLS is a no-nonsense resource for people Living After Weight Loss Surgery. Our community is growing in numbers even as we are shrinking in pounds. Together we support one another in this lifestyle, that it turns out, is NOT the easy way out.

Fresh & insightful content is added daily, check in often. To subscribe to the LivingAfterWLS monthly newsletter “You Have Arrived” click on http://www.livingafterwls.com and enter your details in the subscription box